Rachel Workman: No comments for today.
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John Burnett:
14 I
myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of
goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one
another. 15 Yet
I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again,
because of the grace God gave me 16 to
be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me 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
wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. 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:
22 This
is why I have often been hindered from coming to you. The
Holy Spirit is at work and uses Paul to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles.
If this did not happen, we would not have Jesus Christ as our Savior.
Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome
23 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 visit you, 24 I plan to do so when I go to
Spain. I hope to see 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 Lord’s
people there. 26 For
Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor
among the Lord’s people 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 contribution, 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.
30 I
urge you, brothers and sisters, 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 kept
safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take
to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there, 32 so that I may come to
you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed. 33 The God of peace be with you
all. Amen. Paul talks of his struggle. He was supported by gifts and used
those gifts to take care of the poor. Nowadays, the preachers we see on
TV take those gifts and buy themselves private jets and mansions to live
in. A far cry from the leader of the Gentile church 2000+ years
ago. Thanks be to God for using Paul to bring the gospel to the Gentiles
so that we could be saved as well.
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Mike
Grimm: 23 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 visit you, 24 I
plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and
to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company
for a while. Paul believed that he had accomplished
what God wanted him to do there, and he was taking the gospel to new lands west
of Rome. Paul eventually got to Rome. Unfortunately, it was as a prisoner.
25 Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of
the Lord’s people there. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia were
pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people 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. If the Gentiles had received the gospel (“spiritual
blessings”) originally from Jerusalem, surely they would want to offer
financial help (“material blessings”). 28 So after I
have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this
contribution, 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.
30 I urge you,
brothers and sisters, 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 kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I
take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there, 32 so
that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be
refreshed. 33 The God of peace be with you all. Amen. This verse sounds like it should signal the end of Romans,
and it does pronounce the end of Paul’s teaching. But don’t get too
excited…there’s still chapter 16 which concludes this letter with personal
greetings and remarks.
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Tomorrow’s reading for Romans 16:1-16
16 I commend to you our sister
Phoebe, a deacon[a][b]
of the church in Cenchreae. 2 I ask you to receive her in
the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need
from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.
3 Greet Priscilla[c]
and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their lives for
me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
5 Greet also the church that meets at their house.
Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ
in the province of Asia.
6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.
7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison
with me. They are outstanding among[d]
the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.
8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.
9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.
10 Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test.
Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.
11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.
Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.
12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord.
Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very
hard in the Lord.
13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a
mother to me, too.
14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other
brothers and sisters with them.
15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and
all the Lord’s people who are with them.
16 Greet one another with
a holy kiss.
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