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THE KING’S BUSINESS
lay the foundation himself. One of the greatest needs in the preaching of Christ today is of men and women who are will ing to begin from the beginning and lay foundations for themselves instead of doing the easier work of building upon foundations which others have laboriously laid. There was a great longing in Paul’s heart to see fulfilled the prophecy made so many hundred years before’ by Isaiah (Isaiah 52:l5), that those should see to whom no tidings had as yet come, and he desired to so preach that those who had not yet heard, might understand the glad news of a divine Saviour crucified as an atoning sacrifice for Sin, and risen again as a deliverer from the present power of sin. The prophecy of Isaiah which Paul quotes, had been made in direct connec tion, with the coming of the Messiah and it immediately precedes the most wonder ful prophecy regarding him as a suffering Saviour that we find in the Old Testa ment. Tuesday, Sept. 4 . Rom. 15 : 22 - 28 . Paul had had for a long time a great desire to go to Rome (ch. 1:13) and'had prayed that in the “will of God,” he might go there (ch. 1 : 10 ) ; but one thing had kept him back from carrying out this strong desire, that was his purpose to preach Christ where he was not named. Christ was already known in Rome, so Paul kept going where he was not known; but npw that no more doors were open to him “in these regions,” to preach Christ where he was not named, he purposed to go to far Spain' and to take Rome in by the way. Little did Paul realize at this time, the methods that God would use to bring him to Rome and thus answer his prayer. Paul’s great joy in Christian fel lowship comes out in the expression, “be somewhat filled with your company.” But Paul had another duty of love to' perform before he could make his contemplated and longed for journey to Rome and to Spain, that was, to go to Jerusalem bearing gifts from the churches of Macedonia and
Achaia to the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. In passing, Paul sets forth thf fact, that these gifts that he was bearing to the poor saints in Jerusalem, were really due to them from the Gentiles, as the Gen tiles had been made partakers of the spir itual things belonging to the Jews; they in turn were debtors to the Jews to minister to them in temporal things. Just as soon as Paul had been to Jerusalem and min istered ito the needs of the saints in Jerusa lem, he would undertake his journey to Spain, visiting Rome by the way. Wednesday, Sept. 5 . Rom. 15 : 29 , 30 . Paul had no doubts about the issue of his journey to Rome. He wrote, “I know that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of Christ.” It is the privilege of every one of us to go wherever we go, “in the fulness of the blessing of Christ.” But are we always sure that we will go in that way? That is a wonderful expression, “the fulness of the blessing of Christ,” and ought to be meditated upon. We will get more out of it by prayer for the spjrit’s interpretation, and by meditation upon it under the Spirit’s guidance, than we shall by any man’s exposition. Paul felt the need of the prayers of the saints in Rome, and very earnestly did he seek them. He says, “I beseech you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.” It was no heart less form of prayer that he desired, but earnest, agonizing prayer. The word trans lated “strived,” means to contend as in a fight. It is the word from which we de rive our English word agonize. There are many in our day, who so emphasize what they call the “rest of faith,” that they “lose sight of the fight of faith.” They so fix their eyes upon one side of the truth, viz., that of “taking by faith” in prayer, that they do not see at all the other side of truth, that of wrestling in prayer against obstacles and against Satan and his host (Eph. 6:12-18 R. V.). Prayer with
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