Romans 15:17-20
In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation,
Tag: Be Proud of Your Work ... “If ...”
To hear the Apostle Paul be “proud” of his work, or himself, is quite striking. Notice what Paul has written in other books:
1 Corinthians 1:29
so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
1 Corinthians 13:4
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
Galatians 6:14
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
That is why the first words in these verses are so powerful. Paul begins by saying, “In Christ Jesus ...”. Paul has no reason to NOT boast when he is speaking of the work he has done “in Christ” and how Christ, through His power, has enabled Paul to present the gospel. Paul recognized the power of the Holy Spirit doing the work in his life. He did not claim any special power. He did not claim some special personality trait. He claimed the power of the Spirit as the source of his work. To the point he was willing to go other places to do the work “least he build on someone else’s foundation.” Today, personalities build on the foundation of others to build their work. Their personality, or programs, or “franchise tag line” gets the work done. But, Paul, in Christ, built his work on the power of the Holy Spirit “in Christ.”
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