In chapter 16 the apostle Paul was directed to address some faithful people who were serving God because they love Him. The Lord mentioned all the names that were necessary to mention. We know that none of these people were out seeking to make a name for themselves. True servants of God are just that. They are servants of God. It is God that needs to be exalted and true servants of God are content to serve the God who loves them and saves them. When we truly stop to consider the gift of salvation and eternal life, we have been given so much more than we deserve. We could never pay for this precious gift.
You notice in verse 1 that Phebe was a dear sister and that she was a servant in the church which is at Cenchrea. She was a part of a local church. Again we must notice that the universal church doctrine taught by many, has no basis in Scripture. Phebe was a member of a local church even though true churches were under attack.
God knew some things that we do not know. He knew that the saints needed to receive Phebe in the Lord. Receiving her meant that they needed to assist her in whatsoever business she had need of. True saints do not get involved in pyramid schemes or in other ventures that have one purpose and that is self-enrichment at the cost of others. Phebe was a woman who had helped many others. She was worthy of their support. The apostle Paul was one of those whom she had helped. Paul was not a wealthy man. He gave his life in serving the Lord. There are many pastors who have become quite affluent. That was not the case among first century pastors or evangelists, or even the 12 apostles. They relied on the blessings of God given through faithful servants of God. They did not always have the luxury of food to eat. They were appreciative of the love of God that was expressed to them by people like Phebe.
In verses 3-4 Paul mentioned Priscilla and Aquila. They too were faithful servants of God. They had helped Paul in Christ. We read that they risked their own lives in service to Christ. That service was expressed in helping Paul at times, but the true motivation was to serve God. There are a few people who just want to serve Christ. They understand the blessings they have received, and they want to help others to be able to further the cause of Christ. Those who give themselves to serve the Lord full-time as the apostle Paul did, still have physical needs and they also need help to be able to serve Christ faithfully. It is a blessing when others like Priscilla and Aquila see real value and are willing to risk all to see God’s Work done. They also saw the value of giving the gospel to the Gentiles. Notice again there were churches of the Gentiles.
In verse 5 we see that Priscilla and Aquila had a house church. True Christians were not wealthy people in Bible times. A few might have been, but generally they did not have much of this world’s goods. Thus they did not have the privilege of having a church building. We see here that this house church was not established because some renegade was not going to submit to God’s authority and so he set up his own religion. Priscilla and Aquila worked with the apostle Paul. Their house church was the result of obedience to the Lord and following His order.
Epaenetus is also mentioned here. He is noted as being one of the first to be saved in Achaia which is in southern Greece. Notice that this person was saved unto Christ. That is Who all saved people are saved to. Any godly church leader will remind the lost and the saved that they are first of all servants unto God. In that service, they will join a local assembly through which they can be a help to the leadership and to others.
In verse 6 Mary is mentioned. There are several Marys mentioned in the Bible. We are not told specifically who this Mary was. She was also a faithful servant of the Lord. She helped Paul and Luke and possibly others.
In verse 7 Paul mentioned a couple of individuals who were Paul’s kinsmen. They may have come from Tarsus, as Paul did. Of note is that they were fellow prisoners with Paul. These men had also believed the gospel and were not ashamed to stand up for the truth.
I read a complaint from a person who attends a secular church. He complained that he could not find any “Christian” men who would stand upon the Word of God. Of course he was referring to standing for the Word according to his interpretation. This person has thus far rejected the truth and he is discovering that his brand of truth does not really amount to anything of value.
The apostle Paul encountered professing Christians who were of no value to him or to God. However, in this chapter he was led to mention godly men and women. They demonstrated their godliness. These were genuine saints.
The two men Paul mentioned here were well respected among the apostles. We see also that these men were saved before Paul was. They were in Christ, but they were not chosen to be apostles. We do not read that they were pastors or evangelists either. They were mentioned as being known to the apostles. Whatever their specific calling was, they were an asset to the work of the Lord. This is important for all who are saved.
It is important for those who are saved to ask God to guide them in where He would want them to serve Him. We cannot serve Him faithfully in isolation. We need to be a part of a faithful local church and when we do that, God can and will direct us into that avenue of service that He has for His child. We, those who are saved, need to be able to see beyond our own little bubble and we need to be willing to serve the Lord faithfully where He wants us to.
Some people have decided there is no good church and they stay home and surf the net or find some other way to get some religious input. They take offence to being encouraged to find a good church. They often lack discernment in knowing who they should be listening to. This is the result of living outside of the bounds that God has established for His children in the Church Age.
As we see in the Bible, Jesus Christ is the Head of every true church and He has not given up on building true churches in these last days. We are not in the time of the Tribulation yet, and until then, there will be true churches where saints can and should join and through which they should serve the Lord.
Pastor Bartel