A Life Never Wasted for Christ Pt. 1

Romans 16

This chapter is full of names, at kung sino-sino'ng mga kilalang tao ang ime-mention ni Pablo dito sa mga Chapter na to, through those names, and who they are, and why Paul mentioned them. May mga bagay na matututunan tayo. Let's start with Phoebe. Si Pheobe ang tinutukoy ng maraming scholars na possible na nagdala ng letter na ito para sa mga taga-Roma kaya na mentioned s'ya ni Pablo sa kanyang mga huling tagubilin in this chapter.

Romans 16:1-2

1 commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant[a] of the church at Cenchreae,

2 that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.

Ano ba ang mga matututunan natin sa pagpapakilala ni Pablo kay Phoebe?

First, in-introduce ni Pablo si Phoebe, bilang Kapatid nila sa Panginoon.

v. 1a "commend to you our sister Phoebe,"

Every Believer is Part of God's Family

Si Phoebe ay kapatid sa pananampalataya ng Church sa Roma, kahit siya ay servant sa Church ng Cenchreae. 

V. 2 "welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints"

This speaks to us that the Church is not just called the Body of Christ, but also a family of diverse kind of people united by the blood of Christ. Ibig sabihin, every believer is part of God's family. Every Christians are brothers and sisters in Christ. Therefore, each member of the family should welcome each other as Paul commanded the Church in Rome to "welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints."

Romans 3:23-24

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Welcome each other in a way worthy of the saints, dahil tayong lahat ay nagkulang sa kaluwalhatian ng Diyos, ngunit dahil sa Kanyang kagandahang-loob, tayo ay pinawalang-sala bilang isang kaloob sa pamamagitan ni Cristo Jesus.

Tanggapin natin ang isa't isa, gaya ng pagtanggap ng Diyos sa atin sa kabila ng lahat ng ating pagkukulang. Accept each other the same way God accepted us into His family. Receive one another just as God graciously received each one of us despite our shortcomings.

"The Church is not just called the Body of Christ, the Church is also a family of diverse kind of people."

V. 2 "help her in whatever she may need from you"

Dahil ang Church ay family, the family members help each other with whatever they need.

Second, in-introduce ni Pablo si Phoebe, bilang Servant and Patron.

v. 1b "Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae,"

v. 2b "she has been a patron of many and of myself as well."

Every Believer is a Servant of One Master

Whatever a person's status in life may be, every Christian is not just part of God's family, they are also a servants of one another.

• Phoebe was a Traveler - travelers during their time are just few and most of them are business people and influential people.
• Phoebe was a Patron - a person who generously provides support, resources, and assistance for others at her own expense.

Travel in the first century was expensive and often dangerous.  A woman undertaking such travel likely had resources and a legitimate purpose for the trip.

According sa mga evidences na makikita natin, si Phoebe ay isang babae na may kaya sa buhay. But despite the kind of status in life that she has, hindi niya sinayang ang anumang mayroon siya; ginamit niya ang lahat ng ito para sa kaluwalhatian ng Panginoon. Ginamit niya ang kanyang impluwensya, mga resources, at maging ang mga pagkakataong ibinigay sa kanya upang paglingkuran si Cristo at ang Kanyang iglesia.

Lahat ng bagay na ipinagkatiwala ng Diyos kay Phoebe, ay hindi niya sinayang para lamang sa personal niyang interest, ang lahat ng ito ay ginawa niya para sa Diyos at kanyang Ama at sa Church na kayang mga kapatid sa pananampalataya.

When we go, sa ating trabaho, paaralan, tahanan, o saan ka man dalhin ng Diyos, huwag mong sayangin ang mga pagkakataong ipinagkaloob Niya sa iyo. Tulad ni Phoebe, gawing pamumuhay, hindi part-time na gawain, ang paglilingkod kay Cristo.