Village Schools of the Bible

ROMANS: Heart & Soul of the Gospel
A Devotional Study of Romans
by Max Frazier, Jr.

ROMANS 15: "The Christian Life Exemplified in Ministry."

Chapter fifteen of Romans can be titled, "The Christian Life Exemplified in Ministry." The key words in this chapter are "servant" and "service" (see verses 8, 16, 25, and 31).

Notes on verses 1-13: The Ministry of Christ

Verses 1-7 - Ministry was sacrificial

Verse 4 - "The hope" - the hope of the coming of the Lord
"Teach us" - heart knowledge (see John 6:45)
"Encouragement" - waiting for God to work
"Encouragement of the Scriptures" - see 2 Corinthians 13:11
Verse 5 - "Endurance" - means comfort
Verse 7 - We are to receive one another as Christ has received us

Verse 13 - Five great facts:

1.God is named "the God of hope" (see Romans 5:2, Romans 12:12, Ephesians 2:7)

2.It is God alone who can fill us with all joy and peace, making us to abound in hope

3.It is by the power of the indwelling Spirit that we are "to overflow in hope"

4.It is in a believing heart that these blessed results are brought about; "believe" - living by faith in the Son of God.

5.It is the will of God that you and I be "filled with all joy and peace in believing"

Notes on verses 14-33: The Ministry of Paul

Verses 14-17 - It was a personal ministry
Verse 15 - A good many of us think of ministry as something hard and unpleasant. Paul says it comes by grace
Verse 16 - "Proclaiming the gospel" - minister as a priest ministers (see Numbers 8). Paul was sanctifying the Gentiles as the Levites were offered up by Aaron to God
Verses 18-21 - It was a powerful ministry
Verse 20 - Paul gives the reasons for his ministry
Verses 22-29 - It was a purposeful ministry
Verse 25 - Minister as a deacon
Verse 27 - Gentiles owe a great deal to the Jews
Verses 30-33 - It was a prayerful ministry. Three things for which to pray:
a. Paul might be delivered from them that do not believe
b. Paul's ministry might be acceptable
c. Paul might come to Rome with joy

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS:

As one whose vocation is the teaching of the Word of God, I was especially drawn to Paul's statement in verse 4: "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."

I must confess that often I have asked myself the question as to why a particular story was recorded for us in the Bible. I have often wondered why God included the lives of such men as Balaam (he is so very troublesome), Samson (his is a life I have a great deal of difficulty pondering), or even a Solomon (I am working on this one). Yet Paul makes it very clear that their stories are given to us for our edification. We are to learn from their failures and successes. Now I have found that, at least for me, this objective becomes more attainable when I begin to consider these men and women as real life people. I remove them from any ivory-coated pedestals I may have placed them upon, and begin to view them as I would my neighbor next door. I can close my eyes and almost hear David hollering at his children, threatening them but never really disciplining them. I can almost hear the pounding of the hammers of a Noah as he works on the ark and yet is proclaiming God's message of impending judgment. I stand and listen to the reports of the twelve as they relate their travels into the land of promise, and think that perhaps I might have agreed with the ten rather than the two. I sit upon that flower-bedecked hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee and enjoy that miraculous meal, then ponder the depth of Jesus' teaching and wonder if I would have continued following Him. "These were written to teach us...that we might have hope." What is this hope? I believe it is a hope in ourselves that God can and will
work His will through us. I have often said, "If God can use a Jonah, He can use just about anyone." That gives me hope.

So, the next time you read one of the old familiar stories, close your eyes and picture yourself there. I can guarantee that the Bible will take on a whole new meaning for you. And yes, you will have a hope!

QUESTIONS TO PONDER AS ONE READS THESE VERSES:

1. Why did God give us the Scriptures? What do they provide us with? Give some examples from your own life of how God used His Word to encourage you
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2. If we really believe in God's Word, what is to be our attitude toward others within the Body of Christ?

3. In verse 14, what three traits characterized the church Paul was writing to?

4. According to verses 18-19, what things did Paul want to speak about in his ministry? How is that different than what we usually boast about in our ministries?

5. In verses 31-32, what were Paul's three prayer requests?

Romans 14 Return to the Table of Contents Romans 16