the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in jerusalem, so you must testify also in rome.” [acts 23:11]
they say absence makes the heart grow fonder. in paul’s case, this appears to be true of the church in rome. these fellow brothers, whom he has never met, are becoming near and dear to his heart. why? because this servant of Christ who has experienced the grace of Christ, has clung to the grace of Christ, and is now living out of the grace of Christ, knows how to stir his affections for the bride of Christ.
it is knowing the love Christ has for his bride (believers across the world from the beginning of time to the end) that gives paul a love for these fellow disciples whom he doesn’t know. this is not a people he loves because they are like him, and this is not a people he loves because they have been loving toward him, but this is a people he loves because they are a people Christ loves. [to all those in rome who are loved by God and called to be saints. rom 1:7] oh, to stir this kind of love in our own hearts for the bride!
paul, in this passage in acts, knows he has been appointed to go to rome, to find the church there, and to build them up in truth and love. but in the Lord’s perfect timing, he is having to wait. in fact, he has had to wait for a long time. so in the meantime, how is his love for them growing? how can we grow our love for God’s people in the same way?
- he hears about them [rom 1:8]- paul is receiving encouraging reports, which means he is asking. in his longing to see Christ glorified across the nations, he loves to hear of how the Lord is working in the hearts of believers. are you seeking this same kind of encouraging report? asking fellow believers to share what the Lord is doing in their hearts and lives and families should be a regular part of our conversations!
- he thanks God for them [rom 1:8]- the accounts of God working in the lives of these believers drives paul to worship in thanksgiving. and so his affection for them is stirred. are you offering up this same kind of thanksgiving? lifting up hands of thanks for our brothers and sisters should be a regular part of our day!
- he prays for them continually [rom 1:9]- paul labors day and night for the bride. but this doesn’t necessarily mean he is physically among them. sometimes it does, but much of his labor over the church was done from a prison cell. much of his labor over the church was done on his knees in prayer. are you bringing those in the body before him with the same kind of consistency, continually in prayer for them? asking for the refining and purifying of his bride and encouragement of the saints should be a regular part of our time spent with the Lord!
- he longs to use his spiritual gifts to encourage them [1:11]- paul has been given the gift of teaching and apostleship, as well as preaching and evangelism. we see him exercise and strengthen these gifts regularly by using them in local bodies all over the known world. now he is thinking of how he can use them to build up the church in rome. are you looking for ways to use your gifts to build up God’s church in this same way? serving the body by stewarding our gifts of the Spirit should be a regular part of our week!
- he longs to stir up and strengthen their own spiritual gifts [1:12]- again, as a servant and disciple-maker of Christ, paul loves to see the bride using gifts to build one another up and to be a beacon of light to the world. even though he hasn’t met these brothers, he is already thinking about how to stir them up. are you seeking to walk alongside others in this same way? stirring one another up to love and good deeds in the context of discipleship or peer relationships should be a regular part of our thoughts and desires and plans!
paul is growing such warm affections for the church in rome because of his affection for Christ. having been filled with his grace, and having been filled with his Spirit, Christ’s love for his bride overflows in paul’s heart. as he waits to meet them, he is intentionally seeking to love them. as a follower of Christ, you have been filled with this same grace and the same Spirit, called to stir the same love for the bride in your own heart. today, ask Jesus to give you the same love he has for his bride. thank God for her, pray for her, and ask for creative ways that you can walk in the Spirit to serve her and build her up in him!
~arwen eastman