“The brothers and sisters in Rome had heard we were coming, and they came to meet us at the Forum on the Appian Way. Others joined us at The Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he was encouraged and thanked God.”
Acts 28:15 (NLT)
As Paul gets closer to Rome, believers come as far as the Appian Way and the Three Taverns, traveling 35 to 43 miles to talk to him, be with him, and encourage him. Luke says that when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. With all that Paul had gone through, their presence was a blessing that you couldn’t put a value on.
On the surface, we are encouraged when we see people we love after time apart. But there is something deeper when we meet people who love Jesus and have that same affection and care for Him. There is something at the heart level that unifies brothers and sisters in Christ. The blood of Jesus draws us toward one another. Through relationships that have God at the center, time together rejuvenates us in ways we cannot find outside of biblical community.
I think the third layer to this is that Paul had written the Book of Romans before visiting these believers. He was teaching and encouraging the churches in Rome to grow and be fruitful. Now they traveled 30 to 40 miles to see Paul, maybe revealing their gratitude for how he had encouraged them from afar. But Paul is also able to see and hear their faith himself, which had to uplift him. When we see what God has done through others somewhere else, we grow in appreciation for how big our God is, how much He loves us, and how much He cares for us.
So today I wonder if there is anyone around us we need to thank God for, both for who they are and for how God is using them? On the other side of the coin, is there anybody we need to go find, even if travel is needed, to uplift, embrace, and thank? Someone has been going through some stuff and needs more than our prayer in private. They need our embrace, encouragement, smile, and conversation in public. Go find those people today and lift their spirits through that same Spirit inside each of us that rejuvenated the brethren in Rome.