ROMANS 1: 8-13
THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE FAITHFUL
[Ephesians 4: 1-16]
Having introduced himself, Paul now gives a general introduction common in his letters. He was writing to the Church at Rome because he had for a long time been touched -fortified- by their deep commitment to Jesus and high quality of their faithfulness to each other. So he continues his introduction with expressions of encouragement. It breathes the spirit of love toward his brethren, and of gratitude and devotion towards God.
There is always a common Christian bond between those who faithfully serve Christ. And their sharing in grace-gifted service for the Gospel of Christ, gives mutual encouragement, be it by distant learning or close fellowship.
[That encouragement and thankfulness is what I experience when I hear of the missionary labors of Mike & Dottie Clark, Ryan & Laura Barr. That encouragement and thankfulness is what I experience as I watch you labor for the Lord on a workday or at VBS, or during choir specials, FAITH, or other ministry projects.]
I. A Thanksgiving for Faithfulness, 1:8.
II. Faithful Praying, 1: 9-10.
III. A Longing to Impart, 1: 11-13.
a. A longing to share spiritual blessings
b. A longing to share in Gospel harvest.
[IV. The Gospel Debt, 1:14-15.]
Though there is much to say, Paul starts by expressing thanks to God for his readers in verse 8. "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ concerning you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world."
Paul begins his letter by complimenting them. Some tongues are tuned to praise and others are tuned to criticism. Some eyes are focused to find faults, other eyes are focused to discover virtues. When you talk of others what kind of words predominate? Do you find yourself praising them or criticizing them? When you look at other believers do you see their virtues or their faults?
Paul uses the term my God for although he belongs to God, he also possesses God as his own. He gives this thanksgiving "through Jesus Christ" for the only way to God is through Jesus Christ.
What was the reason for the Apostle's thankfulness to God; "because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world." His thankfulness for the believers was because of the demonstration of their faith in the world. Their faith was seen in the lives they lived and the deeds they did for Christ.
Rome was a city where, according to Roman historian Tacitus, "all vile and abominable things were encouraged." Not only did the saints live pure lives there, they were experiencing explosive growth because church members were leading others to Christ. Thus their faith was spoken of "throughout the world." My prayer is that our faith will be of this same quality that people through out the Bluegrass community and Knox County would speak of the deep and dynamic faith exhibit by the members of FBC.
II. FAITHFUL PRAYING 1:9-10.
Appreciation for their faithfulness to Christ is followed in verse 9 with the the deep and longing nature of his intercession for them. "For my witness is God, Whom I serve in my spirit in the Gospel of His Son, how unceasingly I always make mention of you in my prayers."
A witness is one who tells what he has seen or heard. God has seen and heard all. So that the believers in Rome may know how earnestly he prays for them and how deeply he yearns to see them, Paul appeals to the Omniscient (or All-knowing) God, who cannot lie and who judges human hearts and motives, for confirmation of what he writes. This reverent appeal to the searcher of hearts is often used by the Apostle (2 Cor. 1:23; Gal. 11:20; Phil. 1:8).
Serve [is from which] means hire, hireling, so to serve for hire (Mt. 4:10; Lk. 1:74; Heb. 9:9, 14; Rev. 7:15 & 22:3). He served God with his spirit. Paul's spirit was made alive when he accepted Christ and by it he now serves Him. The serving that Paul was doing in the Gospel, was not motivated by or in the flesh, but it was from his regenerated spirit.
Part of Paul's serving is mentioning the Roman believers in his prayers. Notice Paul mentions church members in his prayers not in gossip. Paul seems to have had a prayer list and the Romans were on his prayer list. They did not know of Paul's prayer support, but the Lord knew about it and honored it. You should let the people you are praying for know it. How encouraging it is to know someone is praying regularly for you.
Although Paul did not know the people at Rome personally, he nevertheless consistently upheld them before God in prayer. It is the disciple's privilege and duty to bear our loved ones, and Christian laborers before the Throne of Grace.
Paul states in verse 10 that his prayers also include the request for the fulfilment of his desire to minister to them in Rome. "Making request if perhaps how at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you."
One of Paul's prayer requests was that he might visit them. The prospect of visiting those whom he had so longingly and devotedly prayed for now looks as if it will come about. But in spite of his great longing and desire, his prayer is that if it is "God's will" he "may succeed in coming." [ -to lead in the right way, to prosper one's journey - succeed.]
Notice it is Paul's voluntary act to subject himself to God's will. He desires all things in his life to be ordered by God. So he consciously subordinates his own wishes and adds, "by the will of God." How Christlike this surrender is. Christ prayed "not My will by Thy will be done" (Mt. 26:39-42). God's will is found in subjecting your will to His. Have you done this? If not you will never find it and thus never fully walk in God's will for your life.
Paul's petition is that if it is the will of God for him to see the Romans, that God would bring it about in His time and in His way.
III. A LONGING TO IMPART, 1: 11-13.
In verse 11 Paul states that his first longing is to impart spiritual blessings to them. "For I long to see you so that I might impart a spiritual grace (gift) to you that you might be established."
"Long to see you" in the original expresses a very intense yearning with something of regret that he had been kept from them for so long. Then the Apostle states why he was so anxious to visit Rome. Paul's longing to go to the church was so he might give. He desired to confer some spiritual grace upon them that would strengthen their faith.
The gift or literally grace is spiritual in nature for it is derived from the Spirit and not simply the mind. It is a strengthening in the spiritual giftedness and graces of God, which they had already received, by the gift God had bestowed upon the Apostle for establishing people who in turn establish churches.
Some church gatherings today have lost the impacting of the divine gift and have little more to offer than formal worship, or pleasing music, or gratifying entertainment, or intellectual discourse. May those churches and ministers who will not be filled with God's Spirit, not be filled with God's people.
God has also called and gifted me for this ministry to impart strength and establish you in His will. Though not of the caliber or giftedness of Paul, these messages from my heart and life are also rich in spiritual treasure for those who will received them in the Spirit with which they are given. Even though lacking full sufficiency for the great task of preparing people for life and life eternal, God knows how honest I've been in presenting you His message. Yet that desire alone is not enough. We must ask our self some probing questions. Are we being strengthened in faith to meet the day to day challenges, burdens, annoyances, sorrows and opportunities of life by coming here? Is Christ becoming more dear and more real and nearer to you? Are our lives more transparently consecrated to Him? If our meeting together has not challenge and helped us become more like Christ then we have gather in vain. And the sooner these walls crumble, this voice ceases and these pews are emptied the better.
Verse 12 states the reason for and the mutual blessing it would be for him to minister to them. "This is, to be encouraged together with you through one another's faith both yours and mine."
Paul knew he had much of the grace of God to give, but he also knew he needed to receive encouragement from others. He not only expected his spiritual gifts to cause spiritual graces, or a strengthening or their spiritual gifts and life, but he also anticipated being refreshed by their faith from their fellow-shipping together also.
Paul knew that like Elijah, after pouring out the power of God, he is apt to be discouraged. And Sunday after Sunday when one stands before a congregation and sees some solidly indifferent, and others slipping away from their faithfulness, and sees empty places where loved ones used to sit, he needs to be encouraged. If one has ice in the pew, it brings down the temperature in the pulpit. It is difficult to be alive with fervency amidst a people that are all but asleep. It is difficult to keep a fire lit when it is kindled on top of an iceberg. [And if you do you may end up in hot water.] Your minister needs your up-building if you are going to be built up. Scripture records (Mt. 13:58) of Jesus that, "He did not many works among them because of their unbelief." Christ Himself experienced a hampering and restricting of His power that came from being surrounded by a chilly unsympathetic environment. My strength and weakness are largely due to you. And if you want your minister to preach better, and to do his work more joyfully and faithfully, the means is largely in your hands. Icy indifference, ill natured interpretations, rasping criticisms, swift forgetfulness of messages and labors, all these things kill the life of any minister.
The true encouragement to give a man when he is trying to do God's will is not a pat on the back and mentioning what a remarkable sermon, but to say your words have led me to Christ and He is giving me the grace to start living them out.
Beloved ones, the encouragement of the minister is in the conversion of his hearers and the growth of his disciples. I pray that I may come to you more and more with the expectant and humble spirit of knowing that I have a word from Christ and that you are becoming more and more receptive, not to my words, but to Christ's truth. Then we will become helpers of one another and encourage each other in the warfare and work to which we have been called and separated out to perform.
DISCOURAGEMENT is a problem for many Christians. If they are not distressed about health, family, or work, they may be discouraged about their spiritual service. They compare themselves to others who are gifted with musical talents or the ability to teach the Bible or lead the church. They see people who are able to give generously and pray with evident effectiveness, but they think they can't do these things. As a result, they feel they are useless to God. They need to realize, however, that every Christian is qualified to carry on at least one helpful ministry - the ministry of encouragement.
Renowned preacher Robert Dale was walking one day in Birmingham, England, where he was pastoring the great Carr's Lane Church. He was under a dark cloud of gloom when a woman came up to him and exclaimed, "God bless you, Dr. Dale. If you could only know how you have made me feel hundreds of times!" Then off she hurried. Dale later testified, "The mist broke, the sunlight came, and I breathed the free air of the mountains of God."
The apostle Paul knew how important it was not only to be encouraged by others (Phil. 2:19) but to be an encourager (Acts 20:2; 27:35-36). That's a ministry all of us can be involved in. Even if you have nothing else to give you can always give encouragement. [Our Daily Bread] Paul prayed for the chance to visit these Christians so that he could encourage them with his gift of faith and be encouraged by theirs. As God's messenger he could help them understand the meaning of the Good News about Jesus. As God's devoted people, they could offer him fellowship and reciprocal encouragement. When Christians gather, everyone should give and receive. Our mutual faith gives us a common commitment and a common purpose for encouraging one another.
Paul's second longing was to share in Gospel harvest. He had not yet visited them because God wouldn't allow him to until it would be a spiritually fruitful visit as verse 13 states. "And I do not want you to be unaware brethren, that often I have planned to come to you - and have been prevented (cut off) thus far - in order that I might obtain some fruit among you even as among the rest of the Gentiles."
The idiom, "I would not have you ignorant," is a mode of expression the Apostle uses to call their attention to something they should take special note of (11:25; 1 Cor. 10:1; 12:1; 2 Cor. 1:8; and 1 Thess. 4:13). Many times the Apostle had made serious plans to visit them but had been prevented by duties which demanded his attention. Yet Paul was confident that God would permit him to come but only when the time was ripe for fruit bearing.
Our FAITH visitation teams understand this being prevented from visiting some folk. It seems that every time we intend to visit some of you that we have been prevented. We need your prayer to be assured that it is God preventing us so that a more fruitful visit can occur later rather than Satan's impediment.
The fruit Paul speaks of is certainly conversion fruit and the building up and pruning of disciples that they might be fruitful (Jn. 15), but also the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5: 22 & 23.
CONCLUSION
Paul showed his love for these Christians by expressing his gratefulness and prayers for them. Our Christian faith gives us a common commitment and a common purpose for encouraging one another. Let us become encouragers of each other, for the greater glory of God.
It may seem insignificant
to say a word or two,
But when it is encouragement,
what wonders it can do! [K. DeHaan]
