Sons and Servants

THE KINGDOM OF GOD -Part 60 - by J. Preston Eby

It is when we come to this thought of servants that there is a great deal of misunderstanding among the Lord's people. When we speak of servants, some boast that this calling does not apply to them, for they are no longer servants, but sons. That is true in the spirit in which Paul argues in Galatians 4:6-7 wherein he says, "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore, thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."

It is far from the truth, however, to say that there is no sense in which those who are sons are also servants. Paul is speaking in the passage above of our relationship to God, the Father. Under the Old Covenant the people of God had not received new birth by the Spirit, to live in the Spirit and walk after the Spirit, but were placed under the rule of law. They were not a house of sons, but a house of servants. Their relationship to God was the relationship of servants. They were not sons. God had not sent the spirit of sonship into their hearts. By the New Covenant God has redeemed us from the curse of the law that we might receive placement as sons and has birthed into our hearts the Spirit of His Son, the spirit of sonship, whereby we cry, "Father!" This has brought a change in our relationship to God. Unto Him we are no longer servants, but sons. As sons, however, we become related not only to God, but we also become related to men. Jesus is the Son of God, but He is also the Saviour of men, the Redeemer of men, the Reconciler of men, the Blesser of men, the Deliverer of men, the Sovereign Lord over all flesh. It is here that we must be very clear in our understanding. Unto God I may be a son; but unto men I must be a servant. I am God's servant, sent of the Father to serve mankind. I cannot be a servant to God, for I am His son; and I cannot be a son to men, therefore I much approach unto men in a relationship through which I can minister unto them the life of the Son who dwells in me. The only way I may minister Christ unto men is as a servant. To minister means "to serve," and both minister and servant are a number of times translated from the same Greek word.

Can a son be a servant? Jesus, the pattern Son declared, "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto (served), but to minister (serve) and give His life a ransom for many" (Mat. 20:28). It is the SON who SERVES! The Son is a Servant-Son. The very same Jesus of whom the Father witnessed, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased," of Him the Father also witnessed, "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my Spirit upon Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the nations" (Isa. 42:1). Matthew 12:15-21 shows unmistakably that this servant of the Lord is Jesus. The Son came as a Servant-Son.

John understood this significant truth, for the same John who wrote, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God," later stated, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John" (Rev. 1:1). Paul understood this truth, for the very same Paul who wrote, "Wherefore thou art no more a servant but a son," also said, "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle." "Apostle" means a "sent one," therefore Paul was sent to serve! To God he was a son, but he was the servant of men. Is Jesus a Son or a Servant? Was John a son or a servant? Was Paul a son or a servant? And lest the elect of God in this Day should exalt themselves above John, or Paul, or even Jesus, we further find that of the 144,000 overcomers, that glorious company of the sons of God who stand with the Lamb on mount Zion, having the Father's name in their foreheads, it is written, "Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the SERVANTS OF OUR GOD IN THEIR FOREHEADS"

(Rev. 7:3). So there you have it! The sons are the servants! Not servants to God, but sons who are servants to men, humble ministers of the mercies and goodness of the Lord.

What blessedness, what value has sonship without the outpouring into the depths in which men dwell? The whole purpose of sonship is that God may be revealed, expressed, and communicated to men even unto the lowest hell. Sonship is not some country-club set of super-spiritual-elite-gods who spend their time polishing up their halos while basking in the meretricious brilliancy of their own self- importance. If, upon our road to manifested sonship, we first learn to identify with the creation which we are ordained to deliver, to associate with the lowest and basest of men in the blessed spirit of a servant, what a blessing we shall become to the world! THAT IS WHAT JESUS DID. If Jesus were here today He would be condemned for eating with politicians, lawyers, mobsters, drug lords, call girls, crooks, drunks, and a whole host of unsavory characters, just as He was two thousand years ago. We think of the mighty anointing of the seven spirits of God that rested upon the firstborn Son, and shall rest upon all the manifested sons of God. But is it not written of these seven spirits that they are "sent forth into all the earth" -- into the earthiness of man's experience. Only as a son can one truly be a servant, for only the son possesses that life which can quicken all things!

There is a striking and beautiful parallel between sons and servants, between kings and priests. It is the son who reigns, and the priest who serves. As sons we are destined to reign as kings, as servants we are called to serve as priests. "For thou wast slain, and has redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God KINGS and PRIESTS: and we shall reign over the earth" (Rev. 5:9-11). God makes us kings that we might rule; He makes us priests that we might serve, bringing reconciliation, blessing and transformation to mankind. As priests we live for others, to pray for them; to work among them; to teach and instruct them; to bless and lift them; to deliver and redeem them; to bring them to God! "And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne . . . stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns (power, kingship) and seven eyes (perception, vision, communication, priesthood), which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth" (Rev. 5:6). The sevenfold intensified Spirit of the Lord is given to God's King-Priests so as to be a channel for the outpouring of His glorious life to creation. To be a king is marvelous beyond words, but to be a priest is no idle self-seeking blessedness. It is a compelling power to enter into God's presence on behalf of mankind; the power to receive from the Lamb all the blessings and provisions of His wonderful life, and to receive and carry and distribute them!

You will never be a priest without the servant-nature. The story is told of a farmer who had just sat down to the table and prayed, "Oh Lord, bless the poor people in this neighborhood, and feed them." Very soon after, there was a knock at the door and a poor neighbor came in and asked the farmer for a bushel of potatoes. The farmer began to make all kinds of excuses. He had fifty bushels of potatoes, and his little boy said, "Papa, there is a chance to answer your own prayers." That is the servant- nature, and the spirit of priesthood. So many in this hour want to be sons and kings and priests while living in their own little world, studying the deep revelations, singing beautiful kingdom songs, but never having any practical outworking of the servant-nature in the nitty-gritty of everyday living where the needs of creation are met. May the Spirit of God make very real to all our hearts the great truth that he who will not serve cannot be a son. "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life..." The sons come for the same purpose!

What a blessing there is in giving! Even on the natural plane it is a part of the makeup of everyone that they feel good when giving or helping others. But in many people, and even in some who aspire to be kings and priests of God, this attribute is never developed into becoming a part of their life-style, so the opposite takes place. However many wonderful people spend their lives in giving service to others. When analyzed, the servant-nature is the most prized possession of the human race. What a joy is the restaurant waitress who gives true service. To be a real nurse requires this above all else. The secretary in an office can be an inspiration to everyone through her ability to be of help and support in every situation instead of merely doing what is required of her. Then there is the teacher who is vitally concerned for every member of her class. In such as these is the servant-nature revealed even on the earthly level. Serving those about you will never of itself make you a priest of God, but YOU CAN NEVER BE A PRIEST WITHOUT THE SERVANT-NATURE! HE makes us kings and priests! Because we have priestly hearts we shall stretch forth our hands to heal the nations and speak forth the word that brings them life!

Many years ago amidst a great moving of the Spirit of God the revelation of sonship fell with wonder upon our ears and burst with glory within our hearts. We sat enraptured for hours, day after day, and were taught by the Spirit about the Father and His purposes and about that elect company He has called, apprehended and chosen to be His sons to rule with Him in His Kingdom and restore all things. We learned that these sons would have power unlimited -- power over everything. Power over sin, power over sickness, power over the elements, power over demons, power over all the power of the enemy, and power over death. We were going to rule and reign in power, and our eyes sparkled like diamonds in the light and our hearts swelled with joy in expectation of the wonderful position and authority we would soon have in the Kingdom. We could think and talk of nothing else but the power we would have, and in our glorying we tried to usurp and demonstrate this power. We were intoxicated with illusions of grandeur as we pressed our way into the Kingdom and the exalted position of sitting on the throne with Jesus and ruling the world and the vastnesses of infinity forever.

Little did we understand in those early days that the way up is down. The carnal mind would have us believe that the way up is up. Thus we have pressed our way into ministry, pressed our way into the Kingdom, "stood on the promises," demanded of God our "rights," presuming even to command God to do this and that, and sought to seize the throne. It is true, elect of the Lord, that God wants to take us UP -- high into the realms of God -- UP to the throne -- but God would have us know that the way UP is always DOWN! Do you remember what Jesus said to His disciples when they aspired to greatness in the Kingdom? "Now an eager contention arose among them, which of them was considered and reputed to be the greatest. But Jesus said to them, The kings of the Gentiles are deified by them and exercise lordship, ruling as emperor-gods over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors and well-doers. But this is not to be so with you; and on the contrary let him who is the greatest among you become as the youngest, and he who is the chief and leader as one who serves. For which is the greater, he who reclines at table (the master), or he who serves? Is it not he who reclines at table? BUT I AM IN YOUR MIDST AS ONE WHO SERVES" (Lk. 22:24-27, Amplified). The one who serves the people well as a priest is the one who will also reign well as a king. "They shall be priests . . . and they shall reign." That is the order! Though He is calling us to be kings with authority over all, yet our inner spirit must be that of a servant, that we might freely minister, loving, touching, doing good, speaking kindness and encouragement, healing, reconciling, restoring, with mercy, compassion and love. The problem with many people is that they have never learned to live for anything other than themselves and their own -- me, my wife Mary, my daughter Sue, my son John, these four, no more.

God by many and varied experiences brings preparation into our lives to teach us the attitude of a servant. Pride shows that that person has failed to grasp that rulership is rooted in God, who is Love, and not in ourselves. Jesus was the most lowly and humble of all men, and also the most powerful and authoritative. He was not a super-duper-elite-country-club Son of God. He didn't bounce onto the platform under the lights with a flare of worldly showmanship and then disappear out the back door to escape contact with the people. "Although He existed in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Phil. 2:6-8).