Word by Mail

ROM 217 - What Makes a Minister? - Rom 15:14-33
 
If we're going to look today - at "What makes a Minister" I guess we better start by defining the word MINISTER
 
HARPERS Bible Dictionary:
A minister serves the need, whatever it is; to that end, in the New Testament, the whole church was to be equipped.
 
In fact - it is the Church Leadership's JOB To EQUIP the Saints to be Ministers
 
Eph. 4:11-12 - ESV
11 And he [Christ] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
 
A minister serves the need, whatever it is; to that end, in the New Testament, the whole church is to be equipped.
 
So - if you a part of "The Whole Church" Then you have been called - to be a Minister
 
& if you are ready to say YES LORD to that call
 
Then today - we are going to see what Makes you a TRUE MINISTER
 
Let's Pray
 
 
We're going to see THREE LESSONS today & I'd like to give them to you up front - (poss write them down)
 
Lesson #1) A Minister of Jesus Christ must understand their Priestly Service to GOD
 
Lesson #2) A Minister of Jesus Christ must give GOD ALL the credit
 
Lesson #3) A Minister of Jesus Christ must have a Calling, but not a Blueprint
 
Certainly there are plenty of other lessons
on What Makes a Minister
 
But THESE are the 3 lessons we see in our text today
so we'll focus on them
 
 
Lesson #1) A Minister of Jesus Christ must understand their Priestly Service to GOD
 
Paul starts with a little "Commendation" to the Romans in V.14
& then we see our lesson # 1 - in V.15-16
 
Rom 15:14- ESV
14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.
 
Rom 15:15-16 - ESV  
 
Rom 15:15-16 - ESV15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God
16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
 
Paul is DEFINING his Position of Minister to the Gentiles
 
& it's interesting that Paul didn’t choose
the normal GK word for minister here
 
the GK word "Diakonos" [dee*ak*on*os]
from which we get our word “Deacon” or “Deaconess”
 
Instead he uses the Greek word "Leitourgos" [lay*turg*os]
from which we get our word “Liturgy”, LIT meaning Priest
 
Which is why V.16 reads - a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God
 
Paul saw his Ministry as a "PRIESTLY SERVICE" to God
 
MEANING - Paul saw the Eternal Perspective
of his Earthly Efforts
 
& that's something that we Ministers need to see today
 
 
 
To me, Paul’s ministry looks like 100's of miles of dusty, dangerous roads traveled on foot
radical suffering, beatings, ship-wrecks, & imprisonments
 
But that’s NOT what it looked like to Paul - or to GOD
 
To PAUL - & To GOD - That was ALL Part
of Paul's PRIESTLY SERVICE
 
All those dusty roads, the suffering, the beatings,
the shipwrecks, & imprisonments
 
We're just the MEANS by which
Paul was able to MINISTER to the Gentiles
 
& so they became part of Paul's PRIESTLY SERVICE to God
 
 
Here's a Question - How do we view the Road we Travel, in order to Minister ?
 
We will probably NEVER go thru anything comparable
to what Paul experienced
 
But the Road we Travel to be a Minister
is definitely long, & dusty, & can be dangerous
 
& there is definitely Sacrifice & Suffering along the way
 
The question is - do we see all that
as part of our PREISTLY SERVICE to God ?
 
Or do we see it as something to avoid at all costs in order to make our lives easier ??
 
 
We have been made A KINGDOM of PRIESTS - - A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD !!
 
But is that our Perspective ??
 
Rev 1:6 - ESV6 and [Christ] made us a kingdom, - priests to his God and Father
 
1Pet 2:9 - ESV
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, . . .
 
If you are serving God today
no matter what your role or position is
 
& no matter if it's in the church or in your own home
If you are serving God - you are a Minister of Christ Jesus
 
& so we can read Rom 15:16 this way
 
Rom 15:16
. . . a minister of Christ Jesus to MY FAMILY in the priestly service of the gospel of God
 
. . . a minister of Christ Jesus to THE CHILDREN'S MINISTRY in the priestly service of the gospel of God
 
. . . a minister of Christ Jesus to THE HURTING & THE BROKEN in the priestly service of the gospel of God
 
 
You Fill in the BLANK - - Nursery - Sunday School
Youth - Set-Up - Helps - YOU NAME IT
 
If you're doing it for God - then you are in the PRIESTLY SERVICE
 
1Pet 2:5 - ESV
5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
 
& THAT Vs leads us right into the 2nd half of our Priestly Service to God
 
 
Let's re-read Rom 15:16 - ESV
16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
 
What was Paul's " Offering" (Spiritual Sacrifice) to God ? (V.16)
It was THE GENTILES
 
Look how the NLT puts the end of Rom 15:16 - NLT
16 . . . I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit.
 
Paul's "Priestly Service" was to Present the Gentiles to God, made holy (set apart) by the Holy Spirit
 
 
& so if you - as a Minister
after miles of dusty, dangerous, & suffering roads
 
Have been PART of a CHANGED LIFE being offered to God Then you have done your Priestly Service WELL
 
& the road you've travelled - has simply been
the path to get to that Priestly Service
 
Whether you're a Minister in your HOME, NEIGHBORHOOD, WORK, CHURCH
 
 
& you can be EXTREMELY JOYFUL in that Offering to God
 
Look at the next Vs. - Rom 15:17 - ESV
17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God.
 
That word "PROUD" strikes us as a little "Funny" - doesn’t it ?
 
It means LIT - to GLORY IN - or to be EXTREMELY JOYFUL
It's not PROUD in the Negative Sense of the word
 
& THAT leads us right into our SECOND LESSON on "What Makes a Minister"
 
 
 
Lesson #2) A minister of Jesus Christ must give GOD ALL the credit
 
I'd like to do Lesson #2 - out of the NLT
 
Rom 15:17-18 - NLT
17 So I have reason to be enthusiastic (better word) about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God.18 Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them.
 
Paul says - I am SO PUMPED (so enthusiastic)
about what CHRIST has done THRU me, in my service to God
 
& then he Quickly Clarifies in Vs.18 Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me
 
Paul limits his “Enthusiasm”
to boasting ONLY about what Christ has done thru him
& he says - I DARE NOT Boast about anything else
 
& then - in V.18 - Paul says that Christ brought the Gentiles to God BY Paul's message, & BY the way Paul worked among them
 
BUT he doesn’t actually say - his message or the way he worked
was necessarily Good, or "Praise Worthy"
 
He just says that Jesus was able to USE His efforts
to bring the Gentiles to God
 
 
Why is it that we are so much like that 6 year old little leaguer
 
who confidently steps up to the plate at his 1st T-BALL game & swings his entire 50 pounds at the ball
only to barely nick it w/ the very end of his bat
 
& as the ball barely rolls toward the pitcher
he takes off for first base
 
When he’s only half way there - the pitcher picks up the ball
& throws it 10 feet over the first baseman’s head
 
While our 3 ft high batter is running to 2nd, the first baseman makes his hardest possible throw
& the ball rolls out into left field
 
Where the left fielder is bird-watching & doesn’t even know the ball is anywhere near him
 
& while the whole team is screaming at the Left-fielder
our pip-squeak “Babe Ruth” finally crosses home plate
 
& as he swaggers into the dugout he says to his team; “Hey, did you see me hit that home-run”
 
 
In the Kingdom of God - the best we can do - w/ our hardest swing,
is to barely dribble a ball back to the pitcher
 
God does all the rest - to get us around the bases and back to home !
 
There is nothing that any of us can do of any Eternal Value without Jesus Christ doing it THRU our feeble efforts
 
& so - we must ONLY speak - of what Christ has done THRU US
& in V.19 - Paul places the Glory EXACTLY where it is due
 
Rom 15:19 - NLT
19 They [Gentiles] were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way (meaning by God's POWER & by God's SPIRIT), I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum. (e-lir-e-kohm)
 
Paul says - - It is only - BY God's POWER, & BY God's SPIRIT,
that I have fully presented the Good News of Christ to the Gentiles
 
& we MUST follow Paul's Example - Giving GOD ALL the credit
 
 
Lesson #1) A Minister of Jesus Christ must understand their Priestly Service to GOD
Lesson #2) A Minister of Jesus Christ must give GOD ALL the credit
 
Lesson #3) A Minister of Jesus Christ must have a Calling, but not a Blueprint
 
We must KNOW what God has called us to DO
But we must NEVER try to Design Our Own Blueprints
 
God's Ways are NOT our Ways - & in fact
Most Often - HIS WAYS, are OPPOSITE of our ways
 
 
If you will give your life to be a Minister of Jesus Christ
He WILL use you
 
But it MAY NOT be in the way, or in the timing, you'd like
 
& we see this - in the next lesson from Paul's life
 
Rom 15:20-21 - ESV
20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation,21 but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”
 
First of all - Allow me to say - This DOES NOT mean
 
that no person should ever start a church
fewer than 10 mi's away - from another church
 
This verse is NOT saying that "NO MAN"
should ever build upon another man's foundation
 
If that were true then - what about all those men
who took over all those churches that Paul started
(they were certainly building upon another man's foundation)
 
This Vs. is saying - that it was PAUL'S Specific CALLING
to NOT build upon another man's foundation
 
It was PAUL'S CALLING to preach the gospel
where Christ had NEVER been named
 
 
 
Paul KNEW His Calling & I Pray each of US - would know our CALLING
 
HOWEVER - Not even the Apostle Paul
knew THE BLUEPRINTS God designed - for his Calling
 
Paul had a GOOD PLAN to go to Rome (we'll see in a minute)
GOD had a GOOD PLAN to get Paul to Rome
 
it's just that PAUL'S PLAN - & GOD'S PLAN
had some Drastic Differences in the ROAD TRAVELED to Rome
 
Rom 15:22-24 - ESV
22 This is the reason [because of his calling] why I have so often been hindered from coming to you.23 But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you,24 I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while.
 
Paul planned to come to Rome on his way to Spain
for fellowship, and to receive financial help from the church
 
But Paul had just one obligation to perform
before his plan could unfold
 
& THAT is where God showed Paul - A NEW BLUEPRINT
 
 
Rom 15:25-28 - ESV  
 
Rom 15:25-28 - ESV
25 At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints.26 For Macedonia and Achaia (provinces) (incld'g Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth) have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem.27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.
Some great Truths there - about our obligation to give material blessings, in return for spiritual blessings & for the churches to give to those in need within the church
28 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you.
 
Paul had just this one task to complete
before HIS plan could move forward
 
He had collected money from the saints in Macedonia & Achaia
to give to the needy in Jerusalem
 
& Paul says (v.28) - When I have delivered this financial gift
then I will leave for Spain by way of Rome
 
Sounds good Paul - Unless of course
GOD has some other plans - - - & he certainly DID
 
 
Paul did get the offering to the Jerusalem church
 
But then  
 
 
Paul was almost killed by a mob & only escaped w/ the help of the soldiers . . . by boat
 
Then - he was shipwrecked, snake-bit, stranded, beat
& bound in chains as a prisoner
& THEN - to be brought to Rome & thrown in a Dungeon !
 
As for getting to Spain – we don’t know for certain,
if Paul ever made it to Spain or not
 
One thing we DO KNOW is
 
Paul's Plan & God's Plan - May've Had the SAME END
But they Radically Different METHODS to get to Rome
 
WHY would God allow Paul to be shipwrecked, snake-bit, stranded, beat & imprisoned
 
WHY would God NOT intervene on Paul's behalf
& have everything work out just like PAUL planned it ?
Why would God have the AUDACITY
to Draw His Own Blueprint for PAUL'S ministry,
without even getting Paul's OK ?
 
Shouldn't Paul demand an explanation from God ??
 
Shouldn’t Paul get angry at God because things DIDN'T work out like PAUL had planned
 
Shouldn’t Paul just throw up his hands & quit the ministry all together
 
 
OR - - Should PAUL actually ALLOW GOD
to DRAW the Blueprint for his Ministry?
Even if it includes suffering ??
 
 
Paul's CALLING Never Changed
But the Blueprints - Ohhh, they CHANGED alright !
 
But Paul’s heart stayed right
 
He remained focused on his Priestly Service to GodHe remained committed to giving GOD ALL the Glory
He remained Steadfast to his Calling, in-spite of Blueprints changing
 
& THAT is why the next verse in Rom 15 is absolutely TRUE
 
Rom 15:29 - ESV29 I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
 
When Paul came to ROME
it WAS in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
 
But it was ALSO as a Prisoner - facing a DEATH SENTENCE
 
The Blueprint had changed - but Paul's;
Priestly Service - Had NOT changed
Giving Glory to God - Had NOT changed
Calling - - - Had NEVER CHANGED !!
 
& if WE will commit
to becoming a Minister of the SAME MAKING
 
Then WHEN WE arrive - wherever it is He’s taking us
When WE arrive - We WILL arrive
in the fullness of the blessing of Christ
 
 
As we close CH 15 - in Vs's 30-32
 
We have Paul's PRAYER LIST
as he asks the church in Rome to Pray with him
 
Let's follow Paul's Prayer List
& see what we can learn - - IN HINDSIGHT from Paul's life
 
Rom 15:30 - ESV
30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf,
 
An important lesson here about "striving together" with one another in prayer
 
But then Paul's Prayer Request List starts in V.31
 
Rom 15:31 - ESV
31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,
 
BOTH these things DID happen
 
1) The offering Paul delivered was a great blessing
2) & Paul WAS initially delivered from the unbelievers in Judea
However - the unbelievers did eventually have Paul arrested
& ultimately - he was killed for his faith
 
But the BIG lesson is in V.32
 
Rom 15:32 - ESV
32 so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company.
 
by God’s will I may come to you
 
DID Paul come to Rome BY God's Will - YES !!
 
Was God's will ANYTHING LIKE Paul's Will - - - NO !
 
But Paul prays - that I may come to you with joy
and be refreshed in your company
 
& we know - INSPITE of the suffering & hardship
that finally brought Paul to Rome
 
We KNOW that he came in JOY
because he wrote Philippians - which is ALL ABOUT JOY
while he was in prison in ROME
 
& we know by the Prison epistles - that the saints in Rome
did indeed REFRESH Paul during his imprisonment there
 
 
 
& so, PAUL did his part - - & GOD did His part
 
Paul's Part was to;
Understand his Priestly Service to God Give GOD ALL the Glory
Remain Steadfast in his Calling
 
God's Part was to;
Draw the details of Paul's Blueprints
Bring about His will in Paul's life
 
My prayer - is that God would Make Us Ministers
the Exact Same Way
 
 
& finally - Paul closes the teaching section of Romans
with the ONLY Benediction that each of US need
 
in order FOR US - to live our lives - as Ministers of Jesus Christ
 
Rom 15:33 - ESV
33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
 
Let's Pray