Romans 16 verses 1 through 2. These are God's words. I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the church in Synchrae, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints and assist her in whatever business she has need of you. for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also." So far the reading of God's inspired and inerrant word. Here's a woman who's coming to the church at Rome. Her name is Phoebe and It is perhaps this woman who is actually carrying the letter that Paul is sending. That is probably indicated by her being listed first. And not just with greetings, but commendation. So this lady, Phoebe, who is coming to them, he is commending to them, endorsing them in the letter so that when she carries it and they open it up and they see the letter in Tertius's hand, which is probably known to them, with all of these greetings on behalf of Paul, authenticating it. So Paul also now authenticates Phoebe, as it were, as the carrier of the letter. But he also tells them to assist her in whatever business she has need of. And he gives many reasons for their assistance. First, she is our sister. I commend to you, Phoebe, our sister. One of the reasons we help one another is because of the relationship that God has brought us into with one another. As Christians, we are brothers and sisters, and of course you ought to do anything for your sister in particular. Sisters are particular treasures of a family, and as a family with five sisters, we have many treasures. but they are ones who are to be cared for and protected and helped. And that extends now to the family of God. So one, she's a sister. Second, she is a servant of the church in Sincre. This is a feminine form, diakonon, of the word that when it's used of the deacon office, it's used in the masculine, but It's also a generic word for servant or minister. And the most recent place that it was used, just three verses ago, up in verse 31 of chapter 15, was of Paul's service there. It was the verb form, his serving for Jerusalem, that he was asking them to pray would be acceptable to the saints. But whether it is the Apostle Paul or an unordained woman, Phoebe, everyone should be a servant of the Church. Someone who is writing a note for you to carry with you as you visit a new church ought to be able to say of you they're a servant of the Church at Hopewell. There should not be such a thing as peripheral members. Every member should be a servant. And those who have late have tried to make this an ordained The office I actually take away from this parallel between verse 31 of chapter 15 and verse 1 of chapter 16 and the fact that we should all be servants of the church where we are. So she's not just a sister in name, she's a sister also in character. She serves. Third, we're not just in relation to one another as brother and sister in the church. She's not only a servant of the church, but we are also joined to one another in the Lord. And if she's a servant of the church, she's a servant of the Lord. And so their receiving her is not only receiving her as a sister and receiving her as a servant, but receiving her in the Lord. And so here's another reason we should help one another. Because of our union with Christ, Jesus says, even a cup of cold water given to one who belongs to him in his name will not be forgotten, will be rewarded by him. Fourth, because of who they are and who she is as far as distinction from the world and consecration unto God. He says that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints. Remember who you are, remember the holiness of who you are and who she is, the way that we receive one another, the way that we help one another. should take into account that we are holy and we should serve people in a way that shows the holiness of our calling. And if it's a believer, they are holy and you should serve and help that believer in a way that demonstrates their holiness here as a holy person. We should receive them and serve them as a holy person. And then finally, as a repayment, as we continually increase our obligations to one another, and others continually increase our obligation to them in the church, as we keep paying back. It says, assist her in whatever business she has need of you. Oh, actually, we should probably have a fifth one there. She has need. If God gives her need, this is providentially provided by God as an opportunity for others to meet that need. Neediness is a call to help because we don't see neediness merely as a consequence of whatever instrumental means. the need came from. In this case, the need is because she's gonna be out of town, she's gonna be not with her home church, not with her home people, and she will have need. Well, need can arise through all sorts of various providence, but they all arise through providence. And so in the fifth place, her need is a providential assignment, and when some business that she has causes a need to arise, they are to assist her in that. So finally, sixth, this idea of repayment. She has been a helper of many, and she is coming, of course, and giving the letter to the church, and so she's a help to them, but even She has been a help to the Apostle Paul as well, and so taking care of her helps to repay, as it were, Paul's debt. As we help one another and are helped by one another, we increase this being bound to one another through giving back and forth so that the obligation feels increased over time, the connection is increased over time. And so many reasons to serve one another, to help one another, to receive, welcome one another in this little two verse passage and how we should desire that we would heed this passage so that we would end up being able to be described the way the apostle describes Phoebe, and of course bring glory to our Lord. So may the Lord give you not to be resentful of service or reluctant to serve, but may he give you eagerness to serve others for these six reasons that we find here in this little passage. May he make us all servants of our church and family in the Lord and united to Him and responding rightly to our consecration and other believers' consecration, responding rightly to needs that arise in God's providence, and repaying one another for the help that the Lord has given us and others through them. Let's pray. Father, thank you for this portion of your Word and for how sweetly and thoroughly and richly it instructs us in our life of service with one another. We pray that by your Spirit writing the truths of these two verses on our hearts, we would become a family, a household of those who are full of service to one another and to others, especially in your church. And we do pray for the preaching in the coming midweek meeting, that you would use that preaching to do this in our congregation as a whole. even more than you have already done. We thank you, Lord, for the various servants, even one by the example name. We bless your name, O God, for the way you have worked in us and among us, and we pray that it might continue into the glory of Christ and your glory in him. In his name we pray. Amen.