We’re getting right down to the end of Romans. Let me ask, do any of you ever watch the history channel? Do you like watching documentaries or reading biographies? Lara teases me… She’ll come to bed and I’ll be watching some video biopic. I don’t how you are, but
I love getting insight into the heart, mind, and passion of great leaders. How did they think, act, feel, speak? What beliefs or values did they instill in others? Can I glean any insights that would make me a more effective servant of God?
The best stuff isn’t on TV, or YouTube—its right here in the Bible. Romans 15 brings Paul’s apostolic leadership to life. It’s like he’s right here, standing among us, rallying our church to make the greatest impact possible for God’s glory. What would this extraordinary servant say to us today, if he were among us?
Be Generous :: You Are Ready
First, Paul would say, YOU ARE READY. Look at Romans 15:14-15, “I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another. Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus…”
Allow me to make an observation. A great leader sees people entirely different than they often see themselves. What do I mean? Most people by nature are filled with self-doubt and riddled with insecurities. Whenever someone begins to believe in us, or tries to promote our potential, we retreat in fear. And what do we tell ourselves? We say things like, “I’m not good enough… I don’t know enough… my voice doesn’t matter.” If I may be so bold, I’d say that you really need to stop talking yourself down. And I’m talking about the thoughts in your head. You need to tune into a different channel. You need to tune into the Holy Spirit, to the Word of God, to people like Paul.
You know what? You aren’t good. There is nothing good within you, that is, within your sinful nature. But what does God do? He showers you with grace. He puts his Holy Spirit in you, and fills you with every good thing that’s needed to answer God’s call on your life! Serving God isn’t about projecting our own goodness—its about letting God’s power and goodness shine through you. We are nothing more than a conduit, a vessel, an instrument. We are just servants.
And you know what else? You do know enough. If you are just one step closer to Christ than another person, you know enough to at least invite them to follow in your footsteps. But let’s get serious a moment. The truth is that most of you are a thousand steps ahead of the average person spiritually. Why? Because you own a bible. You know the name of Jesus. You know the mercy and goodness of God. You have profound faith and a living hope. You know how to pray. You have a church. And if there is something you don’t know, you can easily get the answer.
“Yea, but I don’t like to talk about Jesus. I feel foolish…” Paul says, “you are competent to instruct one another!” Its funny. We’re willing to be fools for just about everyone and every gimmicky thing under the sun… but we’re not willing to be fools for Christ. We’re more than eager to broadcast our opinions, our politics, our merchandise, our fish photos, our cute selfies… but we can’t raise the stakes in relationships for Jesus.
How many of you remember those old Saturday night live Stuart Smalley skits? We’d laugh as he’d sit in the mirror and say, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like me.” Church… you are good enough, knowledgeable enough, and competent enough to get in the game. You are ready! Satan wants to shackle your potential. Don’t do his work for him!
Be Generous :: Answer God's Call
Second, Paul would say, ANSWER GOD’S CALL. Look at the rest of Romans 15:16 where Paul says, “God 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.” We’ve all on special assignment from God. If you read the totality of Paul’s writings, he saw all of us as Christ’s ambassadors, Christ’s representatives on earth, as though God we’re making his appeal through us! If you are a believer, you have a duty, a privilege to proclaim the good news of Jesus!
Look what Paul says next in Romans 15:17-19, “Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. 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—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.”
What does it mean to glory in our service to God? What does it mean to only speak and act by/through the power of God’s Holy Spirit? What would it look like for us to fully answer our call? Paul says from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have “fully proclaimed” the gospel of Christ. Great leaders make things happen, they have a bias for actions and results, they rise the occasion while others sit back, they have a trail of accomplishments, they establish a legacy. What is your call/legacy as a Christian?
Be Generous :: Be a Trailblazer
Third, Paul would say, BE A TRAILBLAZER. Look at Romans 15:20-21, “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. Rather, as it is written: ‘Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.’”
A lot of what churches do today is capitalize on other church’s success. Instead of reaching people for Jesus that have never been reached before, we reach those who have already been reached. And then we try to woo them from their pasture to our greener pasture. I’m saying maybe were not as evangelistic effective as we imagine!
Paul’s bias was to go to minister to people who’d never heard the gospel before—it was never his ambition to just win the won. In Romans 15:22-24 he says, “22 This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you. 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.”
Can you believe Paul? “I’ve been wanting to hang out with you all, but I’ve been hindered, because I was busy for God!” How busy? So busy that Paul says “there is no longer any work for me to do in these regions!” So busy Paul says, “I think I’ll got to Spain next…” Spain is thousands of miles away from Jerusalem! Trailblazers take the gospel to unreached people groups, unreached ethnicities, unreached cultures, unreached neighborhoods, unreached spaced, unreached networks of relationships.
“Hey Paul, I don’t know any unreached people. All my friends are Christian.” Time to blaze a new path! Time to leave the comfort of the familiar and venture to Spain, or wherever God may be calling you. Where are the Christian trailblazers today? Why is everyone feeling called to large, established, comfortable mega-ministries with concentrations of Christians… and no one is feeling called to unchartered lands?
Be Generous :: Sacrifice Financially
Fourth, Paul would say SACRIFICE FINANCIALLY. I have to confess that in my flesh, I hate talking about financial sacrifice. In my flesh, there is this greedy and materialistic impulse, that wants more and more. I imagine that (1) my needs are far greater than they really are, that (2) I’m far more generous than I really am, and that (3) the majority of other Christians are being far more obedient than I myself am being.
The reality is that it takes dollar bills to advance the gospel. It takes financial sacrifice. It requires not just a 10% tithe, but more than a tithe. The advance of the gospel demands that we scale back, and downsize our lifestyle. That we squeeze pennies and dimes. That we spur one another on toward love, and good works, and deeper generosity. That we say no to our greedy and materialistic impulses. Our attitude should be to “excel” in the grace of giving, not abdicate the grace of giving.
In Romans 15:25-29 Paul says, “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.”
We all have room to grow in our generosity, from the least to the greatest. You might say, “I’m poor. I don’t have anything to give.” If you don’t learn to be generous when your poor, you won’t learn to be generous when your rich. If you don’t learn to trust God when you’re in need, you won’t learn to trust God when there’s abundance.
You might say, “I hate churches and pastors always asking for money.” But I would ask you this… do a also hate Churches when their vibrant, and healthy and effective? Name a single vibrant, healthy, or effective ministry that isn’t somehow being fueled by the generosity of God’s people. It doesn’t exist. It takes dollar bills to advance the gospel, to build/sustain a ministry, to translate the Bible into new languages, to build seminaries that train up pastors/teachers, to plant new churches, to feed the poor.
You might say, “Yea but churches are greedy and pastors are corrupt.” You’re right. There have been, and still are, some real abusers out there. The sin of come can’t become a carte blanch excuse for you to perpetually remain disobedient, or to never every again make a financial sacrifice for God. When we don’t give sacrificially, not only are we robbing ourselves of God’s blessing… we’re impeding the gospel’s advance. Great leaders call people to make great sacrifices… and yes financial sacrifices. And don’t forget, God has a way of disciplining the greedy and disobedient.
Be Generous :: Pray Hard
Fifth, Paul would say, “PRAY HARD.” Look at Romans 15:30-33, “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. 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, so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed. The God of peace be with you all. Amen.”
If you’re sincerely concerned for the Kingdom of God, you’d regularly be on your knees in prayer. You’d pray for your leaders, that they be kept safe. You’d pray about the church’s finances—that people would be generous, that the money would be used wisely to advance the gospel, and more people than ever before would be refreshed by the gospel, find peace with God, walk in God’s will, and be filled with peace.
When I said it takes dollars to advance the gospel, I in no way imply it “only” takes dollars to advance the gospel. It also takes prayer. It takes trailblazers. It takes people who answer God’s call on their life. It takes people who stop making excuses and understand that they are good enough, knowledgeable enough, and competent enough to get in the game.
Romans 15, this list is what it looks like for you to get in the game. Its appropriate that after all Christ has done Paul would call us to sacrifice/obedience.