Unlimited: Co-Workers in Christ Jesus
Dec 22, 2023 633
Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus (Romans 16:3).
Priscilla and her husband Aquila were Christians in Rome before Paul met them. In A.D. 49, the emperor Claudius expelled all Christians from Rome, and this couple moved to Corinth where they set up a tentmaking business (Acts 18:1–2.) That’s where Paul met them.
When Paul travelled to Ephesus, they went with him, and there they taught the Gospel to Apollos, who became a powerful preacher. When Christians were allowed to return to Rome, Priscilla and Aquila returned home to support the church there (Rom. 16:3–4.)
Paul gives them a status equal to his own in ministry, calling them his “co-workers.”
Priscilla and Aquila are mentioned throughout the New Testament as very highly regarded leaders, and particularly teachers, of the first churches among the Gentiles. They were partners in ministry as in life, and they are always mentioned together. Priscilla is always mentioned ahead of her husband, suggesting that she may have been more prominent in ministry than Aquila.
Paul had a close friendship with this wonderful couple, and they risked their lives for him (Rom. 16:3–4.) Wherever they made their home, there they also established a church, to meet there (Rom. 6:5; 1 Cor. 16:19.) We should not underestimate the importance of this prominent couple in the establishment of the first Christian churches among the Gentiles. Paul gives them a status equal to his own in ministry, calling them his “co-workers.”
Spiritual Application
Do you know any great teachers within the church who have taught you the Gospel, and helped you grow in the Lord? Why don’t you make a special point of thanking them this week?
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