Unlimited Grace

Bryan Chapell: That's the same team that we are on. We need to be in churches linking arms, linking prayers, to recognize we intercede for them, they intercede for us, we are brothers and sisters in Christ, and we link efforts for the purposes that God intends and we extend the kingdom.

Narrator: So glad you joined us for today's Unlimited Grace, the audio broadcast ministry of pastor and author Bryan Chapell. In today's episode, Pastor Bryan shares the second half of a lesson from Romans Chapter 15. Dr. Chapell investigates the lordship of Christ and the love of the Spirit that come to bear when we pray.

You can find this lesson and many others when you visit UnlimitedGrace.com. While you're there, check out the new daily devotional podcast called Daily Grace. Pastor Bryan will guide you through a devotion each day to help focus your attention on God's grace as you study his word. Watch and listen to each episode when you visit UnlimitedGrace.com today. Let's hear now from Dr. Bryan Chapell as he shares the second half of the lesson, Biblical Intercession.

Bryan Chapell: We have been in this month-long series in the transitions that lots of us have in school and work and a new January month, to ask the question: Why church? Why do we bother? The answer from the Scriptures is that the church is God's mechanism for building an alternative society that becomes salt and light for the culture in which we exist, to influence as well as guide because of Christ's purposes for his people.

As you think about what that means, we have looked at what it means to have the words that God intends in our conversation, the weapons that God intends in our conflicts, even with each other, and ultimately that we would understand the prayers that we could offer for influence in the world that is not just smoke and mirrors or our faith dreams, but the power of God through us for our world. The Apostle Paul addresses that in Romans 15. I'll ask that you turn there. Romans Chapter 15, verses 29 through 33. Let's stand as we honor God's word and consider how we might become God's means of his power and love in our world.

The Apostle Paul writes to those at Rome: "I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. May the God of peace be with you all. Amen."

Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, by your apostle, you tell us that as we strive together in the body of Christ, that we come under the lordship of Christ to express the love of the Spirit of God. How that works, teach us, that we might be encouraged, emboldened, and ready for the task you give us as we put our lives on the altar of offering to God. This we ask in Jesus' name, Amen.

Intercessory prayer is the church's distant artillery, moving across time and space to accomplish the purposes of God. So that the Apostle Paul can say: "I urge you by the lordship of Jesus Christ, his power, and the love of the Holy Spirit, that tenderheartedness of God, to work together, to connect." It's Matthew 18 in further explanation, where two or more are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Now we're getting the details. The lordship of Christ, the love of the Holy Spirit, happens when you strive together in prayer so that I'm even delivered from enemies in this far-off geography.

Does it happen anymore? My most favorite recent example, I've told you but I couldn't help thinking of it when I was preparing this message. It was last summer when our youngest daughter graduated from college and did not get into the graduate school that she wanted. First time something like that has happened in her life and she was in this emotional tailspin. We weren't quite sure what to do as parents. At the end of one of our services, I asked you all to come and pray with me. A number of you surrounded me and we prayed for Katie. Mike Jackson came and put his arm around me and we prayed.

It wasn't until weeks later we were talking to our Katie and she said: "You know, a few weeks ago I went to a church because I was told there were lots of young people and it'd be good for me. I went there and there was nobody my age. I was so disappointed and despondent and I was getting ready to leave the church after the sermon and somebody tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'Are you looking for some young people because they're all off on a retreat this weekend, but they'll be back next week?'"

Katie called just a couple of nights ago and said to her mother: "I'm in such a good place now, spiritually, friendships, emotionally, I'm in such a good place." As we did the math and went back to that moment at which Mike had his arm around me praying for Katie, we recognized here we were in Peoria, Illinois. Mike is praying, there are people gathered around us, and somebody is tapping Katie's shoulder in Denver, Colorado.

We believe profoundly that God works across time and space, that the lordship of Christ and the love of the Spirit are coming into play when God is combining his people in his purposes in profound ways as they begin to intercede for one another. It's something we have to believe. When should you start praying for the salvation of your children? I hope before they're born. When do you start praying for a Christian spouse for your child? Two nights before the wedding? No. Before they even start thinking about the opposite sex.

When do we pray for missionaries? Just when they're here? We prayed for the Carrogans before they're going to Uganda. We'll commission the Ottens in a week to go. We will send these young couples off. Is it just throwing them to the wind? No. We believe that when we are God's people striving together in prayer, that the lordship of Christ and the love of the Spirit are coming to bear upon that situation and it knows no bounds of geography or time. And so we pray.

And we pray for our city. We should. When you recognize that the poorest of this city are being deprived the opportunity to buy food in their neighborhoods, where they now have to get a car that they don't own, a bus that doesn't stop there, and there is no provision being made, and we're already identified as the worst city in the nation for people of color, and we recognize a third of the young people of color in this city will expect to be incarcerated if they're male during their lifetime.

Do we pray? I'm meeting with African American pastors last night who tell me they are fearful we are approaching a tipping point as a city. If ultimately you get to one in every two instead of one in every three young black men incarcerated, what will that do to an entire society? If there is no food provided, what level of desperation do people seek? We pray. Of course we talk to our deacons and their wonderful plans that city leaders are thinking about to help us, and we need to engage.

But what we are saying is that's not because we are sitting apart in time and distance and economy and have no concern. No, we pray across time and across boundaries because we are the people of God who believe God is working that way. How do we do it? Strive together with me in the work of the gospel. On this card, there's a category, the second category that simply reminds us of the importance of connecting to each other.

We do that as we become members of the body of Christ in baptism, members of a body of believers in church membership, committing to one another, joining to one another. We get in connect groups where you just do life together. Some of you have been in connect groups through the whole time of your children being raised, praying them through the ups and the downs and the difficulties. Now you're in years where you're praying about health issues or grandchild issues.

Others of you are just entering the stage at which you are praying for the right spouse to come into your life, praying for the right grad school, praying that God would simply keep you from temptation. How does that work? I find a brother or sister in Christ and we strive together in prayer, knowing that when we do so, the lordship of Christ and the love of the Spirit are active.

Maybe it's young adult ministry that should bind you as it did my Katie into the work of Christ again. Men's and women's ministry. The Mothers of Preschoolers work that meets at midweek here is phenomenal in the ministry that's providing to many women outside of this church for the sake of Jesus Christ. There are seniors' ministries as seniors are thinking: "I need to minister to someone else now, not just ask for ministry to myself."

How do I connect so that this striving together is something that's part of my life? Because it's not just asking for deliverance from enemies. I hope you recognize that at the end of verse 31, the Apostle doesn't say this striving together in prayer is for deliverance from the unbelievers in Judea. He also prays that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints.

When I get to Jerusalem, my accusers are going to be there, but there's also going to be church people there. What has Paul been doing for the last several years? He's been collecting money from the outlying churches of Asia Minor and Greece in order to take funds to Jerusalem for the saints who have been persecuted and are dying under famine. Now he's saying: "Pray also for the saints there, that what I'm doing would be acceptable to them."

We don't exactly know why it's not acceptable. Why is that a necessary prayer? Are there people who are just in egotistical pride saying, "I don't need anybody's help," and they're going to turn that gift away? Or is it ethnic prejudice? The saints who are in Jerusalem are primarily Jews by ethnicity and those who are giving money are primarily Gentiles by ethnicity. Are they saying: "I don't need your filthy money, you pagans"? Or is it just entitlement? "Hey, we're the founding church. You should have given us more."

We don't know the reason. All we know is this is not distant artillery. The Apostle is now asking for hand-to-hand, heart-to-heart combat to be enhanced by the prayers of God's people. God, work in their hearts, so the ministry I'm bringing will be acceptable to the saints, not just delivering me from enemies. Help me with the saints. We begin to recognize that's what God is doing among us too. We're not just praying for the distant artillery. When we pray, we are praying for heart change here.

Chris Sobak: This is Chris Sobak, executive director of Unlimited Grace Media. I hope you have been enjoying this encouraging message from Pastor Bryan. If this program has been a blessing to you, I want to share with you a new way in which you can receive daily encouragement from Dr. Chapell. We've recently launched a daily devotional podcast entitled Daily Grace.

If you've already signed up to receive daily devotions by email, this podcast is a great companion piece. You can watch and listen to Pastor Bryan share these devotions daily when you visit UnlimitedGrace.com. You can also find this podcast on all major podcast platforms or watch it on YouTube. This is just another way that we want to serve you with Christ-centered content and help focus your attention on the grace of God that pervades all of Scripture. Let us know what you think of this new podcast. We're always encouraged to hear from you. And now, more from Bryan Chapell on today's Unlimited Grace.

Bryan Chapell: I think of my third-grade Sunday school teacher, Jean Mentz, mountain of a man who cared for a little shrimp third grader like me. Knowing that my parents were in trouble, my family was being shattered, he began to talk to me in the class. "Bryan, how are you doing? How's your walk with the Lord? I'm praying for you." After third grade, never had him again. Big church. But whenever he would pass me in the hall, whether I was in fourth grade or fifth grade or sixth grade, he'd stop. "Bryan, how are you doing? How's your walk with the Lord? I'm praying for you."

My family moved away. He would write me when I was in high school. "Bryan, how are you doing? How's your walk with the Lord? Praying for you." When I was at college, maybe once a year. "How are you doing? How's your walk with the Lord? Praying for you." And 25 years later, when I became president of a seminary, "Bryan, how are you doing? How's your walk with the Lord? Betty and I have prayed for you all of these years."

Do you know what that does for me inside even now? As I think of my fractured family, brothers in and out of prison, in and out of addictions, so much difficulty, and here was a man praying for me. The heart-to-heart combat against the forces of evil in my behalf. I praise God for intercessory prayer and somebody who understood it. It is not limited by geography. It is not limited by time. It is God working through his people.

Do you believe that? Then maybe this category about serving is something you ought to think about. Do you need some information on what it means to do children's ministry in this church? So what happened in my life might be multiplied in other lives. What about youth ministry? Do you know there are some adults who have been youthful for a long time that still go to youth meetings in this church to work with young people out of this understanding of what it means to strive together, to be an intercessor for the heart and the soul of young people?

Maybe it's recognizing special needs is where you can help. You know I've got a special needs brother and it thrills me that Sunday after Sunday, there are between 40 and 60 special needs adults in this building who are being ministered to by faithful saints of this congregation Sunday after Sunday after Sunday. Praise God. There is no benefit to them. What's the benefit? I'm coming under the lordship of Jesus Christ and the love of the Spirit.

The testimony of the moment and eternity is before us, and these lives and souls will be whole before the Lord in eternity and changed forever because of the ministry of people in this place. Maybe you can help. Maybe it's with visitation as people who are isolated and need somebody just to check in with them. Maybe it's special events like is happening this coming weekend with the Winter Grace Conference that we use to try to say how do parents and kids and everybody navigate this digital age.

Maybe you can just help us take some snow off the parking lot if it happens again. What can you help with? Do you just want some information to find out? It's about serving, believing it's not spitting in the wind. It's not fruitless. It's the work of God, heart-to-heart, hand-to-hand, distant artillery, all for the purposes that God intends. What are those purposes? It is ultimately to spread the joy of the blessing of Christ.

So Paul writes the result in verse 32. Why does he want all this prayer? So that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. What's he want to be refreshed for? Well, he's already explained. It was way back earlier in the chapter. Do you remember verse 24? "I hope to see you," he writes to those at Rome, "in passing as I go to Spain, and so be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while."

Why is he going to Rome? Well, he eventually goes under chains. But his intention was always to get there to get his batteries recharged by the saints at Rome. Because he's going on and he wants them to understand that as they are supporting him in intercessory work, that he is taking that ministry far beyond them. It's meant to give him joy and ultimately them joy as well. That what they are doing by interceding in life is building their own joy.

I saw it this last week. I was visiting a friend in another city and he was a little bit despondent. The reason he said was that one of his golfing buddies had recently checked himself into hospice care. My friend said: "Honestly, I knew that just humanly speaking, soon he was going to wake up in hell. And so I began to brush up on all my EE, evangelism explosion notes, to think I could share the gospel with him."

Finally, after several days of brushing things up, he said: "I went to the man's house, I knocked on his door, his wife answered the door because the family had gathered and my friend had just passed away." He said: "Because they knew me, I was able to come in and pray with them. They were so grateful as I shared the gospel in the prayer and what the gospel hope is." But he said: "Honestly, I didn't get there in time and I'm kind of disappointed in myself for not going sooner. I'm disappointed in God for not getting me there sooner."

I said: "Now wait a second. When you played golf, did you ever share your faith with the guy?" "Well, yeah." Well, you don't know how the Lord worked in his heart. All you know is that you were preparing to share the gospel and the Lord let you share it to his entire family in prayer. You were praying for something small. God was sharing a much wider ministry in preparation. I watched his despondency just turn to this big grin.

"I never thought of it that way," he said. God was preparing his joy by teaching him how his intercession was spreading the gospel in ways he had not even planned. So God is using us. When we are interceding, we are actually participating in mission work that is far beyond us. I rejoice to be part of this church that so much has this heart for mission. But it will be enhanced if you take a short-term mission journey and give some of your funds for the sake of somebody else hearing the gospel or having a door opened to hear it.

To be part of urban ministry in this town that desperately needs tutors and job training skills and people who will just make relational ties so that some of the hatred and some of the difficulty that distance us can be closed for the long-term good of our city, not to mention the gospel. We recognize that there are interchurch relations. Do you recognize the importance of us as a church praying for Harvest right now because Tim Harkness's cancer has come back?

We don't say that's their problem. We say that's our problem. That's the same team that we are on. We need to be in churches linking arms, linking prayers, to recognize we intercede for them, they intercede for us. We are brothers and sisters in Christ and we link efforts for the purposes that God intends and we extend the kingdom. Some of you ought to be thinking about going to Springfield when we launch the church plant and saying, "Can we give a six months? Can we give a year? Can we give two years?"

Is there something we can do to spread the kingdom? Because I know what the results will be. The Apostle has already explained it the very last verse. "May the peace, may the God of peace be with you all." As he's explaining all this effort about prayer and the effects of it, ultimately he recognizes that when you participate in the purpose of God, the peace of God begins to fill you.

When you're not concerned about your due, getting back at, getting your recognition, getting other people to recognize, respect you, this outward pouring of interceding for other people, knowing that you are participating in the lordship of Christ and the love of the Spirit, it changes you and the things that troubled you begin to fall away and the peace of the purpose of God begins to control you. It is God's calling to us, every single one of us.

I pray it for you, that as you have received the mercy of the intercession of Christ, it would be your own heart's joy to share it. Because when you begin to intercede for others, the peace of the purpose of God controls, controls your heart. Praise God, Amen.

Friends, I'm so glad you decided to tune in today and listen and I would consider it a privilege to pray for you right now. Let's go together before the throne of heaven and pray for the Lord's blessing. Father, thank you for being merciful to us. Help our hearts to grasp the greatness of that mercy that you provide so that we can offer our lives to Jesus as a sacrifice of praise that you have made holy and acceptable, despite our many weaknesses and flaws. We thank you for this great grace and pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

Narrator: That's Pastor Bryan Chapell and you've been listening to Unlimited Grace. If this message has been an encouragement to you, you can find a collection of more valuable resources at UnlimitedGrace.com. Please be sure to join us next time as once again we endeavor to put Christ at the center of our efforts so that lives might be transformed by his unlimited grace.

This ministry is brought to you by Unlimited Grace Media and continues to be made possible with your generous financial support.