“Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil.”
~ Romans 16:19
Hi James and Ellen,
How wise do you think that you are regarding what is good and innocent about what is evil? Paul used the letter that he sent to the Christ-follower leaders and his friends and co-laborers who were living in Rome to send them guidelines on what a life is like that is good and innocent. Paul finished his Romans Letter – in Romans 16, with salutations to and from different guys and gals. Verse 19 says, “Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil.” Paul makes in his Romans Letter a very persuasive apologetic about the values of living a life that reflects God’s glory. What does it mean to you to be wise about what is good? What does it mean to you to be innocent about what is evil? What Paul did as an itinerant missionary took place within the framework of an ever widening, emerging universal church. Paul by the time that he wrote his Romans Letter had established a large network of friends and co-laborers. Paul concluded his personalized missive to the Christ-follower leaders and his friends and co-laborers who were affiliated with the Christ-follower community in Rome by acknowledging guys and gals who had had influence in one way or another in his life. Paul begins with commending Phoebe – who Paul said had been a great help to him as well as to many other guys and gals. Your grandpaa believes that Paul asked Phoebe to take his letter to the Christ-follower leaders and his friends and co-laborers who were affiliated with the Christ-follower community that was in Rome. Paul was really hoping to go to Rome himself. When Paul wrote his letter to the Christ-follower leaders and his friends and co-laborers who were affiliated with the Christ-follower community in Rome, Paul was nearing the end of his third missionary journey. Paul did end up in Rome about two years after he sent this letter to the Christ-follower leaders and his friends and co-laborers who were affiliated with the Christ-follower community that is in Rome; but not in the context that he was thinking that he would go there. After Paul stubbornly insisting that he had to go to the city of Jerusalem at the end of his third missionary journey, Paul would spend two years in Caesarea’s jail. When Paul played his Roman ancestry card before Agrippa, Paul was taken to Rome as a prisoner.
Other guys and gals who had a positive influence in Paul’s life included two fellow tentmakers – Priscilla and Aquila, who had risked their lives for him. Your grandpaa thinks that Priscilla and Aquila went with Phoebe when she took Paul’s letter to the Christ-follower leaders and his friends and co-laborers who were affiliated with the Christ-follower community that was in Rome. Priscilla and Aquila were intentionally communicating the message of hope – which is found in making a decision of faith in what Jesus did on a cross, to Gentile guys and gals. Gentile guys and gals thought of Jews as being the pagan, heathen slice of their known world. The Jews in the meantime thought that they were the only ones who were living on the known world who had been chosen by God as being worthy of a place with Him in His heavenly kingdom. Paul also sent greetings in his letter to Epenetus – who was recognized as being the first Asian convert, Mary – who had been working very hard for the Christ-followers who were living in Rome, two of Paul’s relatives – Andronicus and Junias, who had made decisions of faith before Paul had and who had spent time in jail with him and who Paul considered to be outstanding apostles, Ampliatus, Urbanus, Stachys and Apelles – who were slaves who Paul loved in the Lord and who were tested and approved to be Christ-followers, Herodian – who may have been Herod Agrippa I’s bro which would have made Herodian the grandson of Herod the Great, Tryphena, Tryphosa and Persis – three gals who were working hard at being faithful Christ-followers and the list goes on with even more guys and gals. Timothy – who was with Paul in Corinth when Paul wrote this letter to the Christ-follower leaders and his friends and co-laborers who were affiliated with the Christ-follower community that was in Rome, Lucias, Jason, Sosipater, Gaius, Erastus and Quartus – who were several of Paul’s bros in Christ as Christ followers and Tertius – who was the guy who penned this letter for Paul because of Paul’s bad eyesight, all sent their greetings to the Christ-followers who were in Rome.
A guy or gal who is being a proactive Christ-follower tells your grandpaa that he or she is being wise about what is good. A guy or gal who is being a proactive Christ-follower tells your grandpaa that he or she is being innocent about what is evil. A Christ-follower guy or gal will want to do what is good; he or she will not want to do what is evil. A Christ follower guy or gal will circle himself or herself with a safety net of other Christ-followers. Paul exemplifies what every Christ-follower guy or gal must do to live as a Christ-follower and that is to nurture supportive spiritual, emotional, physical and moral relationships. Gals are oftentimes overlooked as being just as important to God as Christ-followers as guys. Jesus chose twelve guys to disciple and mentor; He did not choose any gals. There were gals though – like Phoebe, who God chose to be instrumental in furthering His kingdom here on planet Earth. Your grandmaa for nearly thirty years at different times as a missionary led guys, gals and kids to make a decision of faith, ran a guest house, oversaw an outreach program for the physically challenged, kept the field books in Bolivia and Guatemala, taught Bible course modules, subject focused workshops and helped new missionaries adapt, initiated a ministry that is still unfolding in Guatemala that capacitates and edifies gals and moderates and instructs during orientations at OC International headquarters that is located in Colorado Springs.
Romans 16 (600)