in mighty signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit of God, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum.
Truth to Learn
We need to submissively serve God wherever He leads us.
Behind the Words
The word translated “signs” is the Greek word semeion, which means “a wondrous public sign or token with a spiritual meaning and purpose.” It implies that the miracle has God’s finger prints all over it; that is, it is an amazing miracle which draws people’s attention to God.
“Wonders” is from the Greek noun teras. This is a derivative of the verb tereō, meaning “to watch, implying that, due to its extraordinary character, the thing observed causes amazement and wonder and is long remembered as a result.”
The Greek word translated “around” is kuklō, which refers to “a ring or a circle.” Metaphorically, it refers to an entire region.
Meaning Explained
In the previous two verses Paul confessed that he has reason to boast about what had been done in Christ Jesus through his own submission to God’s will and his own commitment to do whatever God directed him to do. His boasting, you will remember, was not in himself but in what God had done through him. He further clarified this idea by stating that he was not taking any credit for what others had done, only what had been done through him.
In the current verse Paul carries this even further by pointing out that what was done through him was not from his own efforts or his own brilliance. Rather, Paul cites the fact that it was through powerful miracles and wonders done in the power of the Spirit of God that his work was accomplished. The two words here translated as “signs and wonders” are often associated together in the New Testament. They do not refer to two different kinds of miracles but to two different aspects of these miracles.
In the second half of this verse, Paul proclaims that he has preached the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum. What he means is that he has preached the gospel in all regions, from Jerusalem, the center and origin of the Christian faith, all the way to Illyricum. Illyricum is the area west of the Black Sea and north of Greece. If you follow Paul’s three missionary journeys you will see that he had, indeed, preached all around from Jerusalem to Illyricum.
I think Paul’s point is, as I said earlier, that he has been submissive and obedient to God’s call and has been faithful in preaching the gospel wherever God has called him, which included much of the known world of his time.
Application
Are you willing to go wherever God calls you, and are you prepared to witness the grace of God to those around you wherever that may be? Are you willing to leave your comfort zone, your family and friends and go somewhere unknown to serve Him? Are you willing to give your all to serve Him where you are? Or, are you too comfortable with what you’re doing right where you are? God doesn’t reward comfort, He rewards submissive sacrificial service that glorifies Him!
In God's service, for His glory,
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