Waverly Church of Christ

What motivates us to gather, or more broadly, what moves any of us to live a life in obedience to our Lord? To better understand these spiritual drives, we can look to the distinct motivations that led the apostle Paul to long for a visit with the Christians in Rome. Unlike many of the early assemblies, the church in Rome was not one Paul had personally established through his preaching, nor had he ever visited them in person. Even so, it was a congregation about which he had heard a great deal, expressing his deep appreciation in Romans 1:8: “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.”

It is very likely that much of Paul's understanding of this congregation came directly from Aquila and Priscilla, two close friends who faithfully assisted him in his ministry. Paul had worked side-by-side with this couple during his eighteen-month stay in Corinth (Acts 18:2, 11), and they later traveled with him to Ephesus, even opening their home as a meeting place for the local church (1 Corinthians 16:9). Because Aquila and Priscilla originally hailed from Rome, they were able to share rich insights about the believers living there. Furthermore, virtually everywhere Paul traveled, he encountered individuals who had either come from the church in Rome or had visited the city, and they consistently shared glowing reports about the strength and testimony of the believers.