Romans
We who are strong ought to bear with the frailties of the weak and not just please
ourselves.
Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him
up.
For the Messiah did not please himself, but as it is written, “The insults
of those who insult You fall on me.”
For everything that was written in the
past was written for our learning, so that through perseverance and the
encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Now may the God of
perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one
another, following Messiah Jesus,
so that with one mind you may with one
voice glorify the God and Father of our lord Jesus Messiah.
So accept one another, just as the Messiah also accepted us, to the glory
of God.
For I tell you that Messiah has become a servant to the Jews for the truth of
God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers,
and so that the Gentiles
glorify God for His mercy. As it is written, “So then I will praise You
among the Gentiles, and sing to Your name.”
Again it says, “Rejoice, you
Gentiles, with His people!”
And “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Let all
peoples praise Him.”
And again Isaiah says, “There will come the shoot of
Jesse,
the one who arises to rule over the Gentiles.
In him the Gentiles
will hope.”
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in
believing, so that you may overflow with hope in the power of holy spirit.
I myself am persuaded about you, my brothers and sisters, that you are
full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one
another.
But I have written boldly to you on some points to remind you. This is because of the grace that was given to me by God
to be a minister of
Messiah Jesus to the Gentiles. I serve as a priest of God’s Gospel,
so that
my offering up of the Gentiles may become acceptable, being made holy by
the holy spirit.
So then my boasting is in Messiah Jesus in things pertaining
to God.
For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Messiah worked through me leading to the obedience of the Gentiles, in word and work,
in
the power of signs and wonders, in the power of God’s spirit. So from Jerusalem
as far as Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the Gospel of the Messiah.
And it was my goal to proclaim the Gospel in places where Messiah was not
already named, so that I would not be building on another’s foundation,
but
as it is written, “Those who had no news of him will see, and those who have
not heard will understand.”
That is why I was prevented on many occasions from coming to you.
But now, with nothing more to keep me in these regions, and since I have
for many years wanted to come to you,
when I travel to Spain I will
visit you. For I hope to see you on my journey and to be helped on my way there
by you, after first enjoying your company for a while.
But now I am going
to Jerusalem to serve the saints,
because it has been the good pleasure of
Macedonia and Achaia to make a contribution for the poor among the saints
in Jerusalem.
Yes, they were delighted to do this, and they are in debt to those Jerusalem saints. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they owe it to them to serve them in material things.
So when I have accomplished this and have
delivered this contribution to them, I will see you on my way to Spain.
I
know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of
the Messiah.
I urge you, brothers and sisters, through our lord Jesus Messiah and through the
love of the spirit, to join me earnestly in prayer to God for me.
Pray that I
may be delivered from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my
ministry in Jerusalem will prove acceptable to the saints,
so that by the will
of God I may come to you in joy and in your company find rest and refreshing.
May the
God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Romans