I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. 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.
Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus. In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches. 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. Give my greetings to Mary, who has worked so hard for your benefit. 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. Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.
Greet Apelles, a good man whom Christ approves. And give my greetings to the believers from the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet the Lord’s people from the household of Narcissus. Give my greetings to Tryphena and Tryphosa, the Lord’s workers, and to dear Persis, who has worked so hard for the Lord. Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me.
Give my greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who meet with them. Give my greetings to Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and to Olympas and all the believers who meet with them. Greet each other with a sacred kiss. All the churches of Christ send you their greetings. (Romans 16:1-16 (NLT)
I expect most people either skip over or skim through the end of epistles with all the greetings. But if the Word of God is inspired and able to equip us for God's service (2 Tim 3:16-17), then we need to take a closer look at these greetings. What can we learn from them?
Long, long ago, in a world without mobile phones and the world-wide-web, people wrote letters and talked to each other face to face. This might be hard to imagine for some people, but it's true!
These greetings were more than courteous gestures, they were testimonies and acknowledgements. Sometimes there were warnings or exhortations, but mostly they were words of encouragement. All of them remind us of the nature of the early church.
One singular element of the early church that is still sought today was their sense of community. They had a bond of fellowship through their common relationship with Jesus, their Lord and Savior.
The church was a large, spread out community that had this one common bond—Jesus. It was like extended family. Paul knew what they knew—people are the most important element of community.
People united by their relationship with Jesus were the heartbeat of the church. Not its leaders, nor its organizational infrastructure, but their relationship with one another through Jesus. ©Word-Strong_2016