Romans 15:30-33 – An Appeal for Harmony

Topic: An Appeal for Harmony

Reading: Romans 15:30-33

30 I appeal to you, brethren, 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, 31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. 33 The God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Introduction and Overview

One of the biggest issues in the church today is the way it has been fractured. There are hundreds, if not thousands of different groups, sects, and denominations, all with different teachings, doctrines, and beliefs. Not all of them can be correct. Not every doctrine or teaching in the church can be right. In fact there are different doctrines in some churches that are the exact opposite of each other. And if that isn’t bad enough, there are many doctrines that oppose what the scriptures say.

This should not be so. And this is why this appeal for harmony that underpins these few verses today is so important. We need to be in harmony as a church and we need to be in harmony with the word of God. Rejection of the truth of God’s word will produce the kinds of disharmony that we see in many groups today.

Paul’s appeal for harmony in these words was that the people to whom he wrote would get behind him in prayer and support. Today, we need a similar appeal for harmony to come together under the mighty hand of God and to praise and worship Him according to the truth of His word.

The essence of the word of God and this work in the gospel is to walk in love. When Jesus was asked which were the greatest commandments, He said to love God with all of your being, and to love your neighbour as yourself. The appeal for harmony is to find the place of love for God and each other together. We will not enter the kingdom of God that He has set aside for His people if there are factions and in-fighting between brethren. That is why the appeal for harmony is so critical. Your life depends upon it.

Key points from reading:

1. All Christians need to strive together in harmony with one another
2. We need to present a united front so that unbelievers realise there is something they need to find out. An appeal to harmony suits that purpose, while factions do not.
3. When we find harmony, we find peace, joy, and rest in the Lord

Discussion:

1. Scripture: Romans 15:30
   • Paul is asking the church in Rome to strive together with him in prayer for the work he was doing for the church. This is an appropriate request as we all from time to time need the prayer support of the church. There are times of need, times of working, and times of trouble when we all go through persecution. In all of those times it is good to receive the support of prayer through the church to seek the intervention of God in our lives to help us.
   • This striving together with Paul is an appeal for harmony. He is asking them to be of one mind together with himself, so that the Lord will guide his work, and bring it to the right conclusion. An appeal for harmony to bring all things into alignment is a great blessing, not just to Paul in his work, but for the church in their desire to be aligned in their prayers.
   • This appeal that Paul is making is clearly important and powerful. He is not asking on his own behalf, but also appealing by the Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Holy Spirit so that they may be aligned and in harmony in these matters. And if we are to come into harmony with each other and God, we too will need to do the same. Seek Christ Jesus and His will and learn to walk in the Spirit so that we are all in perfect harmony with one another and God.
2. Scripture: Romans 15:31
   • We see in this verse the issues at hand. Paul’s work was to carry the gifts from the various churches and believers back to Jerusalem to provide relief for the church there. At that time there was a great drought and famine throughout Judea, and Paul was collecting donations of goods to take as relief aid for the church in Jerusalem. They would then distribute it to those in need to relieve the suffering caused by the famine.
   • But this work would clearly be fraught with challenges and dangers. By simply carrying a large collection of goods, there would be the potential for highway robbery. Thieves and scoundrels of all kinds would also be suffering in the famine, and they would be on the lookout for unsuspecting travellers from whom they could attack and steal property. If you can recall the situation of the Good Samaritan (see Luke 10:25-37), and the man who was attacked, robbed and left bleeding to die, you can imagine the concerns that Paul may have been having.
   • An appeal for harmony to align in prayer for his protection was important. It would have given him strength knowing the people were praying on his behalf. And clearly the Lord listened to the prayers of all the people as Paul was not attacked and the goods and donations he had received were delivered to Jerusalem intact, as far as we know.
3. Scripture: Romans 15:32-33
   • Paul understood the power of prayer. In these words he recognised that through the prayers of the church, he would be delivered from the potential for trouble in his mission.
   • Knowing this, he fully expected to be returned to the church filled with the love of the Lord and joyfulness at the completion of that work. He fully expected to come to them in due course and be refreshed in their company and presence, so that he could then move on to the next task and work he was seeking to do.
   • In his appeal for harmony we see that he expected through the prayers of the church to find this place of peace and calm, despite the potential for danger as he travelled. Paul had learned to walk in the Spirit at all times, and the power of walking in the Spirit is the growth of the fruit of the Spirit that we see defined in Galatians 5:22-26. It is the appeal for harmony that peace and calm can be found. When we are at peace and in harmony with God and one another, then we are at peace in ourselves. But when there is a lack of harmony, there is stress, anxiety, and suffering.
   • So, let us all strive for the place of harmony with one another in the love and fellowship of God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer Points

1. Pray to find harmony with one another and with the Lord. Ask Him to show you the path to harmony with each other and to open up His word to find the truth that leads to harmony and godliness. Pray also for your brethren in the church that all of the Christian church can find peace and harmony in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.