A Life in Exile

Though you may not read this post on December 25, since it happens to drop on the biggest gift-giving day of the year, my reading in Romans has proved providential. I’m reading Romans in preparation for our upcoming Wednesday night Bible study that will begin in the new year, and I found myself struck by a phrase in the early verses of the first chapter.

The Apostle Paul is writing to believers in Rome—a place he has yet to visit but about which he’s heard many good reports. He’s been praying regularly for them and tells them he hopes to visit them soon, saying:

For I want very much to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, that is, to be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. (Romans 1:11-12 CSB)

How do you give a spiritual gift?

I had to stop as soon as I read the phrase “spiritual gift” and ask what he could mean. How do you give a gift that is spiritual in nature? We know the gifts or fruits of the Spirit, but do Christians have the ability to give what we might conceive as intangible gifts to others?

So, instead of sitting in that quandary, I read on. Obviously, the gift he wanted to give them would be to strengthen them. Okay, that makes more sense. He wants to strengthen their faith. So what spiritual gift would do that?

I read on. When you hit a “that is” in Paul’s writing, you can be sure he’s trying to clarify what he’s saying. I can imagine the recipients of this letter may have been just as confused as I was by the first sentence, so were just as thankful by Paul’s attempt to perhaps say it in a clearer way.

That is what? “To be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” Oh, okay, that does help. He wants to give them something that will strengthen them and encourage their faith, just as he expects they will strengthen and encourage his own faith.

Meeting spiritual needs over physical.

There is nothing wrong with meeting physical needs. Giving physical gifts is a blessing (think recipients of help after natural disasters). In fact, we know that the reason Paul had not yet made it to Rome was because he was heading to Jerusalem with a physical gift of money from churches to the church in Jerusalem, as believers there were struggling greatly.

That gift and others like it come from the Spirit’s motivation and with the purpose of being the hands and feet of Jesus to those who are in need. It’s not out of obligation or to point out how great you are—no, physical gifts that are done without fanfare and out of concern for the other are honoring to God and encouraging to the recipient’s faith.

That said, Paul is talking about something that the world cannot grasp: Gift-giving that builds the faith of a fellow believer. Why was this so important for believers in Rome? Why is it crucial in our current day and time?

Because growing persecution is on the horizon.

Believers in Rome were living at ground zero of the pagan Roman Empire, and the Empire was fighting for its own life. What happens when the one in power is being attacked? It looks for a scapegoat. Think Nero and the burning of Rome. Who did he blame? Christians.

So, Paul knew that those who had come to faith in Christ while still living in Rome would need encouragement. They would need building up and fortifying in their faith. They needed every tool in his spiritual toolbox to stand strong against the pagan society around them and the pagan powers that would seek to oppress them. Thus, we know why the book of Romans is so theologically heavy.

We need the same book today. We need the same spiritual gifts flowing back and forth between believers, because the days are coming when Satan will throw everything, including the kitchen sink, at us. You may already feel like you’re under attack, and I have no doubt that you are. What can help you in such a time? A spiritual gift from a friend.

Give the gift that builds faith.

I have no doubt that the Roman believers were encouraged after reading Paul’s letter. If that encouraged them, how much more would be a personal visit from him? We can’t always see the person we want to encourage in the faith, but we can call or text or email or even send a card to them. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been encouraged by a text or phone call from another sister in Christ who just wants to check on me and let me know they’re praying for me. I have one friend with whom I can easily talk for hours about what we’re reading in God’s Word. I never cease to be surprised that after each such “visit” I’m smiling at God’s goodness and thank him for such a friend.

I’m learning to use the audio part of my messaging apps to record and send specific prayers for others. Maybe it’s an upcoming surgery, anguish over a wayward child, or just a verse that brings them to mind—whatever the reason, I put their need into a prayer for the Lord to strengthen and encourage their faith through this time in their life. I’ve been on the receiving end of such prayers, and I know they build me up.

A physical gift might be what God uses to encourage a friend’s faith, but never fail to give the physical without including the spiritual. Add a prayer beforehand, on the card or face-to-face. Give it with the Word of Truth, a Scripture portion, or word of encouragement for God to use it to remind them of His love and watchcare over them. It’s not about you giving the gift, but about pointing them back to God. That’s when a physical gift can be part of a spiritual one.

Though the highly marketed gift-giving season is now over for another year, I pray that you will consider beginning this new year with an intentional desire to be a spiritual gift-giver to your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. You might be surprised at how your own faith will be encouraged as well. Paul knew he would benefit from the faith of the Romans. You can be blessed by the faith of your siblings-in-Christ as well. Spiritual gifts are the gifts that keep on giving.

Grace and Peace

If you missed the last Wednesday Wisdom, click HERE, or check out these other posts on gifts: The Gift that Keeps on Giving, A Gift for You, The Priesthood, and A Parting Gift.