Bible Explanations
140. Minister
This is not a man in charge, with “leadership skills,” who
speaks ex cathedra from the pulpit and whom you
are not allowed to question.
In the following verses it is the Greek word diakonos,
which means “servant.” It is generally distinguished in the Authorised
Version of the Bible from the
word “servant” which is the Greek word doulos,
meaning “slave.” So diakonos implies a voluntary
servitude. A far cry from those men who fancy themselves in the pulpit
and love to have a following:
Matthew 20:26-28 – “But
it shall not be so among you: but
whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and
whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the
Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give
his life a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:43 – “But
so shall it not be among you: but whosoever
will be great among you, shall be your minister: and whosoever of you
will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man
came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a
ransom for many.”
Romans 13:4 – “For
he is the minister of God to thee for good.
But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the
sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute
wrath upon him that doeth evil.” The civil magisrate is here called a
“minister.”
Romans 15:8 – “Now
I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of
the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made
unto the fathers” Christ
is here called a “minister” i.e. servant.
Galatians 2:17 – “But
if, while we seek to be justified by Christ,
we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister
of sin? God forbid.”
Ephesians 3:7 – “Whereof
I was made a minister, according to the
gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his
power.”
Ephesians 6:21 – “But
that ye also may know my affairs, and how I
do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord,
shall make known to you all things.”
Colossians 1:7 – “As
ye also learned of Epaphras our dear
fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ.”
Colossians 1:23 – “If
ye continue in the faith grounded and
settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye
have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under
heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister.”
Colossians 1:25 – “Whereof
I am made a minister, according to the
dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of
God.”
Colossians 4:7 – “All
my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who
is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the
Lord.”
1 Thessalonians 3:2
– “And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister
of God, and our fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish
you, and to comfort you concerning your faith.”
1 Timothy 4:6 – “If
thou put the brethren in remembrance of
these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished
up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast
attained.”
Hebrews 1:14 – “Are
they not all ministering spirits, sent forth
to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” Note
the word
“ministering," which is the word leitourgos,
“public servant”, see below.
Hebrews 6:10 – “For
God is not unrighteous to forget your work
and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye
have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”
The verb is diakoneo,
see below.
Verb diakoneo:
Matthew 25:44 – “Then
shall they also answer him, saying, Lord,
when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or
sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?”
Romans 15:25 – “But
now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto
the saints.”
1 Peter 1:12 – “Unto
whom it was revealed, that not unto
themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now
reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with
the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to
look into.”
1 Pet. 4:10,11 – “As
every man hath received the gift, even so
minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold
grace of God.
If
any man speak, let him speak as the oracles
of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God
giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ,
to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
The following verses use the word uphreths,
which means “subordinate.” i.e. not a leadership position at all, but
the position of an assistant:
Luke 4:20 – “And
he closed the book, and he gave it again to
the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the
synagogue were fastened on him.”
Acts 13:5 – “And
when they were at Salamis, they preached the
word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to
their minister.”
Acts 26:16 – “But
rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have
appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a
witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things
in the which I will appear unto thee.”
Verb uphreteo:
Acts 24:23 – “And
he commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and
to let him have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his
acquaintance to minister or come unto him.”
The following verses have the word leitourgos,
meaning “public servant”:
Romans 15:16 – “That
I should be the minister of Jesus Christ
to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of
the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.”
Note the word “ministering” is the verb uphreteo,
as above.
Hebrews 8:2 – “A
minister of the sanctuary, and of the true
tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.”
Verb leitourgeo:
Romans 15:27 – “It
hath pleased them verily; and their debtors
they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their
spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal
things.”
The following verses are irrelevant, but have been translated
“minister” in the Authorised Version of the Bible:
ergazomai, meaning "to toil or labour":
1 Corinthians 9:13
– “Do ye not know that they which minister about
holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at
the altar are partakers with the altar?”
Equivalent to “waiting” cf. a
waiter.
epicorhgeo, meaning "to supply":
2 Corinthians 9:10
– “Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both
minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase
the fruits of your righteousness”
didomi, meaning "to bring forth":
Ephesians 4:29 – “Let
no corrupt communication proceed out of your
mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may
minister grace unto the hearers.”
pareco, meaning "to present occasion":
1 Timothy 1:4 – “Neither
give heed to fables and endless
genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which
is in faith: so do.”