Rom 16-All in the Family

| All in the Family! Romans 16:1-16

October 19, 2008 1I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. 2I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me.  3Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. 4They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. 5Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. 6Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you. 7Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. 8Greet Ampliatus, whom I love in the Lord. 9Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. 10Greet Apelles, tested and approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. 11Greet Herodion, my relative. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. 12Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord. 13Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too. 14Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brothers with them. 15Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the saints with them. 16Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.   PRAY Scripture Memory:Review: If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. – Romans 10:9 (NIV)For from him & through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. Romans 11:36 (NIV) Intro:What is in a name? Learning the names of the Hope folks…Bob McCook & Young Life 1. God’s Family has great diversity2. God’s Family has strong community3. God’s Family has saintly anonymity4. God’s Family has many ministers1. God’s Family has great diversityPaul was a people person.27 specific names, two others (a mother and a sister), 9 women, 17 men and two households, 9 who were with him, previously, in CorinthMany of these folks he had probably not even met yet, others he had met in other cities and he now knew to be in Rome – STAYING in touch!!!Imagine the stirring of our hearts when our names are mentioned by someone else in a public letter…The abundance of women in this list…Phoebe, the deaconess…Priscilla, the wife of Aquilla and a fellow worker of Paul’sMary, who worked very hard for youTryphena, Tryphosa, & Paul’s dear friend Persis, who have worked very hard in the Lord“Tryphena & Tryphosa” (v. 12) were probably twins who were given names that go together. Their names mean “dainty” & “delicate.” Paul employs some playful irony here because he calls them “women who work hard in the Lord,” using a word that means to labor to the point of exhaustion. Dainty & delicate, yes — but “dynamite comes in small packages.” Hughes, R. K. Rufus’ mother, who was a mother to Paul, too Jews and GentilesSlaves and free, wealthy and poorAmpliatus was a common slave name, but it may be significant that in the cemetery of Domatilla, which is the earliest of the Christian catacombs, there is an elaborate tomb with the single word Ampliatus on it. Since it bears only one name, it seems to mark the tomb of a slave—free men had more than one name—but since it is elaborate it seems to be the tomb of an important person in the church.  In other words, in the Roman church there were no distinctions based upon whether one was a slave or free. It may also be possible, since Ampliatus is associated with Domatilla, who was a woman of high status in Rome, that this is an example of how Christianity penetrated by degrees into even the highest levels of Roman rank and society.The households of Aristobulus and Narcissus: Neither Aristobulus nor Narcissus is greeted personally by Paul. He speaks only of their households. Yet even this is revealing with you look beneath the surface. In Rome the word household did not only describe a man’s family and close relations; it included his household domestics or slaves as well. Now in Rome there had lived a grandson of the Jewish king Herod the Great whos name was Aristobulus. When he died his slaves would have passed to the ownership of the emperor and would have been known as those of “the household of Aristobulus.” Thus, Paul’s greeting may well be to those Jewish slaves who belonged to this household but who had become Christians and were members of the Roman church. This is made more likely because of the name Herodion, which follows Aristobulus. Herodion is clearly derived from Herod, so he may have been one of the leading slaves in his household.Narcissus is the name of a wealthy freedman who had been prominent under Claudius but had been put to death by Nero when he took the throne. Again, there seem to have been a significant number of believers in this household.1 Peter 2:10 – Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. 2. God’s Family has strong community1 Thess. 2:6b-8 (NIV) – As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.  We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. Descriptive titles of Paul’s friends:●   A servant●    Our sister●   Saints●    Dear friend●   Those “who are in the Lord”●    Fellow workers●    Tested and approved in Christ●    Who work hard in the Lord●    Chosen in the Lord●   Mother●   Brothers |   | 16Greet one another with a holy kiss.It is Biblical to express love and affection, even to the point of an embrace and a kiss. What a difference authentic Christian affection can make in a cold, indifferent world. Hughes, R. K.(Charles Reich) writes in his book The Greening of America: America is one vast terrifying anticommunity. The great organizations to which most people give their working day, and the apartments and suburbs to which they return at night, are equally places of loneliness and alienation.…  Protocol, competition, hostility and fear have replaced the warmth of the circle of affection which might sustain man against a hostile universe. Charles ReichThe problem, of course, is that the Church is often as cold as or even colder than the world. Sometimes strangers cannot pry a grin from regular attenders. It is imperative that we remember that people are important. The absence of agape love in the typical church should burden our hearts. We must reach out in love to those around us. Hughes, R. K. The answer: we must become lovers of peopleKnowing people by nameNurturing appropriate affectionDemonstrating genuine concern Charles Swindoll – big, burly 6 ft. motorcyclist: “There’s something I’ve always wanted to do to you…”The richest people in town are always those who love the most. “People persons”—the affectionate—those who remember names and pray for them—receive the most. Hughes, R. K.People who need people… The challenge to us: Continue to do what we do well…Work on deepening our relationships… particularly with new folks as God brings them to us… 3. God’s Family has saintly anonymityWho are these people?!?Some we may have heard of: Priscilla and Aquilla, POSSIBLY Phoebe…Who, for example, was the “Rufus” of verse 13? Mark 15:21 identifies Simon of Cyrene as the father of Alexander and Rufus. Couple this with the fact that Mark wrote his Gospel to Rome and we conclude that Rufus was the son of Simon of Cyrene who carried Jesus’ cross. Hughes, R. K.Now if a man is identified by the names of his sons, it means that, although he himself may not be personally known to the community to whom the story is being told, the sons are. To what Church did Mark write this gospel? Almost certainly he wrote it for the Church of Rome, and he knew that the Church would know who Alexander and Rufus were.…  He was the son of that Simon who carried the cross of Jesus. William BarclayWhat was it that caused all of these people to be listed in God’s Word?1.     They had embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ…2.     They were known, personally, by one of the greatest men who ever lived… The point for us:Each of us is known personally by GodIt is important to each of us to be known and appreciated… 4. God’s Family has many ministersNotice the context in which many/most of these names are mentioned:v. 1 – Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchreacc. 2ff – Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus          4They risked their lives for me          Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them          the church that meets at their housev. 6 – Mary, who worked very hard for youv. 7 – Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with mev. 9 – Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christv. 12 – Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lordmy dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord The points:●   Working together is a great way to build friendships.●   Suffering together builds deep bonds of friendship.●   God knows every service & mininstry we do, even if no one else does.●   Kingdom work is TEAM work, not individual. Summary / Review:1. Christ’s Church has great diversity…2. Christ’s Church has strong community…3. Christ’s Church has saintly anonymity…4. Christ’s Church has many ministers…  A Truth to Remember: If you have embraced Jesus Christ then your name is written in God’s book of life. A Challenge to Consider:What will YOU be remembered for in eternity? One thing I heard this morning was…        |