I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.5 Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.10 Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them.15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord’s people who are with them.16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.
I recently had an encounter in the new Sunday School class I am going to. A man was talking about a trip to Nairobi with Calvary Road ministries where someone's passport was stolen and the person had a hard time leaving. I had a similar experience in Nairobi with Calvary Road, and it forced me to ask the awkward question, "Was I on that trip with you?" I wasn't but still to have to ask that when we would have been co-laboring in a far-off country for the sake of Christ shows just how inwardly focused I am and how my fellowship and interpersonal skills are lacking. In my defense, I have been on about 30 mission trips and it's hard to remember, but here, Paul is writing to a Church he has never been to and mentions 28 people by name because he has co-labored with him. I tend to see Paul as lacking in people skills like me, but obviously he has mastered the art of deep relationships in the midst of service despite his own inadequacies.
And then, over the years, I have heard people say - and maybe you're one of them, "I attended that Church for a year and nobody even knew my name!" That isn't their fault! We all need to jump in and start serving for the advancement of the gospel and then you will know people's names, and they will know yours.
Lastly, not to take this passage too far out of its cultural context but I think there is another lesson to be learned. I have developed some friends over the years while attending church and for one reason or another, we no longer attend the same church. Recently I ran into one of those guys and he told me that he and another guy are attending a men's Bible Study at another evangelical church in town on Tuesday nights. I may just go show up because we are all in this together, right? Paul felt close to this church he had never attended because it was filled with fellow believers he knew. Do you feel comfortable doing things with other churches in your vicinity for the fellowship of the saints or are you an "us or them" mentality?
Jesus' last prayer in John 17 prayed that we might be one and have total unity. If that was on His heart "going down the stretch", don't you think it's extremely important to have the kind of fellowship that Paul is talking about here? Take it seriously!
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