| Paul,
a bondservant of Christ Jesus, set apart for the gospel of God (Romans 1:1)... |
May this Rest Stop affirm that God has indeed set you apart for His gospel. And may this Rest Stop nurture
your love relationship with Christ Jesus as His bondservant.
...which (the gospel)
He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born
of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who
was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead,
according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 1:2-4).
|
The gospel is the gospel of the Triune God! God the Father promised the gospel concerning
the resurrection of His beloved Son by the power of the Holy Spirit. The gospel is not God's Plan B -- He promised the gospel of His Son in eternity past!
| For God, whom I
serve in my spirit in the preaching of
the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you (Romans 1:9). |
May the truths of the gospel of God's Son stir deeply in your
spirit, and not just in your intellect and emotions. May this stirring raise up prayers in you for others, both Christians and non-Christians, to hear the gospel.
| I am under
obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel
to you also who are in Rome (Romans 1:14-15). |
May you realize the truths revealed to you through
Romans is like being given a prescription for the sure cure of a deadly disease. You are now indebted and privileged to passionately share
the great news with everyone you meet!
May you, like Paul, be eager to preach the gospel to everyone, from the poorest man on earth to the wealthiest man on earth. I'll gladly share the gospel at a rescue mission or the White House.
| For
I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it (the gospel) is the power of God for salvation
for everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Romans
1:16). |
Paul could have simply said here, "I am proud of the gospel." However, I believe he uses this negative statement "I am not ashamed of the gospel" to provide a profoundly
positive encouragement to all of us who are tempted to cower when sharing the
gospel in the face of ridicule.
Embrace
the gospel as the power of God and not your power. The gospel has all power over ridicule.
You are a herald of the gospel, called to announce the good news, not
to convince others to believe. The Holy
Spirit does the convincing through your announcing!
As you grow in knowing God's salvation is so much more than just
going to heaven, you will grow in not being ashamed.
| For
in it (the gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as
it is written, "But the righteous man shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17). |
Many proclaim a gospel centered on man. They say, "Come to Christ and get all your
needs fulfilled!" And, "Receive Christ
and discover God's plan for you."
However, the gospel of God starts with God and with man's standing judged by a holy God. Remember that Paul first referred to the gospel in Romans 1:1 as the gospel of God.
Note that Romans 1:18 says that God's wrath is also revealed. God's wrath is His hatred of sin.
The gospel cannot be
figured out by man - it is revealed by God through grace and received by man through faith.
The gospel is not about God making man
better, but is about God totally re-creating man in union with Christ so that any man through faith can have
a right standing in the presence of the most holy God.
|
How will they
preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those
who preach the gospel" (Romans 10:15). |
The picture of dirty feet taking steps of faith on behalf of
others portrays the amazing beauty of humility.
Your feet can
be just like the feet of Jesus who walked the dusty roads all the way to the
cross for you. And more profoundly, your
feet can be the very feet of Jesus in this world because of your union with Him!
|
For I will not
presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting
in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, in the
power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem
and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
(Romans 15:18-19). |
As you share the gospel with both Christians and non-Christians, you are actually sharing the very life
of Christ who lives through you! Wow.
CLOSING
Following is Romans 16:25-27, closing three verses in Paul's letter to the Romans where he testifies of my gospel:
Like Paul, may you know that because of how intimately close you are to the Father and to the Lord Jesus Christ that the gospel of God truly is my gospel.
May these closing verses in Paul's letter to the Romans be our
prayer this week and forevermore!
The Gospel is for Christians 
