Romans 15:14-33

¹⁴I'm convinced that you, my brothers and sisters, are full of goodness, and that you are filled with every kind of knowledge, so you are well able to teach one another.

¹⁵I've been blunt in the way I have written to you about some of these things, but this is just to remind you. For God gave me grace

¹⁶to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the foreigners, like a priest sharing God's good news, so that they could become an acceptable offering, made holy by the Holy Spirit.

¹⁷So even though I have something to boast about because of my service for God,

¹⁸(I wouldn't dare talk about any of this except as Christ has done it through me), I have led foreigners to obedience through my teaching and demonstration,

¹⁹through the power of signs and miracles done with the Holy Spirit's power. From Jerusalem all the way over to Illyricum, everywhere I've shared fully the good news of Christ.

²⁰In fact I was keen to spread the good news in places that hadn't heard the name of Christ, so that I wouldn't be building on what others have done.

²¹As Scripture says, “Those who haven't been told the good news will discover him, and those who haven't heard will understand.”

²²That's why I was prevented so many times from coming to see you.

²³But now, as there's nowhere left here to work, and since I've looked forward to visiting you for many years,

²⁴when I go to Spain I hope to see you when I pass through. Maybe you can give me some help for my journey once we've enjoyed some time together.

²⁵At the moment I'm on my way to Jerusalem to help the believers there,

²⁶because the believers in Macedonia and Achaia thought it was a good idea to send a contribution to the poor among the believers in Jerusalem.

²⁷They were happy to do this because they're in their debt. Now that foreigners are sharing their spiritual benefits, they owe it to the Jewish believers to help them in material things.

²⁸So once I've done this, and have safely delivered this contribution to them, I'll visit you on my way to Spain.

²⁹I know that when I come, Christ will give us his full blessing.

³⁰I want to encourage you, my brothers and sisters through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to join together in praying hard for me.

³¹Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea. Pray that my work in Jerusalem will be welcomed by the believers there.

³²Pray that I will come to you with gladness, as God wills, so we can enjoy one another's company.

³³May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.