All faithful sisters in Christ are great examples for the rest of us.  They are often underappreciated in local churches, but Paul was not one of them who undervalued them.  While Paul is sometimes viewed as a male chauvinist who somehow had it in for women, such could not be further from the truth.  The close of the great book of Romans shows us how much Paul respected faithful sisters in Christ.  He mentioned several of them who were of great help to the cause of Christ.

One such sister was a woman by the name of Phoebe.  While we do not have a lot of information about her, we have enough to know that she is worth imitating.

Romans 16:1-2 (ESV)
¹  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.

Paul uses two terms here that speak volumes about the usefulness of Phoebe in the church.  First, she was a servant of the church at Cenchreae.  The word translated servant is diakonos which has led some to conclude that she was a deaconess in an official capacity.  The qualifications for a deacon, however, prove that such a conclusion is wrong.

1 Timothy 3:12 (ESV)
¹²  Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well.

Each deacon had to be a husband.  This qualification is followed by the command that they manage their children and households well.  The word managing is from the Greek word proistēmi and means to stand before in rank, or, to rule.  The Bible is clear about the fact that such authority is given to husbands and fathers in the homes, not to wives and mothers.  Phoebe was not a deaconess in an official sense.

While Phoebe did not hold an official position as a deacon in the church at Cenchreae, she was a faithful servant in that local church.  We are not told the precise way in which she served, but the second word that Paul used to describe her might give us a hint.  He called her a patron of many, including himself.  This is a rare New Testament word, but it refers to one who is a defender, protector, or general helper of others.  Most of the time it refers to a person of means; thus, scholars conclude that Phoebe was most likely a wealthy businesswoman.

There is a broad spectrum of services Phoebe could have performed for the saints, including Paul.  It could be that she helped financially, or, perhaps, gave protection to those being persecuted.  Paul was often on the run from the enemies of Christ.  He was constantly in danger from robbers, Jews, Gentiles, and false brothers (2 Corinthians 11:26).  It does not take too much imagination to think that he needed refuge at times, and perhaps Phoebe stepped in to help.  We cannot be sure how she did so, but we do know she was a helper to many saints.

We should all be willing to serve in whatever capacity we can.  Whatever sacrifice is needed or effort it calls for, when brethren are in need, we should be there for them.  Phoebe was, and she serves as an example of what we should all be.  Let’s imitate her.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.