No More Place For Me to Work

[In Romans:15:19-24 [19] Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. [20] Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation: [21] But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand. [22] For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you. [23] But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you; [24] Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company.
See All...] Paul says there are actual places where “there is no more place for me to work.” There was some metric by which Paul, the pioneer missionary, measured completion. Apparently, that metric had been fulfilled from Jerusalem to Illyricum, so Paul pressed on to places that still did not have what Jerusalem through Illyricum had.

This is no small point. Paul saw that there are limits to the missionary task. Every location did not count as a mission field to Paul. At some point, the task Paul was committed to was complete for a particular people group or location. Yes, churches need to be revitalized, the least reached and poorly reached areas need help….but those were separate jobs from what Paul was called to do. His job was complete.

The second takeaway is that Paul saw the proclamation of the gospel as central to the missionary task. He is clear on this in Romans:10:13For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
See All...,14; “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.  How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”

The missionary is then to go to places that have no foundation and preach the gospel. Those who have never been taught cannot come to saving faith apart from someone preaching to them. The ambition of missionaries is to preach where Christ has not been known, to build that foundation.

—Brooks Buser (Brooks and his wife Nina planted a church among the Yembiyembi people in Papua New Guinea. Now Brooks serves as the president of Radius International, training future church planters.)