8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. Romans 1:8-10
In every letter that Paul wrote to the churches, he expressed his gratitude for those who would receive it…except one letter -> the letter to the Galatians. Their veering away from the TRUE gospel caused him to forgo the normal opening commendations of the church.
The piece that came out at me today was the notoriety of this Roman church’s faith. In fact, the Roman church’s faith was so great that 49 years after Jesus ascended, Claudius expelled all of the Jews because of the influence of “Chrestus” which was undoubtedly a reference to Christ. Since Rome was the center of the Roman empire (and the inhabited world at that time), whatever happened in Rome became known throughout all of the lands.
My mind goes to those saints who in the past and even today, have undergone so much persecution yet hold steadfast to their faith. Who am I to think that I am anything when I have not been asked or put into a situation where my life was on the line over my faith in Jesus? So, I may never have the opportunity to have that tested but in my everyday life, is my faith proclaimed? Not that I seek the fame or anything like that, so please don’t hear that in these convicting questions I am asking myself – but is my faith known by others as something both genuine and unshakeable?
APPLICATION
I believe time is short. I look at the state of the world and culture, the coming of Jesus must be near. If I am not living a life that consistently drips with a love for God, sharing about Him, what His Son did for me, and where my hope rests…then I am not doing enough. Today I am convicted that I am not being bold enough in my walk and witness. That I am in some cases fearful of man in terms of how I operate at work or what I am willing to risk sharing the gospel with some there. Time for a recalibration.