ROMANS UNWRAPPED 226

"For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you.   But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come to you; whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you if first I be somewhat filled with your company.   But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints.   For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achai to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.   It hath pleased them verily; and theie debtors they are.   For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.   When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain.   And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ."       Romans 15v22-29 .

"For this cause;"   that is the cause of the fulfillment of his preaching where he was.   He must in a sense fill up to the brim the cup of blessing in Macedonia, but now he is free to move on (Romans 1v13). Having evangelized territories covered by three missionary journeys, he reveals that he has had  "a great desire" to visit the saints at Rome.   However before he does so he must go to Jerusalem with the gift of the Macedonian saints for the poor in Jerusalem.   Paul never forgot the request of the apostles in Acts chapter 15, that in all his travels amongst the Gentiles he would not  "forget the poor."   This situation bespeaks a marvelous set of circumstances created by the Lord Himself.   He sent a great famine into Israel which brought many Jews including Christians into deep poverty.   The story is found in Acts 11v27-30.   In the interests of essential global unity of the church, the God of heaven created a need in Israel, and met that need through the generosity of the Gentile saints whom he had prospered.   In this way the Jewish believers were grateful of the support from their Gentile brethren, and the Gentiles were happy to supply what he calls "fruit" in the Spirit towards their Jewish brethren who had brought the gospel to them.   How marvelous are the ways of God!       

Paul makes a threefold appeal to the saints at Rome.   He appeals for their material help in funding in part his missionary journeys; he appeals for their social help, desiring to be in their company to share the things of the Lord; and he appeals for their spiritual help in prayer for all things.   From all these things we deduce the following:

• The Lord's work needs funding:     It is no different today.
• It is not wrong to appeal for financial help, making known needs, in the work of God.
• Fellowship, socially, in the things of God is very important.
• Those who benefit in spiritual things from others, are duty bound to supply material needs in return.
• Paul describes the giving of material things to the poor saints in Jerusalem as "fruit."
• Mutual fellowship shared both materially and spiritually will ensure the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.

There is a strong link in scripture between the giving of our material blessings and the prosperity of spiritual blessings.   Paul describes the amazing liberality of the churches in Macedonia in 2nd Corinthians 8v1-3.   He calls it  "the grace of God bestowed upon them."   The result was that  "in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality."   In the context of stewardship in Luke 16v10 Jesus said  "He that is faithful in that which is least (material things) is faithful also in much (spiritual things).   My late uncle Willie Neilly once said  "Those who are mean materially, are generally also mean spiritually," and he was the living example of the opposite of that.   The prophet Malachi records God's words to Israel  "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it."    Malachi 3v10.  

He says in verse 28   "I will come by you into Spain."     This was to share spiritual things with them  (Romans 1v11-12), and for them to share the financial burden of his intended mission to Spain.   In the event, it is unlikely he reached Spain, but the gospel did and still does today.