I became a servant of this gospel …
Summary: Looking at the Greek roots of the word “gospel” leads us to a deeper understanding of what it means.
I like the phrase “servant of this gospel.” In these four words, Paul makes it clear who is in charge of his life and ministry. The gospel is all about Jesus, and when Paul says he is the servant of the gospel, he is letting us know he is a servant of Jesus.
What does that mean?
The Greek word “euangelion” is where we get our English words “evangelize,” “evangelist,” and “evangelical.” The root, “evangel,” means to “bring good news.” God has arranged things such that these words are almost exclusively used in conjunction with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
The “outline of biblical usage” on the Blue Letter Bible site* puts it this way: The gospel is the “narrative of the sayings, deeds, and death of Jesus Christ came to be called the gospel or glad tidings.”
When Paul was confronted by the power of the Living God on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19), his life changed forever. He was not confronted by a piece of paper with some words on it, nor was he confronted by another person with different ideas. Instead, he was confronted by the presence of the Living God himself. All he could do was to fall to the ground.
Imagine that. What would it take to make you fall to the ground? We don’t mean that he tripped or stumbled. When the text says that Paul (aka Saul) “fell to the ground,” the context suggests he was confronted by something so overwhelming that he dare not stand.
The Paul we know from his letters is a humble man before God. But at that time in his life, he was anything but humble. He was full of self-righteousness and fully convinced that he was serving God by chasing down every single believer in Christ. This is not a man who would easily be brought to his knees. When he stood up again, he was not the same man who had fallen to the ground.
This reminds me of another “Paul” with a very different life-changing story. In real life, his name was William “Bill” Hopper. Bill played Paul Drake on the Perry Mason television show. Paul was a detective who was always at the ready to dig up whatever information was needed.
In the television series, Paul sports a head of white hair. Not blond, but white. He wasn’t born that way. When he was young, his hair had normal pigment. During his time in the Navy during WWII, Bill Hopper was a member of an underwater demolition team. He survived the war, but the stress of his underwater work changed him forever. It was at that point his hair turned white.
Some things are bigger than life. When we are confronted by them, we don’t know how to respond. We are overwhelmed. Being in the presence of God is like that. When we are given our new body in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:1) we will be able to be in God’s presence. In our natural body, we have no choice but to collapse in fear. The power of God is overwhelming.
Application: When we pray, “Hallowed by thy name…” think of Paul groveling on the road to Damascus.
Food for Thought: What is it about the gospel that compels us to serve it?
* “G2098 – euangelion – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (niv).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 14 May, 2023. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2098/niv/mgnt/0-1/
What is it about the gospel that compels us to serve it?
It’s from our Creator. It is woven into our being. Just like love is from God and we desire and share it
Psalm 139:13
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
“Woven into our being” is a very apt description of God’s handiwork!
There is a line from a song I heard while in my 20’s that crosses my mind from time to time :”If I hadn’t seen such riches, I could live with being poor.”
The song really details a person who is unhappy, travels to find happiness, sees many things that make him happy, but upon return to his home, is even more miserable.
There was a time in my walk that I tried to obey the Word out of a sense of guilt. Mind you, feeling guilty and repenting is different than doing something to “gain favor.” Now more and more I find that when an intrusive temptation enters my mind, I reject it because I know that the sin will separate me from God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. I don’t mean forever, just for a time. But that timeframe between sin and repentance is a horrible space for me, especially when I know in my heart that I knew beforehand, and did it anyway.
I reckon the difference is in having seen and felt the riches of the Spirit. And if this is just the deposit, I can’t image what the full measure will be like. I am compulsed to service not because I have to, but because I want to stay in the presence of God, through His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
I think reading about Paul’s conversion may make one think it was a terrifying experience. Yes, but also, he stood in the presence of Jesus. The same Jesus that promised life more abundant. How could one possible turn from that and go back to self-service?
Ephesians 1:13-14 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
John 14:23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.
Chris,
I love the way you put this:
“I reckon the difference is in having seen and felt the riches of the Spirit. And if this is just the deposit, I can’t image what the full measure will be like.”
Well said!
For me, I think my answer is summed up with 2 Corinthians 5: 15: And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again.
If the gospel of Jesus has changed me, then I live for him and share with others what was given to me. He died for me, so I now live for Him. This includes serving by living and sharing the gospel message.
Thank you, Rich!
The Lord’s mark on your life is vibrant and visible! Plain for all to see! Your service to the gospel is deeply appreciated.
05-15-2023, What is it about the gospel that compels us to serve it?
The love of Christ compels us to love the lost enough to share the good news of salvation with others. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
The conviction of the Holy Spirit is an act of love from God to all people of this world. His love is revealed personally, to every person in this world to the degree that none can can say “they did not know the truth.”
John 16:8
God’s truths are presented to us gently while young and received by those predestined to grow up as long term believers, active in the church. As time passes, God increases the intensity regarding the reality of good and evil as well as the consequences for those continuing to reject His convicting love which comes by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We grow older, more worldly in our ways, moving further from God and closer to a life of depravity.
There comes a final time, a time when God makes one last effort to convict of sin and righteousness without proving Christ is the Son of God, the way to righteousness. We must accept His gift of Life by faith!
When that time comes, God will open ones heart to the TRUTH! He will remove all barriers and allow a person to actually see what we really are, and where we are really going to spend all eternity. At that moment, for the first time in my life, I became a broken man. I knew God was showing me where I was truly headed, eternal hell. He put His arm around me, I felt Him say, “ That’s ok Ron, I have always known who you are, It’s important you know. ”
He then led me to people He had prepared to help open my eyes, my heart to this new life He was giving me, and I began this journey of rejecting the ways or this world by submitting to the ways of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. The next 5 years were devoted to Bible Studies, living a solitary life, separated from the world. I had a lot of work needing to be done.
Out of Love, God gave His only Son for our sins, Out of Love, Jesus gave His life, paid the price for our sins, Out of Love the Holy Spirit speaks truths to our hearts leading to our salvation. And it is Out of Love we seek to return our lives, time, resources to our Triune God as we focus on allowing Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit to minister to all those around us.
Galatians 2:20
Thanks Ron,
It is a bit ironic how we are embraced by a God who both convicts us and at the same time provides the security needed for us to admit our faults and turn away from them.