F O O T H O L D
READING
77 MASTER : MISSIONARY :
MESSAGE
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PRAY Help me to grasp
something new and fresh about yourself and your
Gospel, Lord God
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READ Romans 1:1-17.
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THINK How does Paul describe
himself in the opening paragraph? How does
he describe Jesus in this
passage? (Make a list).
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FOCUS Paul's letter to Rome
begins like any other ancient letter.
Without wasting words he
notes who is writing, to whom it is
addressed and the central
theme of his message.
MASTER. Paul is keen to make
certain his readers are sure about
Jesus. he reminds them that
Jesus is truly God and truly human.
It is no accident that Jesus
is a descendant of David (3). As a
jew, Jesus was born into a
community to which God had revealed
himself as the one, holy,
living God. It was the nation to whom
he promised the Messiah.
Paul has no doubts that
Jesus is God's son. For him, the
resurrection is the ultimate
proof. Furthermore Paul has met the
living Christ on Damascus
Road (Acts 9:4-6). Only such an
encounter could have changed
Saul the persecutor into Paul the
servant.
MISSIONARY. Paul, possibly
the greatest 'missionary' of all time,
is largely responsible for
the spread of the church across the
Roman Empire. He hadn't
planted the church at Rome but is
delighted that it is
flourishing (8-12). Paul is certainly shown
here as an activist but also
as a praying person.
MESSAGE. Paul's eagerness to
preach the Gospel and his confidence
in its power comes load and
clear through this section. It opens
the way for the teaching of
the whole letter. Look carefully at
verse 17 and chew over each
word. Learn it by heart.
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PRAY Pray that the Gospel
and its power to work in people's lives will
grip you today.
