Romans 15:14-33
January 26, 2020 Part 4/4
Bringing the Gospel to Life in the Church, Community and the World
What an undervalued passage of the letter to the Romans this is. Honestly, when was the last time you read this if it wasn’t part of reading-through-the-bible-in-a-year program? It shouldn’t get glossed over. This highlights the value of expository preaching. Now you might say, “This was a topical study based on the church’s mission”. While that is true, the topic was chosen from a Scripture in its full context because the topic is fully embedded in this particular section of Paul’s writing. And then the whole passage was read and so the call to bringing the gospel to the whole world is seen in its intended context.
One things rings loud and clear: everyone in the church is to be involved with the great commission of making disciples – whether it’s by going beyond your local limits or by helping support those who do.
“As you go, make disciples” is the mandate. So wherever you go, you are to make disciples. We are to do so in our home locale (Jerusalem), in our wider local community (Judea and Samaria) and to the ends (remotest parts [Acts 1:8]) of the earth. So if that’s that call (and it is), our only question should be, “How do we make that happen?”
We need to be reminded of this call again and again as Paul says in v.15… we are priests on behalf of the gospel. We are go-betweens for unbelievers with God. We need to first go between those who need to hear and God and then get out of the way and let God work, as He is the One who brings salvation to the heart of the lost.
This would be a good subject Sunday morning Adult Learning ;o) (aka fka SS)
I have been wanting to come back and touch on this for awhile. As we know Paul wanted to move on and carry the message further, we do wonder how far did he go; did Paul make it to Spain? It is of interest that Roman Bishop Clement Romano notes at the end of the first century "Paul died after having reached the furthest limits of the West".