The reason Paul longed to be in Rome was his love for the church. Do we love being a part of God's people? We see Paul's love for the church in his thanking God for it. It was a wonderful thing that there were Christians in Rome, in the heart of the empire. Rome affected the culture of the empire. Paul longs for their fellowship and longs to serve them by giving them a spiritual gift. He anticipates he will also be encouraged by them. There is no person in the church so devoid of gifts that they can't contribute something.