Desiring To Visit Rome | Romans 1:8-15
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The Text
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers,[c] that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians,[d] both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
Some Thoughts
The faith of the Church in Rome must have been something of a wonder since it was proclaimed in all the world. Perhaps it was because of the persecution of the church or because of their bold witness. There was something about the Church there that Paul often longed to visit them but was prevented by the Holy Spirit so that his missionary journeys did not take him to Rome at this time.
Why does Paul want to visit Rome so badly though?
1. In order to impart some spiritual gift to strengthen them. This statement in verse 11 sounds something like Paul was going to cause some type of spiritual gift to go to them to use, but when we look at verse 12, it makes more sense that one of the spiritual gifts that was inside Paul was what he wanted to share. In other words, Paul was the spiritual gift, but those at Rome also had spiritual gifts that could be used to encourage Paul. How often do we see ourselves as a spiritual gift to those around us, or to our local church?
2. To reap some harvest among them. Many times when we thing of reaping a harvest in a church setting it sounds like seeing people saved. This doesn't seem to fit though, how can you see people being saved who are already saved. Of course you would assume that the gospel would be proclaimed to the surrounding communities, but a better view might be that the harvest was in the maturing of disciples that were already in their church.
Paul finishes this thought by re-affirming that his primary mission was to the gentile world and contrasts the people he was sent to as the Barbarians and the Greeks or to the Foolish and the Wise. We might say to the educational elite and the common folk. We should be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks about the hope within us, to be ready in season and out of season with the good news of the Gospel. I challenge you to consider how you are preparing yourself for the preaching of the good news to those who need it around you.