Romans 16
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Good morning, church! How about this weather, huh? I walked around my office earlier this week asking people whether they were prepared for Sergio. All I got were puzzled looks. But seriously - I love this time of year. I actually like anytime the season changes. I have a pretty short attention span, so I need change.
Today, we are going to, I know… wait for it… finish Romans! I didn’t have time to prepare the ticker tape parade, but yes - we are going to finish Romans. A really tough book, and a really rich book. The best way I can think of describing how you should study Romans is like eating a steak. If you take a big chunk and chew a couple of times and then try to swallow, you’re probably going to be pretty miserable. But, if you take your time and cut nice small bites, and chew completely before swallowing, you’ll be able to enjoy and look forward to the next bite.
And so, we conclude our 9 month journey with the following passages, starting with verse 1 of , and as you’re making your way there - or preparing to read from these screens, let’s invite the Spirit of God:
Father, thank you for your Living Word. I pray that the words that come forth from my lips today would be anointed by you, Holy Spirit. Open our hearts and our minds. Help us to understand your Word, and may it cause our lives to be transformed for the sake of your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. 2 Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me.
3 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus. 4 In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches. 5 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. 6 Give my greetings to Mary, who has worked so hard for your benefit. 7 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. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.
10 Greet Apelles, a good man whom Christ approves. And give my greetings to the believers from the household of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet the Lord’s people from the household of Narcissus. 12 Give my greetings to Tryphena and Tryphosa, the Lord’s workers, and to dear Persis, who has worked so hard for the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me.
14 Give my greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who meet with them. 15 Give my greetings to Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and to Olympas and all the believers who meet with them. 16 Greet each other with a sacred kiss. All the churches of Christ send you their greetings.
Anybody here ever witness an awards ceremony? There’s not much time alloted for a speech, but the recipient usually does their best to acknowledge those that were part of their journey. As I read through this, it brings a number of people to my mind. If it’s okay, I’m going to mention just a few of them here:
First, there’s Greg Steele. When you walked in today, you may have noticed the sign on the door reads Steele Consulting. Greg Steele is my business partner of 15 years, and someone I am incredibly thankful for. My first encounter with Greg was over the phone - he was actually calling to talk to my brother. But, he seemed happy enough to have a conversation with me. He invited me to come to church - up to that point I was not part of a church. I ended up going and meeting him in person. He took the time to get to know me, and found out that I was learning how to play the guitar. So, he invited me to his house so he could teach me some songs that were sung at church. He invested a lot in my growth as a Christian by simply inviting me to do whatever he was doing. He introduced me to his friends, several of who were a key part in helping me develop as a Christian. They taught me how to lead worship, pray, read the Bible, minister to others, and do the same for others.
Can I just say that - no matter how gifted or talented or special you think you are - or aren’t - there is a world full of people that just need someone to be present and care. And while it’s something that anyone can do, it’s something that unfortunately not many people stop and take the time to do.
Another person I want to mention is my best friend, Joseph Neria. The Neria family is who I would consider my adopted family. I spent countless hours in their cars, homes, church, and lives. Joe is one of the first people my age that was welcoming to me. You see, I was pretty rough around the edges when I showed up to this church. And many of the kids my age that had grown up in the church didn’t really know what to do with someone like me. But he reached out to me, and we immediately became close friends. We spent years learning, practicing, and playing music for countless hours together. And it’s my sincere hope that we get to make that a regular part of our lives again someday soon.
There are so many people that I would mention if time permitted, but let me at least mention one more. David Riefenberg, who we call Reef. I was just a punk kid when I met him, but he invested so much in me right from the beginning. My family was very poor, and I wanted to take music lessons but couldn’t afford them. Reef worked it out so that I could help do some work for him, running errands and fixing things in exchange for piano & music theory lessons. I got the good end of that deal. I remember getting off of school and running two miles to his house to continue my studies in music and life in general.
Over the years, Reef was a key part in my growth as a musician, worship leader, pastor, church planter, and human being. Believe it or not, he even taught me how to have proper phone etiquette.
I was part of a team that helped Reef plant Vineyard Crossroads Church in Northeast El Paso. Vineyard Crossroads Church is the church that sent us out to plant Upper Valley Vineyard. I’m so thankful to Reef & his wife Carlin for investing countless hours ministering to me and my family. They’ve been incredible friends, mentors, teachers, pastors, and co-laborers in ministry. I’m humbled to call them friends.
You might get that I have a strong sense of affection and love for the people I just mentioned. And as we read through the first 16 verses of Romans, Paul expresses that for a number of people that were part of his journey. However, Paul has a hope here that has been expressed before, which is that all of his friends would remember that they are part of the same family, and that they should live together in unity. As N.T. Wright states, The sacred kiss in verse 16 that Paul mentions is actually something that became part of Christian liturgy very early on. It was meant to show, within the context of shared worship, that one belonged to the same family - the family redefined in and around the Messiah. It was both a reminder of, and perhaps a means of, that unity for which Paul so longed, as we saw in chapters 14 and 15, among other of Paul’s writings.
Something else very key to point out here, is the importance of the women Paul has mentioned. In particular, there is Phoebe, who has been a benefactor to him and many others. Calling someone a benefactor is a great honor. Phoebe is identified here by Paul as someone who was a significant leader - a deacon in the church, who he clearly trusts to deliver perhaps his greatest letter.
Can I just take a moment to tell you today - there is a clear biblical precedence for women being in leadership. And for the women here today, can I just tell you that if the Lord has called you into a place of leadership, here at Upper Valley Vineyard we will do our sincere best to recognize, support and bless that call.
Moving along, let’s read the next few verses:
Romans 16:17-
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. 2 Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me.
3 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus. 4 In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches. 5 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. 6 Give my greetings to Mary, who has worked so hard for your benefit. 7 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. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.
10 Greet Apelles, a good man whom Christ approves. And give my greetings to the believers from the household of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet the Lord’s people from the household of Narcissus. 12 Give my greetings to Tryphena and Tryphosa, the Lord’s workers, and to dear Persis, who has worked so hard for the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me.
14 Give my greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who meet with them. 15 Give my greetings to Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and to Olympas and all the believers who meet with them. 16 Greet each other with a sacred kiss. All the churches of Christ send you their greetings.
17 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. 18 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. 19 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. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
21 Timothy, my fellow worker, sends you his greetings, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow Jews.
22 I, Tertius, the one writing this letter for Paul, send my greetings, too, as one of the Lord’s followers.
23 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.
25 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. 26 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. 27 All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.
17 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. 18 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. 19 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. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
21 Timothy, my fellow worker, sends you his greetings, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow Jews.
22 I, Tertius, the one writing this letter for Paul, send my greetings, too, as one of the Lord’s followers.
23 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.
We start off with a warning to avoid false teachers. Surely that shouldn’t be a big deal today, right? I mean, we have access to any number of theologically sound resources right at our fingertips. What is Paul’s litmus test? “Contrary to what you have been taught.” The assumption here is that what you have been taught is good and true. But how can you know?
False teachers don’t typically go around wearing badge indicating such. What are some things that might help us identify false teaching (note: this is by no means a comprehensive list):
False teachers tend to make it more about anything else besides Jesus (you, them).
False teachers tend to avoid unpopular / challenging topics. In other words, they tend to teach what they expect people will want to hear & make them feel good. This is often found in churches where money is plentiful.
False teachers often center their teachings on sources other than the Bible.
There are probably at least a dozen primary indicators of false teachers that we could dive into, and perhaps someday we will. However these three are a pretty good start. And this is not to say that true teachers of the Word will never disagree. But there is a difference between disagreeing and blatantly misleading people.
We read in verse 20 about the triumph of the church over Satan. This is something that I want to bring some attention to. One of the things that first caught my attention about the Vineyard is what I later learned was a common phrase: Everyone Gets to Play. The idea is that we’re not just a helpless Church standing by waiting for our bridegroom to defeat our enemy and then come whisk us off to glory. No - we are an army. And this passage is a strong reminder that we - the church - are in the middle of a raging battle against the powers of darkness for the redemption and renewal of the world and its people. May we never be reduced to a church that sits idly by as though in a time of peace. That is what the powers of darkness have set out to do - through false teachers and any other means - to convince us that everything is fine and there’s no urgent need around us. And on behalf of any church that has had a reduced or non-existent sense of urgency, and that includes this one here - I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry for not raising the battle flag. The truth is - there are people all around us that are living as prisoners - separated from Christ - and I’ve allowed myself to get more comfortable with that. Please forgive me. And please join me in re-committing to do whatever it takes in obedience to God to see this city transformed for the Kingdom.
Oh, and by the way, my friends - they say hi.
Finally, let’s read the last 3 verses :
25 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. 26 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. 27 All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.
This blessing is so loaded. In an age where other “gods” offered wisdom - albeit not true wisdom, Paul is making a bold statement. Jesus is God, and He is the only wise God.
Let’s stand.