Romans 15:1-33
Key Verse: 15:16

“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. “

Paul describes his mission as a priestly duty in this passage. He encourages all saved believers to accept one another as Christ accepted them. He emphasizes the spirit of unity among the believers through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures. Then he introduces himself as a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He proclaims his missionary vision and strategy to preach the gospel to the end of the world. May God bless us to have Paul’s missionary vision to pioneer 206 East Coast campuses and send out missionaries to the places where Christ is not known. I pray that we all may maintain the spirit of unity among us and carry out our priestly duty as excellent Bible teachers and fruitful disciple makers in the year 2001.

PART 1. Glorify God with one heart and mouth (1-13)

       In the previous chapter Paul said, “Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.” (14:1) He asked the mature believers not to put any stumbling block or obstacle to cause the young believers to fall. Rather, he asked them to accept him whose faith is weak. Today’s passage is the continuation of his encouragement how to build a strong Christian community. There are three basic Christian duties to glorify God and maintain a spirit of unity among the believers. They are 1) to bear the failing of the weak, 2) to build others up, 3) to have one heart and mouth.

 Firstly, let’s think about bearing the failings of the weak. Look at verse 1. “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.” After we are saved by believing in Jesus’ death for our sins and his resurrection for our eternal life, we no longer live by the desires of our sinful body but we belong to Christ who is the head of all Christians. We become members of the body of Christ. We form the Christian community with other members. We all became the large family in Christ. I regard  Shep. David Brogi and Bruce Hollinger and all other shepherds and shepherdesses and missionaries as my own family. I regard their children as my own grandchildren. There is no barrier between us because we all are children of the same Father in our spiritual family. The responsibility of the senior member in our Christian fellowship is to bear with the failings of the younger member. This is not an option but a “must.” Of course, this teaching does not make sense in the age of the survival of the fittest. These days the strong company eats the weak company live to make more profits. But Paul regards this responsibility of the strong as a kind of debt to the weak. It is easy to point fingers and condemn others when we find their weaknesses and failings. But we should bear with the failings of the weak. “Bear with the failings of the weak” means to carry or share the burdens of the younger members in our fellowship. Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law.” We can understand this better in a family context. We wonder how M. Mary Brogi can take care of five children. But you don’t have to worry about it. Sarah Brogi is able to take care of Mary Anna and Hannah can take care of Joshua. Samuel will be a good old brother to Joshua later. S. Patrick is a wise man among shepherds. He helped S. Anthony to be a humble messenger for our leader’s conference. He carried the burdens of Anthony as his own. Shannon Smith loves to ask questions to S. Steve because Steve listens to him patiently like his own older brother. John Lee and all CBF teachers carry the burdens of the CBF members. John treats them as his own little brothers and sisters. S. Paul Sambuco in Baltimore always calls me when he has a spiritual problem. We loved a family atmosphere when we were at 3400. We miss our old days but we can do the same when our senior members take care of the younger ones. In this environment every one will grow in the love of God. Carrying and sharing each other’s burdens will build a beautiful bond of love with other members of the body of Christ. We must bear the burdens of the other believers instead of digging out all the possible failings. Definitely, this will improve our relationship with others and the world will know that we are the disciples of Jesus (John 13:35)

Secondly, to build him up. I know it is not easy thing to build others up in our cultural environment of the politics of personal destruction. As we know all well, it is hard to build but easy to destroy. A huge building can be blown away in a second with dynamite. Building up is God’s work and tearing down is Satan’s work. Therefore, it is very important for us to build others up by any means. How? Look at verse 2. “Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” Pleasing our neighbor for his good means helping our neighbors who are in need. This is one step ahead of bearing the failings of the weak because it involves a positive action. If we see our neighbors go hungry, don’t just say, “Good morning! Have a nice day” but take him or her to McDonald’s and buy a big Mac for them. If we see them go naked, we have to clothe them. Our joy is great when we do something for our needy neighbor. M. Grace Park offered a room when M. Rebekah Koh did not have any place to stay last December. Her act of love built her up in Christ. It is not easy to give rides when we are busy. But many people give rides to the Jagun sisters. Their act of love is building them up as mothers of faith. Building up one disciple requires combined efforts of many people. Someone said, “It takes a village to raise up a child.” S. Richard Anderson said in his case study for the disciple making ministry, “The first key point to make a disciple is coworking.” To raise up a plant we need someone to sow the seed and someone to water and then it is God who makes the plant grow. We need a lot of skilled experts to build a house. In the same way we need combined efforts to raise up one disciple. Let’s show our love for our younger members to build them up. Look at verses 3 and 4. “ For even Christ did not please himself  but, as it is written: ‘The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.’ For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Remember Jesus Christ who endured the insults of the others and loved his disciples to build them up as the future leaders of world mission. Jesus washed the disciples’ dirty feet one by one and endured their failings to the end. Jesus set the example for us to follow him. Like the persistent widow in the parable, let’s endure other’s weaknesses until they grow into the image of Christ.

Thirdly, to have one heart and mouth. In a diverse Christian community it is not easy to have one heart and mouth. We have many different ideas and opinions because we are different. How then can we have one heart and mouth? Look at verses 5 and 6. “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Since Christians became members of the same family, it is important for them to maintain a spirit of unity. Christians must be united in Christ because we have one God and Father, our Lord Jesus Christ. We have one God and one Christ. Christ cannot be divided. Paul said again in Phil. 2:3, “Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being in one spirit and purpose.” Most of the time we cannot have a spirit of unity because we become self-centered or proud of our achievements. Division comes when we think we are better than others saying, “My fellowship is better than yours. My car is better than your car. Our team danced better than yours.” Overcoming selfishness and human pride is a key to keep one heart and mind. When we keep a spirit of unity, then we can glorify God. Without one heart and mouth it is difficult to glorify God. Many of us sang a chorus called “For unto us a child is born” for the Christmas worship service. When we sang without harmony, it was difficult to distinguish whether we were shouting or singing. But when we sang with harmony, it was like the angelic chorus. We all were able to glorify God with one heart and mouth. During the conference we had a dancing competition. Team C won the prize. Though I thought that the team A won because they danced with fun, I admit that they lacked a spirit of unity. But team C demonstrated a spirit of unity because they danced with one heart and mouth shouting at the end of their dancing “prize.” They were pressing on towards the goal of winning the prize. Once they had a spirit of unity to win, they were unbeatable. They won the competition. In the same way we must have a spirit of unity in order to glorify God and praise his name. When we have a spirit of unity, what will happen?

Look at verses 7-9a. “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’ truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy.” When there is a spirit of unity, all peoples on earth including the Gentiles can praise God and glorify his name. What was God’s purpose for the Jews (Ex 19:6)? It was to make them a kingdom of priest and a holy nation so that they could be the source of blessing for the whole world. God wanted to use the Jews to proclaim his word to the whole world. God wanted to bring all people together. What was God’s hope for the Gentiles? (9-13) Look at verse 11. “And again, ‘Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples.’”  God’s ultimate hope was to bring all people together whether they were the Jews or the Gentiles. In the end God is God of all people. Paul knew that there were many obstacles for the early Christians to be united with one heart and mouth. They were confronting many crisis as they struggled to maintain their life of faith. They faced death all day long .It was easier for them to seek only their own survival and interest ignoring other’s problems. What eventually would make them to have a spirit of unity and accept one another? He believed that it was the hope of God. As long as they had the hope of God, they were able to sacrifice their own personal desires for others and love one another in Christ. It is important for us to have the hope of God. We must maintain our hope to see God in the kingdom of God and to see Jesus face to face and to live with him forever with glory and power.
 

II. PAUL THE MINISTER TO THE GENTILES (14-33)

 In this part we learn about Paul’s personal view of his ministry. How did he think about his missionary life?

First, Paul, a minister of Christ Jesus (14-22) Look at verses 14-15. “I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me.” First, Paul recognizes the spiritual maturity of the saints in Rome. He did not treat them like junior Christians. He complemented their good points.  Paul was able to write this letter boldly only by the grace of God by saying, “There is no one righteous, not even one.”(Ro. 3:10) Why did Paul regard his ministry to the Gentiles as a priestly duty? Look at verse 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.”  There are many duties in the world like a job duty, jury duty, family duty, and school duty. But in the Old Testament a priestly duty belonged to the Levites. Paul regarded his duty as a priestly duty. A priest offers sacrifices to God for the people. He is a mediator between God and the people. Paul regarded his ministry in the same function. We can picture him offering sacrifices to God daily. God called him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. The Gentiles were like an offering acceptable to God to him. Without sheep he would not have any offering to God. He would be empty-handed. How did he make the Gentiles to become acceptable to God? According to Romans 1:5, it was to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. He taught them to obey God by faith. Of course, it was only possible through the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. He relied on the Spiritual power for the Gentiles to be converted. According to Jesus’ world mission command, “Go and make disciples of all nations”, everyone is a priest before God. Shepherd Bruce is a priest. Therefore, Paul performed his priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God to the Gentiles faithfully throughout his mission life. He brought the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul did not hit the air aimlessly but had a clean point in his position and in his calling to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. We can find some similarities in our mission strategy compared to Paul’s. We pray for America to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. We accept Jesus’ call to become Bible teachers and disciple makers as our priestly duty. We also preach the gospel specifically to campus students. Many people ask why UBF emphasizes campus pioneering. God called us to preach the gospel to the campus students as God called Paul to preach the gospel to the Gentiles.

How does Paul describe his service to God (17)? Look at verses 17-18. Though Paul pioneered many churches at this time, he did not advertise his achievements. He had no credit to him and gave all credits to Jesus. He did not say, “Look, how many churches I pioneered.” He was humble before Jesus. He did not glorify himself but glorified Jesus in his service to God. He was thankful to Jesus who called him to become the apostle of the Gentiles. He said, “I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.” His message was clear. His message was based on Jesus’ death and resurrection. He only preached the gospel of Christ. He also always listened to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. One time he wanted to preach the word in the province of Asia, but the Holy Spirit did not allow him to do so. (Acts 16:6-10) So he went to Europe. He was sensitive towards the work of the Holy Spirit. When he worked with God’s hope for bringing the gospel to the world, how did God work through him? (18-21) He led the Gentiles to obey God by what he had said and done and by the power of signs and miracles and through the power of the Holy Spirit. His ministry was so successful and the areas he pioneered ranged from Jerusalem to Illyricum which is located north of Macedonia. What was his missionary hope? Look at verse 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.” His pioneering principle was that he would not invade other’s pioneering fields which already were established. He was full of pioneering spirit.

Second, Paul, a missionary (23-33) In this part we see Paul’s missionary plan. What was Paul’s missionary plan? Look at verses 23-24. I plan to do so when I go to Spain. Spain was known as the end of the world to Paul. Paul had a missionary vision to the end of the world. He was filled with the missionary vision in spite of his old age. Why did Paul plan to visit Jerusalem? Look at verse 25. He wanted to deliver material help for the people in Jerusalem. He wanted to bridge between the Gentile church and the Jewish believers. Paul ended this chapter with his prayer request. “I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there. “ Paul knew the danger of his visit to Jerusalem but he regarded the unity between the Jerusalem church and the Gentiles as more important than his own life. I pray that God may bless us to maintain the spirit of unity among us and to preach the gospel of Jesus to campus students as our priestly duty in the spring semester.