Serving in Spirit

God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son Romans 1:9

In these introductory words, the apostle not only allows us a glimpse of his prayer life; he also gives us an insight into the fundamental motivation of his gospel preaching.

It is common today to hear appeals for motivated Christian service based on a number of factors:

-the lost state of the unbelieving world
-the possibility of exerting a Christian influence on public life
-the sorry state of the church
-the excitement of (foreign) service or powerful spiritual experiences

While some of these may have played a part in the apostle Paul's motivation, they are not the primary sources of his zealous service.

Instead, Paul understood his gospel preaching as primarily something he did for God. God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son....

Paul did not preach the good news of Jesus Christ primarily because he was motivated by human need. He preached because he was motivated to serve God.

This is consistent with the opening words of the letter where Paul describes himself as a servant of Christ Jesus.

The issue of what motivates gospel preachers is not merely a question of semantics. It makes a world of difference to how we go about the task. Here are some of the more obvious practical differences such a God-cantered perspective will make:

1. We will proclaim the message of the gospel accurately and carefully. Our service to God will motivate us to take care that we are faithfully representing his truth as revealed in Christ and the Scriptures.

2. We will avoid approval-seeking behaviour. Our primary motive will be to honour God not win human commendation.

3. Our service will be characterised by zeal. The phrase "whole heart" in this verse is best translated "in spirit". God whom I serve in my spirit. Such a motivation made Paul fervent in his service. It will do to us as well if we are motivated in the same way.

4. We will be free from Christian workaholism. The God we serve is the God who created us with the need for rest and sleep and who created six days for work and one for rest. With such a God as the object of our service, we can preach zealously and also go home to eat a meal and enjoy our families without the nagging thought that we have never done enough. The view that God is a harsh task-master is a pagan not a Christian view of God.

5. Service to God will also be marked by a degree of joyful sacrifice. Service to God that does not delight in the being and nature of God is hardly likely to be a joy! When we delight ourselves in God, however, we will want to serve him even if doing so involves personal cost. Examine the lives of the great Christians over history - including those who have paid a terrible price for their obedience to God - and you will find at the heart of their being is a delight in God himself and his ways.

God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son Romans 1:9

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