Mutual Encouragement in the Faith

Transcript

GR 2202
03/31/2019
Mutual Encouragement in the Faith
Romans 1:6-15
Gil Rugh

Well we’ve begun a study of the Book of Romans, so we’ll continue the first portion of chapter 1. It occupies a key central place in the revelation of God. Obviously, we recognize all Scripture is God breathed and profitable. The work of Romans stands out as especially important to us because it unfolds in a systematic, clear way, the work of God’s salvation and helps us to appreciate other portions of Scripture where perhaps these theological issues are not as clearly developed but are key to understanding the Scripture. I always think if there was one book out of the bible that I was going to be able to have with me, I would want it to be the Book of Romans. That’s not in any way to minimize the importance of the entire word of God. Everything God has said is important, but the Book of Romans helps us to have a clear understanding of the theology of our salvation as would be customary on letters of the time.

Paul’s letters open up with identifying himself and his readers and tell something of his purpose. He is the bondservant of Christ Jesus, he’s an apostle, he’s set apart for the gospel and that caused him to elaborate a little bit. I wouldn’t call it a digression but an elaboration on what the gospel is. It’s the gospel that had been promised by the prophets, beforehand. It concerns Jesus Christ, and the resurrection of the dead was God’s declaration that He is now the One invested with power to bring about the redemption of creation, and we connected that with what the celebration in Revelation chapter 5 is. When it comes to open the seven-sealed scroll, which contains the completion of God’s plan for bringing creation to its appointed climax, it’s based on the finished work of Christ, His sacrifice on the cross. In Romans 5, He’s pictured as the Lamb that was slain. If that was not the case, we could go through the judgments of the Book of Revelation, but for all of us it would culminate, in the destruction of an eternal hell.

It’s the redemption that Christ, has accomplished, the salvation that He has provided, that enables creation to ultimately realize the purpose of God when He created everything. And He created man, male and female, but then sin entered the picture and brought judgment brought the curse but the death of Christ. So He emphasizes that, and Christ, through His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection, seated at the Father’s right hand. Now there is the redemption that only He could provide, and it is through what He has done that Paul has been appointed to carry this message of salvation, this gospel, good news, God’s message of hope to all people. What a way to come to people! Say, I want to tell you that God says He has spoken and He wants me to tell you He has good news for you. In the midst of all the misery of the world and the unsettledness, God says I have a message of good news for you and the purpose in this, in verse 5, was to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles, and Paul’s ministry will be, particularly directed to non-Jews.

He did often go to the synagogues and shared the gospel, but he’s unique in that God’s sending him beyond the bounds of the nation Israel to the non-Jewish world to bring this good news to them. The obedience of faith we talked about, they are inseparably connected. We looked at passages like in 1 John where God commands us to believe in His Son, and the first act of obedience we have is believing, that leads to a life of faith, which is a life of obedience and that becomes characteristic as we see through the Book of Romans. And these Romans, he’s writing to those who are also among the called, verse 6 “among whom you also are ‘the called’ of Christ Jesus.” Paul, in verse 1, was “called,” but that call to salvation in Christ was also the call to his service. Remember Ananias was told, “I will show him what he must suffer for My name’s sake,” so with his call to salvation is the call to serve. We now belong to the One who is our Lord, so these Romans are among the called.

He’s writing to believers in Rome, so they have experienced that call, that effectual call. Effectual because it’s always effective when the Spirit moves on that heart, draws that person, in effect calls to their spirit to turn and place their faith in Christ. “To all who are beloved of God in Rome, called saints,” the ‘called’ of Jesus Christ, the called saints, the holy ones. The ones God has set apart for Himself. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” so that greeting there, but you see how his focus has been on Jesus Christ, which is the heart of the message of God’s good news. It’s about who Christ is, what He has done, the offer now God gives to sinful human beings that you can become My child, you can experience My salvation as he’ll begin to develop.

He wants now to talk a little bit about his relationship to them. Paul has not been to Rome. He has not met these people personally, although he’ll know some of them from his travels and the intersecting, but as he makes clear, he’s not had opportunity to visit the church in Rome. So most of them he won’t know personally, but that hasn’t changed the fact that he has a heart and a concern for them. He’s going to tell them that he prays for them regularly, that he wants to come and be with them so he can serve them, be used of God in their lives to encourage them, strengthen them in their relationship with God, and it’s an obligation he has. It’s encouraging to see how Paul views his life going here to this church in Rome. You know it’s not about how blessed you will be, you understand I’m an apostle. He’s not going there to be honored by them, to get something from them particularly, although he will benefit from it. He’ll say, but I am obligated as God’s servant to be used of Him in your life, and I can’t wait for that privilege to come to fruition.

He starts out by saying he regularly prays for them. We talk about a way we can be involved in one another’s lives and ministry is by praying for each other. Paul hasn’t been to Rome, but he has been involved in the ministry of the church at Rome. He’s been involved in the lives of these people who haven’t had the chance to meet him personally, because he prays for them. So, verse 8, “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all.” He has come before God, he hears about their salvation, he hears they’ve heard and believed the gospel, and as we noted, there is no record of how that happened. We speculate perhaps there were some in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost when the church was established, and those 3,000 Jews who believed, some of those Jews may have carried the gospel back. We just are not told because they’re emissaries going out carrying the gospel, Paul being the most well known, but others are being moved to carry the gospel to other places, so however it happened, the gospel had been carried to Rome and there was a church established there.

So, Paul says, “I at first I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all,” and there is a personal relationship that Paul holds tightly. He talks about, “I thank my God.” They could have said, I thank our God because these are the called, also. He has said, in verse 6, “among also, you also are the called of Jesus Christ,” so God is their God as well as Paul’s, but that never causes him to lose sight of the relationship he has with God. And I go to my God the One that I belong to, the One that I serve, and I thank Him for His work in your lives. We as believers, we talk about our God, but for each one of us, what a privilege it is, He is my God, I have a personal relationship with Him. He’s my Father spiritually, I can go to Him. I’m just not one of a group, and that’s sort of what you get from Paul. And he can be thankful for these believers, what God has done in their lives, and what He’s continuing to do, even though he’s never met them. It’s not impersonal in that sense, because these are a part of God’s family, they are special and important to me and I want the best for them. And I thank God for His grace working in their lives, so I thank my God through Jesus Christ.

You know the whole Book of Hebrews develops the high priestly ministry of Christ. There is no way to come before God with prayer except through Jesus Christ. I get concerned sometimes that believers, perhaps with good intentions, really undermine the theology we claim to believe. I periodically get invitations to more general prayer meetings to pray for this city, to pray for the country, but they’re going to be comprised of those who are believers and unbelievers, but they’re part of quote “the faith community” whatever that means. Faith in and of itself is nothing and accomplished nothing. It’s only faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, and that faith in Him alone that brings salvation, so to go and say, well I’m going to join with people who are not committed to that, that’s not where their faith is placed. They may be Christian in the broad sense.

What am I saying? Am I going to say we’re going to go and pray together, to imply that you can go talk to God, I can talk to God, and this person can talk to God because we are all part of the faith community? We deny what God says, they cannot talk to God. They are not welcome before His throne. They have no access. You can only come through Jesus Christ. Remember Jesus said, “I’m the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but by Me. There’s one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

As I say, the Book of Hebrews develops it thoroughly, you need to have that One who is the High Priest act on your behalf. That only happens when you come and put your faith in Him and His work, and that alone, that’s the “obedience of faith” that we had in verse 5. That’s the gospel that Paul is unfolding, so when he says, “I thank my God through Jesus Christ,” there’s the reminder. It is very narrow. Oh, you think your exclusive, that you are the only ones, right? You won’t even get together and pray for our country with those of a different faith. No, I won’t. I have to believe what I believe, I have to submit to the authority of God’s word. I have to be honest and tell them you cannot come to God.

Well that’s a terrible thing to say, I think God’s happy with anyone who wants to pray to Him. That’s not true. So God, just sitting up there hoping that people will pray. I mean He’s not there at our bidding. Now He very graciously says He’s provided a way, so I want to be careful. I don’t want to be mean spirited, but you cannot come to God, except through faith in Christ and it’s not enough to say well we’re all Christians, we all believe in Jesus. Do you understand that because of sin, we are all separated from God, on our way to an eternal hell, and there is only one way and that is through faith in Christ? Can I get together with those who say, well it’s faith in Christ plus your works, plus the church, plus the sacraments, plus your baptism? Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute! We’re not talking about the same faith. So, Paul here, he’s exclusive, but he’s writing to believers, the called, and he says, “I thank my God through Jesus Christ,” and just a reminder there is no access. We don’t want to give people a false idea. Well I think it’s good that people pray and I’m glad we have a day of prayer where everybody in the country prays for our country. Is God pleased when people think they can just barge into heaven? He had His Son die on the cross so access can be provided but these people think they can come through their own door, their own way.

Now we don’t say this because we’re better than other people, because we are just like them. We’re sinners as Paul was. He says, “I was the foremost of sinners, but now my faith is in Christ, He is my Savior, now I can come to God through Jesus Christ” and that is among the greatest privileges given to us as a believer. It says in Hebrews, “come with confidence before the throne of grace, to receive what you need.” Now we’re His children, we belong to Him through faith in Christ. We come on the basis of what Christ has done. He says welcome. What would you like? You find grace to help in time of need, Lord I’m in time of need so here he’s praying for these Roman Christians, and the first thing is, he’s thankful for God’s grace that would save, hopelessly lost sinners and we’ll see as we move in the rest of chapter 1 and through chapter 2 and into chapter 3. This is where you have to start out. If you haven’t grasped the issue of your sin and guilt before God, you haven’t come to salvation in Him, so “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all,” and good for us to be reminded.

You know that’s a good way to start in praying for other people, others in our own body as well as believers in other places, but, you know, thank you Lord for Your work of grace in their life. Sometimes we are irritated by things and that’s what’s on our mind. It’s a good thing if you start out, thank you Lord for these people who have trusted You. We’re here in Your word; oh, You are a gracious God. Now they’re not perfected yet, and some of those imperfections cause problems, but that shouldn’t change the fact we are thankful for each other, and he’s thankful because their faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. You know Rome was the center of the world. It was the capital; it was the home of the emperor where under the Roman Empire, so people intersected there. That’s why we don’t know how the gospel came to Rome but there’ll be lots of opportunities because people went to Rome, and there’s the center, it’s the world’s capital at the time of their Roman power, and the faith of these believers had spread.

It doesn’t mean everybody in the whole—there are Christians in Rome, but other believers have heard, and you know what happens when a Christian went to Rome, maybe on business, maybe for political reasons, whatever, and then traveled back to his area. You know what? I met Christians in Rome. Do you know there’s a church in Rome? I mean that’s exciting, that’s encouraging, so their faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world, and primarily its believers. The unbelievers are off in their own world as we would say but you know this is encouraging. Paul’s heard about it, and others have heard about it, and probably as Paul anticipates being able to visit Rome. You know how many people, just that he knows and has contact with, he’ll mention some at the end of the letter, but boy, you know, people are excited to know there are believers in Rome, and there’s a church established there so a good testimony. “For God whom I serve in my spirit, in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers making requests,” and part of that request is that he’ll be able to come and share in their lives.

God is my witness, that’s a form of oath. I am giving my word always, you know I--you go to a court, you give your oath on the bible. I don’t know if they do that anymore, but you know that idea, this is a form of oath. I call God to testify that what I am telling you is true, I pray for you those are not just empty words. This is the God whom I serve in my spirit. We talked about the inner person of a--you know our spirit, our soul, our heart, our intestines, that inner part of us, that’s what he is saying. Now he serves God with his body as well, but his service for the Lord comes from within. You know it’s not trying to do things just externally, which is constantly the challenge, yet we don’t want a form of Christianity, we want the reality that comes from the heart and until you have that, you have nothing.

I serve Him, he uses the word here we get the word liturgy from this word. It’s a word that would denote more spiritual service religious service. The service of the priests, another word, we’re familiar with the word, we get the word deacon from and then we had the word slave but this word latreuo talks about spiritual service. This is, I serve the Lord, I serve God in my spirit. It comes from my heart, that is right with Him. My desire to honor Him, obey Him, serve Him, it comes out of who I am as made new in Christ and I serve in the gospel, because that’s the prime thing that an apostle did. He carried the gospel out there to the lost, telling people of the good news. It’s the gospel of His Son. Again, we’re back to what the good news is about, it’s about Jesus Christ. What about Him? You know all Christians believe in Christ, but the good news about Christ. Why is that good news as he’ll go on to talk about? It’s because we’re sinners and lost. And all Jews and Gentiles, when he’s done with it at the end of this section in chapter 3, he’ll say, “I’ve shown Jews and Gentiles, there’s no difference. We’re all sinners under condemnation, but the good news is Jesus Christ God’s Son has come, that physical descendant of David, the eternal Son of God.”

The God-Man has come, so it’s the gospel of His Son, that’s what the good news is about, and God is my witness, how I unceasingly make mention of you. This doesn’t mean that’s all he prayed about, because we find Paul in his letters praying for a variety of people, and a variety of things, but it was a regular part of his prayer life, just like we’d say, “Make the ministry of this church a regular part of your prayer life,” naturally this is where God has appointed us to serve, so a major part of our prayers will be for one another and the ministry we have together, but then we can reach out to other places, and others we know as God burdens us. Paul says you’re a regular part of my prayer life, and you know as he traveled, as he went about his ministry, I take it in those days, travel took time. Well he could fill the time by praying for the Romans wherever he was in the world, and thank God for them and their testimony, and the work God was doing in and through them.

“I make mention of you and with that I always when I pray for you, ask God for the privilege of coming and spending time with you.” Now Paul always submits himself to the will of God. “Always” verse 10 says “in my prayers making requests,” not telling God, but asking God. You know this is the desire of my heart if perhaps now at last by the will of God. Remember we recently referenced James and “be careful about saying tomorrow we’re going to do this or that” and do you know, “go this place or that place,” but always remember and condition that by “if it’s God’s will.” That doesn’t mean you always have to say it, but you always have to have it in mind, and that way when things don’t work out the way you planned. You say, “well, you know Lord, that was my plan if it was your will. It hasn’t worked out according to my plan but Your plan is still the best one,” and so with that kind of mentality, so I’m asking God and I consistently ask Him.

There’s nothing wrong with regularly asking God for something. Lord You know it’s still my desire to go to Rome and be with those people, and if it be Your will to have me go, that’s my desire so I’ll trust You’ll make it possible and direct it, but it’s by the will of God. When I ask God for anything, I don’t want anything outside His will for me. I don’t want to be where the Lord doesn’t want me to be. You know, oh boy, I really want to go there and that’s, you know I’ve prayed about it, I’m going. Well, wait a minute, do I want to be there and say what am I doing here, it’s not where God wants me. No, so I want it always to be and if it doesn’t work out so this point, it hasn’t worked out, it will be by the will of God. He’ll come back to that in chapter 15 and talk about the plans and so on, and ultimately God will answer his prayer. Not quite how Paul anticipated traveling to Rome, but somebody else paid the ticket so he’s going to get there.

Verse 11, that’s my goal. Why? “I long to see you, so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of you by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.” So, Paul’s desire to be there is not, I just have always wanted to go to Rome and I thought it would be great to go to the church there, but he has a spiritual ministry. He’s been entrusted with God’s truth. He’s writing, think about that, a letter here under the direction and control of the Spirit of God, but you see Paul’s personality flowing through it as God uses him. He wants to come, and his desire is, verse 9 my God, “for God, whom I serve in my spirit,” but he’s always about his service of the Lord, for the Lord carrying out God’s will so “I will long to see you it’s my desire to impart some spiritual gift.” Now Paul’s going to talk about spiritual gifts later in the letter in chapter 12, but I don’t know that that’s particularly what he’s talking about, although as an apostle he could bring perhaps some spiritual gifts there and that seems to be indicated.

The Corinthians had benefited from his ministry and gifts that were going on there, helped validate his apostleship, but I think here he’s talking more about the ministry of God’s truth that will strengthen them, build them up, what he’s writing to them in the Book of Romans. They’re believers, but he’s writing a long letter, anticipating and hoping to be able to come personally. But what is he going to unfold, the details of the wonder of the good news from God, so what God has revealed to him, he wants to unfold to them, but he can’t even wait until he gets there, so he writes this long letter. Sixteen chapters as we have it, working through the details, because he wants to impart God’s truth and help build them up. “That I may impart some spiritual gift to you that you may be established.” That’s what God’s word does, it strengthens us. It establishes us. That’s what we do with the Book of Romans, as an example, or any part of the word of God. We take it in, we’re nourished by it and keep in mind, this is early in the church’s history.

They didn’t have the Book of Romans. They’re just going to get it. You know the New Testament wasn’t complete. We’re 25 years or more away from the Book of Revelation given by John, so this truth that will add to their understanding and further strengthen them is a process, and Paul has special revelation from God, special revelation regarding the church. Remember he told the Ephesians in chapter 3 that the clarity of revelation regarding God’s plan for the church was not revealed, before God revealed it to Paul, so time has gone by and clarity is being brought, so this additional truth that God has given to Paul to be passed on is important for their being strengthened. Strength will bring stability, and that strengthened stability will bring maturity, so their testimony will be stronger and stable through the difficulties that will come.

Verse 12 “that is” and he wants to be careful, Paul not having been there, these people who comprise the Roman church don’t have that personal relationship so people can read things into this. A little bit like arrogance Paul’s going to come and inform us, so that is he coming across—I’m an apostle, so I’ll come, and you can sit at my feet and be strengthened, and he balances that. It won’t be a one-way ministry because you are believers also, and I will benefit from being with you in the ministry you’ll have to me. That is verse 12, “that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the others faith both yours and mine.” I mean Paul appreciated that other believers had something to contribute to him. Now as an apostle, he has a unique ministry in receiving revelation from God that had not been given before or had not received the clarity before that it is now being given. But it doesn’t matter, even as an apostle; he would be encouraged, by his ministry with those believers, “encouraged together with you” so it’s a ministry of strengthening and encouraging that is going on.

That word encouraged, we talk about the Holy Spirit, and in the Gospel of John He’s referred to as the other Comforter. We sometimes use the Greek word, the Paraclete. Well that’s the word that is used here with a preposition on the front that means with, so we’re going to be comforted together, encouraged together, and really when you understand that as believers the Spirit of God indwells each of us. The Spirit of God will be doing His work of encouraging through our ministry to one another. That’s the way, the body works. You know He didn’t save us to grow in isolation. He put us in the context of what is called a spiritual body and these believers, as Paul goes and he ministers the word to them, and they respond and take in the word and minister, as God uses them in Paul’s life.

You know you go to another place and you meet believers and you spend time with them. It’s encouraging. I don’t go other places often. When I have and am with believers and I have opportunity to minister the word and they come up and we visit about the Lord and they talk about what the Lord’s done in their lives. You’re encouraged, you’re strengthened. You say, “thank you Lord, for Your work, and the work of Your Spirit in lives and the work of Your word in lives and it’s been a blessing to be here with these believers,” and that’s what it ought to be with us as we come together. We’re encouraged together, and then we go out into the world and we’re a little bit isolated, so to speak, humanly speaking, because we’re not together as believers. We may be the only believer at our job or wherever we are, and we’re out there and when we come back together again, it’s good to be with other believers who are like minded who have the same soul and we’re refreshed. That’s what it is and so we’re strengthened, that’s the process going on.

Turn over to Thessalonians, not going to many references with this. This is going to be unfolded, what he summarizes in this introductory portion, he’s going to flesh out as he unfolds the details of this good news, so we’re just getting the overview. But come to 1 Thessalonians chapter 3 and Paul had established the church at Thessalonica but he’s writing a letter to them now and in chapter 3, he says verse 1. “Therefore, when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone, we sent Timothy our brother.” He had a concern for what was going on at Thessalonica and so he sends Timothy to find out how the church is doing, because remember that’s a persecuted church. Going on, “sent our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ.”

You know there is often this connection, it’s the good news, but it’s the good news of Christ, because we end up, we can disassociate things if we’re not careful. What is it for? “To strengthen and encourage you,” the two things we just had in Romans. I want to strengthen you by that I mean we’ll be encouraged together, because when one person is being strengthened the other is as well. There is a mutuality going on. We are a body, and so it’s not a one-way benefit and it’s encouragement and we need that. We’re talking about this in Ecclesiastes, we live in a difficult world and in this world there are two groups of people, believers and unbelievers, children of the devil and the children of God and that adds to the conflict we have, and under the pressure and so on, so we want Timothy “to strengthen and encourage you,” as Paul’s representative and I’m sure Timothy then experiences that as well as Paul anticipated.

Look in 2 Thessalonians while you’re here chapter 2, verse 16. He’s encouraged them along the way. Verse 15 “so then, brethren, stand firm hold to the traditions which you were taught,” not traditions as we talk about but the traditions that were taught to them, “whether by word or by letter from us.” So, Paul had been there, he had taught them so that’s what he’s talking about the word of God that was given to you by me when I was there, or by the letters that I’ve sent you. Stand firm hold fast now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort, and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word. That’s what we are to do with one another. Comfort one another, encourage one another, strengthen one another. That word comfort, encourage, that’s what we’re talking about, the Holy Spirit is the Paraclete, the Encourager, the Comforter, the One who is there to help in every situation.

Come back to Romans chapter 1. This is just the pattern of Paul’s ministry and what we ought to be as we’re together as believers. That’s the sad thing about the conflicts. The things that discourage that weaken us. You know no matter what, when believers conflict and butt heads, and it’s not encouraging, it’s discouraging, you know it just sort of drains us and it works against what God says we should be doing…comforting one another encouraging one another. We go away discouraged, disheartened, and so we need to be careful. That’s why we start out with thanks. No matter what’s going on, if you’ve really trusted Christ and belong to Him, I thank God for that, I thank God for what He’s done in your life. I want to continue to pray for you, and when we do that, realize we have to encourage these are God’s children.

I don’t want to discourage one of God’s children. I don’t want to weaken them in their faith, in their stand for the Lord. They belong to God, how am I going to give an account to Him? I put you there to be a comforter, an encourager, a strengthener, and you weakened them, you discouraged them. Well you weren’t acting on My behalf when you did that, so we have to take these things to heart. Paul is genuine here. He talked about the fact he serves God in his spirit. This comes out of who I am, and this is how I function, this is how I minister. What he’s really looking for, you know, we want to be encouraged and strengthened by each other’s faith. Verse 13, “I do not want you to be unaware, brethren,” and then again that warmth for fellow believers.

Now, we are the family of God wherever you are. The local church is the expression of that, and Paul will be going from church to church. That’s part of his ministry, that “often I have planned to come to you.” He has to explain because people think, well Paul, you may have good intentions, but you never follow through. Remember, the Corinthians criticized Paul when he had expressed an intention to come and then things intervened. Well the Corinthians needed to know when Paul said he intends to come, that was conditioned by the will of God. Paul doesn’t control his future, God does. So he could say I’ll be there I plan to see you, but both people ought to realize, the one who’s saying that and the one who’s hearing that, if he’s a believer, this is conditioned by the will of God so that we are not discouraged or frustrated, because they didn’t keep their word. Well, they can’t control--now if they told it without intending to fulfill it, then that’s another spiritual problem.

Verse 13, “I have often planned to come to you, brethren, and have been prevented so far.” He sees the hand of God in it, and the hand of God uses the desires of Paul. And there’s something more important to Paul. When God opened a door of opportunity to carry the gospel to Gentiles who hadn’t heard, he had to put on the back burner his intention to go and enjoy fellowship with the believers in Rome, because there’s already a church there. My number 1 priority and appointment by God as an apostle is to carry the gospel to those who have not heard. So, when God provided that opportunity, well that was preventing me from coming, but as we’ll see, particularly when you get to the end of the letter, he thinks things are opening up now, and when God’s going to send Paul to Rome, He sends him. And it will be as a prisoner, being carted to Rome, but there he’ll have the opportunity to fulfill his desire and there again, God answers prayer but not necessarily the way Paul thought it would be and intended. And it will involve some discomfort with shipwreck and everything along the way, but he’s going, but thus far he’s been prevented, and
“I planned to come….that I may obtain some fruit among you….even as among the rest of the Gentiles.”

This could include more people getting saved, but he’s writing to the church and to believers and wanting to come encourage and strengthen them. And so, part of this fruit is the results of his ministry among them, just bringing the truth of God to them, and further clarity of that truth, and additional truth that God has revealed to him that they need to hear as they grow and mature, that’s a result of his ministry. That’s fruit, so it’s not just new believers; perhaps God would use him that way as well and he’ll be sharing the gospel, as we know at the end of the Book of Acts. When he does get to Rome, he’ll be encouraging believers. All that is fruit, results of your faithful service to the Lord is what he is putting--and he’s had that among the rest of the Gentiles. Again, Paul’s emphasis has been on the Gentiles. He’s ministered to Jews he’s had interaction with Jews, but the prime focus of his ministry in its uniqueness, he’s the apostle to the Gentiles, and he sees himself “under obligation, both to Greeks to barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish.”

God’s put a burden on me, an obligation. You know here’s what Paul, it helps, he doesn’t see himself as owed something. His ministry will involve great sacrifice, but I don’t go there thinking you know, I’ve had a difficult ministry. I hope when I get to Rome that I look forward to you being able to take care of me, and he’s going to benefit from them by coming to Rome, because I owe you something. I’ve been entrusted with a responsibility, an obligation. I have a debt to you. God has made me a debtor to you. I owe you a responsibility, so I realize my coming to you, is for your good and you know you see yourself there. You know I’m a part of the family of believers and I’m a debtor.

I owe the others in this body, my ministry, the exercising of my gift, for their good. I mean God puts me in the body, gifts me to function in the body, so that the body can grow together as every part functions as it should, and I don’t function, I haven’t fulfilled my obligation. I mean that’s what God has done so we see ourselves that way. You know we come with more, what can I do for you rather than I hope they’re going to be what I need. I hope it’s what I’m looking for. I hope they’ll meet my needs. Well that will happen, and Paul has said, I’ll be encouraged by your ministry to me, but I’m coming fulfilling an obligation to you, and a by-product of that, I’ll benefit from my relationship with you and your ministry to me as well. And that obligation includes all kinds, the educated, the uneducated, the wise, the foolish. Paul is not selective in that sense. I have good news for everyone, good news for the lost, and good news for believers to grow and mature, and in that sense we want to be imitators of the apostle Paul and he was an imitator of Christ who gave himself in serving us. We’ll stop there.

A couple of things I want to clarify then I’ll open it up if you have anything you would like to talk about, question about. The first thing I have to correct is I may have confused you. I confused myself and some of you drew it to my attention. When I talked about the genealogies in Matthew and Luke, I referenced the genealogy in Matthew—I hope I get it right now. I should have written it down because then I’ll get it confused again. They’ll say you just said what you said last time, I thought you were correcting it. I had them backwards. Leave it at that. If you read my booklet it has it right. I should have read my booklet. Someone came and read it to me and some of you caught that. The genealogy in Matthew is probably the genealogy of, who is it, Joseph, and then the genealogy in Luke—we’re left with Mary, so thank you very much. I had those reversed. You get the legal line as king through Matthew’s genealogy and the physical connection through Mary.

Another thing we were talking as elders this week and I thought I’d mention it here. We talk about our debt, and things continue to move along, and I talk about we’re almost out of debt and I may be giving you the wrong impression. We talk about our net debt that’s almost taken care of and that’s measured by the amount of cash we have in the bank verses the loans we still have, so if we have $300,000 in loans, and we have $300,000 in cash, our net debt is zero. Right Carroll? Good, but we’re not technically out of debt because we still owe $300,000. Loans that we have from the congregation that we’re paying down, so it’s like if you owe a $100,000 on your house and you have a $100,000 cash in the bank you could pay off the $100,000 on your house, so you really, your net debt is zero because you have the cash to pay off the debt. But you may not want to. It may not be a good idea to use that. We keep the cash in the bank so that we have a reserve, things come up. We also have a line of credit if we need it, but the air conditioner, heater goes out, things that may come up so we keep a cash reserve. So in that sense, we still want to pay down the debt without using our cash reserve. I may be giving you the idea celebrating, we’re out of debt, but that is a celebration to have come to that point, but we still do have around $300,000 owed—250,000, 280 well that’s 300. Yeah, that’s close so I want you to have the true picture, I don’t want to be thinking, well we don’t owe anybody anything. Technically, if we took all our cash, but then if something came up we’d have to go to the bank to get the money. We prefer to have cash and use that if possible so just wanted to clarify that.

All right, do you have something you have on your mind? I didn’t bring any questions so do you have anything you’d like to talk about, anybody, any questions you’ve got on your mind. That’s about coming to a church like this all your questions are answered. There’s nothing, we all are just doing well and everybody’s good. The Elder’s meeting this time was good. We used to have Elder’s meetings until midnight. We we’re done about 9 o’clock. Don’t know what does it, it must be the Chairman of the Board, who does nothing but follow the information given to him by Jeff who prepares the agendas and keeps things going for us so appreciate that, but appreciate the way the Lord is blessing things going on in the ministry and we look forward to what’s ahead. Anybody have anything? I haven’t asked you for anything. We’re good, let’s have a word of prayer.

Thank You Lord for the day. You continue to bless us and Lord, we don’t take Your blessings for granted. We want to be a thankful people. Thank You for Christian friends, the fellowship of believers, and Lord we appreciate the work You’re doing in other places in believers lives and the realization that all together, we comprise the bride of Christ manifested, in a variety of places in each local church. Thank You for the privilege we have to grow together. Lord we have grown we continue to grow. We never stop growing. You are the infinite God and Lord we want to continue to fellowship in ministry, to fellowship in the study of the word, and to be used of You Lord in one another’s lives, and then bringing the gospel to this city. Lord our burden in these days is that we might have the privilege of bringing the light of the gospel to the multitudes of the lost in our city, that we might be instruments that You use to bring light to darkness. They cannot believe if they have not heard and in Your gracious plan, they must have a spokesman to tell them, so may we be bold and loving in bringing the gospel to the people on our doorstep even in these days. Bless Your word as it goes out, bless the week before us we pray in Christ’s name. Amen.