Co-laborers for Christ

Introduction

Last week, we preached on Paul’s philosophy of pioneer missions. One of the biggest struggles in pioneer missions is loneliness because you have no support team, you have no church yet, there are few if any believers yet. A missionary serving on any foreign field at times feels all alone. Like they are in this work together.

It is kinda like harvesting a large field by hand. You have been given you scythe, and told where to go. Day in and Day out you work over in your corner of the field; but rarely do you see anyone else. You look up and see how much field you have to harvest ahead of you and it seems like it continues on forever. Inwardly, you cry I wish someone was out here working alongside of me. I wish I had help.

Paul knew something that we sometimes forget when we are laboring for the Lord. We are not alone. I think of Elijah when he fled from Jezebel. Elijah sat there thinking that he was all alone. He struggled with the loneliness. If you look into the story, Elijah shows 9 different signs of clinical depression. He was not merely discouraged. But Elijah’s biggest complaint, the lie that had led him into this depressions was a belief that he was all alone. “I even I only am left.” But God gently works with Elijah and reminds him “I have left me seven thousand in Israel…” Elijah was not alone; he never had been.

This final section, Paul dwells on how the Romans and other Christians and Churches he had ministered to were colaborers for Christ with Him. He was never alone because they were agonizing alongside of Him.

Paul desired to be blessed by his relationship with the Romans Christians.

Romans 15:23–24 “But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you; Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company.”

Paul begins this section expressing his desire to see the Romans. Sometimes people need to be told how we feel about them and our desire to be with them. They need to know that we desire that relationship with them. Paul had not stayed away because of a lack of desire. He hadn’t been able to be there because of the business of the ministry God had given him. Sometimes business crowds out our opportunities to do some things and that can’t always be helped. A missionary over seas would love to spend time with family every family get together, but the nature of their ministry limits their opportunities.

The point here is found in those word great desire. This is what Paul longed for. It was a constant burning in his chest: this desire to be with them. So while he could not stop his pioneer missionary work (he intended to go to Spain), Paul made plans to be with them. Paul sought to do what he could to be with them. As we will see, things didn’t go exactly as he planned, but God granted him the ability to see them.

There are three aspects to his desire and at first they may seem selfish, but I think as we progress through the text you will see that that is not the case.

to see you on my journey- Do you desire to be around and see other Christians? I have made this statement before, but God never designed us to live our Christian lives alone. We need other Christians. You cannot be everything God desires you to be without other Christians in your life.

to be brought on my way Titus 3:13 “Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them.” 3 John 6 “which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:” Acts 20:38 “Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship.” Part of their partnership with Paul was financial, but I think this passage means more than that. People would often accompany them part of the way as well. They wanted to be a help in any way they could.

to be somewhat filled with your company- Paul desired himself to be refreshed by their companionship. Dealing with people can be draining, but there are some relationships that energize and refill you. They are a blessing in your life.

The Churches of Macedonia had both a desire and a debt toward the Jewish Christians.

Romans 15:25–29 “But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things. When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain. And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.”

This section of the text may seem like a detour. Paul was just talking about the Romans but now he is talking about the Macedonian churches and Jerusalem. Part of that is because his trip to Jerusalem was in fact a detour before he could come to Rome. It was in exactly the wrong direction, but I think it was more than a detour. Paul’s mention of this gives us to examples of working alongside others.

Paul was going to Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. He wasn’t going for some big church conference, or to make his name known there. He wasn’t going to defend his reputation or have a debate. Paul was going merely to minister. Paul had initiated a collection of funds to help the poor, and persecuted in Jerusalem probably because of a famine in the land.

The second example though are the churches of Macedonia and Achaia. These churches were poor enough as it was, but they wanted to be a help to the churches in Jerusalem. You could argue, “we have our own problems why should we be helping them.” Doesn’t it sound a little like politics today. But that wasnt the mindset of these churches. Paul points out two reasons they gave:

Desire- this was a freewill offering. No one was making them do it. No pastor standing up there saying if you don’t give God is going to curse you. It pleased them to give. This is what brought them joy.

Debt- The second reason they gave was this understanding of a debt they owed to the Jewish Christians. The nature of this debt has been explained in Romans 11:17 where the Gentiles have become sharers of the fatness of the Jews. Ephesians 3:6 “That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:” Galatians 3:14 “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” We are blessed spiritually with the blessings of Abraham not because we deserve it. We are wild branches grafted in. We are sharers of their blessings. In a way Christianity only exists because of a Jewish promise made to Abraham that came through a Jewish Messiah. We receive spiritual blessings because of our inclusion in the body of Christ. As partakers of the fatness, we have a debt to help with our carnal things- financial blessings.

Vs 28- sealed to them this fruit- comes from a practice of sealing a bag of grain before turning it over to the purchaser

vs 29 There is a textual variant here, but the point is the same. Paul expects to bring with him the blessing of Christ to the Romans when he visits. Paul is not so focused on what they can do for him, but on what he can do for them in blessing them. Some might have read vs 24 and thought, “Paul you are being awful selfish here aren’t you.” but they need to keep reading. Paul knows that when he comes and ministers in Rome it will be a blessing to them.

The Church of Rome could strive together with Paul through their prayers.

Romans 15:30–32 “Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints; That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.”

This passage is the central point of this message. Paul invites the Romans to join him in his ministry. But they can’t just up and leave their homes and travel with him. Could you imagine a church of hundreds if not thousands vacating Rome and traveling as a mob around the world. Rome would really be worried about an insurrection then. Paul pleads with them to strive together with me in your prayers. While they can not physically go with him, they can work alongside him through prayer.

You might think well that’s just a cop out like saying God bless you but not helping them. But think about this. Can Paul do anything on his own? Can God work miracles? Can God do something even when I am not present? If the only true source of power and results in Paul’s ministry is God then what better way can we work alongside him than to petition God to do that work. My physical presence may inactuality be less beneficial than my prayers. My money may in fact be less of a help than my prayers because God is always the greatest asset I could have.

This word striving here means to agonize. The passage does not specify who we are struggling with: God, principalities and powers or even ourselves. But this isn’t flippant prayer. This is deep seated groaning in prayer. It is wrestling in prayer. The word is sunagonizomai- a team of athletes- focus on the teamwork here. By entering into prayer like this we have joined their team. We are on their side and they are not alone.

Why should we strive together in prayer?

for Christ’s sake- Christ deserves the glory. Prayer at its core is humility. It is the acknowledgment that the greatest thing I can do is depend on God. Prayer has no vestiges of human effort left. I am not out there trying to physically make Paul successful, rather I am dependent on God to do what I can not. If God is the only one doing it, then God is the only one who gets the credit. Paul is pleading with them on the basis of their shared allegiance to Christ.

for the love of the Spirit- but it is also because of the love we have for this other person. Sometimes we fail to enter into agonizing prayer because we lack that feeling of connection with them that the Spirit produces in us. The Spirit should produce a natural affection.

What does Paul ask them to pray for?

I may be delivered

My service would be accepted- by the Jewish Christians- Paul possibly was concerned that they might reject the offerring seeing it as taking Paul’s side in a increasingly splintered Jewish/ Gentile relationship in the church. Paul desired greater unity between the Jews and Gentiles.

I may come to you- by the will of God- the purpose of prayer is not to bend God’s will to ours but to align our wills to his.

We may be refreshed together

Were Paul’s prayers answered? 1) No and Yes- Paul was arrested and taken prisoner, but he was delivered from a plot to kill him 2) Probably Yes, Luke doesn’t actually record this detail, but later he relates that this is why he came to Jerusalem. 3) Yes but not how he thought.

Conclusion

Paul was never alone. In the dark cell in Jerusalem, he was not alone. In the boat when he was shipwrecked, he was not alone. In Athens, when he waited for the rest of his team to arrive, he was never alone.

In the loneliness of our service for the Lord, we are never alone. When it seems like the world is caving in, we are never alone. We know the obvious truth that God is always with us, but the point of this message is that others are there even when we can’t see them. Others who agonize in prayer for us are laboring alongside of us. We can be involved in the lives of others by agonizing in prayer. We can lift up their hands when they droop by prayer. They may never even know we were there to lift them up. We don’t tell every missionary, we had special prayer for you, but when God answers, we were part of that. I don’t tell all of you I agonized in prayer over you this week and trust me I labor in prayer for you, but when I see God answer those prayers, I know I had a part in that.

The final verses of the chapter ends with a benediction Romans 15:33 “Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.” Guys, there is peace in knowing others are agonizing in prayer over you today. May God’s peace rest upon you today.

This morning, maybe you have felt all alone like living this Christian life is so hard. Maybe you have brushed up against the point of exhaustion in your service for the Lord. Know that you are not alone. Let’s spend some time this morning agonizing in prayer for each other. Think of someone you know, a missionary, a preacher, a friend who could really use some prayer today.