Phoebe: An Example For Our Time
by Scott R. Bayles, preacher
Church of Christ
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Scripture Reading: John 13:12-15
It’s amazing today how many church growth schemes people have come up with. The Willow Creek Model, the Purpose Driven Church, and so many others tell us: just follow these simple steps and you too can have a mega-church. But real disciples, I think, know that there is no man-made formula to follow -- there is no get-growth-quick scheme that will turn a small congregation into a thousand member church.
On the other end of that, there are many Christians -- usually in smaller churches -- that boldly assert: we don’t have to grow numerically in order to grow spiritually. But friends, in most cases... that’s just an excuse. If our church is not growing numerically, then chances are you’re not growing spiritually either. The only consistently effective way to fulfill the mission Jesus handed us in the Great Commission, is to get our hands dirty and actually go to work: Churches grow when Christians go! Ira North, who helped the Lord turn a 400 member congregation in to a 4000 member church put it this way, "A going church, is a growing church" (North 97).
Jesus has given His church a tremendous task, and the only way to accomplish it is by moving, getting involved, taking action. But before the church can get right, we as individual Christians have to get going. We need to get involved in the Lord work’s and start living out His will -- or His plan -- for our lives on a daily basis. So what does God want from our lives? What would God expect from the ideal church member? What should we be doing, as citizens of God’s Kingdom?
While there are no examples in the Bible of the perfect Christian -- because "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Rom. 3:23) -- there is one woman, mentioned briefly in Romans 16:1-2, that just might give us some insight into what God wants from the ideal church member. Let’s read this together...
Romans 16:1-2 (NASB-u)
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea; [2] that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well.
We know very little about this spiritual woman who carried Paul’s letter to the Romans. We have just the brief mention of her name and service. She was named, without change or reproach, after the Moon-Goddess of the Greeks. The goddess Artemis, known commonly as "Phoebe," was supposed to have been identified with the light of the moon. But the Phoebe whom Paul so highly commended shone as a light for Jesus, the "Light of the World"! In about fifty words, Paul gives a beautiful cameo of this saintly servant of Christ. But what can we learn from someone mentioned only so briefly? We can learn a lot. Paul, in these two verses, uses three powerful words to describe Phoebe. The first description he bestows on her is...
I. SISTER:
Take another look: "I commend to you our sister Phoebe." There is something very meaningful in that word. Now, whenever preachers come up to the pulpit we like to thank "Bro. So-and-so" for leading the singing, or thank "bro. So-and-so" for leading the prayer," or maybe thank "sis. So-and-so" so preparing the fellowship meal. And that’s good to call each other brother and sister, but sometimes we forget how significant those words are.
Paul was indicating a spiritual relationship. Apart from natural relationships, no woman is my "sister" unless she shares my experience of God’s saving grace -- through which alone we are made members of His redeemed family. To be a "brother" or "sister" in Christ, means to be a part of God’s family! That is something special. Everyone born of God has a family -- a place to belong. Surveys show that 1 out of 4 people feel lonely at any given moment. As of 1990, 23 million adults in America live by themselves. And of Americans who ate dinner last night, 22% ate alone. What a blessing that we don’t have to be alone! "As Christians we are called not only to believe, but to belong. We are not meant to live lone-ranger lives; instead we are to belong to Christ’s family and be members of His body" (Warren 105). One of the classic hymns -- a favorite among God’s people -- is Lanny Wolfe’s "God’s Family":
We’re part of the family that’s been born again;
Part of the family whose love knows no end;
For Jesus has saved us, and makes us His own,
Now we’re part of the family that’s on it’s way home.
And sometimes we laugh together, sometimes we cry;
Sometimes we share together, heart-aches and sighs;
Sometimes we dream together of how it will be
When we all get to Heaven, God’s family.
But you know what? Being a part of a family means having responsibilities. The Bible says, "and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, [25] not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near" (Heb. 10:24). It is a sad but persistent fact: more people love God on Sunday mornings than on Sunday nights! There will be, generally, on third fewer Christians lifting voices in praise at 6:00 p.m. than at 11:00 a.m. Shepherds pray about it; preachers preach about it; Christians are concerned about it; and children wonder about it, but it happens anyway.
I don’t know about the your household; but when I was growing up, my mother taught me that you go to church every time the doors are open. Sadly, so many people just pull further and further away from the Lord. They feel guilty about their sins, so they don’t go to church. They stay away long enough that they feel guilty about not going to church, and so it becomes almost impossible for them to break out of that cycle. But that’s exactly what they have to do!
When you are a part of God’s family, it’s important. It’s the most important thing in your life. What will it take to get you to come to church every time the doors open? More love from God? More sacrifice from Christ? A better God to worship? A better book to study? A better family with which to fellowship? Think about it! What will it take?
If we are like Phoebe, then we will take seriously our relationship with God and His children. There is no greater honor than to be a brother or sister in God’s family. Let’s be sure never to take that relationship for granted. But, Paul goes on to describe Phoebe in yet another way. Paul calls Phoebe a...
II. SERVANT:
Look again at Romans 16: "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church..." Fellowship and family is the first part of being the ideal Christian, but we’re not in this just to hang out with other Christians and praise God all day. A true disciple of Jesus Christ will learn to become a servant! Phoebe was not only a member of a spiritual family -- not only a professing believer -- but she was a "servant of the church."
The word used here for "servant" is the Greek word diakonos which is also often translated as "deacon" or "minister." Phoebe was ministering to (serving) God’s people. Some people think that ministry means standing in a pulpit and preaching to hungry listeners. But it is far more that that. Ministry is demonstrating God’s love to others by meeting their spiritual needs and healing their hurts in the name of Jesus Christ. It was Jesus who said to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt. 27:40). Each time you reach out in love to others, you are ministering to them. Christians need to minister to all kinds of needs: spiritual, emotional, relational, and physical. Jesus said that even a cup of cold water given in His name was considered as ministry and would not go unrewarded. The church is to "equip the saints for the service" (Eph. 4:12). And I’ll tell you, churches that really know how to minister, are steadily growing churches.
Unfortunately, very little actual ministry takes place in many churches. Instead, we sit around and talk about doing service without actually doing anything. I heard recently about a preacher who was approached by a man who wanted to join the church. "But," the man said, "I have a very busy schedule. I can’t be called on for any service, such as committee work, teaching, or other such things. I just won’t be available for special projects or to help with setting up chairs or things like that. And I’m afraid that I’ll never be able to go on visitation, as my evening are all tied up."
The minister thought for a moment, then replied, "I believe you’re at the wrong church. The church you’re looking for is three blocks down the street, on the right." The man followed the preacher’s directions and soon came to an abandoned, boarded up closed down church building. It was a dead church -- gone out of business (Nelson 800).
Beloved, that’s exactly where the church will end up with Christians like that. We need to learn how we can serve the church and discover our ministry. The Bible says, "For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, [5] so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. [6] Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; [7] if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; [8] or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness" (Rom. 12:4-8).
God has given certain gifts (or talents) to each one of us. While these gifts are not all the same, we need to figure out what talents we have and use those talents to glorify God. Paul said that Phoebe "herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well." The word translated "helper" means "patroness" or "benefactor". Phoebe was evidently a woman of means, who used her wealth support the church and the apostle.
While we certainly are not all of great wealth, the church is a functioning body with many member, and we need to exorcise our abilities. The only place were success comes before work is in the dictionary. And if we want to grow as a church and succeed as individual Christians we’ve got to start working. Service is what God wants from His followers. There is yet another description Paul gives Phoebe, however. Finally, Paul calls her a...
III. SAINT:
Paul told the Roman Christians to "receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints." Why did Paul say that? Because she was a saint! Despite popular opinion, you don’t have to perform any miracles or be canonized in order to become a saint. You must simply be washed in the cleansing blood of Jesus, through the waters of baptism. At that moment God sanctifies us; He makes us holy. But being a saint, or being sanctified, is an ongoing processes. Simply, plunging beneath the water then going right back to your sinful ways, isn’t going make you holy! We have to continue to grow spiritually, both in knowledge and in purity.
The Bible says, "sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence" (1 Peter 3:15). Sanctifying Jesus as Lord in our hearts is the process of becoming more like Christ in our thoughts, feelings, and actions. This process begins when a person is born again and continues throughout the rest of his/her life.
Essentially, being a saint means becoming like Christ. God’s ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort, but character development. From the moment we are baptized, God begins to work in us to produce a Christ-like character. He does that through His Holy Spirit. The Bible says, "As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more" (2 Cor. 3:18). You cannot reproduce the character of Jesus on your own strength. New Year’s resolutions, willpower, and best intentions are not enough. Only the Holy Spirit has the power to make the changes God wants to make in our lives. But even God’s Holy Spirit cannot work in us if we won’t listen to Him. How do we listen to the Holy Spirit? We open our Bibles and start reading!
It is sad how little the people of this country know about the Bible. According to surveys conducted by the Barna Research Group:
48% of Americans open the Bible only once a week
40% of Americans cannot name four out of the Ten Commandments
64% of Americans cannot name the four Gospels
58% of Americans do not know who preached the Sermon on the Mount
10% of Americans think that Joan of Ark is Noah’s wife
82% of Americans believe the phrase, "God helps those who help themselves," is in the Bible
Jesus prayed, "Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth" (John 17:17). How can we expect to be sanctified by the truth if we don’t open our Bibles and read the truth!? The Bible is "the sword of the Spirit" to pierce our hearts and change our lives. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to make us more like the Son of God. But it’s not enough to simply read God’s Word; we have to live God’s Word!
The Bible says, "Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart" (2 Tim. 2:22). It’s not just our talk, brothers and sisters, it’s our walk. The Bible says, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path" (Ps. 119:105). God says, "if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). Now, the Holy Spirit is going to help us stay on the "straight and narrow" by giving light to our path; but Satan is going to try to trip us up by putting temptation in our way. But...
On the path to spiritual maturity, even temptation becomes a stepping-stone rather than a stumbling block when you realize that it is just as much an opportunity to do the right thing as it is to do the wrong thing. Temptation simply provides the choice. While temptation is Satan’s primary weapon to destroy you, God wants to use it to develop you. Every time you decide to do good instead of sin, you are growing in the character of Christ. (Warren 201)
Now, it takes time to truly develop a sanctified life -- a Christ-like character -- so be patient with God and with yourself; don’t get discouraged. But keep pressing on. As Paul said, "Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13-14). Can you imagine what this world would be like -- what the church would be like -- if every Christian began to live out God’s Word every day!? We just might turn this world upside down.
Conclusion:
Churches grow when Christians go! It really is that simple, isn’t it? That doesn’t mean it is easy, but it is simple. If each one of us would really learn from Phoebe’s example and follow it, there is no limit to the wonders God will begin to work in this community. What is the perfect/ideal Christian? What was Phoebe? She was a...
Sister: a vital part of God’s family, fashioned for God’s family.
Servant: willing to use her talents to further God’s kingdom, made for ministry.
Saint: dedicated to spiritual growth, created to become like Christ.
Let us follow this wonderful woman’s example, working together to as one family toward spiritual maturity. Only then, will we be able to reach the lost with the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.
Invitation:
We never want to close an assembly, without offering every body the opportunity to either begin or renew their relationship with God the Father, through Jesus His Son. If you have been lost in sin and you need the saving blood of Jesus Christ -- if you have wondered from the path and need someone to shone the light down at your feet -- we invite you to come forward now...
