Why Do You Serve? – What Does Romans 12:11 Mean?

Why do you go to church? Why do you serve on the ministry team? Why do you visit the sick or those in jail? Why do you go on mission trips and sponsor hungry kids? Why do you host visitors? Why do you lead a Bible study?

I suspect if you put these questions to a group of people, you’d get a range of answers. You might find that some good deeds are done for bad or mixed-up reasons. For example, “I serve to earn favour with God.” Hmm.

But what if you put these questions to yourself?

Ask yourself, “Why do I serve? Perhaps you serve because of this passage:

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. (Romans 12:11–13)

The word for fervent means “to boil.” It’s to be hot or enthusiastic. Which reminds me of something Jesus said to the Laodiceans: “I wish that you hot” (Rev. 3:15). It’s better to be hot than lukewarm, but what does it mean to be fervent or hot in this context?

How to be fervent in spirit?

Here’s what it doesn’t mean. Being fervent does not mean busting your hump for Jesus or running yourself ragged. Nor does it mean working your fingers to the bone or burning the candle at both ends. Notice we are to be fervent in spirit, not fervent in flesh.

Yet some use these words to whip people into action. “Look at what Jesus did for you. What will you do for him?” This kind of talk is usually followed by an invitation to sign up for a host of programs or outreaches.

The problem with this is that natural zeal never lasts. And no matter how hard you work, there is always more to do.

This is why so many faithful saints are exhausted. They’re worn out from working too hard for Jesus. They have good hearts, but like the hard-working Ephesians, they are in danger of wandering from their first love.

It is a mistake to read Romans 12:11 without first reading Romans 12:1:

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (Romans 12:1)

Fleshly enthusiasm is a response to the carrots and sticks of dead religion, but spiritual enthusiasm is a response to the mercies of God. Carnal enthusiasm is a response to guilt, but real enthusiasm is a response to grace.

Some say, “It is my Christian duty to serve.” Yuk. That’s guilt talking. Don’t you know that “duty” means obligation? You are not a Levite taking your turn in the tabernacle. You are a high-born son or daughter of the king!

Before we proceed, complete this statement as honestly as you can. “I serve because __ ”

If you are serving out of a sense of debt or duty, it might be time to hit the reset button. You don’t want to end up like a worn out Ephesian wandering from your first love.

We don’t serve to earn God’s favour or man’s approval; we serve because we have received the mercies of God. Knowing how much God loves us, we can’t help but serve so that others might know his love too.

In Ephesus, Apollos was known as someone who was fervent in spirit (Acts 18:25). In other words, he ministered with the enthusiasm that comes from knowing the love of God. He did not serve to earn, gain, or win anything for himself. He served because he knew the Servant King.

Which brings us to the last part.

Serving the Lord

The Christian who is walking in grace serves as unto the Lord. But what does it mean to “serve the Lord”? It’s not as if God actually needs our service. He’s quite capable of running the cosmos without our help.

We serve the Lord by serving the people he died for. You don’t have to be a preacher, missionary, or deacon to serve the Lord. You can serve him a thousand different ways. You can be an inmate on death row and serve the Lord. Like Paul.

Why do you serve? The best answer is, “I can’t help myself. The love of Christ compels me to help others in the place God has put me and with the talents he has given me.”

Imagine a world where everyone did that.

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