How Should God's Servants Serve According to Romans 15:2#
How Should God's Servants Serve According to Romans 15:2
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Life of Eagles)
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you for preparing this time for us to listen to your words. Let us be rooted in your words and be able to apply them in our lives. Grant me wisdom through your words, fill me with strength in my service, and bring help to those around me. Bless everyone who comes to seek you, so that we may all receive provision. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray! Amen!
The topic of sharing is, How Should God's Servants Serve
Romans 15:14-21,
14 Brothers, I myself am convinced that you are full of goodness, filled with knowledge, and able 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, 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 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: “Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.”
Starting from verse 14 of chapter 15, Paul gives a brief introduction to the church in Rome. Paul had never been to the church in Rome; he only encountered believers from Rome during a preaching mission, and he shared the gospel with these few Roman believers, who then returned and established the church in Rome.
When Paul heard that the situation of the Roman church was good, he wrote them a letter concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a relatively comprehensive letter, discussing justification by faith in the beginning and some issues regarding behavior later on. Paul not only hoped for their salvation but also hoped that they would live differently in their lives.
Although the Roman church was not established by Paul himself, the believers in the Roman church had a very close relationship with Paul. It was just that he had never been there. Therefore, when Paul wrote this letter, his words were very cautious, perhaps out of fear that the believers might overthink.
In contrast to other churches, such as the Corinthian church, where his words were very strong and straightforward, Paul used very gentle language when encouraging the Roman church because it was not a church he had personally established. More often, he offered them comfort and encouragement.
Brothers, I myself am convinced that you are full of goodness. This is a title Paul gives them. What does it mean to be full of goodness? The Roman believers had already gained some basic understanding of the gospel when establishing the church, and after returning, they built the Roman church according to Paul's methods. So Paul starts by saying that you are full of goodness, referring to their hearts being gentle. They received what Paul preached truthfully, without adding other things like the Jews did.
Secondly, filled with knowledge.
Filled with knowledge here still refers to the truth. Paul believed that they had reached a relatively high level of understanding of the truth and were discerning. This mainly refers to the truth of justification by faith; the Roman believers were no longer like children. They had a correct understanding of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, and they were a group of people who understood spiritual truths.
Thirdly, able to instruct one another.
This is not easy. To understand the background of Rome at that time, it was quite difficult for Romans to be willing to know Jesus Christ. At that time, the Roman Empire ruled over much of Europe, and as Roman citizens, they did not need to work or go to work because the tributes from these colonies were enough to meet all their needs. The lifestyle of the Romans was quite extravagant. In this context, it was very difficult for someone to believe in Jesus Christ and act according to His words, encouraging one another.
In chapter 12, Paul says to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. In this regard, not all Romans could accept this, and even among believers, not everyone could do this, as the believers in Corinth could not do it; many believers still indulged themselves and mixed with temple prostitutes, let alone in a place like Rome.
Their ability to exhibit such behavior in their faith life is already quite remarkable. Paul says that it is for this reason that I have written to you quite boldly to remind you.
I checked the original text, and it does not say to remind you of your "memory"; the original text says, I write to remind you... Remind you of what? Because of the grace God gave me. Paul wants to remind them again about God's grace. He bears witness to the grace of God in his life to the Roman believers.
The book of Romans elaborates on the truth of justification by faith in detail. This letter is written to Gentile believers, and it does not mention anything about obeying the law, keeping the Ten Commandments, or adhering to Jewish customs. How should one live? It is to offer one's body as a living sacrifice before Jesus Christ.
God's servants must dare to remind others. After receiving the grace of the gospel, Paul began to uphold the truth and constantly remind other believers, helping them understand the principle of justification by faith. Paul says that apart from what Christ has accomplished through me, he does not dare to mention anything else.
1 Corinthians 2:1-2
1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
If someone speaks a bunch of nonsense from the pulpit, discussing moral concepts, that should not be spoken from the pulpit. We only need to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, which brings life. If you listen to some positive energy lectures, they are everywhere in the world and easy to find. But as God's servants, we only need to speak of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The Holy Spirit will guide them on the right path.
Verse 16 says, 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.
Paul uses this term well; he says he is a servant of Jesus Christ. We often see Paul referring to himself as "God's servant" or "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ" in his other letters.
Here, the term "minister" in the original text has the same meaning as "priest" in the Old Testament. Paul says he is a priest of the gospel, acting according to God's will. This is equivalent to the work done by the Old Testament priests, who must serve according to God's will.
Like the priests of old, Paul serves before God for the people, while also receiving God's blessings and then giving them to the people. However, his service now is somewhat different from that of the Old Testament priests because the Old Testament priests would, after people sinned, take clean animals like cows, sheep, doves, and turtledoves, kill them, and sprinkle their blood before God to atone for their sins.
In the New Testament, Paul simply brings people before God and tells them they need to give themselves to the Lord Jesus, believing that He died on the cross for their sins; He is the sacrifice for sin prepared by God for the world. Because of Jesus, we are all accepted by God. Now, we are all priests of the gospel, bringing people to Jesus.
Paul is not a mediator between God and man; he is merely a servant of Jesus Christ, a priest of the gospel. We too should bring people before Jesus, who can comfort them, bringing comfort to those who are weak, sick, or have problems. We bring them to the truth of the gospel, bringing the comfort of Jesus Christ to them; the one who can truly comfort them is Jesus Christ. Thank the Lord.
Romans 12:1, Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
The service that pleases God is to completely offer ourselves before God and serve others according to His words. Just as Christ served people, we can do the same.
So in the latter half of verse 16, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
How can Gentiles become holy and accepted by God? Through the Holy Spirit. When a Gentile accepts the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit will dwell in their hearts. Because of the Holy Spirit, they become holy and accepted by God.
Many people still dare not admit that they are holy. They say, "I am working hard to be sanctified." But Paul here says that he is a priest of the gospel, so that those Gentiles who believe in Jesus Christ have already become holy and accepted by God because of the Holy Spirit.
At that time, Gentiles were considered unclean in the eyes of the Jews. The Jews believed themselves to be a clean race, while Gentiles were unclean. Speaking to an unclean person was considered to defile oneself, and eating with them was absolutely unacceptable. Therefore, in Galatians, after Peter preached the gospel to the Gentiles, he sat at the same table with them, but when the esteemed people from Jerusalem came, Peter immediately left that table and went back to eat with the Jews.
At that time, Jews believed that Gentiles were unclean because they were not circumcised and did not obey the law. Paul here says he is a priest of the gospel, and because of the Holy Spirit, Gentiles have become holy. This was good news for the Romans at that time; it is also good news for us. We must believe at all times that we have already been accepted by God.
Acts 15:8-9,
8 God, who knows the human heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.
When Peter was preaching, he discovered that the Holy Spirit had also fallen upon the Gentiles. Peter finally understood that God knows the human heart, and through this, He bore witness that the Holy Spirit was given to the Gentiles just as it was to the Jews. Those who believe receive it.
Brothers and sisters, we do not become holy by our efforts. We do not please God by striving for good behavior; because of the Holy Spirit, the Heavenly Father is already pleased with you. Only when we remember that we are loved by God can we accept and serve others with that love.
At that time, the Romans did not have good lives or behaviors. They knew how others evaluated them, and they might think, "Can someone like me be pleasing to God? Can I be a holy person?" Here, Paul tells them, "I am a servant of Jesus Christ; I am a priest of the gospel." This means that what I say is a revelation from God.
Romans 15:17, Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.
Paul does not talk about other things, does not discuss philosophy, nor moral ethics, but emphasizes God's works. So Paul says here, therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.
As God's servant, Paul only proves what God has done, does not talk about what he has done in the past, does not talk about how great his achievements are, only talks about Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Paul takes pride in the Gentiles believing in Jesus Christ; the transformation of the Gentiles is the work of Jesus Christ. Paul is very clear that the reason these people can accept Jesus is the work of the Holy Spirit, not his efforts and achievements.
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—
Before the Roman believers, Paul does not mention other matters. He only speaks of the works of Jesus Christ. This is a model for us to learn from. Many people serve but always hope others know that their abilities are greater than others. They always want to elevate themselves. This is not the service that pleases God. Service from God only manifests the glory of Christ.
As preachers and pastors, regardless of how large the ministry is or how great the achievements are, they cannot boast because it is not the ability of any individual but the power of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, what can a person do? Paul does this well; he does not boast about how many churches he has established, nor does he boast about how many gifts he has. Paul does not mention these; he only speaks of the grace of Jesus Christ, giving all the glory to Jesus.
Paul knows that all his past achievements were done by God through him. He is merely a channel of blessing; although he performed many signs and wonders, it is absolutely not his personal credit. Without God, he could not do these things. Without the Holy Spirit, he could not lead people to Christ.
What God does is called miracles. The places we walk are called footprints. Signs and wonders can only be performed by God. It is clear that Paul's ministry includes preaching the gospel, healing diseases, establishing gospel ministries, and so on. Paul emphasizes that this is not his ability but the power of the Holy Spirit.
The power of the Holy Spirit leads the Gentiles to obedience. Paul firmly believes that the Romans believe in Jesus and establish the church. This is all the work done by the Holy Spirit moving others, not his credit. Therefore, Paul is more willing to witness Jesus to them, allowing them to know more about the revelation of Christ.
Acts 1:8, But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
This is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit moves people to preach the gospel, starting from Jerusalem, then to all Judea, then to Samaria, and finally to the ends of the earth. This includes Rome. Paul is very clear about the route of the Holy Spirit's work; he says that Gentiles can obey the Lord Jesus, and this is the power of the Holy Spirit. The occurrence of signs and wonders also proves that this is the power of the Holy Spirit.
Because this is done by the Holy Spirit, not by the ability of a particular pastor. We must correctly interpret this point to avoid exalting people above Jesus. We respect the pastors and servants appointed by God, but we must know that it is the Holy Spirit using them; they are merely obeying God's words. If we correctly understand this truth, we will not deliberately worship people, nor will we place all our focus on people. May we brothers and sisters take the Bible as our standard, the Holy Spirit as our supplier of power, and correctly view God's servants, neither exalting them nor belittling them, but seeing them in a balanced way.
As God's servant, Paul strives to preach the Lord's gospel. He knows he is merely a priest of the gospel, a vessel used by God. Therefore, he never mentions his own achievements and abilities but bears witness to the works of Christ in him.
Verse 19, So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
Paul talks about his grace, preaching the gospel everywhere, taking pride in it, from Jerusalem to Illyricum (present-day southern Yugoslavia). After God made Paul understand the grace of the gospel, he began to preach the gospel from Jerusalem, preparing to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Here, Paul emphasizes that he has fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ everywhere. God's purpose is for people all over the world to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. This is the gospel of Christ, not Paul's gospel. To emphasize again, although Paul had great abilities, it must be remembered that this ability, this gospel, is not Paul's but Jesus Christ's.
Although Paul preached a lot of the gospel and established many churches, he did not attribute these churches to himself but allowed the local churches to be built upon God's words. Although Paul received many revelations from God, he did not establish new factions; he always emphasized that he knew nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. This is what all preachers should remember: to only preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, without the need to discuss worldly matters from the pulpit, but to lead people to Christ through the truth.
1 Corinthians 1:23, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.
What others say is their business, but I only preach Christ crucified. He does not preach himself but bears witness to Jesus. At that time, witnessing for Jesus was easily looked down upon. Because the Jews at that time despised Jesus and those who believed in Him. And the Gentiles at that time also looked down on Jesus, thinking that those who believed in Jesus were foolish. It can be seen that preaching the gospel at that time was very difficult and faced many obstacles. But Paul firmly believes that what he believes is correct and that the path he walks is the most meaningful.
Every child of God has this great mission, which is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Do not think that preaching the gospel is just the business of servants; it is the mission of every child of God, and every believer is a priest of the gospel. We know the way of life, the way of victory, and we should tell this good news to those around us, bringing them before Jesus Christ. Do not be afraid; when you do this, God will add strength and ability to you.
Romans 15:20, 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.
Paul writes to the Roman believers to remind them that due to the grace God gave him, he became an apostle to the Gentiles. He set his ambition not to preach the gospel in places where the name of Jesus Christ is already known; this is a missionary. He is a pioneer of the gospel, constantly establishing new churches. After the churches are established, he arranges local servants and then leaves to establish churches in other places.
What is the role of a pastor? The role of a pastor is to shepherd the established church. Mainly to care for and love the flock, helping them to know the Lord more in their lives.
Paul rarely stayed in one church for too long; at that time, the gospel was needed everywhere. He constantly established churches, and when a church had problems, he would visit them and guide them with the truth. He moved back and forth between various churches, helping everyone mature in their lives; this was Paul's role.
After establishing the church in Ephesus, Paul appointed others to shepherd it, and he went to establish other churches, with his last stop being the church in Rome.
The role Paul received at that time was that of a missionary, mainly not doing pastoral work, as there was already a church in that place. Paul would not establish one of his own, as this could easily lead to divisions. He preferred to establish churches in places where Jesus had not yet been preached; this was the revelation he received at that time.
After understanding this point, we know that Paul does not mean that he does not want to go to places where there are already churches; he simply preferred to invest his time and energy in pioneering new church works, but if a church had needs in terms of truth, Paul was still willing to help them, just like with the church in Rome.
Although the Roman church was not established by Paul himself, after this church was established, it needed discernment in truth and a more detailed explanation of the truth. Paul still wrote to inform the Roman believers to help them grow.
God's calling for each person is not the same. Paul does not deny that pastoral work is very important. However, according to the charge he received, he was moved by the Holy Spirit to be determined to do the work of establishing churches. In fact, in the biblical book of Acts, Paul's ministry is already very clear; he had three missionary journeys, during which he established many churches. It is impossible for him to shepherd them all by himself. Paul also knows that these churches belong to Jesus, not to him. Therefore, his approach was to establish churches and train people to shepherd them. After some time, he would return to the established church to help the local believers. When he saw that the believers in that church were in need, he would take the offerings from the wealthy church to meet the needs of the lacking church. This is true unity.
In real life, due to human selfishness, many people establish churches and think they belong to them, preventing others from preaching or contacting their believers for fear that the believers will follow someone else. This leads to various factions and mutual opposition, with each acting independently. Even if the neighboring church is on the verge of collapse due to lack, they will not help. Everyone should understand that this does not align with the Bible. As believers, you do not belong to any pastor, nor are you tied to one church for life. You belong to Christ. Everything should be done according to God's words.
Paul knows that all churches belong to Jesus Christ. Among the many churches he established, he often went to comfort and help them, resolving their problems when he saw issues within the churches, allowing these churches to be filled with the love of Jesus Christ. Only when the servants have no selfishness can believers truly accept and love one another.
In Romans 1:12-15, he has already expressed his thoughts, wanting to bear some fruit in Rome. He is willing to make every effort to preach the gospel to them. Brothers and sisters, regardless of how others believe or speak, we hope that the brothers and sisters in various places can connect with one another, no longer dividing between you and me, but accepting one another in Christ, helping each other, using the words of Jesus Christ as our standard, and jointly building the body of Christ.
As God's servants, we are merely stewards, taking care of God's flock; the sheep still belong to Jesus, and this house still belongs to Christ. We cannot overstep our bounds, nor can we stand in the wrong position.
There are still many places in the world that have not heard the gospel. We all need to rise up and preach the gospel, telling those around us about the grace of Christ. If we all prosper the gospel together, we will experience God's great power in our lives and see the prosperity mentioned in the Bible. Paul was willing to dedicate his life to the Lord because he knew that this world desperately needed the gospel. We hope to have more people like Paul rise up to serve the Lord together.
Paul hopes that people will do this, so he writes to these believers in Rome, encouraging them and explaining the beautiful testimony of the gospel in various places, hoping that the Roman believers can also rise up to participate in the gospel ministry together.
21 As it is written: “Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.”
This verse comes from Isaiah 52:13-15
13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. 14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him—his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness—15 so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.
The passage Paul quotes is a prophecy about the Messiah. It mentions that Jesus came into the world to cleanse us of all our sins and bring the gospel to the world. The gospel that people had not heard in the past will be received through Jesus. Paul also wishes to bring the gospel to the world, so that those who have not seen or heard may receive salvation.
To preach the gospel to the ends of the earth is the mission God has given us. At the same time, in the process of preaching the gospel, we will also experience God's great power. In the future, God will also leave us with eternal rewards. When we understand the truth and apply it in our lives, we will also help those around us. Service is not only within the church but can also manifest the glory of Christ in our daily lives.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, thank you for renewing us through such words, guiding us to know the truth more. We can not only receive salvation but also participate in the work of the gospel, becoming help and provision for others. Please use us to live out the likeness of Christ in our lives. We are willing to experience you more. Grant us wisdom so that we can manifest your glory. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen!