60 14 Habits of Highly Effective Disciples
provided by appointed ones in the church such as deacons, but also
refers to service in general. Christians should use their gifts—whether
teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, or showing mercy—with sincer-
ity and a proper attitude.
Essentials for the Body of Christ to Work Together (Romans 12:9–13)
12:9a. For the diverse members of the body to work together, love
(agape)—without hypocrisy—must be central. Jesus identified our
love for God and neighbor as the core of following God. He illustrated
the depth of this love through the story of the Good Samaritan. Such
love pushes us beyond cultural barriers (Luke 10:25–37). Paul likewise
emphasized to the Christians in Rome that only a deep love for God and
others would enable the body of Christ to function properly. A super-
ficial love would quickly break under the stresses of community life,
especially when that community is composed of individuals from dif-
ferent cultures, as was the case in Rome with both Jewish and Gentile
Christians.
12:9b–10. A Christ-like love will drive us away from evil and cause us
to cling with all of our might to what is good. As brothers and sisters
within the body of Christ, we are to be devoted to one another with
familial love (philadelphia). One of the concrete expressions of love
within the Christian community is to put others above ourselves (cf.
Philippians 2:3).
12:11. The three exhortations in this verse focus on ways to harness our
spiritual zeal. We must not waste our energy by refusing to use it due to
laziness or fear. Our zeal, which fuels the use of our talents, is meant to
be exhausted, not buried under the ground (cf. Matt. 25:14–30). Rather
than hoarding our energy, we must be “burning in s/Spirit.” This could
be a reference to our human spirit, just as Apollos was fervent in spirit
(Acts 18:25), but more likely it refers to the Holy Spirit who provides
direction to our efforts, just as Priscilla and Aquila gave direction to
Apollos (Acts 18:26). The final exhortation commands us to submit all
of our zeal in service to the Lord. Spiritual enthusiasm is essential to