Road Trip to Rome
Romans 15:22-33

Message by Kurt Jones
August 21, 2005

How many have traveled this summer? how many stranded in an airport? How many have driven more than 5,000 miles in the last month? 6,000? 6,781? How many broke down beside the road, How many…

Intro

Paul has three trips in mind

• Corinth to Jerusalem – The verb tense here says, “I’m going out the door as I write!” He’s finishing his letter and on to the next thing!
• Jerusalem to Rome
• Rome to Spain Over 3000 miles if he were to go by boat, even further if he traveled by land!

Why is Paul making these journeys?

In order to have a successful journey…

1. We’ve got to know our destination. v.22-25

22 For this reason I have often been prevented from coming to you; 23 but now, with no further place for me in these regions, and since I have had for many years a longing to come to you 24 whenever I go to Spain--for I hope to see you in passing, and to be helped on my way there by you, when I have first enjoyed your company for a while-- 25 but now, I am going to Jerusalem serving the saints.

For this reason – what reason? His focus on the unreached! But now he is able to come and see them because “there is no more room”.

Illycrium was way in the North – modern day Bosnia, above Macedonia. Jerusalem was in the south of Palestine – it was a big area!

Map lesson – Corinth, Rome, Spain, Macedonia, Achaia,

Amazing progress – In 1974, approximately one-half of the world’s population was beyond the reach of the Gospel, living in unreached people groups. TODAY, just one third of the Earth’s population live in ureached people groups.

Statistics from the US Center for World Missions – www.uscwm.org

• 5,600 new churches are opening every week worldwide.
• The Church in Africa is increasing by 20,000 per day on the average; the southern part of that continent was 3% Christian in 1900 and is nearly 60%

Christians today:

• Worldwide, Christianity is growing at the rate of 115,000 new believers every day.
• More Muslims in Iran have come to Christ since 1980 than in the previous 1,000 years combined.
• In 1900, Korea had no Protestant church; it was deemed “impossible to penetrate.” Today Korea is 35% Christian with 7,000 churches in the city of Seoul alone.
• God is creatively sending Chinese believers to reach Tibetans, Hondurans to reach North African Muslims, and Navajos to reach Laplanders. There are currently more than 60,000 non-Western missionaries from over 1,000 non-Western mission agencies. Many of these are serving in places which are hostile to Western missionaries.

Cf. 1:10-13 – He “longed” to see them, and had planned many times to come, but had been prevented over many years.

But Paul isn’t satisfied… EX: David Livingstone was asked where he wanted to go as a missionary and he answered, “Anywhere, as long as it is forward!”

…we were the first to come even as far as you in the gospel of Christ; not boasting beyond our measure, that is, in other men's labors, but with the hope that as your faith grows, we will be, within our sphere, enlarged even more by you, so as to preach the gospel even to the regions beyond you… 2 Cor. 10:14-16

What is “Reached” and “Unreached”?

One third of the individuals in the world live within peoples with no church. 10,000 distinct people groups without a witness to Christ in their own language from one of their own people, in a church that can reproduce itself.

One third are “reached” by unsaved. They’ve probably had the chance to hear the Gospel in their own language, or to attend a church, or to read the Bible, but have not made a decision for Christ.

One third are “Christian” – More than half of these are cultural Christians with no living relationship with Christ. About 650 million are

He planned to go to Spain – occupied by Romans 200 BC, but had just become a Roman province. Unevangelized! The Roman empire at the time of Paul went all the way to Britian! How far did he have in mind?

No such thing as retirement!

• Personnel Needed— Each of the 10,000 Unreached Peoples needs a team of at least 4 missionaries focused on establishing a church movement among them — so, a total of 40,000 missionaries are needed. Well over half of these will come from countries other than the U.S.
• Personnel Resources— There are 650 million Great Commission Christians in the world. So, assuming an average church size of 100 persons, we only need one new missionary from every 162 churches in order to send out the additional 40,000 that are needed!

PEOPLE NEED TO GO! EX: SUSAN’S TESTIMONY HERE.

We don’t know if Paul made it to Spain. There is some indication that he may have after his first imprisonment in Rome, but no proof.

The Great Commission is accomplished by GOING.

<<<TRANS >>>> I’m coming to see you but it is just passing through….

v. 24 - Hoping to be “helped” – to supply with food and funds, even providing an escort or a translator. It was a delicate way of saying he needed support. He was far from his home church in Antioch.

Paul did not personally know the church in Rome. He hadn’t planted it, but he was building a relationship with the people there.

2. We’ve got to have adequate supplies. v.26-29

26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. 27 Yes, they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things. 28 Therefore, when I have finished this, and have put my seal on this fruit of theirs, I will go on by way of you to Spain. 29 I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

Macedonia and Achaia = the churches in northern and southern Greece.

Macedonia = Philippi, Thessolonica

Achaia = Corinth

Paul was personally delivering this gift. It added 2000 miles to his journey… It was the wrong direction for him to go to Jerusalem!

Why were there poor Christians in Jerusalem? It is not known. Israel was poor compared to the rest of the Roman empire, there may have been a famine going on… We know from Acts 2 there were those in the church who were needy and people were all pitching in to help…. This was help from outside.

1 Thess

“contribution” = koinonia – “common share”

They were pleased to give (repeated in 26 and 27) It was joyful, from the heart… 2 Cor. 8-9, 1 Cor. 16:11

WHY did he do it? It was a strategic, symbolic, humble, material demonstration of the indebtedness of the Gentiles to the Jews. Mother church and child church.

Romans 11 - Gentiles humbled (even though Jewish “transgression”)

• Giving to Paul
• Giving to the Ministry
• Balancing spontaneity and obligation in giving

Money was sent as a tangible expression of fellowship – contribution/koinonia

Finances — Each of these 40,000 new missionaries will need an average of $15,000 per year to support their work. This means that $600 million more is needed annually.

Finances — Worldwide, believers give $12 billion average to missions; about 5.5% of all giving to Christian causes, or about $1,850 a year per church. To make up an additional $600 million needed would require only $92 more per year from each church! That’s only 92 cents more a year per person! If the U. S. alone had to supply this need through its approximately 80 million born again adults the cost would be only an extra $7.50 each.

“More missionaries are now sent from non-Western churches than from the traditional mission sending bases in the West.”

Paul requested contributions from Corinth from Gentile Churches to be sent to believers in serious need.

2 Cor 8:1-5 Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, 2 that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. 3 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, 4 begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, 5 and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.

The Great Commission is accomplished by GIVING.

Seal this fruit = affirmation of authenticy.

NIV = “when I have made sure that they received this fruit…”

<<trans>>> v. 29 Paul was confident in God’s ability to bless! How do you FEEL after you’ve been traveling? Why is he so confident? This is not boasting (cp. V.17) Because he knows people are praying, and God is working!

3. We’ve got to have enough POWER. v.30-33

30 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, 31 that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints; 32 so that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company. 33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Paul had been praying for the church in Rome.

Rom 1:9 - 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,

He tells them to join his struggle.

Supernatural battle
2 Cor 11:23-28 beatings, robbers, shipwreck, wild animals, AND the daily pressure from the churches…

Col. 2:1

Paul had three Prayer requests

A. Protection from unbelievers

B. Gift accepted

– why wouldn’t it be? The Mother church accepting gifts from the Child. Gentile Christians giving gifts to the Jewish Christians…

C. Make it to Rome in joy ( contingent upon the other two)

Was Paul delivered from unbelievers? No and Yes. Acts 21:30ff; 22:22; 23:10; 22:25 – Arrested, tried, imprisioned, but not killed.

Was the gift Paul delivered “accepted”? We don’t know.

Did Paul make it to Rome? Yes, but not the way he thought he would. Three years later, as a prisioner he would go to Rome and he would be executed there.

Paul’s attitude en route to Jerusalem? Acts 21:13

…by the will of God

• Prayer it to align our will with the will of God.
• We can have assurance and confidence in God’s will. What has He revealed about His will?
• We don’t know how to pray (8:26)
• The Spirit helps us by jumping in for us with God.

If Jesus added “not my will but your will be done”, so can WE (Luke 22:42)

Prayer is not a candy machine or an ATM. You don’t just push a button and good things come out.

• Prayer — Prayer will always be the most crucial need in world evangelization. Missionaries can be sent out and work really hard, but if people back home don’t pray, very little will be accomplished. Exactly how much prayer is needed? All we can really do is make an estimate. Each missionary should be covered by at least an hour of specific prayer daily—both for the people group they work with and also for personal needs. So we need a foundation of 40,000 more hours of prayer daily.
  
• Prayer — Prayer is something that everyone can do. Assuming earlier, a church of about 50 praying members could readily supply team of four missionaries if they only prayed 5 minutes a day. According to a recent survey, the prayer necessary would take only 2% of the time we evangelical Christians spend daily watching TV and shopping.

1. The Practice of praying

2. The Place for Planning – flexibility is needed.

3. The importance of Persistence – for many years Paul wanted to go.

Paul WOULD end his ministry in Rome…

The Great Commission is accomplished by PRAYING.

“God has given us a clear and simple thing to finish: to see that Christ is worshipped and followed in every people.”

APPLICATION

GOING – Are you willing to Go? It starts by being willing to go across the street!

GIVING – Are you willing to give? Are you longing for the opportunity? Some haven’t even given $.92!

PRAYING – Are you willing to pray? Start with ONE missionary for FIVE minutes and see if it grows.

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