February 5, 2014
WANT TO PRAY? WELCOME TO THE FRONT LINES.
Romans 15:14-33
Howard Goldthwaite
Central Truth
No matter how you look at it, prayer is work. And it is a battle.
Key Verse | Romans 15:30
I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf. (Romans 15:30)
Romans 15:14-33
Paul the Minister to the Gentiles
14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, 1 15:14 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 30 that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. 15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, 21 but as it is written,
“Those who have never been told of him will see,
and those who have never heard will understand.”
Paul's Plan to Visit Rome
22 This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. 23 But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, 24 I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. 28 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, 2 15:28 Greek sealed to them this fruit I will leave for Spain by way of you. 29 I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing 3 15:29 Some manuscripts insert of the gospel of Christ.
30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. 33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Dive Deeper | Romans 15:14-33
Which one is hardest:
• Attend church?
• Attend community group?
• Attend a Bible study?
• Pray to God by yourself for 15 minutes straight?
Prayer requires us to exert ourselves vigorously. When we pray, we immediately find ourselves battling on two fronts: our own fleshly aversion to submitting to God and evil spiritual forces. Author Timothy M. Warner put it this way: "Prayer is even more than work. It is war. One does not go onto the front lines in war and not expect to get shot at. War is not fun and games. You can't turn it off like you can a television. So when we begin to take intercession for the unreached peoples of the world (and our own nation and neighborhood) seriously, we can expect to find ourselves on the front lines of the battle -- face to face with the enemy."
I doubt Satan gets very perturbed when we pray for a bigger yacht or for our favorite sports team to win a championship. But when we pray for people to come to Christ, that is different. Author William Peel says it this way: "To spend any length of time in prayer is one of the hardest things I do. It takes all of my power of concentration to keep my attention on the business of prayer for five minutes. Why is it so hard? For one thing, prayer, while being a tremendous privilege, is our most powerful weapon against evil. Satan would rather that I engage in any activity than prayer and will always make sure there is a truckload of stresses and enticements to divert my attention." I also love this quote from Samuel Chadwick: "The one concern of the devil is to keep saints from prayer. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray."
Paul was humble enough to ask for prayer. We should pray for each other, and we should ask people to pray for us. But as soon as you start to pray, you are on the front lines too. So be ready.
Discussion Questions
1. Why do we tend to gravitate toward "churchy" activities that can be noticed by others, rather than quiet activities like prayer that people do not see? (Jesus warned us about this in Matthew 6:1-6.)
2. When was the last time you asked someone to pray for you?
3. When was the last time someone asked you to pray for them?
4. Who are the people you lean on most when you need prayers?
5. What are the distractions that tend to keep you from praying?