Romans 16:1-16
The book of Romans • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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MAIN IDEA: Know your village. Love them well.
Paul celebrated ministry heavyweights.
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.
Phoebe was a ministry heavyweight. We can see her value just by reading verses 1-2. She had some capacity of leadership in Cenchreae. That word servant in the original language is diakonos. Diakonos can be as narrow as the office of deacon and it can be as wide as servants in the church. The context of the passage often determines how the word is used. Some scholars believe Paul is referring to the office of deacon and Phoebe was a female deacon in her church. Others scholars disagree with that view, but believe she has a significant role in her church. At the very least, she is one of us because every believer is a servant or a minister of their church. We are all participants in what God is doing. Believers should be itching to get in the game. We should never be satisfied with sitting the bench. Believers ought not be worship spectators or church consumers because we are servants and ministers for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Pheobe had such a significant role in her church that it is widely believed she delivered this letter to Rome. Paul wrote Romans in Corinth, which is about 7 miles from Cenchreae. She is referenced first on the list, so it makes sense that she is the carrier of this letter. In Roman culture, the carrier was expected to know the letter’s contents and be able to answer any questions to clarify what was written. If you have an important job for somebody to do, their credibility needs to be at the top of the list.
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Think about the pressure she could have felt. I think Paul speaking confidence into her was vital for the task. Phoebe was going to deliver the book of Romans. This book is foundational to our theology. It’s packed with transformational information. It teaches us oneness with Christ. There is one copy! Paul didn’t save it to the cloud. He didn’t scan it with an app on his phone. He couldn’t run it through the copy machine. There was one copy of God’s message to Rome and Phoebe delivered it.
I think it’s interesting that Paul doesn’t tell us how Phoebe served her church. She probably did more than made a pot of coffee and called it ministry. Verse 2 tells us she had been a patron of many and of Paul. She was a supporter of her brothers and sisters in Christ. She worked hard to make other people in her church look really good. I bet her absence left a significant gap in the church’s ministry.
As far as we know, Phoebe was courageous as she served Christ with her life. God gave her an assignment that some of us would hesitate to accept. As far we know, her ministry answer was always yes.
Maybe God isn’t asking you to do something big like deliver a message to another country, but what is God asking you to do? Can he count on your ministry answer always being yes?
When God takes you heaven, what significant gap would be left in our church?
Paul celebrated reproducing Christians.
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. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia.
Priscilla and Aquila were devoted to ministering alongside Paul. They were long-term ministry partners. Paul mentioned them in 2 Timothy 4, in 1 Corinthians 16, and in Acts 18. Look at verse 4, they risked their lives for Paul for gospel advancement and kingdom growth. Look at verse 5, greet the church that meets in their house. They were making ministry happen. They were advancing the gospel. They were not satisfied without growing the church. It seems like they had a church in their home wherever they lived.
1 Corinthians 16:19 says, “The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord.”
We are called to be reproducing Christians and I want to help you do that. Let me tell you about RightNowMedia. We have a subscription with 25 users, so your family have one until we run out. Use it because we want to glorify Jesus Christ by discipling people who disciple other people. Use it because we want to impact every community in Lenawee County. Use it to be a reproducing Christian that is not satisfied without growing the church.
Paul celebrated those who bore his chains and carried his burdens.
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.
Andronicus and Junia were Jewish Christians that had spent time in Jerusalem, but moved on to Rome and had made a difference there. Some scholars believe they are married and are related to Paul, but none of the commentators I read were certain of the family ties to Paul. There was certainty that Andronicus and Junia were married and Jewish Christians. Let’s go with that. Verse 7 tells us they had been prisoners with Paul. They were in shackles together. They sat in a dark prison cell together. They knew hunger together. They prayed for God’s intervention together. They carried Paul’s burdens as they did life together. This one verse gives an example of biblical togetherness and the impact made when we are deeply committed to other believers.
The Bible doesn’t tell us why they are well-known to the apostles. We can speculate their deep commitment to Paul had something with to do with that. Because they were Christians longer than Paul is it possible their influence among began to grow early. We don’t know much about them other than bore Paul’s chains and they carried his burdens.
One of ministry passions is the soul care of other pastors. Since the fall, I have been praying about how to care for pastors because many are lonely, isolated and ready to quit. I was talking to a pastor this week that was sharing some heavy stuff in his life. It tore me up. God used me in that moment to carry his burdens. Even though we get up and go to work or school every day, there are days we sit in a dark prison cell and we wish another person would sit down with us in silence.
Every person that can hear my voice needs the person that will sit with us in silence. The kingdom of God is better when we carry the burdens of our Christian brothers and sisters.
Paul celebrated those with serving endurance.
5 Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. 6 Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. 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. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. 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. 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. 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.
This group of people knew their village. They loved them well. They weren’t big deals, but they weren’t insignificant either. They served when it was easy. They served when it was difficult. They served as slaves or free. They served in a family of believers and unbelievers. They had to serve or the kingdom of God was weakened. That was their culture. They had to endure for gospel advancement. In some cases, they had to endure so people had food and shelter.
I wonder today, if Paul wrote a letter to the church in Adrian - does your endurance for gospel advancement make the list?
If you don’t know Jesus as your personal savior, let’s start there. If you’re watching, you can text the number on your screen. We’d love to introduce you to Jesus Christ.
