Service. In contemporary society, it is a word with scores of connotations, many of them very positive. Yet it was not always so. Being a servant meant hard hours of laboring in obscurity for a master whose expectations were high, and whose commendations may have been few.
In our world where you are what you do or have, the concept of willing service to others is becoming an alien concept. We are surrounded by support personnel and high-tech equipment to assist us in our relentless pursuit of fame, fortune, and power. Perhaps a pause from our hectic lives is in order, to reacquaint ourselves with a principle woven through Scripture: service, from a servant’s heart. To our unchanging God, this has always been His way, and has always characterized those whose lives have made a difference. Today God needs new volunteers for His army who have recognized that the secret to His high estimation is through being humble in our own estimation — men and women like those recorded for us in Hebrews 11:34 who “. . . out of weakness were made strong.”
Through every dispensation, as God progressively revealed aspects of Himself, He chose human examples through whom the truths were revealed. All (at best) were mere shadows of the Great Exemplar, the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul reveals the downward progression of His humility in Philippians 2:5-11 as we see Him emptying Himself of all (inherent, intrinsic) reputation and taking the servant’s form, humbling Himself and being obedient to His Father’s will, even to the point of the shameful, hated death by crucifixion outside Jerusalem’s walls. Yet the narrative culminates with the Father’s exaltation of His Son, both presently and in the future! We may thrill in the vastness of this truth without ever realizing that He is to be our example — both in serving Him and His people! Of crucial importance is whether our lives, like His, can be summed up by saying that we “. . . came not to be ministered unto, but to minister” (Matt. 20:28). To the degree that our lives emulate His, we will serve Him and others. It cannot be any other way.
God has always placed a premium on committed service. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for service (ebed) is mentioned no less than eight hundred and seven times. Mr. G. A. Smith defines this word as, “A person at the disposal of another.” This defies human nature, but it defines God’s. The Son who could have come as a King with pomp and ceremony, was found wrapped in swaddling bands in the stable of the Bethlehem Inn. He came to serve, to win us back to God. He knew the cost, and still He came. And He is our example! What weight this places on 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “. . . ye are not your own . . . ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Paul could tell the church in Corinth (1 Cor. 12; see also Eph. 4:15-16) that the relationship of Christ and His Church was analogous to a body with its head. Christ is the Head, and we are all parts of His body. Anyone who has injured even a small part of the body, knows just how much suffering it can cause, and how it places a burden on the surrounding parts. This is the principle of the Church; when we serve the body, we serve the Head. The converse is also sadly true; when we fail to serve the body, we harm the Head. He who has so uniquely formed us, who has brought us out of myriad backgrounds of family, culture, environment, and geographical region, has also given us a distinctive personality with strengths all our own; with different likes and dislikes, talents, and gifts. And He has never made an accident! This same grand and glorious God has something for us to do. Is He getting what He paid for?
The inspired New Testament writings contain nine different original words to portray service and servants. The most frequently used word (doulos) usually refers (in its noun form) to the relationship between a servant and his master. It refers not to unwilling bondage, but rather to subjection. This gives us a great insight into the servanthood of our Lord who was bound to Calvary not by nails, but by far stronger cords — supernatural love! So, with us, we don’t serve Him out of unwilling or grudging necessity, but out of a heart and life devoted to One we love, who loved us first.
In ten of the twenty-seven New Testament books, we find the work of deacons mentioned (diakonos/as) some twenty-five times. While doulos refers to the servant and his master, here we have in view the servant and his work. Deacon work is usually considered a physical labor; (Vine — “an attendant rendering free service; servile work”) but it is by no means limited to such. It is used to describe following Christ (Eph. 6:21), “serving one another” (Mark 9:35), and “serving the church” (1 Tim. 3:8). Examples today might include Sunday School work, preparation of meals for sick or shut-in saints, and the upkeep of facilities. If the work of deacons is to be done well, it will require some planning and ability to be sure, but mostly hard work! We can all help out here, but all too often, the tasks fall to the same few people. Our Example removed His outer garment, put on a towel, and washed the journey’s defilement from the feet of His disciples (John 13). Any of the disciples could have done the same, but they didn’t! Yet He did, and in so doing, He showed Himself a servant. Perhaps we don’t think that deacon work is important — not “public” enough. Don’t despair! His all-seeing eye watches all such service, and His hand faithfully records it. And at the Bema, He will make public the things done in secret, when they’ve been done for Him and His own.
Anyone who has a care for assemblies gathered alone to His Name will recognize that there is much need for strong leadership today. Many and varied are the problems, and powerful is the adversary. In short, we need elders! (episkopoi — “overseers”). Men raised up by the Holy Spirit for the guarding and guiding of the flock (Acts 20:28), men of repute (1 Tim. 3:1-7), guardians of the truth (Titus 1:9). Men who recognize that being an overseer isn’t an “office” or “title” to be attained, but a work to be done; shepherding by example while keenly aware that they will answer to the Chief Shepherd; men with Christ-like compassion and firm resolve; men with tender hearts and yet thick skin! Men with a thorough knowledge of the Word of God, and the ability and willingness to apply its teachings. Men of discernment and vision too, but above all, men willing to work! Are there men out there with Timothy’s strong desire to “stretch out after” and passionately “long for” such a work? (1 Tim. 3:1). We need you! The God we serve is never remiss in His rewards to any, but a special crown awaits those who shepherd well; a “crown of glory that fadeth not away” (1 Peter 5:4).
The Church of Jesus Christ has, through the centuries, experienced many dark and trying days. Christian character has been honed and refined in the crucible of persecution. But for those who feel the cold, biting north wind, there is a desperate need today for healers. Three of the Gospels (all but Mark) record for us those who are “healers” (thereupon). These are people with empathy, understanding, and discretion. Christians still suffer from employment loss, wayward children, persecution from unsaved family members, temptations, and trials. We need people who are good listeners, wise of counsel, and understanding. Men like beloved John, whose greatest desire was in leaning on, and listening to, His Lord. His post-resurrection writings are redolent with the fragrance of the kindness of the Son of Man. Men like a young Levite named Joseph who the apostles renamed Barnabas — “son of consolation.” Women like Phoebe (Rom. 16), a servant and a helper, and Mary of Bethany who first communed at the Saviour’s feet, and then got to work. Healers — are you out there? Your abilities are desperately needed!
In these times of apathy, when we demand to be served, may we realize that what we are, who we are, where we live, and why the Lord has us in these present circumstances, is no accident! We have been formed to serve the Head in one part of the body. Are we doing our part? Are our lives governed by the question, “May I help you? One day at the Judgment Seat our earthly existence will be compared to ” . . . a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1-2). Will He be able to say that we’ve done our “reasonable service”? May we go in for finding out what He would have us do, and then JUST DO IT! Not for self, but for Him, and His people. And, to ultimately hear Him say to us, “Well done — thou good and faithful SERVANT.”
Written by W. Alan Parks