First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. Romans 1:8
I heard about a missionary couple who went to a country that was in economic hardship. Previously dominated by a powerful and despotic neigbouring nation, this country was struggling to recover from the mess that the despotic neighbour had left it in. Most of the people were very poor, had few opportunities for employment, and many of them were forced to march off into the fighting that was going on in some areas that still had people who wanted to remain under the umbrella of the despot. Despite the poverty and misery of the people, the missionaries found many hearts open to the Gospel message. They plunged into the work, and rejoiced to see God save a good number of souls, and to see a few small Assemblies planted. Those missionaries and the little companies of believers faced great hardships, but they persevered, and their faithfulness soon became known beyond the borders of their nation. They became an inspiration to many Christians elsewhere, just like the people to whom the apostle Paul is writing in our text today.
Those Christians in Rome knew what hardships were! Persecution had driven many of them into the catacombs beneath the city. Dozens were arrested and executed under cruel persecution by the Roman leaders. Hated and shunned, they were in constant fear for their lives and in constant hunger and pain. But everybody knew about them! The heathen world around them knew, and mocked. But the Christians throughout the Roman empire knew and rejoiced. They gathered encouragement as they heard about the faith of the Roman saints. Paul was not alone in thanking God for the example that those people set in faithfulness. Paul admired the Roman Christians and was quick to tell them so. He encouraged Christians in other areas to consider the example of the Romans and to be like them. This is because he saw them being the kind of Christians and Assemblies that God wanted them to be. Would Paul be so generous in his praise if he could see how well we are conducting ourselves as Christians and as Assemblies in our day?
OK, so we don’t live in the same fear of physical harm that the Roman saints did, nor are we persecuted or starving as they were. Maybe if we had to endure what they did, we would be forced to be shaped into sterner stuff. But God has placed us in our world, within the conditions that exist around us, and He desires that we be found faithful in our environment. We do face two terrible dangers that those Roman saints did not have to battle: apathy and worldliness. Christians and Assemblies all around us are falling victim to these two perils. The world around us has become so attractive that the need to spread the Gospel and the need to be separate from the world are no longer the priorities that they must be if we are to be faithful to our Lord and Saviour.
Has anyone thanked you lately for your faithfulness, and for your Assembly’s faithfulness, to Christ? If not, maybe they just haven’t heard about it yet. Or maybe there is nothing to hear. -Jim MacIntosh