One of the fascinating things about the
Scriptures is that they are not “edited.” By that I mean that they were not
cleaned up so that all the characters look totally virtuous or totally evil;
they appear in real life, sins and all. This gives us the ability to look at
these people as if they were with us. Paul, in particular, can be studied in
his letters, for they are his personal correspondence in the deepest sense. In
this passage today, we will see the character, plans and prayers of the Man of
God portrayed.
Character
(Rom
15:14-22 NIV) I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full
of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.
{15} I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of
them again, because of the grace God gave me {16} to be a minister of
Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel
of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God,
sanctified by the Holy Spirit. {17} Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in
my service to God. {18} I will not venture to speak of anything except
what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by
what I have said and done-- {19} by the power of signs and miracles,
through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to
Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. {20} It has
always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so
that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. {21} Rather,
as it is written: "Those who were not told about him will see, and those
who have not heard will understand." {22} This is why I have often
been hindered from coming to you.
Tact
Paul sometimes seems quite blunt; but in his
“all things to all people” style he can also be quite tactful. Recalling that
he has never met the Roman church as a whole (the next chapter has a list of
people he has met), he ends his letter with these tactful reminders:
·
First,
he thinks that they are quite capable of handling their own instruction. Full
of goodness, knowledge, and competent to teach. There is no hint of “wait
until I get there and I’ll tell you what to do.” The effect of “I know you
guys can handle this” is very positive. It helps to know the boss has
confidence in you.
·
Next,
he encourages them to teach each other. This is another example of the church
as “body”, each element helping the next. It builds a team spirit; it also
encourages humility, for each of us is not only instructor but student as
well. (My own experience is that nothing is so instructive as teaching, and no
one so instructive as students).
·
Finally,
he gives them to understand that he is not so much teaching them as reminding
them of what they already knew.
The Instrument of God
Paul conceives himself to be an instrument of
God. Most of us would feel that such a title is too exalted for us, but I
submit we are the same. In that sense, he shows us the attitude of such an
instrument:
·
First,
his glory is in Christ Jesus. He knows where the credit belongs and where it
does not. This is an enormously practical principle for the man of God; it
means that (since he can’t take credit for success) he should focus on the
work, not on the results. The results will flow naturally -- as God gives the
increase. It is not mine to compete with the other teachers here; it is mine
to support them, for the glory of God. This is not my class -- it’s his.
·
He
describes himself as a “servant” of God. The usual Greek word -- doulos --
is not used here. This word is “leitourgos” -- meaning a priestly
servant (in the Hebrew sense) or one who performs a public service (we still
speak of our elected officials as “public servants.”) It is the word from
which we get the English word “liturgy.” He sees himself as “priest” in the
Old Testament sense -- a bridge between man and God -- but one whose service is
strictly described.
·
He
is therefore outspoken -- for his Lord’s sake. It may seem inconsistent in
character, but boldness is required sometimes, and Paul is never hesitant to
proclaim the word of the Lord. This is non-trivial {remember the lion who
cowered in a corner of the arena when the Christian told him, “You’ll have to
make the after dinner speech?”)
·
He
recognizes that all he does is by the power of the Spirit, and is under control
of the Spirit. This is most difficult for Christians today. We do not want to
be controlled; we want to be in control. We particularly don’t want to be
controlled if it means life style changes. It is difficult; it is required.
The spirit of a pioneer
Paul is careful in this passage to lay our
his dream (verse 20). He wants to be a pioneer, one who goes for Christ where
no one else has gone. In this I see three chief characteristics:
·
The
office of an apostle is that of a pioneer. He was sent to the Gentiles, to the
Gentiles he went. There is at root a matter of simple obedience. Most of us
have the “noble” feeling that if God called us to preach overseas (I suspect
most of us mean “Waikiki” by “overseas”) we would go; but since the heavens
haven’t opened up with the phone call, we sit and do nothing. He is true to
his call.
·
He
wants to gather in those who have not heard; he has a passion for the lost.
Others may stay behind (as is their call) and reap what he has sown; he wants
to move on so that more may hear. This is a beautiful passion.
·
He
is anxious for the greater glory. He knows that whoever takes on the more
dangerous, the more arduous task will be rewarded more by the honest Judge. It
is this “green beret” spirit that sets him apart.
Plans
We sometimes think that “take no thought for
the morrow” means that we should not plan ahead. This is incorrect (as we see
in this passage); but we need to recognize the difference between our proposal
and God’s disposal.
(Rom
15:23-29 NIV) But now that there is no more place for me to work in these
regions, and since I have been longing for many years to see you, {24} I
plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to visit you while passing through and
to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company
for a while. {25} Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the
service of the saints there. {26} For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased
to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. {27} They
were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have
shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with
them their material blessings. {28} So after I have completed this task
and have made sure that they have received this fruit, I will go to Spain and
visit you on the way. {29} I know that when I come to you, I will come
in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.
Church historians have some slight evidence
that Paul did achieve a trip to Spain, those this is by no means certain. The
passage begins with the thought that Paul has accomplished his work in his
current location, and it’s time to move on to the next task. There is a
difference between changing tasks and retirement. For Paul, Spain is the next
“duty station.” Some of us won’t quit -- and some of us won’t move on.
Why Spain? No one really knows, but there
are a few possibilities:
·
There
is a sense of “completeness” to it -- Spain was the limit of the known
“civilized” (i.e., Roman) world.
·
Spain
itself was in a time of intellectual ferment (Seneca was there at this time,
for example). Perhaps Paul saw the possibility of bringing the light into that
turmoil.
·
It
may simply have been the biggest plum left on the tree.
Whatever the reason, it is not a tourist
trip. Indeed, Paul planned to get to Spain by way of Jerusalem. This is
another sign of the man of God; he is doing things “as he goes by.” In this
case, he is taking a gift of money from the churches (located in what today
would be Northern Greece and Southern Bosnia) to the church at Jerusalem.
Considering that such things are normally left to the deacons
one may wonder why Paul took on the task. There is often a feeling about
church leaders that they should not “handle the funds.” Indeed, Billy Graham
has made a point of this, and largely because of the scandals of other
evangelists. Why then, does Paul make a point of this to the Romans?
·
First,
because he was specifically commissioned to do so! We read about it as Paul
describes his “commissioning” as an Apostle:
(Gal
2:8-10 NIV) For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to
the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles. {9}
James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas
the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They
agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews. {10} All
they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I
was eager to do.
(Italics added). So we see that as a part of
his charge, his “sending out”, he was asked to remember the poor.
·
Next,
it is an excellent illustration of the unity of the church. Our song leader
here often reminds us that we are just one of thousands of congregations who
have met this Sunday to praise the Lord. Is there any finer demonstration of
the unity of the church than when, crossing all lines of race and tribe, one
part of the body contributes to another part far away?
·
It
is also an example of practical Christianity. Over and over we see the command
to give to the poor, Old Testament and New.
·
Finally,
this is an excellent example of true leadership -- by example.
Paul sets an excellent example here of
handling the funds of the church. Note his attitude towards this:
·
He
handles the funds in public. Nothing so convinces people of honesty as doing
it in public. This is a point which conjurers know well. The essence of their
sleight of hand is that you were watching them all the time -- and you still
don’t know how they did it. You depend upon your eyes to keep others honest.
·
He
considers this a “task” (verse 28). It is not a privilege, it is a burden.
·
He
takes it on as a servant of the saints -- one who is doing a chore, performing
a service. The attitude is not one of someone “put upon” but of someone who is
doing a worthwhile job.
·
The
object of his task is “fruit for the giver.” He is under no illusions as to
who gave the money! His object, as a servant of the church, is to complete the
task to the point where God will reward the givers.
Prayers
We now come to the inner man: in his
prayers.
(Rom
15:30-33 NIV) I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love
of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. {31} Pray
that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in
Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there, {32} so that by God's
will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed. {33} The
God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Courage is the foundation of all virtue. We
need to review just what courage is:
·
It
is not the denial of danger. That is lunacy.
·
It
is not the denial of fear. That is bravado
·
It
is the overcoming of fear.
To overcome fear, Paul seeks the aid of those
who love him. There is no greater indicator of struggle than the cry for
help. When we face difficult situations we often call upon those who love us
to “pray for us” because we are afraid of what might happen. To ask for prayer
in such circumstances is to admit fear -- in the hope of overcoming it.
Paul here asks for the Romans aid in prayer.
Note carefully just what he requests:
·
He
asks them to “struggle” alongside him. The prayer of a genuine “prayer
warrior” is just that: a struggle. We must feel the heat of combat with those
for whom we pray. Pain with their pain, joy with their joy, we must put our
hearts with those for whom we pray.
·
He
asks them to pray for his deliverance. Note that Paul is not asking them to
pray for his strength when handed over; he’s asking to get out of the
situation. “Lead us not into temptation” is still good advice.
·
He
asks that the results be acceptable. It is not altogether clear what the
problem might be, but it has been speculated that Paul might be delivering an
offering from Gentiles who sacrificed for Jews who wanted nothing to do with
them. Sometimes pride will tell you that the food basket should go to someone
else.
Finally, Paul closes this section of the
letter with the hope that he will soon see them. He invokes the God of peace,
again reminding us of the unity of the church, and then anticipates his
arrival:
·
He
wants to come to them with joy. It is not his wish to come to reprimand them
(though the letter often sounds that tone) but rather that his coming would be
a joyous time. The Man of God comes in joy and peace; a glimmering on the
horizon of the time when the Son of God shall return, bringing us joy and
peace.
·
He
wants to be “refreshed together” with them. In this he reminds us that
Christianity is not a solo flight. The Man of God needs to be among the people
of God.