1 This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. 2 God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. 3 The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, 4 and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name. 6 And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:1-6 NLT)
What would you write?
- If you were writing a letter to a new church plant that you had never been to?
- If this new church plant was going to experience extreme persecution in a few short years?
- If you saw your missional goal to visit this church in person in order to encourage it?
Paul chooses to answer several simple questions: who am I, whom do I serve, what is my mission, and where do you fit?
I am not Paul and if I was to honestly answer these same questions my responses would be different:
My name is Ron, and I am a follower of Jesus. I have been called by God to teach the good news to everyone I meet. The good news is about God’s Son Jesus. Jesus came to earth as a baby and lived in a human body until he was executed on a cross. He was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit and ascended into heaven to take His place as our savior and king. Through Jesus and His Word (the Bible) I have been given the privilege and opportunity to explain this good news to anyone who will listen. God’s goal is that people deepen their trust in Jesus and in obedience to His commands so that people see more and more Jesus everywhere they look.
If you are reading this, it is very likely that you are also a follower of Jesus. Now it’s your turn. How would you answer Paul’s questions?