Wonderful, merciful Savior  
Precious Redeemer and friend  
Who'd have thought that our Lamb could  
Rescue the souls of men?  
Oh, You rescue the souls of men  

Counselor, Comforter, Keeper  
Spirit we long to embrace  
You offer hope when our hearts have  
Hopelessly lost the way  
Lord, we've hopelessly lost our way  

You are the one that we praise  
You are the one we adore  
You give the healing and grace  
Our hearts always hunger for  
Oh, our hearts always hunger for  

You are the one that we praise  
You are the one we adore  
You give the healing and grace  
Our hearts always hunger for  
Oh, our hearts always hunger for  

Almighty, infinite Father  
Faithfully loving Your own  
Here in our weakness You find us  
Falling before Your throne  
Lord, we're falling before Your throne  

You are the one that we praise  
You are the one we adore  
You give the healing and grace  
Our hearts always hunger for  
Oh, our hearts always hunger for  

You are the one that we praise  
You are the one we adore  
You give the healing and grace  
Our hearts always hunger for  
Oh, our hearts always hunger for  

Thank you, Grace, for that good song. So encouraging. Good morning to everyone. Good to see you all this morning. Looks like the sun's going to shine a little bit and spring's coming today, so that's alright. 

We're going to be looking at Romans 16, verses 1-16 today. And I've been feeling a little sad of late. I told my wife that my goal in life was to preach through the book of Romans and now I feel as though I have to retire. So, I'm just kidding, but it is sad to leave this book because it's so rich and so instructive and so important. And I feel as though we could just go right back to chapter 1 and start over again and we would gain so much more from a second study of this book. 

But just so you know, I'm not planning on doing that, but rather I'm going to move on to 1 John, beginning in a couple of weeks. And I'm very excited about that epistle as well. But we have a little unfinished business here in this last chapter of the book of Romans, so this week and next week we'll spend in chapter 16 before we move on. 

And we have before us this morning in verses 1-16 a very interesting text. At first glance, it's a long, hard list of names that really doesn't seem to convey much to us, but as I studied through this and thought on it throughout the last couple of texts we studied in chapter 15 and how we saw the heart of Paul laid out, his great desire for the going forth of the gospel and a commitment to truth and to the believers in Rome and everywhere that God took him, as we looked at Paul's passion for ministry last week, it struck me that what we see here in this 16th chapter is Paul's heart desire continued. 

Because his passion for ministry was all about his passion for people. In 1 Thessalonians 2, Paul said, "We were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. So affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. Therefore we wanted to come to you, even I, Paul, time and again, but Satan hindered us. For what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ that is coming? For you are our glory and our joy." 

Paul's heart, his joy, his ministry, his life, and his passion was people, people for whom Christ died. Because you see, all of this doctrine, this truth, this gospel, God's Word is not merely an academic pursuit, nor is it meant to make us healthy, happy, and rich. It is serious business concerning the eternal state of men, the good news of salvation and redemption, and the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives, makes dead men alive, and empowers them to be witnesses of the love and the grace and power of God. 

The ministry is all about people, people whom God loves, for whom Christ died. And what this chapter really is, is an amazing insight into the ministry of the church of Rome and the Christians in the early first century. What this really is, is an important reminder and lesson for us that the ministry of the church, of the believers in Christ, is all about people. I think this is what the church in Ephesus forgot in Revelation 2. They had left their first love, that amazing first love of Jesus Christ, the Savior, that a man experiences when he realizes his sin and his need, his helplessness and his destiny, and he hears the good news gospel of Jesus Christ. He receives that salvation through faith and becomes a new creation in Christ. 

You remember that time in your life, don't you, my brother, my sister in Christ? How excited you were, how amazing the truth was when the scales fell from your eyes, and you saw the gospel truth, and what amazing good news it was for you. And what were you compelled by the love of Christ to do? You were compelled to praise and thank God. You were compelled to seek to know Him through His Word, to soak in more of His truth, to find out what else God's Word had to teach you, to tell you about Jesus and what He did for you, and how all of this changes our perspective on everything in this world around us and our destiny in eternity. 

You were compelled by all of this, perhaps most of all, to share this good news with everyone you knew, to preach the gospel, to tell others what you had come to know and what you now have in Jesus. And you were compelled to spend time with other believers, to encourage one another with the truth, to share in abounding joy and peace that you have found in Jesus Christ. 

And this is exactly what God intends, my friends. His heart is for people. His love is for men. And His great desire is for men to hear the truth, to believe and to come to Him in faith and be saved from the wrath to come. God's passion, Jesus' passion, is for people. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. Jesus came into the world to seek and to save the lost. 

Jesus was born with the express purpose of offering Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of men, to pay their sin debt, to die as our substitute, laying down His life, suffering the full wrath of God on that cross, dying, being buried, and on the third day, rising again as victor over sin and Satan and death and hell. My friends, God's passion is for people. 

And this is manifest through believers as His love is poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Love is the hallmark of the Christian. Agape love. Love for God, love for the brethren, love for the lost. And what we see in this chapter is an extension of what we looked at last week in chapter 15, verses 22-33, of Paul's passion for ministry. Because what we see here is Paul's passion for people. 

It's been said that the ministry would be great if it wasn't for the people. But, the ministry is all about people. And this is the application that must be made in our lives. This is the application that must be extended from the doctrine of Romans, from the exhortation of chapters 12-15, of a passion for ministry, of presenting our bodies a living sacrifice to God to serve Him, to praise and worship Him, and to take His gospel to the world. Our motive, our mission, must have the purpose of extending the love of God to men, to the brethren, and to the lost. 

And that was what was going on in the church in Rome and in the many networks of Paul. The people he had met and come to know and worked together with throughout his missionary journeys. Paul is writing from Corinth, writing this letter to the Romans with all its precious jewels of truth and application. This amazing gift to the church of Christ. And he, in this last chapter, puts shoe leather on the gospel. Makes clear that it is people that are the focus of ministry. And it is faithful believers that make each ministry in the church, even the great Apostle Paul's ministry, possible. 

Let's read together our 16 verses. Romans 16, verse 1, "I commend you to Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the church in Sincrea, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you. For indeed, she has been a helper of many and of myself also. Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise, greet the church that is in their house. Greet my beloved Eponidas, who is the firstfruits of Achaia to Christ. Greet Mary, who labored much for us. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. Greet Amplius, my beloved, in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved. Greet Apelles, approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the house of Aristobulus. Greet Herodian, my countrymen. Greet those who are of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord. Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, who have labored in the Lord. Greet the beloved Persus, who labored much in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. Greet Assycratus, Phlegon, Hermas, Petrobus, Hermes, and the brethren who are with them. Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympus and all the saints who are with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you." 

Well, I just want to frame the message this morning with four simple points you have on your outline. First, we're going to see helpers, then encouragers, laborers, and then Paul mentions all the saints. Well, the message I want for us to see in our text is that the ministry of Christ on this earth, the churches of Christ, are made up of real people. Real people with real struggles and real challenges who are really passionate about furthering the gospel of Christ. And this is done as we all work together helping, encouraging, laboring for the glory of God and the furtherance of the gospel. 

Well, first we see in verses 1 and 2 a great helper to Paul in his ministry, Phoebe. Verse 1, "I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the church in Sincrea, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints and assist her in whatever business she has need of you, for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also." Paul calls Phoebe our sister. She was a fellow believer and she was a servant in the church in Sincrea. This was a port city neighboring Corinth, just about eight or nine miles away. 

And apparently Phoebe was a prominent person in the church and was dedicated to serving in the gospel. The word used of servant is diakonos. It's the same word translated deacon. She was a helper. She was a helper to many in the church, and Paul says, to myself also. And apparently was involved in business dealings and travel. Paul commends her to the church in Rome and instructs them to help her in any way that they can, including with her business in Rome. She was to personally take the letter to the Romans from Corinth. 

Paul committed this crucial letter to the Romans, to this dear lady, to take it from Corinth all the way to Rome. He didn't have a copy saved on his hard drive, and he couldn't fax it to them in Rome or take a Xerox. This was a unique handwritten letter that Paul wrote, entrusted to Phoebe to deliver it to the church in Rome. God has people who are skilled within the church in many different ways. Some who are prominent in the world of business as well, who are able to assist fellow believers and help the church in all kinds of ways. And some have a heart to help in any way that they can, to further the gospel, whatever it takes, to work together, to assist, to encourage. 

My friends, the church needs helpers, and Phoebe was this type of person. The church also needs encouragers. Look at verse 3. "...Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risk their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but all the churches of the Gentiles. And likewise, greet the church that is in their house." 

We learn a little bit about Priscilla and Aquila, as well as the details about Paul's time in Corinth in Acts 18. If you turn over to Acts 18, I'm going to read a lengthy passage there. This gives us a little background and context for these people in Paul's life. 

Acts 18:1, "...After these things, Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome, and he came to them. So because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked for by occupation, they were tent makers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded both Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, 'Your blood be upon your own heads, I am clean, for from now on I will go to the Gentiles.' And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named Justice, one who worshipped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized. Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, 'Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you, for I have many people in this city.' And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. 

When Galileo was pro-council of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat, saying, 'This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.' And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Galileo said to the Jews, 'If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you. But if it is a question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves, for I do not want to be judge of such matters.' And he drove them from the judgment seat. Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Galileo took no notice of these things. So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Sincrea, for he had taken a vow, and he came to Ephesus and left them there. But he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent, but took leave of them, saying, 'I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem, but I will return again to you, God willing.' And he sailed from Ephesus. And when he had landed at Caesarea and gone up and greeted the church, he went down to Antioch. After he had spent some time there, he departed and went over to the region of Galatia and Phrygia in order of strengthening all the disciples. 

Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue, and when Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren rode, exhorting the disciples to receive him. And when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ." 

Well, it was Paul's custom when he came to a new city to go into the synagogue to the Jews first, to reason with them from the Scriptures concerning Jesus the Christ. And it was customary in the synagogues for the women to sit separate from the men. And the men also sat in groups according to their trade. So Paul sat with the tent makers, and Aquila was a tent maker. And Paul became friends with his brother and sister, and they worked together, and they ministered together. And they were an encouragement to Paul. Paul says they were willing even to lay their own necks on the line for the sake of Paul and his ministry. That's encouraging, my friends. 

Notice they sailed from Sincreia, where Phoebe was from, to Syria. And later in Ephesus, we see Aquila and Priscilla encouraging Apollos, helping him to preach more clearly the gospel of Christ. Like Barnabas to Paul, the son of encouragement, Aquila and Priscilla were for Paul. They were loyal, and they were willing to give themselves to encourage and help Paul in the furtherance of the gospel. It must have been an amazing time in Corinth, working on tents together, fellowshipping, talking, planning, and going to the synagogue, and teaching and reasoning from the Scriptures, preaching the gospel to the Gentiles as well. And the amazing fruit that God produced there through them. 

Even the ruler of the synagogue was converted, and God had many in that city, and He protected Paul while he ministered there. Notice also that it says that Aquila and Priscilla had come from Italy. They had come from Rome. And in verse 5, Paul says, greet those of the church of their household. They had a fellowship, a church in their home. They were encouragers. They were facilitators of the gospel. The church needs these kind of people to help, to encourage in ministry. 

In verse 5, Paul also mentions Eponidas, who was the first fruits of Achaia. He was Paul's first convert in Asia Minor or modern Turkey. He was beloved of Paul, perhaps because of the special designation as the first fruit of Paul's ministry. And it seems that Paul kept track of him, and must have had some contact because he knows now that he's in Rome. We need helpers in the church for the work of ministry. We need encouragers, always there for one another, to lift each other up, to point each other to Christ. 

And we need laborers. It says Aquila and Priscilla were fellow laborers, co-workers as well as encouragers. Phoebe was a laborer for Christ in her way. All of these believers are workers for the gospel in a particular way. This was their ministry to the church, to labor for Christ. In verse 6, Paul says, "Greet Mary who labored much." The word here means to work to exhaustion. It's often translated as weary as by work. Such as in Thessalonians where it says to work with your hands. Or of Jesus when it says He became weary. We do not know who this Mary is or how she ministered with Paul, but Paul says that she labored much for the sake of Christ. 

And we see more laborers in verse 7. "Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me." These were real people, my friends. Real people in a real time, who ministered together for the cause of Christ, who risked their necks. These were Jews, countrymen of Paul, it says. It may mean that they were from the tribe of Benjamin as well, and maybe even some kinfolk of Paul. These believers were in Christ before Paul, it says, and they were well known by the apostles. And they had been imprisoned with Paul. What fellowship they must have had together. 

And no doubt they were laborers for Christ, willing to be arrested and beaten for the sake of the gospel. It may have been that these believers were instrumental in starting the church at Rome as well. More precious brothers and sisters are listed in verses 8 to 15 and are laborers in the life and ministry of Paul, and in their own ministries for Christ. 

"Greet Amplius, my beloved in the Lord," verse 8. "Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved. Greet Apelles, approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the house of Aristobulus. Greet Herodian, my countrymen. Greet those who are of the house of Narcissus, who are in the Lord. All of these are real people that Paul knew that he wanted to greet, that he knew were involved in the church in Rome. Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labored in the Lord. Persus, the beloved, who labored much in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord. I heard someone say this was the only Calvinist in the Roman church. Chosen. And his mother and mine. Greet Assycratus, Phlegon, Hermes, Petrobus, Hermes, and the brethren who are with them. All of these people were believers who were ministering for the Lord and working with Paul, and they were an encouragement to him and helpers to him, and they labored much. 

Each of these have stories. Real life stories of struggles, of great trials, and great victories in ministry for the gospel and for the brethren. They are real people in real places in time who labored for the gospel, and they had a precious bond with Paul and with all the believers. A bond the world can know nothing about. They shared a love, agape love, because of their faith in Jesus. And they shared a common purpose, a goal, to bring the gospel to the world. They were in it together. They helped one another. They encouraged one another. They labored to exhaustion together because they were all saints. The word saints means sanctified, means set apart. Paul was certainly set apart for the gospel of Christ. 

He'd been set apart on that Damascus road when Jesus came and struck him blind and called him and saved him for the very purpose of defending the gospel, of preaching the truth, the good news, bringing salvation to the Gentiles, and building up the believers, the church of Christ. In verse 15, Paul says, "'Greet all the saints. Greet one another with a holy kiss. The church of Christ greets you.'" They all had their own story. They all had their own testimony of how Jesus Christ brought the gospel to each one of them and had wonderfully saved them and set them apart for the work of ministry, as ambassadors for Christ, as witnesses to the world, and as fellow workers in the church for the cause of Christ. 

And they gave their lives to this cause because they had a passion for people, for each other, and for the lost. This is what ministry is all about. People. People who are in need. In need of salvation, in need of help, in need of encouragement, who are in pain, who are struggling and suffering. People who need Jesus. And the wonderful thing about the gospel of grace is that through faith, by grace through faith, we are saved, we are secure. We know that we have eternal life. And therefore, we aren't constantly focused on ourselves and our works, and trying and seeking to achieve our salvation and not having any security. Because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts, because we are secure in Christ, we now can focus on others. 

We can focus on helping one another. We can focus on leading others to Christ, on giving our lives to the sake of the gospel. Because lost and saved, people need Jesus. This is what they need. 

I'd like to read a portion of a letter written to church leaders by a lady named Kimberly Lyra. She writes, "More and more on my social media feeds, I've been seeing a lot of churches boast of the cool, trendy new initiatives that they have begun. I've seen pictures of coffee bars that resemble Starbucks. I've seen lighting that resembles one scene on Broadway. I've read catchy sermon titles, and I've seen how people have brought Hollywood movies into their sermons. 

My husband passed away February 14, 2017 after a two-year battle with cancer. To say he battled cancer is an understatement. He was hospitalized two weeks out of every month during the first year. He was hospitalized a total of 18 times. He was rushed to the emergency room eight times. He spent hundreds of days separated from his two children. And eventually, the chemo designed to get rid of the cancer caused him to be paralyzed. And for the last four months of his life, he was paralyzed and confined to a bed. My husband endured cycle after cycle of chemo. He was separated from his children many nights. He was hooked up to chemotherapy for 24 hours at a time. He listened to the doctors tell him bad news after bad news, and he was left paralyzed and unable to get out of his bed. 

And he never said how much he appreciated the coffee bar at church. Never once did he say he loved the lighting in the sanctuary. He never told me how cool it was that they put a couch on the platform. He didn't boast of the graphics and the props used in the sermons. He talked about Jesus. He quoted Scriptures. He reminded me of sermons we had heard, and in the middle of the night, he sang songs of praise and worship to God. And he spent his time praying, because nothing a church does to strategize to bring in members helps you in the time of a storm. It is only Jesus. 

On February 13th, I had the most difficult task of telling my children their dad was not going to make it. And the next day at 724, the doctors declared him dead. As I lay next to my children at night, listening to my daughter sob uncontrollably because she misses her dad so much, I'm not thinking about how trendy my church is. I'm thinking that my strength comes solely from God. I don't have my best friend with me anymore, and even though I take comfort in knowing he is in heaven, I can't talk to my husband. I can't text him during the day. I can't share with him my frustrations. I can't hold his hand. I can't hug him. I can't kiss him. He is not here. 

And as I drive to church during the week, I'm not thinking that I'm so glad the leadership are reading How to Grow Your Church books and adopting cool sermon series. I'm thinking about how desperately I need Jesus. As I look at two young children who now have to grow up without their amazing dad by their side, I'm not thinking of how it was so awesome that the minister related his message to a Hollywood film. I'm not thinking of how much I need Jesus. 

When church leaders sit around and discuss how they can reach people, I don't think they have the widow in mind. I don't think they have the cancer patient in mind. I don't think they have the children who are growing up without a parent in mind. I'm not paying attention to the church decor when I walk through the doors. I don't want to smell fresh brewed coffee in the lobby. I don't want to see a trendy pastor on the platform. I don't care about the graphics or the props. I am hurting in a way that is almost indescribable. My days are spent working full time. My nights are spent homeschooling and taking care of two young children. I don't have shared duties with a spouse anymore. Everything is on my plate. And when I go to church, I desperately want to hear the Word of God. Because there are days I am running on empty. And a coffee bar in the lobby just isn't filling me up. 

There are days when the pain is so brutal, and a concert-like setting is not providing healing. There are days when the tears won't stop, and a trend-setting church is not what I need. I need Jesus. There are days when I wonder if the pain is ever going to end, and a couch on the platform is not providing answers. There are people whose marriages are crumbling, people whose finances are deteriorating, people whose children are rebelling, and people like me whose husbands have passed away after a brutal fight with cancer. 

I want to see how Jesus has changed a person's life. I want to see the power of prayer. I want to see how the Word of God can be applied to one's life. I want to see how Jesus can help the hurting. I want to see how Jesus can heal the sick. I want to see how the broken heart was restored. I want to see how the mourners were comforted. And I want to see how lives were restored. Rather than posting pictures of coffee bars, I would rather see testimonies of the power of God. 

The church does not need any more coffee bars. They don't need lighting. They don't need the concerts. They don't need the trend-setting. They don't need couches on the platform. They don't need to dim the lights to attract people. Tell a person how God has changed your life. Show them the love of God through your actions. Demonstrate how God helped you through the darkest of storms. 

And she writes, "Remember that you're not just trying to attract the hip and cool to your church. You are reaching widows. You are reaching children who don't have a parent. You are reaching someone battling with a disease. You are reaching a person going through a divorce. You are reaching a businessman who thinks they have all that they need. You are reaching the hurting. And the only thing they need is Jesus." 

My brothers and sisters in Christ, it is wonderful, it is necessary to study God's Word in order to know and understand and believe doctrine, to believe truth. And it is tremendous to study and receive the exhortation of God's Word to believe and apply these doctrines in our daily lives, to be convicted concerning these things. But if we do not actually get down to where the rubber meets the road, if we do not come to a point as a church, as pastors and preachers, as individual believers, where we know and understand and believe that the only thing we have to offer is Jesus Christ, and the only thing that we need is Jesus, then we've missed it all. 

If we do not actually apply these things in a manifestation of agape love for people, a love for people based on truth, the truth concerning Jesus Christ, then it's all for naught. This is what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13. He said, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I've become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy. Love does not parade itself. It's not puffed up. It does not behave rudely. It does not seek its own. It is not provoked. It thinks no evil. It does not rejoice in iniquity, Paul says, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. He says prophecies will fail. Tongues, they will cease. Knowledge, it will vanish away. But love remains. 

The ministry is all about people. People for whom Christ died. And what people need, what you need, and what I need, and what every lost man in our world needs, is Jesus. Truth. God's Word. Jesus Christ. That is what men need. And that is what the local church must be about, my friends. That is what our lives must be about. 

Let's close in prayer. 

Father, we're so thankful You give us this last chapter of the book of Romans to see the people involved in ministry with Paul and in his life and in the church in Rome. Help us to see and understand that the church is made up of people. People with real struggles and real trials and real desire to win the lost and to encourage one another. Help us to be helpers. Help us to be encouragers and help us to labor for the sake of the gospel. And help us to understand that Your passion is to save lost men. And that's why You have us here. That's why You've given us this good news message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus alone. It's in His name we pray. Amen.