Pastor Hill: Partners

Romans 15:30-33, “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. Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.”

Speaking the Truth in Love by Pastor Tommy Hill

Speaking the Truth in Love
by Pastor Tommy Hill

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:9, “For we are labourers together with God:”

Paul challenges the Roman Christians to become partners with him in the great task of evangelizing the world for Christ. As we close out 2014 may we think on all the things we have done in support of the kingdom of God and let us commit to do even more in 2015 in partnering with all who are in the Christian race with us. Paul describes how we can work and partner together in the new year. We can be:

PARTNERS IN THE BATTLE, Romans 15:31, “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;”

It is one of the wonders of Christianity that any believer can become a warrior in the battle at any time and in any place and make his influence count to the ends of the earth and high in heavenly places, simply by engaging in prayer. The Bible teaches that we may, “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). This is exactly what the Jerusalem Christians did when Peter was arrested and Herod planned to execute him after the Passover. The Christians prayed without ceasing unto God for him, Acts 12:5, and God granted their prayer requests and freed him from prison.

By praying for our missionaries, pastors, and Christian brethren we join them on the battlefield wherever they are engaged in the fight. Whether in a foreign land or across town God sees us when we join and partner with others in trying to win battles for Christ. When we pray in the Spirit, we can conquer time and space and join as partners in the battle no matter where the battle may be.

PARTNERS IN PRAYER, Romans 15:30, “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;” Paul requested that they pray intentionally for him. He wanted to make sure they had him on their prayer list. As Christians, we know that it pleases God to act in answer to our prayers.

Paul said, “strive together with me,” because prayer must be a deliberate exercise of the soul. Prayer is not something we do naturally, it is taxing work which requires effort on the part of the Christian. He also requested they pray intelligently for him concerning his safety, “that I may be delivered from them,” and concerning his steps, “that I may come unto you with joy,” because Paul was aware of the dangers which awaited him at Jerusalem.

Like Paul, our missionaries and Christian workers today face many dangers depending on where they are living in the world. It is a great help to them when we partner with them in prayer. James wrote, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16.

PARTNERS IN THE BLESSINGS, Romans 15:32, “That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.” Those who share the battles and prayers shall share the blessings of joy and being refreshed. Paul concludes Romans 15 with the words, “Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.”

This is perhaps the greatest of all blessings, a sense of calm in times of storm, when we realize the God of peace is with us.

Our challenge in 2015 should be to battle with all Christians, contending for the faith that has been delivered to us, by praying for all our brothers and sisters in Christ. Make your prayers intentional and specific for those who need others to help and partner with them in the great task of serving our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Pastor Tommy Hill is the pastor of First Free Will Baptist Church in Hamlet. He is a Richmond County native. He can be reached at firstfwbchurchhamlet@gmail.com. His column will appear each Friday in The Pee Dee Post.

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