"Serve" vs. "Serve"

Let me preface this by saying very clearly and bluntly: I am not a Greek scholar. I never had much more than a casual introduction to Greek. I spent all of my language credits in undergrad and grad school on French and Hebrew... Neither of which will help me with this current post. That's why this is a blog and not something more official. If this piques your interest and you want to go deeper, then feel free to contact my friends Dr. Grizzle or Dr. Mansfield or future Dr's. Foster and Lunsford and they'll fill your brain with greek-iness all day long.

Now that that's cleared up, let's butcher the language of the New Testament!

The passage that I chose for the next two sermons is Romans 12:1-13. There are two references to the word "serve" in this passage, and both have unique contexts. The first is in verse 7.

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve".

The second reference is several verses later:

"11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord."

If you've ever looked up a word in the English dictionary you know that sometimes words have multiple meanings. You depend on the context of the word to tell you what kind of meaning is intended. Here the NIV translators have chosen to use the same English word to represent two entirely different Greek words. In verse 7. the Greek word used for serve is "diakonia". In verse 11, it's "douleuo".

Douleuo -- to serve or to be a slave.

Diakonia -- to minister to.

Now, look back at the context. Diakonia is used in the context of the Church (people). Paul is taking about the Body of Christ -- the collection of individuals all with unique talents who serve each other in Christian love. Diakonia is your ministry, your service to the people around you. It's gifts oriented. It's how you attend to someone; how you minister to people; how you bless your Christian brothers and sisters. We'll talk more about this next week.

Douleuo is used in the context of your relationship with God. It's the answer to the three topics Paul introduces at the head of this chapter. What does it mean to be a living sacrifice (vs.1)? What does it mean to conform yourself no longer to this world (vs. 2)? How can you know and do God's will (vs. 3)?

Paul provides a radical answer. Douleuo. Become a slave to God.

Slavery is always a touchy subject. I'm watching "America: The Story of Us" right now on the History Channel and they're talking about the events leading up to the Civil War. Slavery was a driving force behind a war that killed more people than any of the other U.S. wars combined. It's something we've spilled blood to eradicate. It's completely contrary to the American ideal of freedom, that hard work and determination will lead you to success. All men are created equal and have unalienable rights! You can acheive your dreams and find success if you try your best! It's the American way!

God is suggesting, rather, that your success is dependent not just on how you use your freedoms but on how many of your freedoms you're willing to sacrifice for him.

There's a statement that I'm going to make in my message this weekend that I feel comfortable revealing now, hoping maybe it will sink in a little before you hear it again on Sunday morning: "What is common practice among common people is not the same as the extraordinary will of our extraordinary God."

What's the best thing that you can do with your life? Live free? Work hard? Be your own man? Make your own way? Nope.

The best thing you can do with your life is slavishly devote yourself to God and his will. Lay down your desires. Pick up His will. Set aside your old way of thinking. Unite your thoughts with God. Become a living sacrifice to him (a slave to his will), conforming your will to His, renewing your thoughts with His thoughts instead of the worlds, and then doing His will -- His good, perfect, and pleasing will.

More to come on Sunday. For now, think about that. Are you willing to be a slave for God?