40 Days Of Prayer - Day 11
I, Tertius
Devotion
The letter to the Romans by the Apostle Paul is, without question, the most important and influential letter written in all of human history. It forms the foundation for the understanding of Jesus death, burial and resurrection and our justification, sanctification and glorification. Want to know one of my favourite parts of Romans? Romans 16 is a list of personal greetings of Paul to people in the church in Rome. For example;
Romans 16:3-5
"Greet Priscilla[a] and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia."
Then down in verse 22 you read;
"I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord."
Paul wrote the letter to the Romans but Tertius wrote it down. He was the scribe. From his name we can tell he was a non-Jewish Roman. His name literally means ‘Third’. So he is a third-born son set to inherit next to nothing and he was the one who wrote down the most important letter in human history, that has lead countless million to saving faith in Christ.
As he’s writing down Paul’s letter, do you not think he had some influence on it? Something like, “Paul, I think that might be a bit unclear, what if you said it like this?” Perhaps as Paul is dictating, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or….” And he pauses thinking and Tertius suggests, “Sword?”
Even if nothing like that happened, Tertius partners with Paul and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to create a letter that preserved the very words God wanted us to have. Tertius wasn’t a preacher, a teacher, or a leader but used the skills he’d gained from his workplace, of literacy, to serve the Kingdom, leaving a legacy much more significant than he could have imagined.
Have you ever seen New Hope Kids videos? They might be written and spoken by me, but Sara Cook volunteers over 10 to 20 hours per video to edit them, using only her peripheral vision because she is blind in her central vision. She shapes the video clips and finds the perfect visuals and music, without which they would be totally boring talking head videos no one would ever pay attention to.
How might God be calling you to use your skills to partner with his family? Your administrative skills? Construction skills? Hospitality? Ability to use Excel?
Romans 16:3-5
"Greet Priscilla[a] and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia."
Then down in verse 22 you read;
"I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord."
Paul wrote the letter to the Romans but Tertius wrote it down. He was the scribe. From his name we can tell he was a non-Jewish Roman. His name literally means ‘Third’. So he is a third-born son set to inherit next to nothing and he was the one who wrote down the most important letter in human history, that has lead countless million to saving faith in Christ.
As he’s writing down Paul’s letter, do you not think he had some influence on it? Something like, “Paul, I think that might be a bit unclear, what if you said it like this?” Perhaps as Paul is dictating, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or….” And he pauses thinking and Tertius suggests, “Sword?”
Even if nothing like that happened, Tertius partners with Paul and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to create a letter that preserved the very words God wanted us to have. Tertius wasn’t a preacher, a teacher, or a leader but used the skills he’d gained from his workplace, of literacy, to serve the Kingdom, leaving a legacy much more significant than he could have imagined.
Have you ever seen New Hope Kids videos? They might be written and spoken by me, but Sara Cook volunteers over 10 to 20 hours per video to edit them, using only her peripheral vision because she is blind in her central vision. She shapes the video clips and finds the perfect visuals and music, without which they would be totally boring talking head videos no one would ever pay attention to.
How might God be calling you to use your skills to partner with his family? Your administrative skills? Construction skills? Hospitality? Ability to use Excel?
Prayer
"Father, how are you calling me to use my skills to partner with your family? Lord, use my skills to build a legacy for your Kingdom! Amen"
Written by Sarah Braun
Written by Sarah Braun