People in Paul's Life
12 - Phoebe
Phoebe was a woman who Paul thought very highly of, but all we read of her is found in just the first two verses of the sixteenth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans.
We are not told that she was married. I suspect she wasn’t, or her husband would probably have been mentioned in the same way as Priscilla and Aquila are mentioned as a couple. She was probably either single or widowed, because if she was married she wouldn’t have had the freedom to go to Rome.
I suspect she was from a heathen background because her name is derived from the Greek name for the god, Apollo.
In commending Phoebe to the church at Rome, Paul first of all calls her, “our sister.” All Christians have a relationship with God. In the first chapter of John’s Gospel, verses 12 and 13 we read that those who have received Christ have the right to become or be called children of God. He is referring to those who have been born of God. So, when Paul calls Phoebe, “our sister” he is saying that, like him and those with him when writing this letter, she has been ‘born again’ or ‘born of the Spirit.’ He is saying that there had come a time in her life when God had spoken to her and she had accepted Christ as her personal Saviour. Earlier in our studies we read of Ananias of Damascus addressing Saul, as Paul was then called, as “Brother Saul” because he recognised him as a true spiritual brother. This is in Acts chapter 9 and verse 17. Paul recognises Phoebe as a true sister in the Lord in the same way and therefore has the same standing as he does in the eyes of God.
We are not given any details of her conversion. It is possible she was converted under the ministry of Paul, but she might have become a believer through the on-going work of the church after Paul had left Corinth when he visited the city on his second missionary journey. When Paul wrote to Timothy he called him “a true son in the faith” and “a beloved son”, and he uses a similar term when addressing Titus. He does not call Phoebe his daughter, but his sister. As a result she probably wasn’t converted directly as a result of Paul’s ministry, but his teaching would have helped strengthen her relationship with the Lord.
Paul wrote his letter to the Romans while visiting Corinth on his third missionary journey. By this time the church at Corinth had grown and there was now a daughter church at Cenchrea which was the eastern port of Corinth. We are told she was “a servant of the church in Cenchrea.” The Greek word for servant is where we get the name ‘deacon’ from. Although today this word is used for an official title or office in the church it is not certain if she had this office. If she did have an official office in the church, then in order to be appointed she would have had to have had a good character. When deacons were first appointed in the church at Jerusalem they were men who had to have a good reputation. They had to be people who could be trusted. They had to be people who were full of the Holy Spirit. In other words their lives had to be controlled by God through the leading of the Spirit.
Finally they had to be full of wisdom and discernment. Even if she didn’t have the official office of deacon, I am sure she fulfilled these qualifications. But they are not meant to apply just to people in official roles; all Christians should show evidence of these in their lives.
How important should serving the Lord be for the Christian? James tells us that “faith without works is dead.” This means that if we are not serving the Lord in some way, our faith in the Lord is questionable. So, what should our attitude be to serving God? The Bible gives us some thoughts on this:
In the first book of Samuel, chapter 20 and verse 12 we read, “Serve the Lord with all your heart.” In other words, don’t give Him second best
In Psalm 100 and verse 2 we read, “Serve the Lord with gladness.” In other words, serve the Lord willingly. Service for the Lord should never be a chore.
In Psalm 2 and verse 11 we read, “Serve the Lord with fear.” This doesn’t mean we should serve the Lord because we are afraid not to, but because we recognise that service for the Lord is service for the King of kings and Lord of lords and we should therefore treat him with the honour that is due to Him.
What is certain about Phoebe is that she served the Lord in whatever capacity she could because of her love for the Lord. She was probably like some of the women Paul speaks about in his letter to the Philippians, chapter 4 and verse 3, who worked hard with him to spread the gospel, but in her case worked through the church she attended. Paul actually refers to the fact that she had helped him and many others, although we are not told how. Paul must have thought highly of her to entrust her with the delivery of his letter to the believers at Rome. After all, this was an important letter as it contained essential teaching for the believers at Rome, and it is teaching which is relevant for the church as a whole.
In the early church women servants had a variety of jobs. These included caring for the sick and poor in the church. They also had the duty of looking after strangers and even visiting people in prison. They would also be involved in teaching younger women and children
Today, in most churches, women usually outnumber the men. This is often because the husband is not a believer, but can be sympathetic to his wife being one. It could also be because the woman is a widow or has never married.
One lady we read about in the New Testament who was not able to serve the Lord in a practical way was Anna the prophetess. We are told she had been a widow for about eighty four years, which means she was probably about a hundred years old, or even older. But she served the Lord by fasting and praying day and night. James tells us to pray for one another, especially for those who are sick because prayer can have a powerful effect. He says, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man (and I think we can include women here) avails much.” We read this in the Epistle of James, chapter 5 and verse 16. We are also asked to pray for those who are able to serve the Lord. Paul especially asked the people of Thessalonica to pray for him and those working alongside him in his ministry. He valued prayer so much that he asked them in both of his letters to the church there. Maybe age or some other disability is preventing you from serving the Lord as you would like, but you can serve the Lord by praying.
When commending Phoebe to the people of Rome he asks them to “receive her in the Lord.” In other words he is asking them to receive her as a believer into their fellowship. She was from a different country and therefore from a different culture and therefore be used to different customs. A person’s background should not make any difference to them being accepted into a fellowship because, as Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia, we “are all one in Christ Jesus.” This can be found in Galatians 3 and verse 28. He is telling the recipients of the letter that they don’t have to be wary of her because he can vouch for her sincerity. But, how do we receive strangers into our fellowship? I have visited churches which have made me feel at home and at one with them. I have also visited churches where I have not felt welcome. Remember, the Lord welcomed all who came to Him in true repentance.
We are not sure if Paul actually sent her to Rome, if she was the one to deliver the letter to Rome, or if she was someone who held a responsible position in the commercial world and was therefore asked by Paul to deliver the letter because she was going there. Whichever is true, if any, it teaches us that we should always be ready and willing to go and do whatever the Lord asks of us and to use our circumstances as a means of serving the Lord.