Being Like Jesus
“…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)
God asks all believers to have servant-hearts. There are several New Testament words for “servant” or “minister,” each with different nuances of meaning. I will mention five of them today, giving the greatest focus to number four.
A doulos was a bond-slave.(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 He purchased us with the blood of Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23). As our Lord, He can require of us anything He wants. One of the most popular songs in the Charismatic Movement of the 70s was simple but powerful, “He is Lord.” And He is.
Latris is from the verb latreuo, and 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 used 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 love Him and want to please Him. We do it as worshippers.
Though Paul referred to himself as the Lord’s bond-slave, he also said the love of God constrained him as his primary motivation (2 Corinthians 5:14). We certainly 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 commands; He also delights in partnering with us as His family and friends.
The third word is diakonos, which simply means “to serve, minister, attend or wait on,” as in a “waiter” serving tables. We 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, whether 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)
The fourth word is huperetes, and though it does mean “a servant or an attendant,”(5) its original and literal meaning is “bottom rower” or “under-rower.” The word refers to an oarsman positioned on the lower deck of a trireme-type ship. This was a lightweight, oar-powered warship with three decks of oars on each side, used by Mediterranean civilizations from the 7th to 4th centuries BC. It was propelled by 170 oarsmen, 85 per side, and could reach speeds of 10 mph. A “bottom rower” was an oarsman serving on the lowest deck; some were paid, others were slaves. Later, the word came to be used simply as a subordinate.
Several rather obvious symbolic meanings can be seen in the use of this word for believers. A bottom rower was a lowly position, requiring great humility. Significantly, both the apostle Paul and King David were called under-rowers (Acts 26:16; 13:36). Think of that! One of the greatest apostolic leaders of the church, Paul, and perhaps Israel’s greatest king, David, both called bottom rowers. How revealing! We’re all called to be humble servants in God’s Kingdom, under-rowers for Him, not superstars.
A bottom rower, being on the bottom deck, couldn’t see where the ship was going. He had to completely trust the leader, just as we must trust the Lord as He directs our lives.
Not only was being an under-rower hard work, but this bottom level was uncomfortable, cold, and damp. When storms came, the rowers would be swamped with seawater, yet they had to row onward. It was very challenging. We, too, are told to endure hardship as good soldiers of Christ (2 Timothy 2:3)
And the rowers had to be unified. The key to their success was the synergy produced when they rowed in unison. If the 170 rowers on triremes had rowed sequentially, taking turns, they would have generated only the strength of one, 170 different times. But when the 170 rowed simultaneously, they created a synergistic force that could propel a small ship. This is why a leader would call a cadence, enabling them to row in unison.
We, too, must be team players, not doing our own thing or quarreling over who calls the cadence. We must be Kingdom-minded, wanting only to move the boat forward: “Give me an oar and let me row.” When this is happening, we can accomplish number five.
The last word for a servant is therapon. While this word does mean a “servant, attendant, or minister,” it originates from the concept of doing so to cure or heal!(6) (Matthew 4:23-24). We actually get our English words “therapy” and “therapist” from this Greek word. Notice the progression: when we are submitted to Christ’s Lordship (doulos); loving Him and desiring to partner with His goals (latris); doing so by ministering to others through the gift He gave us (diakonos); operating in humility, harmony, and agreement with others (huperetes); we become His healing force in the earth (therapon)!
This is what occurs as we intercede together for the accomplishment of God’s purposes on earth: we move forward powerfully, becoming a force of God’s life and power. Let’s do so now.
Pray with me:
Father, we know Jesus demonstrated true ministry/servanthood, selflessly traveling about doing good and healing all who 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 understanding and conviction to invade the church regarding our call to servanthood.
We also ask that our hearts be moved upon by Holy Spirit, bringing genuine desires to work with others. We ask that denominations, movements, leaders, and all believers be motivated to operate in high levels of agreement. Convict the church of being judgmental and of promoting disunity and division. Show us the religiosity and pride that motivate this divisive spirit. Replace it with a spirit of love and cooperation.
We ask for many new connections to occur in Your Kingdom. Give us hearts willing to row together. Build prayer connections that enable us to fulfill the assignments You give. We ask that EVERY nation have a STRONG prayer covering by the Ekklesia. Turn our nations to You and send the greatest awakening the earth has ever experienced. In Christ’s name, amen.
Our decree:
We declare that we are Christ’s bottom rowers, joyfully rowing to the cadence of Holy Spirit, causing great strength and power to be released for His Kingdom.
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James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 1401.
Ibid., ref. no. 3000.
Ibid., ref. no. 1249.
Ibid., ref. no. 1248.
Ibid., ref. no. 5257.
Ibid., ref. no. 2324.