Study Questions for September 20, 2026

1. Pastor Dale shares statistics showing that Americans generate 292.4 million tons of trash per year (about 4.9 pounds per person daily) to illustrate our "disposable culture," warning against bringing a single-use, "use and lose" mindset into our relationships. How can a transactional view of people—treating others as commodities to leverage and discard—damage the life of a local church community?
2. Read Romans 16:1-2. Paul commends Phoebe, a deacon in Cenchrea who served as the trusted courier delivering the scroll of Romans and as a financial benefactor (prostatis) to Paul and many others. What does her prominent role teach us about the vital contributions of women and financial partners in gospel ministry?
3. Scholars estimate that producing the scroll of Romans cost around $2,000 in today's currency, requiring significant financial resources, travel expenses, and materials. How does recognizing the practical financial cost of ministry challenge us to be generous with our own resources to support gospel partnerships?
4. Read Romans 16:3-5a and Acts 18:24-26. Priscilla and Aquila were not only tentmaking co-workers who risked their lives for Paul, but they also privately took Apollos aside to explain "the way of God even more accurately". Why is humble, relational discipleship essential for developing strong leaders in the church?
5. Read Romans 16:7. Andronicus and Junia became followers of Christ before Paul did and were imprisoned alongside him. Considering Paul's past as a violent persecutor of the church, why did it require supernatural trust for early believers to overcome suspicion and embrace him as a genuine brother in Christ?
6. Pastor Dale reflects on how Paul's past reputation followed him, comparing it to how people in small towns often remember someone by their high school mistakes. Is there a past mistake or old reputation that you struggle to move past, or that prevents you from seeing how God has transformed someone else?
7. Read Romans 16:13. Paul greets Rufus—whose father, Simon of Cyrene, carried Jesus' cross (Mark 15:21)—and calls Rufus's mother a "mother to me". How does God provide spiritual mothers, fathers, and family members within the local church when earthly family ties are strained or absent?
8. Read Romans 16:10-15. In this list of 27 individual names, Paul addresses slaves, royalty, prominent businesspeople, Jews, Gentiles, men, and women all sharing fellowship together. Read Galatians 3:28. How does the gospel break down societal walls to create true unity across diverse cultural and economic backgrounds?
9. Early believers met in house churches (like the one hosted by Priscilla and Aquila) long before dedicated church buildings existed in the third century. How does gathering in small groups or home settings foster the kind of authentic, non-disposable community Paul describes?
10. The sermon concludes that church unity and gospel partnerships rely on four key pillars: sacrifice, service, security, and support. Which of these four areas is God calling you to invest in more deeply within your local church family right now?
11. Close in Prayer: Thank the Father for adopting us into His family and giving us a permanent place in His body. Ask the Holy Spirit to free your heart from any "disposable" mindset toward relationships, and pray for the grace to serve as a faithful coworker in your church community this week.

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Analogy for Understanding:  Living in gospel community is like treating people as fine family heirlooms at a shared table rather than single-use paper plates. In a disposable culture, relationships are often treated like paper plates or plastic utensils—convenient for a quick transaction, but tossed out the moment they require effort or no longer serve a personal benefit. In contrast, Paul’s list of distinct co-workers in Romans 16 shows that in the local church, every person—whether slave or royalty, business partner or spiritual mother—is priceless and permanent. Rather than "using and losing" people as tools, true gospel partnership requires the intentional, hands-on care of sacrifice, service, security, and support to bind us together as an enduring spiritual family where every member is valued and held secure in Christ.