Levels of Service that will reveal Christ

By Apostle Aje Pelser

 

There are different levels of service in ministry that progress from ministry of helps, to active duty, to being a bondservant or bondslave. The higher the level of consecration the more Christ is revealed, but also the more the Master places His kingdom resources at your disposal to complete the task that he entrusted in your care!

 

To be great you must become a servant; to be first you have to become a slave!

Mat 20:25  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.

Mat 20:26  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.

Mat 20:27  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—

Mat 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.'

 

Joh 13:12  So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, 'Do you know what I have done to you?

Joh 13:13  You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.

Joh 13:14  If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

Joh 13:15  For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.

Joh 13:16  Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.

Joh 13:17  If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

 

A Servant Under Authority – Healing the Centurion’s Servant

Luke 7 gives the account of the Centurion’s servant being healed. Dr Gray sheds some light on the incident and reveals further levels of authority linked to service:

“In the order of facts given concerning him he was:

A man of warm temperament, with deep affection for a slave of his (“servant' is 'bondservant').  Matthew uses pais (boy: house servants in the Orient are so named, also in the homes of missionaries).

A man interested in spiritual things – 'loves our nation”, indicating acceptance of Jewish worship and the Jewish God (cf. Ruth, 'thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.”).

A generous man: 'built us a synagogue'.

A humble man: 'not worthy”.

A man of faith: “say the word”.

A centurion, as the name implies, was in charge of anywhere from fifty to one hundred men.  There were sixty such officers in a Roman legion.  Cornelius (Acts 10) and Julius (Acts 27).  In the New Testament the centurions are presented in a favorable light.

“By sending the Jews to ask Jesus, not to attempt to heal the slave but to heal him.  He did not ask Jesus to come and pray for the man to see if that would help.  He asked for a definite answer.  When he gives an order it is obeyed because he has all the power and authority of Caesar behind him; in the same way Jesus has all the power of His Father behind Him, so that when He issues an order it must be obeyed.  The centurion recognizes, of course, that Christ is operating on an infinitely higher plane than he.” [Life of Christ Answers 458, from Miracle Bible College, Contact mbc@harvesterchurch.org.za .]

 

A Servant Prepares the Wedding Banquet with His Master’s Seal of Approval

“God gave Him the miracle of the day before to show them His authentication of Jesus as the Giver of eternal life.  But they stopped short at the miracle, and did not see it as a sign of something higher.  Jesus is sealed with God's approval.  In those days a seal was given to the slave commissioned to prepare a banquet; so Jesus has been given the seal to provide the banquet of eternal life for the Church.” (Answer 901, Dr Roy M. Gray, “The Life of Christ.”)

Journey 29 c –  After Jesus fed the 5000, He explains that He is the Bread of Life. 

 

Paul & his disciple Timothy referred to themselves as “Bondslaves”

Philippians 1:1

Paul and Timothy refer to themselves as bondslave of Jesus Christ. The historical context of bondslavery will shed some light on the term, because the modern Bible Translators shy away from slavery because of all negative connotations. Read the following to get the original picture that apostle Paul intended to convey.

 

To a bondslave, one’s life is now bound up with the intents and purposes of the Master. A true bond slave was set free after a lengthy term of service and then given the choice to continue in service

 

“A Hebrew was made a slave on a temporary basis (for a maximum of six years). After his time was fulfilled, he could go out as a free man. However, if because of love of his master, he said that he did not want to go free, then his master would take him to God for a spiritual commitment, and then to the door or the doorpost. There he would pierce his ear with an awl or, in other words, with a large hole – one that would never grow back. That slave would then serve him permanently. He is then a bondslave. From that moment on, he would have no time of his own, no rights of his own, no money of his own, and no possessions of his own. He would have to do whatever the master told him to do.

Even though the cost of being a bondslave is high, the rewards are even higher. I used to think of it just from the viewpoint that the master was getting a fresh slave. Then I realized that the master was also making a very significant commitment. He was committing to take care of that slave, to protect him, and to provide for him for the rest of his life. As we make this commitment to God, He makes that type of commitment to us in return. The cost of becoming a bondslave is not high, it is total. And so is the commitment of the Master”

Excerpt from “Bondslave by A. D. Reese http://www.angelfire.com/oh2/spiritsong/heart.html

 

“Service is not out of a sense of duty, but from a heart of love and appreciation”

The Master had earned the respect of the bond slave in a sense, because now the service is not out of a sense of duty, but from a heart of love and appreciation. Our God is a good master, sin is a hard task master and it’s wages are death. Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin – John 8:34. But the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul understood this very well and entered into another level of apostolic service in the ministry.

There is clearly a higher level of service revealed in Paul’s automatic inclusion of the word in his letters.

 

Strong’s Concordance G1401 reveals that the word “doulos” means:

“ one who gives himself up to another’s will those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men”

It is derived from a word that speaks of the bond of marriage. “To tie and fasten” is also used to describe “deo” and being “bound in the spirit” to go and fulfil a calling comes to mind. That determination was in Jesus and subsequently Paul as well.

Being a bondslave willingly to serve the Master ties one to God’s will entirely but also gains one access to the Masters ability and executive authority for the task at hand. Having delegated authority means one is under the authority of the Master and His power is behind your every word and action. This is a powerful state of being and something Apostle Paul lived out – it is no longer I that live but Christ that lives in me. One has to be a servant and place one’s mind, will and emotions under God’s control to be able to say that. But Jesus said if desire to be his disciples that we should Deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him.

 

 

Servants that Follow Jesus receive Honour from God

Joh 12:24  Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.

Joh 12:25  He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

Joh 12:26  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honour.

 

The understanding that being a bondslave means total commitment both ways – from slave to master and a master to slave to provide for and care for his servant helps to establish another level of relationship with our Master!

 

Paul’s first question to the Lord Jesus when he was knocked off his horse on the Road to Damascus was: “What do you want me to do?” That is a good first step to becoming a bondservant of the Most High God. But just like Jesus told Paul to receive instructions from one of his messengers, so we also need training and input from the Body of Believers and learn from those who have gone before.