Romans 16 - It Takes a Village to Build a Church!
Personal Greetings
16 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me. 3 Greet Priscilla[c] and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. 5 Greet also the church that meets at their house.
The first person Paul commends to the church is Phoebe. We see many times in the New Testament Paul uplifting the role of women in the early church. The two leadership roles in the church were elders and deacons. Elders were the spiritual overseers of the church, and this is also the word for "bishop". Deacons oversaw some of the more practical matters of the church like feeding widows and orphans. But importantly these were leadership positions. They were called to ministry. The apostles laid hands on and set apart all the deacons in the church. Phoebe also seems to have had financial means we she gave of generously. Obviously Paul has the highest regard for her, one of the many reasons why we should not keep women out of leadership roles in the church.
Priscilla and Aquila were a couple who were very helpful to Paul. They apparently risked their lives for him and were apparently back in Rome. We also see the most common form of meeting in the early church, which was meeting in homes. We often call these churches "house churches". Today roughly 20 million people worship in a house church, and as many as 70 million people have experimented in worshipping in house churches.
House churches mimic the church in Acts 2 that met in the homes of the apostles and other disciples. Most churches have buildings and there are pro's and con's of that. Many mainline churches have shrunk and have big buildings with not many people. They are saddled with debt from building programs, and often have to rent out their churches to younger more vital churches. There are also plenty of churches with buildings that are growing as well.
So, in the end it not about the building but what goes on in the building. The Holy Spirit can work in a parking lot.
Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. n6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you. b7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among[d] the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. 6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among[d] the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. 12 Greet 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. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them. 5 Greet 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.
I wonder these names. A few of them are mentioned in Paul's other letters but for the most part these are not household names. What strikes me is the sheer number of people Paul lists here. Being that Paul had not visited Rome yet, it is amazing how well he knows all of these people.
Leon Morris explains that this section demonstrates that the Letter to the Romans “was a letter to real people and, as far as we can see, ordinary people; it was not written to professional theologians.”
“They were like the most of us, commonplace individuals; but they loved the Lord, and therefore as Paul recollected their names he sent them a message of love which has become embalmed in the Holy Scriptures. Do not let us think of the distinguished Christians exclusively so as to forget the rank and file of the Lord’s army. Do not let the eye rest exclusively upon the front rank, but let us love all whom Christ loves; let us value all Christ’s servants. It is better to be God’s dog than to be the devil’s darling.” (Spurgeon)
Notice the women mentioned in this chapter: Phoebe, Priscilla, Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa, the mother of Rufus, and Julia. These are women who worked for the Lord.
16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings. 17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. 19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
When Paul uses the word "holy kiss" This might sound strange to us, but Luke 7:45 shows how common a greeting a kiss was. Jesus rebukes a Pharisee because he did not give Jesus a kiss when He came into his house.
Already there were those who were trying to cause divisions in the church at Rome. Almost every letter Paul writes to the early churches, he addresses issues of division in them. It is not accident that Paul says, "And the God of peace will soon crust Satan. I think one of Satan's strategies is to try and cause dissension from within the church. If he can get Christians fighting against each other, or trying to undermine a leader, the church's focus will not be on mission.
When he says, "By their smooth talk and flattery", it would seem to show he is referring to false teachers. These false teachers could also be the ones causing the division in the church by pitting leaders against leaders. Importantly says these teachers are teaching principles contrary to what he had taught them. Good teaching is so important for any church, especially a church in conflict. And, good teaching is always centered on the bible. But the bible needs to be interpreted for issues like they were going through. This is role of teachers in the church. They keep the church in line and in accordance with sound doctrine.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. 21 Timothy, my co-worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my fellow Jews. 22 I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord. 23 Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings. Erastus, who is the city’s director of public works, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings. 25 Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
Once again Paul sends greetings from people we have probably not even heard of. We see a variety of people in different roles. I.e. Gaius offers hospitality, a gift which is often mentioned in the Paul's letter. This is a very practical and very helpful gift. Erastus in the city director of public works. Often those who hold positions of authority in our society can be of great help in the church.
Paul ends with an assurance of God's power and how his revelation which was kept hidden has now been revealed to us. He calls this the mystery of the gospel. His prayer is that the the Gentiles might come to faith through obedience. Here he links obedience and faith.
Chapter 16 shows that God uses all people. Leaders like Paul and Timothy get a lot attention, as they should, but the success of any church lies in its ability to galvanize all of the lay ministers for the sake of the gospel. This is not only where they serve but also in small groups where they grow as disciples of Jesus.
Where are you plugged into the body of Christ? How are you using your gifts to help the church in its mission to reach all people for Christ? If you are leader are you equipping other people to use their gifts and passion?
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