¹¹ For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; ¹² that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.

Whatever else we may say about the apostle Paul, he was a man of relationships, not an academic recluse holed up in an ivory tower. He was with people, ministering to them and loving them no matter the personal cost to himself. At the time he wrote this letter, he had already taken three missions tours around the eastern Mediterranean area. By rights he had “earned” a time of retirement. His “body of work” was huge in that many churches had been established, and Christianity was well entrenched in that part of the world. But he had set his eyes on areas not yet evangelized, as far away as Spain (15:24, 28). This was no time for taking his ease and settling into his “sunset years”; he was hitting his stride. In fact, this letter to Romans reflects years of preaching the gospel, honed in the furnace of doctrinal conflict with false teachers. God used all those experiences to bring together in one letter the most complete presentation of the gospel message. We can be so thankful Paul did not retire before this point! God continued to use him greatly well past this time (for a number of his letters had yet to be written).

His primary goal in visiting Rome was not to begin a new evangelistic work there, for that had already taken place. Rather, he wanted to accomplish three things. First, he wanted to “impart some spiritual gift.” The word “gift” is the Greek word “charisma,” which is related to the word “charis,” usually translated “grace.” Paul wanted to share with them the grace of God as embodied in his ministry to them. Whenever we serve people with our spiritual gift, we are a means of God’s grace being poured out on them. We are God’s gift; we are His grace to others. And that’s what Paul wanted to be to the Romans.

Second, he wanted to establish them (more) in their faith. As mentioned before, the church already existed, but Paul wanted to shore up the foundation. The work of serving a church is never completed, as though once it has been planted it could carry on without any further help. We all need God’s grace working in community so that we would be built up “to the measure of Christ’s full stature … as each one does its part, the body grows in love” (Eph 4:13, 16).

Third, Paul wanted to experience with them mutual encouragement (the same word used of the Holy Spirit and often translated “comforter”). He valued the partnership of others and the input they had in his life.

Lord, help me be an avenue of Your grace in someone’s life today. And thank You for those who have been an encouragement to me in my life and ministry.