Romans 1:11-15

"(11) I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong - (12) that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. (13) I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among other Gentiles. (14) I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. (15) That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel als0 to you who are at Rome."

It's really clear to me that Paul is eager to reach Rome. He says in verse 12 that he wants to go so that they could "be mutually encouraged by each other's faith." So what? Well I think that Paul is giving us a perfect reason to go to church or Bible study or read blogs and books written by Christians - mutual encouragement by experiencing the faith of others. I've often heard that each Christian is like a cup that is constantly being drained by life. To fill up this cup you need to be exposed to God through His word and church, but it's not enough - we need to be encouraged by fellow believers. One of the reasons I love my church is because I regularly get to hear the testimonies of regular people and how God has worked in their lives. How encouraging to know that God doesn't just work in my preachers life, but in everybody's life! I think Paul especially needed this encouragement so I completely understand him wanted to spend time with the believers of Rome whose faith had reached the world.

Alrighty, so Paul tells the Romans he's tried to come to them many times so that he "might have a harvest" among the Romans just as he's had among other Gentiles. Quick definition Gentiles - non-Jewish people. So Paul had a lot of success in places like Syria, Galatia, Asia, and Macedonia and wanted the same thing in Rome. In verse 14 he explains why he wants this success - obligation to Greeks and non-Greeks, the educated and non-educated. I'd say that pretty much means he was obligated to everyone. I think that a lot of modern Christians don't take this seriously. We don't feel an obligation to those outside our church. Obviously that's not true for everything because Christians and Christian organizations are spending so much time and money on Haiti right now, but what happens when the attention dies down? I hope we don't forget our obligation is to spread the word among all the nations and not just cocoon ourselves in our church. We need the encouragement of our Christian brothers and sisters, but we need to get out there and be the face of God.