SWHW Bible Reading Plan: November 2021Sample

Top Takeaway from Michelle Myers:

I couldn't help but count the names Paul mentions as this beautiful letter comes to a close. Paul mentions over 30 people by name...

... in a letter written to a church in a city where he hadn't been himself yet.

Paul mentions others who would be visiting them before he could get to them, like Phoebe (vs. 1) and Prisca and Aquila (vs. 3). He mentions those who were currently with him as Paul is writing to them (like Tertius, who penned the letter - vs. 21). He mentions those he knew were already serving the church in Rome (Mary - vs. 6). He even sneaks in a mention to his own mother (vs. 13)!

Maybe from time to time, you've found yourself wondering: how did the apostle Paul accomplish so much for the gospel in a relatively short amount of time? 

This is one of the chapters that reveals part of the answer. Paul didn't quit and Paul did his part, but Paul also didn't do it alone. Paul wasn't in it for Paul. He was in it for the gospel. A gospel that he held so personally for himself that look how he describes it:

"Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to the obedience of faith, to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen." Romans 16:25-27

Paul isn't calling it "my gospel" as taking credit for it. (You can see that he credits the message he shares to the preaching of Jesus, the prophets of the Old Testament, and ultimately, according to the command of God through Christ.) But he calls it "my gospel" because it's personal to him. The message he shared wasn't just for others. It was for him too.

And because Paul knew he needed the message that he preached as much as anyone, he regularly put his ego in its place and stayed effective in ministry from his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus to his death as a martyr. 

Paul's view of the gospel-shaped how he did ministry. And the same should be true for us:

Our view of the gospel should shape how we do ministry.

Because the gospel is about Jesus, our ministry must be about Jesus.

Because the gospel is personal to us, we should be personal in how we do ministry.

And because the gospel is for everyone, ministry requires more than one person can do alone. 

When I look back on my life, these are the kinds of reflections I pray I can write. I don't want to simply list off accomplishments and tasks. I want to remember names and see faces that make me simultaneously long for heaven and live with urgency for the gospel on earth.  

God, help my understanding of the gospel affect how I see everything. Lord, send more workers into the harvest to do Your work. Send me people I can push closer to You, and send those to me who will push me closer to You. Thank You for my church and the relationships I have there. Deepen my love for them, and use us powerfully in our community to show You to those who do not know You. Rid me of my ego and anything else that will distract me from Your mission. Keep me in awe that You saved me and fill me with urgency to tell others about You. I love You. Amen.