Honoring the Unsung Heroes
Do you ever have trouble remembering someone's name? It drives me nuts when I know I know it - I just can't get it from deep in my brain to my mouth. - Names matter. - They carry meaning. When someone remembers your name, it implies you're important and valued.
When the Apostle Paul wrote the theological masterpiece of the Book of Romans, he didn't end it with his deepest doctrine or a dramatic conclusion. He finished it off with a list of names. You might be tempted to just skip over it. But these names represented real people who served God faithfully. And by naming them, Paul taught a powerful truth - the Gospel isn't just spread through 'superstars' - it's shared through servants.
I want to look at part of that that passage in the closing of Paul's letter to the Christians at Rome. It's from Romans 16:1-7 (NIV)...
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. (2) I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me. (3) Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. (4) They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. (5) Greet also the church that meets at their house.
Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. (6) Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you. (7) Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.
This passage may look like a simple greeting list, but it's really more of a picture of faithful people working together to carry out God's purposes. The early Gospel message thrived as it was shared by...
I. Faithful servants
What might be the epitaph carved on your headstone? I had a professor back in college who said, all he wanted carved on his was - no name, nothing else, just, "Servant of Jesus". Those who 'serve' are sometimes seen as someone with a lack of ambition, someone who 'settled'. Those who serve are sometimes seen as less capable than those who lead. Being a servant usually isn't applauded as a life goal. But having a servant's heart is essential for building a Christian legacy.
We know a lot about many of the major characters in the Bible - Moses, Abraham, David, Paul - but there are many more believers who played vital roles, who have been almost lost to history. Paul listed people who were essential to the ministry - but none of them were vocational preachers. The people that Paul singled out for a special mention in God's Word – they were everyday followers of Jesus through whom God did extraordinary things!
As far as we can tell, none of them had any special training or advanced Biblical education. They weren't people with titles or power or connections – they were just 'regular people' who...
A. Used their gifts
They used the gifts and abilities, given to them by God in the everyday circumstances in which they found themselves. Let's look again at those first few verses...
Romans 16:1-2 (NIV)
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. (2) I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me.
The first person Paul singled out was a woman by the name of Phoebe. And this is the only mention of her in scripture. She's called a servant, but the word is also translated as 'deacon' in other verses. Paul trusted this woman, Phoebe, because of her servant attitude and her devotion to the message of the Gospel. She was honored not because of her prominence as a leader, but because she was a servant.
Most scholars believe, by the way Paul commended Phoebe to his readers, and his request here for them to receive her - that Phoebe actually delivered this letter from Corinth to the Roman believers. She carried one of the most important letters ever written in human history on a 600 mile journey by sea and road - no car, no planes, no GPS. Without Phoebe's service, we might not even have the Book of Romans today!
When you look at the modern business climate, it appears that only those who aggressively look out for their own interests succeed. The biggest celebrities and reality TV stars are the ones who are the biggest self promoters. Many times - we push our children to excel in the best education and the most financially rewarding careers. And even in Christian homes, many times we neglect teaching our children how to have a servant's heart.
Do we not really believe Jesus when He said, "The first will be last and the last will be first?" According to Jesus, a servant such as Phoebe will be great in God's Kingdom. It's a reminder that sometimes the greatest kingdom impact comes through simple obedience. Phoebe didn't preach the sermon - she delivered the letter. And that was her ministry.
You might not think that your part matters, but it does. Every time you open the church doors, every time you serve in the nursery, every word of encouragement you speak - it's all part of the mission! You might never hold a microphone - but you can hold a hand. And that is holy work! I read once, "If the gospel is a fire, faithful servants like Phoebe are the ones who keep the logs burning." In this list, we read of faithful servants who...
B. Took risks
There are many who might be willing to follow Jesus, but what are they willing to give up? Next in Paul's list he mentioned Priscilla and Aquila, a husband-and-wife team, again in Romans 16:3-5a (NIV)...
Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. (4) They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. (5) Greet also the church that meets at their house.
There's slightly more information known about them. They evidently met Paul through their work making tents, which he also did to make money. They were businesspeople, but they were also 'kingdom people'. They had a Church that met in their home and they risked their lives to protect Paul. Now we don't know all the details, but their devotion to the Good News of Jesus was outstanding!
Right now, many Churches are full of people who'll follow Jesus, as long as not too much is asked of them. They're committed until the preacher starts talking about money. They may be committed on a Sunday morning, but not at work or when surrounded by their friends or when following Jesus interferes with what they might want to do.
I hope this isn't seen as too judgmental - but, for many - persecution of Christians in America doesn't need to come in the form of risking our lives, because for some – it just takes a nice sunny day for them to forget their commitment to God's Church. I'm not against vacations - you know that - but spotty attendance can be an indicator to you of how deep your faith is...
The only way to develop a genuine commitment comes through spending time with God in prayer and in His Word and in His Church. If a person chooses to follow Jesus, but doesn't spend time in prayer and time reading the Bible – that person will not have any lasting impact for God's Kingdom. If we don't work on establishing 'roots' through daily commitment – our impact on anything eternal will be minimal, if any.
Serving the Lord sometimes means showing up when you're tired, loving difficult people, forgiving others when you don't really feel like it or want to, and even giving when it stretches you. But that's how the Gospel spreads - through ordinary people who are willing to risk comfort for the sake of others. If you're not uncomfortable somewhere in your Christian walk, you're probably not on mission yet.
And another thing we see from this passage of Paul's list of names - the Church is...
II. A family of servants
Paul wasn't just pointing out disconnected individuals; he was writing about a web of relationships built around Jesus! You can see the affection in his words, "I commend to you our sister Phoebe". "Greet my dear friend Epenetus". "Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me." This isn't just a list of employees - it's a roll call of family! We cannot miss this truth - the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ...
A. Binds us together!
Let's look again at the next people greeted, in Romans 16:5b-6 (NIV)...
Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. (6) Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.
Paul gave Epenetus the distinction of being the first person to accept Jesus in the province of Asia. He believed the Gospel message despite the fact that everyone else around him either rejected or ignored Jesus up to that point! And then Paul mentioned Mary - who was evidently an exceptional worker among the people.
Epenetus - the first convert in Asia. Mary - a hardworking servant in Rome. Two people from different regions, different cultures, maybe even different languages, yet united in one mission! The Roman church was quite diverse. You had Jews and Gentiles, men and women, slaves and freedmen, rich patrons and poor laborers. And yet Paul greeted them all the same way - "in Christ."
In a very divided world, the Church was - and still is - a living testimony that the Gospel message breaks down barriers. Paul didn't just see "Phoebe the woman," or "Epenetus the Gentile," or "Mary the worker." Paul saw "my sister," "my brother," "my relatives." The world divides people into categories, but Jesus builds a family!
That's one of the beautiful things about the Church. Where else can a CEO and a janitor serve side by side as equals? Where else can generations worship together, or people from extremely different backgrounds share communion? Only in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
If you've ever felt like you don't belong, remember this - in Christ, you do belong! We are family! And like any family, sometimes we will disagree, argue and maybe even fight... But we're still stuck with each other for eternity, so we might as well try to get along now! We are a family of servants who are called to...
B. Stand firm!
And let's revisit that last verse in this passage from Romans 16:7 (NIV)...
Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.
Paul greeted Andronicus and Junias and pointed out that they spent time in prison with him for the sake of the Gospel. He called them "outstanding among the apostles" and wrote, "they were in Christ before I was." They had accepted Jesus back when Paul was still persecuting Christians, before his conversion experience. And despite all of the hardships and struggles - they still followed Jesus, no matter the cost!
Each of these various individuals only got a brief mention in scripture, but the fact that we're reading about them today - their legacy of faithfulness so far has lasted almost 2,000 years! Paul - the great apostle to the Gentiles - acknowledged that others were walking with Jesus long before him. He honored those who came before. Andronicus and Junias had suffered imprisonment for Christ. They had a story of endurance, and Paul respected that. This teaches us something important - the church needs to learn to honor faithfulness, not just 'flashiness'.
In our culture, we tend to celebrate new and shiny things - new leaders, new songs, new ideas. But Paul reminds us to celebrate faithfulness, too - those who've kept the faith through the storms, who've prayed through decades, who've quietly carried the torch. Some of you have been following Jesus longer than some of us in this room have been alive. Maybe you've got battle scars, but - you've also got stories of God's faithfulness in your life. And that deserves honor.
Others of you are just beginning your walk - you're like 'Epenetus', the first in your family to follow Jesus. And you deserve encouragement, because you're writing the first chapter of a story that others will build on. In Christ, every believer's story matters - the beginners and the veterans, the famous and the forgotten, the seen and the unseen.
And that brings us to our big question…
So What?
Why did Paul end his letter with this list of names? Because he wants us to remember - the Gospel is a team effort. Phoebe, Priscilla, Aquila, Epenetus, Mary, Andronicus, Junias - all of them different, yet all working together for the same mission. The Kingdom of God isn't built by celebrities - it's built by servants. It's spread by people who show up, love well, and stay faithful.
We honored our veterans this morning. Not because they're 'perfect' - but because they took a stand and served their country. And for that selfless service they deserve honor. Not one of the people that Paul singled out was called 'perfect'. They were called 'servant', 'fellow workers', 'dear friend', 'outstanding' - but not one them was called perfect. That's because we won't be perfect – we're called to be faithful. God uses ordinary people who give themselves to Him to do great things.
When you're gone – what will people say about you? Will they say, 'he was a good guy' or 'she was nice'? God's purpose for you is so much more than just being a 'good person'. He wants to bring others to a saving relationship with Jesus through you. Are you willing to let Him?
Where has God placed you to serve? Whose life can you touch this week? What "risk" might He be calling you to take for His glory? We read that Paul and his friends were thrown in prison for following Jesus. I promise you that was not an easy thing to endure. We are called to follow and give everything for Jesus. His words, from Mark 8:35 (NIV)...
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.
Offering yourself, everything you have in following Jesus is not easy, but despite all the struggle and work and hardship - it's the path I'm encouraging my own children to follow. - Because it's worth it – and you are not alone. Jesus promised His followers that He would be with them to the ends of the earth!