Impact of Relationships with Practical People

Isa 60:1  “Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
Isa 60:2  “For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you.
Isa 60:3  “Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.
Isa 60:4  “Lift up your eyes round about and see; They all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, And your daughters will be carried in the arms.
Isa 60:5  “Then you will see and be radiant, And your heart will thrill and rejoice; Because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, The wealth of the nations will come to you.

Rom 16:1  I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea;
Rom 16:2  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.
Rom 16:3  Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,
Rom 16:4  who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles;
Rom 16:5  also greet the church that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia.
Rom 16:6  Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.
Rom 16:7  Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
Rom 16:8  Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.
Rom 16:9  Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys my beloved.
Rom 16:10  Greet Apelles, the approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus.
Rom 16:11  Greet Herodion, my kinsman. Greet those of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord.
Rom 16:12  Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, workers in the Lord. Greet Persis the beloved, who has worked hard in the Lord.
Rom 16:13  Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine.
Rom 16:14  Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brethren with them.
Rom 16:15  Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.
Rom 16:16  Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

Transforming Power Statements:

1) The Old Testament prophesied the time when Gentile Salvation would become pervasive and spoke on the magnitude of the relationships that would be developed when the knowledge of God’s Good News would be widely publicized.

2) Based on the names of most of the people Paul greets in this chapter, it can be understood that many were the members of the Churches of that time were Gentiles and that Paul’s calling to serve the Gentiles was working out tremendously.

3) As we see Paul speak as it were across to people and not down, we can come to see that the impact of relationships with practical people were of the utmost of importance , and were quite different than previous relationships that were formed with the practical people than with other so called “religious leaders” of that time.