2022_08_24 Insight Post- Rusty Coram
This week’s reading- Romans 15-16
As the letter to the Roman church closes, there are three people (among many that Paul mentions) that stand out to me. In 16:23 we read, “Gaius says hello to you. He is my host and also serves as host to the whole church. Erastus, the city treasurer, sends you his greetings, and so does our brother Quartus.”
The man named Gaius is mentioned several times in the New Testament. He was a man that Paul led to faith and baptized in Corinth. If you read Acts 18, you see that the there was significant persecution in Corinth. Making things worse, the leader of the local synagogue accepted Jesus, which stirred up a lot of animosity among influential Jews. The opposition was intense. Gaius was not deterred, and in fact, he risked his life and opened his home to Paul and the church.
Erastus was the city treasurer and his association with Christians meant he was a target too. Instead of being a “secret saint”, Erastus was willing to identify as a follower, and risk significant pushback from those who were strongly against Paul and the church. Erastus didn’t budge.
As far as Quartus goes, we only know that Paul calls him his brother and a brother to the others.
After reading this there are some questions that have been running around my mind: if I were in the church in Corinth at the time Paul was ministering there, how would he have characterized me? Would I have been deeply involved and connected? Or would I have kept a safe distance from detractors? Would I have looked for ways to serve? Or would I have found a way to justify being on the sidelines? Would I have stood up to opposition speaking truth in love? Or would I have decided to move somewhere life would be easier and more comfortable?
Even though Gaius, Erastus and Quartus are only mentioned briefly, they are role models for certain.
Rusty Coram
Senior Pastor