Paul’s Ministry to the Gentiles
Scripture Reading: Romans 15:14–21 (ESV)
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.
15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God
16 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.
17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God.
18 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,
19 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;
20 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,
21 but as it is written,
“Those who have never been told of him will see,
and those who have never heard will understand.”
Paul commends the believers in Rome for their goodness and knowledge, yet reminds them boldly of the grace given to him as a minister to the Gentiles. His calling is described as a priestly service—presenting the Gentiles as an offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit.
Paul’s ministry is centered entirely on what Christ has accomplished through him. From miracles to gospel preaching, it is all by the power of the Spirit. His ambition is to take the gospel where it has not yet been proclaimed, fulfilling the prophetic vision that those who have not heard will come to understand.
This passage calls us to consider our own role in God’s mission and to live with a holy ambition to make Christ known where He is not yet worshiped.
Prayer Points:
Thank God for the missionaries and ministers who bring the gospel to unreached places.
Ask Him to give you boldness and clarity in sharing the gospel in your sphere of influence.
Pray for the spread of the gospel to people and places that have never heard the name of Jesus.