Somebody want to read it? 1 Thessalonians 3.8 I'll read. 1 Thessalonians 3.8 For now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord. It's kind of very brief. And simple. But it's really beautiful. He's kind of referring back to verse 7. Do you want to read verse 7? Yeah, sure. For this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction, we were comforted about you through your faith. So, Paul here is talking about the Thessalonians, and they had been going through these trials, and it was really tough on them. And he was really encouraged, he says in verse 7 about the Thessalonians, even though they had been going through great trials and testings, that they persevered. And he says, to me, the most beautiful thing in verse 8, that I think helps us understand, or is consistent with Romans 16, he goes, for now, another translation says, now we really live if you stand fast in the Lord. And so, the interesting thing about this is that some people How would you feel like you're really alive? And so people say, oh, if I'm skydiving out of a plane, or if I'm skiing, or if I'm a bungee jumping off a bridge. So there's all these things. People would say, wow, if I was doing this, oh, man, that's really living. And all those things are good. It's fun to do all those things. You're camping out, whatever you like to do. But to me, this was really encouraging. Because Paul said to him, as a leader in the church, serving God, he felt really alive, had real joy, when the Christians in Thessalonica were persevering. This I think really ties into Romans 16. The point is, when we serve the Lord, Whatever we do, if you're a Sunday school teacher, or cleaning up, or witnessing, or reading the Bible, or praying, it's like Paul's saying, you're really living. To me it's beautiful. Sometimes I get discouraged because I'm so busy. I'll do some stuff, you know, for the church, and I say, wow, you know, I'd be happy to do that. I'd like to do some of this other stuff. And eventually, you know, sometimes the busy times they pass, and you get to do some things that are really fun. But in a sense, he's saying here, real life, real joy, this found thing. building the kingdom of God and being with God's people. So I don't know, that was just really, really encouraging to me. I wanted to share it before we went into Romans 16. So are there any comments on that? Okay, so let's look at Romans 16. So in here we'll go ahead and read verses 1 to 15. Can Rebecca read maybe verse 1? It's a really difficult word. In fact, I had my granddaughter read it. I come in to view our sister, Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at that you receive her in the Lord in the manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever manner she may need of you. For she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well. We praise God and applaud my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. Verse 4. Who risked their neck for my life, to whom Not only I give thanks, but all the church, for the Gentile, give thanks as well. Also greet the church that is in their house. Greet Epinidas, my beloved, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia. Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. Greetings to John, Chris, and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been imprisoned with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. Greek appeals the prude in Christ. Greek those who are of the household of Aristopoulos. Greek Herodian my kinsmen. Greek those the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. Greet those who have worked hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother in mind. Greek Ascendant Critias, Quirion, Hermes, Vashobis, Hermas, and the Brethren with them. Greek Fellow August, Julian, Naomius, and his sister in Olympus, and all the Lord's people who are with them. And this passage here, Paul, mentions 24 different people. And so it's really beautiful to me to see, wow, this guy, Paul, he just has this wonderful relationship with all these people. But I also think it's kind of interesting, too. So of the 24 people here, these are people in the Church of Rome, and he never went to the church of Rome. So he wrote the book of Romans and Corinth about 57 A.D. and then finally in 63 A.D. he was in prison and went to Rome as a prisoner and ultimately died there. When he was there as a prisoner before he was martyred he probably met some of the Christians in the church of Rome because they visited him but apparently he was kind of at house arrest. So some of these people he knew because apparently they traveled from Rome to Corinth or the other cities that he was in over the years because he had his three missionary journeys and some of them would come out. But the other people, I guess he knew about their testimony at the Church of Rome from the people he talked with and all that. And some of it, I think, I can't really prove it, but I have this gut level feeling that he just, the Holy Spirit, he'd hear about somebody and he just would have a sense in his heart and his spirit, wow, this brother is really going, beloved of the Lord, a choice man in God, really works hard for the Lord. So it's really, really beautiful. And you can just see Paul's, I mean, if we were writing a letter, I don't know how many of us could write a letter and mention twenty-four people. We probably could in a sense. Aunt Matilda, Aunt Isabel, Uncle Steve, or whatever, you could do that. But it's really, really beautiful, all the connections that Paul had, all the relationship. And again, to me it's really beautiful. As we walk with Jesus, as we lay down our life for the Lord and serve God, we can have relationship in the church with other people, and it's beautiful, and God does some beautiful things through all that. So in verse 1, he talks about Phoebe, our sister, and apparently she was going to the church at Rome to do some business there, so she was going to be there a while. And I guess he and she had greatly served the church, I guess, where he was at, I guess, of the church of Chancery, which is near Corinth, the Corinthian church. And he says, hey, just when she's there, please receive her in the Lord in verse one, you help her out. And so, but again, we see because it says, receive her in the Lord worthy of the saints. I guess she'd help Paul also. So this is really beautiful. Verse 2 says that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in any business she has need of you, And indeed, she has been a helper of many, and of myself also. So this lady, Phoebe, just was a great servant of the Lord. And again, as we look at all these peoples mentioned here, we should encourage just saying, hey, God, help me have this type of testimony. When other Christians will think about me, will mention me, they'd have a good testimony of my life. Because that's where it's at. I think it's just a wonderful thing to serve the Lord. Now Phoebe, she had a pagan idol name, but she didn't change it. She just said, well, I'm saved, I'm walking with Jesus, and even though I've got an idol-worshipping name, I'm just moving on. So that's kind of neat. And again, he called her a servant, which is really beautiful that she just was happy to lay down her life for the church to help build the kingdom of God in the church in Centuria near Corinth. So that's very, very beautiful. Okay, so looking at verses 3 and 4, This is really interesting with Priscilla and Aquila. Paul says, you know, greet them in verse 3. My fellow workers in Christ Jesus. And so Paul had come in contact with them in Acts 18, 1-3 in a very interesting way. So they were in Rome, apparently they were They had a tent making business in Rome. And Claudius, who was the emperor at that time, he said, I've had it with all these Jewish people. And he kicked them all out. So all the Jewish people were kicked out of Rome, which included Priscilla and Aquila. And then so they went to Corinth. And in Acts 18, 1 to 3, guess who they come in contact with? Paul. And so they cultivated a relationship, and it's possibly that they got saved by Paul. Or they could have known him. They could have known the Lord before them. We don't know. But some people believe that they became Christians from Paul. So it's hard to say. But they had this relationship, they knew each other, and it was great. And God was behind it all. You know, he had the emperor said, okay, all the Jews out of Rome got to go. And then Priscilla went to Corinth and met Paul and they became friends. And they served in the ministry together. So, so that's really neat. Then verse four. Can somebody read verse four nice and loud? And he was from my life, raised their own next to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches, the Gentiles. So again, they were kicked out of Rome and then they did this. Whatever this was, we don't know. But when we think about somebody risking their necks, what comes to your mind? Somebody risked their necks for your life? They went out of their way to keep you from dying. And so I guess whatever they did, to help Paul, I guess they could have died and Paul could have died, but God was gracious and when they went out of their way to help Paul, Paul was saved from death and God preserved them. So very, very beautiful testimony here. And Paul said, you know, he was grateful. And was there somebody else who was grateful after Aquila and Priscilla risked their necks to help Paul? What's the next part of the verse? Other than Paul, was there somebody else who was grateful for them sticking out their necks? Anybody can say that? All the rest of the churches. And also for us, too, because Paul wrote a lot of the books in the New Testament, so it could have been in Acts 19, there was this mob that had formed that were all ready to kill Paul. And fortunately the town clerk intervened from Paul getting killed. And maybe Aquila and Priscilla were there, we don't know. But they did something that they risked their necks so that Paul wouldn't get killed, murdered, or whatever. So very, very beautiful. And it was wonderful. So any comments on the first four verses? It's funny how NASB says Prisca, not Priscilla, but then I was looking at King James, apparently it is Priscilla. They call her, yeah, so there's different ways to translate it, I guess. So again, so again, Paul brought Priscilla and Aquila, or God brought Priscilla and Aquila to Paul, and they were just wonderful servants of the Lord, and they had a church in their house, We see here, and it's in verse 5, it says, likewise, greet the church that is in their house. So, these are just great servants of the Lord, and beautiful. And later on in the book of Acts, too, they met Apollos, and he was a very zealous preacher of the gospel, but I think it was only equated with the baptism of John, and so Aquila and Priscilla helped Apollos kind of improve his understanding of the gospel and so he became more effective for the Lord. Again, this is just a wonderful, wonderful couple. This is the church and this is what we're a part of right now. As we can pray for one another and encourage one another help each other and give, you'll be amazed what God will do. You'll see other people grow and they'll be blessed. And you'll be blessed, you know. And it's just amazing. And so I've had some really tough trials at my work. And Phil says, John, I'm praying for you. I said, oh. And then some of the trials, it's like, wow, God, you really moved in this nasty trial that was just stressing me out. And I said, wow, and Phil said he was praying for me. So you just don't know what God does. But I think the beautiful thing, I think, in these verses here, it's just, relationship in the church when we're serving the Lord, when we're living for Jesus, and trying to glorify Him and help the body of Christ. We get blessed. We change, the brethren change, and they grow as you. So last Friday, Jimmy's sister Julie taught the Good Time Learning class, so I was there helping out. I was trying to motivate the people of Good Time Learning to listen. It was neat. I was just touched at seeing her teach and all that, these kids. And they're challenging kids to teach, but it was just beautiful to see what God did. And you helped out one time, right? So you know what I'm talking about, right? So I think maybe you had better ability to, I don't know. It was just beautiful. There was this moment there where they were quiet and listening. And it's like, yeah, we had about eight minutes where we were just crazy, but now there's five minutes where Julie's sharing and they're listening. These are things that are just, you can't put a price on these things that we get to see when we serve the Lord. And then also the interesting thing, they're in verse 4, the last part of it, it says, Salute Eponidas, my beloved, who was the firstfruits of Asia unto Christ. And so, apparently that guy, again, we don't There's a possibility likely that Priscilla and Aquila were effective at sharing the gospel with Eponidas. And he was the first convert to get saved, I guess, which is like of Asia, which would be north of Greece, I guess. So that's a beautiful, beautiful thing. So in verse six, he says something very simple. We don't know anything else about this lady, but this right here, it says, Salute Mary, who bestowed much labor on you. It's beautiful. He just acknowledges your service to the Lord. It's wonderful being in the body of Christ, seeing people selflessly help one another. Josh's mom, she had wonderful testimony. I never met her, but I heard great things. And so it's neat to have people that we can know in the body of Christ, current and past, who had such a great service to the Lord. And that's really, really neat. So the Chi, great testimony. And again, it's just wonderful. Okay, so verse 7, it says, Salute Andronicus. And my kinsmen and fellow prisoners were of note among the apostles who also had been in Christ before me. So the best way to look at this verse is apparently Andronicus and Junius, they were just wonderful, dedicated servants of the Lord. They very likely got saved at Pentecost. And then they went to Rome and they likely could have been leaders in the Roman church because they got saved maybe during Peter's, we don't know but this is somebody's hypothesis, which seems likely. They could have got saved during Peter's preaching at Pentecost and been with the church there and went to Rome and found the church there. And this is part of relationship in the church as we serve the Lord together, as we grow together, pray together, help each other, because God does beautiful, wonderful things. So these guys weren't only Paul's kinsmen, fellow Jews, he had a wonderful fellowship with them in common. because apparently they both spent time in jail as prisoners for Christ, for the gospel. And so, well, that's heavy, but it's beautiful. I'm sure when they were in jail, they could have been in jail at the same jail, you know, because they're not, in the book of Acts, it probably doesn't necessarily cover all the times Paul was in jail. Or they could have been in jail in another location, and they could have met each other and they could have swapped suffering in jail for Jesus stories. So very wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. And these guys, Andronicus and Junius, they were of note among the apostles. And so they just had a wonderful testimony saying, wow, those two brothers in Rome, Wow, they serve God, and they're building the church, and they're strengthening the brethren, and it's neat. And again, this is things that are, again, you get a joy, we get a joy as we serve the Lord, that I think can't be compared to anything else in this world, as we serve Jesus, as we live for Him. And they got that commendation, you know, by the other apostles, so very, very beautiful, very wonderful. And apparently even these two guys were saved before Paul, which likely could be if they got saved with Pentecost, when Peter was preaching. Again, we don't know, but that seems possible. Is there any comments on that before we move on? Yeah, okay. So verse 8, Salute and politest my beloved in the Lord. So, anybody have any thoughts on when Paul says, my beloved Lord? What does that kind of tell us? How does he look at these people? This Christian brotherhood? Close friends and comrades. You know, and that's very touching. He says, my beloved one. Very, very beautiful. And again, by the grace of God, it's just wonderful to be in the church. Our church, we have Christian friends, Christian fellowship, and we can, you know, having our God increase our love for one another is a beautiful, wonderful, wonderful thing. Okay, so in verse nine, Paul says, Salute Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachus, my beloved. These are two guys, and apparently Urbanus, it would not have been unlikely for someone with a name like that, to have a nickname of city boy, because Urbanus is urban. You know, we don't know, but that's probably not an uncommon name for someone whose name is Urbanus, for that Greek name. And also, Stachys, a likely nickname for that guy was Earhorn. So, but just two, you know, kind of interesting. But these two guys, the first guy, Urbanus, was our fellow worker in the Lord. Sun Romi just was a servant of the Lord and it's just a beautiful thing to have that title. I guess the one thing when we look at this passage here, we believe that during those days there was very little unemployment in the church of God. So if somebody was saved, they were busy for Jesus, serving Him. At least these guys were. And that's what we hope today, that all of us can be walking with Jesus, walking in His grace and love, serving Him, and by the grace of God, being fully employed in building the church and glorifying Jesus and living for Him. So Urbanus definitely was. He was a fellow worker in Christ. And again, Stachys. Paul said, my beloved. So very, very beautiful. So saying that, verse 10. Salute Apollos, the approved in Christ. Salute them that are the household of Aristobulus. So Apollos was the approved in Christ. So likely this guy went through some really nasty terrible horrific trial and he persevered and came out victorious with a good testimony because he was the approved in Christ. That could be that. But again, to have the title from the apostle the approved in Christ is a beautiful title to have. It could likely be that. And apparently, I think everybody was familiar with his reputation. And it says, of the household of Aristobulus, that likely would mean that these were not necessarily Aristobulus, but people in his household. And which also could mean that these are the slaves of the house. And this is kind of a neat thing of the church, is that in the early church back then, You had the rich people who were saved, and you had the common people, and you had the slaves. So it's incredible, you know. And so we don't really have much, by the grace of God, we hope we don't have much slaves today. I guess there's, you know, the nasty stuff that's happening with slave human trafficking. But back then they had. I guess a third of the Roman Empire was slaves. And so a lot of churches had slaves, normal working people, and the rich. It's just kind of neat that in Christ we can have that commonality. Verse 11, Herodias, Paul calls him my kinsman, another Jewish brother we understand and he says also salute them that are of the household of Narcissus that are in the Lord and again verse 11 the household of Narcissus is likely to be the slave that were in his house the house that were saved so in verse 12 We have some ladies identified, and this was after Phoebe was in the first one or two, she was recognized. So Trithinus and Triphosa, who labored for the Lord, the first two ladies. And Persis who labored much for the Lord. So these are all three ladies, and they had a testimony of being great servants of the Lord. So, very wonderful. And so, I guess Trithianus and Trifosa, their Greek names meant dainty and delicate. So, you know, whatever, kind of a neat... Every name has a meaning, and that's what their Greek names meant. But even though their names meant dainty and delicate, Somebody said they were like iron butterflies serving God. All this grace is ladies serving the Lord, but they just moved forward and did whatever it took to serve God. They labored in the Lord, and in Persis apparently labored much in the Lord, this other lady. Again, this is how the Kingdom of God is built. All these people just doing their part in the Church of Rome, serving the Lord, and it's just wonderful. And so again, let me see, it's 12. And also it says the beloved Persis. So that's one thing I have that I didn't have. So apparently, Perseus was a great servant of the Lord, and labored for the Lord, but I guess the saints, they just loved him. It's just so beautiful. And this is what we want to have in our lives, that God help us to be an encouragement, a source of joy to other believers, that they'll be encouraged to want to serve the Lord more and more. Okay, in verse 13, Very interesting, it says greet Rufus. And a choice man. And so kind of beautiful, kind of a simple thing. But a choice man means a good man for God, one of God's men. If you said this guy was a choice man, I don't know, it's just a beautiful title that he got from his walk with the Lord. So that's really beautiful. This guy could have been related to the guy, Simon the Cyrene, who carried Jesus' cross. We don't know. Some people have conjectured that, but we just don't know. And the interesting thing is, in verse 13, Rufus, his mother, apparently was also, kind of adopted Paul. So very beautiful. We don't know, but at least she really was helpful to Paul and helped him out somehow. And again, so it's interesting, I guess she apparently was, it seemed like Rufus and his mom were in Rome, but I guess maybe she was praying for Paul and sent him things, we don't know. So it's very interesting. Again, some of these people, they traveled and Paul met them, and they went back to Rome so he knew them personally. And I think Rufus and his mom, I presume they just stayed in Rome, but he had, somehow despite this great distance from Corinth to Rome, he knew them. Maybe they sent letters, who knows? Back then I guess you could send a letter, And if he sent a letter from Rome to Corinth when he was there, that's, I don't know, a month, two months for it to go by boat or whatever. So very, very beautiful. In verse 14 it says, Salute Asyncritus, Phlygion, Hermes, Petrobus, Hermas, and the brethren that are with them. And these guys, these five people just had a great commitment to serve the Lord together. So very beautiful. Hopefully again we can all have that type of bond to serve Jesus together, to glorify Him. And also in verse 15 there's another five people. So 14 it's fantastic five, and 15 it's fantastic five groupie. And so these people, this has a group of men and women, and very, very wonderful their testimony. And we don't know them, but again, they did something for Jesus that Paul commended. And again, it should inspire us to say, God, help me have that type of testimony, live that type of life to glorify you. And apparently there was a place of burial on the Appian Way. And some of their names were, many people in this chapter's names were listed here. So that's about it. Any comments? Verse 16, greet one another with a holy kiss.