In Paul’s final words to the church at Rome, he sends them greetings from the ministry delegation that was to accompany him to Jerusalem. In Chapter Sixteen of Romans, we see thirty-five names
listed; twenty-six who had served with Paul previously and were now serving in Rome, and nine who were assembled with Paul at Corinth. The distinguishing characteristic of a good leader can be seen in the
company who chooses to follow them. By this long list of exemplary servants, we see that Paul was indeed a good leader.
It is interesting to note, that in the midst of Paul’s final words to the Romans, there is a short note from Tertius, Paul’s personal assistant, who actually transcribed this letter for Paul. By this time in his life, Paul’s eyesight was very poor, and he had to have help when writing to the churches. But even his disabilities could not diminish his zeal for ministry. People offer up all manner of excuses as to why they cannot serve in Christ’s kingdom, but Paul was certainly not one to make such excuses. He was a man who served faithfully right up until his final breath. His faithfulness is an example for all of us to follow.
No matter what, as long as we have breath in us, we can serve our LORD is some manner. There are things that may slow us down, but nothing can stop us, for God is WITH US. The Corinthian Church was
all too familiar with Paul’s physical impairments. They had seen them first hand, when he was with them, and later, they would be reminded of them once again when he wrote 2 Corinthians.