Enthusiastic service in church (Romans 12:4-8)
Christians are to be fully devoted to God, with changed minds and new ways of living in this world. This does not only influence how we live in our workplaces and our families; it also influences how we think about church. We see this in Romans 12:4-8:
4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (Rom. 12:4-8 ESV)
The illustration Paul uses here is of one body with many parts, a familiar idea that we also see in 1 Corinthians 12. It means that just like each of us has a body which is made up of a brain, skin, arms, legs, and all different parts, which is what the church is like. We are both deeply united and different from one another. We have a unity in value, in what we are worth in God’s sight. None of us are Christians because we are good or deserve it. We are only Christians, in the body of Christ, because Jesus has been gracious to us.
Yet we have difference in function. We are not all to do the same things as one another. Just like the body needs all kinds of parts doing all kinds of things, the church needs all kinds of people doing all kinds of things.
Paul says something radical here in v5: we are all members one of another. We belong to each other. Our faith is not lived out with only me and God; it is lived out with one another. In a very real sense, we belong to one another, like family. All of us understand family obligation; we are to honour our parents and be connected to our siblings. Our faith extends that to the church. We are to think of older believers as like our spiritual fathers and mothers, and those like us as brothers and sisters, and the children as being the responsibility of all of us. We should be much closer than we often think.
We cannot even boast in our different gifts, for as v6 points out, they are given by God. We have gifts that differ “according to the grace given to us”. There is a list of gifts here, but it is not all the gifts there are. Other lists in the New Testament have different gifts in there, so don’t feel you are not important if your gifts are not in this list! Churches need people who pray faithfully, who welcome others, who show hospitality, who help with music, who do all kinds of things.
And while Paul tells us to use the gifts you have been given; it doesn’t mean that is all you do. As in, well I teach, but I don’t have to show generosity. Or, I encourage, so I don’t need to serve. Of course not! Yet we are all gifted more in some ways than others.
The instruction is clear: use what you have been given. Not to wish you had something else, but to use what you have. We all have gifts, skills, passions, expertise, and we should use what we have.
How should use our gifts? Enthusiastically! With your whole heart! Paul uses words like “cheerfully” and “with zeal” here. Let’s be honest with one another. We often don’t think of serving others as something we do with joy and enthusiasm. All churches struggle to fill their rostered duties. It is too hard, too inconvenient. It is far more common for someone to say that they want to reduce their service than say that they want to serve. We often feel it as an obligation, a duty, an impost to what we’d rather do. Paul says this is what we are called to do by the grace of God. It is a joy, not intended to be a burden.
Whatever you serve in, consider how to do this with joy and enthusiasm, as part of a life fully devoted to God. If you are a musician, it means praying beforehand, being prepared, meaning the words and not only getting the technical bits right. If you are cleaning or helping in the kitchen, consider that your service might not be noticed but helps the conversation and the ministry no end. If you pray, do it deeply and often, seeing the importance of that role. If you teach in any way, be well prepared, praying as well, knowing that the Word of God is central and important.
The local church is a place to learn what matters most, to love one another and serve God. Trusting in Jesus is not just agreeing with facts and singing with enthusiasm on a Sunday morning. You show you understand by your whole life being transformed. And a big way this is seen is in the local church. In fact, I have heard it said that you can tell a great deal about someone’s faith by their service in the local church. It is a pretty reliable way to see if someone has been truly transformed by the gospel.