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What’s in a Name?

socialmedia@cityrise.org October 18, 2021 sermons, cityrise, Crosspoint Church - Bellaire, Good News, houston, Kirby Follis, romans, West U Baptist,

The following is a manuscript of the sermon presented by Kirby Follis on Sunday October 17, at our Crosspoint Church – Bellaire campus. To view the sermon in full, please visit our YouTubpage.

Good morning!  Welcome to Crosspoint Church – A CityRise Campus.  I am grateful you are with us today (*in the worship center and online – 11:00).  We are closing in on the end of Romans today.  Join me in Chapter 16, where we will focus on the first 16 verses.

Throughout the book of Romans, Paul is writing to the church at Rome, of course.  But much of his instruction regards the individual believer, what he / she oughtt to do and not to do, and how we should relate to each other.  When we get to the end of the book as Paul is about to sign off, we find a Hall of Honor.  We all know Hebrews chapter 11 as the Hall of Faith where the writer reviews the spiritual heroics of Abraham, Moses, David and Samuel, Gideon and many others.  They are known to us because they are written of in other places in the Bible.  In the early verses of Romans 16, however, Paul introduces us to 37 people, many of whom we’ve never heard and some that the Roman church had also not known.  I say it’s a Hall of Honor because these are the hard-working fellow laborers in the Gospel to Paul and to the church and Paul wants to be sure they receive one another in the Lord and keep plowing together.  In this, he adds instruction to the church to his previous instruction to individuals.

 Did any of you grow up going to Sunday School?  I did!  You know how in school when the teacher calls on you for a question to which you do not know the answer, you look down or away or “drop your pencil” all of a sudden and have to retrieve it?  This is the chapter where when your Sunday School teachers asks who wants to read the next few verses, you have that same reaction.  37 Greek and Jewish names of questionable pronunciation ahead!  Well – here we go…

Romans 16:1-16

1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well. Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. 11 Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. 12 Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

In this passage, we see the word “greet” 18 times – that’s more than once a verse.  It sets the tone for today’s study.  It is different that our standard greeting.  “Hey – how are you?  I’m fine.  Yeah – me too!”  Here – greeting = to salute, to pay respects to…it serves as an affirmation.  Paul is calling the church at Rome to greet, welcome, embrace these 37 people and in some cases their families and finally to greet one another.  As we dive into these verses, I want us to take note of 5 of these honorable mentions by category of those he wanted them to greet…

Living for What Matters Means We Are.…

  • Servants (vv. 1-2)
  • Risk Takers (vv. 3-5a)
  • Pioneers for the Gospel (vs. 5b, 7)
  • Approved in Christ (vs. 10)
  • Caring Believers (vs. 13)

Let’s begin by looking at…

Living for What Matters, Means We Are.…

  • Servants (vv. 1-2)
  • Risk Takers (vv. 3-5a)
  • Pioneers for the Gospel (vs. 5b, 7)
  • Approved in Christ (vs. 10)
  • Caring Believers (vs. 13)

I. Living for What Matters, Means We Are Servants (vv. 1-2)

Romans 16:1-2

1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.

Phoebe is identified as a sister, a servant and a patron.  And she is the deliverer of the letter from Paul to the church at Rome.  Paul entrusts her with the letter and speaks well on her behalf to those she will meet when she delivers it.  When he writes, “I commend to you our sister,” he’s saying receive her as family – “we are standing with her” – make her one of your own.

He adds that she is “a servant of the church.”  The Greek word for servant here is diakonos which is alternately translated as servant or deacon.  Why is that?  Because deacons are a body of people that are uniquely called to serve.  You can travel back to the first few verses of Acts 6 to read where the first seven men were chosen as deacons.  The reason they were chosen is that there were widows being neglected in the daily distribution.  The apostles could not stay true to the schedule of teaching of the word AND serve tables at the same time.  Phoebe is known for this kind of service to others.

This is the first time the word “church” – “ekklesia” is used in the book of Romans.  This reinforces what I was saying earlier about us moving in this teaching from individual Christian responsibility to the responsibility of the family of faith.  Ekklesia means “called out” – describing a people who are called out FROM the world and called TO God.  Everyone who is saved by Christ belongs to the body of Christ, the universal church.  Those believers are manifested in a microcosm of the universal church known as the local church.  And to this local church in Rome, Paul commends Phoebe.

Finally, Phoebe is identified as a patroness – someone who strengthens and protects.  The Apostle writes that she has been this for many others but for him as well.    So Phoebe is known as one who visits the sick and the poor, helps others grow in the Lord and strengthens and protects.

I wonder how many of you are Phoebes in our Crosspoint church campus?  Do you know if you are identified in this way?  Do you wonder if you are?  If you are a young woman, desire to live like Phoebe – young men too.  Long to live in a way that you are known by Christ and for Him among others.  Strive to be a servant, a helper.  Have you found your place to serve?  Christ reinforces the importance of this in his teaching recorded in Matthew 23…

Matthew 23:11-12

11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

If you really want to do something for God, I’ll clue you in…make yourself less, put others first, protect those who cannot do that for themselves…be a Phoebe…be a servant.  But also strive to be a risk taker…

Living for What Matters Means We Are.…

  • Servants (vv. 1-2)
  • Risk Takers (vv. 3-5a)
  • Pioneers for the Gospel (vs. 5b, 7)
  • Approved in Christ (vs. 10)
  • Caring Believers (vs. 13)

II. Living for What Matters Means We Are Risk Takers (vv. 3-4)

Romans 16:3-5a

Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. Greet also the church in their house.

You might say that Prisca (or Priscilla) and Aquila were a First Century Dynamic Duo.  There are those that think their influence on the early church is so evident that things might have turned out differently had it not been for them.  They show up in multiple places in the NT – Acts 18, I Corinthians 16 and 2 Timothy 4 to name a few.

Acts 18 introduces them to us.  Like Paul, they were tentmakers and they were Jews.  Due to persecution by Emperor Claudius, they had left their homeland and ended up in Corinth.  Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome in 49 A.D.  Paul stayed with them in Corinth and worked with them for 18 months because they were of the same trade.  Acts 18 also records that they traveled with him by ship to Syria and on to Ephesus where he left them.  Priscilla and Aquila tutored the dynamic evangelist Apollos in the ways of the Lord.  This tells us they invested themselves in young leaders.  They heard him teaching and drew him aside to show him a better way.

What Paul says to the Romans about them is that they risked their necks – in the Greek, “who for my life have laid down their necks!”  The hard part here is that we are not made privy to the nature of this heroic act.  Did they defend Paul publicly?  Did they lend give him a ridiculous amount of money to continue his work?  Did they suffer physically on his behalf?  We don’t know.  What we DO KNOW is that their sacrificial act, whatever it may have been, had such an impact on Paul that he could never forget it and found it worth mentioning to others.  Remember that Paul, Saul prior to his own conversion killed and punished many for their faith in Christ – he of all people had a first row seat to what it means to suffer for the sake of the Gospel and then he suffered often himself.  So when he says they risked their necks, we cannot take it lightly.

This is an honorable mention, isn’t it?  They were willing to lose their lives for the sake of the mission of Gospel advancement.  It is also worth noting that here and in one other place, the “church in their house” is mentioned.  So not only are they advancing and sacrificially supporting Paul in his gospel work, and discipling and investing in young leaders, they are hosting and leading Christ’s church in their home.

Take a moment to inventory the risk you are willing to encounter for others.  Is there anything for which you would risk your very life?  Your family – spouse, children, parents, siblings?  What about the Gospel?  How far will we go to see the Gospel go forward?  And at the same time, don’t we at least subconsciously think it’s ok to be safe as we do so?  Let me remind us of Christ’s teaching in John 15.

John 15:12-13

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

There are recent cultural buzz phrases like – “keep everyone safe!” or “Everyone needs a safe place!”  But I can’t find anything in the NT that promises following Christ is going to be safe!  Hey – I’m the first guy to pray for safety on a trip – mission, vacation or otherwise.  I’m the first to pray for the safety of my children and my family.  At the same time, I want to caution us not to settle for a safe version of Christianity!  If Paul commended Priscilla and Aquila for literally putting their throats to the knife for the sake of the Gospel, it is because he knows that this is part of living for what matters and that we must be risk takers when it comes to Christianity and the Gospel.  John 15 clues us in that being a risk taker for the Gospel and the friends of the Gospel is the highest calling of love that there is!

Dr. Jim Denison in the Denison Forum this week asked “When last did you take a risk for our Lord?”  He then goes on to say that we should “agree to do anything the Father calls us to do” AND that we should “ask Him for a kingdom assignment today.”  Living for What Matters Mean Being a Servant and a Risk Taker – it also means We Are Pioneers for the Gospel…

Living for What Matters Means We Are.…

  • Servants (vv. 1-2)
  • Risk Takers (vv. 3-5a)
  • Pioneers for the Gospel (vs. 5b, 7)
  • Approved in Christ (vs. 10)
  • Caring Believers (vs. 13)

III. Living for What Matters Means We Are Pioneers for the Gospel (vs. 5b)

Romans 16:5b

Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me.

Being a pioneer can refer to many things.  By definition as a noun it usually means to be the first to explore or settle – as in a new geographical area or country.  As a verb, meaning the first to use or apply.  The truth for us is we often wait to see if others go first.  Don’t we?  Let’s let some other folks try this out and if it seems good for them, then maybe we will also give it a go!

Check out the second half of verse 5 – beloved Epaenetus, the first convert to Christ in Asia.  Asia is HUGE!  Epaenetus was the first person in his entire known geographical region to say “Yes!” to Christ.  And for this, Paul commends him.  Paul is saying, “give him the honor he is due!”  “He stepped up first!”

Maybe we want to be the first in our family to go to college or the first person in line to skydive.  Maybe we want to be the first human to go past the moon or the first human to go to the deepest point in the ocean.  None of these are without merit.  But what about being the first to accept Christ?  And beyond that, once saved, how about being the first to stand up for him in our neighborhood, our workplace, or beyond – or the toughest, in our family?

God is asking us to stand up.  In this area of our faith, He’s asking us to be first.  Where in your life might this apply?  Is anyone else in your family a believer?  Were you the first?  Does anyone else at your company office  follow Christ?  Do they know that you do?  On your street, where do the other believers live?  Do you know if there are other believers on your street?  Do they know you are a Christ-follower?  The challenge we receive from Paul via Epaenetus is BE FIRST!  When God calls, step up without question.  When the Gospel is going forward, be the one who takes it there.  Stop exercising caution – stop waiting to see what others will do – stop hoping someone else will do it before you so you can follow.  I know what you’re thinking – Pastor Kirby, earlier you said to be first we have to be last, which is it?  Put everyone else before yourself in service but when God calls you to take the Gospel or do anything else for Him, BE FIRST (be a pioneer) and blaze a trail for others!

When you stand up, others will be encouraged to stand with you.  How many times have you stood or applauded or done any other number of actions because someone started before you did?  All the time, right?  When we lead out, when we show others how great the Gospel is to us, others will follow.

Notice Paul’s greeting in vs. 7 to Junia and Andronicus – they were fellow prisoners.  That draws people together doesn’t it?  Have you ever endured incredible hardship with other people who have your same values?  What did it do to your relationship?  Forged it strong as iron, am I right?  Look at the POWs and veterans of early World Wars – they are brothers and sisters for life because they endured some of the greatest suffering together that has been known in the last 100 years.  Paul also acknowledges that these two were believers before he was.  So not only did they suffer prison together, Andronicus and Junia were early believers who made a way for others.  The Apostle is encouraged by them and commends them to the family at Rome.

This is why we speak of community groups so often – you need to be in a group where you are exercising your faith together so you can celebrate when things are awesome and you can band together when they are not.  So, Be a pioneer who blazes a trail for the Gospel, but also seek to be sure you are Approved in Christ!

Living for What Matters Means We Are.…

  • Servants (vv. 1-2)
  • Risk Takers (vv. 3-5a)
  • Pioneers for the Gospel (vs. 5b, 7)
  • Approved in Christ (vs. 10)
  • Caring Believers (vs. 13)

IV. Living for What Matters Means We Are Approved in Christ (vs. 10)

Romans 16:10

10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ.

We will meet Rufus in a moment in verse 13 where it states that he was chosen in the Lord.  But here, Paul writes of Apelles that he is approved in Christ.  The Greek here reads tested and approved.  Approved here is the Greek dokimos.  I’ll tell you where it originates.

In the ancient world, there was no paper money and no banking system as we know it today.  Money consisted of coins made from metal which was heated until it was soft and then shaped.  Once shaped and cooled, the edges would have to be smoothed off.  These coins remained relatively soft as metals go.  As such, those seeking to gain advantage would smooth off more so that the coin might have the same purchasing power but by weight have less value.  However, those with integrity in business or money changing would only accept or give full weighted coins.  Such men were called dokimos or approved.

What Paul is saying here is that Apelles is not counterfeit.  He embraces Christ fully and is the real deal.  He is a person of integrity through and through and loves and lives in Christ.

Think about this for a moment…we were made for approval.  Right now, pause and create a mental list of those whose approval means the most to you.  I’ll give you five seconds.  Who is on your list?  For me, my parents – yep, even at my age, I want my folks to be proud of me; my wife – even when we leave today, I will ask Wendy how her morning went and then I will ask her what she thought of the sermon – I know she will be totally honest – it’s a great part of what makes me strive to do better and better, BUT I’m also hoping she will APPROVE.  I want my kids to approve of me.  When I was young, I wanted my teachers to APPROVE of me.  I want you to approve of me.  I want my fellow ministers on staff and especially my boss, Pastor Roger, to approve of me.

But the Bible doesn’t put any of these on my list of primary approvers.  The Holy Scriptures say BE APPROVED IN CHRIST!  I see disappointment in this area all the time – couples who are let down because they want to be so fully validated by their spouse and yet they still feel empty.  Children LONGING for a parent to nod approval but not so.  And even when spouses and parents give their all to affirm, we will still have a longing in our hearts.  Yes – honor and respect all these others but seek your approval and validation from the Lord.  The approval we are made for is His alone.  The validation we have spent a lifetime seeking can only be fulfilled by the person of Jesus Christ!  Galatians 1:10 affirms this…

Galatians 1:10

10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

This is not meant to be a works based way of thinking.  Our faith in God’s grace is foundational to our salvation in Him.  This is also not a contest to see who can earn by merit the best honorable mention.  Likely as not, these brothers and sisters in the Roman letter had no idea they would be named here.  This is the challenge – to live In such a way that our lives bear mentioning with the understanding that the only approval we need is Christ’s and that mention may never be made on earth.  There are some things that God calls you to that no one will thank you for but Him.  On the other hand, let us be sure to openly show our gratitude and affirmation to those we doing these same kinds of things.  Give flowers to the living…

Let us seek to make sure we are approved in Christ!  Finally, we must be caring believers…

Living for What Matters Means We Are.…

  • Servants (vv. 1-2)
  • Risk Takers (vv. 3-5a)
  • Pioneers for the Gospel (vs. 5b, 7)
  • Approved in Christ (vs. 10)
  • Caring Believers (vs. 13)

V. Living for What Matters Means We Are Caring Believers (vs. 13)

Romans 16:13

13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.

Greet Rufus and his mom!  We don’t even know her name.  Paul doesn’t mention it.  But Rufus’ mom has a reputation of taking care of others.  Her reputation precedes her.  Paul goes on to say about her, who has been a mother to me as well.  Here’s what I know – I have been blessed with godly parents who provided and protected and led me to faith early in my life.  I know that is a huge blessing and I don’t take it for granted.  But I also know that many grow up without that advantage.  Some of the most amazing believers I know today maneuvered their early years with no parents or were disadvantaged in life because of their parents.

You know what happened for many of those?  They found a mother or a father in the faith!  Someone who already loved Christ, chose to love and care for them as well.  The nurturing, care and provision they so desperately needed was provided by someone who was not even their family member.  Sometimes it was a grandmother or aunt or sibling but many, many times it was Rufus’ mom.  The Psalms describes God in this way when it says…

In the ancient world, many new believers were made outcasts by their biological families.  Can you see why the welcome embrace and kinship of Christians would have made such a difference to them?  This kinship manifested itself in the commendation of other believers lived out everyday in the greeting of a holy kiss.

Psalms 68:5

Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Father clearly loves and cares for orphans and widows.  Whether those we know are literally in these categories or figuratively because their situation is so dire, God calls us in Deuteronomy and James and numerous other places to exercise His heart toward these.

You want to make the honorable mentions?  You want to live for what matters?  Be a father or mother in the faith for someone who desperately needs it!  Make sure the widows are not neglected for food or help of any kind.  Be like Rufus’ mom!

We are Called to Love and Welcome!  And let me acknowledge how well I see you doing that.  Serve Summit in August was our volunteer party.  We were trying with all our might to affirm you for the way you serve.  We were working to commend you!

I’ll leave you with some challenges this morning…

  • There were no honorable mentions in this passage for always possessing the latest technology, none for athletic accomplishments, none for the most followers on social media. Nothing necessarily wrong with those things – they just don’t make the list
  • If we’re not careful, we start to live for the trivial things. Over time, we let the small things matter more than the eternal things.
  • We don’t kiss in our culture as a greeting. Can I encourage you to take the hand of other believers, look them in the eye and greet them with an edifying affirmation?  Let me challenge you to do more than pass by with a “hello!”  Make the kinship of Christianity stand out to all you know – both the lost and the saved.
  • Can I challenge you to live for the big things? Can I push you to live for what matters?  To live like Phoebe, Priscilla and Aquila, Epaenetus, Apelles, Rufus and his mom?
  • For the Gospel – Be Servants, Be Risk Takers, Be Pioneers, Be Approved in Christ and Be Caring!

“Standing in the gap” – who do you need to be a reference for, pledge surety for, give a good word to others for? (Don’t do it lightly or for the wrong people, but when you do, do it wholeheartedly and sincerely).  The Bible conversely directly tells us not to pledge surety lightly or for the wrong person.  Remember – you are giving your word and your yes should be yes!

What will you be known for?  What is your honorable mention?