Received grace and apostleship

 

Romans 1:5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name's sake,

Through the commentaries I have read regarding this verse, they seem to agree that here Paul uses the plural 'we' as a reference to himself either to avoid an appearance of egotism or assumption (Ellicott), or as an accordance with the custom of Greek authors of the day of speaking of themselves in the plural category (Meyer). Either way, they agree that Paul is speaking of himself receiving both grace (the unmerited favor of God), and apostleship (an assignment or sending out on a specific mission or task). The task? To disciple Gentiles in the name of Jesus. If we go back to Jesus' instructions to the original 12 apostles in Matthew 10:5-6, He explicitly states to them **not** to go among the Gentiles or Samaritans, but rather to pursue the lost sheep of Israel. This is Paul's definitive declaration that he understands the task he has been given by God: To minister to Gentiles. This brings the Word of God into a fresh perspective for those of us who number among the gentiles! Paul's specific task was to talk to us about Christ's redeeming love and His sacrafice for us, and here we see that Paul understood that task and embraced it.

That said, we can understand that God has specific tasks for us to do, works to perform. Look at Paul's life, the ministry that he led through imprisonment and abuse at the hands of those he ministered to, then look at the outcome of that ministry; there were (according to the Pew Research Center) in 2015 some 2.3 Billion Christians of all ages living in the world.

Take that in for a moment. Think about something you've done or said that has reached an audience of a dozen people that has changed their lives in a fundamental and meaningful way. I'm not talking about Tik Tok views on your latest dance challenge or your grandma's cranberry pudding recipe view count on youtube. I'm talking about people fundamentally believing in something because of something you did. It is mind boggling to think that not only have that many people (in one slice of time) has not only heard the message of God's grace and mercy because of the ministry of one man, but that at some point in time they had a conversion experience where they understood and accepted the message that Christ sent with Paul and changed their lives. What a ministry!

Don't get me wrong...I am not glorifying Paul in this, though I do admire him and his life's work; rather, let me make clear that I am glorifying God who picked the exactly right person to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world outside of His chosen people. What a perfectly plotted and executed plan of salvation! Again we see the beauty of God's plan laid bare in its graceful complexity, and it is awe inspiring, at least to me.

I have a confession to make, dear Reader: I have been feeling numb, empty and useless this week. More days than not, I have felt directionless and useless to myself and moreso to God. I have not had a great week emotionally as I watch the economy worsen, my own family's financial position perch precariously on the edge of disaster, and my own physical weaknesses and ailments that keep me from being what many like to think of as 'successful'. However, I also have been working on what my vision of success looks like. Is success a fancy house? Is it an expensive car or clothes? Is it the admiration of my peers? Or is success measured with something deeper, something more rigorous and lasting than these things that will fade in time? After meditating on this verse and the impact that Paul's ministry has had on the world, I am coming to believe that God's measuring stick for success is much better than the world's. I am always pleasantly surprised when one of my writings gets more than 5 or 10 views, gratified that perhaps my stumbling interpretations and musings may have actually touched someone's heart or brightened their day. I can't imagine affecting millions or billions of people through my life, my actions, my words...but God can. God did.

My Prayer

Father God, mighty and powerful Creator of all, first I thank you for this day and the revelation of your word into my heart! I praise your holy and powerful name and am so thankful for your grace and mercy in my life. I pray for forgiveness for my weaknesses and sinful nature, and am so thankful that the blood of Jesus covers my many faults in your eyes. I pray that You would bless my understanding of Your will and Your word, and that through them You would reveal to me my ministry and purpose. I pray to be a useful tool to You, oh God, and beseech you to bless the works of my hand as a glorious offering of love and faith to You.

I pray for each and every person who reads this, I ask that you would open their eyes and hearts to your word through my own search for purpose in this life Lord, that you would reach and touch them through me so that You may be glorified Lord. I thank you for each person this touches, and pray blessings of Your peace, grace, and mercy on their lives. May they walk in love and holiness.

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray this and all things.

Amen