PAULINE DOXOLOGY - PART 2

FRIDAY 03 NOVEMBER 2023

Apostle Paul must have been in awe of God's grace, because his personal greetings say a lot about his state of mind at that point of expressing his doxology. To dispense valuable greetings is to instil joy in people. Paul started his greetings and commendations right from the beginning of Romans chapter 16, but in general, the chapter recorded a systematic presentation of epistolary protreptic written by Tertius, in four segments, namely, Paul's greetings to specific people in Rome, his admonition to those causing divisions and instigating offenses, contrary to his teaching, the greetings from those who were in his company in Corinth, and his personal closing doxology that bestowed glory on God.

Reference: Romans 16:25-27 New International Version (NIV) "Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith— to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen."

The message of the glorious gospel is more than just truthful principles of prophetic writings to be believed, they are also instructions to be heeded and to live by, and act upon. So what you see in the above versified reference is apostle Paul ascending to the heights of joy, through the acts of commendation, thanksgiving and doxology, because of the impact of his gospel message. That's the reason he was full of cheerful expressions. So he stated, "Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ", meaning: "To the One who is able to strengthen them to live consistently with the good news he shared with them, which is the message regarding the preaching of Christ Jesus..." Got it?

This brings us to the full stream of my expository plan concerning this topic, which entails dividing the versified statements into five definite segments below (for profound in-depth interpretation):

1. Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ,

2. In keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past,

3. But now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God,

4. So that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith,

5. To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Having studied the entire chapter (Romans 16), one of the striking qualities evident in apostle Paul, which is worthy of notice, was his ability to mention the specific names of his committed fellow workers and their nature of service in the house of God, plus the household they belonged to. He could give thanks on behalf of each one of them, mentioning their names in a precise manner, and the accuracy of his expression when it comes to their details was outstanding. He could impressively determine the saintly association they hosted, which fell into various categories, churches and households, and this truth sufficiently accentuated the level of his dedication in his service to God.

If you are not a wise and committed servant of God, you may not have the full knowledge of the people committed into your care, plus their best interest at heart, even if you have them in your written list or digitalised system of operation, unlike Paul who made a significant commitment to actively greet, follow up, communicate, commend and reach out to them in their various communities, regardless of his location in any given situation.

At the present time, it would mean that apostle Paul regularly hosted events, conferences, and church meetings where these saints habitually interacted with him and shared their spiritual and all-round concerns with him, plus a systematic structure in place for effective administration and supervision of a large number of converts and followers, when it comes to global expansion and influence. Stay tuned for more in part 3. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Ephesians 3:20-21; Hebrews 13:20-21; 1 Timothy 1:17; Revelation 5:12-13.

Guided Prayer: Heavenly Father, I bow before your mystery and sacredness, with my doxology which invites all nations to joyously praise and worship you, as the only true and Sovereign God, in Jesus' Name, Amen!