Roman 15 is about glorifying God through our harmonious living and building up of one another. It is best summarized by John 13:35 ► By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.Roman History recorded that the growth of the Christian community was due to their love one for another and also for those outside their community. Have we placed so much emphasis on preaching the gospel and not living out the gospel especially among our brothers and sisters? The ways we treat our fellow brothers and sisters, are they so attractive to cause them to want to join us?
We are to be united in the same purpose of glorifying God and share the same biblical values. We are to execute the mission by living in harmony with one another, starting with receiving one another first. We can do that by the power of Holy Spirit within us and studying and following of the Bible.
Here is the mind-map that captures the essence of Roman 15:
Our joy, peace and hope comes from putting our faith in God and by the Holy Spirit.
Paul shared with us his calling to bring the gospel to the gentiles world. His purpose is to break new ground and not build on others' work. That was Paul's calling. It does not exclude that for most of us, we are called to reach out to those around us in our family, relatives, friends and colleagues that may or may not have the gospels shared with them. Paul's dedication to the calling and his accomplishments are examples for us to follow. We can also see the testimonies of the Christians in areas of Achaia and Macedonia, their generosity for brothers in Jerusalem.
Even Paul requested prayers for his work. There are 3 key areas mentioned for our united prayer:
1. deliverance from persecutions.
2. excellence in their service
3. opportunities for fellowships
Here is the mind-map that give the details:
Lim Liat (c) 10 July 2013
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