Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love ; in honor preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;Romans 12:10-11
It is an instructions that brotherly love should continue and you should be found in the business of serving the Lord. You need to understand that it is not about buying and selling: neither is it an entrepreneurship drive nor trading and commerce.
The instructions here are progressive in nature. The word “business” is interpreted as the word diligence. By extension, Jesus said, “I will be About My Father’s business”. He was talking about doing the will of God and the purposes of God. He was seen carrying out the business of his Father.
Therefore, we can then read Romans 12:10 as; not slothful in the Father’s business serving the Lord.
The fact that the writer says serving the Lord” will be out of place to interpret it as doing commerce. If Paul said fervent in the Spirit alone, it would be out of place and not proper.
We can see the business is about carrying out the will of God. It is about carrying out the purposes and the will of God. It is about having to do all the Father will have us do. It is carrying out our assignment that God has given us to do.
The only way we cannot be slothful is to be fervent in the Spirit. That is the way to keep serving the Lord. This is the present continuous tense. It is continuous.
While individual’s dedication is commended by man, God seeks his children to serve him wholeheartedly even till we grow old. In the secular world, when a man is of age and gets retired, he will still find himself occupied in other things.
This is why it is recommended that if a man has served in a career for years, at retiring he can serve as a consultant because if his expertise and experince.
We must always get rooted. You must keep investing in yourself so that when we get into a space, you would not need to speak much. Having gathered so much wealth of experience, your pedigrees will speak for you. Same applies to faith. You don’t just retire for the sake of long years of service. This fervency is forever. It is not a seasonal or quarterly fervency.
One of the questions to ask ourselves in serving the Lord is, HOW LONG AM I GOING TO KEEP SERVING THE LORD?
Colossians 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God (KJV).
There are three keywords in this text: “always”, “labour” and “fervent.” These were all pointed out by the Holy Ghost. It was crafted in such a way that nothing is missing concerning the description of Epaphras and what we need to do as he has done in that text.
These words are vital pillars in that text. Paul, the writer, wants us to have clarity about the very thing that is in the heart of the Father concerning our fervent labour.
The Holy Ghost helps to capture in that text how we should labour. He said, fervently and always. In this labour, there is a level of intensity required. Epaphras was not praying for money, neither was he praying for material things.
The focus of his prayer is that all believers will stand perfect in the will of God. That is, every believer around him will be found in the business of God. This text highlights the will of the Father. He prayed that men will find their place in the will of God. Men will know their paths. Men will know their portion in the will of God.
Epaphras is a model and template to every believer in his local church concerning his intercession. The Holy Ghost was so interested to have pointed out how fervent he was.
Another vital part of the text is, “who is one of you.” He was not an apostle. It was not said in the text that he did go for a missionary journey. He was an example of a believer.
The level of intensity that surrounded his model is not what the Holy Ghost could never overlook.He did not allow that to be omitted. His name was only mentioned twice. In fact, anytime his name was mentioned in the scripture, it has to do with his fervent labouring for believers. The Holy Ghost did not forget to mark that he did it forever and he did it fervently.
Between his labour there are two pillars the Holy Ghost is interested in. It is “forever” and “fervently.”
Let’s substitute the word always for forever, so we have “Forever labouring fervently” It’s not title nor position that makes us labour, so if your labour alone is tied around title and position, platforms, then you are not actually understanding what we are dealing with.
Passion for God’s work is inbuilt, it’s a journey. It’s what the Holy Ghost is doing with you and in you. By the virtue of your fervency, the intensity of your fire, people should begin to wonder. You should be a template and a model for believers such that by the virtue of God’s divine orchestration and you are required to move from your current location to another, the Pastor of your new local church will be amazed and wonder who trained you because of the intensity of your fervency.
We need to have the mindset of labouring forever without getting weary, serving the Lord in season and out of season, in good and in bad times, in lack and in plenty. Some people are quick to relent in their service to God in the face of adversity and change of status from negative to positive. Fervency is not for 1 week or 6months, it is better tested when issues of life happens.
Jesus was also tempted by the devil. The devil took him to the mountain and showed him the glory and he said all those belonged to him. Jesus was brought to that level where he was tempted to worship satan. Jesus understood that worship and service goes together. He understood that you must serve the person you worship. But Jesus passed the test.
Matthew 4:8-10.
A day will come, you will have to choose between God and gold. The closest thing that was brought in comparison with God was not angel but money. That you cannot serve God and mammon.
Culture, exposure and location should not change our fervency. Some people left the country and their fervency changed. Our time zone with other countries may be different but we have the same truth, we are being held accountable to the same standard. Christianity is standardized.
Your personal schedule does not determine how Christianity should be done. You are the one that will put yourself into it. Our faith is standardized.
This labour is not title, position or location driven, it is a way of life. It starts from intercession. If you are strong in intercession, you will be strong in soul winning. Intercession fuels passion for souls. If you have been labouring in the place of prayer for souls, you will want to go out.
Intercession can be in two fold, either for salvation or spiritual growth. Everyone we meet per time has a need for one. Some are either saved but not rooted or are not growing and some might need to be saved. And these are the things we are called to serve. That should be our calling.
That should be our labour. We can now extend our labour to teaching the one that is saved, ensuring the person is rooted. You then begin to labour in teachings and in doctrine.
Our labour is forever and fervent. We don’t have an excuse for not serving God properly and fervently.
You should not have excuses to not make it to service. Most excuses we put forward are not genuine.
We may not be able to speak about your passion till maybe you step into a higher level in life.
That you leave a local church and are not able to fit in as a minister in another gathering due to nonchalance is a result of your stunted growth at your previous gathering. Grow up and take responsibility.