HoHum:
A large company, feeling it was time for a shakeup, hired a new CEO. This new boss was determined to rid the company of all slackers. On a tour of the facilities, the CEO noticed a guy leaning on a wall. The room was full of workers and he wanted to let them know that he meant business! The new CEO walked up to the guy leaning against the wall and asked, “How much money do you make a week?” A little surprised, the young fellow looked at him and replied, “I make about $300 a week. Why?” The CEO then handed the guy $1200 in cash and screamed, “Here’s 4 weeks pay, now get out and don’t come back.” Feeling pretty good about himself, the CEO looked around the room and asked, “Does anyone want to tell me what that goof off did here?” From across the room came a voice, “He was the pizza delivery guy from Domino’s.”
WBTU:
Tomorrow is Labor Day where many of us get a day off to celebrate our hard work.
In Romans 16 Paul talks about 4 women who worked hard:
“Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.” Romans 16:6, NIV. She toiled, labored, struggled, strived at some laborious activity on behalf of the gospel. Many Mary’s so cannot equate her with the other Mary’s of the NT. This is all we know.
“Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.” Romans 16:12, NIV.
Tryphena and Tryphosa, the similarity of these names indicates that they might be sisters. Some think they may be twins, and that their names would be equivalent to “delicate” and “dainty.” Ironic that women with such names would be praised for their hard work. The nature of their work is not known, we know nothing about them.
Persis- Indicates a woman from Persia. Paul has a personal friendship with her. The nature of her work is not known, but she worked hard at it.
In this list of greetings Paul uses the term worked hard for 4 woman and no men.
From Paul’s instructions to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:11-15 we know that these women were not evangelists, elders or deacons. They did not teach in the formal sense.
It is a hard work to be in the ministry of the Word. “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labour, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.” Colossians 1:28, 29, NIV. Also, “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” 1 Timothy 5:17, NIV. No, this is not physically strenuous but it is hard work.
However, as I thought about these 4 at what tasks did they work hard to the point of exhaustion? Did they just come to church services and sit in a pew? I don’t think so.
Cannot know with an certainty but we can speculate. Those who are not teaching in the church, and those who are not in a leadership role, think about which of these we can work very hard at doing.
Thesis: At what tasks did these 4 work hard?
For instances:
1. Evangelism
Even though these 4 were not evangelists, they were involved in evangelism.
Evangelism is the practice of spreading the Christian gospel. All of us are to be involved in evangelism. ““We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”” Acts 5:28, NIV. Doubtful that the apostles filled Jerusalem with the gospel on their own, all the Christians were involved
Many ways to spread the gospel besides delivering a formal sermon or teaching a lesson during Sunday school. We can wear Christian t-shirts and plaster our cars with Christian bumper stickers. On the internet we type evangelistic messages.
Still one of the most effective ways to spread the gospel is to invite our friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors to church and church related events. 82% of the unchurched are somewhat likely to attend church if invited. Those are pretty great odds right? Unfortunately, only 2% of church going people ever invite someone to church in a given year. To make matters worse, 70% of unchurched people have never been invited to church in their whole lives. (Thom Rainer, The Unchurched Next Door)
Wednesday night meal and Bible study, Peter Razor coming for revival in Fall. One time there was a big revival among several churches and I was not preaching but wanted to attend. Each night I invited someone I knew who needed to respond to the Lord. 3 out of the 4 nights I brought someone with me. One night 4 people were baptized that I invited.
““Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.” John 1:46, NIV.
Dare say that many of us have more connections that I have! Behind a stained glass window. Every single person has as a minimum 75 people that he or she is in regular contact with
We also need to be good evangelists among our families. Don’t know much about these 4 women’s families but I am sure they were always promoting the faith among them. “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives,” 1 Peter 3:1, NIV. This can also apply to adult children. “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 2:12, NIV.
Hospitality
“Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings.” Romans 16:23, NIV. Paul was staying at Gaius house in Corinth.
Many people will not go to a church today—they find it too too scary. They will, however, come to a home for a cookout. They’ll come over on a holiday. A home can be one of the most powerful evangelistic tools. It’s a lighthouse in a dark place. Have some kind of plan to have the neighbors over for a meal so we can, at least, meet them. And then we can start praying for them and be the neighborhood prayer warrior for all our neighbors.
The Lord has greatly used home Bible studies in our day. It’s very significant, I believe, that one of the apostles’ primary methods of evangelism was using homes to spread the Word. Peter and the apostles taught and preached “from house to house” (Acts 5:42). Paul taught “from house to house” (Acts 20:20). A private home has a very natural atmosphere. It is informal, relaxed, and non-threatening. “Greet also the church that meets at their house.” Romans 16:5, NIV.
This is what Matthew did. “As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples.” Matthew 9:9, 10, NIV.
If nothing else, invite the guests at church over to our homes. Get to know them. “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” 1 Peter 4:9, NIV.
Benevolence
Benevolence is the desire to do good to others.
“In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’” Luke 10:30-35, NIV.
What kind of good should we do? “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’” Matthew 25:35, 36, NIV.
The Christian conquest of the Roman Empire came not by the sword, but by the preaching of the gospel joined with acts of compassion. In the middle of the 2nd century AD there was a terrible plague and many died. The pagans and doctors left the cities to avoid this disease. However, the Christians stayed behind and helped those who were ill and dying. Eusebius, a church historian, states that because of the Christians compassion in the midst of the plague, the Christians’ “deeds were on everyone’s lips, and they glorified the God of the Christians. Such actions convinced them that they alone were pious and truly reverent to God.”
“You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”” Acts 20:34, 35, NIV.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” Matthew 28:19, NIV. Go and tell; come and see. We need both. With this kind of exhausting work in these areas, we can see a mighty harvest.
