His Time - Church and Mental Illness Workshop, Witness Wednesday, Paul the Minister to the Gentiles

1. Church and Mental Illness Workshop

Rev. Todd Peperkorn, pastor Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Rocklin, CA, & Stephanie Neugebauer, Director of Life & Health Ministries in the Office of National Mission – LCMS, talk about the upcoming Church and Mental Illness Workshop that will be held at Concordia Seminary on April 9.

2. Witness Wednesday

With Rev. Mark Wood, Director of Witness and Outreach in the LCMS Office of National Mission.

3. Daily Lectionary

Rev. Shawn Kumm of Zion Lutheran Church in Laramie, WY looks at Romans 15:14-33 “Paul the Minister to the Gentiles“.

4. Matins Sermonette

Today’s sermonette is by Rev. Shawn Kumm of Zion Lutheran Church in Laramie, WY.

"The Bible is cradle wherein Christ is laid." - Martin Luther — “The Bible is cradle wherein Christ is laid.” – Martin Luther

Romans 15:14-33

Paul the Minister to the Gentiles

¹⁴I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers,^[a] that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. ¹⁵But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God ¹⁶to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁷In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. ¹⁸For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, ¹⁹by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; ²⁰and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, ²¹but as it is written,

“Those who have never been told of him will see,
and those who have never heard will understand.”

Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome

²²This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. ²³But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, ²⁴I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. ²⁵At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. ²⁶For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. ²⁷For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. ²⁸When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected,^[b] I will leave for Spain by way of you. ²⁹I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing^[c] of Christ.

³⁰I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, ³¹that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, ³²so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. ³³May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.