Faithbase

Listen to how Paul describes who he wants to be. Romans chapter 15 verse 14 and 15. For I am by God's grace a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the good news and offer you up as a fragrant sacrifice to God. That's how Paul defined himself. His attitude was God has given me a message to take to the world. Now specifically for him it was a message to the Gentiles right? But his job as he looked at that, as he looked at the call, as he looked at the message, his job was to help them know Christ, come to know Christ, discover Christ, become mature in Christ. And here's the thing I want you to see inside of that. The definition that he places on himself is the same definition that you and I should place on ourselves as well. You are God's special messenger to the world that you have been placed in. You are God's special messenger. Your life is not defined by the title you have or or the office that you go to. You're not just a fill-in-the-blank of whatever occupation because a lot of times in discussions like this that's what we fill in the blank with right? We're not just a teacher or a firefighter or a nurse or an accountant or a student or retired. We're not any of that. You are. You are God's special messenger called to communicate to others the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now that is something to be excited about. That is something to be purposeful about. Look at verse 17. So it is right for me to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God. The King James Version says it this way and I like this. Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God. Paul was excited about who he was. He was excited about his mission in life. In fact in verse 18 he says, I dare not boast of anything else. The NIV translates that verse. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles. Remember he's a special messenger to the Gentiles right? You are a special messenger to the world that you have been placed in right? I venture not to speak anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said or done. And listen to those two categories. Highlight those two categories right there. What I say and what I do. What I say and what I do. They have to be consistent. They have to be running parallel with each other. Because Paul, his message didn't merely just consist of words. He didn't tell people, just tell people how to get their hearts right with God. He demonstrated to others what a life with God looks like. Because Paul wants to see, let me say it this way, he wanted others to see what God was doing in his life. He wants to see what God is doing in the lives of others. And the call for you and I is exactly the same. That when we come to know Jesus and there's that there's that genuine beautiful pathway of spiritual development that we begin to walk down. When other people see that, when other people begin to see our spiritual development, I believe they will begin to hear the special message, the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ that you have been called to share.