THE KING’S BUSINESS
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Paul sometimes was a conflict, and so it is sometimes with all men and women of real power (cf. Col. 4:12, 13 R. V.). There is one little phrase in verse 30 that is very significant, “the love of the Spirit.” This brings out very clearly the personality of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not a mere influence or power which God our loving Father sends into our hearts. The Holy Spirit is a person who loves us. How lit tle we think and how seldom we speak of “the love of the Spirit.” We think and talk much of the love of God the Father, and the love of Jesus Christ the Son, but “the love of the Spirit” is rarely men tioned, yet each one of us owes his salva tion as truly to the “love of the Spirit” as to the love of the Father and to the love of the Son. Thursday, Sept. 6. Rom. 15 : 31 - 33 . There was one special thing that Paul would have them pray for, namely, that he might be delivered from those who do not believe in Judea. Later developments showed how necessary this prayer was, and how wonderfully God answered it (Acts 21:27; 26:32). It was not for his own comfort that Paul desired to be delivered, but that he might continue his labors and go to them in Rome, “in joy through the will of God.” In going to them, he expected that not only they would find rest in his teaching, but that he himself would find rest in teaching them. The Epistle prop erly closes with verse 33, chapter 16 being given up to salutations and closing words; so Paul closes the 16th chapter with the words, .“Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.” Friday, Sept. 7 . Rom. 16 : 1 - 8 . What a long list of names there is here. Is there any use writing them? Yes, much use. The descriptions themselves used in connection with these names are very sug gestive, as for example, “our well beloved Epaenetus." What honor that puts upon Epaenetus to be so especially beloved by so great a man as Paul, and why was
Epaenetus so dear to Paul? Perhaps in part, because he was the first man in Cor inth whom Paul won to Christ, “the first fruits of Achaia.” And what an abundant harvest followed the conversion of this man. Of Mary, Paul speaks as one, “who bestowed much labor upon us (or you).” When Mary bestowed this labor upon them, little did she realize that the whole world would be reading about if more than eighteen hundred years later: Work done for Christ pays big and permanent inter est. Of Adronicus and Junia (or Junias) Paul speaks as “my kinsman and my fel low prisoners.” It was an honor to be a kinsman of Paul but a far greater honor to be a prisoner for Christ’s sake. These men were of note among the apostles. Here we learn that Paul was not the only one of his family that was converted to Christ, that in fact, he was not the first one of his family. How Saul of Tarsus must have raged when these kinsfolk of his went over to the side of the hated Nazarene. And now Paul comes to another beloved one, Ampliatus. In the early part of this section, Paul mentions Phoebe and Pris cilla and Aquila. Phoebe was a servant (or deaconess) of the church of Cenchrea. Cenchrea was the port of Corinth. Phoebe was a woman of affairs and energy and independence; one of the early ones of the long list of women who have made their lives count for Christ and the church. The woman of power is not a product of the twentieth century. Here, we see her way back in the first century, and we can go way back of that hundreds of years to Doborah (Judges 4:4 following) and others. Phoebe had been a succorer of many and even Paul among the rest. Priscilla and Aquila were fellow workers in “Christ Jesus.” Note that Paul puts the woman first. Everything seems to indicate that she was the stronger character of the two (cf. Acts 18:26 R. V.). To be “fellow workers of Paul was a wonderful posi tion but Priscilla and Aquila had gone beyond this; they had laid down their own necks for Paul’s life. Just when and where
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