What's My Reputation

DEVOTION

ROMANS

WHAT’S MY REPUTATION?

Rom 1:8-10
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you.
NIV

It certainly appears those even without the wall street journal, or foxnews.com or, for that matter all the media of today, the news of those believer’s faith was reported all over the world. They had a reputation of being Christ followers and this reputation had spread from town to town, country to country until the whole known world which Paul was speaking of was keenly aware of who they were, their faith and what they believed and of whom they believed in. How did this happen? How did the faith of a small band of believers stuck at almost the bottom of a large peninsula, in the city of Rome, a city of immense population, reach all over the known world? Inherent within mankind it seems is the need to gossip, and gossip people did. Stories of these faithful few spread possibly, because of Roman soldiers who reported for duty in far off lands, or maybe because of traders bringing and taking goods into and out of Rome, to and from parts unknown. However, one thing was for certain, these Christians did not stay secluded from their society. They must have been a force to reckon with. They had to have had a divine influence upon their hearts and it must have been reflected to the world around them. Has this kind of faith dwindled? Have I, we as believers of today either secluded ourselves completely out of view of unbelievers or have I, have we so embraced the lifestyle of the ungodly world around us, no one knows who we are?

What is my reputation? What is our reputation? And I speak not of a reputation of lists of good deeds or works performed in human standards. Many unbelievers do good deeds and have a reputation among other men, unbelievers also claim in working for the benefit of mankind, laboring to achieve a better society such as habitat for humanity and the like. No, I ask; is my reputation of one who demonstrates faith, as it was the faith, not the human efforts of these in Rome which was reported. It was faith, do I, do we have a reputation of having faith which is defined within the Greek word used here as a persuasion or moral conviction especially the reliance upon Christ for salvation. Do people know for what I stand? Do people see me, reflecting Christ? What reputation do I have? Not just with other believers, but with unbelievers.