ROMANS 15: 22-29
A PLANNED MINISTRY
[Acts 27-28]
Paul continues here to open his heart to the Romans in reference to the future of his ministry. He had just declared something of his heart for ministry stating that "It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not named." He was a pioneer evangelist and church planter at heart. Up to this time Paul had always found new areas for ministry in Asia Minor and the Grecian Peninsula so that he had not yet felt free to look beyond to Rome and Spain.
Paul wanted to visit the church at Rome, but he had delayed his visit because he had heard many good reports about the believers there and he knew they were doing well on their own. It was more important for him to preach in areas that had not yet heard the Good News. So he outlines his travel plans which include a missionary journey to Spain, in keeping with his commitment to the unreached people, with a brief stop in Rome and a trip to Jerusalem to deal with some business there.
[If he were to make all these journeys by ship, the first from Corinth to Jerusalem would be at least 800 miles, the second from Jerusalem to Rome 1,500, and the third from Rome on to Spain, 700, making a minimum total of 3,000 miles; and many more if he were to travel some of the way by land rather than sea. When one reflects on the uncertainties and hazards of ancient travel, the almost nonchalant wayin which Paul announces his intention to undertake these three voyages is quite extraordinary. Stott, John. Romans. IVP. 1994. Dover Grove, IL. p. 384.]
From our passage we see that Paul had a vision and a plan for ministry (CIT). We can also gain insight into the God's providence outworking in the life and work of Paul.
I. FUTURE PLANS, 22-24.
II. PRESENT PLANS, 25-28.
III. FAITHFULNESS PLANS, 29.
Paul's future plans were to visit Rome on his way to evangelize and plant churches in Spain. For years Paul has had the desire to visit Rome, but as verse 22 indicates he had been prevented because of his evangelizing and discipling the unreached peoples of the Mediterranean. "For this reason I have often been prevented from coming to you;"
Paul has just expressed his ministry goal in a quotation from Isaiah 52:15 and explained, This is why I have often been hindered (imperfect tense, "I was being prevented many times") from coming to you. Paul's constant preoccupation with completing the missionary task of preaching the gospel all around the eastern Mediterranean had prevented him from making a trip to Rome.
Verse 23 indicates the pioneering work in eastern Mediterranean has been solidly established. "but now, with no further place for me in these regions, and since I have had for many years a longing to come to you"
Up to this time Paul had always found new areas for ministry in Asia Minor and the Grecian Peninsula so that he had not yet felt free to look beyond to Rome and Spain. He now believed that he had accomplished what God wanted him to do there. Now with solid churches and growing disciples in those regions he lifts his eyes to the western horizon of the Roman empire.
This does not mean that he had visited every town center, but that the gospel had been introduced and local churches had been established that could complete the work (Acts 19:8-10). Others finally were ready to expand the work in and from the churches he had planted.
In verse 24 the remote western Roman empire comes into the great evangelist and church planter's future view. "whenever I go to Spain—for I hope to see you in passing, and to be helped on my way there by you, when I have first enjoyed your company for a while—
Spain was a Roman colony where many Jews lived. It, like England, was the northwestern limit of the empire, of the civilized World. It's Roman government, road system and connection to the Med and total lack of Christians made it similar to where he worked in the eastern Mediterranean. [Also, Spain had many great minds and influential leaders in the Roman World (Lucan, Martial, Hadrian), and perhaps Paul thought Christianity would advance greatly in such an atmosphere. Life Application Study Bible, NIV. Zondervan.1984 p. 2056.]
Did he ever make it? We don't know. Church tradition [as 1 Clement 5:6 indicates] indicates he did, indeed, go to Spain and then on up into England. But this can't be emphatically verified. [Courson, Jon: Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN : Thomas Nelson, 2003, S. 996]
Paul hoped to visit them in Rome while passing through. Apparently he did not plan to stay long. This brief stop in Rome would be as much for his benefit as theirs. He desired to "enjoy your company for a while" is literally a deep longing to be "filled" or "saturated" with their fellowship. Their fellowship would refresh and saturated him spiritually. What a compliment!
I trust that he would make such a statement concerning our fellowship also. Are people filled and refreshed spiritually by our fellowship? I believe all who drink in the love of Christ here will be.
II. PRESENT PLANS, 25-28.
The contemplative trip to Rome will need to be postpone though until Paul takes care of his immediate ministry plans. So Paul moves from his tentative future plans to his present plans in verse 25. "but now, I am going to Jerusalem serving the saints."
Perhaps due to persecution or drought, the saints in Jerusalem were undergoing a season of poverty. Whatever the causes, Paul's response to the need was to endeavor to unite the church in serving or ministering to the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Gentile believers, realizing their indebtedness to the Jerusalem church for evangelizing their region, collected an offering for the church in Jerusalem. Paul was involved in this collection.
In verse 26 he gives some facts about the collection. "For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem."
The collection had necessitated a considerable amount of organization with the churches of Macedonia and Achaia, with much correspondence, encouragement, and personnel administration.
[Most of Paul's three-month stay in Achaia (see Acts 20:3) was probably spent in Corinth. Corinth is the city from which he most likely wrote this letter. He had recently pass through Macedonia (2 Cor. 8-9) where he secured their offering.]
The worst earthquake in decades struck HAITI in 2010 at a catastrophic 7.0 magnitude. The Haitian government reported that an estimated 316,000 people had died, 300,000 had been injured and 1,000,000 made homeless and even more displaced. The government of Haiti also estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged. Within hours help was on the way: food and supplies, medicine, rescue equipment, and rescue workers. From the United States they came, and from other nations. Three billion dollars has been given to the recovery work world wide with approximately half coming from the USA..
The famine in Africa was less sudden but no less heart-rending. The 2011 East Africa drought is said to be "the worst in 60 years." The drought has caused a severe food crisis across Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya that threatens the livelihood of 9.5 million people. Over 1 million starving refuges parched lands to go to cities where they hoped to find food and water, but they came in such numbers that the cities could not care for them. Again help came from all over the world as people moved to share out of their abundance.
It was not just Christians who gave, but people of all faiths and people of no faith. The impulse to respond to human need, however, is basic to our Christian faith. To help without asking whether the recipients are deserving, is Christian. To be sensitive to human suffering whether in a distant land or in our own community, is Christian. To give sacrificially, is Christian.
In the spirit of prayer, examine your commitment to a ministry to the poor in your community and in the world. If God touches your heart to help the poor, a good place to start would be with our "Souper Bowl" and "Feed the Children" projects. This ministries not only feed the poor they share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them.
Verse 27 reveals the significance of and the justification for the collection. "Yes, they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things."
According to Paul's remarks (v.27), this financial contribution could be looked at from two standpoints: as a love-gift ("they were pleased to do it") and as an obligation ("they owe it to them"). The voluntary nature of the contribution (koinnian, "fellowship, a participation") or love gift is stressed by the repetition of the verb, were pleased (Rom. 15:26-27; 2 Cor. 8:10-12). At the same time it was the recognition of an obligation: Indeed they owe it to them (Lit., "and they are debtors to them").
There is a debt which Gentiles owe to Jews. Since the Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings (Rom. 11:11-12, 17-18; 15:12; Gal. 3:14; Eph. 3:6) originating from Jerusalem, then it is only proper, especially in their time of need, that Gentiles share (leitourgsai, "to minister to, serve"; 15:16) with them financial help (their "material blessings," lit., "in fleshly things") [Walvoord, John & Zuck, Roy; The Bible Knowledge Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983, S. 498.]. The contribution would be a tangible expression of unity and gratefulness of Gentiles and Jews in the body of Christ. It was also an object lesson of the strong bearing the weak, for which Paul argued in the last two chapters [14:1-15:13].
Having explained the reasoning for the offering, verse 28 moves beyond its presentation in Jerusalem to his long journey west again. "Therefore, when I have finished this, and have put my seal on this fruit of theirs, I will go on by way of you to Spain."
The completion of this ministry and the unity and fruitfulness released by it would free Paul to move on to his next ministry. So yet again Paul affirms that after going to Jerusalem he would go to Spain and visit the Romans on the way (v. 24). Whether he ever got to Spain no one knows for sure. Christians should plan ahead, but they should also be flexible.
Soon after writing to the Romans, he made preparation for the trip to Jerusalem, in which he was accompanied by representatives of the various churches bearing the offerings that had been collected over a period of time (Acts 20:3, 4). [Paul did go to Rome, but not when or in the manner he anticipated (Acts 27-28)! Tradition tells us Paul was released from a Roman jail in 62 A.D. and embarked on a fourth missionary journey until 67 A.D. Clement of Rome, a second-generation church leader writing in 96 A.D., seemed to indicate that Paul went to Spain, as he had declared that he intended to do, though this is not recorded in Acts. Certain references in Paul's later epistles also hint at another journey-for example, he did not minister in Crete during the events of Acts, so he must have done so at a later time (Titus 1:5).
Paul endured a second Roman imprisonment, this time not under house arrest but chained in a dungeon. It ended about 68 A.D. with his execution. Emperor Nero had attempted to make Christians scapegoats for the Great Fire of 64 A.D., launching years of sadistic persecution that included burning Christians as human torches in his royal gardens. We don't know exactly how Paul died, but we do know that the Savior who met him on that fateful Damascus road so many years ago welcomed him into eternity!
III. FAITHFULNESS PLANS, 29.
As Paul plans his future ministry he is definite about maintaining his relationship with Christ as verse 29 declares. "I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ."
Paul's confidence is not in himself, but in Christ. In this blessed relationship with Jesus he is determined to continue finding Christ's fulness and sufficiency. This relationship gave Paul confidence in God's provision so that he could promise that his visit would be a spiritual blessing to the Roman Christians. He would "come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ," that is, with Christ's blessing to share with them (Rom. 1:11-13). It will be a time of mutual enrichment in the Lord. So Paul looks forward to the blessing of God's Spirit being poured out on them through their reciprocal ministering.
Paul was a man with a plan. I encourage all of us to seek the Lord and say, "Show me Your plan, Lord, as it relates to my kids, my wife, my employment, my ministry. Lord, I really want to hear from You." Without vision, people perish (Proverbs 29:18). Why is there such a lack of vision today? I believe television is a big part of it. Next time you feel a lack of vision, turn off your television, go for a walk, and ask the Lord for His plan for your life. [Courson, Jon: Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN. Thomas Nelson, 2003, S. 996.]
IN CLOSING
So three geographical points lied commingled in the planing of the apostle: Rome as the goal of much praying and hoping; Jerusalem as the necessary stop on the way; and Spain as the ultimate objective. One can see how necessary the journey to Jerusalem was in his thinking, since otherwise the call to evangelize would take precedence over everything else. [So Paul explains just how important this trip to the mother church is, that his readers will understand that he is not negligent about visiting them.] [Harrison, Everett. Romans. The Expositor's Bible Com. Vol. 10. 1976. Zondervan. p. 158.]
Because of Paul's calling and obedient desire he made plans to do his part in fulfilling the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ who called His followers to take the gospel to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). He was looking forward to taking the gospel to the new lands west of Rome. [Paul eventually went to Rome, however, it was as a prisoner. Tradition says that Paul was released for a time, and that he used this opportunity to go to Spain to preach the Good News, This journey is not mentioned in the book of Acts.]
Where or to whom are you looking forward to taking the Good News of Jesus Christ? Do you have a plan? Are you making plans? If you do not know where you are going, you're not going to end up there. I encourage you to take time to ask the Lord how you can plan your live according to God's plan.
