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And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation,<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n All Christians are called and gifted to build the body of Christ.<\/p>\n The expression \u201cI have made it my aim<\/span>\u201d is translated from the Greek verb philotimeomai<\/em><\/span>. This word is made up of philos<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201ca friend,<\/em>\u201d (expressing the fondness between good friends) and a form of time<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201chonor.\u201d Thus, we see this word literally means \u201ca love or fondness of honor.\u201d By application, it means \u201cto make something an ambition\u201d or \u201cto aspire to something.\u201d It is expressed here as a present participle so it might literally be translated, \u201cmaking it my ambition.\u201d<\/p>\n The words \u201cpreach the gospel<\/span>\u201d are from the Greek verb euangelidz\u014d<\/em><\/span>, which is made up of eu<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cwell\u201d and a form of angell\u014d<\/em><\/span><\/span>, meaning \u201cto tell or to proclaim.\u201d It means \u201cto proclaim the gospel\u201d or \u201cto evangelize.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBuild<\/span>\u201d is from oikodome\u014d<\/em><\/span>, which literally means \u201cto build a house.\u201d The particular house that Paul is building is the body of Christ, the temple of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n It is clear from this verse that Paul was absolutely certain of the calling he had from God. As the apostle to the Gentiles, Paul was called to evangelize among the heathen who had not yet heard the gospel message. He said in the previous verse that he had fully preached the gospel from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum. And in the verse before that, he would take no credit for the work that that the Spirit had done through others. He now explains why.<\/p>\n Paul says, \u201cAnd so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel.<\/span>\u201d In other words, Paul was singularly focused on preaching the gospel, making it his greatest ambition. From the moment of his conversion he recognized God\u2019s calling in his life, thus his ambition from that time was to proclaim the good message, or good news, about salvation through Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n And, he says that his ambition was to preach the good news to people who had never heard the name of Jesus Christ. His reason for doing this was because he was not called to build upon someone else\u2019s work. God called Paul to proclaim Christ to those who had never heard the gospel and that is precisely what he wanted to do.<\/p>\n God has not called us all to this type of ministry. There are many different spiritual gifts that God has given to the members of the church through the Holy Spirit, and we each have a calling that is empowered by the gifts He has given us. God does not expect us all to travel to foreign lands and proclaim the gospel to those who have never heard it. Some, like Paul, are called to do that but others are specifically called to teach, to encourage, to be a helper, or to give generously from what God has blessed us with. However, we are all called to share our testimony with those around us, and we are all called to give of ourselves, our time, and our money. Where and how we do this depends on what God has called us to do.<\/p>\n Do you know what God has called you to do within the body of Christ? Are you making it your singular ambition to know what that calling is and to fulfill it for God\u2019s glory?<\/p>\n In God\u2019s service, for His glory,<\/strong><\/p>\nTruth to Learn<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Behind the Words<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Meaning Explained<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Application<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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