Transcript

Artist James Deitz has produced paintings of airplanes and their crews that are so realistic they look like photographs. His works hang in many aviation galleries in the United States, including the Smithsonian Institution.

One of the paintings by Deitz, titled, UNSUNG, depicts a view of four mechanics who are working on a dive bomber. They are far below the flight deck of an aircraft carrier somewhere in the Pacific during World War II.

The pale, serious-looking, grease-stained men are working tirelessly to get the plane ready to go back into battle. Without men like them, the plane and the bomber pilot would never get off the ground, and the victories could not be won.

We too may be performing unnoticed tasks as we support the local church. Without many volunteers, servants, and workers, no church could do its ministry effectively.

As the Apostle Paul closes his letter to the believers in Rome, he lists several people who receive no other mention in Scripture. But these unsung people were essential to the life and work of the church in Rome.

Many serve the church and work “below the flight deck.” But any and all service to Christ is essential. Even if no one ever shows appreciation for your hard work, we can be sure the Lord will recognize it one day. No service for Christ goes unnoticed by Him.

Hebrews 6:10: “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”

Romans 16:1-5a: “I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:

“That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.

“Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise greet the church that is in their house.”

Romans 16 mentions 36 individuals. All these names are in Scripture because the Holy Spirit wanted them there, and He wanted you and I to know their names. We will have the privilege of meeting every one of them one day in heaven.

What this chapter shows us is that God knew the name and activity of every member within the Church in Rome.

And this reminds us that God knows each of our names and all we do for the Lord.

Paul names and greets common, ordinary people here. There are no famous stories of their great accomplishments and great faith here. Instead what you have here are a group of people who were faithful workers, servants, helpers, that were sacrificial and selfless with their time and labor for Christ.

There are no unimportant people to God in His Church. The high and mighty and famous people of this world do not impress God. God is no respecter of persons.

Instead what touches His heart is those who are active, faithful members in His Church, the Body of Christ. He is honored by those who honor Him with their time and service. In His Church, Christ gives each of us the opportunity to make a difference in the world.

Together believers are stronger than we are alone, both as a testimony in sharing Christ with the world, and also in our individual lives, as we draw from the strength and faith of others which gives us strength to stand for Christ in life.

The chapter begins with a name of a lady, Phoebe. What we learn with her is that this masterful letter, the epistle to the Romans, with all of its spiritual riches and truth about our salvation and walk, when it was completed, it was carried to Rome by a woman by the name of Phoebe.

Paul was writing from Corinth. Corinth is in Greece. Rome is, of course, in Italy. And the journey from Corinth to Rome was no easy trip, but a significant, long and arduous journey of over 600 miles.

Phoebe was given a very sacred trust to handle the Word of God and to carry and protect this valuable letter and reach the destination of Rome to give it to the redeemed saints there in the church.

Though God did not use a woman to write a book of the Bible, He did use a woman to transport a book of the Bible, and a Bible book which is so vitally important in terms of its explanation of the gospel, and how we are justified by faith alone.

Arriving in Rome, Phoebe gave this letter to the Church. They did not know her, so that is why Paul commends and introduces her to them.

She was commended to them as a sister in Christ, so the Romans would receive her and support her during her stay in their city.

Phoebe’s name means “bright one, or radiant,” and that was true of her testimony. Paul says she was a servant of the Church in Cenchrea. Cenchrea was a seaport city located 8-9 miles from Corinth where Paul wrote this letter.

Paul commended Phoebe in how “she hath been a succourer [or helper] of many, and of myself also.” She had given graciously herself to the ministry of helping many, which included her local Church, and even Paul himself.

Thus, Paul asked the Roman church to “receive her in the Lord” and adds “as becometh saints.” That is to say welcome her and treat her the way believers should receive other believers, with kindness, grace, love and in the special bond of fellowship that is found within Christ.

God used this woman’s life mightily within His Church and to advance the gospel of grace. And God can and will use any woman’s life mightily like this, who faithfully and lovingly devote themselves to His service and His Church.

Paul next sent greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, a godly husband-wife team, who were Paul’s “helpers in Christ Jesus.”

This couple had originally lived in Rome, but Acts 18:2 speaks of how they had been thrown out of Rome because Claudius Caesar banished all the Jews from Rome. In their banishing they had gone to Corinth and that’s where Paul met them.

They, like Paul, were tentmakers. After having served alongside Paul in the ministry in Corinth for a time, they sailed with Paul and came to Ephesus.

Paul then left them there to minister when he went to visit Jerusalem. Following this, they established a church in their house in Ephesus (1 Cor. 16:19).

But now they had returned to Rome because Claudius had died, and the banishing of the Jews was a matter of the past.

And we see again in verse 5, that their house was open again to house the church. They were a very active Christian couple in the Lord’s work.

Verse 4 details a time when they had risked their lives for Paul. We don’t know the details of this incident as none is given in Scripture. But Paul says they put their heads on the chopping block for him. They endangered their lives, and were willing to die that Paul might live and carry on his ministry.

There was a time when the life of Paul was on the line and Priscilla and Aquila stepped into the gap and were willing to die for his sake. They might have literally rescued him from danger or perhaps they defended him before some authorities. We don’t know. But Paul, of course, was delivered and so were they by God’s mercy and grace.

And Paul was thankful for their courage, and in verse 4 he says, “Unto whom not only I give thanks but also all the churches of the Gentiles.” The reason the Gentile churches are thankful is because they were a product of Paul’s ministry.

And a dead Paul would’ve meant that the gospel of grace wouldn’t have been brought to them, and their churches would not have been established.

Aquila and Priscilla were a loyal, courageous, giving couple who were greatly used by God. God still powerfully uses godly, believing couples who willingly pour themselves out as a team in sacrificial labor for the cause of His Son in this world.

Romans 16:5b-9: “Salute my wellbeloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ. Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour on us.

“Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. Greet Amplias my beloved in the Lord. Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ, and Stachys my beloved.”

Though Paul had never yet been to Rome at this point, he had been instrumental in winning so many to Christ, and many of those converts had gone to Rome and were now there as a part of the church in that city. And Paul greets them.

Paul greeted 27 individuals here. In verse 5, Paul saluted Epaenetus. His name means “praiseworthy.”

Paul says he was the firstfruits or one of the first converts of the province of Achaia for Christ. Corinth was in Achaia and was where Paul wrote this letter from.

Paul greeted him as “my wellbeloved.” He was dear to Paul. Being the “firstfruits” of Achaia for Christ meant that others followed. He wasn’t the only fruit, but the firstfruit, and others followed in that region after his conversion.

Often one person’s decision to trust Christ, leads to others, and this was the case for Epaenetus. Epaenetus had for whatever reason, moved to Rome from Achaia and was now part of the church in Rome.

The ministry of women in the Roman church is quite evident in this chapter. Paul referred to eight prominent women: Priscilla, Mary, Tryphena, Thyphosa, Persis, Rufus’ mother, Julia, and Nereus’ sister.

In verse 6, Paul says to “Greet Mary.” There are six women in the New Testament who have the name Mary. It was a very common name at that time. There is nothing to identify her as one of the Mary’s we read about in the four Gospels.

We don’t know who she is, but she is known to Paul, because she has bestowed much labor on them. “Much labor” in the original Greek is a strong word, meaning to labor to the point of weariness, to work to the point of sweat and exhaustion.

The people mentioned here in Romans 16 were workers. Phoebe was a servant and helper of many, Priscilla and Aquila had churches in their homes, Mary worked hard, Urbane was a helper (v. 9), Tryphena and Tryphosa labored in the Lord, Persis labored much in the Lord (v. 12). Ministry takes work, and these were workers.

These were the “nuts and bolts” of the congregation. These folks devoted themselves to the Lord and worked hard for God. And so God honored them highly, by telling us their names and including their names in His eternal Word. And God will honor us highly one day with eternal reward as we devote ourselves to Him and work for His glory.

A photographer was snapping pictures of first graders at an elementary school, making small talk to put his subjects at ease. “What are you going to be when you grow up?” he asked one little girl. “Tired,” she said.

When you look at the energy of Paul, Mary and people like this in Romans 16 in spreading the gospel and serving the Lord in local churches, they were probably a little tired.

But Christ is worthy of our devotion and service, His love constrains us and because Christ lives we know that our “labor is not in vain in the Lord” and therefore, like them, we also should be “always abounding in the work of the Lord.”

Adronicus and Junia are next saluted in verse 7. They were Paul’s “kinsmen.” In Romans 9:3-4, Paul wrote, For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my KINSMEN according to the flesh: Who are Israelites.”

The broader sense of them being Israelites, or fellow-Jews, is what Paul means when he wrote of them being his kinsmen.

They were also fellowprisoners with Paul at one time. Paul spent a lot of time in prison. In 2 Corinthians 11:23, he says he was “in prisons often.”

We don’t know where, but in one of his imprisonments these two were there with Paul also. Like Paul, they had paid the price of imprisonment for their faith in Christ.

Paul states that they had an excellent reputation. They were highly esteemed, noted, distinguished for their spiritual life and character and service among the apostles.

These Jews Paul says were “in Christ” before him. Paul does not mean that they were in the Body of Christ before him, because Paul was the first member of the Church, the Body of Christ. Rather, he means in the general, redemptive sense, they were “in Christ” and saved before Paul.

Next, Paul greeted Amplias. Amplias means “enlarged.” We get our word “amplified” from this, so perhaps he was a loud baby. But Paul says he was “my beloved” and “in the Lord.”

There is a tomb dating from the late first or early second century in the earliest Christian catacomb of Rome which bears the name AMPLIAS. Some suggest that this might be the same person mentioned in Romans 16:8.

Paul next saluted “Urbane.” We get our word “urban” from this and his name means “of the city.” Paul says he was “our helper in Christ.”

Paul next saluted, “Stachys.” His name means “a head of grain.” So what you have here in one verse is 2 believers from 2 different places, one a city boy and one a country boy. But both members of the Church, the Body of Christ.

Paul had a deep and sincere love for fellow believers and for fellow workers in particular, no matter how little known they were or how insignificant their service was from a human perspective.

Paul’s letter to the Romans is considered the theological centerpiece of the New Testament. Yet this grand statement of doctrine concludes with a personal greeting from the apostle to a host of people, 27 of whom are mentioned by name.

He refers to these people as “our sister,” “servant,” “helper,” “beloved,” “kinsmen,” “fellowprisoners,” “brethren,” and “saints.” The apostle Paul’s keen mind was filled with doctrine, but his heart was full of people.

Romans 16:10-15: “Salute Apelles approved in Christ. Salute them which are of Aristobulus’ household. Salute Herodion my kinsman. Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord.

“Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labour in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, which laboured much in the Lord. Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them.

“Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them.”

In verse 10, Paul saluted “Apelles.” His name means “called.” He was “approved in Christ” Paul says. The term “approved” was used to describe precious metals such as gold or silver that were refined by fire and proven genuine, having passed the test for purity. Whatever his field of service in Christ may have been, Apelles performed it well.

Apelles was tried and proven true, tested and proven trustworthy. He was a tried and true, tested and proven brother, faithful and dependable, approved in Christ.

It reminds me of 2 Timothy 2:15: “Study to shew thyself APPROVED UNTO GOD, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Apelles was approved in Christ and approved unto God by His faithful service and stand for the truth.

Paul saluted those “which are of Aristobulus’ household.” Since Paul does not greet Aristobulus personally, but instead his household, means that he had either died or he was not a believer, but many family members and household servants were believers.

And this would be not be unlike many homes in this world, where believers live with unbelievers in their house.

Herodian is saluted next. He too was a “kinsman” of Paul, or a fellow-Jew. His name was based on the title Herod. The name may identify this person as belonging to Herod’s family and royalty or he may have been a slave to one of the Herods.

Paul next greets those “of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord.” The name Narcissus was based on Narkissos who was a good-looking guy in Greek mythology who stared at his own reflection for so long he eventually died.

We get our term narcissism from it, which speaks of self-love, self-absorption. Christ delivers us from this, and transforms our minds to think of others first.

Paul restricted his greetings to the ones who were “in the Lord,” implying that Narcissus’ family was divided spiritually and that Narcissus and others in his household were not “in the Lord.”

But some of those of his household were in the Lord, and were “safe” in the Ark Who is Christ, Who delivers all believers from the judgment to come in the lake of fire.

“Salute Tryphaena and Tryphosa.” They were probably sisters or even maybe twins with their names being so similar. Their names mean mean delicate and dainty. But these women weren’t so delicate and dainty that they were afraid to get their hands dirty. They were workers, hard laborers, and they labored in the Lord and for Him.

Then Paul greeted “Persis,” another female name. Persis literally means a Persian woman. In the church at Rome there was a woman from far away Persia who loved Christ, and she too was a worker, and “labored much in the Lord.”

Paul understood the dynamic truth that our labor is to be “in the Lord,” or in His strength and through Him working in and through us. Since Persis’s work is spoken of in the past tense, she was probably older than the other two women in this verse.

The women are the main ones who are said to work hard in this chapter, and it reminds us that often the hardest workers in the church are the women.

Next Paul saluted “Rufus,” which means “red.” He probably had red hair. Or he might’ve blushed easy.

When the Roman soldiers led the Lord out to be crucified, Mark 15:21 says this: “Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and RUFUS, as he was…passing by, to bear His Cross.”

There is an outside possibility that this is the Rufus who was the son of Simon the Cyrenian who carried the cross of the Lord.

Paul says Rufus was “chosen in the Lord;” not chosen to be in the Lord, but chosen in Him. In other words, he was a choice saint of high character in Christ.

And Paul salutes Rufus’s mom, stating, “his mother and mine.” Paul is not saying she was literally his mother but that Rufus’ mother was in a personal, loving way like a mother to Paul, showing much kindness to him.

“Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes.” Hermes means “herald or messenger of the gods.” He was the son of Zeus in Greek mythology. In Roman mythology, Hermes was known as Mercury.

This grouping and the phraseology suggest this may have been a church, and likely a house church. These 5 men were likely the leaders of this assembly.

“And the brethren which are with them” probably refers to the other believers who assembled under their leadership or perhaps at their houses.

In verse 15, Paul saluted, “Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them.”

This grouping of names with “all the saints which are with them” again looks like the nucleus of another house church in Rome.

Earlier Paul greeted Priscilla and Aquila and “the church that is in their house.” All these references to different groups suggest that the church at Rome met in various smaller assemblies throughout the city rather than as one large congregation.

Philologus means “loves to talk.” He might’ve been the preacher for this assembly. Julia is a female name and is linked to Philologus. They were likely a married couple. And Julia probably did a lot of listening around Philologus.

Olympas was named after the location of Olympus in Greek mythology, which was the home of the gods.

So with Narcissus, Hermes and Olympas we see the influence of the Greek teachings and mythology on society then, and with Hermes and Olympas it reminds us of the false beliefs these men were saved out of when they trusted Christ.

Romans 16:21-23: “Timotheus my workfellow, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you. I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord. Gaius mine host, and of the whole church, saluteth you. Erastus the chamberlain of the city saluteth you, and Quartus a brother.”

In verse 21, we see Timothy was in Corinth with Paul. He was a faithful workfellow in the ministry with the apostle and one of his dearest companions.

Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater are all mentioned in Acts. They were all Paul’s kinsmen, or Jews, and they all sent greetings to the Church in Rome.

Tertius means “third.” Slaves were named by numbers. He was Paul’s scribe as Paul dictated the letter of Romans to him and he wrote it down. He took the liberty to add his personal greetings to those in Rome.

Gaius was one of Paul’s converts in Corinth, and he was hosting Paul in his home as he wrote this letter. Erastus was the city treasurer of Corinth sent his greetings. And Quartus, which means “fourth,” was another converted slave, and “a brother.”

The inclusion of slaves in the names is a reminder that all social distinctions are obliterated in Christ. because we are all one in Him.

Looking at these people, the church at Rome and in Corinth comes to life.

Romans 16 shows how Paul knew that he and nobody ministers alone in the Body, that all are important, that everyone’s service in the Church is needed.

This being true, Paul was careful to remember names and details of the people with whom he ministered, and to acknowledge them.

And finally what we see is a beautiful picture of the Church, the Body of Christ: men, women, singles, married couples, slaves and free, Jews and Gentiles, city and country people, people of different races, from different places, rich and poor, all family, all one in Christ.

As Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”