Gracious Words

Am I an encourager of the saints?  Or does a critical spirit colour my description of other believers?  In his closing remarks in Romans, chapter 16, Paul refers to 35 different people, by name!  His words are worth considering and worth remembering, when it comes to my own description of fellow Christians; words to build up, and not to tear down.

Here is the list, with the descriptive words in bold:

Commends our sister Phoebe, to the church in Rome; servant of the church, a helper

Paul greets the following, in his letter:

Prisca and Aquila- fellow workers; risked their own necks

Epaenetus- my beloved- the first convert to Christ from Asia

Mary- worked hard

Andronicus and Junias- my kinsmen, my fellow prisoners; outstanding among the apostles

Amplaitus, my beloved in the Lord

Urbanus,our fellow worker in Christ

Stachys, my beloved

Apelles, the approved in Christ

Herodion, my kinsman

House of Narcissus, who are in the Lord

Tryphaena and Tryphosa, workers in the Lord

Persis, the beloved, who has worked hard in the Lord

Rufus, a choice man in the Lord

Rufus’ mother and mine

Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brethren

Philologus, Julia, Nereus, his sister, Olympas- all the saints

Greetings from:

Timothy, my fellow worker

Lucius, Jason, Sosipater, my kinsmen

Tertius, wrote the letter

Gaius, host to Paul and to the whole church

Erastus, the city treasurer

Quartus, the brother

I can choose to bless others by speaking well of them.

Or I can destroy others by speaking ill.

The church needs her encouragers.

“Let no unwholesome, (rotten), word proceed from your mouth,

 but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, 

that it may give grace to those who hear.”

(Ephesians 4:29)