B1a-devotions

Romans 1:8-15

Alternative devotions for Sunday 4th January

Having introduced himself, Paul wrote to the church at Rome with great warmth and eagerness, commending them in their faith, talking about the importance of the Gospel, and speaking about his desire to come to Rome. Our passage today is a mixture of these three themes, for Paul was undoubtedly aware of the importance of Rome to the future spread of the Gospel. This great city was the cultural and political centre of the Empire, and Paul knew that a strong church at Rome would provide a natural focus for the expansion of the Gospel throughout the known world. The saying was used then and is known today, though only colloquially; ‘all roads lead to Rome’.

Going to Rome In this passage, we are made aware that Paul is embarrassed by the fact that he has not been to Rome. In verse 10, he implies that God has kept him from going there, and that as a servant of the Lord, he can only go where he has permission from the Spirit to go. Then, in verse 13, Paul offers an excuse, which is that he had been ‘prevented’ from coming, but he does not say how this happened. In all probability, however, Paul wrote this letter around the time that Claudius banned all Jews from Rome (49-54 AD – see Acts 18:2) and he would not have been allowed go there! Further, Paul explains later in the letter that he was previously committed to work in Greece which resulted in his needing to bear a gift from these churches back to the suffering church at Jerusalem (15:22-29). Paul did not then know that in the providence of God, his return to Jerusalem would result in his arrest and eventual transportation to Rome as a prisoner facing charges of sedition before the Emperor (Acts 21:17 to the end)!

Paul’s missionary zeal What shines through the whole passage, however, is Paul’s passion for the Gospel. Paul had preached the Gospel and founded churches throughout Asia (as we know it, Turkey), Macedonia and Greece, but his heart was set on the proclamation of the Gospel to the whole world. It is remarkable to think that Paul was driven by this vision only a couple of decades after the death of Jesus, and that he was speaking to a Gentile church in Rome which had not been founded by evangelistic work, but through the natural movement of people around the Empire. The church in Rome was probably made up of Gentiles who had been evangelised elsewhere.

Speaking to a church he did not know Underneath Paul’s obvious passion for the Gospel, was the driving imperative of his concern that the Gospel was kept pure, which is why he spoke powerfully in his introduction about the nature and person of Jesus. In our passage today, Paul performed a balancing act between warmly greeting the Roman Christians (1:8,9,10) and engaging with a church he had not founded, attempting to find common ground with them for the sake of the Gospel and the unity of God’s people, the church. This is what lies behind his awkward, but very necessary discussion of the ‘sharing’ of spiritual gifts (1:11,12). In verse 11, Paul launched into a typically fulsome description of the fellowship of believers, saying that he longed to share some ‘spiritual gift’ with the people of the church at Rome. But he then seems to stop mid-sentence, as if to re-assure the people at Rome that he does not want to sound patronising by suggesting he has something they do not!

Despite his high calling, Paul had to work with the church at Rome rather than preach at them, for he was not their founder. In a very real sense, God alone had raised up the church at Rome, and Paul felt he needed to be a part of what God was doing through them because of the potential significance of a church in Rome. His ‘eagerness to preach the Gospel’ there (1:15) did not come from a simple desire to evangelise Rome, but to take the Gospel to the whole world.

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is spoken about all over the world. 9 For God, whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of His Son, is my witness that I constantly remember you 10 in my prayers, pleading that in God’s will it might surely now be possible for me to come to you. 11 For I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to make you stronger; 12 or rather, so that you may have the encouragement of our sharing of faith, both yours and mine. 13 I would not wish you to be unaware, dear friends, of the fact that I have often planned to come to you, even though I have so far been prevented, so that I may work fruitfully among you as I have among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish; 15 hence my eagerness to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome as well.

Within each day, Lord Jesus, there is so much. Words are not enough to capture the variety of things we see; fascinating or mundane, beautiful or unsightly, excellent or stupid, and so much more. Give us true discernment, we pray, with which to judge the things we see; and keep us close to You in this fascinating but tempting world. AMEN

Lord Jesus; come into my life today, and surprise me!

Come like a revolution

that breaks all the moulds which set my soul ...

Come like a friend

who brings colour and warmth to my party ...

Come like a rhythm

that sets life’s moods and motivates my spirit ...

Come like an honoured guest

whose presence radiates the brightest light ...

Come like a mystery gift

that opens into laughter, joy and radiant love ...

Come like child in the midst

who accepts each soul for who they are, and me ...

Come, Lord Jesus, and truly make my day!

Weekly Theme: Wildlife

Too often, we take our surrounding for granted, but the wildlife around us are important to God’s creation. Pray that God’s people will demonstrate care for all He has created.

On-going prayers

Pray for those who are distressed because of family break-up
Give thanks for the internet and pray that God will use it for good
Pray for scientists and engineers whose work affects us all

THIS IS THE ALTERNATIVE BIBLE STUDY FOR TODAY - ON THIS PAGE ONLY, and the discipleship page see below

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