By Waylon Bailey When Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, he concluded his letter by asking the church at Philippi to greet all the saints in his name. He also passed along the greetings from the saints in Rome and especially those from the household of Caesar. You find the same situation in the last chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans. Except in Romans 16, Paul gave greeting after greeting including the names of many people who would be known by the church at Rome. Why were these greetings so important to Paul? First, it shows how much we need fellowship and encouragement. Paul thrived on that fellowship. So do we. We must make it a priority in our lives. Everywhere Paul went, he first looked for the fellowship of the believers. We all desperately need to know there are Christians around the world worshiping at the same time as we are each week. Second, these greetings show us the power of God and the world wide reach of the kingdom of God. Those believers in Rome and Philippi give us encouragement about the future and show us the power and work of God in the world.  The fact that there were believers in “Caesars household“ shows the reach of the Gospel. If the gospel could go to the seat of Roman power, … [Read more...]