The Jerusalem Collection

INTRO

Romans 14 contains a series of “one another’s.” Believers were commanded to edify, encourage, and build up “one another.” Romans 15 will exhort believers to “please one another.”

TEACHING

Romans 15:1-4: When we think about serving others, we tend to think about doing things that we don’t really want to do: the dishes, cutting the grass, picking up around the house, etc. But what would it look like for us to serve others in spiritual matters? John Macarthur pointed out that the word translated “to bear” in this passage is the same word used to describe carrying a pitcher of water (Mark 14:13), carrying a person (Acts 21:35), and of figuratively bearing an obligation (Acts 15:10).¹ Paul’s exhortation to the Romans was for them to do whatever they could to help ease the burden of their brothers and sisters in Christ. Burden bearing could have been as simple as helping perform a mundane task, sharing a word of encouragement, or anything that put pleasing someone else before themselves.

Jesus was the ultimate demonstration of serving others before Himself. But the Romans could also find encouragement to care for one another in this way throughout Scripture. The Romans were to take the focus off themselves, including the things they did day-to-day that would normally distract them from caring for others, and place their attention on the needs, wants, and desires of others.

Romans 15:8-13: Wiersbe notes this section of Romans elaborated on Jesus’ ministry to the Gentiles.² Jesus served the Jewish people so that Gentiles might also come to faith in Him. Both people groups were included in the work of Christ.

Romans 15:14-24: Wiersbe notes a transition from Jesus’ ministry to the Gentiles, to Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles.³ Paul’s aim in ministry was simply to share the gospel of Christ with as many people as possible. Not only that, Paul’s desire was to take the gospel to places where no one had ever heard of Jesus. Paul had never visited the believers in Rome. He had always been prevented either through his work in other places or unforeseen circumstances. However, he now planned to visit Rome as he traveled to share the gospel in Spain.

Romans 15:25-29: Paul’s ministry was to the Gentiles, but Wiersbe points out that the Gentiles were to then minister to the Jews.⁴ As Paul wrote his letter to the Romans, he was travelling to Jerusalem with a gift to the Jewish believers there, from the Gentile believers in Macedonia and Achaia. Why would the believers in Macedonia and Achaia want to make a contribution to the believers in Jerusalem? Why would Paul, the missionary to the Gentiles, even care about taking a gift from Gentile believers to believers in Jerusalem? Because the believers in Macedonia and Achaia were “indebted to them” (v. 27). The Gentiles were now part of the same spiritual family as the believers in Jerusalem. They had shared in the spiritual benefits of the Jews, namely salvation in Christ, so now they shared their material goods with the Jewish believers in Jerusalem.

Romans 15:30-33: Paul requested prayers for his deliverance from the “unbelievers in Judea” who may prevent him from delivering the churches’ gifts to the saints in Jerusalem. He also asked for the Romans to pray that his plans to visit them might finally be fulfilled.

The Jerusalem Collection: A financial gift was collected from various churches in Greece and Asia Minor and sent to the impoverished mother church in Jerusalem under the leadership of Paul. This gift let the mother church in Jerusalem know they played a significant role in Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles throughout the world. Paul understood the value of the Gentile church investing back into Israel both financially and spiritually. Paul had three motives for taking up this collection:⁵

1. Help for the poor. Paul wanted to help poor Christians in Jerusalem as a demonstration of the love of God that the Gentiles found in Christ. Paul also wrote about the collection to the Corinthian church: “I am not saying this as a command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love.” (2 Corinthians 8:8) “For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many acts of thanksgiving to God. They will glorify God for your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with others through the proof provided by this service. And they will have deep affection for you in their prayers on your behalf because of the surpassing grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:12–15).

Unity of the church. Paul was eager to demonstrate to the church in Jerusalem that even though the Gentiles believers didn’t observe the Law, there was only one gospel, one Lord, and, as a result, only one church.

To stir up jealousy. While Paul was called to share the gospel with the Gentiles, he maintained a passion to see his Jewish brethren come to faith in Christ after being provoked to jealousy over what the Gentiles experienced.

CLOSING

Paul’s work in taking up the collection for Jerusalem runs all through the second half of Acts and through many of his letters. In 2 Corinthians, Paul boasts about the Corinthians’ generosity in giving to this collection. If you have a desire to sow back into Jerusalem as the source of our spiritual blessing, don’t hesitate to do so.