Team Paul

Thank you very much Sabina. Good afternoon everyone. As Paul said, my name is Ian and I have the privilege of taking you through this passage of Colossians this afternoon.

Do you ever listen to other people's telephone conversations?

Now before you say, oh no, we never do that.

Think of a situation where you're on a train and you're on the train and you're reading a book or you're doing the crossword or you're watching a phone on your tablet and someone's phone rings.

It's, hello, I'm on a train.

And they go on, although they're on a train in a very public place, they go on in quite a loud voice carrying out the conversation with whoever they're talking to.

And it's almost impossible to concentrate on anything else because they're speaking loudly and you're kind of interested in what they have to say anyway.

And so your book or crossword or whatever has to wait for a few minutes and you hear about their domestic situation.

Or about their business or whatever else it is, they tell you a little bit about it.

But you're only hearing one side.

You're only hearing what the person there says.

You don't really know what the background is.

You don't know what the other person's saying.

And you end up perhaps speculating, well what is the situation here?

What's going on that I can't make out because I can't hear both sides?

When we come to the end of books like Colossians where Paul's writing, we get in that kind of situation a bit.

Because Paul writes about lots of people, lots of names that Sabina's read to us.

And we don't know an awful lot about them.

Some of them we know a bit.

Some of them we know nothing apart from what's here.

And we're probably quite curious, well what is the background?

Why have they got instruction about what happens if Mark comes to them?

What is the task that Archippus has to complete that Paul's so keen the church encourages him in?

And so on.

And we just, in some ways, we don't know.

Now it is tempting to speculate and I probably will speculate a bit as I go along.

But it's also important, I think, to try and take a step back.

And to think, how does this fit in with Paul's work and with the work of the Church of Colossae?

Because we're learning about people who are with Paul and people at Colossae.

If you like, Team Paul and Team Colossae.

And as I was thinking about this passage, what struck me is it tells us a lot about working as a team.

Now we can say our church is like a team.

We're a group of people who have been brought together.

We have a common purpose and we want to serve and to work together.

So what can we learn about working as a team from what Paul writes to us here?

And what can we learn about our individual roles within it?

So we're going to look at the team at Team Dynamics.

And we're going to look at individuals at Team Players.

What about Team Dynamics?

Some of you will recognise these two gentlemen here.

Some of you probably won't.

They're both football managers.

One is manager of a team that at the moment is clearly together and united,

where the star players are being allowed to express themselves

and the others are supporting them very well.

And the team is being pretty successful on the whole.

The other is the manager of a team where there seem to be problems in the dressing room.

It looks as if not all the players are really behind the manager.

Some players are being played out of position and don't seem very happy with that.

The team is not doing very well and is not being united as a team.

Now, if you look at the two photos, you could probably guess which is which.

On the left is Oli Gunnar Sokjaer, who is the manager of Manchester United,

at least to the end of the season.

And on the right is Maurizio Sarri.

I've lost the name.

Thank you very much.

Maurizio Sarri.

He's the manager of Chelsea, at least until this afternoon.

If he gets beaten this afternoon, he might not be around very much longer.

Two teams, both full of very good players and yet a lot of differences in the way they're managed

and in the way things are working.

Team dynamics really matter.

Are the team together?

Are they being given a chance to express their abilities?

Are they being successful and working for one another?

Well, when it comes to Team Paul, I think we can say, by and large,

this was a team which really worked together.

And we can learn quite a lot from it about the dynamics that make up a good team

and perhaps particularly if we're thinking in a Christian context,

about the dynamics we would like to see in our church as we serve the Lord Jesus together.

So four things I want to highlight,

and then we will look at some of the team players in a little bit more detail.

So the first thing that's very evident, as Paul writes, is the love that he has.

He talks three times about people being dear brothers,

but throughout it you can sense these are people, all of them,

who he has a great affection for, who he really cares about.

Someone once asked one of Billy Graham's associates,

someone who'd been with the Billy Graham organization for a very long time,

why is it that Dr. Graham has a team that stays around and that seems so united and so happy?

And Billy Graham's associates replied, love.

Whatever the situation he and the team find themselves in,

Billy Graham leads with love.

What a great testimony that is.

The thing that drove Billy Graham was not just the success of the team,

not just even preaching the gospel.

It was having a love for his team and having a love for all those he went out to reach.

How important it is for us that in our team, in Team Brunsfield,

we are characterized by a love for one another.

Jesus said, all men will know you are my disciples if you love one another.

And I wonder if people came into our church and they looked around and they talked to us for a few minutes,

would one of the things that really struck them be the love that we have for each other?

Now I have to say a lot of people come into the church and feel really welcome and feel really loved,

and that is tremendous.

But let's challenge ourselves.

Do we really show the love of Christ to one another day by day and as we work together?

Very important of working as a team is that we have love for one another.

In the business context, it might be you get on, you're friends,

but in the church it's very much we have the love of Christ and we share that with each other.

So that was a very important team dynamic for Paul.

Second one I would suggest I've called loyalty.

Now Paul actually talks about faithfulness.

He talks about a faithful minister of Eutychicus, for example, in verse 7.

Faithfulness, loyalty, they're much the same kind of thing.

So Paul is saying, here are people you can depend on.

They're really bought into the team and to the work of the team and they are loyal to it

and they will do everything they can to help it to succeed.

And why are Paul's team loyal to him?

Well, perhaps partly the love that we've talked about,

but it's their loyalty to the Lord Jesus that is the really important thing.

He is a faithful minister, says Paul of Eutychicus.

In other words, he's a faithful servant of Jesus.

Very important in our background, in our church, in whatever Christian teams we're in,

that there's loyalty, that there's faithfulness.

Yes, loyalty and faithfulness to one another, but above all, loyalty and faithfulness to Jesus.

A desire to serve him and to live for him in all circumstances at all times

and that his kingdom may be further, that people may come to know him and may grow in their faith.

Loyalty, faithfulness is really important for Christians.

Novel of Christians who are very keen for a while and then think they're a little bit difficult

and you find they're not that faithful in their service in the hard times.

God wants us to recognise his love for us and for that to be expressed in our love for him,

but also in our faithfulness, in our loyalty to the Lord Jesus and to his gospel.

Third team dynamic I've called collaboration.

It is working together.

Now that is one that comes out in several ways as we go through Paul's team here.

There are those who are working together.

There are those who are chained together with Paul who are prisoners alongside him.

We already talked about Epaphras, this man who is doing this tremendous work of prayer.

That was his part in the work of the church, particularly in Colossae.

People working together for the gospel, for the Lord Jesus, and together making a difference.

Each had their role, each knew what their role was,

and each was working together to help the others in the team and to move forward the work that Paul was doing,

the missionary work that he was engaged in.

Teamwork, collaboration, really important in a church.

Perhaps I can make an observation that's been in my mind for a while about churches.

Because I think when you've got a small church, a relatively small church,

it is much easier for everyone to play their part and to feel they're really part of things

and are responsible for the work of the church.

As a church gets bigger, and by the grace of God, our church has been growing in recent years,

there is a danger that people lose that sense of ownership,

of having responsibility for the work of the church.

We all have our own bits that we do.

We're in a small group.

Perhaps we're in some areas of service, but perhaps lose sight of the big picture.

Let me give you an example.

If you've got a small church and they say,

we're having a church cleaning day.

We want everyone to come and help us clean the church.

You will invariably get a really good attendance at that.

People will come together.

They'll enjoy the time of fellowship,

and they'll enjoy working together in a practical way,

serving the Lord Jesus.

Get a big church, and people might say,

well, I'm quite busy that day.

I'm not sure if I can manage.

There will be other people to do it.

I don't think I'll go.

Or the prayer meeting.

Many small churches, even though there aren't that many people in them,

if you see their prayer meeting, everyone or almost everyone is there.

Move to a big church, and we're not alone in this.

You find it's a relatively small proportion of the church who attend prayer gatherings.

And again, people are saying, having a really busy week,

I could do with an evening in.

There will be other people there.

And you really lose something when you do that,

and if that's the kind of attitude that we have.

All of us have responsibilities if we're part of the church,

to work together for the church,

and to glorify God through that.

And yes, we have our individual things that we do,

and they're important, let's not neglect them.

But there are some things where the church needs to come together,

and we need all to feel we've got a responsibility.

I should be involved in this.

God wants me to serve him,

and to build up his church in collaboration,

in teamwork with the other members.

So collaboration, very important.

And then the final thing Paul talks about is encouragement.

Actually, he calls it comfort.

But I think, again, much the same thing.

Comfort, encouragement, refreshment,

and all with the same idea.

And this is the thought that we've got brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus,

and that they are able and willing to support and to encourage one another,

and to help each of us to keep going for Jesus.

In all our lives, there are discouragements,

there are difficulties,

there are problems.

And as a church, we need to be supporting one another.

And when we are going through difficult times,

be a comfort and an encouragement.

Paul was in prison at this point,

so comfort from these people is very important to them.

Whatever our circumstances, comfort one another.

And when we see someone doing something

and doing it to their best of their ability,

using the gifts that God has given them,

give them that word of encouragement, of support,

to keep going and to keep serving the Lord Jesus.

Four key dynamics that I think should be part of our church,

of any team that is serving God.

Love, loyalty, collaboration, and encouragement.

Now, how does that express itself in the people we're looking at?

Well, as I said, there are effectively two teams here.

Most of it is Team Paul.

There are eight people there.

We'll talk briefly about Team Colossae.

There are two there, although you could argue that Onesimus

and Epaphras should be in that column rather than the left.

But let's keep them as they are,

because that's the way that Paul describes them.

And what I want to do in Team Paul

is to take each of the eight people very briefly

and to say of the four things that we've looked at,

which of these boxes are that person tick and why?

I've read in the slide here on this side

mainly to get a bit more space.

So some are talked about as being dear, being loved.

Some are faithful.

Some provide support.

They're working practically, collaborating with Paul.

And some provide comfort.

So let's just go down the list

and we'll find out a bit about each of them.

So the first one is Tychicus.

Tychicus is the only one you'll find

who ticks three of the four boxes.

He's loyal, he's faithful, and he's hardworking.

I used to think of Tychicus as being like Paul's postman.

If Paul had a letter to send to a church,

then he would get Tychicus to take it,

whether it was to Colossae or to Ephesus

or whoever else Paul was writing to.

And of course it was very important,

particularly in those days because you couldn't rely

on a postal service.

The only reliable way to make sure your communication got across

was to send someone with it and they delivered it personally.

And that was Tychicus.

But Tychicus, when you look at it,

was far more than that.

He wasn't just someone who delivered letters.

I think he'd more accurately be described as Paul's ambassador.

He's someone who Paul sent to represent him in other places

and to tell them about what was going on and to encourage them

and no doubt also to report back to Paul about what he saw.

Tychicus was very much part of Paul's A-team, if you like.

We were familiar with people like Timothy and Titus.

I think we put Tychicus in the same kind of category.

He's someone who Paul could absolutely depend on

and know that he would carry out whatever Paul asked him to do.

So we come across Tychicus first in Acts chapter 20

Acts 20 · chapter mention

and he's part of a group of people who are heading with Paul

from Greece along to Jerusalem

and they're taking a gift with them.

Tychicus, it says, was from the province of Asia.

So it may all have been from Ephesus or somewhere like that,

perhaps even Colossae, but he was someone who Paul felt

was a good ambassador to bring with him to Jerusalem.

He took the letter to the Ephesians,

perhaps at the same time as Colossians,

but certainly he was the person who carried the letter to the Ephesians.

And again, Paul says, he'll tell you everything that's going on.

He'll encourage you.

When we come to the book of Titus,

we find that Titus is in Crete

and Paul is really keen for Titus to come and to see him.

Now Titus was a real troubleshooter.

Lots of problems in the church in Crete

that we can read about in the book of Titus.

And Paul said, I'd really like you to come and see me,

but I need to send someone else first.

And Tychicus was one of those who was mentioned.

So in other words, he was someone you could send

into a difficult situation

and you would know that he could deal with it.

Last time Tychicus is mentioned chronologically

is in 2 Timothy.

Paul is very near the end of his life.

He's in prison and he knows he's facing death.

And Tychicus has been with him almost to the end,

but Paul has sent him to Ephesus.

Perhaps there was a problem in the church in Ephesus.

Paul knew he needed to send someone there.

Who did he send?

It was Tychicus.

So here's someone who Paul knew was reliable,

would be able to go and to relay messages effectively

to the church and be a real encouragement to them.

He was, said Paul, a dear brother,

a faithful minister and a fellow servant.

Great if we can have people like Tychicus

who are absolutely reliable

and we know if something needs done

and perhaps something's a bit difficult

or a bit sensitive,

we can rely on them.

They're not going to let us down.

Great to have people like that

and we do have people like that

in our church here.

Second person is Onesimus.

If you said about Onesimus in Colossians 4,

you wouldn't really get to know very much about him.

In some ways what Paul says about him

is similar to what he says about Tychicus

because he says he's dear and he's faithful.

But we know about Onesimus mainly from another book

in the New Testament,

the book of Philemon.

And the background of Onesimus was Onesimus was a slave.

He ran away from Philemon,

perhaps stole some things as he went

and he ended up alongside Paul.

Now probably Paul was in Rome,

it's not certain,

but probably Paul was in Rome

so Onesimus had found his way from Colossae to Rome

which is quite a considerable distance.

While he was there,

he'd become a Christian by the grace of God.

He had accepted the Lord Jesus as his savior

and Paul had looked after him

and was obviously teaching him about the faith.

And Onesimus is now going back to Colossae.

He's going back with Tychicus,

again a sensitive mission that Tychicus is entrusted with.

They're going back to Colossae.

They're going back to Philemon,

Onesimus' master.

And they're not terribly sure

what the response is going to be.

Paul writes this wonderful letter of Philemon

as he lays out and lays it on thick

and how great it would be

if Philemon accepted Onesimus

not just as a slave,

but as a brother in the Lord Jesus.

But perhaps still as they went,

Onesimus would be thinking,

well, will he do that?

Or am I in for real trouble?

How significant then is it

that Paul describes Onesimus

as a faithful and dear brother?

He's not just sending back a slave

who's done Philemon wrong.

He's not just asking for mercy

for someone who really doesn't deserve it

or in some ways that might have been true

of Onesimus.

Rather, he's saying to Philemon

and to the church at Colossae,

here's someone who in the short time

he's been a Christian

has really proved himself.

He's someone I've come to have

a deep affection for.

He's a dear brother.

But he is also someone who's reliable,

who is faithful,

who you can trust.

The name Onesimus means useful.

And one of the things Paul does

in the letter to Philemon,

he does a bit of a word play

on how useful Onesimus is going to be

for Philemon.

So he is someone who's not a core member

of team Paul,

like Tychicus,

not someone who's been with him

throughout his travels,

and yet he's a trophy of God's grace.

And he has become,

through knowing Jesus and truth,

the discipling of Paul,

someone who is loved

and who is faithful.

Wonderful, isn't it,

when people come to know Jesus

and they have a real joy in their faith

and the things they've done in the past,

they might be terrible

or they might think they're terrible,

and yet their lives have been transformed

by knowing Jesus.

Again, we have people like that

in our church.

And for all of us,

however much we may have failed,

however bad we might think

things have been in our lives,

we can look at Onesimus

and we can take encouragement

that it is people like Onesimus

that Jesus died for,

people like you and me,

and that none of us

has done too much,

too many bad things

to experience God's grace.

Jesus died on the cross

for all those

who will trust in him,

will put their faith in him,

and will come to him

for forgiveness

and eternal life.

What an encouragement

Onesimus is.

Number three is

Aristarchus,

and we'll be a little bit

brief with the others.

Aristarchus gets two texts.

He's a comfort to Paul

as one of his fellow Jews.

We'll come back to that

in a minute.

And he's a support for Paul.

He's a fellow prisoner.

Something very interesting here.

If you read the book of Philemon,

which is probably written

at the same time,

Paul talks about someone

who's his fellow prisoner.

But that person he talks about

in Philemon

is Epaphras.

He doesn't mention

in his letter to Philemon

that Aristarchus

is a fellow prisoner.

And conversely,

he doesn't mention

this letter,

that Epaphras

is a fellow prisoner.

So what's going on?

Well, it is speculation,

but I find it quite attractive.

Some people think

that the situation was

that Paul had been arrested.

Paul was in prison,

and he had been arrested

by the Roman state.

And these two men,

these two fine

first century Christians,

Aristarchus and Epaphras,

had volunteered

to be in prison

alongside him.

So perhaps taking turns,

which would explain

why you get one mention

in one place

and one in the other.

Don't know if that's true,

but if it is,

isn't it a tremendous example

of Christians

supporting one another?

One of us is in trouble.

they need some help.

What do you do?

Someone else goes along

and they sit alongside them

and they provide

the support

that they need.

When people in our church

are going through

times of difficulty,

how good are we

at sitting alongside them

and supporting them

and empathizing with them

and helping them

through their time

of problem?

That's how Aristarchus.

We'll come back

to the comfort section

in a minute.

Mark.

You know the name Mark.

Mark wrote a gospel.

You probably also know

that Mark was someone

who went on Paul's

first missionary journey

with them.

Paul and Barnabas

were sent out

by the church in Antioch

and Mark went alongside them,

but he didn't last very long.

When it appears

that going got a bit difficult,

Mark decided

he didn't want to keep going

with Paul and Barnabas

and he headed back

to Jerusalem.

And Paul was pretty upset

about that.

When Paul and Barnabas

came back

and they reported

to the church in Jerusalem,

they were going to go out

again on the missionary journey

and Barnabas said,

let's take Mark with us.

And Paul said,

in effect,

over my dead body,

he's not coming with us.

And they had such

a sharp fallout

that actually Paul

and Barnabas

ended going

their separate ways.

In some ways

that turned out

to be a good thing

because the gospel

went in two directions

rather than one.

But Mark was someone

who had really hurt

and had really upset Paul.

And yet here we find

Mark is part of Team Paul.

And if we fast forward

to 2 Timothy,

written quite a lot later,

Paul has a really strong

commendation of Mark

as someone

who is really useful,

who is really helpful to him.

So Mark had gone wrong.

He turned back

and in his Christian life

we might say

he was a backslider.

And yet now

he has been restored,

he is following Jesus

and he will continue

to serve him.

Don't know what it was

that the instruction

that Paul sent

to the church

at Colossae about Mark,

perhaps it was

that they should receive him

warmly

because he was again

following Jesus.

Great to know,

isn't it,

that we have a God

who gives second chances.

When we fail,

when we don't do

all that we should for him,

when our love

grows a bit cold

and we're not really

following Jesus

the way we should,

yet there is always

a way back.

And Mark was able

to go from someone

who Paul would have

nothing to do with

to being one of Paul's

closest companions

at the end,

someone he found

really useful.

if you've been

in a situation

like Mark

where perhaps you feel

I've failed as a Christian,

I haven't done

what I should have

for Jesus,

take encouragement.

God always gives us

another opportunity

and is happy

to welcome us back

and to have us

continuing

to serve him.

Jesus' justice.

Know nothing

about Jesus' justice

apart from the fact

that he's one

of Paul's fellow Jews.

That's the only thing

we know about

that Paul tells us here

that he is

one of the

three Jews

among Paul's

fellow workers.

And these three Jews

are a real comfort

to Paul.

I think perhaps

they're a comfort

to Paul partly

because Paul

has had

some fallout

with the Judaizers

in the Christian church,

even people like Peter

when they were

a bit too strong

on the Jewish side

of things

and on circumcision

and so on.

But now he's got

these three men

who are with him

and they're enjoying

a good relationship.

Perhaps also

takes comfort

from the fact

that with these three men

he can talk about

some things

about the Jewish heritage

that he perhaps couldn't

with some of the

Gentile Christians.

They'd put behind them

the Jewish religion

and all that

that involved

but they knew

the Old Testament

they understood

the background

and with Paul

were able

to be a real comfort.

Perhaps just a slightly

bit in a church like this

there are people

who have been here

a long time

and know the church

has changed an awful lot.

There are lots of people

who are new

and it's great

to have everyone with us.

Perhaps those

who have been here

a long time

we can encourage

one another

as we think back

yes we think back

to things that were

in the past

and they were good

but also encourage ourselves

how God has been working

and we can look back

over many years

and we can see that

God has blessed our church

he has grown it

and together

we can rejoice

in where we were

and where we are now.

So that was I think

Jesus Justice,

Mark and Astarchus

why they were a particular

encouragement to Paul.

Not much to go now

Epaphras

Epaphras already

mentioned this morning

I've only given him

one take

but actually

if we went back

to chapter 1

Paul describes

Epaphras in almost

exactly the same way

as he describes Tychicus

he's a dear brother

he's a faithful servant

he's a fellow

he's a faithful Christian

he's a fellow servant

for the Lord Jesus.

Epaphras was the man

who had established

the church in Colossae

he was the one

who had brought

the gospel to that place

to begin with

not Paul

Paul had never been

to Colossae

and now Epaphras

for whatever reason

was with Paul

and what was he doing

he was praying.

We're told nothing

about Epaphras

in this passage

apart from his prayers.

He couldn't be

with his church

for whatever reason

but he hadn't forgotten it

he was fervent

in his prayers

for it.

And as Paul

pointed out to us

what great things

it is

he's praying for

he's wrestling in prayer

can you see the work

and the effort

that's in that

he's praying

you may stand firm

in the will of God

mature

and fully

assured.

Isn't it wonderful

to have prayer

warriors?

There are some people

in this church

I know

who are prayer

warriors.

They may not appear

to be active

in the work

of the church

they're not up front

like some of us

they're not very visible

but they pray

and their prayers

would be me

and probably many others

here

to shame.

they really

get down

to the work

of prayer

and for praying

for God's people

and for God's work

in a way

that few of us

do.

Great if we were all

prayer warriors

like that.

If we all

had this deep

desire to lay

hold of God

and to pray

for one another

and to constantly

pray

and as Paul said

it's not just

for those who are ill

or those who are

doing special things

it's for all of us

that we may stand

firm

that we may be

mature

and fully

assured.

Going towards the end

Luke gets two-taked

Luke is loved

and I put him

as a sport for Paul

Luke I think

was Paul's doctor.

Paul had some kind

of problem

probably a physical

problem

he described as

as thorn in his flesh

in 2 Corinthians

and it looks as if

Luke who travelled

with Paul broadly

from when he went

to Philippi

until the end

it looks as if

Luke was in a sense

his personal physician

he was playing his role

in the team

and he was someone

Paul really loved

and respected

as our dear friend

and of course

Luke was the author

of the third gospel.

Moving on quickly

for the sake of time

Demas

Demas

notics

nothing that Paul

can say here

about Demas

he doesn't even say

our dear friends

Luke and Demas

he just says

and Demas

at the end

what do we know

about Demas?

Well we read him

about him

two other places

in the New Testament

in Philemon

probably written

at the same time

as this

he's described

as a fellow worker

along with lots

of others

and then in 2 Timothy

Paul says

to Timothy

Demas has forsaken me

he loved

the present world

now quite what

that means

I'm not sure

did it mean

that Demas

had gone off

to the flesh

parts of Rome

or did it mean

that when he came

to the crancher

he was maybe having

to be martyred

for his faith

Demas drew back

we don't know

but in 2 Timothy

there's a problem

with Demas

perhaps in Colossians

there's a hint

of a problem

with Demas

Paul can find

nothing good

to say

about him

how sad it would be

if there were some of us

if someone was writing

about the church

at Brunsfield

and they mentioned

our name

there would be

nothing positive

they could say

about us

no sign

of God's grace

no evidence

of working hard

for the Lord Jesus

we're just here

and maybe we're just

hanging on

and not that

often here

either

let's not be like

Demas

let's seek to

be wholehearted

for Jesus

and to work

faithfully

beside those

in the church

our time is rapidly

running out

let me just talk

briefly about

Team Colossae

we have Nympha

Nympha had a church

in her house

she probably wasn't

the leader of the church

knowing the way

that Paul set up churches

but she was the most

important person

in the church

she provided the hospitality

she provided the encouragement

the only woman

mentioned in this chapter

but clearly a woman

of great substance

both in physical terms

which she had a house

the church could meet in

but also spiritually

that she was the one

who'd provided

the church facilities

and know that was

a great encouragement

and strength

within the church

and Archippus

Archippus is a man

with a mission

Paul says

see to it

that you complete

the work you have

received in the Lord

possibly Archippus

was Philemon's son

we could gather that

in the book of Philemon

possibly he was

fulfilling the road

Epaphras previously had

in leading the church

in Colossae

slightly speculative

but there's some task

that Paul

is encouraging

the church at Colossae

to encourage Archippus

in

again good if we can

encourage one another

in the work

that God has given

us to do

I've been through

a lot fairly quickly

there

and let me just

finish

by thinking about

what kind of people

are we in the church

what kind of a person

am I

so there are four groups

of people which broadly

tie in with the people

we've met

there are faithful servants

there are the people

like Tychicus

or like Epaphras

who are working hard

for God

who are faithful

dependable

loyal

and you know

that you can trust them

to do God's work

am I like that

can people really

depend on me

as someone

who is

reliable

in the service

of the Lord

there are prayer warriors

I've mentioned that

we have prayer warriors

at Brunsfield

great if more of us

could be that

and could be really

in prayer for each other

and for God's work

trophies of grace

I'm thinking

in this

are Onesimus

and Mark

people who have

gone wrong

and God has worked

in their lives

and brought them

to know

and to follow

Jesus

in one sense

all of us

who know Jesus

are trophies of grace

none of us

by ourselves

have any great

merit

but great to be encouraged

particularly by those

who have recently

come to know

the Lord Jesus

and the work

that he has done

in their lives

and continues to do

in all of our lives

and perhaps for some

we're not even

at that point yet

that we haven't actually

come to the point

of trusting in Jesus

or recognizing

his death on the cross

for us

and the forgiveness

that that brings

if you're in that position

I urge you

to consider

what Jesus

has done

what he can do

and what you need

from him

and you too

can be one of these

trophies

of grace

and let's make sure

we're not like Demas

I've called him

a hanger on

maybe slightly unfair

on him

but you do get people

in churches

that are hangers on

they're there

irregularly

they don't really

get involved

in things

and they're not

growing

in their faith

let's make sure

none of us

are like that

that we are committed

to the Lord Jesus

that we want

to follow him

and to grow

and to live

for him

I'm sorry

I've taken a bit longer

than I probably should have

but let's pray together

now to finish

Our Father

we thank you

for your word

to us this morning

we thank you

for these people

who Paul brings

before us

in some ways

just names

from a long time ago

but in other ways

people we can

really identify with

and who have so much

to teach us today

we pray that all of us

may be trophies

of grace

that we may know

your grace

in our lives

that we may have

a relationship

with the Lord Jesus

as our saviour

as the one

who died for us

we pray that you

will help us

to be faithful

to be servants

of the Lord Jesus

and to live for him

help us in our prayer life

that it may be real

and it may be fervent

that we may wrestle

in prayer

that we may be

prayer warriors

and help us

to avoid

becoming hangers on

to becoming

becoming those

about whom

there is nothing

that could be said

positively

about our Christian life

keep that flame

of love

in our hearts

and help us

to follow Jesus

faithfully

and to serve him

we thank you

for our time together

we thank you

for our worship

and we commit ourselves

to you now

in the name

of the Lord Jesus

Amen