First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you - that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. - Romans 1:8-12
There is a saying about fish and visitors, that both stink after three days. This is true even sometimes amongst our friends and family. Now imagine someone coming for a visit that you have never met. That is the situation we find for the churches in Rome. In his letter to them, Paul indicates that he is coming for a visit. While they know who Paul is, they, on the whole, have never met him for it was not through his ministry that they were established. It would be understandable if there was some trepidation among the Roman Christians about his visit. Why was Paul coming to them?
Paul addresses this in the opening of his letter in 1:11 when he states that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you. Timothy Keller summarizes this and notes a surprising twist. He writes,
[Paul] wants to use his abilities of preaching and pastoring so that they can be encouraged in their faith (v 12). There is a surprise here. The great apostle does not want to visit simply so he can encourage them. He will visit so that they can encourage him, too - “that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith” (v 12).
This is striking! Since Paul sought out encouragement from other believers, and since if Paul sought that encouragement in the faith of other believers, how much more should we? Verses 11-12 begin to show us part of what the obedience that comes through faith is; it is obeying Christ by having the humility to serve, and be served by his people. Verse 11 teaches us to use whatever gifts the Lord has graciously given us to make others stronger in their faith. Verse 12 teaches us to allow others to use the faith and gifts the Lord has given them to build us up. We should never leave our church meetings, having spent time surrounded by beloved, distinctive people of faith, without feeling encouraged!
How can we know that encouragement in reality, Sunday by Sunday and week by week as we meet together, though? By remembering that God has declared that Jesus is his Son, raised with power to rule in power, and that by faith in him we enjoy grace from him and peace with him. When we spend time with other believers, we are spending time with those who say: This is true and: This is wonderful to that declaration. We can see faith, and the obedience that flows from it, all around us. We can see others using their gifts for others, and we can use ours for them. That is what encourages and strengthens us (Romans For You, 15-16)
Saints, as we gather for worship this Lord’s Day, let us come to be renewed in the good news of Jesus Christ. And having been so renewed, let us seek ways to love and encourage one another. But let us also pray that we would be open to God’s grace in the reception of love and encouragement from others. Thus, we are enabled to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love (Ephesians 4:15-16).
