Full of Goodness and Knowledge

Beyond the Present Time
Resurrection Hope
Equipped with Hope

Romans 15:14-21

The Message

^14-16 Personally, I’ve been completely satisfied with who you are and what you are doing. You seem to me to be well-motivated and well-instructed, quite capable of guiding and advising one another. So, my dear friends, don’t take my rather bold and blunt language as criticism. It’s not criticism. I’m simply underlining how very much I need your help in carrying out this highly focused assignment God gave me, this priestly and gospel work of serving the spiritual needs of the non-Jewish outsiders so they can be presented as an acceptable offering to God, made whole and holy by God’s Holy Spirit.

^17-21 Looking back over what has been accomplished and what I have observed, I must say I am most pleased—in the context of Jesus, I’d even say proud, but only in that context. I have no interest in giving you a chatty account of my adventures, only the wondrously powerful and transformingly present words and deeds of Christ in me that triggered a believing response among the outsiders. In such ways I have trailblazed a preaching of the Message of Jesus all the way from Jerusalem far into northwestern Greece. This has all been pioneer work, bringing the Message only into those places where Jesus was not yet known and worshiped. My text has been,

Those who were never told of him—
    they’ll see him!
Those who’ve never heard of him—
    they’ll get the message!

 For Reflection

What accounted for the success of Paul's mission?  Pure and simply, Paul passed on knowledge of the Christ event and the value of a new way of establishing a new transforming relationship with God.  How about you?  Is this offer of a right relationship to God as compelling to you as it was to those whom Paul addresses. 

Pray

that all who have heard will listen.  Pray that all who have seen will understand.  Pray that the new information about the transforming power of the Holy Spirit will be embraced by all.