Strive Together with Me in Your Prayers

In the closing part of his letter to the believers of the church in Rome, the apostle Paul reveals his sense of mission and his faith amid suffering. Looking back on his journey of carrying out his priestly ministry for the Gentiles and his mission of spreading the gospel, Paul shows his resolve to follow the Lord's will even though he knows in advance the persecution and suffering he will face on the road to Jerusalem. Even when his plans were not fulfilled and he arrived in Rome as a prisoner, he acknowledged this as God's way and obeyed.

The sermon emphasises the apostle Paul's attitude of putting God's will ahead of his own. Paul knew that embracing and sharing with weak believers is the way to become spiritually strong, and he earnestly asks for the believers' prayers, stressing how important they are for carrying out his mission. Paul's belief that suffering becomes the soil for believers' growth presents a picture of believers who trust God and boldly share the gospel even when reality does not go as planned.

The sermon asks whether believers can enjoy true peace and freedom when they give up their own righteousness and their own life and obey God's will. It also puts before believers the question of how they should hold a sense of mission to share the gospel without being shaken, even in places of suffering.