Yay! It’s Tuesday! That means Bible Study and we’re on the last chapter in Romans, can you believe it? No, we’re not ending, another one is coming next Tuesday. The plan is to keep the study going, we’re just changing books next week. It’s a surprise, you’ll just have to come back then and see what we’re doing.
Let’s start with a prayer:
Father this chapter is full of unfamiliar and mostly indecipherable names. Show us what we need to see and help us as we try to understand despite how difficult some of these names will be for us. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for all Your help. Let’s end this study well, please. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
We’re staying in the AMP for this chapter, so navigate to Biblegateway in a new tab or if you happen to have that version in print it will work too.
Romans 16 Amplified Bible (AMP)
Read Romans 16:1-2 AMP
Greetings and Love Expressed
1 Now I _____________ and ____________ to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess (servant) of the church at Cenchrea, 2 that you may _________ her in the Lord [with love and hospitality], as God’s _________ [Literally the saints.] ought to receive one another. And that you may _______ her in whatever _________ she may require assistance from you, for she has been a _____________ of many, including myself.
A fun fact: Cenchrea is a few miles east of Corinth. Paul likely wrote Romans while in Corinth. What letters did he write to Corinth?
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What was the subtitle of this chapter? _____________________________________________________
How does Paul ask that the church in Rome receive Phoebe?
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His reasoning being that she along with them is also one of ______________________.
Did you notice what God’s people literally means? _______________________
What’s Paul’s next request for them? ______________________
Read Romans 16:3-5 AMP
3 Greet Prisca [Greek Prisca, a variant of Priscilla] and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who ________ their _____ _______ [endangering their very lives] for ____ life. To them not only do I give _________, but also all the churches of the __________. 5 Also greet the church that meets in their ________. Greet my __________ Epaenetus, who is the first convert to Christ from [the west coast province of] Asia [Minor].
What did we learn of Aquila and Priscilla in Acts that you remember? (See Acts 18 if you don’t remember)
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What meets in Aquila and Priscilla’s home? __________________________
What distinction does Paul give Epaenetus? _______________________________________________________________
Read Romans 16:6-9 AMP
6 Greet _______, who has worked so hard for you.7 Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and [once] my fellow ____________, who are held in high esteem in the estimation of the apostles, and who were [___________] in Christ _________ me. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys.
Paul calls Andronicus and Junia his _______________ and adds this distinction, they were once _________________________________ and they are held in __________________ by the ________________________. What does that mean? The apostles must know them. Based on how Paul met Aquila and Priscilla how might the apostles, who remained in Jerusalem for quite some time, know these two? __________________________________________________________________
Ampliatus and Stachys were also _______________ to Paul.
Urbanus and ___________ were _________________ in Christ.
Read Romans 16:10-13 AMP
10 Greet Apelles, the one tested and approved in ________. Greet those who belong to the household of ________________. 11 Greet my _________ Herodion. Greet those of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord.12 Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet my ___________ Persis, who has ___________ hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, an eminent and choice man in the Lord, also his mother [who has been] a mother to me as well.
Apelles was ___________ and ____________ in Christ. What do you suppose that means? Name a specific lesson you know Christ has given you. _______________________ have you passed it yet?
Aristobulus, it is supposed, is Herod the Great’s grandson. If that is true, what does it mean for sharing the gospel? Is anyone outside of reach? _______________________________________________________
Based on what we know to be the most critical thing to be Christ’s, we can guess that all of these people had _____________.
Do you get the feeling not all of Narcissus’ household has faith? _________.
Tryphaena and Tryphosa were __________________________________.
Persis has ________________________________.
What does eminent mean? ______________________________________
Someone who stands out in the Biblical sense, meaning apart from, how could eminent and choice go together? ______________________________
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What does Paul say about Rufus’ mother? _________________________________________________________________.
Read Read Romans 16:14-16 AMP
14 ____________ Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. 15 __________ Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his _________, and Olympas, and all God’s people who are with them. 16 Greet one ___________ with a ________ kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
Remember what God’s people literally means? _________________
Ah, we’re almost done with those hard to pronounce names… Just a few more.
Read Romans 16:17-18 AMP
17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to _______ your _______ on those who cause dissensions and create obstacles or introduce temptations [for others] to commit sin, [acting in ways] _____________ to the doctrine which you have learned. Turn _________ from them. 18 For such people do not ________ our Lord Christ, but their own ______________ and base _____________. By smooth and ______________ speech they ____________ the hearts of the unsuspecting [the _______________ and the _________].
How are you to keep your eyes on those who cause dissensions and create obstacles or introduce temptations if you’re supposed to turn away from them? What do you suppose Paul is saying?
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Be careful how your read verse 18. Your eyes could add letters where none are. These people don’t ____________ the Lord Christ, that doesn’t mean they’re beyond help. It means be vigilant. Do not be unsuspecting, guard your heart.
Read Romans 16:19-20 AMP
19 For the report of your ______________ has reached _______________, so that I ___________ over you, but I want you to be ________ in what is ______ and ______________ in what is _______. 20 The God of _________ will soon __________ Satan under your ________.
The [wonderful] _______ of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Read Romans 16:21-24 AMP
21 _______________, my fellow worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my ____________.
22 I, Tertius, the writer (scribe) of this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23 Gaius, who is host to me and to the _______ ________ ______, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you. 24 [The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.]
Read Romans 16:25-27 AMP
25 Now to Him who is ______ to establish and _______________ you [in the faith] according to my gospel and the _________________ of Jesus Christ, according to the ________________ of the mystery [of the plan of salvation] which has been kept __________ for long ages past, 26 but now has been _______________ and through the prophetic Scriptures has been ______ __________ to all the nations, according to the _______________________ of the eternal God, leading them to _____________ to the faith, 27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forevermore! Amen.
Spend a little more time just dwelling in verses 25-27.
This is it! We’re finished with Romans! I’m so grateful you all have joined me for this study. I hope God has blessed you immensely in the reading and the time you’ve spent thinking on these words. Come back next week for the next study. We’re going to keep trying to grow our faith.
Lord Jesus, thank you, for bringing us all the way through Romans. Thank you for these people, this family, this time. Thank you, Lord, for every little thing you’ve done for me to prepare these. Thank you for all the lessons and the words and the ideas. You are my great treasure. We all want you, Lord Jesus. Come, lead us ever closer to You. In Your name I pray. Amen.