#20.

True Fellowship will be Characterized by Service

Romans 12:68 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. We are continuing to look at the gifts God gives His children, with the intention they be used for the good of the whole body. It is as we enjoy fellowship together, largely, that there will be opportunities for these gifts to be used. This time, we are going to consider the gift of service, which Paul mentions in our text. The Greek word translated "service" here is the word "diakonia," from which we derive "deacon." The word carries the connotation of "rendering assistance or help by performing certain duties, often of a humble or menial nature" (Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Vol. 1: Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: Based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition.) (459). New York: United Bible Societies). Although Paul may have the more formal role of the appointed Deacon in view here, we need to study this subject carefully to understand how it applies in the church more generally. This is because this word, or words from the same root, are used of many different people in the New Testament. Here are some examples: First, Christ Himself is called a "servant to the circumcision" inRomans 15:8 and the Greek word for servant is "diakonos". He says of Himself that He did not come to be served ("diakoneo"), but to serve ("diakoneo") and to give His life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28) Then Paul describes Apollos and himself as servants (Greek word "diakonoi") in 1 Corinthians 3:5 and himself as a minister ("diakonos") in Ephesians 3:7 Phoebe is described as a servant ("diakonos") of the church in Cenchrea (Romans 16:1) Paul talks about the runaway slave, Onesimus, ministering ("diakoneo") to him during his imprisonment The angels are called ministering spirits, sent out to render service ("diakonia") for the sake of those who would inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14) The prophets who predicted the coming of Christ and His sufferings were not serving ("diakoneo") themselves but us (1 Peter 1:12) Finally, Jesus said that the greatest among His disciples would be the servant of all ("diakonos" Mark 9:35). He addressed similar comments to the crowds who followed Him. Peter says to the church that as each one receives a gift from God, they should use it in serving ("diakoneo") one another. How shall we summarize this? Everyone in the Church is intended to be a servant, from the Servant King Himself, to the angels sent to serve His elect, to the Apostles and prophets He gave the Church, to the saints themselves, who are being made more and more like their King in this as in many other respects. It is true that the Lord particularly gifts some individuals to function in the church as Deacons, or servants of the flock, but from what we have seen, it is clearly not the case that all the service (or ministering) done in the church should be done by the elders and deacons. On the contrary, God gives evangelists and pastor-teachers to the saints specifically to prepare them for works of service ("diakonia") so that the body may be built

up (Ephesians 4:11-12). And again, Jesus says quite clearly that we are all to put ourselves in the lowest place in the church, as servants of all, if we would be great in His kingdom. It is worth dwelling on this in a day and age when the spirit of service seems largely to have left the church, to be replaced by the spirit of self-service. Where are the saints in the 21st century who will gladly humble themselves to do the most menial tasks if that is helpful to the whole body? In closing, though, our point in this meditation is that God gives the gift of service to all His children (to some more than others), and they are to use it so the church may be built up. True fellowship, then, must be characterized by service as believers minister Christ, and minister their gifts to one another. Since our brothers ans sisters are joined to Christ, in serving them we are serving Him (Matthew 25:40). We can think of no higher incentive for us to be present and to enjoy fellowship in the Lord than this - that when we are together and we gladly humble ourselves to serve one another, we are perhaps more like our Savior (who washed His disciples' feet) than at any other time.

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