Introduction

One of the most pivotal moments in American history was the Battle at Gettysburg in July 1863. The Union stopped the Confederate invasion and dealt a crushing blow to Lee’s army. But a Union major almost ruined it all with his arrogance and insubordination. His name was Major Daniel Sickles.

You see, the Union had the high ground, and they were well-entrenched, so General Meade knew that if the Union forces stayed tight and created a strong defensive wall, the Confederates would not break through. On the 2^nd day of fighting, he assigned Major Sickles and his men a portion of that tight defensive line.

It was a good plan, but Major Sickles didn’t like his spot. He thought it was too low, and he thought he knew better. Therefore, he defied General Meade and marched his men about a mile out in front of the rest of the Union line. In so doing, he created a dangerous bulge in the Union line. His men were stretched way too thin, and they were dangerously exposed on multiple sides. And they left the entire Union army exposed.

Sure enough, the Confederates blew through Sickles men, killing many of them. And it’s been said that if the Confederates had walkie talkies and General Lee had known about the blunder, the Confederates could have concentrated more forces in that area and devastated the Union. Sickles’ arrogance almost changed the course of the entire battle and maybe even the entire war.

His foolishness is a good illustration of one of Satan’s best tactics. He knows Christians are strong when we are bound tightly and fighting for each other. So, he tries to lure you away from that fellowship. “You don’t need those people. You are strong. You are wise. You can take on Satan.” Satan lures you out, and he gains a major advantage.

In contrast, today’s passage exemplifies how Christians, local churches, and the worldwide church must lean on each other and care for each other (read). This passage describes Paul’s ambitious travel plans (map). Paul is in Corinth. He plans to visit Jerusalem. Then he will travel to Rome. From Rome, he will go on to Spain.

But this wasn’t a sightseeing tour. It was about the gospel and the church. Paul loved church fellowship. He wanted to serve the church. And he wanted to unite churches together. And God wants us to follow his example. Like General Meade’s vision at Gettysburg, God wants Christians and churches to be tight, fighting for each other, leaning on each other, and working together to fulfill God’s mission. I hope you will embrace Paul’s vision. Love the church and lean into the church. To get there we must obey 3 challenges.

I.  Fellowship with the church (vv. 22–24).

Put yourself in Paul’s shoes. He’s been working hard at the ministry for a long time. Verse 19 says he had “fully preached the gospel of Christ” from Jerusalem to Illyricum. But Paul isn’t ready to kick back on a Mediterranean beach and retire. Instead, Paul really wanted to visit Rome.

Now, I’d want to visit Rome too. I’d love to see the all the wealth and glory of world’s most powerful city. But Paul wasn’t coming to be a tourist. He wanted Rome for the gospel. Specifically, …

Paul was eager to serve the church. Paul said in 1:11, “I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established.” Now Paul believes the opportunity is near for that service.

I hope you share Paul’s passion to serve God’s people. There are many needs all around you. Someone is lonely and needs a friend. Someone is in a life and death struggle against a sin habit. Another person is new to the faith. He has no idea how to even begin reading his Bible or loving his family well. Everyone gets discouraged, gets distracted, and fights fleshly temptations. Others aren’t here because Satan is luring them away from the body so he can crush them.

And God has uniquely equipped you to pull some of those people back to safety. So, don’t be a tourist at church. Walk in this building looking for ministry. Find needs and meet needs. Be a means of grace for people. Be eager to serve the way Paul was. 2^nd…

Paul was eager to enjoy the church. Paul is honest about the fact that his ultimate goal is to use the Roman church as a springboard for his Spanish mission. He hoped they would support the work.

But he didn’t just want to make a deputation visit or even just a preaching and teaching stop. Notice the emphasis in v. 24. Paul hopes to “enjoy your company for a while.” He expected to be refreshed by simply enjoying them.

Don’t ever feel guilty about enjoying the church or having a good time with God’s people. And don’t be the ultra-pious guy who condemns every casual conversation or silly activity. God wants us to enjoy each other, laugh, and do stupid things together. Laughter is good for your soul. Good times strengthen relationships, and they strengthen unity. They keep our line tight and effective.

Enjoy the church. Come often, stay late, and have a good time with the people of God. You don’t want Satan to lure you away from the line. You need to be in the trenches with your brothers. One of the simplest ways you can stay close is to invest time enjoying the church. 3^rd…

Paul was eager to depend on the church (v. 24). Last Sunday, we spent a lot of time talking about Paul’s missionary aim. God called him to plant healthy churches in strategic spots in regions without any previous gospel witness. Paul says he has finished that work in the “regions” where he is (2^nd & 3^rd Journey Map). Paul is writing from Corinth. God had done incredible works throughout Achaia, Macedonia, and Asia. All these churches were ready to reach neighboring communities where there was no gospel witness.

The next Western stop would be Rome, but the Roman church was strong. Yes, Paul wants to invest in the Roman church. He wants to encourage them. But he ultimately wants to keep moving and take the gospel to places in Spain where they had never heard the name of Jesus.

Like Paul, your heart should also break for people who have never heard the name of Jesus or a clear presentation of the gospel. There’s many of those people here in Apple Valley. They have never heard a clear presentation of how Christ can save them from their sin. They need you to tell them.

And there are many places in the world where no one is even available or trying to share the gospel. You should grieve for those places, and you should pray that God would raise up laborers.

But I especially want to highlight the fact that even the great Apostle Paul believed that he needed the Romans’ help for his Spanish mission to achieve maximum success. He needed their financial support. He coveted their prayers. And he probably hoped they could send a couple team members to help him in the work.

Paul was a great man. He was talented, disciplined, resourceful, and godly. But he relied heavily on a team. You see it everywhere in Acts. Paul didn’t go anywhere or attempt any ministry without a team. He had no desire to stick himself out on an island like Major Sickles.

If Paul needed a team, so do you. I know team ministry can be frustrating. People are annoying. We have different priorities and opinions. A lot of Christians get impatient with the team, and they try to do ministry their way in their strength. But God didn’t give you every gift; instead, he surrounded you with every gift. He put you on this team.

So, be patient with the team. Be loyal to the team. And humbly work within the structures of the team. Don’t be a Major Sickles. Be a team player like Paul. It may slow you down once in a while, but we will always accomplish more together than we ever will apart.

And don’t just be a team player in ministry; be a team player in Christian living. Paul didn’t just rely on his team to do ministry; he relied on them for his spiritual health. He was encouraged by the coming of Titus (2 Cor 7:6). And when Paul faced execution and Luke was the only one with him, he told Timothy, “Make every effort to come to me soon” (2 Tim 4:9).

If Paul needed the support of his brothers to thrive spiritually, so do you. So, lean on them. Pursue significant relationships. Invest the time and energy to make them strong. Share your burdens and listen intently to theirs.

I receive ministry from this body daily. Your testimonies, your joy, your faith, your encouragement, your generosity, and your commitment to Christ lift my soul. You are a means of grace in my life. I can’t imagine the Christian life without you. I hope you feel the same way. Lean into the body. Put yourself in the way of encouragement and in a position to give that ministry. Enjoy the grace of the church and be a means of grace in other people’s lives.

So, the first challenge is to fellowship with the church. The second major challenge is…

II.  Provide for the church (vv. 25–28).

At first, these verses may seem random and insignificant, but Paul’s other letters demonstrate that this offering for the saints in Jerusalem was a big deal to Paul. The practical occasion is that the church in Jerusalem was terribly poor. Acts 4–6 say that from the beginning many in the Jerusalem church needed financial help.

Apparently, many of the church’s earliest converts were pilgrims from throughout the Roman Empire. Then they stayed after they got saved. But Jewish Christians struggled to find work among orthodox Jews who were hostile toward Christianity. I’m sure that even natives of Jerusalem lost jobs after converting to Christ. Jerusalem was not friendly to Christianity.

Compounding matters, other historical sources say that a terrible famine hit Palestine in 48–49. Those kinds of events are especially hard for people who have been pushed to the edges of society like Christians would be in a place like Jerusalem. Apparently, those needs lingered through Paul’s 3^rd missionary journey. Many Jewish Christians needed help.

And genuine saving faith can’t stand idly by when a brother faces that sort of need. “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself” (James 2:15–17).

Christians love each other. We care for each other. It’s part of our DNA as Christ’s disciples. So, even though the Macedonian and Achaian churches had never met these people, their impulse was to help.

You must have the same impulse. It’s unfortunate that we live in a culture where so many people abuse generosity. Because of that, we are often immediately cynical toward anyone who has a need. Unfortunately, that cynicism is often justified. But don’t lose your impulse toward generosity. Make sure that you are more passionate to be generous than you are to never be taken advantage of.

This is especially so with fellow believers. That’s the context of James 2. As well, “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Gal 6:10). We must generously care for each other.

Love the people of God. When you hear about a need, don’t jump to all the reasons you can’t help; rather, be eager to be generous. Be quick to give. It doesn’t just have to be financial. Cook meals, volunteer for a moving crew, help someone with their car, or do yardwork. There are many ways to be generous.

You can be a wonderful blessing. You can be an answer to someone’s prayers. You can point them to the grace of God. Be generous with God’s people.

The Missional Occasion: But Paul says that this offering was about more than meeting some practical needs (v. 27). The Gentiles were enjoying the spiritual blessings of Israel. Israel’s Messiah had saved their souls, and they had received marvelous blessings based on the promises God had given Israel. The Gentiles really were indebted to the Jews.

However, we’ve seen many times in Romans that Jewish and Gentile Christians didn’t exactly enjoy a fairy tale affection for each other. No, Johnny Jew resented Joe Gentile for coming to his table and bringing all his dirty Gentile habits with him. And Joe Gentile was ready to leave Johnny Jew and all his silly scruples in the dust. He thought, “Those Jews killed Jesus. God abandoned them for us. We’re the important ones now.”

But that rivalry dishonored the Lord, and it denied an important aspect of the gospel. When you get saved, you don’t just gain a relationship with God; you get a spiritual family. The Spirit baptizes you into Christ and into his church. The universal church is a family. Ephesians 2 says it is a temple to God. We have a very real connection to every Christian who has been saved since the creation of the church at Pentecost.

Paul wanted the Gentile church to appreciate that, and this offering was an object lesson for this unity. It was a practical way for Paul to disciple these churches. He called them to give generously, they responded.

Paul says of this offering in 2 Corinthians 8:1–4, “Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia,that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints.”

These churches were not rich. Most of them were slaves who were barely squeaking by. They didn’t have big savings’ accounts of retirement funds. But the grace of God motivated them to give. They cared for the poor saints, and they wanted to express their gratitude for being included in the blessing of Messiah. They spoke with their checkbooks to the unity of God’s household.

And don’t miss the fact that it would also be a big statement for the Jewish Christians to receive the gift. Your pride doesn’t always like receiving generosity. We don’t like to be needy. And Jews really didn’t like taking gifts from Gentiles, especially in a situation like this where the offering contrasted the prosperity of the Gentile church with the suffering of the Jewish one. Accepting the offering required a good dose of humility.

So, this whole process was wrought with symbolism and discipleship. Paul dedicated a lot of energy to it because he really wanted to display and promote the unity of the church.

But what does all this mean for us? This offering is a powerful symbol of our connection to the broader body of Christ. You’re not on an island with God, and neither is Life Point. Yes, this is the place where we can most practically display Christian love, but don’t forget the big picture.

So, other gospel-preaching churches in town are not our rivals; they are our brothers. We should pray for them, and we should rejoice in God’s work. The same goes for churches across our country. Sometimes, we spend all our energy lobbing grenades at each other instead of supporting each other. Yes, love demands that we call out error, but we must keep our priorities straight.

And we must be ready to be generous when needs arise. We should be ready to support churches that endure disasters and hardship. We should pray for opportunities to encourage struggling churches, especially in our region. We should pray God’s blessing down.

I hope you feel a connection with all of God’s people. The church is family. And I your wheels are turning. How can Life Point show unity and provide for the health and well-being of other churches? I think we can grow here. Let’s pray for direction, let’s think about ideas, and may God give us a heart for unity and generosity. The final challenge of our text is…

III.  Minister God’s blessing (vv. 28–29).

Before I get to Paul’s main point, I must note that we know Paul’s plans didn’t exactly turn out like he expected. He planned to deliver the offering in Jerusalem, travel to Rome, and then travel to Spain. But we know that when Paul reached Jerusalem, he was arrested. Then he spent two long years at Caesarea in a prison cell waiting for a sentence.

Finally, he got a free ride to Rome on the Roman government’s dime. But he almost died in a shipwreck. When he finally reached Rome, he did so as a prisoner of the state, and he remained one for two more years. He was eventually released, but we don’t know if he ever made it to Spain.

It’s good to make plans and set goals but hold your plans loosely. God has his ways of reminding us who is sovereign. And if God could surprise Paul, he can surely surprise you. That’s good because his plans are always better than ours. Sure, his plans are usually less comfortable than ours, but his good is always better than ours.

That said, even though Paul didn’t come to Rome the way he expected, I love his passion in v. 29. The idea is that Paul longed to deliver the full blessing of Christ when he came to Rome. Paul loved Christians, and he loved churches. He desperately wanted to be a minister of grace and see this church thrive.

It’s another example of what we have seen constantly in this passage. Paul believed we are partners in the Christian life. Christians are a herd species. We thrive best when we love each other and lean into each other.

Conclusion

So, I hope you love the church. This is your family. This is one of the greatest graces God has provided you. Sure, the church is far from perfect. We could talk for hours about the way Life Point can grow and for days about all that is wrong with the church in American and in the world. Yet God is patiently building his church into his perfect bride. It’s a wonderful creation. So, love what God is doing and especially love the people in whom God is doing it.

Then lean into the church. Like Paul, pour your energy into the health of the church. Like the Macedonians, generously care for your brothers and sisters. Be open with your wallet, with your time, with your gifts, and with your heart. This is your family. Care well for it.

And then be sure to lean on the church. Don’t stick yourself out there like Major Sickles. Stay close to the body, to the safety of your brothers. Let people bear your burdens. Let them see your struggles and confront your sins. Listen to their instruction. Enjoy their company. Love the church and lean into the church.