YouTube: https://youtu.be/OW0S-nxxxs0

Download Audio: https://od.lk/f/MV8yOTU3NTc5NjZf
Download Video: https://od.lk/f/MV8yOTU3NTg1MzJf
Download PDF: https://od.lk/f/MV8yOTU3NTg0NzRf

Timothy: Romans 15:14-21
Paul the Minister to the Gentiles

14 But, my brothers, I myself also am persuaded concerning you, that you yourselves also are full of goodness, being filled with all knowledge, being able to warn one another.

15 But I wrote to you more boldly, brothers, as reminding you in part, because of the grace given to me by God,

16 for me to be a minister of Jesus Christ to the nations, sacredly ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the nations might be acceptable, sanctified by the holy spirit [1].

17 Therefore I have boasting in Christ Jesus as to the things pertaining to God.

18 For I will not dare to speak of anything which Christ did not work out through me for the obedience of the nations in word and work,

19 in power of miraculous signs and wonders, in power of the spirit of God [2], so as for me to have fulfilled the preaching of the gospel of Christ from Jerusalem and in a circle as far as Illyricum.

20 And so eagerly striving to preach the gospel where Christ was not named, so that I should not build on another’s foundation,

21 but even as it has been written, “They shall see, to whom nothing was announced concerning Him; and the ones that have not heard shall understand.” Isa. 52:15

[Literal Translation of the Holy Bible]

Dear God, my Beloved Father, I joyfully offer my praise and thanks to You for another day that You have given me. I am grateful for the peace and happiness that You have bestowed upon my family. I thank You for the Eternal Living Word of God that is always available and abundant for those who love You. I pray that Christ will strengthen me, and that the Holy Spirit will help me to understand and contemplate the Word of God. I am thankful to Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Dear Father, I would like to present my understanding of Romans chapter 15 verses 14 to 21, through the teaching of the Holy Spirit.

Dear Father, I understand verse 14 as follows: By the revelation of the Holy Spirit, Paul knew and was convinced that the people of God in Rome were full of goodness and were filled with knowledge by the Holy Spirit so that they could admonish and build up the Church. One is full of goodness when they truly accept the Gospel, are reborn in Christ, and sincerely forsake their sins, fully trusting in the redemptive death of Christ, and then living a new, holy life, obeying the commandments of God. The knowledge that is given to the people of God is the knowledge of God and His Word. Therefore, the people of God know what God wants and how they should live to please Him.

Dear Father, I understand verses 15 and 16 as follows: From chapter 1 verse 1 to chapter 15 verse 13, Paul gave many teachings and instructions to the people of God in Rome. Here, near the end of the letter, Paul paused for a moment to explain that although the people of God in Rome may not know who he is, he is an Apostle of Christ. Not only is he an Apostle of Christ, but he is also set apart to preach the Gospel to non-Jewish people. Therefore, he boldly wrote these teachings and instructions for them.

I understand that sacredly ministering the Gospel of God means the duty to preach the Gospel and present believers to God. Anyone who accepts the Gospel is sanctified by the Holy Spirit and is indwelt by Him, so that their physical body becomes the Temple of God. Therefore, every believer is a sacrifice that the preacher of the Gospel presents to God. Paul brought the Gospel of God’s salvation to many non-Jewish people. He presented those who believed in the Gospel to God as sacrifices that were sanctified by the Holy Spirit when He filled them with the holy spirit [1].

Dear Father, I understand the passage from verses 17 to 19 as follows: The boasting that Paul speaks of here is not prideful boasting but rather the joy in bearing witness to the results of the ministry of preaching the Gospel. He clarifies that the results were not due to his own abilities but rather through the signs and wonders from God that were manifested through him. It was not Paul’s own wisdom but the wisdom of God that filled him. He only preached the Gospel that was revealed to him by Christ. His preaching and actions led many people from different nations to accept the Gospel.

Sadly, nowadays there are many who claim to be preaching the Gospel, but they preach what Paul called “a different gospel”. They mix all sorts of superstitions and false teachings into the message of the Gospel. They interpret the Word of God according to their understanding, creating many false religions. They even falsely claim to perform signs and wonders in the name of the Lord. As Christ warned, as we approach the end times, there will be more false teachers and false prophets.

I understand verses 20 and 21 to mean that Paul avoided preaching the Gospel in places where it had already been preached by someone else. He chose to go to places where the Gospel had not yet been preached so that the people there could have the opportunity to hear and accept the Gospel. Paul wanted the prophecy in Isaiah 52:15 to be fulfilled in the regions where the Gospel had not yet been preached so that people from different nations could hear and understand the Gospel. When they accept the Gospel, they see God in their spirit.

Dear Father, I am one of the people from a different nation who has heard and understood the Gospel, and I have accepted it and seen God in my spirit through the Eternal Living Word of God, the Holy Bible. I am grateful for the salvation that You have given me and the Vietnamese people. I pray that You will continue to show Your mercy to the Vietnamese people so that more and more of them will know and accept the Gospel. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen!

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Timothy Christian Huynh
04/13/2023