God's fingerprint is what matters for a great church.

Paul has never actually met the Roman church. He wasn't the one who planted this church. According to church history, no one knows who founded the church in Roman. However, theologians assert that the church was the product of Christian Jews or proselytes who had returned home after their conversion on the day of Pentecost.

In Acts 2, Jewish people from all over had come to Jerusalem to celebrate Shavuot (the feast of weeks) when (as we know) the Spirit of God fell on the disciples; Pentecost. Immediately after this, the Apostles proclaimed the Gospel, and Scripture says, "about 3,000 souls were added to the church" that day. Luke even records the origins of those who heard this good news in verses 9-11. Among those listed, Luke says, "visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes."

So the thought is that these new Christians went back to Rome, and the church(es) were established. This seems more than feasible. But for today's message, the point is that Paul has never met them.

Romans 1:8-10 shows this. Paul writes, "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. 9 For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the [preaching of the] Gospel of His Son, is my witness [as to] how unceasingly I make mention of you, 10 always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now AT LAST by the will of God I may SUCCEED in coming to you."

It seems Paul has longed to visit the church(es) in Rome but was never able.

[Rom 1:13 NASB] "I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far)"

Romans 15:20 tells us why he's been prevented. Paul says, "And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was [already] named, so that I would not build on another man's foundation; 21 but as it is written, "They who had no news of Him shall see, and they who have not heard shall understand." 22 FOR THIS REASON, I have often been prevented from coming to you;"

So 1. Paul has never met these people and that because someone else laid the foundation of Christ there. For any leaders in the room, a great church doesn't require our fingerprints; only God's!