Romans 15:20: And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation,
Basic to Paul’s dream was the obsession to preach where the gospel had not been preached, wherever that might be. He voices this explicitly in 2 Corinthians 10:16: “… so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man’s territory.” This was an immense obsession. We do not know exactly what Paul hoped to do, but our text tells us he hoped to visit Rome (to have some fellowship with the church he had never seen) and then catch a ship for Iberia and begin his Spanish campaign. David Livingstone was cut out of the same mold as the Apostle Paul. When Livingstone volunteered as a missionary with the London Missionary Society and they asked him where he wanted to go, he replied, “Anywhere, so long as it is forward.” Paul dreamed impossible dreams. This was fundamental to the greatness of Paul as a missionary, for dreams always precede action. 1
Application
- I know what it is like to go somewhere, not knowing what God might do, and to build a work by teaching the Bible. I thank God often for leading me in this work. We need your prayers now, more than ever.
- What fresh dream does God have for you? How equipped are you to walk in faith?
Prayer
Lord, raise up the pioneering heart of more believers.
1. Hughes, R. K. (1991). Romans: righteousness from heaven. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.