Talk about your holy ground . . . talk about entering into the deep things of God . . . talk about the gospel, the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes . . . and, you’re talking about Paul’s letter to the Romans. And while I anticipate a “refresher course” in things concerning the sin of all men . . . justification by faith . . . reconciliation through faith . . . putting off the old man and becoming slaves of righteousness . . . new life in the Spirit . . . God’s never ending love . . . His absolute Sovereignty in matters of our free-to-chose salvation . . . and the host of practical implications which result from such truth . . . while there’s going to be a lot of “schooling” over the next few weeks, it’s something in Paul’s introduction to this letter that grabbed me this morning. The thought of mutual encouragement . . .

“For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you–that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” (Romans 1:11-12 ESV)

Paul wanted to go to Rome. Not to see the city . . . not to visit the place where “it was happening”, the home of the emperor and the seat of power founded in the senate . . . not to take in it’s cutting edge architecture, the fine buildings, the arts, the riches, grandeur . . . not the city’s glory . . . but he wanted to go to Rome to see the believers, those “called to belong to Jesus Christ . . . loved by God and called to be saints” (1:6,7). They were the prize of Rome . . . God’s people . . . and Paul so wanted to do some face to face time with them.

He wanted to impart to them some spiritual gift. While some would say the “gift” was some extraordinary signs and wonders type of gift, my thinking would align more with those who’d say it was the gift of teaching and exhortation . . . passing on to them some of the spiritual insight he had received from the Lord and from racking up a few miles in spreading the gospel throughout Asia minor. Stories? Paul had stories to tell. Lessons learned? He had a few of those as well. Theology? Yup, he could spend a few hours laying out, precept by precept, the deep things of God. Application? You bet . . . there would be a few “therefore’s” as he preached among their gathering or as they conversed over the dining room table. Paul wanted to be with them to strengthen them in their faith.

But get this . . . for Paul it wasn’t just about imparting . . . but he knew that, to be with them, would be to receive as well. He had hung out with God’s people enough to know the reality of the “iron sharpening iron” (Prov. 27:17) dynamic of quality fellowship. Sure, these Roman believers hadn’t been schooled in the Old Testament as Paul had been in his Pharisee days . . . and they certainly couldn’t have imagined the crash course Paul took at THU (Third Heaven University, 2Cor. 12:2-4) where he was tutored one-on-one by the risen Lord Himself (Gal. 1:11-12) . . . but, there’s something about hanging out with people who keep on keepin’ on for Jesus that has a way fueling the tank.

There’s a dynamic that should exist when God’s people get together . . . whether to “do church” on Sunday . . . or during the week for home study . . . or over the kitchen table, playing games or just talking through life together . . . a dynamic of mutual encouragement. Each giving . . . each receiving . . . each being comforted as they share the faith together. It’s the dynamic spoken of by Paul in Ephesians where he says that we are a body, “joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Eph. 4:16). A body whose head is Christ . . . a body which, when it comes together, whether as whole or just a couple of members, has the ingredients for a mini-revival meeting . . . each imparting spiritual gifts born out of walking with Jesus . . . and each receiving encouragement as they work through together what it means to walk by faith.

Oh . . . to know such sweet fellowship! How you gotta love God’s people . . . hangin’ with them . . . being encouraged by them . . . perhaps, by God’s grace, being a bit of encouragement to them. Now, that’s holy ground! Amen?