Non-Preacher Missionaries

2Corinthians 8:5 says And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

1Corinthians 11:1 says Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

I am a non-preacher missionary.  The Bible tells us of several non-preacher missionaries and what their job is on the mission field.  They have a different, but just as important, job from the job of preachers.

Many preachers make the mistake of claiming that all missionaries must be preachers because this is taught by Bible Schools trying to get students.  Yes, all missionaries need to know their doctrine as well as any preacher.  Yes, non-preachers can profit from the education given by a good Bible School.  However, missionaries are not always preachers.

The main job of Luke  was physician, not preacher.  The same can be shown about others if we pay attention to the different words used to describe people and their true Biblical meaning.  For an example, please see the note for Colossians 4:7-9 which identifies a missionary preacher but also shows how his identification within that epistle is different from the identification of the non-preachers.

For several years people, especially preachers, have told me that I could not be a missionary because I did not meet their religious requirements.  That's like saying that Jesus could not preach and pay for our sin debt because He did not get the approval of the religious leaders of His day.  When traditional Baptist doctrine disagrees with the Bible we are to reject the traditional doctrine and follow what the Bible literally says.  Therefore, if we are to truly put our faith in the God of the Bible then we need to search what the Bible says in order to 'trust and obey' what it truly and literally says.

The last command that Jesus gave to the church, before He returned to Heaven, was 'The Great Commission'.  (Please see the Study called Go Ye.) We read in the Bible that God gave this commandment to ye  ('each and every one of you personally').  Therefore, we find that when we personally stand before the judgment seat of Christ  (Romans 14:10; 2Corinthians 5:10-11), that God will judge us personally for how well we personally obeyed this personal command from our God to 'each and every one of us personally'.  If we do not personally obey this command then God will make us ashamed  and tell us personally, before all of Heaven, that our life makes Him want to spue  (Revelation 3:15-19).  If we do not want all of Heaven to know this about us for all of eternity then we must personally persuade men  and be made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in (men's) consciences.

1. Biblical Basis:
1. 'The Great Commission' tells us to go to all nations  (Matthew 28:19), into all the world  (Mark 16:15) and only in Acts 1:8 do we read the detailed plan of God (But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth).
1. In none of these places does it say that only preachers are to go into all the world  and that non-preachers should only go to Jerusalem  or only to Jerusalem and Judea.  We find those limits being imposed by the leaders of the Jerusalem Church and God eventually sent the Roman Army into Jerusalem to kill all of the members of the Jerusalem church who taught doctrinal error and to kill anyone who held to this doctrinal error.
2. In Acts 1:8 we have a step-by-step training procedure with our being witnesses:
1. In our own city (Jerusalem)  and under close supervision of our home church.
2. In our Country (Judea)  with lose supervision of our home church.
3. In near-by Countries (Samaria)  where we are on our own but can easily get help if needed.
4. Unto the uttermost part of the earth  where we have to have a good enough relationship with God that we can get help from God because there is no other help near-by.
2. The first mission church was started by non-preachers.
1. In Acts 8:1 we read And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.  So it was the non-preachers who left.
2. In Acts 8:4 we read Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.  They did 'the Great Commission'.
3. Acts 11:19 starts with Now they which were scattered abroad  and Acts 11:21 continues with and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord  and Acts 11:22 says Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch.  Thus we see that the non-preachers were getting people saved and doing the work of a church before Barnabas was sent to be their pastor.  Obviously, the Jerusalem church would have no right to send Barnabas to be pastor if the church at Antioch had been started by a preacher-pastor.
4. In addition, to that fact, we see that this church had a testimony which was known to the lost people around it.  Further, we read in 1Thessalonians 1:6-8: And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.  For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.  Thus we see that True Biblical churches are to have a testimony that not only affects their immediate community but should also reach regions around it.  Such as testimony is actually a form of witness and doing true mission work.
3. Other churches were started by non-preachers.
1. Romans 16:1-16 lists several non-preachers who were in Rome starting a church before Paul or any other preacher got there to be pastor.  Starting in Romans 16:21 we see several preachers who approved these non-preachers starting a church without having a pastor to lead them (notice salute).
2. The book of Philemon was written to a non-preacher who had a church meeting in his house and had another man as the pastor of that church.
3. Colossians 1:1-4 tells us that Paul wrote this letter to churches that he did not start but only heard about but which he was responsible for.  These were 'grandchildren' churches because they were started by churches which Paul personally started.
4. 1Thessalonians 1:8 says For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.  Thus we see churches starting other churches.  Paul did not say that they gave financial support to preachers trained at Jerusalem.  Nor did he said that they sent out preachers but said literally from you sounded out the word of the Lord.  This was written to the people of the church, who were mainly non-preachers.
4. We find many non-preachers who were named as missionaries and did jobs to support the preachers.
1. John Mark was not a preacher on Paul's first journey (Acts 13:5).
2. Some missionaries provided local financial and physical support for the new church (2Corinthians 11:9).
3. Some were messengers between churches and preachers (Acts 15:24; Acts 28:15; Romans 16:1; 1Corinthians 1:11).
4. Some were witnesses of works in other areas and reported when correction was needed and when praise was deserved.
5. Luke was a physician but he wrote the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts.  Some places we read we went  and some places we read they went.  Which indicates that Luke was on some mission trips part of the time but not there at other times.
6. The use of brethren  in Acts shows when others were with Paul and the preachers on mission trips.
2. Everyone is to grow up spiritually to the point that they fulfill the Biblical meaning of the word saint.  (Please see the message called Called To Be Saints.)  A saint  is defined as: 'a spiritually mature saved person who is actively involved in the ministry of the church.'.  A saint  must be capable and willing to be sent anywhere in the world by God and to win souls and start a home Bible Study if there is not a Bible believing church there already.
1. No one has a baby so that they are still changing diapers 20 years later.  God expects each of us to grow up enough to be a spiritual adult.  The people who took my class saw God's test of maturity.  Basically, we need to stop doing the sins of 1Corinthians and we need to start the things that 1Corinthians tells us to add to our life.
2. A teenager can reproduce physically but is not mature enough to lead a family.  If you can't lead someone to salvation then you are not even a spiritual teen.  God wants you to submit to the church leadership, do the work of the church under supervision of another and learn how to become a spiritual adult and church leader.
3. Priscilla and Aquila took the world famous visiting preacher and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly  (Acts 18:26) while they were still in their first church.  The Bible records them as helping to start at least 3churches even though they were nit preachers.  God expects everyone to learn their Bible well enough that they can personally spot and correct doctrinal errors.  Bible School is not just for preachers.
4. In our home church, and under direct supervision, we are to learn how to grow up spiritually.  We are also to go on supervised mission trips and projects so that we can personally experience doing mission work under supervision.  As we mature spiritually, God expects us to start giving out the Gospel anywhere that we go even when we are not with a church group.  Only after that should we become a leader in the church and only after becoming a leader in our own church should we seek to become missionaries.
3. God's consistent order that is shown by nature and shows us how God wants churches to reproduce.
1. In Genesis we learn that God created all living things to reproduce after (his/her) kind.  We also see this phrasing repeated in several other places of the Bible for a total of 25places with this exact wording.
2. We find the exact phrase of the body of Christ  in Romans 7:4; 1Corinthians 10:16; 12:27; Ephesians 4:12.  Within these verses we find that the body of Christ  is living and is the church.
3. 1Corinthians 12:27 says Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.  That means that the church is alive since the cells of our body are living and together they create a living body.  That is: the church itself has a life separate from the members of the church.  In addition, Ephesians 4:12 says For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:.  In context it is talking about edifying  the members of the church but this verse uses the phrase edifying of the body of Christ  and not 'edifying church members' specifically because the church members are to be edified  for the particular purpose of their doing a function within the church and their helping the living church as a whole.  The Bible clearly teaches that the church as a whole is alive.  Therefore, the church as a whole is supposed to reproduce after her kind.
4. The Church is the body of Christ  with Christ  as the head,  the pastor like the neck (passing messages to the body) and the people being the body.  Notice that 1Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4 both teach that every part of the body of Christ  is important.  That is: all parts of the body are necessary.  From this we conclude that a new church needs all the parts of a body.  One of the primary things that any new parent does is loon fort all of the parts of a new baby's body such as counting fingers and tows.  Christ does the same thing.  When a church is trying to birth another church it is supposed to take from their own body the members that are necessary to supply the required body parts of the baby church.  The mother church is responsible to verify all body parts before the commissioning of the new church as an independent body.  One of the main reasons that I have heard of churches failing in the Philippines is that they were made independent without the mother church verifying that they were self-supporting.  That failure does not glorify God.
5. Even after birth the Bible teaches that both churches are to maintain a family relationship and provide support for each other.  In particular, just as parents help their children with the raising of grandchildren, so also is the mother church responsible to help the child church deal with doctrinal issues.  This is shown in all of the letters written by Paul and other apostles to deal with doctrinal error in younger churches.
6. Our model for godly church reproduction is godly family reproduction.  Currently, most Baptist fail to follow their God given model.
4. The church is the family of God.  God wants the church to act like a godly family is supposed to act.
1. Within a family there is a division of labor.  Both 1Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4 teach this fact.  I am not going into those details here but the Bible clearly teaches that it takes more than a pastor and his family to do the work of a church, including a new church.  In addition, as I have already shown, the Biblical example is that non-preachers are to be part of the team which plants a new church.  The non-preachers do all of the support functions so that the preachers can concentrate on ministering in the Word.
2. Parents are the example of what children are supposed to become.  A large part of this is due to the parent providing training and support as the child grows.  God wants the parent church involved in all aspects of the growing church until it is well established and there is no doubt about it being led into doctrinal error due to the new church not knowing how to deal with certain circumstances which only come up after the church reaches different levels of growth.  Just as an infant, and a toddler and a child and a teen and a new adult each have new circumstances to deal with and new opportunities to be led into error, so also is true of the growing church.  Just as the human parent is responsible for the raising of a child until they are an adult, so also does the parent church have a similar responsibility.
3. When the parent church provides members to do functions within the newly started church, they show new members what is possible and what they can become.  When the parent church invites members of the new church to their functions, the members of the new church realize that they are part of something bigger than their little group.  People are more likely to do a return visit and to join a larger group than they are to a small group.  The same is true for an extension of a large group when compared to an independent small group.  It is very important for the newly starting church to be given the feeling that they are part of something larger and that they have the backing and support of the parent church.  Think of how a child can be shy on their own but more adventurous when they know that the parent is watching and ready to rescue the child if necessary.  The same applies to a child church.
4. Families supply love and support each other in spite of all conditions.  The members of the child church need to know that they will always be loved and supported no matter what the world and devils try to do to them.  Even when they don't need support, they need to know that support will be given if needed.
5. godly families are always ready to help even after children start their own families.  New churches need to know that even though they are independent, they are not alone.  This starts with the love and support that is to be given as the new church starts.
5. Mention of non-preacher missionaries:
1. Aquila and Priscilla:
1. We read about Priscilla and Aquila  in Acts 18, Romans 16:3-4, 1Corinthians 16:19 and 2Timothy 2:14.  2Timothy 4:19 addresses Prisca and Aquila, who appear to be different people unless Aquila  is the father and Prisca  is a daughter named after Priscilla  or Prisca  is a nick-name for Priscilla.
2. Priscilla and Aquila  are a married couple (Jews) who Paul met when he first went to Corinth (Acts 18) and established a church there.  According to 1Corinthians 16:19, they had a church meeting in their home, even though they were tent makers and not a 'preacher' or 'missionary couple'.  Later, they traveled with Paul to Ephesus and stayed there while Paul moved on.  After that, they expounded unto him (Apollos) the way of God more perfectly  (Acts 18:26).  That is, they knew their doctrine well enough to straighten out a famous preacher. In addition, our current sentence says Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles  (Acts 16:3-4).  Here were a couple of missionaries who proved that they were willing to die for their faith.  They were active and influenced all the churches of the Gentiles.  They took the 'Great Commission'  as a personal command from God, which it is, and literally took the gospel  to the entire world.
3. Paul continues, about Priscilla and Aquila,  in Acts 16:5 with Likewise greet the church that is in their house.  This should end arguments that someone has to be an ordained preacher to start a church.  This is consistent with Acts 11 where we see the church at Antioch started by non-preachers.  Continuing on with Prisca and Aquila, we see that they had returned to their home city of Rome (Acts 18:2) and were obviously heavily involved in starting and/or building the church there.
4. So we see here an example of a non-preacher couple that is living by faith in Christ Jesus  who were obviously important helpers of the ministry, soul winners, doctrinally sound and part of church planting teams.  They are one of our examples of what God wants from all people that are in Christ Jesus.  They were not preachers but they helped start at least three churches as recorded in the Bible.
2. Aristarchus:
1. In Acts 19:29 we are told that Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, (were) Paul's companions in travel.  He was a help in winning the lost to Christ.  In addition, Acts 19:29 tells us that he was caught up in the religious riot at Ephesus where companions of Paul were beat, and, yet, he continued with Paul and was deterred by personal danger.  We see this in Acts 20:4.
2. He is probably also the man identified in 2Corinthians 8:18-21 as the man who traveled to Jerusalem and was entrusted with the money gathered from several churches to help the poor saints at Jerusalem.  He was entrusted with a lot of money. 
3. Aristarchus  is called a Macedonian of Thessalonica.  He came from a very poor background and was still reliable with money.
4. Acts 27:2 lets us know that he traveled with Paul when Paul was sent to Rome as a prisoner.  He risked also becoming a prisoner in order to stay with Paul and take care of him.
5. He is mentioned in Colossians 4:10 and was obviously known and well respected by the church there.
6. He is also mentioned in Philemon 1:24 and, therefore, was a personal friend of this rich business owner (Philemon)  even though he personally came from a poor background and different culture.  He was capable of being a blessing to all people of all backgrounds.
3. Demas:
   1. He is mentioned in: Colossians 4:14; Philemon 1:24 and in 2Timothy 4:10.  While Demas  was a blessing in the first two letters, he had abandoned Paul by the time that he wrote 2Timothy.  Being a non-preacher is not a license to stop serving Go no matter what circumstances Go decides to put a person through.
4. Epaphroditus:
   He is mentioned in Philippians 2:25 and Philippians 4:18.  We see that he was a messenger from the church at Philippi to Paul in Rome and brought Paul support from that church.  While it could be argued that he was a preacher, the things which he did match the jobs of a non-preacher including being a messenger and ministering  to the preacher.  we also see that he was a companion in labour  (for the Lord), which is the job of all saved, preachers and non-preachers.  In addition, Paul tells this home church to Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation: Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.  Once more we see instructions to the sending church to highly regard, and follow, those people who actually go to the mission field and work for the Lord, even if they are not preachers.
5. Gaius:
1. The epistle of 3John was written to him.  He had traveled as a missionary and was supporting and helping missionaries and traveling preachers even though the local pastor was against all such help.  John wrote his epistle to tell Gaius that he was doing right and to encourage him to continue in spite of opposition from the local pastor.  From Gaius we learn the importance of God's people to go on mission trips.  Nothing else will do the same to give them a heart to help and pray for missionaries.
2. In Acts 19:29 we learn that he was caught in a riot while on a mission trip with Paul, but did not become discouraged about missions.
3. In Acts 20:4 we learn that he was part of a missionary team which traveled for several months with Paul.  He did not quit for any reason.
4. In Romans 16:23 we learn that Paul stayed in the house of Gaius while he wrote the epistle to the Romans.  Thus, we see him providing for traveling missionaries and preachers, just like he was doing in 3John.
5. In 1Corinthians 1:14 we learn that Paul mentions him as one of the people from that church whom was baptized by Paul.  While most of the people in that church stayed spiritually immature and were led into doctrinal error, Gaius was different.  Thus we see that spiritual maturity is individual and personal and that the person involved in missions has help in becoming spiritually mature.  Finally, Corinth was known as a rich city and we see Gaius using his money to help preachers.
6. Jason
   1. He is found in Acts 17 and Romans 16.  Shortly after being saved, unbelieving Jews started a riot and attacked his house and he ended up paying a fine.  Yet, even with physical and financial loss, he is seen mentioned in Romans as being with Paul and helping him.  True missionaries, whether preachers or not, need to pass the test of being faithful  even through the test of physical and financial loss.
7. Please see the note for Philippians 4:3 for links to every place that the Bible uses the word fellowlabourers.  This word is used for non-preachers who are very active in the ministry.  Mark and Luke, both authors of Gospels, are given this label.
8. Luke
   1. He was Paul's doctor and a friend and a fellow missionary but he was not a preacher and did not have a preacher's heart.  Luke  is only mentioned in 2Timothy 4:11 and in Colossians 4:14 and in Philemon 1:24.  However, he also wrote the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts.  In Acts, we see he use we went  when he traveled with Paul and they went  when he was not on the trip.  As a medical doctor, he was concerned with doing procedures in a proper order and he was concerned with the physical.  Both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts give us a time-sequential account which matches the orderly practices of a medical doctor.  In addition, because of his personal profession, the genealogy found within the Gospel of Luke is the physical genealogy, which is through Mary.
9. Lydia
   She was the first convert in Philippi and that city is known for their support for missions and the ministry of Paul after their conversion.  She was meeting with others for prayer and trying to worship God, to the best of her ability, before conversion.  She provided for the physical and financial needs of Paul's entire missionary team after conversion and was most likely a great spiritual influence in the resulting church which is known for serving God without doctrinal error.  John 7:17 says: If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.  We see the truth of this statement by Jesus in Lydia and others being kept in good doctrine by a heart to do.
10. Mark:
    Please see the note for 2Timothy 4:11 for details about Mark.  Basically, he was a servant to preachers, and not a preacher himself.  Because of his personal experience, he wrote the Gospel of Mark where Jesus Christ  is presented as a servant.  He went on the first missionary trip with Paul and Barnabas, but was not ordained, and sent out, as a preacher like they were.  He apparently thought he was less important to missions and left when it got rough.  This upset Paul who refused to take Mark on the next missionary trip.  Mark apparently learned that non-preachers are just as important as preachers but have a different job.  After he learned this lesson, Paul said that Mark was profitable to me for the ministry  in 2Timothy 4:11.
11. Onesiphorus:
    He was a non-preacher businessman from Ephesus who helped Paul when Paul was in his city and deliberately traveled to Rome in order to help Paul while Paul was in captivity.  Thus we see that people getting to know missionaries helps them to care for the missionaries.  He is mentioned twice in 2Timothy.
12. Phebe:
    1. Only mentioned in Romans C16S1.  (Please see that note for more details.)  She was a business woman, and apparently single.  She was reliable enough for Paul to trust the epistle to Rome to her for delivery.  Paul tells us that she earned money for the purpose of funding the work of the Lord.  She was like the poor people of Macedonia whom, it appears, left their poor farms to go to the rich country in order to get jobs as laborers and financially support the ministry of the man of God.  In these examples we see true Biblical missionaries whose primary job was not to preach but to take care of the physical and financial needs of those who devoted their life to preaching.
13. Philemon:
    1. He was a businessman who had a church in his house, which he was not pastor for.  He had an epistle written to him and ended up financially supporting and sending out Onesimus as a preacher.  Apphia  was supposedly his wife and Archippus  was supposedly the pastor of the church in his home.
14. Stephanas:
      We find the name Stephanas  only in 1Corinthians including the added note for 16:24, which claims that he was with Paul when Paul wrote this epistle.  This person is only mentioned within this epistle.  In 1Corinthians 1:16 we read that Paul remembers baptizing his household when Paul is not sure who else he personally baptized.  Thus we see that he was personally important to Paul and a help to his ministry.  Otherwise, his baptism would have been forgotten like the rest.  In 16:15-16 we read that, within the church, each and every one of them should personally (ye)  submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth.  That is: they should submit to people who had actually gone to the mission field and done the work of the Lord there regardless if they were a preacher or not.  In that sentence we also read that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints.  That is: the house of Stephanas  had completely given their lives to the ministry of helping newly saved to fulfill God's call to become saints.  This is a most neglected ministry today which is proven by all of the churches which are full of people who claim to be saved for several years even while they remain spiritual babes.  In 16:17 we read that Stephanas  and others went to the mission field to help Paul, who was their missionary.  They were not a drain on him by demanding that he play tour guide or something similar but they went there to bring aid and to help in the ministry.  Thus we see that Stephanas  is our Biblical example of what God wants non-preachers to do in the ministry, both in the home church and on the mission field.
15. Trophimus:
    Paul's companion, a Gentile of Ephesus (Acts 21:29).  Accompanied him on his return from his third missionary journey through Asia to Jerusalem.  While Tychicus, his associate, a fellow Asiatic, was left behind on the route (Acts 20:4) Trophimus went forward with Paul.  The Jews raised a tumult supposing Paul had introduced Trophimus a Gentile convert into the temple.  Paul left Trophimus sick at Miletus just before his own second Roman imprisonment (2Timothy 4:20).
16. There are several people mentioned within the Bible who appear to be non-preachers but whom we do not know a lot more about other than that they were mentioned in a good way within the Bible.  While we may not know more about these people before we get to Heaven, we can be sure that they did enough for God to be pleased and record their names within His word.  These include:
1. Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ:  (Romans 16:5).  He went to the mission field as a non-preacher to get a job and help start a church.
2. Mary:  (Romans 16:6).  We are not told much more about this particular Mary.  However, since she who bestowed much labour on us,  and was at Rome helping to start the church there, we can assume that she also went to the mission field as a non-preacher to get a job and help start a church.
3. Andronicus and Junia:  (Romans 16:7).  were Jews (my kinsmen)  who worked with Gentiles at a time that Jews believed doing it would make them defiled before God.  They let the truth of God correct their doctrine.  In addition, since Paul reports them as fellowprisoners,  They apparently traveled with Paul and suffered on the mission field but did not quit.  In addition, since Paul says that they were of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me,  they not only overcame their religious prejudices, as recorded for the Jews in the Jerusalem church, but they submitted to someone who came to salvation and ministry (who are of note among the apostles)  after them but whom God put above them.
4. Erastus  and Quartus  are all mentioned together.  While we can not make a doctrinal statement, if appears from the Bible that Erastus  traveled on missionary teams and provided for their physical and financial needs while traveling.  He is mentioned as traveling with Timothy in Acts 19:22 and abiding at Corinth  in 2Timothy 4:20 where he was the chamberlain of the city  (Romans 16:23).  Since Quartus  is mentioned in the same sentence with these other two, it is reasonable to assume that he was in the same ministry to missionaries.
5. Urbane,  Stachys,  Apelles,  and them which are of Aristobulus' household,  are all associated with Christ  (Helping saved to spiritually mature after their initial profession) while Amplias,  Tryphena and Tryphosa,  Persis,  Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them,  and Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them  are all associated with the Lord  (Teaching God's laws and future judgment):  (Romans 16).  We are not told anything more about these people but we know that they were non-preachers who went to the mission field to start a church before they called a pastor and that they taught a balanced message.  The ones associated with the Lord  taught God's laws and future judgment while the ones associated with Christ  taught spiritual maturity after people's initial profession.  Thus, we see the two main points of the 'Great Commission'.
6. Euodias and Syntyche:  (Philippians 4:2)  did labour with (Paul) in the gospel  but then started fighting each other.  Even after we become important in the church we still have to be wary of pride and put the ministry before all personal feelings and desires.  In addition, Clement  is only mentioned for working with these women
7. they that are of Caesar's household:  (Philippians 4:22).  Here we see non-preachers who went to the mission field and found jobs there so that they could start a church in a new city.  Note that they went and won souls before they received a preacher.
8. Jesus, which is called Justus:  (Colossians 4:11) is mentioned, by Paul, with Mark as a fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God.
9. thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice:  (2Timothy 1:3-5).  These were the women who raised Timothy, taught him his faith and sent him to be a missionary.  God does not call all non-preachers to be missionaries but expects them to raise children who are trained and capable to become missionaries.  Further, God expects the families to send off any that are called and to give their blessings to the one who goes.
10. Carpus:  He is only mentioned in 2Timothy 4:13 as holding a cloke that Paul left there.  Obviously, he provided for Paul, within his own house, when Paul was in his city.  Like Gaius,  he is an example of non-preachers caring for traveling preachers.
11. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia:  We know nothing more about these people except that they were at Rome helping to start a new church before Paul got there and that they were known to Paul and Timothy (2Timothy 4:21).  Like others mentioned as being at Rome to start the church, we can assume that they were non-preachers and that they were involved in the ministry enough for Timothy to care about them even though Timothy was elsewhere.
12. Zenas the lawyer:  is only mentioned in Titus 3:13 as traveling with Apollos.  Once more we see a non-preacher traveling with a preacher and taking care of his physical and financial needs.  Most often today, it is the preacher who is taking care of the non-preachers who travel with him.

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