We've been in Romans for 26 weeks. It's been a while. I'd always hoped to do it in 8 or 9, but that wasn't going to work out. It might be my fault. But we'll finish it today, I think. And we'll find ourselves near the end of Romans 15. And then we've got Romans 16 that I think often gets just sort of skipped. And I'm going to show you why it shouldn't be skipped. There's some good stuff there. But Romans 15, we had ended in verse 20, but I'll read Romans 15-20 to kind of start with some context. Paul says, yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel. That's why he wrote this book. He had not been to Rome, and he says in the first chapter that he's not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It's the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and then to the Gentile. And he now is saying that he has strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named. It's obvious he went to some places where others had been before. But generally speaking, if Paul had a decision where to go, he would try to take the gospel somewhere it had never been heard before. And so he would go in a place where Christ was not where he had been named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation. His concern was not having areas where no one had been, where no one had taken the gospel. That's a pretty simple directive, I think, when we think about missions work, is to always take into consideration whether there's an area where there's little or no missionary work before to make sure that the gospel gets to all peoples. Well, he says, quoting Old Testament, really quoting Isaiah 52, he says, but as it's written, to whom he was not spoken of, they shall see. That is, to whom Jesus was not spoken of, they shall see. He's quoting an Old Testament basis to take the gospel into a place where they hadn't heard of Christ yet. They that have not heard shall understand. Why? Because hearing You know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Paul said that in this book And this is a verse talking about those who will hear and understand But they'll do so because someone like Paul has taken the gospel where Christ has not been named yet for which cause he says Also, I had been much hindered from coming to you and this is In a way where it started in the first chapter that he had not been there yet He wants to. He's been hindered. But now having no more place in these parts and having a great desire these years to come unto you, whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you. We don't know for sure if Paul ever made it to Spain. I think most think he did not. It's possible he did. If he did, it probably would not have been for a long time. But he certainly intended to go that direction and take the gospel to the outermost part of the Roman Empire And I think he probably didn't speak the language. I think he probably didn't know a whole lot about that culture yet. I think there were a whole lot of what-ifs. I mean, where do you even start? It isn't like today, where we could look it up on Google and know all about it and plan it out and fly into Madrid. He's just going to show up. And you think about this. This is a big deal. But that's how he did a lot of this. He just went. And he often would know cultures, but here, I mean, he's going to go to the edge of the empire. And that's saying something. So he's wanting to go to Rome on the way. It would be a natural stopping place to stop in Rome on the way to Spain. You're not going to make this journey in a few days or even a few weeks. And so it's going to be a long journey that's going to be on foot, maybe by animal at some point, by ship at some point, and he would find a way to stop in in Rome. So he says, I trust to see you in my journey and to be brought on my way thitherward by you. At first I'd be somewhat filled with your company, but now I go into Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. The saints in Jerusalem were persecuted and impoverished. We read that, you know, glimpses of that in different places. I think the book of Hebrews was written in part because the people in Jerusalem and the Jewish people in the surrounding areas had been persecuted from non-believing Jews. Paul's probably lengthiest discussion of giving is 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. If you go read 2 Corinthians 8, he'll talk about a specific church that was so willing to give, but it's all in the context of taking a collection for the saints and then to take that money to there, so apparently local churches are not supposed to be islands. You understand? I mean, it was right, the Apostle raises money to take it from churches all around to Jerusalem and I would suspect also surrounding areas because of their heavy persecutions. You just think about there's some implications there for how we might use money beyond just where we're at, as a local church. And this wasn't a missionary effort per se. These people are already believers. But they're believers under heavy persecution. You might say, well, where do we have that now? The whole country of China? Christians who are in Iran? I'm just telling you, this issue is out there, this specific issue. I rarely have ever heard any discussion about sending money abroad because there are Christians under heavy persecution. They've lost their jobs. They can't pay their rent. You just understand, sometimes these things, we don't think about them, but it's here, and I'll leave it there, I think it's pretty clear. He says, he's going to go and minister in Jerusalem, for it have pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. Where is Macedonia? What church in Macedonia might be the big giver? What do you think? Yeah, Church of Philippi, right? They're the ones, it's worth just a quick, just look at the first few verses of Philippians. Just to see it there. That was a rich church, right? That's why they gave them money. Right? Church of Philippi, lots of money. Maybe not. When you read that first chapter, he thanks them It says Philippians chapter 1 verse 3, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. When he thinks about him, he prays for him. Is that clear? Right? That's how he does it. That's how you can pray without ceasing. It's not that you are sitting in a dark closet every waking hour of the day and not working. But when a person comes to mind that you know has a need, you send up a prayer. That's what Paul did. By the way, if you read about Billy Graham, that's how he did it too. I've always found that interesting, his take, and I think he's right about prayer without ceasing. People come to mine, maybe because you see them, maybe it just pops in your head, send up a prayer. Always in every prayer of mine for you all making requests with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. Their fellowship was primarily financial. They were helping to meet needs and it is a financial fellowship as much as anything. Being confident in this very thing that what's begun a good work in you will perform it to the day of Jesus Christ. When you read in 2 Corinthians 8, he says they'll give out of the abundance of their poverty. Out of the abundance of their poverty. So just keep that in mind. There could be other churches in Macedonia that, you know, that's a region that could have done the same. But we know, especially the Philippian church, and they're the ones... I think Paul had some concern about the church in Corinth, because they had a lot of problems going on in that church, and I think they had committed to raising the money. so that Paul could send people by and get the money. I think Paul had enough, you know, horsepower to put two and two together and say, with all these problems, maybe we'll show up and there won't be any money. And he writes them. He didn't command them to give the money, by the way. They weren't obligated in that sense, but he says these Philippians, you know, they stand as this example of giving. Anyway, lots of people are giving for the saints in Jerusalem, and Paul hopes to go and minister personally to them. They are the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. It's pleased them verily, and their debtors they are. It's pleased who? Those who are giving the money. Paul said elsewhere, God loves a joyful giver. It pleased them to give the money. Now you're asking for money again, Paul. They were happy to give them money, and their debtors they are. That is, Jerusalem saints will owe them something, not financially to pay it back, but he just means in the sense that, for sure, some gratitude. There would be some swallowing of pride for Jewish people to receive this gift from Gentiles. He says, for if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in carnal things and fleshly things. They're debtors to the Jewish people in some sense. They're all God wrote the scriptures to them in the Old Testament, and Jesus came from the Jewish people, so you get the idea. When therefore I perform this and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain, and I'm sure that when I come, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. Now, I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake and for the love of the Spirit that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me." Now, he's asking for their prayers. He says, you know, he prays for them, but he wants their prayers. Specific prayer requests say this, that I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judea. This is unbelieving Jewish people in Judea, and they're the ones that have been the cause of the persecution. And that my service, which I have for Jerusalem, may be accepted of the saints. He has at least some concern about these poor Jewish believers accepting a gift that comes from Gentiles. That just, it's there. He says that in this prayers to the point that I may come unto you of joy by the will of God and may be with you Or may may with you be refreshed or the God of peace be with you all amen this is His invert in chapter 16 that I'll move through kind of quickly, but it's sort of his closing And this is the part where I think a lot of times you could be reading you just kind of fall off Well, he's saying hello to this person. Hello that person they give you two ideas about how to think of this chapter first And it's certainly not explicit. I just think by illustration alone, it reads something like what a book might read when we're giving an account of ourselves. As Paul said earlier in the book, we would do before Christ at the bane of Romans 14. We'll all give an account for ourself. How might that book, that record of what we've done and our faithfulness, how might that read? Because you're going to see him mention at least 27 different names here, but some get especially called out and commended for their service. And just think about how it reads. It's somewhat illustrative of that, that every one of these people's a Christian, but some of them, Paul couldn't help but say some, you know, commendation for them, and it would be here. The other thing is the people he lists that he does commend give us nice examples of people who, they're not apostles, as far as we know, they're not church leaders in some formal sense, necessarily, But they did tremendous things in their service for God. It's quite a roll call of people. First, he commends unto you Phoebe, our sister. What do we know about her? She's a sister in Christ. She's female, obviously. She's the one Paul gave the letter to, to make sure it got delivered to Rome. See, that's why he would commend her, because she's going to show up with a letter, and he's telling them, you need to help her out. Whatever ministry task she has, and maybe getting back to where she came from, you would help her out. I commend unto you Phoebe. Phoebe, by the way, means bright or radiant. It's just from the Greek word for light. She's our sister, which is a servant. That's the word used elsewhere for deacon, and I just mention that because There are those who view there should be, or the Bible permits, female deacons. This is the verse they get it from. This is essentially the only verse they get it from. But the word's a very generic word. It means servant. And so in a context, it could be used in some way of a technical sense of an office within a church, or it could be used in a non-technical sense just of a servant. And and like the word Apostles that way Apostle gets used in a technical sense for the twelve, but it gets used in a more non-technical sense it kind of means a envoy or You know and it's it's used For people who don't they're not part of the twelve Okay, I mean just it gets used in that way, but just just know that that that's this is where sometimes people will get it regardless of her role she's clearly a servant and of the church which is at Sincreia, which is a port city at Corinth, or near Corinth. So when he was in Corinth, he would know of her. I think Paul writes from Corinth, or from Sincreia. He sent her from there. There's other people at the end of this letter that seem to be also people in Corinth. That's where he would be writing from, and this is just, you know, right outside the city, basically. That's where she's coming from, so he has to think a lot about her. This is his mangum opus in the New Testament of all his letters, and he sent this with her, and yet we'll hear stuff from secular folks that, you know, the Bible's anti-female and all these kinds of things, and you don't actually see that in the text. I'm just saying it's just not there. This is a woman who has done tremendous things in the ministry, and it doesn't say anything about her being married or having a man tagging along. There will be others that will be married, and I'll talk about them in a moment, but I'm just saying this woman, her herself, is doing tremendous things for God. I've met some even missionaries out on the field, especially I think of one several years ago, but she got a degree as a nurse here. went to work in like a clinic in Congo and is doing tremendous ministry work. Maybe now she's married, I don't know. But as a single woman, she did all that and she's doing tremendous ministry work. And it's just to say that that's very possible and it happens a lot. And so we don't want to have a mindset that it's just like the young men that maybe will hope they'll be in ministry. I realize vocationally as a pastor, that's not a role for a lady in the scripture. But it's not a role for most men because they're not qualified either. But setting aside that pastoral role, the role of service within a church context is for everybody. And you see a long list here that's men and women doing great, great things because they have faith and they're putting their faith in action. And she's one of them. So, yeah, yes. Is this personal knowledge experience of a well-known missionary daughter, you know her, Dearmore, before she married Chris, but she went to church, Roger Babbage's church sent her in this kind of role to help with the missionary work. Another one of our churches, and I say I didn't borrow either, in fact I swear his dad was at the time, I have to say way before his dad was there, that church passed her knew about that, learned about that, wrote a letter, I mean, made a big noise because this Rogers Baptist Church is now structuring women preachers. And I mean, just, I mean, just threw it around in a circle and made a big to-do. That's the kind of stuff that really hurts the cause of Christ. And it's so long, it's not even just five minutes. And that's what we're trying to get at here. We read Romans 16 and other places, but you're like, There are, I mean, just the role of serving, and including abroad in a missionary role. I'm not talking about pastoring a church. Doing what Phoebe did. I mean, men and women did it. Paul, I'm sure, put some thought into who would I trust to make this journey, to take this letter to Rome, and this is it. I personally support a missionary that's a young lady whose ministry is at Stephen F. Austin University. And I know for a fact that young ladies in sororities that she meets with these young ladies and does Bible studies and stuff are coming to Christ. And I hear a whole lot of people talk about, it's got to be done this way, except they're not doing anything. And what I'm seeing is fruitfulness. And when I personally use my funds to give toward mission work, I do want to see fruitfulness. And fruitfulness comes because people are engaging those who are unchurched with the gospel, period. And where that happens, there will be some fruitfulness. Where it doesn't happen, there will be excuses. And men and women can both do it and are obligated to do it. And Phoebe Stans is this example. Well, look at the next couple. Real quick, verse two. He says, let you receive her in the Lord, has become a saint, and that you assist her in whatsoever business she hath in need of you. For she hath been a, it's an old word, succorer, that means a helper of many, and of myself also." Paul says, she's been a wonderful help to me. When she's there, I'm sure she'll need a place to stay. You didn't go to the Holiday Inn. She'll probably need some support for a little bit of time before she might journey back home. But she is on a ministry errand. I mean, she's carrying part of the New Testament with her. And he expects them to help her, and he knows they have the money to do it, and the willingness, I think. I don't think there's any question about it, but he commends her. It is, you know, well, you know, if you've got a letter from the Apostle Paul, I think that gives you some cred when you get to that church. Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus. Paul met them in Corinth. It's interesting. He meets them in Corinth. That's in Acts 18 where they're mentioned several times. They go with him from Corinth to Ephesus where they also ministered, those two ministered to a man named Apollos who was mighty in the scripture but apparently didn't have all the revelation about Jesus Christ yet. They were in Ephesus again on Paul's third missionary journey and then they apparently went to Rome for a time. It's likely but we can't be dogmatic. We don't have the text telling us this explicitly. It's likely in the persecution that came under Nero starting around 64 AD that they probably went back to Ephesus and we read about them in 2 Timothy 4. So it's just to say these guys are mentioned several times. You know what? They're never mentioned one without the other. You realize that God not only has a plan that includes the idea that men and women who are not married can serve the Lord faithfully and do tremendous things, but as a couple, that they would minister together. And a lot of times it's lopsided, where one or the other is on fire for God and the other's just not. And that's unfortunate. It becomes a point of friction, I think, within marriages when that's the case. But when they're both on fire for God, they become Priscilla and Aquilas. Every time they're mentioned, they're mentioned together. They're a model in the church, in the church history that we have, of a couple who are just both on fire for God, and they're all over. I mean, these guys are central to Paul's ministry in a lot of ways, almost on the par of a Barnabas or something. And they're there in all these different places where he's done this. It never says that they have the office of pastor. I mean, I suppose that's possible, but it never says that, the office of an elder. I don't know. And what I do know, though, is you wouldn't need that office to do great things. And these guys did it. He says in verse 4 of Priscilla and Aquila, and I said earlier, if this were like the roll call at the Bama judgment, this commendation, this is gold, silver, and precious stones, not wood, hay, and stubble, using the language of 1 Corinthians 3, who have for my life laid down their own necks. What did Jesus say about friends? No greater love as a man for someone else, he would lay down his life for them? They've put their life on the line for ministry, and there are people around the world that are doing that, unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Their impact, directly and indirectly by saving Paul's skin, has impacted far beyond, I think, even the places they had been to. And that's a big testimony. I think individually, and as a church, as one local church in Houston, Texas, We need to think along the lines of, how will we make an impact far out of proportion to the places we go? And we can do that. And we do it one way, is having our missionary efforts all over the world, and especially in places where we know that there just haven't been a lot of missionary efforts. But to have all over the world. We can make an impact far beyond Houston. These guys did this. So they're to be commended. Likewise, greet the church that is in their house. They're in Rome, and the Roman church may not have had a location yet. They may be meeting in several people's homes. It seems that's the case. There's going to be some more verses here that seem to support that. I don't take it that that's a directive, that we can only have home churches or some movement along those lines nowadays. I think if they'd had a facility to all meet together, they likely would have. I think Paul would have drawn on how synagogues were done. but they were meeting in homes, and he gives a greeting to all those people that are meeting in their homes. Salute my well-beloved Eponidas, who is the firstfruits of Achaia under Christ. In other words, he was the first one in that area of Achaia, that southern Greece, southern south of Corinth. He was the first one that became a believer there These are people Paul has met remember he hadn't been to Rome, but he apparently understands that they now live in Rome That's not a surprise that people would go to Rome for work in this case Maybe for ministry for a lot of purposes, but they're people he's met on his journeys that are in Rome now greet Mary Modern translations use a text and they translate this as Mary on and All the majority in older text, or the majority text rather, is Miriam. It is the name of Jesus' mother. It is a Jewish name. She is Jewish. This church is clearly Jewish and Gentile. There was, for whatever reason, the desire of people to try to change that and make it Gentile, but she's Jewish. Her name is Miriam, and in our English we write Mary, who bestowed much labor on us. There's her commendation. She became a Christian and just went to church on Sundays and sat in a pew, right? You see, these aren't hard verses, but just think about the roll call. You would want, when the report is made of you, that someone could say, they labored for the Lord. They labored for the ministry to make sure that these missionaries in Panama had what they needed. That kind of thing. That's all this is. Salute, Andronicus and Junia, that's another couple. That's a married couple. That's a man and a woman. My kinsmen, they're Jewish. My fellow prisoners, really. Do you think they were weak people who backed off when someone in authority said you can't preach Jesus anymore? Say no. These people took a stand like Paul. The Bible is very explicit, especially in books like 1 Peter, that those who actually suffer for Christ's sake, not because they're obnoxious, but they suffer because someone has said, you can't preach the gospel here. If you do that, we're going to lock you up. And they preached it anyway. He says there'll be reward for them as part of their laying up treasure in heaven. That's the kind of people here. They are of note among the apostles. They have a good reputation. People always say, you need to quit worrying about what other people think. you should worry a lot about what other people think. If someone thinks bad of you because you have, in the right spirit, delivered the truth of God's Word, then let the chits fall where they may. But if they think poorly of you because you're mean-spirited, lazy, use belligerent, pejorative language all the time, even on social media, you know, you should care what you think. You want to have a reputation of honesty. You want to have a reputation that even your enemies behind closed doors would have to concede, this person has integrity. That kind of thing. So you think about this. But they have a reputation, they're of note, even among the apostles, that's among the twelve, not Judas, but with Matthias, who also were in Christ before me. He's clearly talking of the twelve. But these people were in Christ before me. How can that possibly be? How can that possibly be? This is an obscure thing, but just imagine this. You don't become in Christ until you've placed your faith in Christ. People in Christ before him are people who were Christians before Paul was a Christian. But those who sort of twist the scriptures about this idea of being elect and picked out for salvation essentially need us to be in Christ from the foundation of the world or from before it. And yet Paul is very clear that there were people in Christ before him When somebody becomes in Christ, then Paul can say of them, of their position in Christ, that they are holy. He greets in several of the letters to the churches. He calls them holy ones or saints. Use that word saints. Calls them elect. It means outstanding, distinguished, or the highest caliber, that kind of thing. These people were Christians before him. Greet Amplius, my beloved in the Lord. We don't know a lot about this man, but Paul had a strong bond with this person, my beloved in the Lord. Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ. Not a lot there about him, but when I read this, I just ask myself, am I a helper? Am I a helper? People who have just various ministries based on what God has given them, whatever talents they have, they've put it to work. And I think these roles, if we had all the details, it would go on for chapters and chapters, but it would be a myriad of things, and it wouldn't just be teaching and preaching, because this goes far beyond that. He says, our helper, and stacchus, my beloved, salute, appelles, approved in Christ. That's an interesting word that we could spend some time on, but there's an emphasis, especially in the New Testament passages about the bema and awards and stuff, about being approved. It's dokimas. It's, you know, God is looking at our faith with a view to approval, and there are passages that do that. and I've got a lot of them written down, I won't go through them, but there is one especially. Study to show thyself approved. This word, right here. This word. And Apelles is approved in Christ. Salute them which are of Aristobulus' household, so that's probably another area where the church in Rome was actually probably meeting in this person's household. Salute Herodian, my kinsman, indicating Jewish person again. Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord. Again, probably another house church in Rome. Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa. Those are female names. They're presumably sisters. You can see their names are similar. Apparently in the ancient world as today, and I'm guilty of this, people give their children names that are too close together that they cross them up. I yell at the wrong one all the time, right? Whose idea was it to name six kids with K names? But it happens to people. But can you imagine this? I know no one's ever yelled at their kids, but Trifina and Trifosa? What do you do with that? They might be twins, by the way. They could be. But they're probably sisters who labor in the Lord, salute the beloved Persis, which labored much in the Lord, salute Rufus, chosen in the Lord. How do you become elect? When you're in the Lord. It's very simple. Just like Rufus. And Rufus may be the one mentioned in Mark 15, 21. And I'll just say, we don't know for sure. It's not like it has to be him. But listen to this. If he's the one from Mark 15, 21, then his father's named Simon the Cyrene, who carried Jesus' cross. Yeah, that's right. So it may well be him. Can you imagine the impact his father might have made on him if this is his son? And it may well be. Salute, he says, Asencritus, Phlegon, Hermos, Petrobus, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them." Probably another home church. Salute Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympus, and all the saints which are with them. Salute one another with a holy kiss. That's a greeting in the ancient world. We don't have to do that now, but in some cultures they still do. The churches of Christ salute you. We'll go through these last several verses pretty quickly, but they make sense and they're pretty simple. Now, I beseech you, brethren, Mark them. That word mark doesn't mean to brand, but it says pay close attention. And I'm a little careful with this verse because I've come to find a lot of folks use this verse as a reason to take people that disagree with them on fairly minor things. They disagree with them at one point on theology and they're marked out and all that. And then that's an excuse to use all kinds of really belligerent language toward him, but he says, pay attention to them, which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and avoid them. Avoid is actually, Greek has different, you know, voices and tenses and things. It's present tense. It's imperative. It's actually, you change the word ending to make it a command. Avoid them. Who are these people? Are they just people that disagree on minor points? I think these are people who stir up controversy in the church over doctrinal points. And I think, I suspect they're not Christians. Listen to what he says, two reasons to avoid them, verse 18, for they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly. The belly is for food, right? But it's just an expression to say that everything is about gratifying their flesh. And he says, and by good words, now he don't mean good like God said it was good. He means they got a silver tongue, but they can flatter. By good words and fair speeches, deceive the hearts of the simple. Who are the simple? They're Christians who are probably, haven't been Christians a long time. They don't know a lot of Bible yet, and they're more easily led astray. For your obedience has come abroad unto all men. The church in Rome has a reputation, it's very positive. I'm glad therefore in your behalf, but I would have you wise under that which is good, and simple concerning evil. wise to do good, be foolish to do evil. He's commending that they have a good reputation. He thinks they can pick out the false teachers and avoid them, but he knows that's a possibility. He doesn't say who they are or specifically what they taught. There are two chief, at least modern era, heresies that enter into churches just this way. One of them is Calvinism. It's common in some really good churches for a guy to come in, he's nice and gets to know people and he's got a greater truth. He's got something higher he needs to introduce. And he doesn't do it in church per se. Usually it's to get close to somebody in the church and get to meet with them and just go over to their house. They just become friends and they can get that subject on the agenda. And then a lot of times it becomes a group. You know, this one infects that one. Calvinism is obviously something that's very contagious. The other one is charismatic thinking. You know, especially when the charismatic movement was at a higher zenith maybe 15 years ago, 20, it was common, especially in small groups, to enter into the picture. And here, well, we need to start speaking in tongues here. And it's just a simple thing. You know, like you said, right here, the simple were the ones who would fall for that. And, of course, you pick those off and get them on the team. And at first, usually, our pastor's behind the eight-ball here. You know, he's not up at the time. I just thought, you know, I've seen this so many times. I just wanted to interject. That's how it happens. It plays out in modern days, as it did back then. The Calvinism is sweeping through independent Baptist churches, particularly among younger pastors. I'm seeing it. Once they have it, they will not listen to reason. Charismatism has always been, I say always, since about the late 1800s. Historically, it's more of a Johnny-come-lately, and that's been an issue where there's some greater truth or experience for you. In Paul's day, people who came along saying, you kind of have to be Jewish, the book of Galatians is on that, and they become divisive, but it's not according to sound doctrine. Well, these people, he says, may the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. That's from Genesis chapter 3, that Jesus would bruise the head of Satan, but he views this shortly. You have a time when things are hard, but the kingdom is coming, and when it is, because you'll be joined with Christ, Satan, who's ultimately behind these false teachers, by the way, who are dividing churches, he'll have his head bruised. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, amen. And then Timothy, Timotheus, we know who he is from 1st, 2nd Timothy, my work fellow, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you. And then it changes to first person. And now it's not Paul speaking, but Paul often would have someone write his letters. I just want to read the few verses from the person who actually wrote the letter. I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, it's Paul's words. He physically was the stenographer, sometimes called the amanuensis, the secretary, who wrote the words. People surmise that Paul may have had a vision problem or something. We don't know for sure. But Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salutes you in the Lord. And now this is Tertius talking, Gaius Mainhos. There's several Gaiuses in the Bible, in New Testament. And so we can't be absolutely sure, but there is a Gaius in Corinth that becomes a believer. And he's referenced as the, well, being, you know, I think he's in Corinth because it's the end of the whole church, probably the church in Corinth. Salute you. Erastus the Chamberlain, that means treasurer. He's the treasurer of the city, perhaps of Corinth. Salute you. Cordus, a brother, another brother in Christ, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. So this is just a little, you know, Paul had his greetings at the end, the secretary had his. Now to him that is of power to establish, to strengthen, to grow you, according to my gospel, remember this gospel wasn't just becoming right with God through Jesus, but sanctification, growing in the Lord and stuff. So it was a much kind of broader good news than just how you become a believer, but how do you live as a Christian? And it's in that context, this broader gospel, which included Jews and Gentiles together. And you'll see that here. According to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, mystery means something not previously revealed, but now it's become revealed. which was kept secret since the world began. I think the mystery was Jew and Gentile together. Paul talked about this in Ephesians. But now it's made manifest. That is, it's not kept secret anymore. And by the scriptures of the prophets, Old Testament stuff, lots of the prophets spoke of somehow God would join the Gentiles with him as his people, but the details and the idea of, quote, church were not there in the Old Testament. According to the commandment of the everlasting God, may node to all the nations for the obedience of faith, a gospel for all the nations. To God, only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen." Paul's letter. We'll finish there and we'll have some prayer.