Romans 15:16: That I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

The Gentiles are “acceptable”—apart from the Law or any religion—through Christ as preached by Paul. “Sanctified”—the Holy Spirit indwelt the gentile believers, beginning with Cornelius. The sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit begins with Jew and Gentile the moment of regeneration when the Spirit of God takes up His abode within the believer. Paul gave the gospel, but God gave the Holy Spirit when they believed. It must be kept in mind that Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles in a very special sense. As a high priest, Paul offered up the Gentiles, making an offering unto God. It is difficult for us today to fathom the full significance of all this, and yet we as Gentiles have entered into all that this implies. My friend, if you have never thanked God for the apostle Paul, you should thank Him right now. God gave Paul to us. For this reason we should read his Epistle to the Romans. 1

Application

  • How can you best minister the gospel of Jesus Christ to others using words?
  • How can you best minister the gospel of Jesus Christ to others without using words?

Prayer

Lord, help me to better understand how the Holy Spirit wants to work in my life everyday.

1. McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Epistles (Romans 9-16) (electronic ed., Vol. 43). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

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Tommy Blumberg

Tommy Blumberg

Tommy Blumberg was ordained as a Calvary Chapel pastor in 1985, where he served as an assistant pastor at Calvary Fellowship, in Seattle. In 1992, Pastor Tom, his wife Pam, and their three daughters moved to Bellingham and began a Bible study, which led to the founding of Calvary Chapel Northwest. Tom blogs regularly at TommyBlumberg.com.