Questions for Discussion & Application 1.  What questions do you have about today’s passage? 2.  In Romans 1:1-10, how many times do we see the name of God the Father or of Jesus mentioned or referred to by a pronoun? What might this teach us about Paul’s perspective? 3.  Why might Paul’s thankfulness for a church that he did not plant and for Christians who he has never met be surprising? What can we learn from this? 4.  Paul longed to be a part of an even greater work in Rome and beyond Rome among the rest of the Gentiles (as we see in verse 13). Therefore, Paul prayed earnestly that God would allow him to visit Rome, even while he submitted himself to God’s will (as we see in verse 10). Do you have longings to serve the Lord that you bring before Him in prayer? Do you submit these desires to the sovereign plan of God? 5.  What was one good outcome of Paul being delayed in being able to visit Rome? How have you seen the benefit of times when God said NO to a desire that you brought before Him? 6.  Paul expected that he and the Roman church would be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith (as we see in verse 12). How have you been encouraged by the faith of others?