Introduction. Read Rom16v1to16

Paul's list of names in this passage is fascinating. It is remarkable that Paul should know so many. He seems to know at least some in all the house churches in Rome. There are very few churches, other than my own, where I could name a dozen.

Paul's list is very revealing. It reveals:

(1) A good strategy.

It is dehumanising to be just another number. One of the criticisms of the health and care services are that they treat people as a statistic. I think it is significant that during the last world war soldiers were given a number and sometimes referred to by their number. This is part of the dehumanising process of war.

Paul may have referred to 26 believers in Rome by name to draw attention to the church as a whole that he is known to many of them. He was not going to visit them as a total stranger!

He first met these Christians in a variety of ways. He was in prison with his relatives, Andronicus and Junias. He met others on his missionary journeys. For example, he met up with fellow leather workers, Aquila and Priscilla, in Corinth. I imagine some travelled in a group from Rome just to hear him teach in one of the churches he founded.

It is very important to know people by name. This is the first crucial step in getting to know them and building a relationship with them. During my time as a schoolteacher I never felt really comfortable with a new class until I had learned their names. The only check out girl in the supermarket in which I shop with whom I have a friendly relationship is the one who said to me one day, "Can you tell me your name? My name is Jane." I always go to her till to pay for my groceries - even if it means having to queue! There are some church leaders who, notwithstanding the size of their congregation, never forget a name. They are always able to greet folk at the door by name. What a huge asset this is and how it improves rapport with their flock.

(2) A degree of discrimination.

It is very nice to be named! Priscilla and Aquila must have been bucked to hear: All the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. Adronicus and Junias must been pleased by Paul's compliment: They are outstanding among the apostles. Even the likes of Philologus, Julia, Nereus and Olympus at least get a mention.

We like to be named! When the headmaster gives his annual review at the school prize giving some members of staff are named for their valued contribution. They are glad to get a mention. When a hockey or cricket report appears in our local paper the participants scan it to see if they are named. When I used to write a report the umpire would sometimes say, "Put a word in about me this week." I often peppered my school assemblies with references to individual children I taught. They were not all complimentary by any means. It kept them all listening! Quite often a little sprog would come up to me with the request, "Mr Reed, say something about me next time you take assembly."

It is sad and disappointing to be unnamed, unmentioned, forgotten or overlooked.

A nurse told of an occasion during her student days when her professor gave his class a short test. She said “I was a conscientious student and breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: ‘What is the first name of the woman who cleans the lecture hall?’"

I thought: “Surely this is some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.”

Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our test grade.

"Oh absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, EVEN if all you can do is smile and say hello."

The nurse said “I’ve never forgotten that lesson - and I also learned the cleaner's name was Dorothy.”

There are many in the church like that cleaner who are overlooked. Paul could not name everyone in the fellowship in Rome. Those who did not figure on his list must have felt a bit left out.

The wonderful truth is that God knows ALL his people BY NAME. The Almighty says in Is49v6: "See, I have engraved you on the palm of my hands." This is a picturesque way of saying, God know his own by name. Our name is written on his hand; he will never forget us.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd and calls his own sheep by name. Jn10v3. I find it reassuring that Jesus knows me by name. It bears testimony to the intimacy of our relationship. Moses was encouraged by the fact God knew him by name. See Ex33v12and13.

(3) The limitations of Paul's knowledge.

There are several in Paul's list of whom nothing is written save their name. They must have been unremarkable believers whose Christian service was unknown to Paul.

If we think about the 12 disciples Jesus chose there are at least three of them of whom we know next to nothing: James son Alphaeus, Thaddeus and Simon the Zealot. But Jesus chose them for a purpose. They had a role to play and their contribution, although unknown to us, is known to God.

Many unremarkable, largely anonymous Christians who may go unappreciated by their churches are not insignificant to God. No follower of Jesus is unimportant to God. All have some part to play in the Divine Economy. An anonymous supporter of Jesus provided a donkey and its colt to convey Jesus into Jerusalem in triumph. Another one provided the upper room where Jesus and his disciples celebrated the Passover.

(4) The qualities Paul valued.

Paul's comments about the various individuals in his list indicate what qualities he deemed noteworthy. They are:

(a) Hard work. Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa and Persis all worked hard in the Lord. Today a lot is made of talent, style, intellectual brilliance. Sheer hard work is undervalued. In schools there is a tendency for pupils to pity those who work their socks off. They are boring swots! In my experience little is achieved without sheer, hard work. Sir Donald Bradman, the great Australian cricketer, only became an outstanding performer through practicing, practicing and practicing. Many churches would be far more effective if the members worked harder. Worker bees are the mainstay of the hive - not the drones!

(b) Practical help. Phoebe probably took Paul's letter to Rome. She may have read it to the assembled church and answered questions about it. What is definitely true of Phoebe is what Paul wrote about her: she has been a great help to many people, including me. v2. Rufus' mother may have been the wife of Simon of Cyrene who carried the cross of Jesus. Simon is described as the father of Alexander and Rufus. It is unlikely that Mark would have mentioned these two by name unless they were well known in the early church. See Mk15v21. Paul writes of Rufus' mother: who has been a mother to me, too. I expect Paul appreciated being mothered - having someone to do his washing and mending, cooking him meals, bringing him a snack as he worked with leather. I can't say I have enjoyed much mothering lately! But what a blessing kind and helpful folk are.

(c) Hospitality. Wherever Priscilla and Aquila lived a church met in their home. Paul wrote: Greet also the church that meets in their house. Doubtless when this happened they provided a few refreshments. My brother Paul and his wife Ruth host a house group. They always end with tea and biscuits!

Hospitality is a truly significant Christian virtue. Jesus relied on the hospitality of his followers during his earthly ministry. It is one of the key requirements of an elder. See 1Tim3v2.

(d) Fortitude. Paul considered it well worth reminding the Christians at Rome that: Priscilla and Aquila risked their lives for me; Adronicus and Junias have been in prison with me; Apelles had been tested and approved in Christ.

Here is a reminder that Christians on active service may well have to endure hardship to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ. All over the world it remains the case that it takes courage to be a Christian.

(e) Affection. There are several terms of endearment in Paul's list. He refers to his dear friends Epenetus, Stachys and Persis. Ampliatus was someone he loved in the Lord. He had a soft spot for the mother of Rufus who was a mother to him also. He concludes by writing: Greet one another with a holy kiss.

Paul was an affectionate man. He wanted relationships in the church to be warm and loving. Sadly in many churches obsessed with doctrinal correctness this is far from the case.

The qualities Paul highlighted are all very important for the health of the church. This week my friend, Pastor Busby, phoned to tell me that Cecil Cousins had died. He was for many years the secretary of the Grace Baptist Church at Kesgrave in Suffolk. Cecil was also an itinerant preacher and we enjoyed his ministry at my own church at Brockley even though he invariably got lost and arrived late. He displayed many of the qualities Paul mentioned. He was a lovely, warm-hearted, self-deprecating man. He would always greet me with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. He was fully committed to the church he attended serving it faithfully for much of his life. Cecil was very kind to Pastor Busby when he took on the ministry at Kesgrave - expressing his support with such gifts as a turkey at Christmas. When a brother like Cecil is called home there is a great sense of loss.

(5) The prominent role of women.

Paul mentions 8 women in the passage under consideration. All of them are singled out for their contribution to the church. Each and every one worked hard for the Lord.

(a) Phoebe took Paul's letter to Rome. She may have read it to a gathering of the entire church there. Perhaps she even answered questions on what Paul had written. Paul would have been wise to have briefed her on the more difficult passages! Phoebe was a help to many including Paul himself. She must have often heard him teach.

(b) Priscilla is nearly always named before her husband. It seems likely that she had a prominent role in the house churches that met in her home. Paul called her along with Aquila: my fellow-workers in Christ Jesus. Together they showed the great preacher Apollos a better way. See Acts18v26. See also exposition on Heb13v22to25.

(c) Junias was probably the wife of Andronicus and related to Paul. She was one of the very early Christians and as such was probably a member of the fellowship in Jerusalem during the period her relative, Paul, was persecuting the church. Junias, along with her husband, was outstanding among the apostles. She was, one way or another, an effective and respected evangelist - sharing God's message - the gospel - with others.

(d) Tryphena and Tryphosa were in all likelihood twins, Dainty and Delicate, who, notwithstanding their names, worked like Trojans!

(e) Mary and Persis both worked very hard in the Lord. v12.

We should be careful not to restrict what women can do in our churches. There are both evangelists and teachers in Paul's list.

I think the early church went as far as possible for the time to free women up for Christian service. It is doubtful whether they were elders but in other respects they were the equal of men. They could not be denied the opportunity to exercise the gifts of the Holy Spirit which meant that they both taught and preached to men. It is absolutely clear from the New Testament that women were able to do far more in the first century after Christ than they were permitted to do in the centuries that followed - right up to our own.

In the early church the time had not come to oppose slavery. The time did come when Christians saw it to be their duty to oppose this practice as ungodly. Eventually the time was right for it to be abolished. Possibly in the early church the time was not right for the appointment of women as elders. Perhaps their time has come. We should not forget the words of Jesus to his disciples: "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. Jn16v12.

(6) The inconvenience of being a Christian.

We can illustrate this by just considering the case of Priscilla and Aquila. They were originally residents of Rome. See Acts18v2. Claudius banished Jews from Rome in AD52. So Priscilla and Aquila went to Corinth where they worked in leather and joined Paul when his ministry took him there too. See Acts18v3. They then accompanied Paul when he moved on to Ephesus before finally returning once more to Rome.

Priscilla and Aquila did not have a settled existence. I don't imagine they had much furniture. They lived from hand to mouth. Yet they were always hospitable, ready to take people into their home and sharing what they had.

Paul's two friends travelled light through life unencumbered by ambition and possessions. They probably belonged to the guild of leather workers that allowed them to ply their craft anywhere in the Roman Empire. So they earned enough to support themselves and others. But their main priority, however inconvenient at times, was to serve Jesus and to build his church.

Someone has said that there are three kinds of workers. For example, when a piano is to be moved, the first kind gets behind and pushes, the second pulls and guides, and the third grabs the piano stool. Neither Priscilla nor Aquila was the sort to grab the piano stool - nor, I hope are you.