I Cor. 4: 1, and both in connection with some phase of special service. Leitourgos is

employed in the O.T. only of the priests and the Levites, but in the N.T. the terms is used

of magistrates, of angels, and of Christ Himself, as well as of Paul in Rom. 15: 16.

Diakonos, the word used in Eph. 3: 7 becomes in English the word `deacon' and the

verb is found in Acts 6: 2 where we read of serving tables, and of Paul when he took

the contributions made by the Gentile churches `to minister' unto the saints at Jerusalem

(Rom. 15: 25), and most graciously by the Saviour of Himself in Matt. 20: 28, where

His ministry involved giving His life a ransom of many. The noun diakonia is used of

Martha (Luke 10: 40), and when Paul in Rom. 11: 13 said `I magnify mine office', this is

the word used. What a range of service is covered by this word! Martha's service at the

one end and the Saviour's at the other. Diakonos is found seven times in the Prison

Epistles, once translated `deacon' (Eph. 3: 7; 6: 21; Phil. 1: 1; Col. 1: 7, 23, 25; 4: 7).

Three of these occurrences refer to Paul's exclusive ministry of the Mystery:

When we were considering Eph. 3: 3 we found that the Apostle used the word kata

`according to revelation', and now he declares that he was made a minister of this special

truth "according to the gift of the grace of God given me by (literally according to) the

effectual working of His power" (Eph. 3: 7). How are we to understand "The gift of

grace"? Some, with Ellicott, see in this the apostolic office, others with Alford see that it

is grace that was the gift of God, as the next verse declares `is this grace given'.

Something of the steps of the Apostle's argument and the correspondence of the two

references to the gift of grace can be seen if set out thus:

A | The gospel (evangelion) whereof I was made a minister.

B | According to the gift of the grace of God.

C | Given unto me by the effectual working of His power.

C | Unto me, who am less than the least.

B | Is this grace given.

A | That I should preach (evangelizo) the unsearchable riches.

There can be no doubt but that the preaching of the unsearchable riches of Christ has

to do with the Mystery, and the correspondence of the passage helps to confirm the

feeling that the earlier reference to the gospel also is closely related to making it known.

The Greek reader would be conscious of a connection between the words `promise' and

`gospel', which is not obvious to the English reader. Promise, in the Greek is epangelia,

gospel is evangelion, both compounds of the same root word meaning a `message'.

Whatever gospel Paul preached, we know that it was only by the grace of God that he

originally learned its glorious message, and that he received continuing grace to make it

known. Here he actually says so in no uncertain terms: