Those who serve together

[Romans 16:21-23]

Dr. Paul J. Meyer, whose life goal was to earn tens of millions of dollars and share all that money, as a millionaire who proved 'God gives more to those who give', wrote a book titled “25 Keys for Success” (Internet).  In the book, Dr. Meyer, deals with the topic of 'heritage' based on Christian insight.  In this book, which is a compilation of 50 years of faith and practice know-how, heritage includes everything we do, say, think, and plan.  And he is asking in what form to leave a legacy that anyone can choose and nurture to future generations.  Ultimately, it is a book that not only motivates useful methodologies to leave a good legacy, but also serves as a valuable guideline for those who want to live a spiritually rich life.  Saying 'serving is good business', it offers seven guidelines for service: (1) Provide, (2) Protect, (3) Respect, (4) Trust, (5) Suggest direction, (6) Train, and (7) Think of people before products.  As I read and read these 7 guidelines, I thought about what and how I should do as I applied them to our church and to the leaders who serve the church with me:

• I must pay special attention to our church leaders and help them to build a group of people with a Christ-centered vision.
• I must not cease to pray for the spiritual protection of our church leaders.
• I must respect our church leaders so that they can commit with more confidence and creativity.
• I must commit to trusting our church leaders by trusting God.
• I must plant the goals and vision of our church in the minds of our church leaders.
• I must faithfully train our church leaders.
• I must think of church people before church programs.

As I applied these 7 things to our church, I also thought about what kind of church our church should be.  It was that our church leaders, together with all church members, humbly and faithfully serve the church, which is the body of the Lord, with one mind and one will, so that the whole church should become a serving church.

                In today's text, Romans 16:21-23, we see Paul's greetings to the church in Rome from those who were with him in Corinth.  Looking at the list of these people, I thought about what kind of people they were who served the Lord with Paul, and I thought about what kind of people they were, or what kind of people they should be, who served our church community with me.  I have divided people into 5 categories:

                First, those who served the Lord with Paul were "my fellow worker."

                Look at Romans 16:21a – “Timothy, my fellow worker, ….”  Last Sunday, during the farewell sermon by the assistant pastor of our church, I heard that Timothy was the spiritual son of Paul.  The basis for that statement is 1 Timothy 1:2 and 2 Timothy 1:2.  In those verses, Paul refers to Timothy as “Timothy my true son in the faith” (1 Tim. 1:2) or “Timothy, my dear son” (2 Tim. 1:2).  Paul refers to this spiritual son as “my fellow worker” in Romans 16:23.  In other words, Paul is referring to Timothy, his spiritual son, as a co-worker with him.  Then, what kind of person was Timothy, the spiritual son who worked for the Lord along with Paul?  In a word, he was 'a man with sincere faith'.  Look at 2 Timothy 1:5 – “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”  Like his mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois, Timothy had “sincere faith” in his heart.  What kind of faith is sincere faith here?  That faith is sincere faith, faith without hypocrisy, faith that is not fake.  Interestingly, the meaning of the name “Timothy” is “God's treasure” (Park).  Indeed, Timothy, a fellow worker of Paul, was the man with precious sincere faith just like his name.  It is a great blessing from God to serve the church, the body of the Lord, with such precious man of faith.

                Personally, when I think of Pastor Ham, who was the assistant pastor of our church, I think of him as a true believer like Timothy.  I think his faith is sincere faith without hypocrisy.  Therefore, I believe that serving Victory Presbyterian Church community, the body of the Lord, with Pastor Ham for about 5 years was a blessing from God.  Now that Pastor Ham has left, I am praying that God will send such a faithful fellow worker to our church.  Not only that, but I hope that all leaders of our church's Korean, English, and Hispanic ministries will be raised as men of sincere faith like Timothy.  Then, when the fellow workers of Victory Presbyterian Church serve the church, the saints who are served also believe that the Lord will establish them as people with sincere faith.  Furthermore, just as Timothy's sincere faith was passed on from his maternal grandmother, Lois, to his mother, Eunice, and thus to Timothy, I hope and pray that the sincere faith of all church members continues to be passed on to us, our children, and our children's children.

                Second, those who served the Lord with Paul were “my relatives.”

                Look at Romans 16:21b – “…  sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my relatives.”  Paul lists the names of those who greeted the Roman church saints, referring to his fellow worker Timothy, as well as Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, as “my relatives.”  Whom is he referring to by “my relative”?  If we say “my relatives,” we may think of family, relatives, and family members.  However, the “relatives” that Paul is talking about in today's text are not certain, but almost all commentators say that he refers to Paul's countrymen, the Jews.  Of these Jewish Christians, Paul's fellow countrymen, we cannot know for sure whom Lucius was.  We are not sure whether he refers to Luke, the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, or to “Lucius,” the prophet and teacher of the Antioch church in Acts 13:1-3.  However, through the Bible, we can find out who the “Jason” and “Sosipater” Paul is talking about are.  A man named “Jason” was one of the first converts in Thessalonica and, in Acts 17:5-10, he invited Paul to his house and served him.  And the man named “Sosipater”, in Acts 20:4-6, is Sopater (a short form of “Sosipater”), the son of Pyrrhus, a Berean, who was a person who received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true (17:11).  These two were not only close friends to each other, but also very close friends to Paul (MacArthur).

                The relationship of fellow workers I personally pursue is a friendship of mutual trust in the Lord.  Because I trust God, I want to serve the church, the body of the Lord, with such fellow workers who are committed to trust in each other and build friendships as friends in the Lord.  I want to serve the church with one heart and one mind, sharing intimate fellowship in the Lord by opening the doors of each other's hearts and inviting each other into each other's hearts instead of just inviting each other to our homes.  In doing so, we are pursuing a relationship of fellow workers who can truly feel the fact that we are one family in the Lord.  It is to pursue a relationship with such a fellow worker who knows that we are one family in the Lord, transcending culture and language, even if we are not the same compatriots, that is, Koreans or Americans.  In that respect, I think God has established the relationship between Pastor Gomez and me in our Hispanic Ministry.  God made us believe that we are one family in the Lord and serve the Victory Presbyterian Church community together as friends in the Lord.  I think one of the reasons that made this happen was when Pastor Gomez and his wife were kicked out of their house a few years ago, they stayed at our house for about 3 months and made us feel that way.

                Our victory community is one family in the Lord.  Those in the Korean ministry, our children in the English ministry, and those in the Hispanic ministry, we are all one family in the Lord.  Therefore, when we serve the church, the body of the Lord, we must serve as one family.  By any chance, if some of you still think that Victory Presbyterian Church is a family church and that it is the church of me and my relatives as the senior pastor, then you who think that way must go beyond it.  You must look at our Victory Community with the Word-centered perspective by receiving the Word of God with an earnest heart and examining the Scripture every day to see if this is so, like Sosipater the Berean.  You must realize that the purpose of the existence of the physical family and relatives who serve with me in the church is also the church, which is the body of the Lord.  Then, the entire church will be able to serve the church with one mind and one will as one family in the Lord.

                Third, those who served the Lord with Paul were ‘my secretary.’

                Look at Romans 16:22 – “I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.”  Looking at this verse, we may think that the book of Romans was written by a man named Tertius, although we have known that Paul wrote it.  But what we need to know here is that Tertius was just a man who dictated what Paul said.  In a word, a man named Tertius was the secretary or amanuensis of the apostle Paul.  In verse 22, we see him himself greeting the Roman church saints.  Just as the sister Phoebe, who was a member of the Church of Cenchrea in Romans 16:1, had the privilege of delivering Paul's letter to the Romans to the saints of the church in Rome, Tertius enjoyed the privilege of transcribing the letter of Romans instead of Paul.

                I believe that Tertius, Paul's secretary or amanuensis in Romans 16:22, was a privileged person.  The reason I think so is because God the Holy Spirit was able to ghostwrite Romans, the holy word of God that God wanted to write through Paul.  In other words, I think this is an amazing privilege that Tertius was used as the Lord’s tool to write the book of Romans, the word of God.  Just imagine.  What do you think if you and I were born in Paul's time and became Paul's secretaries (amanuensis) and wrote one of Paul's letters?  If it was me, I think I would have received grace by dictating Paul's words.  Especially in the Book of Romans, Paul spoke under the theme of the gospel, and as I dictated those words, I think I might have received grace and experienced the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  And furthermore, wouldn't I have been filled with gratitude and excitement when I thought that God used someone like me as Paul's secretary (amanuensis) to write the letter to the Romans, and that the gospel of Jesus Christ would be delivered to many people through the letters to the Romans?  Perhaps that is why I personally meditate on the Word of God, write it down, and post it on the church website or on my personal websites.  And some meditations on the Word, I share with many people through e-mail.  Although the words I write and meditate on are very lacking, I am enjoying the blessing of joy and gratitude that comes when I meditate on and write down the words that God the Holy Spirit gives me to understand and share with other brothers and sisters in Christ.  Perhaps that is why I personally hope that my fellow workers and church leaders who work with me will write down and share the grace they received while meditating on the Word of God.  Of course, I don't think this is absolutely necessary.  But since I believe that writing can be used as a precious tool for God, I would like to recommend that you write what you have meditated on the Word and share with others.  I hope and pray that all of you and I will become the secretary of God the Holy Spirit and share the Word of God.

                Fourth, those who served the Lord with Paul were ‘my host.’

                Look at Romans 16:23a – “Gaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you ….”  The person Paul is referring to here, “Gaius, host,” was a person who entertained not only Paul but also the whole church, and it seems that the church gathered in his house (MacArthur).  And scholars presume that Gaius was one of the people who received Jesus when Paul preached the gospel in Corinth and was baptized by Paul (1 Cor. 1:14) (MacArthur).  Scholars also speculate that Gaius was “Titius Justus, a worshiper of God” who lived in the house next to the synagogue (Acts 18:7).  Then his full name would be Gaius Titius Justus (MacArthur).

                When I think of this host, Gaius, I think there must be people who treat others well among those who serve the church, which is the body of the Lord.  In other words, the church needs workers with the gift of service who open their hearts and homes and enjoy serving people.  There must never be a person like “Diotrephes” in 3 John 9 in the church community.  Diotrephes was a man who loved to be first in the church, and not only refused to entertain his brothers, but also forbade those who did so and drove them out of the church (vv. 9, 10).  If such a person is in the church, we will not be able to serve the church, which is the body of the Lord.  However, if there are people in the church who have received precious gift of contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality (Rom. 12:13), we will be able to reveal the glory of the Lord with one heart and one mind in serving the church.

                Fifth, those who served the Lord with Paul were “the city treasurer.”

                Look at Romans 16:23b – “…  Erastus, the city treasurer greets you and Quartus, the brother.”  Here, the person “Erastus” was the treasurer of the city of Corinth, that is, the person in charge of the treasurer of the city of Corinth.  Therefore, he was an important and high-ranking person in the city of Corinth.  When I thought of the fact that a person of great importance and high position in the city of Corinth served the Lord together with Paul, I thought of the prophets and teachers of the Antioch church in Acts 13:1.  The reason is because even among the leaders of the church in Antioch, there was someone in a high position.  She was a woman named Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch.  Considering the fact that these nobles served the Gentile Antioch church together with Paul, and Erastus, who was in an important and high position in the city of Corinth served with Paul (Rom. 16:22, I think that various workers served the church together in the Lord.  And I think it's beautiful that these diverse people have become one in the Lord and served the Lord together.  Regardless of whether or not we have a high position in the world, if we all serve the church humbly with one heart and one mind as those who serve the church, how beautiful is this service? 

                There is no high or low in the Lord.  People in the world judge people by standards such as high status, education, fame, etc., but this is not the case in the church, which is the body of the Lord.  From God's standards, all of us who have become sinners are only those who have been saved by God's grace.  And those who receive and enjoy the grace of salvation cannot put themselves forward and serve the church with arrogance.  Rather, we have no choice but to serve the church humbly like Jesus.  Then, when various workers become one in the Lord and serve the church, it will be a beautiful service in God's eyes.

                We are those who serve the Lord together as members of the church, which is the body of the Lord.  Although each of us has different gifts, different cultures and languages, and different worldly positions, we must all serve the Lord with one heart and one mind.  Also, as fellow workers in the Lord and members of one spiritual family, we must strive to treat each other with sincere faith and to share the word of God.  Therefore, through our service together, the church is fully established, and eventually the kingdom of God must be established.