Services...rendered (1247) (diakoneo - derivation uncertain - cp diakonis = in the dust laboring or running through the dust or possibly diako = to run on errands; see also study of related noun - diakonia) means to minister by way of rendering service in any form or to take care of by rendering humble service. Note: For numerous additional insights concerning this word group (diakonos, diakoneo, diakonia) see the study of diakonos Diakoneo gives us our English words diaconate (an official body of deacons) and deacon. The root word diakonos refers to one who serves as a waiter upon tables performing menial duties (see below Matt 8:15; 20:28; 27:55; Mark 1:31; 10:45; 15:41; Luke 4:39; 10:40; 12:37; 17:8; 22:26, 27; John 12:2). Diakoneo conveys the basic idea of personal service, and depending on the context can mean specifically to serve, to wait on, to see after or to care for someone's needs by performing a service (conveying the sense that help is provided to the one being served - see Mt 4:11, 25:44, Mark 1:13). Note that some NT uses convey the sense of distributing alms (charitable donations of money or food to relief the poor) (see Ro 15:25; money referred to as "grace" or charis in 2 Cor. 8:19, 20). In this sense diakoneo refer to someone simply administrating a task, such as the collection. The group of words related to diakoneo (diakonia, diakonos) word group differs the other Greek word group, douleuo (doulos) which also means to serve, in that the former word group connotes “service” on behalf of someone while the latter speaks of “service” as a slave under or subordinate to someone (as a bondservant or bondslave to the “lord” or “master”). As Richards says... In Greek thought, both types of service were shameful. The duty of the Greek person was to himself, to achieve his potential for excellence. To be forced to subject his will or surrender his time and efforts for the sake of others was intensely distasteful, even humiliating. But Jesus came to serve, not to be served. In giving Himself for others, Jesus set the pattern for a transformed value system. In Christ, serving is the highway to greatness. In Christ we achieve our full potential by giving, not by grasping. (Richards, L O: Expository Dictionary of Bible Words: Regency) (Ed: Or as John Blanchard says "Christian service has been dignified by Deity." John Calvin said that... The highest honour in the church is not government but service. (and added)...We shall never be fit for the service of God if we look not beyond this fleeting life. TDNT writes that... For the Greeks service is undignified; we are born to rule, not to serve. Service acquires value only when it promotes individual development, or the development of the whole as service of the state (or ultimately as service of God). If this demands some renunciation, the idea of self-sacrificial service finds little place...By exalting service and relating it to love of God, Jesus both sets forth a completely different view from that of the Greeks and purifies the Jewish concept. Vance Havner There are no trivial assignments in the work of the Lord. Henrietta Mears Serving God with our little is the way to make it more; and we must never think that wasted with which God is honoured or men are blessed. Richards writes that... These words are distinctive in that their focus is squarely on loving action on behalf of a brother or sister or a neighbor. A similar word, doulos (127 times in the NT) can mean either "slave" or "servant," and it focuses attention on our subjection to Jesus. But these ministry words call us to look at our fellow human beings as objects of the loving services we extend to them for Jesus' sake. (Ibid) Bridges rightly observes that... Service to God through service to mankind is the only motivation acceptable to God for diligence and hard work in our vocational calling. A good picture of the meaning of diakoneo is depicted by Peter's mother-in-law who was healed by Jesus and she immediately got up and waited (diakoneo) on them. (Lu 4:39) Were it not for Paul’s letter, we would never know that Onesiphorus had served Paul and the church. But the Lord knew and will reward him and He will reward you for your faithful service “on that day” for God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered (diakoneo) and in still ministering (diakoneo) to the saints (see note Hebrews 6:10) See Torrey's Topic Reward of Saints Diakoneo is used 38 times (see below) in the NT in the NASB (5x Mt; 4x Mk; 7x Lu; 2x Jn; 2x Acts; 1x Ro; 3x 2Co; 2x 1Ti; 1x 2Ti; 1x Phile; 1x Heb; 3x 1Pe) and is translated as follows: administered, 1; administration, 1; cared, 1; contributing...support, 1; do...the serving, 1; employ...in serving, 1; minister, 3; ministered, 2; ministering, 3; servant, 1; serve, 4; serve as deacons, 1; served, 2; served as deacons, 1; serves, 5; services...rendered, 1; serving, 4; take care, 1; wait, 1; waited, 3. There are surprisingly no uses in the Septuagint (LXX). Augustine said that... We do the works, but God works in us the doing of the works. Without God, we cannot. Without us, God will not. Here are the 38 uses of diakoneo in the NT which (along with select uses of the noun diakonia) reveal how we can serve others and what "ministry" involves -- caring for those in prison (Mt 25:44), serving tables (i.e., meeting physical needs) (Acts 6:2), teaching the Word of God (the noun diakonia in Acts 6:4), giving money to meet others' needs (2 Co 8:20), and all the service offered by Christians to others to build them up in faith (the noun diakonia in Ephesians 4:12 "or the equipping of the saints for the work of service" ). Although Paul and other apostles are called ministers, and although there was the office of deacon in the early church, there is a sense in which every believer is a minister and is to use his or her gifts to serve others as exemplified by the summation of spiritual gifts in 1 Peter 4:10, and 4:11. Matthew 4:11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. Matthew 8:15 And He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she arose, and waited on Him. Matthew 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Matthew 25:44 "Then they themselves also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' Matthew 27:55 And many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, Mark 1:13 And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him. Mark 1:31 And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them. Mark 10:45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." J C Ryle writes that "The world's idea of greatness is to rule, but Christian greatness consists in serving." Mark 15:41 And when He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister to Him; and there were many other women who had come up with Him to Jerusalem. Luke 4:39 And standing over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her; and she immediately arose and waited on them. Luke 8:3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means. Luke 10:40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him, and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me." Luke 12:37 "Blessed are those slaves whom the master shall find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. Luke 17:8 "But will he not say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me until I have eaten and drunk; and afterward you will eat and drink '? Luke 22:26 "But not so with you, but let him who is the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as the servant. Luke 22:27 "For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table, or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves. John 12:2 So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. John 12:26 "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. Acts 6:2 And the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. Acts 19:22 And having sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. Romans 15:25 (note) but now, I am going to Jerusalem serving the saints. 2 Corinthians 3:3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts. 2 Corinthians 8:19 and not only this, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our readiness, (This passage and the one following speak of the involvement in coordinating this financial effort to aid famine-struck Christians in Jerusalem.) 2 Corinthians 8:20 taking precaution that no one should discredit us in our administration of this generous gift; 1 Timothy 3:10 And let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach. 1 Timothy 3:13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 1:18 (note) the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on that day-- and you know very well what services he rendered at Ephesus. Philemon 1:13 whom I wished to keep with me, that in your behalf he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel; Hebrews 6:10 (note) For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. 1 Peter 1:12 (note) It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven-- things into which angels long to look. 1 Peter 4:10 (note) As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:11 (note) Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Mark Hepner states that A survey of the uses of diakoneo in the NT indicates a basic meaning of “giving someone what is necessary to sustain their physical life.” Consequently the word is frequently used in the gospels to mean “set food before someone” or “wait on someone.” In Mt. 4:11 angels “attend” Jesus in the wilderness after his very long period of fasting. Later on, Peter’s mother-in-law “begins to wait on” Jesus and his disciples after being healed (Mk. 1:31). Luke relates Martha’s complaint to Jesus that her sister has left her alone with the “work” of providing Jesus and his disciples with a meal (Lk. 10:40). There are numerous other references in the gospels and Acts where this word is used to denote “serving food to” or “waiting table on” people, e.g. Lk. 12:37; 17:8; 22:27; Jn. 12:2; Acts 6:2. Beyond the idea of setting food before someone to eat, the word may also denote any act of generosity that supplies what is necessary to sustain everyday physical life. Luke tells of women who “supported” Jesus and his disciples out of their own means (8:3; cf. Mt. 27:55; Mk. 15:41). The use of diakoneo to refer to the provision of what is necessary to sustain material or physical life continues on into the epistles. In Rom. 15:25 Paul refers to his task of delivering and overseeing the distribution of an offering to alleviate the material needs of impoverished believers in the church in Jerusalem as “serving” the saints. In 2 Tim. 1:18 Paul remembers with fondness Onesiphorus for the many ways he helped Paul in Ephesus, surely a reference to service aimed at meeting the practical needs of staying alive. Finally, the author of Hebrews reassures his readers that God will not forget their past and current practice of “helping his people,” again most likely a reference to providing practical assistance to God’s people to meet the needs of day-to-day survival, probably in the face of persecution (Heb. 6:10). Metaphorically, diakoneō is used to refer to serving people in the interests of preserving and enhancing their spiritual life with God. Thus Jesus came to serve by ransoming God’s people from the forces that held them captive (Mt. 20:28). It was also a spiritual service that the prophets of old provided for the saints in ages to come (1 Pet. 1:12). Whether referring to physical or spiritual sustenance, diakoneō generally denotes the practical acts of service that help people by supplying what they need to ‘carry on with’ the business of daily life... To sum up, this survey of the diakonia word group indicates that the core idea of ministry is supplying what people need to keep on living as Christ’s body in the world. Christian ministry is fundamentally a practical activity, consisting of acts of service to others for the purpose of sustaining their life as a community of faith, promoting their maturity and growth in Christ-likeness, and enhancing their ability to carry on the mission of Christ. Ministry is obedient service done on behalf of the Master for the benefit of his people. Ministry is making the needs of fellow believers equivalent to the command of the Lord Himself and willingly distributing to them what the Master has placed in their hands to meet those needs. (Ashland Theological Journal Volume 37:51ff. 2005) SERVANT SYNONYMS There are several synonyms used in the NT to describe service or ministry. (1) Diakonos - a minister, waiter, attendant, servant (applied to a teacher, pastor or deacon), and speaks of service or ministry to other men and women "as objects of the loving services we extend to them for Jesus' sake". (Richards) (2) Doulos - one who is in bondage and thus a servant related to the master as a slave who must at all times be subservient. In the NT doulos often speaks of a believer's submission to their Master Jesus, whereas diakonos (diakonia, diakoneo) speaks more about the "loving action on behalf of a brother or sister or neighbor" (Richards) a motif concerning which Jesus set the premier example (cp Mk 10:45, Mt 20:28). (3) Huperetes - literally an under-oarsman (originally an under—rower in a galley ship) and so a subordinate servant, a subordinate official waiting to accomplish the commands of his superior (Mt 5:25, Lk 4:20, Jn 18:36, Acts 13:5) (4) Leitourgos - in Classic Greek one who performed public duties (Ro 13:6) but used most often in NT of a servant or minister of God (Ro 13:6, Ro 15:16 Php 2:25 Heb 1:7 Heb 8:2) (5) Therapon - a menial attendant who shows serves voluntarily. Trench says therapon conveys "the sense of one whose services are tenderer, nobler, freer than those of the doulos." (Only used in Heb 3:5) (6) Oiketes- a household or domestic servant (Lk 16:13; Ac 10:7; Ro 14:4; 1Pe 2:18) (7) Misthios and misthotos (see root misthos) - a hired servant, a hireling (in both good and bad sense) (misthios - Lk 15:17, 19) (misthotos - Mk 1:20; Jn 10:12, 13) "Copy and paste the address below into your web browser in order to go to the original page which will allow you to access live links related to the material on this page - these links include Scriptures (which can be read in context), Scripture pop-ups on mouse over, and a variety of related resources such as Bible dictionary articles, commentaries, sermon notes and theological journal articles related to the topic under discussion." http://www.preceptaustin.org/2_timothy_115-18.htm#serve