The Twenty-Second Sermon
Romans 15:22-33
The Work of Missions
The work of the foreign missionary is unique and it is also hard. You and I can't really imagine how difficult it was for Paul the spostle. It takes us only a moment to read the 11 verses before us today, but in them Paul wrote about a journey to Jerusalem that would cover the better part of a thousand miles, much of it by sea, but some of it by foot or donkey. It would take from a week to a month, during which time he'd have to carry with him either food or some sort of money or goods for barter, along with the necessary things for daily life. At each port, transportation would have to be arranged, and, if visitation in the surrounding area was to occur, he'd have to walk, possibly some miles, to do it.
As if all these things weren't enough on this particular trip, Paul had also to face an angry mob at Jerusalem, a trial before the Sanhedrin, a trip to appear before Felix the governor and another to appear before Agrippa the king. Then it was finally necessary for him to be sent by sea to Rome as a prisoner. That would cover another 1500-2000 miles, include a shipwreck at the island of Malta, and, finally, after three more months, arrival at Rome, where Paul lived for two more years as a prisoner in a rented house (he even had to pay the rent) before appearing for trial before Caesar. During much of this time, Paul was dependent upon the many churches he had founded to cover his expenses, and it was never a certainty from day to day that he'd have enough to eat or any of the other necessities of life.
But even all of this wasn't the end of it. We know he wrote at least thirteen letters, though he may have written many, many more. He prayed and studied much and preached and taught when he could. And then there was the time spent in counseling and discipling.
So what do we find in the present passage? Personally, I'd expect to find one very tired man! So is Paul tired? Is he ready for a vacation? Does he bemoan the fact that, though he had every right, yet he did not allow himself to marry, to enjoy as others did the companionship of a loving woman? Do we find an apostle who jealously guarded his right to be supported by others? See 1 Corinthians 9:1-18 on this subject. He's careful to explain that he is far more concerned for the advance of the Gospel than for any rights or privileges he might otherwise have.
In fact, what we actually find here, instead of a man complaining about his very difficult life as an apostle, we find a man who is totally focussed on planning and praying about new missionary ventures that would be even far more arduous than anything he had yet undertaken! And he was also thinking about his coming to the romans - not for a vacation but "in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ." His joy - his delight - was not in a camping trip to the lake or to the woods, not a long, relaxing visit with friends who would care for him, but it was entirely in fulfilling his intense desire to visit and be a blessing to the Roman church and to journey still further on in order to penetrate the unreached darkness of Spain. He wanted only to reach even more Gentiles who could, as he said in verse 16, be made "an acceptable offering, sanctified by the Holy Spirit."
Obviously, Paul wasn't like most men. He differed from the average man in that he had been made thoroughly aware of eternal realities. The result was that serving Jesus Christ was not for him a game, of which he would soon tire in order to do more rewarding things. No, the spiritual life he lived was real life - the only real life, a life that meant everything to him. To be used in bringing men, women, and children into the kingdom was for him worth of any cost, including life itself, and he was therefore willing to give up any or all of the pleasures of this world for it. Obviously, He was moved by the Spirit of the living God! Obviously, he was moved by love to Christ!
But we need to notice something that Paul assumed. He assumed that the same Holy Spirit Who moved him was also moving the Roman Christians. He begs them to "strive together in prayers to God for me . . ." Not that God needed their prayers in order to act (He doesn't need our prayers - we do). But he wanted them to share in the joy of his service to God. That's a viewpoint we could certainly stand to have as we consider our own missionaries, both home and foreign. It isn't a matter of sympathizing because of their deprivations, but it's a matter of sharing in their joy!
Now brothers and sisters in Christ - I've painted a picture here of all-out service to Christ, a picture of Paul's life. We need to think very carefully about the application to our own lives. Mistakes about proper application are easily made here. We could, for instance, take what I'll call the "glamorized missionary" approach. It's an approach often taken by speakers at young people's conferences. In it the imagination of the audience is captured by the "glamour" of all-out dedication. The problem with this approach, though, is that those whose imaginations are captivated aren't necessarily captivated by Holy-Spirit love to Jesus Christ, by love that comes from deep Biblical knowledge of Him. The realities of hardship and frustration soon lead such new servants to give up their dedication.
Another approach, one often taken by many of us, is the "approval-without-imitation" approach. We look at the life of Paul admiringly, approvingly, but without any change in our own motivation or actions. Perhaps you've been moved by Paul's example, so much so that you admire him and what he did. But -is your heart changed, and is your life different now?
There's an alternative approach, a difficult and careful approach. it's an attitude, an attitude that thankfully accepts and joyfully uses the good things of this life - but doesn't focus or depend upon them. It's a prayerful attitude, an attitude that confesses a wayward heart, that confesses a heart that still isn't adequately captivated by love to Christ. Such an attitude is characterized by thankfulness for good earthly things, but also by slow but definite and growing willingness to give them up in service to God.
In desiring to apply all of this to each one of our hearts today, I must mention a serious danger. The danger is that you may have considered the various responses I've mentioned and yet you might still be unmoved to action, to change, or to renewal of life from this moment on. The problem with that is that Satan has many traps, and he's just waiting for you to fall into them. For instance, You may begin to think that you could just never keep up with it all, so you won't even start. Or you may think it's a good thing to be as dedicated as Paul, but you'd just have to give up too many things, so you put it off - for now. Or you may even think that others wouldn't like you if you were so dedicated.
Please notice, however, that God always provided for Paul, and please be equally aware that He'll always provide for you as well! See what Paul himself said to the Philippians: "Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me."
Summing it all up, I want to exhort you - and I want God to move me as well. What I want to say is this: may we have hearts fully and deeply captivated by Christ Jesus. Oh may we be moved as we read His Word to seek a meditating heart, a heart that tries mightily to become more and more acquainted with Him. And then may our dedication to Him greatly increase - with joy and without fear. May each of us be more fully His, more dedicated, more totally given over to Him from this day forward. Amen.