What if the most powerful ministry in your city is happening around kitchen tables and shop benches rather than stages? We walk through Romans 16 and watch a roll call of ordinary people—business owners, freedwomen, civil servants, travelers—carry the gospel across Rome. The theme threading it all together is simple and weighty: every believer is a priest, approved in Christ, and called to represent Him where they stand.

We start with Phoebe, a trusted leader who hand-delivers Paul’s letter and builds her business in Rome while serving the church. From there we reconnect with Priscilla and Aquila—the tentmaking couple who risked their lives and opened their home for a congregation—showing how vocation can fund mission and hospitality can become a sanctuary. Names become stories: Andronicus and Junia, noted among the apostles; Ampliatus and Stachys tied to Caesar’s household; Urbanus the slave; Persis who labored much; Rufus, likely the son of Simon who carried Jesus’ cross; Hermas with a redeemed name and a writer’s pen. Each person widens the map of grace, proving that the gospel levels status and multiplies influence through faithful presence.

Along the way we press into practical takeaways. Real unity looks like culture-shaped affection and concrete support—housing travelers, resourcing callings, and honoring quiet labor. Real discernment means marking teaching that adds requirements to grace or rebuilds walls the cross tore down. And real mission happens in public roles too, as believers act as salt and light within civic life, work, and neighborhood networks. If you’ve ever doubted your place because your stage seems small, Romans 16 invites you to see your ordinary obedience as part of God’s extraordinary plan.

Listen to be encouraged, challenged, and re-centered on the gospel that approves and sends you. If this conversation helped you see your calling with fresh eyes, follow the show, share it with a friend who serves behind the scenes, and leave a review with the name of an unsung saint you want to honor.

Come On Up is the radio ministry of The Mountain Cross in Waynesville North Carolina. To learn more about us please visit: TheMountainCross.com.