In Romans 15, Paul explains his desire to preach the gospel in Spain so that the Gentiles there glorify God for His mercy to them. He must go to Spain because he has fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ in Asia Minor and Greece and there is no longer any room to continue working. Of course Paul hadn’t evangelized every person or every town in those regions, but he had overseen the planting of churches in key cities. Now those churches were in a position to take on the evangelization of their own region. But how could the church in Rome help?

Specifically, Paul mentions two ways that the church in Rome could participate in the missionary endeavors of Paul. The purpose of this epistle is to let the church know he is coming, and he hopes to meet them and receive their financial support (15:24). But that’s not all: Paul also asks the church to pray for him (15:30). What does Paul ask them to pray for regarding missions?

First, he prays for physical safety from his enemies as he travels to Jerusalem with the offering for the Judean Christians (15:31). Second, he asks that God would bless the offering ministry he has undertaken. Third, he asks for prayer that he might be able to get to Rome and enjoy their fellowship (15:32). Did God answer those prayers? It’s complicated: Luke spends the final eight chapters of Acts explaining how that all went down. No matter our abilities or resources, every Christian can participate in missions through prayer. We appreciate your prayers.

This past month was a busy one: Bekah attended a pastors’ wives’ retreat in the south of Chile with about 40 other ladies. Mark taught a one-day seminar on the ministry of elders to about 50 elders and pastors representing 20 churches in the Temuco area. He stayed over and preached in a local church there the following Lord’s Day. Our church hosted the pastors and elders from the twelve northernmost churches for a weekend in Antofagasta, culminating in a congregational lunch after the Sunday service. We hosted the GMSA Chile missionaries in our house for three days, and enjoyed good food and good fellowship with the ten who came. Our church celebrated God graciously bringing together two of our members in marriage with a God-honoring wedding. We completed our study through Romans by reading through the entire book in a single service. We are thankful for how the Spirit of God is working through the Word of God to make us more like the Son of God. We thank God for your fellowship in the gospel, and ask you, “brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with us in your prayers” (Rom 15:30).

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