Greet One Another

I invite you to turn with me to Romans 16.

We will look at verses 1-16 today.

We begin looking at the final chapter of the book of Romans today, and it is our 44th sermon from the book if you were wondering.

And the book of Romans is most well known for its doctrinal content.

It is most well known for being the most thorough explanation of the gospel found anywhere in Scripture.

We have walked through the chapters 1 through 11 which give that thorough explanation of all the God has done in Christ to save us from God’s wrath and make us his beloved and eternal children.

We then walked through chapters 12 through 15 which appeal to us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices in light of God’s great mercies.

And in the last two sermons, we saw that Paul is ending the letter on a very personal note.

He encourages the church that they have all they need in Christ to do the ministry God has given them to do.

And He explained to them his plan to come to them after he takes the offering from the Gentile churches back to the church in Jerusalem.

Yet, now in chapter 16, we learn that though the apostle Paul had not yet visited the church in Rome, that does not mean that he was not familiar with many of its members.

In our passage today, Paul is going to name 27 different people who are part of the church in Rome.

And it is one of those passages that we as Bible readers are sometimes tempted to skip over because it just seems like a list of names.

But, as a church, it is our strong conviction that all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, to make us complete and ready for every God work God has planned for us individually and corporately as the people of God.

So, I am confidant this passage has much to teach us in our walks with Jesus as a church family together this morning.

For one thing, we have many families having babies in our church, and they may want to consider one of these names.

I can’t wait for us to have little boy Andronicus or little girl Tryphosa running around the church.

Just think about it.

But, in all seriousness, I believe a passage like this one provides a strong picture, encouragement, and warning that we in our day and age need to pay really close attention to.

And it is a picture that began to take shape in last week’s passage but more now today, and that picture is this:

God, by his divine sovereignty and His good purposes, has limited us all to one time, in one place, to know, worship, and serve him in that place for his glory, and the people in your church and in your life are divinely appointed there as well.

I say this is an encouragement and a warning for us because we have two extremely powerful forces pushing against this idea.

One is our culture of radical individualism that says you can be anything you want to be and feel like being and you do not have to be connected or accountable to anyone else.

The other is our obsession with our devices, technology, and social media that tempts us to believe what is happening in other places is more important that what God has placed physically in our place and time.

Jesus said the essence of the entire law which is written on our hearts when we trust in the gospel is to: love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself.

In other words the gospel forms deep relationship with God and others in the time and place he has sovereignly placed you.

Would you please follow along as I read God’s word aloud?

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. 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. 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.

1. Commend Faithful Servants Of The Lord

In the ancient world, there were no phones, email, or even postal service, so the letter writer would have to find someone willing to travel and take there letter where they wanted it to go.

So, it was common practice to commend whoever it is that was bringing the letter to the people it was being sent to.

So, Paul writes, I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae.

We can almost be certain that Phoebe is the person who traveled from Paul in Corinth near Cenchreae to Rome to bring Paul’s letter to the church there.

And notice, Paul calls her our sister.

Because she was a sister in the Lord.

We as believers in Jesus have been adopted into the family of God.

God is our Father, so we are spiritual brothers and sisters of one another.

That’s why, when you meet a believer in Jesus anywhere in the world, you can be confident that they are your spiritual brother or sister in Christ.

It’s why we can address one another as brothers and sisters.

So, he commends to them our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae.

The word Paul uses for servant is the same word used for deacon.

So, Phoebe was a deaconess of the local church that she was a part of.

Now, for some of the backgrounds some of us came out of, our churches would not have had a female deacon, because the deacons held a level of spiritual authority and leadership in the church, which was reserved by the Scripture for men.

But, a clear reading of 1 Timothy and Titus show us that a level of spiritual authority for leadership and teaching is not to be given to deacons but to the pastor-elders, and God’s good design says that pastor-elders should be a group of qualified men,

So, as long as you have a group of pastor-elder qualified men shepherding God’s church with a level of authority, leadership, and teaching,

Then, you are ready to have biblical deacons, who can be men and women, who organize particular areas of practical service that does not require the practice of holding authority.

So Phoebe was doing the exact kind of thing that the diaconate ministry was designed by God to do, she was fulfilling a practical need, traveling to take a letter to another church, so that the pastor-elders of her church could continue giving their time to the ministry of the word and prayer to the people God had sovereignly placed in their local fellowship.

So, given that Phoebe was a sister in Christ and deaconess of her local church, Paul tells the church in Rome to welcome her in a way worthy of the saints, and to help her in whatever she may need.

You see, there were no hotels in those days, and ancient brothels would be no place for a believer to stay in, nonetheless a woman, so it was right and necessary to expect the local church to show hospitality by providing food and shelter in their own homes to the visiting sister in Christ.

This speaks to a command Paul gave earlier in the book of Romans when he wrote

Romans 12:10 ESV

10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Paul goes on to say that Phoebe has been a patron of many and of Paul as well.

That word patron can also mean a helper and a benefactor.

One who has honored many others in Christ by helping and supporting them deserves to be helped and supported by you.

We still do this kind of thing today.

When we have a missionary or special speaker come preach at the church, we commend them to you based on their service to the Lord.

If God were to move you to a new location, I would be honored to reach out to your new church pastor and commend you to him as faithful members coming from our church.

It is good and right to honor and commend the services you as church members offer here.

We all experience many hardships and trials, and sometimes as I learn about your struggle or hardship, I can commend to you another member in the church who I know has walked through that very same thing and God has taught them a lot, so I commend them to you.

You should do that for one another.

We should also be honoring one another for the ways we see God using us in service.

You all are very kind to do that with me, but make sure you express appreciation to one another for your service in the church to one another.

One more thing I want to say under this point is that women in particular are used mightily in God’s church, and used mightily in God’s kingdom, and must be highly valued, honored, and esteemed in the context of the church.

It is the result of the fall into sin that would pit women and men against each other where women desire to rule over the men and the men sit back and passivity and do not lead.

But, in the redeemed community of the church, men take leadership and women gladly follow that leadership by going all in on Bible study, prayer, service, and mission in the world.

And we don’t joke about or look down on one another but we highly value and honor the contribution each is making.

Finally, I have to say this, then the other points will be shorter.

Notice, Paul commends a woman who stepped up and served in a significant role.

It is way too easy for people to be critical of those who are willing to step up and serve in significant roles.

I think some people are afraid to step up and serve in areas God is calling them because they don’t want to be judged and criticized by others.

May that not be so in God’s church.

May we encourage those who lead and serve and step in to help.

Commend faithful servants of the Lord.

2. Greet One Another and Learn Their Stories

Verse 3: Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 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.

This is the same Priscilla and Aquila that we read about in Acts 18.

Paul met them in Corinth.

Aquila was a Jew, so they were one of the couples that had to leave Rome when the emperor kicked all the Jews out for a time.

They were tentmakers like Paul, so they got to know one another well and worked alongside one another.

They got so close that they ended up traveling with Paul to Ephesus and doing ministry alongside him there.

We read in Acts 19 that the preaching of the gospel in Ephesus ended up invoking a riot among the people, so it is most likely that Prisca and Aquila did something very dangerous in order to protect Paul,

Which all the Gentile churches would be extremely thankful for given Paul’s ministry was necessary to complete the work of getting the gospel to the Gentile world.

Verse 5 of our passage goes on to say: greet also the church in their house.

Most likely the church in Rome was made up of multiple local churches that met in people’s homes, because they did not own public buildings.

It would be like saying the church in Rocky Mount referring to all the gospel preaching churches in this area, then specifically saying, “Give greetings to Pastor Jason over at Christ Covenant Church.”

Which in their case would be one local church meeting in a home.

Verse 5: Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia.

Imagine how special Epaenetus would have been to Paul.

We know from missionaries to unreached areas, when they labor to preach the gospel, the very first convert is a huge miracle of God and gives such hope to the gospel spreading amongst a people.

Verse 6: Greet Mary, who worked hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsman and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me.

Here, as Paul sends greetings to these believers that he knows in the church of Rome, he is telling a bit of their stories.

It is important for us as God’s church to go beyond conversations about the weather and our favorite sports teams in order to learn each others’ stories.

It is in learning one another’s stories that our honor, love, appreciation, and ministry for one another grows.

It is in learning one another’s stories that we can practice not judging or despising others who have done things differently than we have, and we can show love and grace toward them in response to the love and grace God shows toward us, and we can grow in our love and appreciation for one another as we have already learned about in the book of Romans.

I’ve got a good friend of mine, and I remember about four years back when I first met him, the first thing he asked me was to tell him my story.

What’s your story?

God is completely sovereign, meaning He is intentionally involved in every aspect of your life and your story, so to learn of someone else’s story is to learn of God’s work in their lives.

To learn of someone else’s story is to learn of how God wants to use those people in ministry to your life and how he wants to use you in ministry to theirs.

Learning someone’s story may reveal to you that they are not truly in Christ, and give you an opportunity to share the gospel with them.

Learning someone’s story can encourage you in areas you are weak, and help you encourage them in areas you are stronger by God’s grace.

Here is a challenge I have for you from this passage.

How many church member’s stories do you know?

Who is someone you should take the time to get to know better than you do?

Why should we give our time to learn the stories of some actress in a magazine or some athlete on our social media feed, when God has sovereignly placed brothers and sisters in Christ right here in your physical vicinity in order to connect with and learn their stories.

One way to love, honor, and minister to someone most is the know their name and to ask them to share their story.

Skip down to verse 13: Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.

There is only one other mention of the name Rufus in the Bible and it is in the gospel of Mark, where Mark writes that there was a man named Simon of Cyrene who was chosen by a Roman official to carry the cross of Jesus when Jesus was too physically beaten and exhausted to carry it any further.

Mark makes a point to mention that one of Simon’s two sons that witnessed that scene was named Rufus.

Mark wrote his gospel to a Roman audience, and now here is a Rufus in the Roman church.

It is possible this is Simon of Cyrene’s son, a believer in the Roman church who watched his father as a child carry our Lord Jesus’ cross.

Paul says Rufus’ mother had been a mother to him as well.

He certainly did not mean that she was his biological mother, but she was a mother in the faith, pointing back to our familial language of other believers.

Consider:

1 Timothy 5:1–2 ESV

1 Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

Learn one another’s stories and treat them as spiritual family.

3. Greet One Another With Love and Affection

Verse 16: Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

Now, I want to ease your mind that you have not disobeyed a command of God if you did not kiss everyone as you walked into church this morning, yet we are commanded to greet one another in some way.

In ancient culture, a kiss was a standard greeting much like a hug or a handshake for us today.

Notice, it was a holy kiss expressing the love and welcome of God in Christ to one another, it was nothing like a kiss between a husband and wife.

I’ve been told that our greeting with a handshake has its origins in expressing to the other person that you are unarmed, so you come in peace, and you are extending peace to them.

It makes me think of

Titus 3:3–5 ESV

3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

Because God through faith has saved us from our malice, envy, and hatred of one another through the sacrifice of Jesus, we have peace with God and peace with one another,

And we celebrate and express that peace every time we greet one another through a hug or handshake, looking one another in the eye, expressing love, affection, and concern.

I want to encourage those in the room for whom public greetings are a challenge due to having a shy personality or feeling overwhelmed in a crowd of people, not every person has to be the one speaking to every person in the foyer in order to obey the command to greet one another.

It is okay to come take your seat early, close your eyes, and breath deeply in order to calm yourself in preparation for being in a crowd, but I do want to encourage you that the command for you does not have to mean greet everyone, but I do encourage you to greet someone.

Consider the amount of times Paul uses the word beloved to describe fellow believers in Christ, and we express that affection in our greetings.

In order to maintain the command to greet one another with love and affection over the long haul, we must be quick to overlook minor offenses, and quick to confess our sins against one another, and willing to forgive one another as we still carry around the old sin nature, though through confession and forgivenesss as a work of God in us, we are being made more and more into His image.

Do you have bitterness or unforgiveness toward someone making it difficult or impossible to great them with love and affection?

God’s grace is enough to heal you through confession and forgiveness.

We do not confess and forgive because the other person deserves it.

We confess and forgive because Christ deserves it as an expression of the much greater way he has forgiven us and taken our sin on himself.

A few weeks ago, I was meeting with a group of Rocky Mount pastors that I meet with once a month, and we were talking about how as technology increases, the church will continue to be more and more distinct in our culture due to the fact that we are a community who physically gathers for anything besides sports, political events, riots, or protests.

While we provide a livestream of our service for those in our body who cannot attend in person that Sunday, and for those who are considering visiting the church and want to see what it is like, live-streaming a service can never take the place of us gathering as a church family to greet one another in the Lord.

Now, this is not a polemic against what any church chose to do during the COVID pandemic.

But, I do believe that God will use His church as a witness to the watching world more and more in the coming days as a distinct people who values physical gathering and in person fellowship, care, and love for one another.

4. Greet One Another In Our Lord Jesus Christ

Now, I have only highlighted the names in the passage of the people that we know something about from this Scripture or other Scriptures, but that does not mean the other names are unimportant.

A passage like this one gives us a small glimpse into the early church as real people who each have a name.

We take seriously as a church keeping a current member list.

When your elders gather two times a month, we pray through the membership list by each name.

Your name matters to God and is intimately known by Him.

If you are in Christ, your name is written in Heaven in the Lamb’s book of life.

Consider the words Paul uses to go with these names:

Fellow workers

Hard workers

In Christ

Fellow prisoners

Beloved in the Lord

Chosen in the Lord

Saints

The Bible tells us that once we were not a people, but now we are God’s people.

If you are here today and you have not believed on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation and surrendered your life to him,

You are not yet a member of God’s family - the church.

Instead, you are on your own.

While we were created by God and for God, we have all fallen far short of God’s glory and sinned against God.

Consider that our lives were meant to point all glory to God in the way that we love Him more than anything else, and in the way that we love and care for others more than ourselves.

But in sin, we have all loved created things more than the creator God, and we have all loved ourselves and our own glory more than loving others.

Yet, God in great love knew your name and your story, and He stepped in by sending His Son Jesus Christ.

And Jesus lived a perfect life apart from sin,

Then Jesus died in your place for your sin taking all the punishment of your sin onto himself in great love for you.

And God rose Jesus from the grave three days later defeating your sin and death and raised Jesus up and gave him the greatest name so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

God did all this in great love and grace in order to save you from your sin and punishment.

God did all this to forgive you of your sin and to adopt you into His family - the church.

If you would believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and the work He did on the cross, you will be saved from the wrath of God, adopted into His family to know God and learn more of him and walk in his ways with your life.

Would you turn from your life of self and sin and turn to faith in Jesus today?

Notice, the names in this list are:

Male and female

Jew and Gentile

Young and Old

Slave and free

Expressing:

Galatians 3:28 ESV

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Jesus has made us all one in Christ Jesus.

Diverse yet united.

So, may we greet one another.

May we center our lives around love toward God, love toward one another, and love toward others that God has placed in our physical lives and spaces.

May we meditate daily on the great love and gospel of God through His word, that our affections may be for Him and His people and taking the gospel to the lost.

Let’s pray.

(Elder at couch)