Our subject is one of the members of the church in Cenchrea, named Phebe. There was something which required this lady to sail from Achaia to Rome. Among the many things that Paul was trying to accomplish with this sixteen chapter of his letter was to recommend Phebe to the church there in the Roman capital.
We will come back to that matter of recommendation in a moment, but let’s consider Phoebe in three areas: her condition, her commission and her excursion.
The fact that this woman was named “Phebe” is circumstantial evidence to her Grecian background. Not only was she not born into a Christian home, because Christianity was still a very new phenomenon, but she probably wasn’t an Hebrew either. It is unlikely that if her parents were Jews, that they would give her the name of a Greek idol. So we might surmise that Phebe came to Christ out of heathenism. In other words, she might be a representative of any one of us. There is a sense in which Phebe is a picture of every true Christian. No one is born into this world a Christian. Even if our parents are Christians, all the Hannahs, Isaacs, Micahs, Seths, Davids and Isaiahs come into the world as sinners and rebels, despite the fact that their names all come straight out of the Bible. And it doesn’t take too many months before that child’s parents begin to see their babe’s need of a new heart. Whether or not your child is named Nicodemus, he must be born again or he will not see the Kingdom of God. So we begin by saying that Phebe was probably born and raised as a Grecian idolater.
But that was in the past, as I hope that it might be said of each of you. “Know ye not that (Greek idolaters) shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” Despite her heathen past, Paul called this lady “our sister.” He told the Romans that they should treat her “as becometh saints” – as one of the children of God.
It is probably a shock for some of the visitors who to come into our services, when, in the course of the announcements, or in the midst of the message, or before prayer, they hear me refer to one of the men as “brother so-and-so.” That is language so familiar to me that the only trouble I have is deciding if I should ask “Brother Steve” or “Brother Kjeldgaard” to lead in prayer – as I’ve said before. (Talk about tradition. Here we have one, and it is an excellent tradition, in my opinion.) When my family moved to New Mexico and became members of the church in Deming, we ran into a different tradition – one which shocked our ears as much as the word “brethren.” It was the word “sister.” My wife was instantly known as “Sister Judy.” There was Sister Janice, Sister Forrester, Sister Brower, Sister Lydia and others. So why don’t we call Mrs. Kjeldgaard “Sister Kathy” and Mrs. Stewart “Sister Tami” more often? As Tevye sings in “Fiddler on the Roof” – “Tradition, tradition.” And then there is the fact that some of you come from a Roman Catholic background, and to you there might be something initially offensive in calling someone “sister so-and-so.” Once again that is a matter of tradition.
Paul didn’t call this lady “MY sister” because she wasn’t his blood relative. But he did call her “OUR sister” – even to people who had never met her before. That is because they were all related through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ; born again by that blood. They were Christians and children of God by faith in Christ Jesus – as was Phebe. Children of the same Father, even though He is their Father in Heaven, are all brothers and sisters. And they were all “saints” under the same King of kings.
And speaking of tradition, or lack of tradition, there is scriptural grounds for you to call some of us “Father.” I John 2:12-14 – “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.” If it wasn’t for tradition I would suggest that you could call me “Father Oldfield” since I’m older than most. The only problem would be that I fear that some of you abuse me if I insisted upon it. And in the same vein, it would be permissible to call some of the older ladies of the church “mother.” But I would recommend that you be careful with that one, knowing how some ladies are very jealous of their age.
But getting back to our subject, as to her condition, Phebe was a sister in Christ. She was one of the saints of the Lord. She was saved and set apart unto God by the grace of the Lord.
By the way, there is an important lesson in and around Cenchrea. As far as Christianity is concerned the two major cities of Greece were Corinth and Athens. Corinth is on what is a kind of island, separated from the Athenian part of Greece by an isthmus. An isthmus is a narrow strip of land which connects two larger masses of land. Another example of an isthmus is Panama which connects North and South America. Corinth is on the northwest side of this isthmus on the Bay of Corinth, and 5 miles south was Cenchrea. Together Corinth and Cenchrea, were a part of one of the most important trade routes in the world in its day. They were so close in proximity and importance that they were almost one city. And here is the theological significance of that little bundle of facts: There were two separate churches in those two separate but connected cities. When Paul wrote First and Second Corinthians those letters were addressed and sent to the church on the northwestern side of the Isthmus, But Phebe was a member of a separate church in Cenchrea. So what is the significance in that? It reemphasizes the fact that churches are separate and local congregations, not regional, national, denominational or universal organizations. There is no such thing as a universal church. To be a member of a church doesn’t automatically a member of another church.
And Phebe was a servant of the church in Cenchrea. The Greek word for “servant” is “diakonos” (dee-ak’-on-os) – the feminine form of “deacon” – “deaconess.” There is a difference of opinion as to whether our translators did us a service or disservice when then translated the word “diakonos” rather than transliterating it. But I personally think that they did the right thing. Phebe was a Christian and a member of the church in Cenchrea. She was also a very helpful, useful, and diligent worker in that church. But there is no Biblical reason to think that the by-laws of the church in Cenchrea created a church office called “Deaconess.” Paul wasn’t saying that Phebe had been ordained to the office of “deaconess.” But she had made herself available to the members of that church, to help them in every way possible. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that she helped take food to shut-in members of that church. I wouldn’t be surprised if she taught a children’s Sunday School class, or she was a mentor to some of the young mothers in the church. Phebe may have made herself available to help in the musical aspects of the worship services.
Another word Paul actually did use was “succourer.” “She hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.” The word means that she had been an assistant and helper to people who had been in distress. Phebe may have had some money which she freely shared with people who were in need. She may have been the lady in charge of the meals for those families with funerals or sickness. She was a “diakonos” (dee-ak’-on-os) because she was a “succourer.” Then again, she might simply have had the gift and the desire to be a comfort to those in grief or need.
On one page of my sermon note pad, I have at some time jotted down some thoughts – I heard a message, or read a sermon, and I jotted down this outline – Or maybe I once intended to preach about Phebe, and changed my mind, but kept my notes. However it came about I wrote down these thoughts. If you want to be a friend and succourer to someone in need: Stay, stay personal, stay real, stay churched, and stay tuned. Stay personal, not problemical. Let’s say that someone in a home is very, very sick, or perhaps death has already come. A good succourer is first of all merely a friend to the suffering or grieving person. It’s not about the situation or the problem, like most doctors, but about the people caught up in that situation – more like a nurse. Just being there, whether there is a word spoken or finger lifted, is all that is needed sometimes to be a great help. Second, stay churched. I believe that all our service for the Lord, should be carried out through one of the Lord’s churches. And a good Christian will try his best to bring the suffering or grieving person back to his church family. If one succourer is good, then a dozen or a hundred is a hundred times better. Stay tuned. The good succourer is watchful for the best ways to help. He doesn’t just follow some preprinted method. Stay real. In addition to the listening ear and the shoulder to cry and lean on, there are often hundreds of ways to be of practical help to a suffering family. Judy will never forget one of her friends, who brought bundles of paper plates, plastic tableware, napkins and other paper goods to help the Price family, when her mother passed away. That was as much a blessing and help as a dozen casseroles and brownies. Fifth, simply stay. A good succourer knows that most pain doesn’t go away very quickly. Those grieving people are going to need help and comfort for a long time. Stay ready to help.
This Phebe may not have been a pastor or preacher, prophet or prophetess, but she was an important member of that church. And when she had to leave for Rome, she left a hole in the church which was hard to fill. I sincerely hope that it was filled.
And then there was the matter of Paul’s commendation. It has been customary – a tradition among Baptists if – to send a letter of recommendation to the church where one of our members wants to join. If Brother George is moving to Berea and presents himself to that church for membership, then the Berean church writes to our church stating that fact, and we reply. Sadly, that tradition has become so impersonal that I think that it has become nearly impractical. Often times these days, there are preprinted little postcards where the receiving church inserts their name and address and the name of the people asking for membership. When the former church receives the post card, they reply with another preprinted post-card on which they scribble the name of their former member. And in the process there has been something called “an exchange of letters.”
Speaking candidly, I can’t find that sort of thing in the Bible. Yes, Paul spoke kindly of Phebe and commended her to the church in Rome. But there isn’t much similarity here to the practice of modern Baptists. And the church in Rome wasn’t under any responsibility to do anything with the letter or with Phebe herself. Every church is an autonomous organization, and can receive members or dismiss members any way that they choose, so long that it’s not unbiblical. If a letter of recommendation is to be sent, then make it real, specific and honest. And both churches should realize that there is actually no TRANSFERRING of membership. If Rome wants to receive Phebe, they receive her, and she becomes a new member of their church. Does a letter of recommendation help them to make a good decision about the lady? Probably. But the decision about Phebe’s membership is theirs alone, and the membership is something brand new, not a transfer.
Was Phebe actually ceasing to be a member in Cenchrea and taking up residence and membership in Rome? There is no proof of that. This might have merely been a visit to Rome, yet the letter of recommendation was still appropriate. And even if she became a member in Rome, that would not annul her membership in Cenchrea until the church actually did something about that.
I do not believe that our church has the Biblical authority to transfer a person’s membership to another church. Every church is an independent and autonomous organization. When a member chooses not to be a part of our church, then they should be removed from our rolls. When a church writes to me about a former member, stating their desire to join with them, then I politely tell the church that those folks are no longer our members. Since they usually ask for a letter of recommendation, I give them a brief description of the kind of member that they have been over recent months. In other words, it is more or less like what we read in Romans 16:1-2. I see little else in the Word of God about this kind of church business.
But getting back to Phebe Judging from Paul’s commendation, here is a lady, whom I think would be a wonderful addition to the church in Rome, our church, or any church. She was a servant of the church and a succourer or many.
Admittedly, this has been an atypical Sunday morning message, so let me try to apply it. Let’s pretend that you had been a member of the church in Cenchrea, and that you are moving to Rome. Would Paul have commended you as one of the saints of God? Could he say that you had given evidence of your salvation – that you were a true servant of the Lord and a succourer toward others? If your church took a vote based upon the evidence in your life, would they write to Rome that you are a genuine child of God? This is a serious question: have you been born again, and does your life give evidence to that fact?