God’s little people – Phoebe and Her Friends

Romans is Paul’s most weighty letter. It gives a systematic exposition of the Christian message and includes a tough section on the issue of Jews and Gentiles (Rom 9-11). This weighty letter has been pivotal at some great turning points such as the sixteenth century Reformation and the turn from theological liberalism in the early twentieth century.

Readers of Romans may be forgiven for wilting under this weighty material and abandoning the read. However, it’s worth pushing on to the quite tender and personal closing words of Ch 16.

This is typical of most of Paul’s letters. He has a strong sense of being God’s appointed Apostle, yet in the end he is just a man. As such he values the people who loved and cared for him in very practical ways.

Hence his mention of Priscilla and Aquila (note that the wife comes first) who pop in and out of the New Testament story as a married couple who opened their homes, hearts and business to Paul and others over many years. Thus also the ‘mother of Rufus’ (v13) who had been a substitute mother to Paul. Paul’s language makes it clear that his ministry could not be undertaken without these little people of God playing their part.

Let’s look at one of these people ... Phoebe (Rom16:1-2). She belonged to the church at Corinth. Several things are interesting about her. Firstly, that she is mentioned first in the list of Paul’s helpers. Indeed, some have suggested that this marks her out as the one whom couriered this letter to the Roman church. Secondly, she is labelled a servant. The Greek word is the term for deacon. In our terms, Phoebe is among the elected lay leaders. Thirdly, the concern (v2) that she is well-treated in Rome as befits a person so useful to the non-Jewish church. We know nothing else about her, but these references make it plain that she is a ‘little’ person of God’s kingdom who packs a punch.

Phoebe, along with the others who are mentioned, challenges our sense of who is important in church. As we have seen, churches need all kinds of people doing all kinds of things. Men and women; young and old; majority and minority culture people; left brain and right brain; practical and conceptual; high and low born; well-educated and less-educated; taxi driver and theologian – all have their place in God’s church.

Let’s welcome and celebrate the diversity in our church members. This is Christ’s church – a kaleidoscope of Paul, Phoebe and the rest.

The Genesis of Christian World View

'In the beginning God' and therefore ontology grounded in the prime reality of God.

'God said' and therefore epistemology grounded in God’s self-revelation.

'God saw that it was good' and therefore axiology grounded in God’s standards.

Youth Gangs?

Singapore media presently have a preoccupation with youth gangs (Nov 2010).

But is the problem so bad?

Yesterday I was walking on a footpath when a group of five mid to late teens came riding by, on the footpath and mounted on pushbikes. They were in black Ts, with unkempt hair, course language and apparent indifference to other people. A gang?

We all came to a set of traffic lights. Some walkers (including me) crossed against the lights when there was evidently no cars. The teens on bikes waited meekly until the lights changed and then rode off .... all that training in social compliance showing its fruits!

God’s Little People – Barnabas

Many people want to be the ‘number one’. The ‘number ones’ are the key leaders who drive agendas, decide directions and set the pace. They also tend to be more prominent. We need great number one leaders, even though misplaced ambition can lead some to seek this position from base motives (eg, Mrk 10:35-45).

Barnabas challenges our sense that we must always move to a higher position.

Barnabas was a Levite from Cyprus whose real name was Joseph (Acts 4:36-37). He was later called ‘Barnabas’ because he was an encourager. That’s the person who gets alongside others, especially when they are stumbling or new at something. The encourager builds others up and then steps back so they can be their best. We see this coming out in the ministry of Barnabas.

Barnabas showed early promise and was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit (Acts 11:24). Thus he was sent from Jerusalem to inspect the burgeoning work at Antioch, was co-commissioned with Paul to the great western mission work (Acts 13:1-3); was instrumental in turning that mission to work among non-Jews and later in defending the standing of non-Jewish Christians (Acts 13:46; 15:1-12). So far he is looking like a great number one gospel worker.

However, Barnabas’ role was to be a great number two. At first Paul depended on Barnabas. Thus Barnabas introduced him to the sceptical leaders at Jerusalem and then recruited him to help with the ministry at Antioch (Acts 9:27; 11:25-26). Paul soon outgrew his encourager and emerged as the key leader. (Note, for example, how Paul is soon mentioned first when their names are paired – eg Acts 13:2,7, but then 13:42,46 etc.) Paul even criticised Barnabas for being misled by peer pressure and compromising on a gospel issue (Gal 2:13). These two had a later disagreement over a cousin of Barnabas who once deserted the cause (Acts 15:36-39), but their affection remained.

Do we see the pattern in Barnabas?

It takes the grace of the Spirit for a more senior leader to step aside for his acolyte. Likewise it takes grace to encourage and nurture another person into their more prominent ministry. Barnabas did both.

It’s easy to criticise others and thus to feed our ego with a sense of superiority. However, encouragement is the far more useful ministry. Who can you encourage in faith and service during this week? Be a Barnabas!

Publications

TO 1980

• ‘The Early Hebrew Monarchy: A Sociological Study of Charismatic Leadership’. Binah 1,1, 1977.

• ‘The Covenant in Puritan Thought’. In Evangelism and the Reformed Faith Christian Education Committee, 1980.

1981 - 1990

• Regular articles and book reviews in Australian Presbyterian Life 1981-99, including article series on church history, cults, and a Christian view of current events.

• Occasional book reviews and articles on general religious matters in New Life, 1989.

1991 - 2000

• Regular articles on Christian education matters in EQUIP, a publication of the NSW Christian Education Committee – 1983 - 1999.

• God's Own People - a set of Bible studies on 1 & 2 Peter, co-author with Sue Mackenzie, GAA Christian Education Committee, 1985.

• Understanding and Sharing Your Faith - a distance course for Presbyterian Special Religious Education Teachers, NSW Presbyterian Christian Education Committee, 1989.

• Introduction to Presbyterian Doctrine - a distance course in the Certificate of Christian Studies, Presbyterian Theological Centre, 1991.

• Basics for Believers - a set of studies on basic Christian doctrine, GAA Christian Education Committee,1992.

• ‘Adult Education in The Christian Churches’, Interlink, 3, 1992.

• ‘World View, Philosophy and Theology’, M2M Academic Supplement, Feb - Mar 1994.

• Church History Introduction - Distance Education Notes, Presbyterian Theological Centre, Burwood, 1995, 2nd edition 1998.

• The Presbyterians in Australia, co-author with P Hughes, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1996.

• Introduction to Church History - a distance course in the Certificate of Christian Studies, GAA Christian Education Committee, Sydney, 1997.

• At the Coal Face - studies in the Presbyterian eldership, editor and co-author with Philip Campbell, GAA Christian Education Committee, Sydney, 1997.

2001 - 2010

• Review; ‘Dictionary of Asian Christianity’; Reformed Theological Review, 61,1, April 2002

• Quarterly columnist in The Express, magazine of the English Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in Singapore, 2003 –2007.

• Should the Teaching of Pastoral Ministry be Church Based or Seminary Based? Paper presented to Icthus Research Institute, Singapore Bible College, October 2004.

• Introduction to the Westminster Confession of Faith. 2009. Revised version of 1995 publication Understanding Presbyterian Doctrine.

• Time to Leave the Wilderness? – The Teaching Of Pastoral Theology In South East Asia, in Tending the Seedbeds (ed. Allan Harkness, Asia Theological Association, Quezon City, Philippines 2010).

• Review: The Westminster Assembly: Reading its Theology in Historical Context; Reformed Theological Review, 69:2, August 2010.

ONGOING

• Blogspot: davidburke51.blogspot.com

The musical mite

The other afternoon I passed by a room where a group of older saints were singing hymns.

The pianist was struggling with the tune. The saints were not many and their voices struggled and quavered. Technically, they were far below our church’s regular music ministry.

But I know those people.

They are the people of God. They sang the songs of the saints from the hearts of saints. Theirs was a musical mite, but it was the widow’s might for they gave all they had.

God’s Little People – “_”

There are no little people and no little places. Thus spoke Francis Schaeffer, a twentieth century Christian philosopher and theologian. I first heard those words while driving to preach in a little place where the sheep in the surrounding paddocks outnumbered the little congregation. What an encouragement! The smallest deeds and the least of God’s people matter.

Let’s meet someone so little that she is not named. We read about her in 2 Kings 5.

“_” was a young Jewish woman who was a domestic helper to the wife of a man from Aram. The husband was a senior military officer . “_” had been captured in a raid on Israel and sent to his home.

This big shot soldier had a name, but so did his disease: leprosy. In popular view, this was like being HIV AIDS positive today. And that’s where “_” came into the picture. She spoke up and pointed her mistress’s husband to seek help from the one true Lord who was his enemy’s God. It was a big blow to the husband’s pride, but eventually he accepted the help provided through God’s prophet. Thus he was healed and the fame of the Lord’s name spread in Aram.

It is a thought provoking story. “_” is so small that she is not named, yet the Lord’s name was lifted up because of her. Perhaps unintentionally, she sets an example for all of God’s people as she did her best but remained anonymous. There are several lessons for us here:

• Like “_” we all have our part to play in the story of God’s deeds.

• We are to play our part rather than to be silent and leave our task undone, for there are no deeds so little that their absence makes no difference.

• Further, we are to play our part as well as we can, for God is the ultimate audience and not the soldier whom “_” served nor the people whom we serve.

• Yet again, what matters is not that our name is even remembered, but that the Lord’s name is exalted. Thus a Christian leader of vast influence left instructions that he was to be buried in an unmarked grave lest he be exalted and God’s glory be robbed.

Who are we making a name for? “_” made a name for the Lord. Let’s copy her so that his name is hallowed amongst us and through us.

God’s ‘Little’ People – Baruk

The history of the world is but the biography of great men. Thus speaks Thomas Carlyle, a nineteenth century Scottish philosopher. On his view, history is made by great people doing great things.

Carlyle has a point. Where is broader history without the heroes who ‘turned the moment’? Where is the story line of the Bible without Abraham, Moses, David, Paul and such like? However, there is a balancing truth. The spaces between the deeds of great people are filled by ordinary people faithfully playing their part with ordinary deeds. Furthermore, the deeds of these people enable the deeds of the great.

This is a great encouragement, for most of us are the ordinary people or little people of God. In the language of Paul (1 Cor 12) we are a fingernail or a minor blood vessel in the body of Christ. Yet, Paul also reminds us of the necessity, importance and honour of every part including the smallest (1 Cor 12:21-26).

Baruch is one of God’s little people. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, Baruch was of noble birth. According to the Bible, his brother held a staff officer’s post under King Zedekiah (Jer 36:4; 51:59). However, we remember him in more humble roles as the personal assistant and note-taker to the Jeremiah.

Thus Baruch witnessed a land transaction of Jeremiah (Jer 32:11-15) and hand-wrote a scroll of Jeremiah’s sermon notes which he later read in the temple precinct(Jer 36:4-9). But this tedious note-taking was in vain! King Jehoiakim did not like what he heard on the scroll and burnt it and thus Baruch had to repeat the task (Jer 36:11-32). He was later accused of treason (Jer 43:1-3) and he and Jeremiah went together to exile in Egypt (Jer 43:6-7). Josephus records that both Jeremiah and Baruch were then taken to Babylon after the 583BC invasion of Egypt by Babylon.

Jeremiah was certainly one of the great ones of his day as he bore faithful to the Lord over 40 or more years of preaching in difficult circumstances. However, Baruch seems to have been the ‘enabler’ who made Jeremiah’s ministry possible. Further, in all likelihood we would not have the book of Jeremiah without Baruch’s labours to write, re-write and then safely secure his record of Jeremiah’s sermons. Without Baruch, Jeremiah would be a silent prophet to us.

What is your part in the ordinary works of God? We are not all called to be a ‘number one’. Most of us will be a ‘number two’. Let us strive to be the best ‘number one number two’ that we can be.