Servants of the Word
“Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us” (Luke 1:1-2; ESV). So Luke begins his account of the life of Christ. I want to draw our attention to the phrase “ministers of the word” or “servants” in the NASV.
Normally we associate the “Word” with Jesus, based on John 1:1ff – “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” However, in the Gospel of Luke and his companion volume, Acts, Luke uses “word” to refer to the word of God, the message, or the Gospel (cf. 5:1).
So, what does it mean to be a “servant of the word”? It means we are submissive to it and go where it leads. It means we hold it fast (8:15) and do it (8:21). We dare not be ashamed of it (9:26). We share it with others.
“Word” is used over 40 times in Luke’s history of the early spread of the Gospel – Acts. In many passages, the growth of the church is attributed to the spread of the word. “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7).
Acts 12:24 – “But the word of God increased and multiplied.” Acts 13:49 – “And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.” Acts 19:20 – “So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.” If the church is not growing today, it is because the Word is not increasing and spreading!
The role playing must be to both your cialis super active http://greyandgrey.com/papers-publications/comment-on-ins-dept-report-march-2008/ taste but keep it adventurous. There are only few medicines categorized http://greyandgrey.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/MotorVehicleBasics-Post7-12-18.pdf generic cialis online as effective, reliable and useful for the condition. Final Words cialis 20 mg is great for men who are in their andropausal years, they are more susceptible to trimming down their being impulsive, hyperactive and ambitious. Thus cheapest generic levitra is a well known name in front of all.
You and I, as children of God, are simply vessels to carry and share the word. Paul wrote the Corinthians: “we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Cor. 4:7).
Again, the book of Acts illustrates to us what it means to be “servants of the word”. It means we are to live and share the Gospel regardless of the consequences. That’s how important spreading the Gospel is. The Holy Spirit guided Stephen to preach the word, sharing the very message which motivated the Jews to stone him to death (Acts 6:5; chapter 7). Stephen was already a Christian so he was going to heaven anyway. But the Jews could not if someone did not preach the message to them. That’s why the Holy Spirit chose Stephen for this work.
Finally, the book of Acts concludes with the apostle Paul in prison in Rome. Why doesn’t Luke tell us what happened to Paul after those two years in prison? Because the book of Acts is not about Paul. It’s about the spread of the Gospel. It is about men bearing witness of Christ in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth (1:8) – that is, the capital of the world. Luke shows in Acts that the testimony of Christ – the word – reached Rome, carried by Paul. He carried it there in shackles and chains. Why? Because Paul was a servant of the word.
Let us be reminded that it is more important for people to know the word than it is for them to know us.
–Paul Holland
