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A Holy Ambition for Life

Romans 15:14-21

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¹⁴I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another. ¹⁵Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me ¹⁶to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me 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.
¹⁷Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. ¹⁸I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— ¹⁹by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. ²⁰It 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. ²¹Rather, as it is written:
“Those who were not told about him will see,
and those who have not heard will understand.”
²²This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you.—Romans 15:14-22 (NIV)

In today’s passage, Paul begins by saying there is

in those who are reading this letter.

God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me 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.—Romans 15:16 (NIV)

Again, Christians are called to be “

” and

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unto the Lord. We are to live lives that

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God, not because we are trying to earn anything from him, but because we sincerely

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God and find joy in his satisfaction.

¹⁷Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. ¹⁸I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— ¹⁹by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.—Romans 15:17-19 (NIV)

Without a captain, Paul wouldn’t be of much use, but God graciously

to use Paul and to work

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him as a vehicle of his redemptive plans.

Without any liquid or drink, Paul would lack purpose and utility, but God graciously

to use Paul and to work through him as a bearer of God’s goodness and a vessel of salvation.

Once we are clear that God is King, then we long to see him crowned with glory and honour, and accorded his true place, which is the supreme place. We become ambitious for the spread of his kingdom and righteousness everywhere.—John Stott

²⁰It 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. ²¹Rather, as it is written:
“Those who were not told about him will see,
and those who have not heard will understand.”—Romans 15:20-21 (NIV)

Paul feels called to reach a people who have

of Jesus.

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all.—1 Timothy 1:15

The Apostle Paul saw himself as the

of all, if he can proclaim Jesus to the unchurched then we can too!

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Next Week: Romans 16