Priscila And Aquila Series

Transition video: Serving in prison ministry

Theme: Unsung heroes

Scripture: Proverbs 27:2 “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.”

Sermon 2: Priscilla and Aquila

Thesis for Series: The ultimate judge of a person’s character is their ability to exceed expectations with little recognition from others or when praise is not given. The Bible is filled with unsung heroes of the faith whose names may be obscure to us but to God they are His heroes of the faith.

Introduction:

Today we live in celebrity culture even within the church and unsung heroes of the faith are ignored, overlooked or even considered non-essential. We cater to people who woo the crowds rather than stand firm in the faith to those who silently yet faithfully serve the Kingdom.

Just look at all the hoop-la this week on TV and in the Media in Cleveland and over the USA for Lebron James coming back to play basketball and getting a contract worth 85 million dollars? To put a round ball in a round hoop – really? Does this make and eternal difference? Is Heaven applauding this? Will it change people’s lives?

I am reminded in Scripture over and over that Jesus always pushed the crowds away to focus on His twelve - then His 70. He was not focused on amassing the crowds or wooing the crowds – He really pushed them away at various times. Most churches in the world are under a 100 people (70-86 on avg. according to studies in the USA and Canada) and in America around 80% of the Christians attend churches considered small to medium size churches. (Churches 0-300) (http://www.usachurches.org/church-sizes.htm).

These Godly leaders and Christians are not in the limelight – their names will go down in history as virtually unknown. They could be called the unsung heroes of the faith. But to the Lord they are important pieces of the puzzle to the growth of the Kingdom of God. These unsung heroes are a vital piece of the overall puzzle of the mission. These unsung heroes will be rewarded in Heaven for their faithfulness and their commitment to the Kingdom of God. These non popular – non headline makers – non church media stars names are however known in Heaven and that’s important to remember in our celebrity world.

Over the next few months we are going to explore unsung heroes of the Bible, the non celebrities, the obscure ones, the not well known crowd and we will learn valuable lessons from these humble lives. We will see that these individuals never made the headlines or had their names up in lights. These are the people who live their lives in the shadows of others as great helpers. They feel the pressure like the famous ones and they deal with responsibility like the stars do but they never get the attention or the pat on the back they deserve. These gifted people are blessed with God-given gifts called “helps” and other lack luster names.

The gift of “helps” is not very glamorous and will never make millions of dollars. Can you imagine the shock when a superstar athlete appears before the Lord? So what did you do you for the Kingdom of Heaven? I played basketball or another sport! Do you think the Lord is going to be impressed? But say this to Him – “I was a helper – in the church – I served others!” For us this does not sound like a big wow but for the Lord it is. He will smile and applaud that kind of life and all of Heaven will rejoice along with Him!

Jesus loves the unsung heroes – to be honest I think their reward will be greater in the Heaven than a person who lives in the limelight or had a public ministry of some sort.

But these unsung heroes accomplished on a daily basis the important tasks of the Kingdom all the while remaining virtually anonymous. These unsung heroes are most likely uncomfortable being in the lime light any way. These men and women do their jobs – use their God-given gifts to fulfill their divine destiny. They do it quietly and efficiently, they serve and give of themselves and I want you to know that God notices and takes notes. The truth is these are the people who make the world a better place and help thrust the Kingdom of God forward in its mission.

Swindoll states, “As the song goes, they are the wind beneath our wings. They are the unsung heroes in the battle, the folks who do the work behind the scenes, the people who pick up the pieces, the ones who make sure everything in the project flows freely. As a matter of fact, if you ever take the time to find out, you’ll discover that many are downright fascinating individuals with stories to tell that hold you in rapt attention. They maybe unknown, but they are not insignificant. They may be overlooked by the public, but in private they fill the roles that are invaluable” (Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Lives, Swindoll, page XII).