Paul the apostle told the
church members in Corinth how the household of “Stephanas”
“ have refreshed
my spirit and yours”,
and in chapter sixteen and verse
eighteen of First Corinthians, Paul shares with the church members
how the “churches of Asia salute you”
where we read:
The
churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in
the Lord,
with the
church that is in their house.
The verse begins, “The
churches of Asia salute you.” Paul began with the words, “the
churches” which means “the assemblies of Christians gathered
for worship in a religious meeting” “of Asia” which
means “orient” and is “the proper or proconsular Asia
embracing Mysia, Lydia, Phrygia, and Caria and corresponding closely
to Turkey today” “salute you” which means “greet, wish
well and joyfully welcome and receive the church members in Corinth”.
Paul sent a “greeting” from the “assemblies of Christians”
who were located in the “orient”.
The verse goes on to say,
“Aquila and
Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in
their house.”
Paul added the word, “Aquila”
which means “an eagle” and was “a Jew
of Pontus who was a tent maker convert to Christ and companion and
ally of Paul in propagating Christianity” “and
Priscilla” which means “ancient” and
was “a Christian woman and the wife of Aquila” “salute
you much” or “greet, wish well and
joyfully welcome and receive the church members largely and greatly”
“in the Lord”
which refers to “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which
he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God the
Messiah”, “with the church”
or “alongside the assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a
religious meeting” “that is in”
which means “within and among” “their
house” or “Aquila and Priscilla's
dwelling place”. Paul sent “greetings” from this married couple
who were teachers and leaders in the early church who had a “church”
in their own home.
When we consider these
words from Paul, we see not only the significance of “greetings”
from other Christian, but also the importance of people having a
“church” in their home. “Aquila and Priscilla”
opened their “house” to others where they no doubt worshiped the
Lord Jesus, prayed and studied the word of God. Many of the early
churches were in homes, and today most of the churches in the world
meet in houses. As we consider the “salutes” given by
Paul, let us also consider whether the Lord Jesus may have us open
our homes to a “home church, bible study or group” where
Christians may share and grow in their faith and trust in the Lord
Jesus.
Next
time Paul shares
with the church members how “all
the brethren greet you”,
so read ahead,
and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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