Jump Start # 3705

Romans 16:1-2 “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea; ² that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well.”

As Paul concludes the Roman letter, he lists several names of those who had been useful in the kingdom. If I counted right, 27 specific names are listed. The majority are only found here in Romans and nowhere else in the Bible. The details of what they did are known but to Heaven. But, they played a major role in helping Paul be Paul.

Our verse today, begins that list with Phoebe. Phoebe, the servant of the church. Now, don’t get all excited and run pass Jerusalem with this. Some hoist the banner that she was a deacon in the church and we ought to have female deacons and maybe even elders. She was a servant. Not all servants would fit the description listed in 1 Timothy 3. Paul was a servant, but he wouldn’t fit those qualifiers. Jesus was a servant, but He wouldn’t fit those qualifiers. One can be a servant without having a title. Phoebe was a servant.

It is the end of these verses that really grabbed my attention, “a helper of many.” I’ve been on the road a ton this fall. My schedule has been every other week. Arkansas, then home for a week. Alabama, then home for a week. Texas, and home for a week. Back to Texas, and home. A lot of hotels. A lot of traveling. But, a lot of special brethren who have helped.

One of the beautiful things about traveling and preaching in various places is the joy and benefit of meeting so many incredible brethren. The people of God are the kindest, sweetest and most generous hearts on the face of the planet. In teaching about Job in many of these places, God said about Job, “there was no one like him on the earth.” We’d today say that Job was one of a kind. There was no one like Job. I can’t say that about our times. All over this wonderful world, I have met so many strong, faithful, godly men and women who love our Lord with all of their hearts. Some are young, and when I visit their homes, the children are jumping up and down in excitement and you see the weariness in the parents eyes. Some have been disciples for decades. What a history they share. The connections are strong. As our beloved Bowman often reminded us, “It’s not a small world, it’s a big family” that we are a part of.

Here are some thoughts:

First, we are not told what Phoebe did, but Paul remembered. Others may not know how you serve, but the lives that you touch will be encouraged and helped. I can’t say that Phoebe helped John or Thomas or any of the other apostles. I doubt she helped everyone in the kingdom. But there was Paul and she could do something for him and she did. Don’t try to rescue the whole kingdom. It’s too big and you can’t. But, like the days of Nehemiah, you repair the walls in front of your house. You do what you can in your part of the kingdom.

The reformer Martin Luther said, if everyone swept the porch in front of their own homes, the world would be cleaner. Make things good in your congregation. Be the bright spot that lifts weary hearts. Be the supporter of the shepherds and those that preach. Be a helper.

Second, one learns so much by meeting other brethren. I’ve been given pictures drawn by children. Their image of me is rather scary, but I love the tender hearts that took the time to draw those pictures. I’ve been given the history of congregations, talked about long ago preachers, ate some of the finest foods and have enjoyed the wonderful conversations. People love the Lord. It’s easy to see the troubles in the kingdom and concentrate upon the things that need to be fixed, but what beautiful hearts everywhere. In small country congregations and in large city churches. It’s not the locations. It’s not the size. It’s the love these  folks have for the Lord.

I’ve learned about books that I never heard about before. I have been taught things from the Scriptures that I did not know. I come home with ideas from congregations that are doing so well. We are not dying out. We are not being defeated. The kingdom is growing. The kingdom is strong.

Third, and through all of this, there is one central thread that ties  all of this together, and that is Jesus. Had it not been for Jesus, I would have never met so many wonderful people. The best people on the face of the earth. Had it not been for Jesus, I would not have been helped in so many wonderful ways. Jesus is what ties us all together. Jesus is what we have in common. A Yankee can feel so welcome and accepted by people in the South, because of Jesus. A republican can eat a meal with a democrat and not be disgusted with each other because we both love Jesus and we love each other.

Are you a helper in the kingdom? Do you step up and make a visiting preacher feel accepted?  Would you have helped Paul? Phoebe, a servant of the church, a helper of many. If that could be said of us, we are doing something right.

Roger