Paul's plan to visit the church in Rome. Romans 15:22-33

As we close out chapter 15, I feel I need to recap verses 20, 21.

My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says, “Those who have never been told about him will see, and those who have never heard of him will understand.”
(Romans 15:20-21 NLT)

So what did Paul say in the verses above?

• That he wanted to preach in places where the name of Jesus had never been heard;
• and that he wanted to lay a foundation among people who do not have a foundation already started by someone else.
• “Those who have never been told about him will see, and those who have never heard of him will understand.”

Why would someone else's foundation be a bad thing?
In my last post, I asked a couple of questions along this line of thinking. The answer is, of course, it wouldn't unless they were laying a foundation that is dramatically different than what Paul has been laying and, most likely, in opposition.

The next question then is, what did Paul's foundation look like?

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18 NLT)

Obviously, the cross is central to who He is and who we are.

No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his, Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. (1 Corinthians 2:7-10 NLT)

The mystery; the things God has prepared for us; all of it has been revealed to us (those who follow after Him) by His Spirit.

Although he was crucified in weakness, he now lives by the power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you, we will be alive with him and will have God’s power. (2 Corinthians 13:4 NLT)

Jesus was crucified in weakness; at least that is how the world perceives it. But, he now lives by the power of God, and we also live through that power.

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 NLT)

In associating ourselves with the life of Christ, we became baptized (I am talking about water baptism, although NOT mandatory.) In doing that, we presented ourselves as dead in Christ. It doesn't end there, as we, by the same process, are made to rise with Him. Yes, it is all representational while we are here on earth, but there is a day coming when He shall gather those who are awaiting Him, to Himself.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. (Galatians 5:24 NLT)

This foundation stone that we see in Galatians 5:24 is confusing for many because we get it preached to us in a manner that leads you to believe that you MUST live like this, and we cannot. Yes, the Holy Spirit, living inside of you, will lead and guide us into all truth, and, we are told, we cannot abide in sin. But the reality is that we will be somewhat tortured by our constant failures as we try to hit the bullseye. (Missing the bullseye is deemed to be sin.)

Mercy is certainly an aspect of that foundation.
It is an aspect that seems in opposition to the laws of God, that we find in the Old Testament; the mercy is there, but it is merely cloaked. Search within the letters that Paul wrote, and you will 19 references to Mercy; 22 if you include the letter to the Hebrews.
Here are a few.

1Corinthians 7:25  the Lord in his mercy has given me wisdom that can be trusted, and I will share it with you.

2Corinthians 4:1  Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, ...

Galatians 1:6 God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. ...

Ephesians 2:4-6 (NLT)  But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. ...

Colossians 3:12  God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, ...

1Timothy 1:16  God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. ...

Titus 3:5 he saved us, ... because of his mercy.

Hebrews 4:16 let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

So, to make this brief, the foundation Paul preached is:

• the cross,
• our being in Him,
• hope,
• and mercy.

If you think about the ramifications of those simple words, and what they mean to our relationship with the Father, they speak volumes.

With all that in mind, Paul says,

Rom 15:22  This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you. 

Here is where the NASB entitles the next section:

Paul's Plan to Visit Rome

As I sat through a book study on Acts, I never saw it as a planned visit. I saw phrases like this: “the Holy Spirit would not let them preach in Asia;” and, “the Spirit of Jesus would not let them.” On one occasion we got this,

During the night, Paul had a vision of someone from Macedonia who was standing there and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!" After Paul had seen the vision, we began looking for a way to go to Macedonia. We were sure that God had called us to preach the good news there. (Acts 16:9-10 CEV)

Scripture does give us a well-spaced chain of events, that demonstrates Paul's desire to go to Rome.
In Acts 18:2 – 19:21 we learn that Priscilla and Aquila, acquaintances who have become close friends of Paul, had been forced out of Rome, along with all the other Jews, by the order of Emperor Claudius. This story ends with this: “Paul decided to visit Macedonia and Achaia on his way to Jerusalem. Paul had said, "From there I will go on to Rome."

In Acts 20:16 we see Paul migrating back to Jerusalem because “He was in a hurry and wanted to be in Jerusalem in time for Pentecost.” At almost every stop the Jews rose up against him when he spoke. Acts 21:10-11 finds Paul north of Jerusalem in Caesarea. After several days, the prophet Agabus, who came from Judea, south of Jerusalem, took Paul's belt, and with it tied up his own hands and feet, while saying, "The Holy Spirit says that some of the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will tie up the man who owns this belt, and, they will also hand him over to the Gentiles." The Gentiles, in this case, were the Roman guards.

The trek now has Paul, a prisoner, headed to Rome, as he, by right of citizenship, could appeal his case to Caesar, which he did. Storms, shipwrecks, and snakes; it sounds like an Indiana Jones movie.

In the midst of this journey, which I am sure some would see as nothing short of negative, “the Lord stood beside Paul and said, Don't worry! Just as you have told others about me in Jerusalem, you must also tell about me in Rome.” And that takes us to Acts 23:11.

Paul may have interacted with the very people he longed to see, but we do not see him physically going to their meeting place. What we do see, is that Paul got to preach to the virgin territory that Isaiah spoke of, the Emperor himself.

I give you Eugene Peterson's take on Paul's recollection.

Romans 15:23-29 MSG  But now that there is no more pioneering work to be done in these parts, and since I have looked forward to seeing you for many years,  I'm planning my visit. I'm headed for Spain, and expect to stop off on the way to enjoy a good visit with you, and eventually have you send me off with God's blessing.  First, though, I'm going to Jerusalem to deliver a relief offering to the Christians there.  The Greeks—all the way from the Macedonians in the north to the Achaians in the south—decided they wanted to take up a collection for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem.  They were happy to do this, but it was also their duty. Seeing that they got in on all the spiritual gifts that flowed out of the Jerusalem community so generously, it is only right that they do what they can to relieve their poverty.  As soon as I have done this—personally handed over this "fruit basket"—I'm off to Spain, with a stopover with you in Rome. My hope is that my visit with you is going to be one of Christ's more extravagant blessings.

Paul, by way of this letter, asks these fellow believers in Rome to pray, with some urgency, for him.

Romans 15:30 NLT  Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit.

Here is what he asked them to pray for.

Romans 15:31-32 NLT 

Pray that I will be rescued from those in Judea who refuse to obey God.

Pray also that the believers there will be willing to accept the donation I am taking to Jerusalem.

Then, by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other.

Stop and think about what he asked them. He asked to be rescued from those who refuse to obey God.

Doesn't that imply that in some manner, whether Jewish or a follower of Christ, they are refusing to obey God?

Several months ago I was involved in, what the leader called, a man-cave. It was just a bunch of guys who found a place they could, under the guise of being in a Christian environment, act like they were in a bar. Yep, I said it. I was already deep into this study of Romans and had seen how the law was still a part of our lives. In this mancave setting, I saw a horrendous correlation between what Paul said, is this law that is written upon our hearts, and an unrestrained concept of mercy and grace. This unrestrained version is a grace that some, not only preach but feel it gives them the right to refuse to obey God's law. Much to no avail, I pointed out that Jesus came to fulfill the law, NOT do away with the law. That law is God's law, and, as I said, it is written upon our hearts. It is what keeps you from going completely over the edge.

Why would believers, even if they are from the South, so to speak, in Judea, try to block Paul from taking a donation to Jerusalem?
To be honest, we don't have an answer to that. One thing that jumps out in my mind, is that Judea suffered a huge economic blow from a recent famine, and may be in a hoarding mode. (I covered this in the previous post.) You also noticed that I used the phrase, “the South.” Here in America, “the South” still carries overtones of bigotry, slavery, hard-drinking, and some generally rough characteristics. Now whether that is the case here, I don't know, but it could be. And there is one other thing. How would you know if someone was there to swindle you? Swindlers are not something new, as SIN has always been with us, and a swindler always thinks that someone is out to swindle them.

This leads me to a pastor of mine. Although I do not call him a friend, he is a decent and generous man. There were services when the Holy Spirit would be so evident, that he would forget to take up an offering; and yet, because he made sure the church tithed on the income they took in, we, as a church, were always able to pay our bills. Offerings were taken up to build in Mexico, and so we built; of all the things I have done in my life, that was the most rewarding. And, most recently, although an anonymous person had financed the construction of the building we use, and this financing had a ridiculously low-interest rate, with no pressure to pay it back, he once again took up an offering, because he felt strongly that we needed to pay this person off, and in rather short haste, we, as a church body did just that. The point here is this, we, as a church, learned to trust this pastor's financial leadership. Is this the case with Paul? We don't know.

Paul, as is his habit in closing, says,

Romans 15:33 NLT  And now may God, who gives us his peace, be with you all. Amen.

Paul, the minister to the Gentiles. Romans 15:14-21.

The letter to the Church that met in Rome was written approximately A.D. 58, from Corinth. In it, Paul very distinctly asserts that he is now the minister to the Gentiles.

Romans 15:14-16 NASB And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another. (15) But I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given me from God, (16) to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

We only know of one letter to the Church in Rome, and yet, Paul makes a point of saying “to remind you again.” It would seem then that something is missing from our equation; that is unless he is merely reminding them of an earlier discussion within the same letter, and it would appear that Romans 1:5 is that reference.

Through him, God gave me the privilege of being an apostle for the sake of Christ, in order to lead people of all nations to believe and obey. (Romans 1:5 GNB)

As you have read through my posts on Romans, you noticed how I emphasized that Romans was primarily a Jewish letter. It is passages like this that prove my point.

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, (Romans 2:4-5 NASB)

The terminology used above is a well-known language when God speaks of Israel – the Jews. However, when you read language like this, “people of all nations,” then surely Paul is talking about the Gentiles.

In the Acts of the Apostles, written between A.D. 33 or A.D. 29, we see Peter's invitation to minister to the Gentiles in Acts 10:9-48. The events that we find in Acts 10 help to persuade Peter to enter the home of a Roman Centurion, a Gentile, and therefore promotes the idea that Peter was to be the missionary to the Gentiles. Invited into their home, Peter takes a position in the center of the floor and begins to preach. In the middle of Peter's best sermon, this Gentile family received the infilling of the Holy Spirit and spoke in other tongues. Peter was a bit taken back at this, as he and the other Jewish apostles thought that salvation and the Holy Spirit were an entirely Jewish matter. You would think that the events, on the Day of Pentecost, where Peter stepped out of character, under the power of the Holy Spirit and spoke boldly to the crowds there in the street, (That day over 3000 came to a knowledge of Jesus.) that this would have been more than enough to convince Peter that the Holy Spirit and the gospel message were not exclusive to the Jews.

If I had merely said that the 3000+ that day received Jesus as the Messiah, this would be so much easier to receive, because that phrase, Jesus as the Messiah, would put an appropriate Jewish spin on the scene. You see, the malady we Gentile (non-Jewish) believers have, is that we create scenarios that fit our understanding, regardless of whether they are what God wanted us to see. So, in this case, most Bible teachers will try to convince you that Paul, for at least 25 years, was an apostle to the Gentiles, and that was not the case.

Obviously, Paul, by the time he wrote this letter (to a church body that had Gentile believers in it,) was already coming to understand the greater calling – something that Peter never did figure out. To prove my statement about Peter, you need to ask why Peter withdrew from the Gentiles when the Jews came down to see what God was doing?

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James (the Jerusalem council,) he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, "If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews? (Galatians 2:11-14 NASB)

Ask yourselves a question, where do we first meet Paul?
Our first interaction with the man is in Acts 7:58, where he is holding the cloaks of those righteous Jews, who were busy stoning Stephen. Saul, (who will shortly come to be known as Paul,) immediately turns his religious passion toward an elimination of these new followers of the way, which, by the way, were Jewish believers.

Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. (Acts 8:1 NASB)

This dispersion caused the gospel message to spread, and here is where we learn that the Gentiles were being told about the good news of Jesus Christ.

So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. (Acts 11:19-21 NASB)

But it doesn't say one thing about Peter, or Saul/Paul.

Now we bring Saul/Paul into the picture.

The news about them (the Gentile converts) reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year, they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. (Acts 11:22-26 NASB)

There is nothing in the passage above, that tells us Barnabas and Saul/Paul spoke exclusively to Jews, or, that they were now teaching the Gentile converts. However, in Acts 11:19-21, it clearly states that in Antioch Gentiles were coming to the Lord.

Verses 22-30 describe how the word got back to Jerusalem and the Apostles. A prophet among the Jerusalem council, named Agabus, got excited and went to Antioch; there he prophesied of a great famine, which we are told, happened during the reign of Claudius.

Acts 11:28 NASB, One of them named Agabus, stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius.

Why is Claudius Caesar significant?
“This was probably the famine which took place in the fourth year of Claudius, which continued for several years,” and in which, says Josephus (Antiquities. Book. 20. chapter. 2), "many died for want of food.” The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury, Copyright © 2016 by Jerome H. Smith.
Perhaps this has some significance because, during the reign of Claudius Caesar over Rome, Helena, the queen of Adiabene, and her son Izates, changed their course of life, and embraced the Jewish customs. Her son eventually became the King of Jerusalem, which entails Judea, where the famine was severe. Izates' mother Helena made sure that many in Judea received assistance. It is possible that Helena and her son, the king, knew of Claudius' hatred for the Jews and were, therefore, taking their life in their hands to bring the Jews assistance. Rome was under the governance of both Claudius and Nero from (37-68AD), but one of the most disturbing leaders was Claudius, the adoptive father of Nero. Nero became the emperor in 54AD.

Acts 18:2 NASB And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them,

“In Corinth, Paul met Aquila and his wife, Priscilla. Aquila was a Jew, originally from Pontus, a province in northeast Asia Minor south of the Black Sea. Displaced from Rome because of an edict in a.d. 49 or 50 from Claudius for all the Jews to leave Rome.” THE BIBLE KNOWLEDGE COMMENTARY, An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty, Based on the New International Version, by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck

Before I move on, I want to say a few more things about Romans 15:16.

Again, the Jewishness of this letter shows up, as Paul says,

Romans 15:16 CJB  to be a servant of the Messiah Yeshua for the Gentiles, with the priestly duty of presenting the Good News of God, so that the Gentiles may be an acceptable offering, made holy by the Ruach HaKodesh.

This is an extremely Jewish line of thinking as the terminology would mean nothing to most Gentiles. Priestly, expressly speaks of the Jewish priests and the temple service.

Paul adds, “so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” (NASB)

This is not like Abraham and the offering of Isaac as a sacrifice. The word for offering is prosphora and can also mean presentation. Having brought them into the kingdom, Paul, in a sense, presents them to God.

Note how it says that the Gentiles may become acceptable. Just this morning, my men's group was reading C.S. Lewis' book, Mere Christianity. In book four, chapter 10, entitled Nice People or New Men, he makes the comment that the transition to being perfect will not be completed in this life. In other words, something immense has to change, and we either die, or a change will take place. We followers know that this change will happen in the twinkling of an eye, at the rapture of the church. (1Corinthians 15:2) So, we should understand that we are always in transition until that day comes.

Romans 15:17 NASB Therefore, in Christ Jesus, I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God.

Boasting is the Greek word kauchēsis which also means confidence, or reason for boasting.
How does Paul put it? “in Christ Jesus, I have found reason for boasting in the things pertaining to God.” How do I perceive this statement? There is no boasting in anything else. Paul had a much to say along this line as well, as he had every reason to boast.

Again I say, let no one think me foolish; but if you do, receive me even as foolish, so that I also may boast a little. What I am saying, I am not saying as the Lord would, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting. Since many boast according to the flesh, I will boast also. For you, being so wise, tolerate the foolish gladly. For you tolerate it if anyone enslaves you, anyone devours you, anyone takes advantage of you, anyone exalts himself, anyone hits you in the face. To my shame, I must say that we have been weak by comparison. But in whatever respect anyone else is bold--I speak in foolishness--I am just as bold myself. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ?--I speak as if insane--I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. (2 Corinthians 11:16-30 NASB)

Continuing Paul's train of thought.

Romans 15:18 NLT  Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them.

Verse 18 is where this idea of the Gentiles being offered to God comes into play, when he says, "what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them.” It is hard to deny that Paul had a work among the Gentiles based upon what he says, but it is difficult to see, as his story, as related in the book of Acts, puts Paul in the synagogues at every turn, with the possible exception of Acts 17. However, this small piece of evidence pertaining to Paul's stop in Athens has holes in it, and I will show you why.

So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present. And also, some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. Some were saying, "What would this idle babbler wish to say?" Others, "He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,"--because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. (Acts 17:17-18 NASB)

Note how the paragraph above starts; now, ask yourself, where is Paul when he doing this reasoning?

It starts in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles. Where is Paul at? He is in Athens Greece, where there is obviously a Jewish population, but try to imagine a Jewish congregation allowing Gentiles into their synagogue. I cannot picture that happening. Now, mind you, the world has changed a bit, and I suspect that I might today be allowed into the synagogue, but I am quite sure that I would be directed to a seat out of harm's way. This train of thought tends to tell me that these God-fearing Gentiles were converted to Judaism. None-the-less, the crowd in this synagogue is fairly versed in Grecian gods and mythology, as Paul was.

And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is which you are proclaiming? Acts 17:19 NASB

No longer in the synagogue, his primary audience may well have been Gentiles, but mind you, it was the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles that brought him to this place.

So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. (Acts 17:22 NASB)

One more piece of perception.

If the Jews and “God-fearing Gentiles” brought him to the Areopagus, doesn't that tell you that they were worshiping a mixed bag of gods? I will leave you to sort that out. We tend to create an image that God, through Paul, did a great work in their lives, but that does not seem to be the case.

because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, "We shall hear you again concerning this." (Acts 17:31-32 NASB)

A mixed response, but nothing solid.

Romans 15:18-19 NASB For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, (19) in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

A bold statement from Paul.

• “ I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me.”

Look at the way Eugene Peterson's Message plays this out.

I have no interest in giving you a chatty account of my adventures, only the wondrously powerful and transformationally present words and deeds of Christ in me that triggered a believing response among the outsiders. (Romans 15:18 MSG)
[I replaced the word transformingly, which Peterson used, with what you see in italics. It just made more sense and did not seem made up.]

Romans 15:20 CJB  I have always made it my ambition to proclaim the Good News where the Messiah was not yet known so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation,

I will tell you what I think hurts our understanding of Paul's mission; it is a sad lacking of what God told him, that day on the road to Damascus. For all we know, the Father may have laid out his plan and purpose.

Think about this statement on Paul's part, “I have always made it my ambition to proclaim the Good News where the Messiah was not yet known.” This raises some questions, one of which Paul himself answers when he says, “so I would not be building on someone else's foundation.”

Why would someone else's foundation be a problem as long as you are preaching the same thing?

As long as you were preaching the same message, there would be no problem. But they were not building the same foundation.

What kind of foundations would Paul be dealing with?

When we, as believers, think of a foundation, we see it in religious terms, and we typically envision a decent foundation, one in which there is an understanding of Christ crucified, risen, and coming again to gather His church to Himself. One might expect that Peter and the Jerusalem council would have had this concept deeply ingrained, but that does not seem to be the case.

Some, that Paul ran into along the way, tried to hold the converts to strict Jewish standards, which included circumcision. In trying to find some common ground, the Apostles conferred upon a foundation by instructing that the Gentiles should NOT eat things strangled, nor animals with the blood still in them. I realize that is rather gross, but this was an aspect of the Mosaic law, and therefore foundational to the Jews. Paul had Timothy circumcised to keep the Jewish believers off his back.

Think about the fact that a major influencer, we see in the book of Acts, was Peter, and we already heard the written testimony of Paul, how that Peter, who had been eating and enjoying fellowship with the Gentiles, withdrew quickly from those believers when the representatives from the Jerusalem council came to see what God had been doing.

But ask yourself, did Paul go strictly to Holy Spirit empowered gatherings?

The answer is NO; he went to synagogues. While many of these synagogues may have Gentile converts, they would not have been converting to Christianity; they went there to embrace the God of the Jews.

Romans 15:21 AMP, ...They shall see who have never been told of Him, and they shall understand who have never heard [of Him]. [Isa. 52:15.]

John Gill's commentary says, “for the Messiah was not spoken of to the Gentiles.”

And yet, what did we learn earlier? 
That the promise to Abraham was to his descendants as well, and we have been adopted in and therefore, are descendants.