Effective Prayer for Effective Ministry

Transcript

GR 1479
07/17/11
Effective Prayer for Effective Ministry
Romans 15:30-33
Gil Rugh

We are in the book of Romans and at the end of Romans 15, so you can turn there in your Bibles. As we get to the end of Paul's letters it's easy to run over the closing remarks because he has covered the serious doctrinal material. He has also talked about how that would be applied and lived out in our lives and it seems now he is just wrapping up and making general comments, greeting people and so on. But important to remember that it is still part of what is inspired and there is something that helps us appreciate someone like Paul a little more in these kinds of closing sections. Here after he has covered the doctrinal issues and some of the personal applications of that doctrine, he reveals a little bit more of himself. We see something a little bit of the Apostle Paul as an individual, concerns of his heart, his concerns for others, even sometimes the fears that are before him. And that's true as we come to the end of Romans 15.

The conclusion to this letter really began back in Romans 15:14, so it's a long conclusion to a long letter. And this closing section of Romans 15:30-33, he's going to talk about the subject of prayer and requests that they pray for him. Prayer was a major part of the Apostle Paul's life and ministry. If you have studied many of his letters you are impressed with how often he tells people, I am praying for you, I am praying for you, here's what I have been praying for you. He obviously had a serious, extensive prayer life and he kept people, even people that he hadn't met, in his prayers. In fact that's the way the book of Romans began.

Back up to Romans 1. In the introduction to the letter which covered the first 15 verses Paul mentioned that he prays for the Romans. Remember he has never been to visit the church at Rome. So he knows a number of people in the church who have had contact with the church, as we'll see in Romans 16, but he has never been there, he has never fellowshipped with these believers. But he says Romans 1:8, first I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. For God whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son is my witness of how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers, making requests, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. This is a serious matter for Paul. It's not like sometimes I'm afraid we do. We'll tell people, I'll pray for you. Then we walk off and we totally forget about it. Or we tell them, I've prayed for you and that may mean sometime in the last five years I think I may have mentioned them. But for Paul he calls God as a witness here. Verse 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. This is the regular part of my prayer life, to pray for you at Rome. We ought to be reminded of how we can pray for people we don't even know. We know he knows there are believers there in the church at Rome, he knows about the needs that believers have, he's desirous that the grace of God will strengthen them and bless them and give him the privilege of fellowship with them.
We won't take time, but just for my own benefit I went back through this week as I was preparing for our study today and read through the first parts of Paul's letters and different sections where he told the different churches he wrote to, I'm praying for you, I'm praying for you, here's what I've been praying for you. And drew them into Paul's life and Paul into their lives.

Now what he is going to do in Romans 15 is ask them to pray for him. And this always strikes me. Here is the Apostle Paul who just by what we read in his letters had such a strong prayer life. You think, I would love to have the Apostle Paul praying for me, you think of it that way. But here now Paul is going to say, I really want you, I need you to be praying for me. We can be reminded of how much our prayers have a part in the effectiveness of the ministry God has given us as His people.

I want to look at just some of the areas in Paul's letter where he asks the people he is writing to, to pray for him. Come over to 2 Corinthians. And as you are aware the Corinthian church had its own problems, they were a church that often did not function the way they should. And in fact in 2 Corinthians Paul has to defend his apostleship to these people that he himself had been involved in leading to the Lord, and then helping to grow in their new life in Christ. And yet in 2 Corinthians 1, picks up with verse 8. We do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively beyond our strength so that we despaired even of our life. Speaking of the difficulty that he encountered as he ministered the Word in what we would call Asia Minor. Indeed we have the sentence of death within ourselves. And from that we learn not to trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead. He is the One who delivered us from so great a peril of death and he will deliver us. He is the One in whom we have set our hope, He will yet deliver us. Now note this, God will deliver us. You also joining in helping us through your prayers so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.

Paul had a direct relationship with God as each of us as believers do. But he never came to assume from that, that I don't need the prayers of others. I mean, here is a man who is the recipient of direct revelation from God, a man who had been transported to the third heaven to receive special visions and revelations from God, a man who taught and instructed on the sovereignty of God in all things. And yet here he writes to the Corinthian church that in his first letter he had to tell them they often functioned as a fleshly church. And he says that God will deliver us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers. And when God does deliver us, you will join in giving thanks to God for answering your prayers and bestowing His grace and favor on us.

Paul believed that the prayers of God's people were effective. We sometimes lose sight of the connection and balance between the absolute, total sovereignty of God in all things and yet the way God in His sovereignty uses the prayers of His people to move Him to do what He intends to do. Paul believes that the prayers of the Corinthians will be effective in causing God to act and bestow grace on him and to deliver him from the desires of his enemies. And that will result in further prayers of thanks to God for answering my prayer.
Turn over to Ephesians 6, a passage we have been into recently in recent studies and will be referring to again. He's talking here about the battle believers are in. Verse 12, our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenlies. He started out in verse 10 by saying, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. And then he tells them you have to put on the full armor of God to do spiritual battle. Then he unfolds that armor. Then in verse 18 he says, with all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit and with this in view be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. Believers ought to be diligent constantly in prayer, praying for all saints. We must be praying for one another. That 's why I suggest we can even take the church directory, there are people in there you don't know. But you come and they are here, they are part of our church family. I can pray for them, for God to give them the grace that they need for what they are going through today. That God will give them the grace to be bold in sharing Christ as He gives them opportunity. WE ought to be praying for one another and be part of what God does in one another's lives because we've been praying for one another.

Keep alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. And pray on my behalf. They ought to pray for Paul, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains. He is in prison as he writes this letter to the Ephesians. That in proclaiming it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak. We think, what would I pray for, for the Apostle Paul if I were in the church at Ephesus? I mean, is there a more godly man that I would know? Is there a man more bold and open in the presentation of the gospel? And now here he is asking the Ephesians, you pray for all the saints and remember me in your prayers as well that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, that God would give me the words to speak and the boldness to speak those words. To make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.

The end of verse 20, that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak. Paul never fell back on this is me, I'm just an outgoing, fearless person. Some people are timid, I'm bold. He realized true godly boldness comes from God. I need you to pray for me that he would give me wisdom in opening my mouth, that the words which come out would be the words He wants me to speak. It would be the message of Jesus Christ. And twice he mentions to speak it with boldness. People think, I'm just not that kind of person, I'm not a bold person. Maybe more people ought to pray for you, right? Maybe you ought to ask more people to pray for you. Pray for me. We need to pray for one another that we would be bold and open. Here Paul is in prison because of his boldness in preaching the gospel, but he's still asking, pray for me that I would present the gospel as I should. And that I would be bold, clear, confidently presenting Jesus Christ.

Paul was a man of like human nature. Here he is in prison. It's easy to sit there and think, I've caused enough trouble. Maybe it's time to keep my mouth shut for a little bit. You know that tendency. Ask that God would give me utterance and that I would be bold with the gospel. And these people then share in Paul's ministry. They may not be a Paul and have all the opportunities that a Paul has, but they can be part of the ministry of Paul as God uses him because they prayed for him. And it was their prayers that God was answering in making him so effective with the gospel.

Just after Ephesians, come to Philippians, another one of Paul's prison epistles as several of them are, as you are aware. Philippians 1. Paul is talking about the conflicts. Some believers were doing what they could to make Paul's life difficult. Since he is in prison when he writes this, they were presenting the gospel and the way they went about things was done in such a way to make Paul's imprisonment more unpleasant to him. Just impressing upon him his limited ministry as it seemed at this time. Here he is in prison. Verse 15, some to be sure are preaching Christ, even from envy and strife, some from good will. The latter do it out of love, know I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. What do I think about that? Well only that in every way, whether in pretense or truth, Christ is proclaimed. And this I rejoice and I will rejoice. It's impact upon me is not what matters. Christ is being proclaimed, for that I rejoice.

For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance because God always does what is best for me. That's not what he says, that would be biblically true. But note what he says. I know this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers. Paul thought the prayers of believers really made a difference. The result is I really believe I am going to be delivered from this imprisonment because God is going to answer your prayers. Why does Paul need their prayers? He could go and ask God himself to deliver him and that would do it. But God chooses to work through the prayers of His people. And as great as Paul's prayer life was, he saw that God would use the prayers of others believers and answer them and bring about His deliverance.

And the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. We need to recognize this is the work of the Spirit. But somehow we get tilted sometimes to the sovereignty of God so much, we think, our prayers really don't matter, God will do what is best and I just trust He'll do that. And we end up not having because we don't ask. You have not because you ask not. James reminded us, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much. We never want to minimize the importance of prayer. Such a great ministry and we can have it anywhere at any time in any physical condition. Come before the throne of grace. Not just for ourselves but for other believers and the Spirit of God is used by God to answer our prayers.

Come on over to Colossians. You see it is a consistent pattern of Paul's life. He not only tells them he prays for them, he is constantly asking them, remember me in your prayers. Colossians 4:2, devote yourselves to prayer, devote yourselves to prayer. We ought to commit ourselves to prayer. Keeping alert in it. We know how that is. You decide, I'm really going to spend some time in prayer. The next thing you know your mind is wandering and you have a dozen things that have intervened and then all of a sudden it's nap time and there you go. Keep alert. There may be some things you have to do. Write down what you want to be praying about, keep you in track, who you are praying for. Have a list. Nothing wrong with that. We sometimes say, I'll pray for you as the Lord brings you to mind. What's that mean? Paul doesn't say, pray for me if God brings me to your mind. He says, pray for me, make sure it is on you mind, write it down. I don't want you to pray for me if the Lord brings me to mind through the week. Write it down, pray for Gil, he really needs it. Pray for him. If you don't think the sermon is too good, it's your fault. At least you share the blame, I share it with you. Paul says, devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving, praying at the same time for us as well.

And then Paul says, here is what you can pray for me for, that God will open up to us a door for the Word so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ for which I have also been in prison, that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. You know we sometimes get so caught up with personal needs. Like Paul could have prayed, pray that I will get enough in gifts and offerings that I won't have to be working. Pray that I'll be given better quarters for my imprisonment. Pray that the food will improve. What's he concerned about? It's not wrong to pray for those things but we get absorbed in them. We have a believer, we say, I don't know them well enough. What would I pray for them for? Well Paul here is clear. Pray for me, verse 3, that God will open up to us a door for the Word. He said pray for one another. Go through the church directory, you don't have to know them. Lord, these believers are part of our body. Open up a door for them to be a testimony for Jesus Christ and share the truth. So that we may speak forth the Word, the mystery of Christ. And then verse 4, that I may make it clear in the way that I ought to speak. I mean, the Apostle Paul who was used of the Lord to write so much of our Scripture, who shared the gospel so often. But he asks, pray for me that I'll make it clear in the way I ought to speak. We should be praying for one another that way. Don't let me muddle the gospel. Give an open door to present it. Then, Lord, give me the clarity to make the gospel clear. How often there has been an open door and we go away and say, I just muddled around there. We need to pray for one another that we would be clear with the gospel.

Keep going, the next book, 1 Thessalonians 5. I love this little verse, just simple and to the point. Verse 25, brethren, pray for us. That's it. I mean, no specific area. Brethren, pray for us. That's what we can do. Keep us in your prayers. The specifics, whatever area you think of, pray for us.

2 Thessalonians, then we'll have to go back to Romans. 2 Thessalonians 3:1, finally, brethren, pray for us. What? That the Word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did with you. Pray for us, brethren, that the Lord will use us to spread the message of the gospel and it will be effective, just as it was when you heard it and believed it. Pray that that will go on and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men, for not all have faith. And this comes up a number of times in Paul's prayers. It's going to be one of the subjects of the prayers he requests in Romans 15. Personal protection. Because everywhere he went to present the gospel, it stirred opposition and that presented danger. We know what that's like. One of the difficulties we have in presenting the gospel is it stirs opposition. That didn't keep Paul from presenting the gospel. So he prayed that they would pray that the Lord would be gracious and rescue him and protect him from those who would try to silence him. And we can use prayers like that. You’re sharing Christ, you need protection. Maybe you won't be arrested today but there could be impact on you. People could begin to spread rumors about you, could have a negative impact on you with your employer, whatever. Wouldn't you like to have believers praying that you would be protected from the animosity of those who oppose the gospel.

Come back to Romans 15:30, look how Paul starts. Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me. He doesn't say, if the Lord brings you to mind, pray for me. I urge you, brethren. Strong word. I urge you, I exhort you, encourage you to strive together with God for me in your prayers for me. I mean, this is something he is intense about. It's not enough, it's just not a phrase that is bantered about. If you think of me, pray for me. I hope you remember me in prayer. I urge you, I beg you, I exhort you to strive together with me in your prayers. This is a serious matter for Paul. He was totally dependent on the Lord for effectiveness in his ministry, but he really believed that the more the people of God prayed for him, the more God would use him effectively. I urge you, brethren.

He's writing to believers, fellow believers. The book of Romans has been addressed to the church at Rome, believers who have come together as the church in Rome. They're the only ones who could pray. Proverbs 28:9 says, he who turns his ear away from listening to the law, the Word of God as the Old Testament had it, even his prayer is an abomination. The person who does not listen to the Word of God, not just hear it and have heard the words, but listen to it, pay attention to it, submit to it. Even his prayer is an abomination to God, something that God hates and despises. We sometimes have movements where we think if we get everybody together regardless of their religion, regardless of the doctrines they have and the beliefs they have, we're going to have a day of prayer, we're going to bring all this group to pray. I question whether that is a good thing. Are we encouraging them to do something that is an abomination to God, when they have rejected the truth of His gospel, when they have rejected His Son that He gave in love to pay the penalty by dying on the cross for our sins? Yet we say, we may not agree on these things but we'll have a time of prayer together. I can't get this verse out of my mind. One who turns his ear away from listening to the law, even his prayer is an abomination. You cannot come to God except through Jesus Christ. I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by Me. There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 1 Timothy 2:5 says. The book of Hebrews tells us you have to have Jesus Christ as your high priest, who has offered the acceptable sacrifice that opens access to the throne of grace so you can come with confidence to receive what you need. That's a great privilege we have as believers. I can't ask an unbeliever to pray for me, I can't expect anything from that. But we as believers have access to the throne of God.

So I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul bases his appeal on the person and work of Jesus Christ, what He has done in bringing us His salvation and providing access for us to the throne of God, which for us is the throne of grace. I want you to pray for me. This is based upon what Christ has done for us. We should be praying for one another. We realize the honor and privilege and responsibility given to us. And by the love of the Spirit. His second ground of appeal is the love that the Spirit of God produces in us. The fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22 is, starts out love. That love that He has created in us is a result of the love of God shed abroad in our hearts, the love that God had for us. Now we have a love not only for God but for the people of God. And so Paul appeals to the love they had for him as a fellow believer to pray for him. What do you do for those you love? You pray for them, right? You pray for your kids, don't you? You pray for your grandkids, you pray for our parents. We pray for those we love and really when we are living in submission to the Spirit of God, He's produced a love for fellow believers. So Paul says, on the basis of the love that the Spirit of God has produced in our hearts for one another, I want you to be praying for me.

Now he says, I urge you to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me. Strive together for me. This basic word is a word you are familiar with. We carry it over from Greek into English, we just transliterate it over. The Greek word is agonidzo or agonidzomi. We recognize it, we just give it a little different ending and we bring it over as agonize. It was used of military battles and conflicts where you would be agony, you would be in battle, you would be in a struggle. It was used of athletic contests where again you are in a struggle, you are in conflict. There is an intensity about what is going on here. So when he says, I urge you to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me. Paul never thought of the Christian life as a life of ease, somewhat relaxing, not strenuous. He is asking them to do something that will be intensely difficult, that will be draining to them, that will be a struggle for them. Well wait a minute, they are not going to be physically traveling with Paul, but when they join in praying for Paul, they join in that ministry and they engage in spiritual battle.

When we were in Ephesians 6 we noted, our struggle is not against flesh and blood, it's against the spiritual forces of darkness, the devil and the demonic hosts. You commit yourself to pray for one another, it's no wonder you get sleepy all of a sudden, the demons are there singing lullabies. You need some rest, this is not a good time to pray, pray after your nap. You have other things to think about, God knows what you have need of before you ask Him. You don't need to be spending time in prayer. Just get about what you are doing. And somehow, we know how hard it is just to fit time for prayer. It seems that gets squeezed out. Agonize with me in your prayers to God for me.

We have to look at several verses here. Come over to 1 Timothy 4. See if you had prayed more for me this week, this might have been a shorter sermon. Verse 10. I want you to see how Paul saw his service for the Lord. Not just prayer, but our service for the Lord generally. Look at verse 10, for it is for this we labor and strive. That word strive is our basic word agonize. That word labor is a word that means to toil or work until exhaustion. So you see how Paul talks about his ministry. It is for this we labor, toil and agonize, battle and struggle because we have fixed our hope on the living God who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. So you see he saw service for the Lord as exhausting labor, as an intense struggle and battle.

Turn over to 1 Timothy 6. Not just for himself. Verse 12, fight the good fight of faith. And that word translated fight is our word agonize. Agonize the good agony, struggle the good struggle. Fight is a good translation, but I want you to see the connection. It's the same basic word we are talking about in join with me in agonizing in prayer. Agonize the good agony, this struggle. Timothy, it will be no different for you. Paul doesn't write and say, I hope the Lord makes it easier for you than He did for me, Timothy. I had to labor and agonize, but I hope I have made the way easier for you. Paul knew of no such effective ministry. You, Timothy, agonize the good agony; you struggle and fight the good fight.

Turn over to 2 Timothy 4. As you are aware this is Paul's last letter, ministry is about over for him. So he says in verse 7, I have fought the good fight. He told Timothy, we just read in 1 Timothy, you fight the good fight, but here at the end of his life as he is awaiting execution, I have fought the good fight. And there is our word agony again. I have agonized the good agony, I have struggled the good struggle. We sometimes think that if the Lord is in it and the Lord is doing it, it won't be so hard. It is hard, it is exhausting toil, it is a relentless struggle and battle and contest.

Come back to Colossians 1:29. Verse 28 Paul says, we proclaim Him, referring to Christ, admonishing every man, teaching every man with all wisdom so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose I also labor. There is our word, kopiao. I toil, I struggle, wearisome work in that sense. Striving, agonizing, there is our word, according to His power. You see there is no ___________. I am laboring until exhaustion, striving, struggling according to His power which mightily works in me. We sometimes think if God's power were working mightily in me, it wouldn't be so hard, it wouldn't be so tiring, it wouldn't be such a relentless struggle and battle. It's just the opposite, Paul says. Do you think he wasn't tired and weary physically? This is a relentless, agonizing struggle. But God's power is working mightily within me. That's how Paul saw.

You know when that battle and struggle began is when you placed your faith in Christ. Now you became the object of relentless satanic opposition and attack. The world, the flesh and the devil are arrayed against you. Jesus said, they hate you because you belong to Him. We go on in the battle.

Turn over to Colossians 4:12, here you see a man, Epaphras, who agonized in prayer for other believers. Verse 12, Epaphras who is one of your number, a bond slave of Jesus Christ sends you greetings, always, here is our word agonize translated laboring, always agonizing earnestly for you in his prayers that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. Effective prayer is a struggle, is a battle. Our service for the Lord is carried out on this level. If you are tired, if you are weary, say thank you, Lord, for using me. There is no other kind of way to be mightily used of the Lord.

You know this conflict, it's like sports. We look at a sports society and athletes get down there, they struggle, they exert themselves, they are giving it everything they have and yet they love it. I look at it and say, I wouldn't go through that for anything. But that's the struggle and they love being a part of it even though it is draining every ounce of their strength, it's taking everything they have. And yet they wouldn't want to be doing anything else. That's the way the Apostle Paul is, it just takes everything I have and it is so draining and such a struggle, but I wouldn't do anything else. Keep praying for me that I am effective in this and keep at it.

All right, come back to Romans 15. So I urge you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints. One other thing I want to remind you of in this struggle, and that is you have to be careful you don't give up. Paul is facing, even going to Jerusalem, two intimidating obstacles and potential problems—unbelieving Jews and believing Jews. And that's what he wants them to pray about. You know what I appreciate about the Apostle Paul, he didn't quit. I love his last letter when he says, I have fought the good fight, I have agonized the good agony. I mean, I'm here at the end awaiting execution so that tells me the struggle is about over. He didn't stop short, he didn't decide he could quit early. He knows when the struggle and battle is over because he will be executed.

I have to take a few moments to check some other verses with you. Come over to 2 Corinthians. This is one of those messages where when somebody asks you, what did you study in church today? You'll say, everything. 2 Corinthians 4, look at what Paul says about this ministry. Therefore since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy we do not lose heart. I love that. __________ Paul. We don't lose heart and we don't become weary, we don't despair, we don't quit. I mean, does he become tired? Of course. He says that he is toiling, that's wearisome, exhausting labor but he doesn't quit. So he doesn't despair in that sense, giving up, the obstacles wear him down. I see it happening to us over the years. You see people starting out and they are gung ho for the Lord and they can't get enough of the services and that. But somewhere along the line we just sort of wind down. We say, I've done my part now, it's . . . No, you haven't done your part, I can tell you from the Lord you haven't. Why? Because you are still here breathing. When your part is done, He'll take you to glory; when my part is done, He'll take me to glory. That doesn't mean there won't be physical limitations that come with the passing and getting into older years and that, but that doesn't mean we quit. We don't get weary and despair and give up in the work of the Lord, even though it is a relentless struggle and battle.

Turn over to Galatians 6. Paul reminds the Galatians, verse 9, let us not lose heart in doing good. For in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. We don't lose heart, don't give up, don't despair. There will be a time of reaping. It may seem now I am just grinding it out and it's taking all my strength and the struggle is relentless. It is, but don't lose heart. There will come a time of reaping, of blessings, the rest of God's glory and so on.

Over to Ephesians 3:13, therefore I ask you not to lose heart. There we are again, not to grow weary, not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf. They are for your glory. Paul is in prison here, easy for these believers at Ephesus to get discouraged and think, where is it all going? Now Paul is in prison in Rome, it's just too hard and therei s no sense in it. Don't lose heart at my tribulations. Don't grow weary, don't despair, they are for your glory. What's happening to me is okay, God is using me and you benefit from that. You know how it is. It's easy, you have someone in the body, something happens to them, what happens? Sometimes you just feel like somebody just hit you in the stomach, just takes all the wind out of you. Maybe it's not worth it. That's what Paul says, don't be discouraged.

One other passage, 2 Thessalonians 3, and this is in the context that often happens in a fellowship of believers. Some believers don't do what they should do, don't function properly. That's discouraging. I mean, when a believer fails, it is discouraging. It's just like you've lost something. What does Paul tell them? We don't have time to go through the first part of 2 Thessalonians 3. Verse 13, but as for you, brethren, do no grow weary of doing good. You don't despair, you don't lose heart, you don't stop. I mean, don't grow weary. So I say that in the context, we are in a struggle, we are in an agonizing and intense ongoing battle. It won't stop, there are lulls it seems, but you can't quit any more than that person who is in that athletic contest. In the middle of it all of a sudden he just doesn't sit down and stop and everybody says, what are you doing? I'm tired, I'm resting. You can't, we're in the middle of the game. Well you can't do it on the battlefield. But I'm tired. That doesn't have anything to do with it, you keep going when you are tired. Right? That's the way it is for us as believers. And He brings strength, He renews our strength.

Come back to Romans 15. So he is praying for two things here in anticipation of what is coming, that he may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and we won't go to the end of the book of Acts to show how this happens. Paul knows Judea, he's going to Jerusalem which is in Judea. That's the center of the Jewish world. He knows the opposition that he experienced back when he got saved in Acts 9, there. Now going back there with some notoriety, the opposition will be ready. And it will be, it will result in the Romans having to intervene to keep him from being killed by the Jewish opposition, which will begin a Roman imprisonment that will last years.

But he also has a second part of his prayer. That my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints. That's amazing. He's talked about, he's collecting money from Gentile churches and he is going to take it to Jerusalem so that it can be used to help the poor believing Jews who have become impoverished. And he's concerned that they won't accept it. And when you get to Acts, we'll turn over there quickly, Acts 20. Acts 21 we'll do, we don't need the preceding. Acts 21:20, we'll pick up, he's meeting with James and the leaders of the church in Jerusalem. And they said when they heard it how God had been working among the Gentiles, Paul shares, with using him. When they heard it they began glorifying God. Then they said to him, you see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are zealous for the Law. So they've had a great response among the Jews to the message of the gospel. And they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children, nor to walk according to the customs.

So back in Romans 15. When Paul says, pray that my offering will be acceptable, you see what's happening even among believers. Rumors are a terrible thing among believers, and there are believing Jews who have been saying, the Apostle Paul has become anti-Jewish and now he is against anything Jewish. He's saying you shouldn't circumcise your children, you shouldn't do anything that's included in the Law, which would be another way of saying, you have to eat pork sandwiches. Paul covered that in his letter to the Romans. But this rumor is going around among Jews in Jerusalem. The danger is they will be closed to anything Paul brings them from Gentile churches because they see Paul and his ministry to the Gentiles establishing an anti-Jewish church. We've been through that, that's not the case.

So part of the purpose of this offering is to show that the Gentiles recognize and acknowledge and appreciate they are inheriting blessing, spiritual blessings from the Jews promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So it would be a disaster because if the believing Jews in Jerusalem, the church there, which is where the church began and apostles still have a focal center, it would split the church. You'll have a Gentile church out here and the Jews will not have anything to do with the Gentiles or Paul who has a ministry to the Gentiles. So pray that they will accept this offering because they understand I am not anti-Jewish and there is not a Gentile church out there that is anti-Jewish, but that we are now joined together as one—Jew and Gentile. And Jews are still free to circumcise their children, to observe whatever eating laws they choose to, but they are not required to. And the Gentiles are not required to adopt Jewish practices. So to clarify that. So very important that they pray for this.

And that will result that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company. Now may the God of peace be with you all. Because remember this is part of Paul's plan. If I can do this in Jerusalem and I'm protected from the non-believer and received by the believer, that will facilitate my coming to you on my way to Spain to carry the gospel to other unbelieving Gentiles. God often answers our prayers, but often not exactly as we desire. Paul is going to be protected from the unbelieving Jews after his ministry is received by the believing church, they accept his offering. But then the unbelieving Jews attack him. But God intervenes to rescue Paul

Verse 31, that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea. And he is rescued. How? God sends the Roman soldiers down to rescue him from the Jews and then to transport him from Jerusalem because the Jews are plotting to kill him. And that begins a journey as a Roman prisoner that will culminate in Rome. So he'll end up in Rome, he'll be able to come to them, but it's a prayer answered differently than they planned. The God of peace be with you. He's the One who produces peace among us as His people. And that ought to be the continuing characteristic of our ministry together.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your abounding grace, your grace in the life of the Apostle Paul, your grace in our lives. Lord, we have the same salvation as he had. You are our God as you were his God, your Spirit dwells in us even as He dwelt in Paul. You gave Paul a unique and special ministry, but you have given each of us a unique and special ministry as well. And, Lord, we are privileged to come before your throne and call you Father, to come with confidence, knowing we are well received and accepted because Jesus Christ is our Savior, our High Priest. We come, not on our own merits, but on His merits. Lord, we are privileged to pray for one another. Lord, we need to be more diligent in that, more faithful in upholding one another and praying for one another, in praying that you would work and open doors and give boldness, provide encouragement. In all areas of our lives we can be praying for one another. Thank you for that blessing and privilege. Thank you for bringing us together as your people in this place. Lord, bless us in our service for you, that you might receive the glory. We pray in Christ's name, amen.