Digging in Deeper: Romans 15:30-33

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“Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in prayers to God on my behalf. Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, that my ministry to Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, and that, by God’s will, I may come to you with joy and be refreshed together with you. May the God of peace be with all of you. Amen.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Jesus’ brother, James wrote in his letter that part of the reason we don’t receive from God all that we could is that we don’t pray for it. We don’t ask for it. The fact is that our prayers are usually small. We ask for people we know to get well or have an easier time dealing with one physical issue or another. And that’s about it. Those aren’t bad prayers, but they aren’t necessarily kingdom-advancing prayers. Paul here is asking for prayer from the believers in Rome. Let’s talk about why he places so much emphasis on this, the kinds of things he is asking them to pray for, and what this all might mean for us.

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The Way that Seems Right

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This Sunday we kicked off a brand-new teaching series. Before Jesus departed the scene physically, He left His disciples some final marching orders. They were to make disciples everywhere they went. They were to be His witnesses locally, regionally, and internationally. They were to proclaim and advance the Gospel. The Christian faith has always been a missionary faith. In recent years in this country, though, being on mission for God has become an increasingly difficult task as our culture continues down the road of becoming post-Christian. How are we supposed to share the Gospel in a post-Christian culture where faith is no longer assumed? For the next few weeks, we’ll be talking about that very thing. This week we are starting with a topic that has to be addressed first in this effort: truth. How do we stand on the reality of truth in a culture that rejects such notions? Let’s talk about it.

The Way that Seems Right

Have you ever found yourself wishing we could go back to a simpler time in the past? You know, one where neighbors talked and actually knew each other better. Where kids could be sent out to play all day without worrying about where they were or what they were doing. Where so many marriages didn’t end in divorce. Where men were expected and allowed to be men, and women were expected and allowed to be women. One where the country wasn’t so polarized by politics; where the political left and the political right at least both loved America, and the ideas the nation stands for. Where most people went to church and you could pray and talk about the Bible in schools and in public, and the people who didn’t already believe it responded with repentance rather than persecution. 

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Digging in Deeper: Mark 15:6-13

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“At the festival Pilate used to release for the people a prisoner whom they requested. There was one named Barabbas, who was in prison with rebels who had committed murder during the rebellion. The crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do for them as was his custom. Pilate answered them, ‘Do you want me to release the king of the Jews for you?’ For he knew it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that he would release Barabbas to them instead. Pilate asked them again, ‘Then what do you want me to do with the one you call the king of the Jews?’ Again they shouted, ‘Crucify him!'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Sometimes a single story in the Bible can have multiple different angles of interpretation, all of which are correct. Which one rises to the top in a particular season depends on the needs of the season. The author of Hebrews describes God’s word as living and active. The words themselves are not alive, but God’s Spirit is present in and around us, and He uses the words to reveal truth to us. Because they are His words first, He can use them to reveal different aspects of the truth to us at different times depending on our need and the particular growth He is working to draw out of us. One such story is the story of the release of Barabbas on the cusp of Jesus’ crucifixion. We’re here this morning because I had a conversation with one of my boys last night about what I was going to write about today, and this was his suggestion. It was a good one, so here we are.

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Digging in Deeper: Romans 15:22-29

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“That is why I have been prevented many times from coming to you. But now I no longer have any work to do in these regions, and I have strongly desired for many years to come to you whenever I travel to Spain. For I hope to see you when I pass through and to be assisted by you for my journey there, once I have first enjoyed your company for a while. Right now I am traveling to Jerusalem to serve the saints, because Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Yes, they were pleased, and indeed are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits, then they are obligated to minister to them in material needs. So when I have finished this and safely delivered the funds to them, I will visit you on the way to Spain. I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing  of Christ.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

The Scriptures are often inspirational. They’re occasionally confusing. Sometimes they’re admittedly boring. Occasionally they’re unnerving. Every now and then, though, they’re just practical. Here as we draw near the end of Paul’s letter to the Roman church, he offers up a review of his travel plans. This is the kind of material we often just skip over because it doesn’t seem to have much practical relevance. But if every word of the Scriptures is God-breathed and intended to shape us to look more like Him, then this is too. Let’s take a look at what’s here to see what we can see.

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Morning Musing: Romans 15:20-21

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“My aim is to preach the gospel where Christ has not been named, so that I will not build on someone else’s foundation, but, as it is written, ‘Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.’” (CSB – Read the chapter)

The last thing Jesus said before returning to the Father’s right hand was to commission His followers to proclaim the Gospel. This call wasn’t something that was only for those special few who were called to be missionaries, though, it was for all of His followers. All of us are to be involved in proclaiming the good news and making disciples. That this is happening should be a given. How it happens, however, is a much more open question. Paul here talks about how He was called to that. Let’s talk about how we might be.

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