Romans 16:1-16 | Gospel Patrons
So, I’ve mentioned this book in the past 2 Sundays’ messages. Gospel Patrons. I have 8 copies left for anyone interested. If you would like a copy, I’ll give you one on 2 conditions, you promise to actually read it and after you read it your promise to pass it along to someone else you think it might encourage and/or inspire.
Now, if you haven’t been with us, this idea of Gospel Patronage might be new to you. What exactly is a Gospel Patron?
A Gospel Patron is someone who is personally and financially involved in supporting Christian leaders who proclaim the gospel.
That’s what it is, but now I want you to know why this book means so much to me. It’s given language to my brother and I that has helped us see and embrace our respective roles in God’s Kingdom without feeling left out or less than.
I’m a twin. Being a twin is awesome but it’s also challenging a times.
It’s awesome because you get an instant best friend, but it’s challenging because you also get a direct standard of comparison.
Since the 8th grade I’ve been on track to be a pastor. I felt the call after hearing a sermon then and I had that call confirmed and reaffirmed multiple times from then until my Junior year in high school where God, essentially, hit me with a 2x4 and left me with no other option but to go into the ministry.
My brother has been on a similar track, but not for pastoral ministry.
He’s was called into engineering as a mission field from about 7th grade. I kid you not, he built this in the 7th grade. Then he built this in high school and he built this in college… in his spare time.
Logan was building these things with my dad at the shop and Levi was at home reading books… And I know what you’re thinking… we wish Logan was leading this Church, he seems way cooler than Levi… He is, but I’m better looking....
And where you’re going in your brain right now is where we both went growing up in ours.
We constantly compared ourselves with one another… And, it’s funny how each of us have looked at the other and felt a little less than and a little left out at times in our respective call into God’s Kingdom work over the years.
I’ve looked at Logan’s call and been a bit jealous. The money you can make in the business world will always be more than what you can make in ministry.
And, also, the prestige one has as a business man and the success from a worldly standpoint is very different from what pastors experience. Logan is building race cars and I read books. Logan is making awesome things and I usually have little to show for all the work that I do. So I’ve always felt a little less than and a little left out in some ways.
Ironically, so has Logan when he has compared his call from God for Kingdom work to mine.
Growing up, I kid you not, people in our Church and faith community would ask him, now are you the one that’s going to be the pastor or are you the other one! As if his occupational goals and giftings were some how less than!
Right, imagine that for a second as a twin teenager… “Now are you the pastor or are you the other one?” Do you hear what that sounds like… “Now, are you the good Christian or are you the pagan out in the Church parking lot doing Keg stands?”
This is how Satan works Church and why Paul in another letter to the Galatians writes that we shouldn’t compare ourselves to others but should just concern ourselves with testing our own actions before the Lord (Gal. 6:4).
Remember from 2 weeks ago, if you’re in Jesus, you’ve been chosen to be a star player on Team Jesus, but the position He has for you may not be the position He has for someone else!
It would be overly simplistic to say that God only has 2 positions on His team, the proclaimers and the patrons. Generally, that’s not a bad way to represent it, but the reality is God’s team has a diversity of positions and important roles that we play. The important thing to remember is that not all positions are the same but they are all equally valuable and important. Along with that it’s vital that you find your position on the team and live into with everything you have to expand God’s Kingdom! It may be on the front lines doing direct preaching and gospel proclamation or it may be along side those proclaimers. It may be behind the scenes in more of a support role. I don’t know what you’re role is, but God has a calling for you and a destiny for you. And usually, it falls in line with how you’ve been gifted.
So that means you can be called to Engineering!
Do you know how Jesus called the disciples? He called fishermen and made them fishers of men! This is what Jesus does… when we get selected to be on team Jesus, usually, He asks us to do what we’ve been gifted to do, but to start doing it differently for Him!
“You know how to fish! Awesome! Learn to fish for me!” You know how to build stuff and engineer… I want you to keep doing that, but do it for me with an eye to expand my Kingdom rather than to just make more money or make a name for yourself! Get it!?
Your job in God’s Kingdom is for you to figure out what role you’ve been chosen to serve. Figure out what He’s calling you to, whether it’s business or construction or whatever and then live into that calling in a way that you seek to be useful to God. When you do this, God will use you in powerful ways that will advance His Kingdom and leave a legacy behind that’s commendable to the Lord!
Now, you might not hear that commendation in this life, but I want you to know that there is a book in Revelation with your name in it.
If you know Jesus, You’ve been chosen to be a star player on His team and Coach Jesus is watching you live your life! If you’re in Jesus your name is in His book. It’s called the Lamb’s book of Life and at the end, Jesus is going to read from this book His list of names.
Just like Paul does here in Romans 16. Paul list some names and nicknames, He uses a word or two to describe people and He lists their commendable achievements to honor them!
Jesus is going to do the same!
Think about this for a second. Think about what we’re going to see Paul doing in Romans 16:1-16 and what Jesus is going to do in Revelation at the end from the Lambs Book of Life.
Imagine with me getting a letter here at Crossroads Church from Billy Graham. Imagine that Billy Graham sends a letter to this Church, like Paul sent this letter to the Roman Church and he’s told us to read it publically at our gathering.
So we do. We’ve just heard some amazing teaching in this letter and then we get to the end and Billy says before I go, I want to name a few people!
Imagine you’re name being in this list…
What if I started doing this right now. Listen Church I need to start naming a few people here at Crossroads.
That would make us start to feel a bit uncomfortable wouldn’t it. Is he gonna name me? What’s he gonna say about me? And then we might start to feel worried or ashamed… What if I’m not named at all?
That’s what’s is happening at the Roman Church in this section of Paul’s letter. Paul starts naming names of people who God has used in many different ways to help the lost get found and the found live free! But not to shame anyone. He’s naming names to honor them!
And so I simply want to walk through these names with you to highlight the fact that God uses all kinds of people with all kinds of gifts to help the lost get found and the found live free and I want to encourage you to live your life in such a way that you can be confident that when Jesus reads your name He has something commendable to say!
And before you get to nervous about that statement, I want to let you know there’s good news in this list of names for those of you who feel less than and left out! So hang with me!
Alright Romans 16:1-16
Romans 16:1–16 (ESV)
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, 2 that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.
Firstly, Paul names Phoebe. Phoebe’s name means “bright one” or “pure”, or “radiant” She is called a deacon or servant and a patron. Were told she is from Cenchreae which is a town near Corinth. And this is important because most people believe Paul wrote the letter to the Romans from Corinth. Which clues us in to the reality that Phoebe is probably the one who is delivering Paul’s letter to the Church at Rome!
Now we don’t know this for certain, but I’ve done a bit of studying and reading on this gal and most believe she was a very wealthy business woman. For one thing, we’re told that she has been a patron or benefactor for Paul and many others like him! This means she was not only successful in business but that she had determined to use her business to help fund and carry out God’s Kingdom work!
She understood that when there’s a vision there also needs to be provision and she had determined to be God’s provision for missionaries, pastors and church planters like Paul!
Along with that, many think that she’s going to Rome for something to do with her business dealings and as a part of her trip, She partnered with Paul to deliver His letter!
Remember, you don’t have to leave your job and go to Africa to live out your position on team Jesus! Do what what you do, just start doing it differently for Jesus!
That’s Pheobe. She was called to business for Jesus to fund gospel proclaimers like Paul and to be a mail man for Him!
Next Paul mentions Priscilla and Aquila (vv. 3-4).
3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. 5 Greet also the church in their house.
This couple is mentioned in 4 books of the Bible. In Acts and in 3 of Paul’s letters. They were tentmakers by trade, but they didn’t just make tents, they made tents for Jesus.
Essentially if you go read about them we learn that this couple didn’t live to work, but they worked to support life giving Kingdom ministry! They put mission and ministry at the center of their lives, their marriage, and their work! They worked and created a successful business that I’m sure they employed many people. I’m sure they used their platform to shine the light of Jesus with their employees, but on top of that, they used the wealth generated to buy a home big enough to host a church and they opened it to the Church. Not once but it appears on several occasions. In Acts we’re told that Paul met them in Ephesus and partnered with them there to help start that Church, but here we find them in Rome, yet again with another Church meeting in their home! It seems that not only were they leveraging their home and business for Jesus but that they may have also been leveraging the flexibility provided by their work as business owners to relocate where Paul said they needed go in order to help plant a new local Church!
To put it in a modern day context… they had remote jobs… jobs that weren’t tied to an office or location and that flexibility and mobility enabled them to support Paul in very unique ways and God’s Kingdom in very unique ways!!
Also, they weren’t afraid to risk their reputation or their occupations for Jesus, but instead chose to be upfront Christians in their workplace and to use their position for Jesus and His Kingdom at great personal risk! Paul says they put their necks on the line for Paul!
And I hope you realize none of this is prescriptive. Meaning, this isn’t an outline for what you have to do specifically, but I trust and pray that it is stirring ideas in you. What has God gifted me to do? What has He given to me and how can I be using those gifts to better serve Him and His Kingdom through the local Church?
Please do notice that also… all of these people are known and working in and through local Churches!
Here’s what that tells us. If you love Jesus, you’ll love and live within a local Church!
Paul continues to name people that God uses to help the lost get found and the found live free. And we’re getting to the part of the list where I loose my ability to pronounce people’s names because I went to public school! When it doubt on Bible names, just say ‘em fast and with confidence!
Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia.
He was the first! That was probably a bit scary for him to be the first, so I give him honor for stepping up and stepping out! He was the first but he wasn’t the last! Epy! Way to go brother! We honor you for being the first in Asia to trust Jesus! Awesome! V. 6
6 Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.
Church if you don’t know what your position is on team Jesus, follow Mary’s example. Work hard for Him and others. In whatever you choose to do, work hard! Don’t do it for yourself. Do it for God and for others!
This is a good word for our culture. We live in a world of contracts. What am I going to get out of this? If you do for me I’ll do for you! That’s not how we work for or on Team Jesus! Remember, plan to serve God by serving others! And when you serve do so with all your effort not for what you can get but because of what Jesus did for you, like Mary here.
v. 7
7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me.
Paul names these two. They are either friends, brothers or a married couple. We don’t know. They’ve both got names that are those names that could go either way. You know the ones you hear and you’ve gotta ask, boy or girl!
They were kinsmen so they were Jewish like Paul. They were imprisoned with Paul and the ESV says they were well known to the Apostles. The NIV says that they were apostles… small a.
I don’t believe that big A apostles exist today. Those were the guys who saw the risen Christ who were uniquely trained and uniquely commissioned by Jesus to write authoritative books of the Bible! But there is a gift of apostleship which is an entrepreneurial gifting within the Church to pioneer Church plants and to pastor pastors. These 2 were that! They served alongside Paul and went to jail with Him!
And all I want to say about this is that as you seek to do what you do, but do it different for and on Team Jesus, know there are risks! I just simply want to ask how far are you willing to go in service for and to Jesus? Prison is a possibility in our futures. It’s not something we need to fear however! God had Paul, Andronicus and Junia and He’s got you! Trust Him and stay faithful to Him not matter what!
V. 8
8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.
Ampliatus… imagine you’re this guy. Sitting in Church listening to the letter being read and they start in on the list of names. And everyone else before you, you expected their names to appear… but not yours and then you hear your name. Ampliatus… and instantly you bristle… oh no what’s he gonna say? I hope he doesn’t bring up my DUI, or my girl friend or my girl friend's DUI! And he doesn’t. Greet Ampliatus, my beloved!
Church, if the only word Jesus chooses to read about you from the Lamb’s Book of Life is “Beloved” know that, that it’s enough!
This is the gospel! You are loved. Period. Not because of what you can do or say or how productive you are for God! It ain’t about you or your works! It’s about Jesus what He did and in Him, it’s done! Past, present future sins paid for. And because of that you are known as Beloved! You are loved! Not only is that beautiful. It’s enough for God and it ought to be enough for us!
9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ.
Do you know what it means to be approved? It means you’ve been tested. That’s how you get approved. There’s a test, you pass, you’re approved! Some of you have been through it. You’ve lost in this life because of sin, because of sickness, because of lots of reasons, but you’re still serving, still trusting, still loving Jesus, it might be from a crawl but you’re still here, still trusting, still loving still serving. Jesus approves of you and if you’ve been approved of by Jesus, you’ve got nothing left to prove! Enter His rest friend!
Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. 11 Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus.
Narcissus hears his name and he’s like “yep, I thought I should be included in this…I’m kind of the man!”
I kid, I kid. These next couple of names are men who are greeted along with their families and their households.
Church the Bible teaches that the father is the head of the house, not in a domineering way but in a servant leadership way. The question for married men is not should you be leading your family but are you?
Dad, if you’re on team Jesus, your primary position and purpose on His team is to lead your family toward Jesus.
I cannot stress the importance of this. Society is seeing the effects of absent fathers and failed leadership from the father in the home!
Moms are super important too and I realize some parents are doing the single parenting thing and with Jesus’ help He can still do good work in and through those homes, but please know God’s design for healthy children is for a mom and dad to live together and for the dad to set the tone and lead spiritually!
I listened to a sermon recently where the pastor quoted a statistic put together from Promise Keepers that said if the mom goes to Church with her kids without the dad 2% of those kids will continue to attend Church and be a worshipper of Christ when they grow up, but if the dad goes even with out mom, 67% of those kids will follow their dad’s leadership!
If you’re wondering what your position is on team Jesus, if you’re a dad, it’s to lead your children to know Christ!
12 Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.
There’s more we could say about these guys, but I just want to make a comment about Rufus’ mom and dad. We don’t know this for sure, but a Rufus is mentioned else where in Mark 15:21, and there we’re told that Rufus’ dad carried Jesus Cross. When Jesus was crucified the Romans made Him carry his own cross to the hill where they put him on it, but half way there He just lost his strength and couldn’t go on. So they grabbed a guy from the crowd, Simon, the father of Rufus. This could be Rufus’ dad. He literally carried Jesus’ cross and now we get introduced to Rufus’ mother. Paul, the Apostle Paul says, she was like a mother to me!
Ladies, this could be your role on team Jesus, we all need a mom! The Apostle Paul needed a mom. I’m sure he was lonely. He wasn’t married when we get to know him. He either is divorced or widowed and I’m sure he was lonely at times out on mission for Jesus. But Rufus’ mom stepped up and treated Paul like one of her own. Some of you ladies are moms, were moms or wished you could be a mom. Whereever you’re at on that spectrum know that Jesus needs moms on his team! Men and women, need compassionate, merciful and strong women in their corner to mother and care for them as they serve in this harsh world! Maybe that’s your role on team Jesus! Be a mom to people who don’t have one or don’t have good ones!
14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
Paul lists a few more folks and then closes by calling the Roman Church to Kiss each other! And because we here at Crossroads are strong believers in not just hearing the word but doing what it says… turn to your neighbor…
Don’t do that. We’re not going t do that.
Here’s what I want you to know from this, the Church community should be a place where people are warmly welcomed!
Whether you’re bringing people and ministry into your house or you’re coming into God’s house, we should all be striving to welcome people warmly in whatever way is culturally acceptable.
Alright, that was along list, but here’s what I hope you saw and see. God uses all kinds of people in all kinds of ways with all kinds of giftings to help the lost get found and the found live free. How is He using you? Know that He wants to and that He can! Work with Him, to figure out what your calling is and live into with the power of His holy Spirit! May we all learn to do what we do, but to do it different for Jesus!
Pray
(A Sermon from realfaith.com was super helpful to me in preparation for this one and a few of the illustrations, points and jokes were amended from that message found here: https://realfaith.com/sermons/romans-35-real-ministry-people/.)