Appendix 1: An Exposition Of Romans 15:14-33

I believe it is appropriate as we near the end of this work, to provide an exposition of what is perhaps the clearest passage giving insight into the motivation of the Apostle Paul in devoting himself to the ministry of expanding the reach of the gospel during his generation. I will identify seven principles of a Spirit-led ministry to the unevangelized drawn from Romans 15:14-33.

The first principle is found in v. 14. 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. Paul is here describing his readers, assuring them that his writing about the gospel in such depth and at such great length in this letter was not meant to imply that they were spiritually deficient, or lacking in competence to minister to one another, or to others. He says they are. But in describing them he also summarizes three qualifications for personal ministry. I will briefly give them in reverse order.

The first is giftedness in ministry. That is, they were able to instruct or minister to others. There are indeed some basic gifts and skills to be developed in ministry. Paul has highlighted one . . . instructing, or admonishing, or teaching, preaching, and exhorting. But he could have included others, such as counseling, encouraging, comforting. There is always more to learn in developing our gifts and skills for ministry, and God has gifted each one uniquely.

The second is knowledge, and specifically knowledge of God and of God’s truth. When God calls us to ministry, He calls us to a lifetime of learning. We will never feel like we know it all, or even that we know enough. But we can always be learning more about him and from him.

The third qualification for ministry is perhaps the most important: personal character. That is why Paul puts it first: full of goodness. A life increasingly characterized by purity of heart and life. Character is what we are when we’re alone (though we’re never really alone). And it’s what we are not just on the outside, but on the inside as well, in our thoughts and motives. This is the kind of change the Holy Spirit is bringing about in all of us who belong to the Lord. We can gain all the knowledge and training in the world; but if we lack character we will be not only useless, but even potentially dangerous!

So this is the first principle of ministry: Ministry flows out of our God-given gifts, our knowledge of Him, and our personal character.

The second principle is contained in vv. 15-16. 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. Here Paul describes his ministry as that of a priest, offering sacrifices acceptable to God. But unlike Old Testament priests who offered animal sacrifices in behalf of people, in Paul’s case the sacrifices were the people themselves, and particularly Gentiles, the non-Jewish people to whom God had called him to minister. He saw himself as bringing people into relationship with God through the gospel message . . . offering them as though a sacrifice or gift to him. And so his ministry, and any Spirit-led ministry, is a gospel-focused ministry. It’s through embracing the gospel that people’s lives are transformed by the Holy Spirit, and made acceptable to God. So this, then, is the second principle of ministry: It is a gospel-focused ministry. There are many other worthy endeavors in life. But if the gospel is not at the center of what we are doing, we are falling short of God’s intentions. Paul said that the gospel ministry is “of first importance” (I Cor. 15:3).

The third principle of ministry is found in vv. 17-19a. 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 . . . . Paul is saying that he was rejoicing in what Christ was accomplishing through him in effecting spiritual change in the lives of other people, particularly the Gentiles. That’s what thrilled Paul . . . when he saw people who had not known God, come to know him . . . when people who had been indifferent toward God, come to love him . . . when people who were destined for an eternity without God, are redirected to heaven. This is a work only God can accomplish by the Holy Spirit. This is a very liberating thought . . . that this work is not something that we must accomplish for God, or that we are even able to accomplish for him. But it is something he accomplishes through us. So this is the third principle of ministry: Ministry is about what Christ accomplishes through us.

But notice something very important here—how Christ accomplishes this work through us. He says that it is by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God. That is, the Holy Spirit powerfully works through both ordinary and extraordinary means. As to the means that we might call “ordinary” he mentions first our words. This has reference both to our general conversation with people, but also to our communication of the Christian message. St. Francis of Assisi is sometimes quoted as exhorting his followers to “preach the gospel at all times; if necessary use words.”¹ It’s unlikely that he ever said this. But the statement itself does not reflect a biblical concept. The gospel can be reinforced by our conduct, but it can only be communicated by our words—whether written or spoken. But he does also use our life—our deeds. It’s our life that lends credibility to our message.

Our words and our deeds—these are the ordinary means that the Holy Spirit uses in bringing people into relationship with God. But he also uses the extraordinary means of signs and wonders. These are the miraculous works that the Holy Spirit sometimes uses particularly in powerfully extending the reach of the gospel into as yet unevangelized areas.

The fourth principle of ministry is found in vv. 19b-21. (S)o that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum (what would later become known as Yugoslavia) 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.” Not that Paul was unconcerned about those who had already responded to the gospel. The fact that he took time to revisit the churches he founded, and wrote extended letters to them about specific issues they were facing, shows that he was very concerned about them. And when we read his letters, we find that he had deep relationships with many individuals in these churches. But he was particularly caught up in what theologians call the “Mission Dei”—the Mission of God. God the Father sent the Son. The Father and the Son sent the Spirit. And the Spirit sends the church into the world. And so this is the fourth principle of ministry: A Spirit-led ministry is an outgoing ministry. This has always been true of God’s work in the world, that he impels his people to move out of their comfort zone to make contact with people who do not yet know him.

The fifth and sixth principles of ministry are embedded in vv. 22-29. This is the reason why I have been hindered from coming to you (that is, he had placed a priority on ministry to those as yet unreached.) 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.

Here Paul is outlining his plans for ministry, which involved going first to Jerusalem to bring an offering to Jewish believers who were suffering need. But then he hoped to return to his westward mission, by going to Spain. And he hoped to be helped by the Roman believers in providing for his journey. Paul exemplifies the fifth principle of ministry: A Spirit-led ministry pursues a God-given plan of action . . . and acts on it. We see here Paul’s relentless pursuit of this plan to take the gospel in a westerly direction. For sure, there were many detours, seeming setbacks, and unexpected delays. But he had an overall purpose, and he persisted in it. So that at the end of his life he could say, “I have finished my course” (II Tim. 4:7). He wasn’t distracted by his own impulses or preferences, or by what everyone else wanted him to do. He was convinced of what God had called him to do, and he kept with it until God took him home to heaven.

There is a sixth principle here: A Spirit-led ministry is sensitive to people’s ordinary needs. We see this in Paul’s desire and plan to bring an offering for the relief of Jewish believers in Palestine who were enduring famine. This has always been true of the most effective ministries of outreach, that they have been characterized both by the proclamation of the gospel and of God’s word, and by the demonstration of compassionate concern for the ordinary needs of people.

The seventh and final principle of ministry in this passage is found in vv. 30-33. 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.

The seventh principle is: A Spirit-led ministry is dependent on the prayers of God’s people. Notice that Paul asks his readers to pray for three things. First, that he be delivered from those in Jerusalem who opposed his ministry. And there will always be those who oppose the ministry of the gospel—at times quite violently. Satan does not want to see the gospel advance in the world, and he will use any means at his disposal to oppose it. But second, he asks his readers to pray that his ministry might find a positive reception among those for whom it was intended. For it is only the Lord who not only can open doors for the gospel, but who can also open people’s hearts to receive it. Thirdly, Paul asks that his readers pray that he might at last come to Rome and find refreshment in their company. The ministry is a demanding and at times exhausting enterprise. And the Lord knows that we need seasons of refreshment. And we have the Apostle’s example in telling us that it is entirely legitimate to pray for such seasons of renewal—just as we have Jesus’ example of encouraging his disciples (after they had concluded their traveling ministry) to “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31).

So, in this passage we have seven principles of a Spirit-led ministry.

1. A Spirit-led ministry flows out of our God-given gifts, our knowledge of God, and our personal character.

2. A Spirit-led ministry is a gospel-focused ministry.

3. A Spirit-led ministry is what Christ accomplishes though us, by both the ordinary means of word and deed, and the extraordinary means of signs and wonders.

4. A Spirit-led ministry is an outgoing ministry—always seeking to extend the gospel to those who have not yet heard.

5. A Spirit-led ministry pursues a God-given plan of action . . . and acts on it.

6. A Spirit-led ministry is sensitive to people’s ordinary needs.

7. A Spirit-led ministry is dependent on the prayers of God’s people.

What a wonderful privilege God has given us of being his messengers! As the Scripture says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” (Rom. 10:15b). And what a powerful motive God has given us to align ourselves with his redemptive purpose in the world—the “love of Christ” which compels us (II Cor. 5:14). Whether this be understood as our love for Christ, or his love for us, or even his love through us, it is the primary motive that God uses in drawing us out of our comfort zone, and “thrusts” us into the field of spiritual harvest. Paul wrote: “Let all you do be done in love” (I Cor. 16:14).

One day, when we give account to the Lord for our lives, we will not be asked what our view was of the fate of the unevangelized. But it is more than likely that we will be asked what we did about the fate of the unevangelized. May we live our lives in such a way that we may hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Mt. 25:33). Amen.

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18b–20).

Rick Rood
December 2024