Any sincere minister of the gospel will readily admit that there is the ministry behind the
ministry. This talks about people whose faces are not seen or whose names are not
mentioned without which the ministry will grind to a halt. Each time we hold our
combined services which we call Unity Service, I take time to appreciate such people. I
tell them that I do what I do because they do what they do. That is the truth. Arguably,
Paul remains the foremost apostle and missionary since Jesus. Two-thirds of the New
Testament came to us through his ministry. What we must not forget is that he also had
a group of people who worked behind the scene to make him what he became. One
such person was a man mentioned in our text. As a closing footnote to the book of
Romans, Tertius greeted the people and noted that he wrote the book. He was the one
who transcribed Paul’s words. Except for the book of Galatians, this was how Paul
wrote most of his books.
“When Christ comes, He will reward us more for faithfulness than for the particular roles played.”
There are two important lessons for today. Firstly, no one can do anything really big
without the contribution of others. Really, great things are nothing more than several
little things summed together. The second is that most people will probably be called
into doing those seemingly little things, but that should not make them feel small. They
should look at the bigger picture. A mason may think he is little; but if he can see the big
picture, he will speak convincingly that he is building a bridge. This truth holds for the
household of faith. You may not be the headman in your ministry, but you can see
yourself as building a great church with your leader. When Christ comes, He will reward
us more for faithfulness than for the particular roles played.