September 4, 2020
Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It
Romans 15:14-33
Zach Farnsworth
Central Truth
God provides us great opportunities—and great means of engaging those opportunities—in the priestly service of His gospel.
Key Verse | Romans 15:15-16
But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:14-33
Paul the Minister to the Gentiles
14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, 1 15:14 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 30 that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. 15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, 21 but as it is written,
“Those who have never been told of him will see,
and those who have never heard will understand.”
Paul's Plan to Visit Rome
22 This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. 23 But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, 24 I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. 28 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, 2 15:28 Greek sealed to them this fruit I will leave for Spain by way of you. 29 I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing 3 15:29 Some manuscripts insert of the gospel of Christ.
30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. 33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Dive Deeper | Romans 15:14-33
Before following Christ, I was often very lethargic. I didn't recognize any purpose or mission that was worth running toward or fighting for. That "[God] saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy" (Titus 3:5a) should have been comforting in my investigation of the gospel, but my initial, dissuasive take-away was that my actions would ultimately be needless as a believer. However, what Paul describes in this passage about living out our faith, or being on-mission, reveals some interesting points.
First, Paul teaches that what we do depends on God and should be for His glory alone. Paul restricts his boasting and pride not to what he has done in his own power but to "what Christ has accomplished through" him (Romans 15:18).
Further, Paul presents these accomplishments to be "in the priestly service of the gospel of God" (Romans 15:16), done through both "word and deed" (Romans 15:18). Paul's caring and encouraging of others in the faith was not just done through preaching and letters but also through his actions (1 Thessalonians 2:9-12).
Priestly service can be difficult, but fortunately we don't work alone. Paul requested physical aid from the believers in Rome for his trip to Spain and also for prayerful aid for his efforts to support the church in Jerusalem. For us, biblical community is an astounding realization of these sorts of aid (Hebrews 10:24-25; James 5:16).
Through observing lives lived in response to the gospel, I worked backward into realizing my own need for a savior. Living authentically with fellow believers, encouraging others, spreading the gospel, and living to glorify God all described a distinctly loving lifestyle (John 13:34-35). It also illuminated how unloving mine had been. And so I continue to learn and be amazed at how seeking to know more about God and acting in response to what I learn strike away my lethargy in ways other approaches to life had failed to.
Discussion Questions
1. How can you be like Paul in accrediting Christ working through you when you share your accomplishments with others?
2. Let us consider Spain metaphorically as someone in your life who currently does not know the good news about Jesus. What is your game plan to get to Spain?
3. How are you leveraging relationships with fellow believers? How are you contributing to your fellow believers?