Paul's Mission

I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, "Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand." This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you. I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. May the God of peace be with you all. Amen. - Romans 15:14‭-‬33 ESV

Rev. Won Ho Kim

The passage before from Romans 12-14 was Paul telling Christians how we should live. This passage turns personal and introspective.

Paul's Aim: Full of goodness and knowledge

Paul wanted the gentiles Christians to be full of goodness, godliness, and wisdom. He wanted them to be able to instruct and admonish each other. Is there anything harder than confronting feeling believers in love? This is spiritual maturity. Paul is not only seeking out conversion and evangelism. He wanted the sanctification of believers as a pleasing sacrifice to God.

God desires more than just to convert. He wants us to be full of wisdom, goodness and love.

Paul's Ambition: Foundation laying

Paul is saying he's fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ in these regions. He has no more room to work in this region. What does that mean? There are plenty who have not heard the gospel.

Here's one interpretation: Paul has planted a church in each of the key city centers in the region. Paul had finished evangelising to the region. The areas between these regions was not the responsibility of Paul but of these churches.

This is the foundational concept for frontier missions. For planting believers and churches where there are none. They bring light where there are none. But this is different from church development. We each must play our part.

Paul's Attitude: Fearless

Paul's ambition was so strong that he wanted to go to Spain. Why? In those days, Spain may have been considered the end of the world. It would have been a massive undertaking. There are no cars, no planes. He wanted to stop at Rome and then go to Spain. But instead, he was sent to Rome in chains to appeal to Caesar. Most scholars believe he never made it to Spain. But it's that really the most important thing? God knew what was in Paul's heart. No great strides in the kingdom can happen without great dreams for God. This isn't just frontier missions, but even in loving our neighbors, serving the church, evangelising our family, friends, & neighbors. It is necessary for us to have these dreams whether they come to fulfillment or not. God can use us as we come to serve God.

Paul's Aids: Funds and Fellowship

We often think of Paul as this lone missionary going off to preach throughout the gentiles. But Paul often traveled with others. He had a home church in Antioch. He looked to the church in Rome for support. Food, money, and companionship were all under the idea of support. He was looking to enjoy the company of fellow believers for awhile. Paul was not on mission alone. He was one member of a team; one member of a church.