August 18, 2025

Rowing Together: Healing the Nations

“But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45, NASB, 1995)

Doulos and Latris

There are several New Testament words for “servant” or “minister,” each with different nuances of meaning. I will mention five of them today. I have found in my studies that these five form an interesting and important progression. 

The first two are doulos and latris. A doulos was a bond-slave, owned by another.(1) Paul often referred to himself as a bond-slave or bond-servant of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1, etc.). Yes, God owns us. This is true by the right of creation, but also because we are bought with a price by the blood of Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23). As Lord, He can require us to do anything He wants. In the early days of the Charismatic Movement, we frequently sang the song, “He is Lord.” And He is.

Latris, however, from the verb latreuo, means to serve, not out of compulsion, but by choice.(2) A parent serves his or her family by providing for and caring for them – not as a slave, but from the motivation of love. This is latreuo. Romans 12:1 in the King James Translation tells us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God, as it is our “reasonable service.” Other versions of Scripture translate the phrase differently, and appropriately so, saying this is our “reasonable service of worship.” They do this because the word here is latreuo, not doulos. We are not being told to present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice because we are His slaves, but rather because we are in a relationship with Him and want to please Him. We do it as worshippers. 

God’s heart is not to relate to us as slaves “owned” by Him, but to do so as His family and friends. Jesus said in John 15:14-15:

“You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”

Our Lord wants us to serve Him from a heart of love and worship, based on relationship. When we move into this type of relationship with God, we become His co-laborers, working together with Him. We embrace the great commission as a co-mission. Our hearts have become one with His, and we want what He wants. We’re members of Abba’s household of faith, His family. This motivation changes everything.

Yes, Paul certainly referred to himself as the Lord’s bond-slave, but he also said the love of God constrained him; this was his motivation (2 Corinthians 5:14). As we pray and work toward the great harvest that is beginning, we must establish that we will obey God fully. But we must also fully realize that we are His partners, friends, and kids. As the Head of the church and King of the Kingdom, He gives directions, but He delights in involving us in the process.

Diakonos

The last three words used for “servant” or “minister” change the focus. Whereas the first two define our service and relationship with God, the last three involve us serving or ministering to other people. We are still doing it as unto the Lord, but the direct benefit is to humankind. The third word is diakonos, which simply means “to serve, minister, attend or wait on,” as in a “waiter” serving tables. We also get the English word “deacon” from this Greek word.(3) In Acts chapter 6, it is used for both the apostles’ “ministries” (Acts 6:4) and the deacons’ “ministries” (Acts 6:2). One group served natural food to the widows; the other served spiritual food to the entire church. Same word–both were servants. Diakonia/diakonos simply means to serve another, regardless of the purpose. We are ALL called to ministry or service for Christ, regardless of whether it is on a platform, in an office building, or at home. We have all been given gifts from God; serving that gift to benefit others is diakonia.(4) 

Huperetes

The fourth word is huperetes, meaning “a subordinate or an attendant,” as well as a servant.(5) Interestingly, it is used in Acts 13:36 to describe David in his role as King of Israel. One would not typically think of describing a king as a subordinate, attendant, or servant. The verse says David ”served” God’s purpose in his generation. While governing the people, he was doing so as God’s servant. 

But there is another little-known meaning of huperetes. The word comes from two Greek words meaning “under” and “rower.” An underrower in that day was one who, in synchronization with others, rowed a boat or small ship. The key to their success was the synergy produced when they rowed together, simultaneously.  Thirty people who take turns rowing produce only the strength of one, thirty different times. But thirty individuals rowing simultaneously create a synergistic force that can propel a small ship. This is why they often sang when rowing; it kept them in a cadence, rowing together to create a greater thrust. 

God’s goal is for groups in His church of “diakonoses” – servant ministers -- to connect relationally and row together (huperetes). They must not quarrel over who calls the cadence or what song they sing; instead, they must have Kingdom-minded hearts to move the boat forward: “Give me an oar and let me row.” When this is happening, we can accomplish number five. 

Therapon

The last word for a servant is therapon. This word, while meaning “servant, attendant, or minister,” includes doing so to cure and heal!(6) (Matthew 4:23-24). We get the English words “therapy” and “therapist” from this Greek word. When God has people submitted to His Lordship (doulos), who love and want to partner with Him (latris), by ministering to others the gift He gave them (diakonos), and do so in harmony and agreement with others (huperetes), they become His healing force in the earth (therapon)! 

This is what we are doing when we intercede together for God’s purposes to be accomplished and released on earth. We become a force of God’s life, healing, and restorative power to save, deliver, and heal. Let’s do so now.

Pray with me:

Father, Jesus demonstrated true ministry – servanthood – as He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by satan (Acts 10:38). He came, not to be served, but to serve and give His life for many (Matthew 20:28). David, a king, was called a servant. Your apostles were called servants. We ask for great revelation to invade the church regarding our call to servanthood.

And we ask for our hearts to be moved upon by Holy Spirit, bringing us passionate desires to connect, to work together. We ask that denominations, movements, leaders, and all believers would be moved on to produce this level of agreement. Convict us, the church, of judging one another, criticizing, causing, and/or honoring divisions. Show us the religiosity and pride that motivates this divisive spirit and replace it with a spirit of love and cooperation.

And we ask for connections—millions of them. Build prayer connections, enabling us to fulfill the assignments you’ve given. We ask that EVERY nation have a STRONG prayer covering by the Ekklesia. Return our nations to You and send the greatest awakening the earth has ever experienced. In Christ’s name, amen.

Our decree:

We decree that Spirit-led connections are occurring, causing great unity and power to manifest in our land.

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

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1. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 1401.

2. Ibid., ref. no. 3000.

3. Ibid., ref. no. 1249.

4. Ibid., ref. no. 1248.

5. Ibid., ref. no. 5257.

6. Ibid., ref. no. 2324.