"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God -- the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ." (Rom. 1:1-7.)



I was looking for an appropriate way to start this new venture into cyberworld, and I figured using God's word would be most appropriate. This passage serves two functions. First, it identifies who I am. Second, it serves as a welcome to all who find themselves reading this. It is my earnest prayer that this blog will be a source of encouragement to some and a place where a saving relationship with Jesus Christ may be found for others.



In the opening sentence of this passage, Paul identified himself as a servant of Jesus Christ and called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God. While I do not consider myself an apostle, I do consider myself a servant of Jesus Christ who has been set apart for the gospel of God. I have been a follower of Jesus Christ since I was 18, but I have received a call on my life to teach, train, and equip others to "make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19). This blog is an extension of how I intend to do that.



This passage also has a message for all who read it. In verse 6 it says, "And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ." Some of you read that verse and a comforted by it. You have heard that call from God and are among those who have a saving relationship with His son Jesus Christ. Some of you reading this may find yourself being "called" but not "among" those belonging to Jesus Christ. If that's the case, read verse 5. Faith is required of you to be "among" those belonging to Jesus Christ. Faith in what? Faith in what Jesus Christ has done for you. I encourage you to follow the "Romans Road" to find that faith in Jesus Christ (Read these verses in succesion: Rom. 3:23, Rom. 6:23, Rom. 5:8, Rom. 10:9, Rom. 5:1). If you have any questions after reading these, email me. I'd love to here from you.



I conclude this post with the final words from verse 7. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.