"The Pauline Circle" by F.F. Bruce

ISBN #0853647062

I just finished reading a book which a brother in Christ lent to me. It is a very small book (more like a booklet), about 100 pages, but it is packed with so much good information that I managed to finish it in only a couple of hours (well, two hours this morning and maybe a half hour this evening)!

The book, as the title implies, is about the people who are considered the friends and co-workers of Paul...all those people mentioned not only in Acts but throughout the letters which Paul authored. F.F. Bruce does a magnificent job of gathering various Scriptures and weaving them together in order to bring to life the many people involved in the ministry of the Apostle Paul. One thought that this book made me consider was brought about by the following quote at the very end of the book, on page 100:

"These friends and co-workers, hosts and hostesses, had no other motive in being so helpful than love love of Paul and love of the Master whom he served. They knew that in serving the one they were serving the other. The last thing they thought of was that their names would be put on perpetual record; indee, that was the last thing thta Paul himself thought of with regard to his own name. But he recorded his gratitude to them all, and their memory lives on - not only in the pages of the New Testament but in the Christian names borne by so many people ever since in all parts of the world. Lydia, Priscilla, Phoebe and Persis; Mark, Luke, Timothy and Titus - why are these names still in such widespread use? Because certain people who bore these names in the first century A.D. were friends of Paul, and he set down his appreciation of them in letters that he wrote, and his letters have the salt of immortality in them. So we read his letter, and the faith and kindness of those friends of his are remembered afresh, and their example remains powerful."

In actuality there are two thoughts I have in regards to this quote.

1) As we read the passages in which these people are mentioned, some receiving only one or two sentences...some even less, I for one am going to be more aware of these as more than just names. Indeed, rather than skipping over the salutations and the farewells, I will read them carefully and give a moment of thought to the important truth that the apostolic age was inhabited by more than just the titans we normally ponder (Paul, Peter, and others), it was also home to the everyday man and woman who may not have been called to missions, but served in whatever capacity they could...right where they found themselves.

2) That part that reads "[t]hey knew that in serving the one they were serving the other" of course refers to Paul and Christ. Think about that. Should we also not serve our shepherds in like manner? Should we not honor them and offer to bear a part of the burden in exchange for the feeding that they provide? I know that there are so many pastors out there that fail their congregations by not teaching them the Word, but for those of us blessed enough to have a true shepherd...let us serve him, for in serving him we serve our Lord.

May God's people all say an emphatic "Amen!"