Paul Discusses His Mission Work
Thinking about Romans 15:15-21.
Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God, that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God. For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient— in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man's foundation, but as it is written: "TO WHOM HE WAS NOT ANNOUNCED, THEY SHALL SEE; AND THOSE WHO HAVE NOT HEARD SHALL UNDERSTAND." (Romans 15:15-21)
After expressing his confidence in the Christians in Rome, Paul reminds them of his ministry of “Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.”
Paul’s Service to the Lord.
Paul reminded them of these things because of his service to the Lord - he viewed the Gentiles as his “offering” to God.
Paul had “pushed” hard in some of his arguments and reasoning in this letter to the churches of Christ in Rome. But he did this so that his sacrifice to God - “the offering of the Gentiles” - would be acceptable and well-pleasing to the Lord, “sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”
The letter of Romans wasn’t sent to bolster Paul’s reputation among the Christians in Rome - it was sent because he truly cared about them, and he cared that they were the kind of offering to God they ought to be (Romans 12:1-2).
Helping Jews and Gentiles through the tension they faced once they became Christians was at the heart of Paul’s mission as an apostle of Jesus Christ (Acts 26:17-18; Ephesians 3:1-7).
The Credit for Paul’s Mission Work.
However, Paul did not glory in himself, rather, he gloried in what Christ accomplished through him. Paul gives credit for the sermons he preached, the things he had done, and all the “mighty signs and wonders,” to Christ and “the Spirit of God.” Paul insisted the credit and the glory belonged to the Lord, and not to himself.
How we should learn to give credit and glory to the Lord for the good things we can do in His service! As those who are merely the “hands and feet” of the Lord, why would we take the credit and glory when it belongs to Him?
An Overview of Paul’s Missionary Strategy.
Paul certainly stayed busy! He had taken the gospel from Jerusalem all the way out into the Gentile world. Paul was motivated to take the gospel into parts of the world where Christ had not been preached, and where there were no Christians. Paul was motivated by souls being saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
As Paul made plans to hopefully visit Rome soon (Romans 15:22-23), he wanted them to know that he planned to keep taking the gospel to other places - like Spain (Romans 15:24).
