On Sunday, June 23, 2002 we had a special Bible Study class

There are three different Greek words related to the concept of "service" & "ministry":

1. diakonos which is a noun and means one who executes the commands of another, especially of a master; a servant; attendant; minister; the servant of a king; a deacon; a waiter; one who serves food and drink.

2. diakoneo which is a verb and means to wait on tables; to serve; to provide care. Passages where you will find this word are, Luke 12:37; 17:8; 2Timothy 1:16; 2Corinthians 3:3.

3. diakonia which is a noun also used in the sense of service or ministry and functioning in the spiritual gifts. Passages where this noun is used are, Romans 12:7; 2Corninthians 4:1; 5:18.

Diakonos is used for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as a minister to Israel in Romans 15:8. In the New American Standard Version of the Bible you will find the word "servant" which means minister. Take notice to the words "truth of God" and "promises". The circumcision in this verse means Israel.

Our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ wore two crowns: One for Israel and one for the Church. He presented Himself in servitude as an invisible hero to Israel as the Messiah and future ruler of Israel. Diakonos is used for the authority of our Lord at the 2nd advent.

Diakonos is also used when speaking of the Pastor/Teacher as a minister in the local assembly. We find this in Romans 11:13; Ephesians 3:7; Colossians 1:23; 4:7; Hebrews 6:10 and 1Thessalonians 3:2.

It is also used in reference to the office of Deacon in the local assembly. The Deacon being a minister of administration. Philippians 1:1; 1Timothy 3:8-13.

Certain men have been given administrative spiritual gifts. This is a gift given to relieve the Pastor/Teacher of certain duties thus enabling him with the time to study and teach God's word. Deacons function under the Pastor/Teacher's authority.

We can find the origin of the deacons in Acts 6:1-7 and their function or the requirements of the deacons in 1Timothy 3:8-13.

The Deacon must function under the honor code of the Royal Family of God utilizing God's power system. Thus they must be closed-mouthed which means to be able to keep confidential matters confidential.

They should not be drunkards nor looking for dishonest profit or gain. They should have a conscious full of doctrinal norms and standards and should be blameless under the laws of divine establishment:

1. Volition

2. Marriage

3. Family

4. Nationalism

Their wives must be functioning under the Royal Family Honor Code as well. And the Deacon must be able to rule his own household.

Next we touched on the Function of a Deacon. The Deacons are to attend to the administrative details of the local assembly which includes the oversight of the various departments and ministries. They are to insure that every cent of all the grace offerings are accounted for and spent in an honorable and virtuous way. They are to also attend to the needs of members of the local assembly in regards to problems with other members, problems in the different departmental ministries or problems the Pastor/Teacher may have.

Administration in the local church must be honest and characterized by virtue, functioning under the principal of grace (love mentality). When operating as such, it is a definite part of glorifying God.

This word is also used in reference to every believer in the sense of being in full-time Christian service after being prepared by the right Pastor/Teacher.

Finally, we learned that the word diakonos is also used in reference to law enforcement. Our law enforcement is no good without capital punishment, Romans 13:4. The word carries the connotation of authority which goes far beyond the original language.