Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus called to be 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 descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ, our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
– Romans 1:1–6
How’s that for an introduction? Paul describing who he is from the very beginning as a servant of Jesus. Then he gives us this picture from the very beginning of the book of Romans. The glory of Jesus descended from David. The son of man declared to be the son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead through whom?
Romans 1:1–6 Focuses on Paul’s Desire for the Gospel to Reach the Gentiles
So this is where I really want us to focus, meditate on, pray according to verse five. Through whom? Through Jesus, we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations. And there’s a ton we could talk about just in that one verse. But I want us to think from the very beginning of the book of Romans. This is one of the most incredible pictures in the Bible of the Gospel. These first eight chapters of Romans are breathtaking.
Eight of the most glorious chapters in all of the Bible. And then the practical implications of the gospel that flow in our lives and in the church in chapters 9 through 16. But notice Paul’s purpose in writing. Not just in writing the book of Romans, but in living he has received grace from God for this purpose.
This is why he is writing and this is why he is living, to bring about the obedience of faith. So to lead people to trust and obey God for the sake of Jesus’ name among all the nations. In other words, this focus on the nations and the proclamation of Jesus’ name among the nations is the whole reason Paul is writing and the whole reason Paul is living.
And it’s why every day on this podcast, we pray for the nations. We pray for specific people groups where the obedience of faith is not happening. Groups where the name of Jesus is not known. We don’t pray like this just because this is David Platt’s podcast and he is passionate about the nations. Know every follower of Jesus, this is why we live. We want to see Jesus’ name known among all the nations. This is the air which Christians breathe, all Christians.
Romans 1:1–6 Encourages Us to Live on Mission
This is the air which the church breathes. We live to see the name of our King known, enjoyed, exalted, and obeyed, and believed in all the nations. And I do think we miss this. I think we consider mission to the nations as kind of a side thing in the Bible when it is the air that the Bible breathes. It’s pulsing through every page.
And I pray it would pulse through our hearts and our lives on a daily basis. That we would connect where we’re living, what we’re doing day in and day out in our lives with the spread of God’s glory among the nations. Starting where we live, praying and giving, living and working to see Jesus’ name known among every single nation. God, we pray that you would captivate all of our hearts to live and breathe for the glory of Jesus’ name among all the nations.
God, we pray that would affect how we live today. I think about a guy I was just sharing the gospel with from Bangladesh. He doesn’t know Jesus and the beauty of the name of Jesus. God, we pray for him and for multitudes of people around us today like him. Those who don’t know the wonder and the truth and the grace it’s found in the name of Jesus.
Prayer for the Aji People
Help us to live today wherever we work, wherever we go to school, wherever we find ourselves today, spreading His name and God among people and people, groups, and nations around the world where Jesus’ name is not known at all. God for the Aji people of Indonesia, these South Sumatran people in 14 different villages. God, we pray right now for the spread of Jesus’ fame and the glory of Jesus’ name in all 14 Aji villages of South Sumatra, Indonesia.
Lord, please bring it about and raise up people who will live specifically for the spread of Jesus’ name among the Aji and among thousands of other people groups in the world until the obedience of faith is brought about for the sake of Jesus’ name among all the nations. God, help us to live for this starting right where you put us today and going wherever you lead us in our lives, use us, spend us and all that you’ve given to us for the sake of Jesus’ name among all the nations. May this be the version of Christianity? May this biblical picture of Christianity mark our lives and our families and our churches. We pray in Jesus’ name and for Jesus’ name, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
