¹⁵. . . and when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.

Paul’s heart rejoiced, overflowing with thanksgiving when he saw the delegation of believers coming from Rome to meet him. It had been a long while since he wrote them of his plans to visit them, and now he finally made it. Listen to how he anticipated this visit:

Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom. 1:1-7)

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; 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. (Rom. 1:8-12)

I have often been prevented from coming to you; but now, with no further place for me in these regions, and since I have had for many years a longing to come to you whenever I go to Spain—for I hope to see you in passing, and to be helped on my way there by you, when I have first enjoyed your company for a while— but now, I am going to Jerusalem serving the saints. (Rom. 15:22-25)

Although he had never been to Rome, the apostle knew many of the believers there. Many of them he discipled. In the final chapter of his letter, Paul explicitly names twenty-seven of them, whom he variously describes as “my beloved,” “fellow worker,” “kinsman,” “fellow prisoner,” “choice man in the Lord,” etc. We can safely say the church in Rome was begun by those whom Paul had won to Christ, worked alongside, suffered with, and discipled.

Lord, I pray that my influence on others will help them in their spiritual growth.