Romans - Chapter 15
15:1-14 A ministry of building up (edifying).
Selfishness and independence to a fault are responsible even today for many of the ills of society. The renewed mind of the believer should lead to a different factor of motivation, which is the development of a mentality to minister.
Some of the particular difficulties facing the church at Rome were because of the nature of the mixed membership so serious careful handling was required which Paul summarizes for us in verses 1-4. There must be the understanding that Christian life involves devotion to the building up of the community.
There must be a desire to seek the glory of God, not our own glory. There is little that brings honor to the Lord in a feuding or fighting fellowship. Paul allows a prayer toward that desire in verses 5-13.
There must be recognition of the holy word of God and the proper place it should occupy in the fellowship, which will produce patience and comfort. There is further the work of the Lord as He directs His will toward those who honor Him. Paul prays for hope, joy, and peace to those whose devotion is dedicated to the building up of the members who at times may be in conflict.
There must be confidence in the people involved in addition to the confidence in God as both are necessary to build. In verse 14 Paul expresses that confidence.
15:15-21 A ministry of proclaiming.
Paul was a theologian, a teacher, a pastor, and an apostle, but above those he remained an evangelist. His heart always beat for those who had not yet heard Christ proclaimed and he had opened the book of Romans proclaiming and now he returns to that theme. Now he also speaks of a deep rooted desire to continue to build and proclaim the ministry Jesus personally gave to him.
15:22-29 A ministry to administer.
Paul now reveals his travel plans for the ministry, which will include a missionary journey to Spain, a brief stop in Rome, and a trip to Jerusalem to deliver the gift offering to the mother church there. All these are planned after he ends his time in Corinth. The spiritual aspects of Paul's ministry are easy to identify. It is important that we see his strong planning to go forward to administer the building up of the churches and the body of Christ in other lands. His work is balanced between preaching and administration. He specifically mentions how necessary for all his work to be “in the will of God”.
15:30-33 A ministry to intercede.
We see here the special request made by Paul in prayer form on his behalf. He is simply telling the specific matters he asks church members to bring to the ear of God for him. He may not be completely sure he will ever make it to Rome and he mentions he is in need of refreshment and requests their prayers to allow that refreshing.
With all these things on his mind, it is not surprising that he sees prayer addresses struggle and therefore asks the members at Rome to have a ministry of intercession for him as he strives to carry out the will of the Lord. It is very sure that each member of the body of Christ remains in need of the prayers of the other members and is assured that the Lord inclines His holy ear to all prayers of intercession. We pay our fellow believers great honor in sending their names before God.
