“Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world.”
Romans 1:8 (NLT)
Before Paul had ever visited Rome, he was already thanking God for the believers there. Their faith was being talked about all over the world. Paul prayed for people he had never met, longing to visit them, not only to bring them a spiritual blessing, but also to be encouraged and strengthened by their faith.
It is supposed that the church in Rome began through believers who traveled from Rome to Jerusalem for Pentecost, encountered the Holy Spirit, were saved, and returned home. Their faith, fueled by the Holy Spirit, became widely known before Paul ever ministered there. That’s because the best missionary we see throughout the Bible is not Paul. It is the Holy Spirit.
We saw something like this in Antioch of Syria. The Holy Spirit planted and cared for that church through scattered believers and leaders whose names were not famous. That church helped birth Paul’s ministry as an apostle and strengthened him throughout his missionary journeys. In a similar manner, Paul knew these believers in Rome had something to teach him because their fruit revealed that God was doing a mighty work among them.
When God is moving, we are simply servants and vehicles of His will. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the grave and was poured out at Pentecost is still the primary agent of lasting change in the Church. Today, I pray we allow Him to empower us, so our faith becomes widely known, unbelievers are drawn close to hear the Good News, and believers come together to strengthen one another.