Romans 1:14,15

I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.  So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

obligation (as translated in the King James "debtor"): means to be an ower, a person indebted, a transgressor.

Paul saw himself as "in debt" to his fellow man, he owed them the opportunity to hear this saving gospel, that had been freely shared with him by God. This paints the picture that we are not to ever see ourselves as better than any other soul on this earth for having been given the gospel. We are to see ourselves as having been given the responsibility to share a free and amazing gospel.

There are two categories of people described in this passage:
Greeks/wise: this category would have included the higher up, well educated, prestigious class.
barbarians/foolish: this category would have included the uneducated, the "outcasts" of society

The point of including these two categories is that we can't set limitations on who should have the gospel made available to them. (Romans 2:11 explains that God does not respect the status of a person) Paul saw himself as under obligation to all people, we need to see ourselves the same way. We must not be limited to our family, our close friends, or our church. While these are important, they cannot be where our outreach stops.

We need step out of our comfort zone and reach deep into the dark, cold, unstable world that is under the influence of the devil, in order to establish relationships with these hopelessly lost souls. Relationships that will make visible the power of God in our life, relationships that will bring
1 Peter 3:15 to light "...always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you..."

We are often encouraged in church to "love the lost to Christ." The only way to do this is to build solid relationships with the lost and allow the power of God's love to be revealed.

"So I am eager to preach the gospel" This command to spread the gospel should not be perceived as burdensome, but instead an undeserved privilege that we should be eager to take on. We have been given the free and amazing gift of salvation, and our desire should be to spread this great news, this gospel of God, to as many as who will hear it. This is our purpose, this is when God is most glorified in us.

This is urgent, and I pray that we all will take this to heart. We MUST build these relationships outside our "comfort zone." Please make this a priority, I will as well: look for someone in your life - beyond your family, close friends, or church, (think workplace, old acquaintances, maybe even family that you don't know very well) and begin to look for opportunities to build a relationship with them. Have them over for dinner, go shopping together, go grab lunch somewhere, go catch a flick. Then pray that God will work in this relationship!