I Am What I Give Away

In the master there is a servant, in the servant a master.

Marcus T. Cicero (c. 106-43 BC, Roman orator, politician)

Romans 16:1-2

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchreae. So you should welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever matter she may require your help. For indeed she has been a benefactor of many—and of me also. (HCSB)

This has been a verse that I think has given cause to many to read it quickly and skip over any kind of scrutiny. But, if I read this right, Paul is recommending Phoebe as a servant, or if you will a deaconess of the church in Cenchreae. Which, by the way, is the meaning of the word in the Greek, Deacon translates to the word “servant.”

Jesus gave us direction to understand this better while He sojourned here, and I will give that to you and let you reach your own understanding. Jesus said in Matt 20:26-28 “It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many.”

If I hear Jesus correctly then the positions I can obtain here and their rewards are these; I can be a servant and be great, and if I want to be first among the greatest, I can be a slave. I think that turns our thinking upside down on what it is that we can best achieve while we are here. Our worth is not determined by what we obtain, but by what we give away…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William

Peace I Give Unto You

To be glad of life, because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars; to be satisfied with your possessions, but not contented with yourself until you have made the best of them; to despise nothing in the world except falsehood and meanness, and to fear nothing except cowardice; to be governed by your admirations rather than by your disgusts; to covet nothing that is your neighbor's except his kindness of heart and gentleness of manners; to think seldom of your enemies, often of your friends, and every day of Christ; and to spend as much time as you can, with body and with spirit, these are little guideposts on the footpath to peace.

Henry Van Dyke (1852--1933, American protestant clergyman and writer)

Romans 15:33 (HCSB)

The God of peace be with all of you. Amen.

It is easy to pass by this ending verse and not see what Paul is communicating to those he loves, and has taken the time to write to. I mean, come on, do you remember the letter writing days, it took a lot to make us sit down and write our thoughts on a piece of paper to someone. It was a task that my Grandmother took seriously though, and she did it often.

I still have those words, written in her own defining hand that, to this day, still brings me encouragement, peace and good memories. This small verse is wrapping up all that Paul has said in the whole of chapter 15, and beginning the start of the final chapter of this letter to the Romans. What was his whole purpose of this letter? It was peace, for everyone.

So how do we keep this peace, look at Paul’s ending of 2 Cor 13:11-12, “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Be restored, be encouraged, be of the same mind, be at peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.” Here are the keys, rejoicing, restoring and encouraging each other, and being of the same mind, will bring peace. It will cause all of the saints to rejoice with us…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

The Power of The Assembled Church

I have never seen a man who could do real work except under the stimulus of encouragement and enthusiasm and the approval of the people for whom he is working.

Charles M. Schwab (1862-1939, American industrialist, businessman)


Romans 15:30-32
Now I implore you, brothers, through the Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to agonize together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf: that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, and that, by God’s will, I may come to you with joy and be refreshed together with you. (HCSB)

There is something so special about being together with the body of Christ. We shouldn’t miss that here in Paul’s letters to the church in Rome. Paul has asked for prayers for a completion of his mission to the Jerusalem church, and now he is asking that as he leaves there and approaches them in Rome that they would begin refreshing prayer.

Paul knows the power of the assembled body of Jesus Christ and he knows that when the church is together it is an awesome force. He is asking for the church to pray for his heart to be filled with the Joy of the Glory of the Lord, so that when he reaches them there, they will together be strengthened and refreshed in the Assembled Church, The Body of Christ.

Watching preachers on TV is ok, but the real power and strength comes when Christians are assembled together. Too many people sit at home on Sunday and miss this power, simply because they are spiritually lazy. They sadly have no time for God, until their lives fall apart, and they are in need. Let us agree to take hold of every opportunity that we have to receive the power of the Assembled Body of Christ…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William