THE STUDY OF SERVANTHOOD

The old testament translates several Hebrew words as “servant”  Each presents a certain portion of truth concerning the heart of a servant.

A)     The meaning of “Ebed”

1.       “Ebed” generally means a slave or a servant.  This applies to a person who is at the complete disposal of another person. Likewise God’s servant must be at the disposal of the Lord Jesus Christ and of those whom he is called to serve.

2.       “Ebed” applies to a person who works for a master. (Deut. 15:12-18)

3.       “Ebed” is also a slave in the service of a king (I Kings 1:9,47)

4.       “Ebed”  the word also applies to a person who serves in attendance to the temple sanctuary (1 Samuel 3:9)  A servant must tend the true temple of God, the Church, with his worship toward God and his service to God’s people.

B)      The second meaning is “Abad”

1.       This is a person who tills the ground (Genesis 2:5) 

The servant of God must work at breaking up the fallow ground of their hearts so that they can receive the seed of the Word of God.

2.       Secondly, this word “Abad” applies to a person who dresses or keeps a garden. (Genesis 2:15)

A servant God must dress and keep God’s vineyard, the Church of Jesus Christ.

3.       The name “Abad” applies to a priest who serves the people.  A servant who lays down his life in sacrificial service to those whom God has called him to serve.

C)      The third Hebrew word for servant  is “Sakiyr”

1.       It generally means a person who works for wages by day or by year. The “sakiyr” is a hired servant.  As a servant leader of the Church we must forsake the attitude of “paid professionalism”.  The hired servant was not a love-slave (Leviticus 25:39-42).  A Servant leader must forsake a religion of legalism that protects his rights. He must move into a personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

2.       A servant must realize that ministry and activities not motivated by the love of God are not worth half as much. 

D)     The fourth Hebrew word for servant is “Sharath” it means a person who is a doer of menial and insignificant tasks.

1.       A servant must perform seemingly insignificant tasks sometimes in His Kingdom.

2.       A person or priest who minister or serves before the presence of God.

3.       Joshua was a “sharath” to Moses (Exodus 24:13). A servant of God’s serving those over him with a servant’s heart.

The New Testament translates in Greek “servant” as “doulos” which gives us a very good word picture of a servant’s heart.

A.       The word “doulos” signifies bondage, but commonly applies to a servant who has willingly bonded himself to a master.  Paul the Apostle uses the word to describe himself in his epistles:

Philippians 1:1 “Paul a servant (doulos) of Jesus Christ

Titus 1:1  “Paul a servant (doulos) of God

1.       The Love Slave of God

The most effective servants in the Kingdom of God are those who serve the Lord only out of a desire to love Him.  Such leaders or servants do not serve for money, reputation, position, power or selfish motive, even though their service means long hours of pressure and sacrifice. They are able to serve sincerely with humility and no desire for personal profit or fame.

2.       Secondly, the concept of serving in Greek in the New Testament present the word “deacon”

The word “deaconship or servanthood” is a New Testament concept.  This deaconship is not limited to those who take up offering or serve communion. The true meaning of deaconship goes even far deeper.

3.       The church appointed deacons on the basis of having a good reputation, being full of the Spirit and being full of wisdom (Acts 6:3)  As a deacon he must be able to lead and have a “people-conscious” heart.  The deacons are actually doing the work of the ministry for God’s Kingdom. They are the one that heals the sick and cast out devils.  Jesus said that He came to serve not to be served. (Mark 10:45).  He told the disciples the greatest servants are those who serve and not those position seeking and ambitious seeking servants. (Matthew 23:11) The selfish disciples who desired a position for themselves there is no room for such in God’s kingdom.

4.       So as God’s servants or leaders he must desire to serve, not to be served, to give, and not to take. They must find true happiness in pleasing God and the Church. To put one’s first is to violate this nature of servanthood.  Selfishness is out if one aspires to be a love slave for Jesus. Many servants today in churches are sold to fame, money and even their selfish purpose for profit only. They served for fame and as a “sakiyr” a hired servant.  As a servant leader of the Church we must forsake the attitude of “paid professionalism.

Forms of Ministry

Service is coupled with other words to describe a particular form of ministry.

The “ministry of the Word” – 2 Timothy 4:5 reminds us that a preacher is one who serves up the bread of life (Acts 6:4)

We hear of “the ministry of reconciliation” in 2 Cor. 5:18

Self- effort to keep all the requirements of the law is called “the ministry of death and condemnation,” but the life of faith is a “ministry of the spirit and a ministry of righteousness” – 2 Cor. 3:7-9

The servant of God needs to release life into people’s soul and mind so as to release them to a greater ministry for others to receive.

Some of material was taken from Frank Damazio’s  book “The Making of A Leader”