romans 16 lesson plan

Here is the lesson plan for tonight’s class on Romans. We are finishing up this study and will begin a study on Hebrews next week.

If you are interested in this lesson series, send me an email and I will be happy to send it to you. There is no charge for it, but if you claim it to be yours, the angels in heaven will weep for your dishonesty and there will be shame, shame. And you will probably get indigestion.

Romans 16: Personal Greetings

Paul is winding up his letter. This sections, as was the last section of Chapter 15 (vv14-22), is filled with personal comments.

To have not been to Rome, Paul surely knew a lot of people there. As an apostle, and as a traveling preacher, he came in contact with a lot of people. He was also the kind of guy who could probably remember them, especially with the help of his secretary (also called an amanuensis).

The people who are mentioned all have one thing in common. They are all hard workers in the kingdom. Many also were converts from Paul’s works or who had worked with Paul somewhere.

QUESTIONS:
1. Phoebe is mentioned here as a deaconess or minister. The church also is encouraged to help her in any way it can. How do you think they did? Do you think there were many like here that traveled?

2. Priscilla and Aquila came into contact with Paul in Acts 18. They were tentmakers as he was, so they found each other quickly. They were the ones who taught the orator Apollos the full gospel. How would you feel if you had been leaving things out for a long time and a couple came to you and told you so?

3. They even had a house church. House churches are big right now in church planting circles. What, in your mind, constitutes a house church?

4. Epenetus is mentioned as the first convert in the province of Asia. How would it feel to be the first?

The little girl in this picture is listed on the back of the photo as the first convert for the Lincoln Foursquare Church in the early 1940’s. No name is given.

5. He also mentions Andronicus and Junias, evidently relatives of his who were in prison with him. He calls them outstanding among the apostles. Did this mean they were apostles themselves?

6. V10 Apelles is mentioned as being tested and approved in Christ. Are you?

7. V16 Why do we no longer greet each other with a holy kiss?

8. V17 He closes with a warning about those who cause division. Why does he mention this so much?

9. A bunch of other people that we know nothing about are mentioned also, including one who was the city’s director of public works. There were some high placed officials in the early church (cf Philippians 1:12-14). How would that affect the early church?

10. V20 is surely an odd picture: a God of peace crushing his enemy, don’t you think?

11. Timothy is mentioned in v21. He was one who is very close to Paul. Paul came in contact with him first in Acts 16. How would people like Timothy make it easier on people like Paul?

12. V22 Tertius is mentioned as the secretary, giving his greeting. Does it matter if Paul did not write the letters himself? Are they still his?

13. V25 He ends with a doxology on the power of God manifested through the revelation of his will. This was probably an early church song.