You're part of a long line of saints whom God raised up to serve His Church.
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Romans 16 Summary
Chapter 16 is certainly different from the other 15 chapters in Romans, and it might seem tempting to just skip over it since it's just a bunch of names we don't recognize. But as with all of the Bible, there's something to learn about in each chapter.
Look a little closer at the names listed and you'll see that they represent all sorts of nationalities and various levels of society. This chapter shows exactly what the Church is: a gathering of all sorts of different people who only have one thing in common: they've been grafted into Jesus Christ. It also helps to know that the church has always been comprised of regular, ordinary people.
The book of Romans is all about how we've been given peace with God through Christ. Although he opened this letter stating that the wrath of God is being revealed (1:18), Paul now closes it with a tribute to the God of peace (v20).
But God's peace is not passive or weak, rather it's the result of strength and victory. Here's what you can expect as a result of having peace with God:
The God of Peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
Dig Deeper
Not all who claim Christ are on our side.
That harsh statement is the reality that Paul communicates in v17. The Church has always been burdened with people who seek to cause division and create obstacles for those whom Christ has set free.
In Paul's day these were Jewish Christians who tried to obligate Gentile Christians into keeping all sorts of Old Testament requirements.
In our day, our own denomination is under attack from people who seem to profess their love for Christ, but yet do not live under His Lordship. They do this by continually redefining as good what's always been considered sinful.
Paul writes, For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve (v18).
Pray for wisdom as our church seeks to call our divisive brethren back into a right relationship with God.
AAA Prayer:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our eternal, only wise God and Father (v27)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you can serve the Church as these early saints did.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
