The Glory of Everyday Believers

The Glory of Everyday Believers

Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia to Christ. Greet Mary, who labored much for us. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. Greet Amplias, my beloved in the Lord. (Romans 16:5b-8)

In Romans 16:1-16, Paul begins concluding his letter to the Christians in Rome. In those verses, he mentioned 26 people by name, giving some greeting or recognition to each. This is remarkable because Paul had never visited Rome, but because so many traveled to and from the great city, he knew many among the Christians there.

The Glory of Everyday Believers

There are important things to learn from a long list of names.

First, it teaches us that this was a letter written to real, everyday people. It’s true that Paul’s letter to the Romans is worthy of the deepest, most intellectual attention. I wonder how many PhD dissertations have been written examining Romans! Yet the original readers words were ordinary people. They weren’t qualified as professional theologians, but they were people who loved the Lord. This teaches us that God’s word is written for ordinary people. There are depths in God’s word that the most brilliant can’t fully reach, but its main message is accessible to everyday, simple people.

Second, notice the women mentioned in this chapter: Phoebe, Priscilla, Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa, the mother of Rufus, and Julia. Junia (16:7) is also possibly a woman’s name. These women served the Lord in wonderful ways and were noted by Paul. We can be sure they served according to the pattern given by the New Testament, giving honor the Lord.

Third, notice their work for the Lord. Among these 26 there are servants, helpers, fellow workers, fellow prisoners, those who labored, and those who labored much. In God’s family there are all different kinds of servants, with different roles, and who do their work to different degrees. It’s good to be among those who labor for God’s cause; it is even better to be among those who labor much.

Fourth, of the 26 names, 13 also appear in inscriptions or documents connected with the emperor’s palace in Rome. We know that there were Christians among Caesar’s household (Philippians 4:22). Paul may be writing many of the servants who worked for Caesar who became Christians. God has His people in unexpected places.

Finally, the 26 names show us how much God loves common people. It is perhaps unavoidable that our attention is drawn to those thought to be important, or prominent. We’re quick to think of people as celebrities and stars, and to think they should be first in line. That’s not how God thinks. As a group, these weren’t prominent leaders, and only a few of the 26 of are mentioned in the Book of Acts. Yet Paul, and the Lord Jesus he served, took note of them.

God must love everyday believers – He made so many of them!

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What the Strong Should Do

What the Strong Should Do

We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. (Romans 15:1-2)

I suppose it’s obvious that spiritually speaking, Christians differ in their spiritual strength. Some of very young believers, others are mature. Some have great strength and knowledge of God’s truth in His word, others are just beginning to learn that truth. Some have little history of trusting God through difficult times, others have grown strong through many hardships.

What the Strong Should Do

Are you a strong Christian? If so, hear what the Holy Spirit says to you: we then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. If you consider yourself strong in comparison to your brother, use your strength to serve your brothers and sisters in Christ, instead of using your “strength” just to please yourself. You should think of how you can use your superior strength to support and help your weaker brother. That’s the idea of bear with.

This goes against the spirit of our age, which tells people to look out for number themselves and often despises those who live lives of real sacrifice for the sake of others. Yet undeniably Paul points the way to true happiness and fulfillment in life: get your eyes off yourself, start building up others and you will find yourself built up.

This does not mean that the church is ruled by the whims of the weak. In a healthy church, those who are weak are gently, continually challenged to grow in Jesus Christ and become stronger. There’s something wrong when weak believers stay weak for extended periods of time.

That was God’s word to the strong. Then God had something to say to every believer, weak or strong: let each of us please his neighbor. This is a simple yet challenging call to simply put our neighbor first. Paul later wrote much the same thing in Philippians 2:3–4: Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

“Wait,” someone says. “I thought we were to be concerned with pleasing God, not pleasing man. How can it be said that I should therefore please my neighbor?” The answer is found in the next few words: let each of us please his neighbor for his good. This shows that Paul did not mean being a “man-pleaser.” Such a person may want to please his neighbor, but not for his neighbor’s good.

We do this all because it leads to edification. If you’re strong in the Lord, use the strength to build others up, instead of tearing them down. That’s a great way to honor God and further the work of His kingdom.