Some believers treat their faith as a leisure interest.  They go to church if they have time and are not too tired; they get caught up with the enthusiasm of others.  They are often reluctant to give their time and money - and only give if they think they will have enough to meet all their own personal needs as well.  They are certainly not the first to offer themselves for hard work.

In this chapter, Paul has commended 37 people who shared his ministry vision and built up the church in Rome (Romans 16:1-16).  10 of them are women; there are two ministry couples (Aquilla and Priscilla, and Andronicus and Junia).  Most had Gentile backgrounds, of whom some were probably slaves, and some were Jews.  Many had travelled on business or for the gospel’s sake, and they were united in their love for Christ and one another.

As Paul signed off his letter to the church in Rome, he sent greetings from eight people who were part of his core ministry team.  Of these, we know a little about four: Timothy, Tertius, Gaius and Erastus.  Tertius was Paul's secretary.  As the Apostle dictated, so he wrote down this letter to the church in Rome.  For such a task he needed to be totally committed to the Lord, the gospel message and a willing servant of the Apostle Paul.  It would have been a real challenge, applying all his linguistic skills to ensure that he communicated exactly what the Apostle intended ...