Life of the gospel 

 Romans 1:8-10; 8/25/2024; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang 

 Introduction        

 Paul talked about the source and essence of the gospel, and today he started to talk about the life of the gospel.   What does Paul mean by the life of the gospel?  The life of the gospel he talks about is the experience and thinking, prayer and inspiration,   look up to and hope he left behind when he preached the gospel.  Let’s look at the first point: 

 

Your faith is proclaimed in all the world

 What must the life of the gospel be related to?  The gospel is truth, life is people,   and the bridge from the gospel to people is faith.  This is why Paul mentions faith.  First of all, when preaching, you should rely on the Lord.  The word “preaching” is actually not simple.  It cannot be determined by any name, method, or ability that a man thinks is clever.  I have a pastor friend who told me more than 20 years ago that he grew a church from 135 people to 531 people in five years.  There are also photos to prove it and it is conclusive.  When I asked why, the answer was: It’s all because I have the ability!  When I went home and read the Bible, I found that Paul relied on Jesus Christ to preach.  This is a warning to each of us, lest we fall into temptation.  Over the years, there has been a lot of confusion about preaching, as if there are other “ways” besides “relying on Jesus Christ.”  In fact, preaching can be very simple, just rely on the Lord!   This is also a standard by which we can often reflect on ourselves: Am I relying on the Lord?        

 

 Secondly, be grateful for everything.   After Paul finished speaking about relying on the Lord, he immediately changed the subject and said:  “I thank my God for all of you”  Isn’t it a little strange?  The crowd Paul mentioned should refer to the Roman church that had been established by Peter (according to early church tradition) at that time.  Therefore, being thankful for the church is the duty of a child of God.  This is especially true for churches established for other churches other than your own.  The strange thing here is that Paul says to “give thanks to my God” for the church in Rome!  Isn’t it “our God”?  In fact, Paul was “throwing stones to ask for directions.”  Paul was asking: Do we believe in the same God?  This is what we need to do when looking for a new church, right?        

 

 Finally, faith takes the road to heaven.  Paul wrote to ask the church, and of course the church was asking Paul: How did you find us?  In other words, why did you come to us?   So, Paul explained this and showed his “trump card”!   ”Paul said: “Because your faith has spread throughout the world.”  That is to say, Paul had heard about the brothers and sisters in the Roman church three years ago in Corinth.  The faith with morals mentioned here means faith in the original text.  The Union Version translated the original meaning of faith into faith with morals.  First, it was influenced by Catholicism, and second, it was influenced by the moralism of traditional Chinese culture.  Our understanding of the word faith with morals today can be based on faith as the standard.  Faith is not only the core value of the Roman church, but also Paul’s observation point for the church. Let’s look at the second point:

 

 Witness and serve God 

 Paul’s self-recommendation was needed by the Roman church.  You understand the church, and the church needs to understand you too!  And we should also take the initiative to let the church know you.   This is the courtesy and virtue of a believer, do you agree?  First, the gospel of the Son of God.  Have you ever thought about who will come to testify for us when we meet the Lord one day?  Paul tells us here that the gospel we preached can bear witness for us.  In other words, it would be a bit embarrassing if we had never preached the gospel.  Because when we meet the Lord, there will be no one to testify for us.  At that time, will the Lord say:  I don’t know you?   Or is it that what we preach is not the true gospel, but heresy, extreme, or even a cult?    The standard given by Paul is “the gospel of the Son of God,” for there is no other name by which we are saved except by Him. Today’s era is dangerous. People who take the Lord’s name in vain, rob God’s glory, stay away from God’s words, set other standards,    false prophets, apostles, antichrist representatives, etc. have appeared in the world!        

 Secondly, what the spirit serves.  The church can see whether your testimony is true or false.  However, as an individual, you can also self-examine.  Paul said that the standard for self-examination is “God served with the spirit.”  Of course, the premise is that you must truly believe in God, not just believe in the existence of God.  Those who believe in God can worship God with sincerity in spirit and examine what is God’s pure and pleasing will.  If you simply believe in the existence of  God, you may be in company with the secular world, with Satan, and with the old humanistic self.  It is not difficult to believe in the existence of God.  The Bible says that demons also believe in it.  It is nothing more than treating God as part of knowledge and manipulating it in one’s own hands.  The result is that they have no care for God, indifferent to the church, and no interest in the mission, all because they have no connection with the Holy Spirit.        

 

 Finally, without ceasing I mention you.  It is not difficult to pray once, but it is difficult to pray without ceasing!  Whether we continue to pray for people and the church is not up to you.  It is the gospel we preach and the God whom our hearts serve that has the final say.  Paul said,  “without ceasing I mention you, the church of Rome.”   This was not a simple statement!  Because if you are not careful, you may bear false witness or even take the Lord’s name in vain!  It’s not difficult to say it in one sentence,   but what’s difficult is that it’s not easy to prove one’s innocence in the future.  Even if you are powerful, talented and capable in this life, you can get away with it.  However, one day the truth will come out.  Paul said that he constantly mentioned the Roman church in his prayers, which is enough to serve as an example and role model for us.  Let’s look at the third point:

 

  Prayer is the way

 When Paul wrote Romans in Corinth, God revealed to us an important truth through him, which is that prayer has become the channel of fellowship among God’s children.  First, prayer is a norm.  There are two words related to prayer here.  One is a daily state and a state of prayer.  Another word is a request to God in prayer, or a request for intercession.  That is, we cannot just raise prayer requests without having a daily prayer life.  Some people usually don’t pray, but when something goes wrong, they burst into tears and shout at the top of their lungs.  This is also the reason why there must be a church prayer meeting.  This is the normal state of prayer in the church. Between this church prayer meeting and the next church prayer meeting, everyone can come before God and pray frequently. God accepts our prayers and hears our prayers.   Of course, that also includes not listening to our prayers!        

 

 Second, pray according to God’s will.  What it says here is:  “asking that somehow by God’s will”.  Is there anyone who doesn’t pray according to God’s will?  Don’t tell me, it really will happen. Especially when people’s faith in God is impure and they even use God as a tool for their use, right?  If you can’t find a job, can’t have children, have a bleak future, etc., of course you can pray, and you should pray!  However, if our prayers do not first seek His kingdom, His righteousness,  or even things not related to God’s gospel mission, do you think God will still listen to your prayers?  Therefore, praying according to God’s will is a possibility, not a necessity,  in our spiritual life.  Only when we are always in the Lord and He is always in us, can we always pray in the Lord!        

 

Finally, pray for a prosperous journey.  As the saying goes, nine times out of ten things will go wrong in life. We often use this sentence to comfort others, right?  But is this sentence correct?  Over time, we have become accustomed to things not going our way.  Either the tire will blow out today, or the house will be burned down tomorrow.  What’s more, there are countless bad things happening every day!  In fact, God is still willing to give us “a prosperous journey in the end” in Christ.  Paul’s prayer had been uttered three years before in Corinth.  In the days that followed, Paul experienced many chains and tribulations, and was even almost killed by the Jews in Jerusalem.   However, God finally gave Paul a smooth journey to Rome.

 

Conclusion

 The gospel is lived out with life, and the gospel is spread with life!  Because Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, the gospel is transformed into the Great Commission by imitating the Lord’s life.        

 Let us pray……   

 

Romans 1:8-10

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.