Romans 16:1-27
As World War II was
coming to a close, American soldiers began to wonder about the sacrifices that
were made to fight the war. They had
gone through many sleepless nights in battle, many weeks of being hungry and many
fellow soldiers had fallen at their side.
They had left home to fight for what?
They had left wives, children or girlfriends to fight an enemy on the
other side of the ocean...but why?
In the movie
series, Band of Brothers, you see a portrayal of what the army soldiers went
through. The documentary was about
E(Easy) Company, 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. They were a part of the 101st Airborne
Division.
A discontentment
was growing among the soldiers as to their involvement in this war. And then, they saw it. As Easy Company was travelling through
Germany they saw what was unexplainable.
It was an image I’m sure they would never get out of their mind until
the day they died. In just a few brief
moments the anguish of the war made sense.
They finally saw what they were fighting for.
Behind a fence
topped with razor wire, stood an astounding number of emaciated Jews. These people were in the pit of despair. But Easy Company showed up. They rescued them from the enemy. They opened the gates that had shut them
in. They gave them food and water to
help them get started on their recovery.
I have no idea what
it would be like to be in such a war and see such atrocities as a concentration
camp. But if I did to fight in such a
war, I know that I would need a clear purpose for which to fight and a faithful
company of men to which I could fight alongside.
As we read the
first part of Romans 16 we’ll see that Paul and his companions had a clear
purpose and that they were faithful to each other.
I
commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. I 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.
Greet
Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their
lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to
them.
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.
Greet
Mary, who worked very hard for you. Greet 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.
Greet
Ampliatus, whom I love in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ,
and my dear friend Stachys.
Greet
Apelles, tested and approved in Christ.
Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.
Greet
Herodion, my relative. Greet those in the
household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.
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.
Greet
Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.
Greet
Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brothers with them.
Greet
Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the saints with
them.
Greet
one another with a holy kiss. All the
churches of Christ send greetings. – Romans 16:1-16
There are a variety of things that jump out to me in this
passage. First of all, these people
weren’t flippant in their devotion to each other. Paul said that Priscila and Aquila risked
their lives for him. Second, they
weren’t loosely associated. They had a
more personal touch by meeting in their homes.
Probably, their most intimate friendships happened while they were in
prison together for the sake of the gospel.
Third, they weren’t caught up in their own agenda for life. Paul said that Mary, somehow, had worked very
hard for the church in Rome. Tryphena
and Tryphosa worked “hard in the Lord.”
As I work in my business I have to make an adjustment in my attitude
throughout the day. It’s easy for me to drift away into my agenda for the day,
like making money or reaching my goals.
Jesus has a purpose for us at every moment of the day. Four, Paul saw that these people had the same
purpose. He called them “fellow workers”,
not just “friends”, although he did call them friends. They were working or fighting for a common
goal, to do God’s will. That’s what
Jesus prayed for us, right? He told the
Father, “‘My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe
in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you
are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe
that you have sent me.’” (John 17:20-21)
Jesus was praying for His disciples.
He was also praying for people who would come to believe by the
preaching of His disciples. We are the
people who came to believe through the message of those disciples. They shared the message with someone and that
person shared the message with someone.
That process went on-and-on until someone shared the message with us and
we believed it. Jesus was praying that
we would be one and that we would introduce the world around us to Jesus.
One last thing I noticed is that they showed affection for
each other: “Greet each other with a holy kiss.” I think I’ll stop there while I’m ahead.
I urge
you, brothers, 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. 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. Everyone has heard about your obedience,
so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and
innocent about what is evil.
The God
of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
The
grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. – Romans 16:17-20
There’s no way a military unit could function well if each
soldier has his or her own agenda. When
Navy Seal Team #6 killed Osama Bin Laden in 2011 each soldier had the same
goal: kill Osama. It wouldn’t have
worked if they had different agendas.
For example, one soldier could have had the goal of killing everyone in
the compound that Osama was staying in.
But that wasn’t the goal. Another
soldier may have wanted to make it as fast as he could through the compound
without getting killed, then he could be extracted by helicopter. He may have shown up to the fight (which is
more courageous than I would have been) and gone through the motions but never
accomplished the goal. In my lawn care
business I train my employees to mow the grass in a way that creates an
attractive lawn. I can’t count how many
times I’ve watched someone ride the mower around the lawn but forgot to engage
the blade. I’m not paying you to ride a
mower! I’m paying you to mow the
lawn. In my example of the Navy Seals,
each soldier may have been 100% confident that he was accomplishing the main
purpose, until their chief stepped in and totally rearranged their priorities
and their thinking. We have a friend,
who is our chief. His name is
Jesus.
When Jesus showed up in the lives of the people mentioned in
the first 16 verses, their priorities and their thinking was turned totally
upside down. The evil people that Paul
talked about were distracting people from Christ and His mission for their
lives. In Romans, Paul spent, in my
estimation, eleven chapters on heavier theological ideas. In chapters 12-14, Paul shared how this
theology should affect how you interact with other people. He’s getting into the practical details of
his message. In verse 17, he talked
about “the teaching you have learned.”
What teaching was he talking about?
I believe it was at least the first fifteen chapters of Romans, and
probably other things that are not even written down in Romans. The foundational truth that held up all the
other truths that Paul explained is found in Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed
of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who
believes…” So, if I become ashamed of
the gospel or forget that God wants to change lives, then I begin to choose a
different purpose for my life other than the one that God has chosen. God’s will is that people would believe him
and obey him.
Timothy,
my fellow worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius, Jason and
Sosipater, my relatives.
I,
Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.
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.
Now to
him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus
Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but
now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of
the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him— to the only
wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen. – Romans 16:21-27
You don’t ever see Paul as a lone soldier. You always see him fighting alongside of
someone. Timothy was one of the fellow
workers who did that. Here is where God
explains his will to us. I think that
God’s will has many dimensions to it.
God used Paul, here in the letter to the Romans, to share a different
perspective of His will. We see God
explaining His will from Genesis to Revelation.
The chief is speaking. He’s
giving a clear purpose, not only to us but to those who we disciple as
well. He says, “so that all nations
might believe and obey him…” A different
way of saying the same thing is found in the following verses:
“He did
this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord
is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” – Joshua
4:24
“So that
all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you…” – 1 Kings
8:43
“That
your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations…” – Psalm
67:2
“In my
vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming
with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into
his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples,
nations and men of every language worshiped him.” – Daniel
7:13-14
“Then
Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age." – Matthew
28:18-20
All around us there are people who are spiritually
emaciated, just like the Jews in the concentration camps. God wants to use us to rescue them. Paul listed his companions in the
gospel. When you clarify your purpose
then you clarify your companions. If you
think life is only about making money then you will spend much of your time
with people who are doing that so that can learn from them. If life is about pursuing hobbies then you
will gather companions around those things.
If life’s purpose is to be safe then you will find companions who are
safe. If you believe that life is about
helping the nations to believe God and obey Him, then you will surround
yourself with companions who will be a band of brothers to accomplish that
goal.
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