Romans 1:8-12: 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. 9 For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, 10 always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; 12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.
Message: Paul encourages, is praying for and desires to visit Rome to share with them a message
Time: Written sometime in AD 57-58, probably from Corinth, at the end of Paul's third missionary journey.
What the Lord is Saying:
Paul begins with a thank you to these Christians living in Rome, for not just their faith, but for proclaiming their faith. And the fruit of that proclamation they are doing is affecting the entire world.
And Paul is praying for them, despite probably not having seen most of them. By God's will, he hopes to succeed in visiting them, because he wants to share something with them.
Other Key Thoughts:
Thankfulness - The first thing that Paul did in speaking to the church in Rome is offer thanks. How quick am I to offer thanks to God for everything in life? Often, the condition of my heart is wanting more and a desire to be better and improve. Those are good things, but they can often overshadow an attitude of thankfulness for all that God has done for me. But often I equate giving or providence with monetary blessing or even a healthy well-being. Yes, I am rich in these areas, but He has done so much for me, simply iin saving me. Help me Lord to not lose sight of this. Help me to not be so focused on self-improvement or self-betterment. Right now, I stare to much at my finances and constantly want more. There is such a danger then to not be grateful for all that we have and have been given.
Faith proclaims - It is such a great thing that the first words about this church is thankfulness for how their faith is being proclaimed. They are not a church of yachting boats, but a church of fishing boats. Their first focus is on proclaiming the message of Jesus. I continue to see in my own life that proclaiming the Gospel, while something I believe in and like, is not something I live on my sleeve at all times. I look for appropriate times. I wait for people to speak to me about their faith. I wait for God to be brought up. I speak of God only at certain times. I am segmented in proclaiming the Lord. And yet, I think I am progressing in this. Right now, I don't speak words of eloquence. But, I'm asked to be faithful. I need to be loving towards those I work with at work. As a friend said, he has given me a ministry to those in my sphere of influence, whether it is my neighborhood or work associates.
Serve - Paul agrees with the service of the Gospel, echoing that he lives his life in the same manner. Service is sometimes translated worship in the NT. We are to serve God in a deep way, with our whole heart (affection), mind (inner thoughts), soul (devotion), strength (abilities) (Mark 12:30). Our service is not a part-time thing.
Prayers - The word used for prayer in verse 10 is used 37 times in the New Testament. In the book of Acts (the early church) it is used 9 times. Preaching should be the result of prayer.
Promise: There is encouragement in the Body of Christ
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