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PHOEBE – A WOMAN OF IMPORTANCE (ROMANS 16:1-2)

The theme for our reflection is a “Pheobe, a woman of importance”. Pheobe was a woman of importance because she was a generous benefactor. Pheobe was a Christian woman who was ever ready to help others and promote the mission of God by giving and supporting overwhelmingly in the church. We shall examine the fact that a generous benefactor is one of the important lubricants of God’s mission in the world.


Beloved in the Lord, a generous benefactor is one of the important lubricants of God’s mission. Paul commended Pheobe’s important role as a servant and generous benefactor in the mission of God and the ministry of the church. Paul sent Pheobe to deliver his letter to the Church in Rome. He appealed to them concerning Pheobe, “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, 2 that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well. (Romans 16:1-2) According to Paul, Pheobe was not only a servant or deacon in the Church of Cenchreae, but notably, Pheobe had been a generous benefactor or patron to him and others.

Can we imagine a church without generous benefactors like Phoebe? Those whom God has blessed with wealth and money have a ministry in the Church. They are in the Ministry of Generosity and Kindness. A generous benefactor’s ministry is one of the essential lubricants for God’s mission through the Church. A lubricant is a substance that reduces friction or difficulty. The moving parts in an engine can not function effectively without a lubricant. Similarly, the mission of the Church or the core business of the Church can not be achieved timeously and successfully without generous benefactors serving as important lubricants. Generous benefactors provide funds needed for the purchase of mission lands, infrastructure development of the Church and also effectively keep the mission and ministries within the Church running. Paul was the beneficiary of Pheobe’s generosity. In other words, Pheobe supported Paul in the discharge of his divine assignment of preaching the Gospel. It is the responsibility and calling of the rich or those whom God has blessed abundantly to support the Church in diverse ways. They are to identify the needs of Church leaders such as pastors, catechists, evangelists and anyone who is determined to preach the Good News and support them in any way they can. For instance, a generous benefactor who reads NBNB Daily reflections can support the propagation of the Gospel by donating or giving funds to defray the costs associated with maintaining the website, data charges, evangelism and outreach programmes. This was how Pheobe supported Paul. It is instructive to note that Jesus’ ministry was also supported by some generous women, Luke revealed to us that ” Soon afterwards Jesus went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means. (Luke 8:1-3). These women were important and generous benefactors to the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ.

Beloved in the Lord, Paul encourages us to be generous benefactors to anyone whose daily business is to teach and preach the Word of God when he wrote in Galatian 6:6 that “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. (Galatians 6:6). In other words, those who are called to teach and preach must dedicate their time day and night to study the Scriptures, listen and convey God’s unadulterated message to His people and prepare them for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is for this reason that those who are taught are to share good things with the one who teach or preach. Being a teacher or preacher of the Word of God is a vocation or a calling which requires a lifetime commitment hence Paul admonished Timothy, ” Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Again, he admonished him, “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: ² preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. (2 Timothy 4:1-2) Dear friend, without generous benefactors in the Church, the mission of the Church and the agents of the Church will encounter difficulty or hindrance in the discharge of their divine duties or assignment. Generous benefactors are an integral part of the ministry and mission of God in the world. It is, for this reason, Paul wrote to Timothy, ” As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. ¹⁸ They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, ¹⁹ thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

Beloved in the Lord, once the Lord, blesses us generously and abundantly, He expects us to become generous benefactors in His mission in the world by supporting the Church and those whose daily business is to preach and teach the Gospel so that many will be saved. In one of my former congregations, I witnessed a husband and wife who donated over 80% of the funds needed to buy a church land. The price of the land was $75,000. This couple were new in the congregation but they identified the essential need of the congregation at the time and immediately helped to solve a problem which had taken the congregation many years to resolve. In fact, the congregation was about to lose the said land but for the grace of God and through the intervention of this couple, the EPCG now exists at Adjiringanor, Accra. Generous benefactors are God-sent! The Lord bless them immeasurably. This couple have never ceased to be generous benefactors and God continues to bless them. We acknowledge and commend many others who continue to generously give for the furtherance of God’s mission in the church and in the world. Paul reminds us of the words of Jesus when he wrote, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35) You may not have the ability to actively preach the Gospel but you can actively support the preaching of the Gospel by helping the church to purchase a car for missionary work, purchase public address system for preaching the Gospel, you can help the evangelism team of your church with logistics needed for their trips. There are many things needed for the Gospel to be preached effectively and this is why generous benefactors are an important lubricant of the mission of God.

In summary, we have reflected on the theme, “Pheobe, a woman of importance.” We have critically examined the fact that generous benefactors are important lubricants of God’s mission in the world. Their roles in the Church are indispensable because their contributions ensure that the Gospel is preached effectively and widely. We pray for the Lord to raise more important and generous benefactors like Phoebe for the Church in the 21-Century.

PRAYER
1. Let us pray for God to bless us abundantly so that we shall become generous benefactors who will support the mission of God in the world.
2. Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to help us identify the needs of the Church and willingly support the church.
3. Let us pray for our pastors and evangelists who continue to sacrifice their time, energy and life to ensure that the Gospel is preached daily. Let us pray for generous benefactors to identify and partner with them to ensure that the Gospel is preached without any hindrance.

PRAYER
Almighty God, bless your church and all those in the ministry of propagating the Gospel with generous benefactors so that Your mission will continue to flourish in the world. We pray for our generous benefactors, may You grant them long live, good health and prosperity in all their endeavours. Amen.