Paul had a driving passion. That passion was to follow his Lord Jesus Christ and make him known among the nations. When Paul wrote this letter to the church in Rome, he was toward the end of what we call his third missionary journey. He had spent the last twenty years of his life focused on making Christ known through Asia.
That passion helps explain a lot about the book of Romans. It explains why Paul already knew 27 people who lived in Rome and whom he mentions by name. He had never been there, but these were his partners in the gospel ministry over the past twenty years.
His passion to know Christ and make him known explains why he longed to go to Rome. His driving motivation was the gospel of Jesus Christ. He would want to do everything possible to fan into flame the vibrant church there.
His passion explains why Paul goes into such detail about what sin is and the spiritual consequences of sin. It explains why he so thoroughly articulates the gospel and justification by faith. It explains why the book of Romans has a theological foundation that would keep a church and disciples of Christ spiritually healthy.
His driving passion explains why despite how much he longs to go to Rome he does not plan to stay long but instead move on to Spain where the gospel had not yet reached. It explains why Paul constantly prayed for the church there. It explains why Paul is full of thankfulness that their faith in Christ is reported all over the world. It can all be understood in context that the most important thing for the Apostle Paul was that the gospel goes to all the nations.
The ministry of prayer
There is much for Paul to thank God about for the church in Rome at the time he wrote this letter. It was reported all over the world about the faith of the church there. It is estimated that there were less than one thousand believers, but they were making a big stir.
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. (Romas 8-10)
It would encourage Paul and make him thank God for the faith of the church in Rome having a reputation around the world. Paul’s goal was to take the gospel to all places and people and this would help him. A good testimony is of tremendous value. Everyone was hearing what was happening in Rome.
Paul is always praying for the church. As God is his witness he has been praying faithfully for the church in Rome. He has many colleagues there and is praying for them. The city of Rome was the capital of a vast empire so for the gospel to take hold was so significant.
Mutual encouragement
I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. (Romas 1:11-12)
As iron sharpens iron, so we sharpen one another. Paul had a desire to strengthen the church in Rome but in the process, he anticipated growing in his faith because of them. Paul is going to build up the church and in so doing he will be encouraged himself and built up in his faith.
Throughout his missionary journeys Paul was going to new places, but he also would strengthen the church. Paul would be longing to see some of his most faithful partners when he reached Rome. In Rome he would also be built up, not just pouring out but receiving spiritual encouragement also. Paul states his ambition to preach the gospel where Christ is not known. (Romans 15:20)
There would be long time encouragers for him like Aquilla and Pricila who he had lived with and labored with in Corinth. In Corinth they worked together making tents and they had also worked together in Ephesus. He knows that seeing his old friends and meeting those whose faith was being talked about all over the world would encourage him.
Spiritual Harvest
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles. (Romas 1:13)
Recently I planned a trip to Rome with my wife. After the non-refundable flights were booked and the hotel reservations set, I found out that I needed to be in South Asia for another obligation at the same time. We made plans for my wife to go to Rome without me. Then later I realized that by extending her stay in Rome I could also join her for the second part of her Rome visit.
I joked that I was like the Apostle Paul who planned to go to Rome but was prevented from doing so. It was a joke because my trip to Rome could not be compared to what Paul was planning. His plan was to have a major impact on the growing church to multiply in the most important first century city and then move on to Spain (Romans 15:24) where the gospel had never been preached to continue his pioneer church planting ministry.
It is interesting to note how often Paul’s plans were changed. He never planned to go to Rome via imprisonment and an appeal to Ceasar and aboard a ship while he is bound in chains. He may have never even made it to Spain. The part of his plan that did not change was his plan to have a spiritual harvest in Rome.
Paul’s desire was to have a spiritual harvest in Rome like he had among the Gentiles. If you want to know about the spiritual harvest Paul is referring to then read Acts Chapters 13-20. He would by the power of the Holy Spirit arrive in a place with no church. He would preach the gospel abundantly. He would disciple those who believed.
He would plant churches with those he discipled. He would appoint leaders to pastor those churches. He would move on to the next place to repeat the pattern. Look especially at Acts 13:20-24 to see how Luke articulates his pattern after the completion of his first missionary journey. That was the harvest he had among the gentiles.
The gospel for all
The driving passion for Paul was the missionary passion to see the gospel go where it had not been before. He explains in chapter 15 that he was not building on other people’s foundation, but he was doing the pioneer work. Here he shares how he labored to see the gospel for all peoples.
I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. (Romas 1:14-15)
Right from his dramatic conversion on the Damascus Road he was called by Jesus to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. The Lord told Ananias in a vision to go to Paul to baptize him. Ananias feared him since he was known at that time for persecuting Christians.
The Lord revealed his plan for Saul who we would be known as Paul and he said, “he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15). Paul was obligated to those who spoke Greek and those who did not. The translations sometimes use the word barbarians for the not-Greek speakers.
Paul also is ready to share, disciple and plant churches among the wise and the foolish. That would be the educated and the non-educated. To follow the example of the Apostle Paul and our Lord Jesus we are prepared to go to everyone. That is why we make our discipleship material as simple as possible. It must be reproduceable and transferable from a disciple to a new disciple if they are educated or uneducated.
Paul’s pattern was beyond going everywhere and teach everyone. He built up disciples who would make disciples so he could move on to the next place and the work would carry on. Paul used the 2 Timothy 2:2 pattern that he used with Timothy. “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” (2 Timothy 2:2)
We need to be ready and able to teach the uneducated disciple who will teach another uneducated disciple who will in turn teach other uneducated people also. To do this our gospel and discipleship material must be as simple as possible and no simpler. It was the pattern of Paul, and it was the practice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord poured into his twelve disciples. Four of them were fisherman who, although they were intelligent would fall into the categories of fools and barbarians. These uneducated fishermen were the inner circle of his disciples.
That is why Paul is eager to come to Rome. He can throw gasoline on the spiritual fire that is becoming famous. He can preach the gospel in Rome and make disciples who make disciples who make disciples. He can plant churches that multiply.
Conclusion
As we see the passion of Paul when we read this passage of Romans it reminds us to develop our passion to follow Christ and make him known. It was the same pattern of our Lord. It was why the reputation of Rome was spreading though the whole world. How are we growing deeper with our relationship with Christ. Are we living for the eternal?
We need to be like Paul constantly praying for the churches we have invested in to grow and impact a lost world. We need to pray for those like Aquila and Pricilla who are doing ministry in strategic places.
We need to make our lives count for a spiritual harvest. That is what Jesus called us to in the Great Commission and that is what our challenge is from Romans Chapter 1. Now is the time for a sense of urgency to take the gospel among the nations.
