Bible Discussion Thread

Romans 16:7

"Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen (relatives), and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me."

So Paul had relatives who were in Christ before him. I believe that they were certainly praying for him. I believe that God answered their prayers and saved Paul.

In Galatians 1:15-16 Paul writes, "15 But when it pleased God, who separated me(Paul) from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, 16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen..."

Here Paul claims that God had chosen him from his mother's womb to send him to preach about Christ.

SO which one is true? Was Paul saved because some people were praying for him OR because that was God's plan before Paul was born?

The answer is, both.

Lets examine it. It was Jesus who appeared to Paul on his way to Damascus. Later God called him to go and preach to the gentiles together with Barnabas, and led them to all the places He intented them to go ( Acts 13:2-4).

So one expects that God gave them His grace to complete their ministry, doesn't he?

But lets read Ephessians 6:19, "And (pray) for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel," Somewhere else Paul asks for prayers for him to be freed from his enemies.

So the question is. Why is Paul asking his fellow christians to pray for him to be given words of preaching? Wasn't God who sent him to preach? Wasn't God going to give him words to do what He asked him for?

Yes it was God who sent him BUT God is expecting us to cooperate with Him. God will not do anything unless we cooperate with Him. He asks for our cooperation, whatever that is, prayers, testimonies, preachings, helping others, ...

Lets not expect for God to do all things on His own while we are laying lazely on our couches. HE WILL NOT. He demands our cooperation, the offering of ourselves for His purposes. And prayers are very significant. So... lets go.

More on cooperation with God, and the huge significance of prayers.

In the Book of 1 Kings, the story of prophet Elijah is described. In 1 Kings 18:1-2 Elijiah is called by God to go to the King Ahab to tell him that He was going to send rain (because it had not rain for many years and people were suffering).

"And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth."

What does one expect in such a case? Definitely that God is going to send rain. Are we(or Elijah) supposed to do something about it? The obvious answer is, "No, it is God's work, nothing that we can do. He decided it ... He will do it". But what did Elijiah do?

1 Kings 18:41-42, "41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.

42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees (and prayed seven times, which is a lot, isn't it?),"

So Elijah went to pray for rain. And the question is. Why? It was God's decision to give rain and He sent Elijah to inform Ahab. Why did Elijah have to pray for something that God decided to do? Here comes the issue of cooperation. God may decide to do something but he expects our cooperation, our prayers. The church is a "partner" of God in the work of salvation of people. God definitely wants our cooperation. He can do all things alone without needing any help from anybody else, He is the Almighty God anyway. But He will not unless we, as humans, take part in that work. So there is a big responsibilty on our shoulders, and a lot of work to do for God. Prayers are very important.

Paul was always asking for prayers to get freed from his enemies and from jail, and prayers to be able to preach the Gospel, although it was God that send him to do that.