Eager to Preach the Gospel in Rome II

Passage: Romans 1:8-15

Romans is the only letter Paul wrote to people he had never met, to a church he had not started, in a city he had never visited.  But he had certainly heard about them and their faith.

And that in its own right is remarkable.  Why would we say their faith is remarkable?  There are Christians in the capital of the Roman empire, right under the nose of Caesar.  Are you kidding?  Faith in Rome, the greatest city in the world, the proudest, most advanced city, the most educated, the most powerful, most decadent city in the world.

Think NYC, DC, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Paris, London.  Cities are not humble places, they are hustling, bustling centers of commerce, skyscrapers, rich, famous, powerful people.

When I was at Wheaton College and friends would visit, I would take them into Chicago, up the world’s tallest building, Sears Tower, Chicago Art Museum.  If a girl was visiting, I would take her up Michigan Avenue to the Magnificent Mile, one of the most famous shopping areas in the world, Nordstroms, Saks Fifth Avenue, I Magnum, Marshalls, Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus.

Cities are proud places, not humble places, cities are secular places, not known for faith.

This little church in Rome was letting their light shine, not for their glory, but for the glory of the Father.  The church in Rome was small, but not insignificant.  So how did their faith become spoken of all over the Roman Empire?

Under the Emperor Claudius there was a great persecution of the Jewish people and he exiled all Jews from Rome.  This included Jewish Christians, brothers and sisters from this church, who were scattered.  They shared their faith wherever they went.  Among them were Priscilla and Aquila, a Jewish couple who fled to Corinth, Greece (see Acts 18:1-4).  When Paul arrived there he stayed with them a year and a half.  It was then Paul wrote this letter and shared his heart’s desire to come to the Romans.