Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Romans 16 and Psalm 112

Paul had not yet visited Rome when he wrote this letter, and yet he was able to greet quite a number of Roman Christians and their households by name. That’s because many of the people he had led to Christ during his missionary journeys had ended up in Rome and were now active in the Christian community there. They had done for others what Paul had done for them. They had shared the Gospel boldly, led others to Christ, and had continued to gather with one another in what were essentially ‘house churches’.

Some had ended up there purely because Rome was the centre of the Empire, and anyone engaged in any sort of business would be attracted to the great City. All roads led to Rome, after all. But others would appear to have gone there specifically to spread the Gospel. People like Phoebe (v.1), Priscilla and Aquilla (v.3), Mary (v.6), and Urbanus (v.9) are described in ways that imply that they were in Rome for some deliberate purpose of ministry. Most fascinating to me personally are Andronicus and Junia, who were Christian Jews like Paul. They had known Christ before Paul was converted, had been imprisoned alongside Paul at some point, and were highly regarded among the apostles (v.7).

Because Paul was such a prominent apostle and so much of the New Testament is written about his ministry (Acts) or by him (like the Letter to the Romans), we tend to think of him as one of a handful of heroes of the early Church. Yet Andronicus and Junia were an otherwise unknown Christian couple who, just like Paul, had also been serving Christ bravely and spreading the Gospel even when their ministry caused them to be imprisoned. And there were many, many others just like them. Even today, the true heroes of global Christianity are not the big names on big stages under bright lights; they are ordinary, unheralded believers who share the Gospel and serve the Lord’s people – quietly, bravely and selflessly – going about their ministries with no fuss and no fanfare. They are the true heroes of the faith.

Life application: Prayerfully seek to share the Good News of Jesus today, right where you are, with those in your normal sphere of influence. Tell them what the Lord has done, and bear witness to His kindness and grace.