Peter

Posted on by korgrocker

“This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.”
1 Peter 1:1 NLT

We start looking at a different New Testament author today – the Apostle Peter. A man who led a life of change, transitioning from a coarse fisherman to an Apostle who probably preached one of the most successful evangelistic sermons ever recorded. But his “career” didn’t stop there – we now look at his influential words as recorded in his two epistles. 

The gospel of Luke records that Peter was a dejected fisherman, who had caught nothing all night, when Jesus asked him to push his boat out a bit from the shore so that He could use it as a pulpit. We pick up the story in Luke 5:4, “When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish””. Peter basically said to Him that there was no point because there were no fish around but he obeyed Jesus anyway and was rewarded with a huge catch of fish. Peter’s response was recorded in Luke 5:8, “When Simon Peter realised what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man””. A pivotal moment for Peter that started him on an amazing journey because of Jesus’ response, recorded in Luke 5:10-11, “His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus”. The fisherman became a fisher of men. He entered a life marked by highs and lows as he followed Jesus, learning from Him and making the transition to the “rock” of the early church. We read in Matthew 16:18, “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it”. 

Peter’s authority took a severe dent when he denied Jesus three times before His trial and crucifixion. But Jesus gently restored him with a conversation recorded in John 21. Something significant happened to Peter, and the rest of the disciples, on the Day of Pentecost. You know the story, I’m sure, but Peter was transformed by the Holy Spirit within him, and went on to preach a sermon at the end of which 3000 men were saved. And all without a microphone and a PA system! But there is one pivotal verse that is foundational for anyone seeking, or called, to become a Christian – Acts 2:38, “Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit“. Three things a potential convert must do, and then one amazing gift from God.

But back to 1 Peter 1:1. Peter is writing a letter to God’s people in five provinces, all locations in what is now modern Turkey. In the following blogs we will unpick what he said to these people, and particularly, what Peter has to say to us pilgrims today.

Father God. We thank You for the fisherman Peter, and for the foundational impact he had on the early church in the power of the Spirit. As we consider his words in these letters, please help us to hear what You have to say to us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

In Conclusion

Posted on by korgrocker

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
Romans 16:24 NKJV
“Now all glory to God, who is able to make you strong, just as my Good News says. This message about Jesus Christ has revealed his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time. But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him. All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.”
Romans 16:25-27 NLT

In Romans 15:33 we read what looked like a final greeting at the end of the letter, but then Paul continued to write about his friends and fellow workers in chapter 16. Some manuscripts then include another “final greeting” in Romans 16:24. Perhaps the letter was assembled at different times, and Paul was reluctant to say it was finished. He could have been anxious to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, but in the process he sent a double blessing to the Roman believers, God’s peace and the Lord Jesus Christ’s grace.

Paul concludes his letter with a reference to the “Good News”, which was where he started in Romans 1, and he reminded the believers in Rome that the Good News would give them strength. Paul continued by reminding them of something else, and that was the revelation that the Good News was finally made public, a secret no more, and because it included the Gentiles, who had a significant presence in the Romans Church. So the Good News was a revelation of God’s secret plan to make God’s grace universally available to all peoples and nations. There were no exclusions, except for those who rejected God.

In Romans 1:1 we read, “This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News”. That was his mandate. And Paul ends his letter giving glory to God. He knew it wasn’t about him. He knew he was a man with a mission limited by his humanity, but his passion was to do what he could in his time in which he lived, to share God’s heart with anyone who would listen. His theological and oratorical skills convinced many, and offended even more, but he was a driven man, aware of limited time to share God’s grace. We have read the end of the story, and we know that God’s patience will not last for ever. There will be a time when a Heavenly “enough!” will cry out over this world, and God’s Son, Jesus will appear for a second time. God’s glory will fill the heavens, and usher in a new dawn. 

Paul gave glory to God with all he was and all he said. We pilgrims must also. We have in our hands Paul’s baton, running the race for the pilgrim team. The race course is before us. And the people we meet on our journeys need to know all about God’s Good News. For every person who joins the race with us we give God all the glory. It is all about Him and His plan for mankind, a plan so gracious and loving we can only wonder and worship the only One who really matters.

Father God, as we conclude our journey through the Book of Romans, I pray that all who read it will be richly blessed. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Paul’s Fellow Workers

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“Timothy, my fellow worker, sends you his greetings, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow Jews. I, Tertius, the one writing this letter for Paul, send my greetings, too, as one of the Lord’s followers. Gaius says hello to you. He is my host and also serves as host to the whole church. Erastus, the city treasurer, sends you his greetings, and so does our brother Quartus.”
Romans 16:21-23 NLT

Another eight names appear in Paul’s letter to the Romans. We know of course about Timothy; in fact we know quite a bit about him. Paul nurtured him as a “true son in the faith” – “I am writing to Timothy, my true son in the faith. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace” (1 Timothy 1:2). He was well taught in the faith by his mother and grandmother, “I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you” (2 Timothy 1:5). Timothy probably pastored the Ephesian church for a while – in his first letter to Timothy, Paul wrote, “When I left for Macedonia, I urged you to stay there in Ephesus and stop those whose teaching is contrary to the truth” (1 Timothy 1:3). And Timothy was obviously ill with some gastric condition – Paul advised him to, “Don’t drink only water. You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often” (1 Timothy 5:23). And there are other little gems about Timothy that we can pick up from Paul’s letters.

Then we find that Paul didn’t write this letter himself, but used the services of a secretary called Tertius. From the customs and traditions of the time, we can draw other conclusions about Tertius. He may have been known by the Roman believers, because that is why he greeted them in this letter. Other traditions say he may have been a slave who went on to become a Bishop, but the one fact we do know something about is that he faithfully transcribed all of Paul’s thoughts and instructions. Perhaps he even thought “How much more, as he started the umpteenth new page!” 

Gaius was the church host, we read, and Erastus was a man in high office, being the city treasurer – a useful man to have in the church role! But in this list of names, a picture of men of solid faith emerges. We are so grateful for the early Christians because of the legacy they left us. We know little about them, and for every name that Paul mentioned there were many more working behind the scenes. But their fortitude in difficult times is a glowing testimony to the love and power of God. We pilgrims today have the opportunity to leave a legacy for the generations and generations following us. We mustn’t waste the opportunities that we have.

Dear Father God. Our gratitude to those early Christians knows no bounds. You know who they are and we look forward to being able to thank them personally one day. Amen.

The Lord’s Grace

Posted on by korgrocker

“But everyone knows that you are obedient to the Lord. This makes me very happy. I want you to be wise in doing right and to stay innocent of any wrong. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”
Romans 16:19-20 NLT

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you”, Paul concludes. What a lovely thought to leave with the Roman believers. The word “grace” means favour, blessings and kindness. But the sobering thought is that because of our sin we deserve the opposite. That God chooses to bless us through His grace inevitably must bring us to our knees in grateful worship. We read Ephesians 2:8, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” We don’t deserve fellowship and life with God, because He is a sinless and pure Being, whereas we are sinful and impure. But the fact is that Jesus took on Himself the punishment that we deserved for our sins and in return He gave us His righteousness, so that rather than see sinful humans, God sees Jesus. That’s divine grace!

Paul’s prayer about the grace of the Lord being with us means that we must be gracious in our relationships with others. Our selfish behaviour often upsets other people. Other people’s selfish behaviour often upsets us. But as we extend the grace of God to others, two things have an opportunity to happen. Firstly, God will be able to reveal Himself through our kindness. Secondly, as we share God’s grace, we too will experience His kindness within us. Paul wrote that we must even “clothe” ourselves in grace. Colossians 3:12, “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience”. 

Another area of grace comes in forgiveness. In Colossians 3:13, Paul wrote, “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others”. That’s grace.

There is a lovely gracious blessing that the Lord instructed Moses to give to the priests. We read in Numbers 6:23-27, “Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing: ‘May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favour and give you his peace.’ Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them.”

This is how God’s grace works – He has poured it out on us so that we can do the same to those around us. We can’t show God’s grace unless we have received it ourselves. So when Paul issued the greeting “May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you” he was praying that the grace we receive through Jesus would enhance and improve every day of our lives. Thank You Lord!

Dear Father God. Your grace is limitless and eternal. May it transform our lives and the communities where we live. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Obedient to the Lord

Posted on by korgrocker

“But everyone knows that you are obedient to the Lord. This makes me very happy. I want you to be wise in doing right and to stay innocent of any wrong. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”
Romans 16:19-20 NLT

Paul is happy because he knows that the Roman believers are obedient followers of Christ. A faith statement on his part, but one he felt, through the whispering of the Holy Spirit within him, to be the case. In those days, without the benefit of the New Testament writings, the truth about God’s plan and His message of salvation through Jesus came through reference to the Jewish Bible and through the Apostles’ teaching. And of course the Truth came through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul implied through the next few words in Romans 16:19 that “obedience to the Lord” would lead to righteous living which was wisdom, but he also appealed to his readers to stay innocent of any wrongdoing. In other words they should avoid sin. The person of satan emerged as a potential assailant, but through “the God of peace” he would soon be a defeated foe. 

We pilgrims today have a much easier time in knowing right from wrong, and how to be “obedient to the Lord”. But translating that “knowing” into practice in our society today is far from easy. Even the church leaders in our land are promoting behaviour that the Bible clearly says is wrong. If Paul was around today, would he still be “very happy”? Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, obey my commandments”. Obedience to Christ is fundamental to the Christian. At best, it may appear old fashioned in the eyes of the world. But at worst it may lead to imprisonment or even death, as in other nations. We must stand firm – “But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority” (Acts 5:29). The Gospel that we preach is counter-cultural and to many an offence because it challenges lifestyles, and attitudes and more. But we have to be obedient in doing what God has asked us to do, because salvation comes through Jesus. Jesus said in John 14:6, “ … I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me”. When challenged by Jesus about his future relationship with Him, “Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God”” (John 6:68-69).

We pilgrims have a clear understanding of how we should live our lives. But obedience to the Lord is a key that will unlock the doors of Heaven. We cannot compromise. In this season of “Pride” marches, I read today of a Christian councillor who tweeted on social media, “Pride is not a virtue but a sin“. As a result he has been suspended from the Conservative Party, and “cancelled” by six other organisations. Here is his full tweet, “When did Pride become a thing to celebrate. Because of Pride Satan fell as an arch Angel. Pride is not a virtue but a Sin. Those who have Pride should Repent of their sins and return to Jesus Christ. He can save you“. And he quoted Isaiah 3:9, “The very look on their faces gives them away. They display their sin like the people of Sodom and don’t even try to hide it. They are doomed! They have brought destruction upon themselves“. Obedience to the Lord is going to cost us, folks. But there is no other way. Again I write that we cannot compromise.

Dear Father God. We pray together for the Christian Councillor who has lost so much for standing firm on Your Word. Please restore to him all that he has lost and more. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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An Afterthought

Posted on by korgrocker

“And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people.”
Romans 16:17-18 NLT

Paul suddenly remembered something. Probably a thought popped into his mind, put there by the still small voice of the Holy Spirit within him. And it was a very important thought, a warning even, in those days before the canon of Scripture had been established. Paul’s concern was for the integrity of the faith in the Roman believers, and he started his warning with “watch out for people”. In those days without Google and social media, without media outlets or TV, it was through travellers that news was shared, and apparently some travellers had funny ideas about the Christian faith. Such people would potentially “cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what [they] have been taught”. 

Those were the days in which the Gnostics were emerging. These people taught that salvation could be found by special knowledge, and redemption could be found within us. Gnostics believed that there is a “spark” of God within us that could be released into self-redemption where we could be freed from our corrupt body and reach God. This was a doctrine that seemed attractive to many and it was supported by a quasi-religious belief system that seemed to dovetail well into the true faith. All the characters were there, such as God and Jesus, but they bore no resemblance to the true God, and His Son Jesus who died for us at Calvary. Sadly Gnosticism is still present today, and, arguably, has emerged in the transgender ideology, which involves a person ‘escaping’ from the body they were born with and instead choosing their gender based on how they feel.

Pastor Paul was concerned about the flock in Rome, warning them to look out for people who preached ideas and doctrines counter to what they had been taught originally, about Jesus and Him crucified for their sins. These wayward preachers are just “serving their own personal interests”, he said. Perhaps they hoped to get some financial benefit from sharing their divisive messages. At the end of his first letter to Timothy, Paul wrote, “Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. Some people have wandered from the faith by following such foolishness. May God’s grace be with you all (1 Timothy 6:20-21). The old Apostle John was also aware of error and wrote in 1 John 4:3, “But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here”. John also recorded what Jesus said to the church in Pergamum, “But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching” (Revelation 2:14-15).

Erroneous teaching was rife in the first century, but we can’t be complacent today. There are different denominations that have doctrines or Biblical interpretations that disagree with each other. Sometimes, there is an emphasis on a particular Biblical truth to the exclusion of another. And, worse, there are church leaders in established denominations who question, dilute or abandon Biblical truths and try and absorb worldly practices into their churches. Just the other day there was a news report about a Bishop in the Anglican church who said that referring to God as “Father” was a problem, in spite of what the Bible says to the contrary. As in Paul’s day, we too must “Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what [we] have been taught“. Thankfully, in 21st Century Planet Earth, we have God’s Word, the Bible, to refer to, and as we hold fast to the Bible’s teaching we will continue to walk the path that leads to eternal life.

Father God, we thank You for Your Word and the teaching of Your Son, Jesus. Please help us to hold fast to the Holy Scriptures, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Holy Kiss

Posted on by korgrocker

“Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.”
Romans‬ ‭16‬:‭16‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Here is a custom that is quite foreign to us Western types. A “holy kiss”? What is that all about? Of course we see people in other parts of the world greeting each other with something that looks like a kiss, and this was probably the case in the Middle Eastern culture of Paul’s day. But in our Western expressions of Christianity it is unusual to engage with another person, particularly someone who isn’t close to us, in this way.

There are three other mentions of a “holy kiss” in the New Testament, and all in letters written by Paul. But in those days it was no big deal, because greeting someone with a kiss was the equivalent of what a handshake would be today. It should be emphasised that this was a “holy kiss” as against one that was unholy, which would have sexual or hypocritical connotations.

Some years ago, I was in a church meeting, and at a certain point in the service we were encouraged to give each other a “holy kiss”. Inevitably there was some embarrassed giggling, and most people refused to get involved, but next to me there was a man with a beard who had no such inhibitions and without warning I was aware of this hairy chin too close to me for comfort! I know a young Christian man who has mild Asperger’s, and he cannot bear anyone touching him, so just as well he wasn’t there in that meeting.

We of course remember the account of another kiss, one that was far from being holy. We read in Luke 22:47-48, “But even as Jesus said this, a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss. But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”” A sad encounter and one that sealed Judas’ doom.

To those early Christians, the “holy kiss” was particularly special, because it was morally pure and blameless, and it signified love, affection and friendship. In that context we too can uphold the same principles, perhaps by taking someone’s hand or giving them a hug. After all, we are members of the greatest organisation, if we can call it that, this world has ever seen. We are united by our love for each other and our love of God. That’s surely worth a lot more than a handshake!

Dear Father God. You created us to be warm and loving beings, full of Your love and grace. Please help us to view our fellow believers as You see them. In Jesus’ name. Amen,

More Friends

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“Give my greetings to Mary, who has worked so hard for your benefit. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews, who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles and became followers of Christ before I did. Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. Greet Apelles, a good man whom Christ approves. And give my greetings to the believers from the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet the Lord’s people from the household of Narcissus. Give my greetings to Tryphena and Tryphosa, the Lord’s workers, and to dear Persis, who has worked so hard for the Lord. Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me. Give my greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who meet with them. Give my greetings to Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and to Olympas and all the believers who meet with them.”
Romans‬ ‭16‬:‭6‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A long list of the names of Paul’s friends. There were 23 people that Paul commended in these verses; actually 25 because the mother of Rufus wasn’t named and neither was the sister of Nereus. But to be given a mention in a letter by the Apostle Paul was praise indeed, and this list of names has survived long after the owners of the names have. These people were all active church workers who were even, as Adronicus and Junia were, prepared to go to prison for their faith. A wonderful legacy of real and living Christians, and one day we will have the opportunity to ask them about how they got on with Paul, and about their faith in the First Century. But behind all these names there would have been many good church folks, working away for Jesus below the radar.

The message from these verses for us pilgrims can be summed up in the phrases such as “worked hard” and “highly respected”, “Christ approves”, “the Lord picked out” and so on. These are  believers who were sold out for Jesus. No wishy-washy Christians here! These dear folks built a solid foundation upon which the church was built. They were prepared to suffer for their faith, and by doing so they established the Church that Jesus spoke to Peter about in Matthew 16:18, “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it“. These early Christians were bomb proof and nothing the devil hurled at them had any impact. That is the inspiration for the Church today. Forces have been unleashed against Christians here in the UK over recent years, and secularism and left wing and anti-God ideologies are emerging, intent on destroying Christians in any way they can. But like the dear people listed in Paul’s letter, we will stand firm and use the weapons that God has supplied for us, and as listed in Ephesians 6. There is no going back. 

There is an old hymn that I haven’t sung for many years, but the verse 3 lyrics are:
Stand up! stand up for Jesus!
Stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you;
Ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the Gospel armour,
And, watching unto prayer,
Where duty calls, or danger,
Be never wanting there.

We used to belt it out in church, never thinking that in the years coming, it would be so appropriate.

Father God. We pray for the same strength and single-mindedness that those early Christians had. Please help us in our battles against the evil one. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Priscilla and Aquila

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“Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus. In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches. Also give my greetings to the church that meets in their home. Greet my dear friend Epenetus. He was the first person from the province of Asia to become a follower of Christ.”
Romans 16:3-5 NLT

‭The next people on Paul’s list of friends to be mentioned were Priscilla and Aquila. This lovely couple first emerge in Acts 18. Aquila was a Jewish Christian and he ended up in Corinth with his wife, Priscilla, after Claudius Caesar deported all Jews from Rome. For a trade they were tentmakers, so it was natural for Paul, also a tentmaker, to meet up with them when he came to Corinth. Some time later we read that Paul set sail for Ephesus taking Aquila and Priscilla with him. The Jewish couple stayed in Ephesus and met up with another Jew called Apollos, who they helped with their knowledge of Jesus, when Paul moved on. The details of this couple in Acts 18 are sparse, but reading between the lines, we can find a Godly husband and wife who were pivotal in the foundations of the early church. In 1 Corinthians 16:19, we read, “The churches here in the province of Asia send greetings in the Lord, as do Aquila and Priscilla and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings“. The church in their home was also mentioned by Paul in his letter to the Roman believers – “Also give my greetings to the church that meets in their home”. Priscilla and Aquila also crop up in 2 Timothy 4:19, “Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila and those living in the household of Onesiphorus.” At this time, Timothy was the pastor of the Ephesus church.

So what conclusion can we draw from the brief Biblical mentions of Aquila and Priscilla? They were Godly, with a solid faith, and a gift of hospitality, three traits that it would be good for us pilgrims to emulate. For them to get a mention about the “church that meets in their home” meant that something significant happened there. The concept of home groups, or how churches, is nothing new today, and . we can read about the early believers in Acts 2:46, “They worshipped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity“. Home churches were a feature of the early church and they are a model which supplements the more formal services held in a church building. The intimacy of meeting with other Christians in someone’s home is an essential part of the life of a fellowship of believers. 

If we pilgrims only meet other Christians every Sunday, then perhaps it is an opportunity to copy the model set for us by Aquila and Priscilla. Why don’t we open up our homes for other Christians to meet with us? We will soon find that the Holy Spirit in our midst will lead us into a new dimension of fellowship.

Father God, we thank You that You assured us that when two or three meet together, You are there with us. So in our meeting together, we pray for Your love and grace to multiply and overspill into our families and communities. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Phoebe

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“I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honour among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me.”
Romans 16:1-2 NLT

The last chapter in Romans starts with the names of Paul’s friends, with each of them accompanied by some words extolling their virtues. First on the list is a lady called Phoebe. Paul records her role in the Cenchrean church, located in a town a few miles from Corinth on the coast. She was obviously a benefactor of Paul along with others and was doing an important job in her local church. The fact that Paul was asking that she should be welcomed by the Roman believers indicated that she was to travel there at some time. Perhaps she was the bearer of his letter, accompanying others from the Corinthian church, where Paul was assumed to have written the letter to the Romans. We wonder if Phoebe was perhaps a business woman, so she might have been using a trip to Rome to further her business interests. 

Paul introduced Phoebe as being a deacon, a Greek word meaning no more than servant. But her ministry of helping others was worthy of a title. And as we should with all of our visiting Christian brothers and sisters, Paul asked that she would be given a special welcome, and given any assistance she required, as she has helped others. 

Not much here for us pilgrims today, we might think, but it’s the principle of being a servant in our churches, helping those around us that comes across. Phoebe was an example to her church, and, because Paul recorded her name in his letter, she has been providing the same example down through the ages. If our ministers and pastors were writing a letter like Paul, would we get a mention like Phoebe? Of course that would not be something that we would expect, but in our churches and fellowships we should all be “deacons” or servants. Sadly, too many people who go to a church service are irregular in their attendance, and do little or nothing to help others when they are there. It is often said that 80% of the necessary work is done by 10% of the people.

So we pilgrims should aspire to be male or female Phoebe’s, using our resources, our time, skills and money, to help those around us. It may be inconvenient at times but it is our calling. Jesus set the scene for us in His act of washing His disciples feet. Jesus said, as recorded in John 13:14-15, “And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you”. Was Phoebe a foot-washer? Probably. But we pilgrims today should certainly have the same attitude that Jesus had, in His service to His disciples.

So we pilgrims must look out for one another, and try and outdo each other when it comes to acts of service in our local church or fellowship. Contrary to common custom, the church minister is not responsible for doing all the tasks in the church. If the building belongs to the church that meets there, then there will be plenty of opportunities to do a Phoebe. And what we do is done as to the Lord. Recently I attended a service in Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh, and after the service I was down in the gents bathroom where I found a young man mopping the floor and singing his heart out. I said to him that he sounded happy. He said of course, I’m doing this for Jesus. What a lovely attitude. Surely a young man “worthy of honour among God’s people”.

Dear Father God. We too sing for Jesus, because of what He did for us. Thank You. Amen.