Service, Generosity And Risking All for Christ

Romans 16:1–5 NKJV

1 I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, 2 that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also. 3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. 5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia to Christ.

At first glance we may think that these first 16 verses of chapter 16 are a bit boring. Just Paul commending a greeting a whole bunch of people that we don’t know. You might even think that we could do without these verses. But if we believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God then we must believe that God gave it to us for a reason. It is all profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That includes Romans 16:1-16. All these names and relationships must be able to give us understanding and insight into the early church and how the members of that church interacted with one another.

This morning I would like for us to look at the first 3 people that Paul mentions here

The first is…

Phoebe

Who is Phoebe?

It is probable and believed by most scholars that since Paul is commending her to the Roman believers that she was the one who delivered this letter to Rome. So from that alone we can tell that Paul had a great deal of faith in this women.

Our Sister

Paul introduces her as our sister.

It was the practice of the early believers to refer to one another as brothers and sisters.

This perhaps comes from the example of Christ in

Matthew 12:46–50 NKJV

46 While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. 47 Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” 48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

God created the family when he created Adam and Eve. When Adam saw Eve he said this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh and for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two will become one flesh. They were then told by God to multiply a replenish the earth. Children then become an extension of the husband wife relationship and a picture of the union between a man and a woman. They are the flesh and bone of the parents. This is the closest relationship we have on earth and the church is an extension of that family relationship. In many cases it is even closer than our biological family. We are united not by the blood of a father and mother but by the blood of Christ. Christ is the first born among many brethren so in Christ we are bothers and sisters in the family of God.

Paul uses this term our sister to denote that she is a believer in Christ and as such is a sister in Christ to all who are in Christ. Even though the Roman Christians had not met her she was still their sister in Christ.

As she is mentioned on her own she was probably either single never married or she was a widow.

Secondly Paul acknowledges Phoebe as a servant of the church in Cenchrea. Or as it says in the original language a

Deacon

So what is a deacon?

The office of Deacon in the church, although under developed did exist. This office was developed as a means to help the elders it the more service orientated task of their office See Acts 6:1-7.It was further developed and in 1 Tim 3 Paul gives Timothy qualifications for the office.

1 Timothy 3:8–12 NKJV

8 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. 10 But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. 11 Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

The Greek word Diakonos used to describe Phoebe could mean 1 or two things then. It could be that she was in the true since of the word a servant of the church. In the same way that we should all serve one another. Or it could mean that she was holding the office of a Deacon.

I think that is is more likely that she held the office of a Deacon partly because of the distinction given that she was a deacon of the church in Cenchrea which seems to me to indicate that it is more likely that she held that office in that church. If it were simply that she was a servant then it would seem more likely that Paul would have said more generically that she was a servant of Christ. However, either way Paul seems to want to distinguish her here by his comment.

She is a...

Helper of Many

As mentioned before she was either never married or a widow But this would indicate that she was wealthy. Either she had a greta inheritance or she was a successful business women but she seems to be a women of means. The word translated helper comes from a Greek word meaning patroness which suggest that she had given financially to help many including Paul. So not only was she probably wealthy she also saw the benefit of investing in the cause of the gospel.

Paul ask the Christians on Rome to receive her in a manner worthy of the saints and to assist her in whatever business she has need of them. So it would seem that Phoebe was a business women or at least she had some business to attend to in Rome and was able to deliver Paul’s letter on her journey.

She was a women of means who invested in Paul’s ministry as well as helping many others financially, perhaps a business women, a deacon of the church in Cenchrea (Corinth’s eastern port) and a sister in Christ who was delivering this letter to Rome.

Next Paul says...

Greet Priscilla and Aquila

Who are Priscilla and Aquila? and how did Paul know them?

He says that they are fellow workers in Christ. But how did Paul know this couple?

Paul first met them in…

Acts 18:1–3 NKJV

1 After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them. 3 So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers.

So Paul met them in Corinth and they were also tent makers. If you read on in Acts 18 we see that they also travel with Paul and helped him in his ministry. We don’t find anywhere that they went to Rome but most likely they returned there after the Emperor Claudius died in AD 54.

They were...

Fellow Workers

Both in the tent making trade as well as the ministry. They traveled with Paul to Ephesus and worked with him in the ministry there.

They Risked Their Necks

Paul says that they risked their own necks for his life. Paul had a very dangerous ministry and often found himself situations where he was being arrested or beaten. It is believed that this particular incident took place in Ephesus when Priscilla and Aquila were with him there. Not a lot of details are given but it is clear that they were willing to risk their lives for Christ and for their friend Paul.

Not only was Paul thankful for their help but all the Gentile churches who also loved Paul and had received the Gospel through his ministry.

They Had a Church in Their House

Paul says to greet the church in their house as well.

This couple had given their lives to serve the Lord where ever they went. It seems that they had travel quite a bit and where ever they went they got involved in the ministry.

Just from the first three people mentioned in Romans 16 we find one single women and one married couple which stand as an example to all of us. These were people who were actively involved in ministry even though the ministry was not their occupation. They gave generously to further the gospel, they served in the church they risked their lives for Christ and they opened their home for church gatherings. We need to be like Phoebe and Priscilla and Aquila. People who understand the importance of the gospel of Christ and are willing to roll up our sleeves and get their hands dirty.