Jump Start # 3725
Romans 16:8 “Greet Ampliatus my beloved in the Lord.”
A simple sentence. Seven words. Ampliatus, meaningful to Paul. Beloved. What’s the story? Who was this person? What did this person do? Found only here in the Scriptures, a meaningful Christian that Paul wanted to send greetings to.
Ampliatus is a name found among the inscriptions of the royal household in Rome. Of the 26 names in Romans 16, thirteen of them are found in documents or inscriptions having to do with the Emperor’s palace. Lightfoot claims that some of these Roman 16 names were the saints in Caesar’s household of Phil 4:22. Among those names is Ampliatus.
Fellowship is a funny thing. Some people just don’t like to get close to others. It’s like trying to hug a porcupine. Others are so shy, that getting a “hello,” out of them is about all one can accomplish. Some only want to talk about themselves, forgetting that they are having a conversation with someone else. Some really like to talk. One wonders how they can talk so much without having to stop and breathe. Some carry their feelings on their faces and you can tell when they are having a good day or a bad day. Some are masters at wearing masks, hiding how they feel. It’s a game trying to get behind that mask and have them be transparent and open. But, here we are in the family of God. Brothers and sisters. Some so dear to us. Some so important to us. Some we have to really work hard at getting to know. Some challenge our patience and we have to try extra hard to be nice around.
Like a physical family, we don’t get to pick our brothers and sisters in Christ. God does. We may like to trade some to another congregation, but the church is not a sports team and we don’t operate that way. Learning to work together and learning to love one another is the key. And, what really helps is realizing that Jesus loves us. Now, we think we are pretty loveable and easy to get along with. That’s our perspective. That’s how we see things. Others may have a different thought about that. To a degree, we are all weird in our own way. We all have little peculiarities that make us uniquely us. For me, I like things in place. Everything has a place. I expect there are some letters that define that such OCD, or, ABC, or, ACDC, or, XYZ. I can handle clutter, as long as it is organized clutter. At the end of the day, all the books go back on the shelf where they belong, the trash is emptied, the desk is cleared and everything is just the way it should be. I’ve been to other preacher’s offices and to me it looked like the room threw up. Papers everywhere. Waste basket overflowing. Empty pop cans on the shelves. I look around and wonder, how does he get anything accomplished in this mess? It works for him.
Here are some thoughts about Ampliatus and fellowship.
First, what you mean to others may never be known to anyone else. The good that you have done does not need to be shared and told to others. Ampliatus was beloved. He was Paul’s beloved. The NEB words our verse as, “my dear friend in the fellowship of the Lord.” They had a connection and a bond. We don’t know anything about it. We don’t have to. Paul did. Ampliatus did. God did. Within the congregation and within the kingdom we have those who are very close and dear to our hearts. We have a long history with these people. They have been there for us and we have been there for them. They are our beloved. It’s ok that no one else understands, or knows about your work together. You do and Heaven does.
Second, one has to go out of their way to build a relationship that would be defined as “beloved.” Just waving at folks once in a while or asking the same question every week, “How are you?” and getting the same response, every week, “Fine,” isn’t much to build upon. Without knowing the details, we know that Paul and Ampliatus had a bond between them. If you want to have a fellowship with another Christian that you would define as “beloved,” you must spend some time together. You must share life together. Talk. Listen. Laugh. Be honest. Pray together. Talk about passages together. Help the kingdom together.
It’s hard to build a friendship and relationship when you don’t have time for someone else. It’s hard when all you do is talk about yourself. Be concerned about others. Find ways to help others.
Third, the circle of fellowship and friendship widens when we include others. There are a lot of names in Romans 16. There are names that are only found here and no where else in the Bible, like our Ampliatus. Paul was telling the Romans to greet Ampliatus. That would stir some to wonder why was Ampliatus called beloved by Paul. How did Paul know him? And, as conversations took place and the joy of the kingdom was shared, more and more would want to include Ampliatus in their circle.
A dear friend of Paul, that’s Ampliatus. You have dear friends in Christ. I have dear friends in Christ. What a blessing that is.
Be thankful for the Ampliatus in your life.
Roger