Romans 15:14-16 (NIV)

Romans 15:14-16 (NIV)
14 I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.
15 I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me
16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

Paul is beginning to bring his letter to a close. Paul acknowledges that he has written a strong letter. He even says, "I have written you quite boldly on some points..." which, in my opinion, is an understatement (read chapter one again). Paul is wanting them to know that he believes in them, but like anyone else they need to be reminded of God's truth. Paul believes in them so much he says, "...that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another." I think that it would be a good prayer for us that we be full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. Even with that as our prayer we will still need to be reminded of God's truth. Paul sees his whole ministry as a gift from God. Paul was a teacher of the law to the Jews, but God made him a missionary to the Gentiles. Listen to how Paul describes himself, "...a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles...". I believe first and foremost we must see ourselves as ministers of Christ Jesus. You cannot imagine how important it is to have the right mindset about who you are. You are a minister of Christ Jesus the Lord. When everything else goes wrong you are to always come back to this identity. A high priority for our church is to help people to see themselves as God sees them. We do not represent ourselves, our church, or our country--we represent Jesus Christ! Paul's goal as Christ's minister was to present Gentiles to God as an acceptable offering. In a way we are a product of Paul's ministry. Pray for yourself and for Crosspoint that those who attend would see themselves as ministers of Christ.

Our greatest need today is not more Christianity but more true Christians. The world can argue against Christianity as an institution, but there is no convincing argument against a person who, through the Spirit of God, has been made Christlike.

Billy Graham (1918– )