Romans 16:1-7 The Encouragers

Hi and welcome back. Today we are going to start the final chapter of Romans.

It is Paul’s opportunity to remember those saints who had served and blessed him in his ministry.

At the church that I attend we have a ministry called 5 to 10. It is an opportunity for pastors from all over Delaware and Maryland to give their testimony. At the end of their testimony there is always one question asked of them, who would be in the top three people in your Hall of Fame of  faith? In Paul’s final chapter of Romans he gives due honor to those who stood by him and encouraged him.

Romans 16:1-2 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.

These two verses are the only mention of Phoebe in the Bible.

Yet Paul felt it was important to give her due honor for her part in the Christian church. Phoebe was entrusted to deliver Paul’s letter to the Romans. She was from Cenchreae, Greece and was referred to as a servant or Deaconess depending upon which version of the Bible you read. Whether or not she was a Deaconess it is fair to say that she was a trusted member of the body of believers. She was a patron or a helper of many including Paul. We don’t know a lot about Phoebe but it’s obvious from these two verses that she was a dedicated follower and showed the love of Christ towards others. 

If our lives could be summed up in two verses, what would others take away from that statement?

Would they be reading about someone who had a servant’s heart and was entrusted with the responsibilities of the church? Is it possible that they might see in those two verses the loving kindness that you showered on others? Perhaps your two verses are lacking in substance. It’s never too late to rewrite the legacy that you will leave behind. Let your life be an example that others want to emulate. 

Romans 16:3-4 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.

Priscilla and Aquila worked closely with Paul in his ministry.

There is no mention of how they risked their necks for Paul. But it is obvious that he is grateful for what they did. They are mentioned six times in the New testament. Here are just a couple of verses that give us a little more information about them.

Acts 18:1-3 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, 3 and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.

It’s easy to imagine that Paul and his new found friends encouraged each other not only in their work as tent makers, but also in their faith.

The workplace can be rather stressful, but if we seek out other believers it makes the work day less work and more joy. 

Acts 18:26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

Paul could have gotten on his high horse and rebuked Priscilla and Aquila for correcting him.

But instead in humility he listened to them. Since they were all friends I believe that this couple shared their knowledge with loving kindness. When someone corrects us do we listen and receive the message or do we lash out at the messenger? There may be something that I’m sharing with you  that isn’t quite right. But if someone went to the comments page and told me what I said wasn’t entirely correct, then I would be obligated to publish a retraction and thank that person for setting me straight.

Romans 16:5 Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia.

They held church in their house.

The first church wasn’t even built until the late second century. But wherever two or more are gathered in His name…. there is the church. We are the church. We are the body of Christ. The church is not a physical building, it is a group of believers coming together to praise and worship their Lord and Savior. Next we read about Epaenetus. His name means praiseworthy. He was the first to be converted to Christ in Asia. In the King James version he is referred to as the first fruits of Achaia. Achaia was located in the southern part of Greece. Epaenetus was the first in his neighborhood to come to Christ. That in itself was bold. It speaks volumes about the condition of his heart. Today many make a commitment to Christ after watching others come to the altar. It doesn’t mean that they weren’t ready to make that commitment. But rather that they weren’t as bold as the first.

Romans 16:6 Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.

There are many women in the church at that time who labored tirelessly to serve other Christians.

In Paul’s eyes Mary was worthy of such praise.

Romans 16:7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me.

If Andronicus and Junia were kin to Paul, then most likely they were Jewish.

Some scholars believe that Junia was a woman, making this the second married couple mentioned in this chapter. Because they spent time in prison, they must have been very outspoken in their faith. If they were with or around the apostles they definitely had a target on their back. Paul mentions that they came to Christ before him.

Paul continues in verses 8 through 15 to list people he would like his readers in Rome to greet for him.

It is interesting to note that Paul took the time to mention so many people who were a blessing to him. Shouldn’t we do the same? So many people have influenced our lives. We need to take the time to reflect on those individuals and lift them up in prayer. As you bring those saints to remembrance, maybe it’s time to reach out to them and see how they’re doing. So often we meet people and have a great fellowship with them and then they fall by the wayside. We get busy with life and we start to forget those who have lifted us up and blessed us. I encourage you to take the time to follow up with the encouragers in your life and see if you can return the favor. We’re going to stop here for today. As always I’d like to thank you for listening and may you have a week full of opportunities to share this good news with those that need to hear it.