Romans 16:1-16 - Corps - June 11,1980
ROMANS 16:1-16 June 11, 1980 This section in Romans 16 shows the great love of the Apostle Paul for people, and there is some very, very exciting things in the opening section through verse 16, which I expect to cover tonight, men and women who contributed and blessed the Apostle Paul’s life who helped to move the Word. To have their names appear in the record of God’s Word is very significant because God does not spin His wheels having holy men of God to record people who were way out in left field, who didn’t help to move the Word, unless it is for an illustration that they got bombed out and the Adversary took real good care of them. Romans 16:1 “commend” – to recommend, like you would write a letter of recommendation for someone “Phebe” – the radiant one; a real interesting name I’d like for all the Corps at all the locations to go to work to see how many of you can really work out these names and find the meaning of the names that we’re going to cover tonight in Romans 16. You’ll have to figure out how you are going to do it, whether as individuals or as groups. I would like to see the results of your findings made available to me. “Phebe” – feminine of phoebus, which is also the same name as “Apollo,” the Greek sun god. That is why the word means radiant, brilliant like the sun. “servant” – diakonos. from this word, we get the English word deaconess. In the Protestant Church, you have people called deaconesses from this word diakonos. The Romans Catholics call them nuns. This woman Phebe is the only woman in the New Testament who is called a diakonos. There may have been others, of course, but this is the only one that is named. The masculine side is the word doulos, servant, meaning one serving God, a slave for God, one marked out. The best I understand diakonos is one who quickly, with detailed attention, serves as a doulos, one of sterling quality. That’s quite a record for this woman Phebe, one who is a slave for God, one who is marked out for God. She is
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be an intended contrast here in the Apostle’s use of the word “labour” to describe their service.” I thought that was very interesting from that archaeological finding. Romans 16:16 “holy kiss” – not a passionate one; Again, I know what the commentaries say and I just by- pass it. They say that no man ever greeted a woman in oriental culture like that. I don’t believe that. I believe Christianity was a revolutionary thing. I believe Jesus Christ was the greatest revolutionary the world has ever seen. That’s why I believe neither Jew nor Greek, neither bond nor free, all of that, I believe that the thing that happened in the early church was about the same thing I see happening among Way believers. We say, God bless, we love you. We hug our people and kiss them. I think that is exactly this scripture. Salute one another with an holy kiss, which means bless you. I believe this is how the e