Play Your Part | Colossians 4:7–18 | You Have a Place in the Kingdom of God

[SPEAKER_00]: All right, so Colossians chapter 4 is where we'll be today.

Colossians 4 · chapter mention

[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to start verse 7 through 18.

[SPEAKER_00]: And we're going to wrap up this study that we've called Supreme.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's our series, Supreme.

[SPEAKER_00]: And we're just saying, I mean, what Paul saying is that Jesus is Supreme, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: He's above it all.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I don't know about you guys, but this has been a study for me, at least, personally, that has kind of helped recalibrate things.

[SPEAKER_00]: What I mean by that, it's like, sometimes life gets busy.

[SPEAKER_00]: Anyone's life get busy sometimes.

[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, every single one of you should be like, yeah, it gets busy, because that's what everyone of you says.

[SPEAKER_00]: How you doing?

[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, I'm good, just busy, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: So we're all busy at times, but we need recalibration to be like, okay, what really matters?

[SPEAKER_00]: And I think this letter for me, at least, is like, Jesus is really all,

[SPEAKER_00]: that matters.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's all that we need, not to say that, you know, other things that matter, but that's the main thing.

[SPEAKER_00]: You understand what I'm saying?

[SPEAKER_00]: And for me, it's helped me lift my eyes back to Jesus, not that they weren't before, but just like a stronger focus.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's re-centered.

[SPEAKER_00]: My heart, I hope it's done some of the same for you.

[SPEAKER_00]: And it reminds us of who Jesus is.

[SPEAKER_00]: And today,

[SPEAKER_00]: As we close out this letter from Paul, we're going to do two things.

[SPEAKER_00]: Hopefully the first one quickly, the second one will take our time.

[SPEAKER_00]: But the first one, we're going to recap a little bit of what Paul has said, because this is a letter, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: This isn't a Twitter fee that just random things thrown out there.

[SPEAKER_00]: This isn't the book of Proverbs, where it just stays like that.

[SPEAKER_00]: Solomon's just writing down goal, but that doesn't seem to go with the thing he said just right before that, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: Like Proverbs is like a Twitter fee.

[SPEAKER_00]: right it's a letter it builds he's trying to get us to understand something so we'll recap where we've been a bit kind of building up the idea get us re-centered on what Paul saying and then we're gonna land the plane with the conclusion which many pastors surprisingly they kind of fly through this last section oh just a bunch of names or some things I can't pronounce but I think this is almost like it's

[SPEAKER_00]: It's just as important as Colossians 115 as all of it.

[SPEAKER_00]: It goes together and I hope that you'd see it and be excited today.

[SPEAKER_00]: And my prayer for us today for you that you take this away that you have a place in the kingdom of God.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's where we're going to land today.

[SPEAKER_00]: So you have a place you matter.

[SPEAKER_00]: You're called to fulfill a God-given role or ministry and it's not not in vain.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so we're going to read through the text the verse 7 through 18.

[SPEAKER_00]: Open your Bibles there, Bible apps, Colossians 4-7.

[SPEAKER_00]: Tid you kiss will tell you all about my activities.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.

[SPEAKER_00]: I have sent him to you for this very purpose that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts.

[SPEAKER_00]: And with him, onissimists are faithful and beloved brother who is one of you.

[SPEAKER_00]: They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.

[SPEAKER_00]: Aristicus, my fellow prisoner, greets you in Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instructions.

[SPEAKER_00]: If he comes to you, welcome him, and Jesus, who is called justice, these are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.

[SPEAKER_00]: A path for us who is one of you.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's serving of Christ, Jesus, greet you, always struggling on your behalf in His prayers that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.

[SPEAKER_00]: Frybear Him witnessed that He has worked hard for you and for those in Leodicea and in Hieropolis.

[SPEAKER_00]: Luke, the beloved physician, greets you as does deemus, give my greetings to the brothers at Leodicea and to Nympha and the church in her house.

[SPEAKER_00]: And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of Leodiceans, and see that you also read the letter from Leodicea.

[SPEAKER_00]: And say to Archipus, see that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.

[SPEAKER_00]: I, Paul, write this with my own hand,

[SPEAKER_00]: grace be with you.

[SPEAKER_00]: This is the Word of the Lord that we're going to unpack this morning.

[SPEAKER_00]: And my message title is play your part, play your part.

[SPEAKER_00]: But again, to kind of zoom out, set the context and recap where we've been, again, this is a letter that builds.

[SPEAKER_00]: If we remember, Colossians chapter one, specifically a couple of verses 15, 16, and 17, Paul writes to them that he, Jesus, is the image of the invisible God.

[SPEAKER_00]: The first born of all creation, for by him, all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible, invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities.

[SPEAKER_00]: All things were created through him and for him, and he is before all things and in him, all things hold together.

[SPEAKER_00]: And that's a good chunk of scripture, isn't it, amen?

[SPEAKER_00]: Right, and Paul saying there, he's like, hey, Jesus is not just part of your life.

[SPEAKER_00]: And remember he's speaking to a group of Christians, maybe some new believers, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: This is the first century church after all.

[SPEAKER_00]: Right, Jesus had probably maybe died, resurrected in some of their lifetime.

[SPEAKER_00]: And he's right into this church because they're getting these false teachings mixed in.

[SPEAKER_00]: And it's like, well, you need Jesus and you need a worship angels.

[SPEAKER_00]: And you need to add these religious rituals and things.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so Paul saying, no, Jesus is supreme.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's not just an addition to your life.

[SPEAKER_00]: He is your life.

[SPEAKER_00]: For you would not have life without him.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's the creator of all.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's the sustainer of all.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's the head of the church.

[SPEAKER_00]: Everything starts with Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: Then in Colossians 2, as he's building,

[SPEAKER_00]: He's saying, hey, Jesus is not only just supreme above it all, but He is all sufficient to sustain and to fulfill.

[SPEAKER_00]: In other words, Jesus is all you need.

[SPEAKER_00]: Right, hey, don't believe the lies of those people coming in that said, hey, you need to do more good works if you want to be saved.

[SPEAKER_00]: Right, hey, you need to worship these saints and these angels.

[SPEAKER_00]: If you want to be saved, no, Paul says, no, just worship Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: He is all sufficient.

[SPEAKER_00]: Colossians 2 verse 9 and 10, it says, for in Him,

Colossians 2:9

[SPEAKER_00]: This is Jesus, the whole fullness of deity, God, dwells bodily and you have been filled in him who is the head of all rule and authority.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like you have everything you need if you have Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now, if you don't have Jesus, that's concerning, and I hope you'd come to receive Him today.

[SPEAKER_00]: But you don't need anything other than Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: You don't have Jesus and rules.

[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus and more religion.

[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus and more spiritual experiences to try to complete what Jesus has done.

[SPEAKER_00]: No, you are complete in Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: Then in Colossians chapter three,

[SPEAKER_00]: Paul says, like, if you have been saved, this is Clashon's three verse one and two, he says, then if then you have been raised with Christ.

[SPEAKER_00]: So like, hey, you've received Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: You heard the gospel, you've received it, you're a pented up your sins, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: Christ now dwells in you, your Holy Spirit's in you.

[SPEAKER_00]: If you've been raised with Christ, he says, seek the things that are above.

[SPEAKER_00]: where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

[SPEAKER_00]: Set your minds on things that are above, not on the things of earth, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: Hey, don't listen to the haters and the naysayers and the people trying to give you false teaching.

[SPEAKER_00]: Keep your eyes on Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: The message I taught was, look up.

[SPEAKER_00]: Stop looking at the things of the world.

[SPEAKER_00]: You wonder why you're stumbling and falling so much because you're focused on the world and all these things all we gotta do is we just look up and we look to Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's all we need.

[SPEAKER_00]: We keep our eyes on Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: Then we saw at the end of chapter 3, and I called the study, family matters, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: And it's just this diverse group of people who've come like, there's slaves, there's masters, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: Slave owners in that group, there's Jews, there's Gentiles, and there's like every kind of person in this group, and Paul's writing to him, and I think it's such a beautiful thing, because that's the church.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's the family of God, where a diverse group of people with different backgrounds, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: But God loves us all the same, and we can come together in unity

[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus name.

[SPEAKER_00]: And then the last couple of weeks, we saw, beginning a chapter for prayer matters.

[SPEAKER_00]: We got to be a church that prays, and Paul says specifically, hey, be steadfast, right, or consistent in your prayers, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, hey, do it often, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: Talk to God.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's really what prayer is.

[SPEAKER_00]: Talk to God often.

[SPEAKER_00]: They says, be watchful.

[SPEAKER_00]: Don't just say, hey, God, help me, give me strength for today, and then you just zone out, and you don't even see if he came through, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, you got through the day, didn't you?

[SPEAKER_00]: Well, you should be like, hey, thank you, God, for giving me strength to get through today.

[SPEAKER_00]: All right, be watchful on how he might come through, and then that leads to Thanksgiving.

[SPEAKER_00]: When we're prayerful, steadfast, we're watching how God's moving in our life.

[SPEAKER_00]: We can be thankful and say, thank you, God, that you gave me the strength.

[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you that you open this door, and then Paul says something.

[SPEAKER_00]: So,

[SPEAKER_00]: humble says, Pray for me, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: And you're like, Paul, you're like, you're the OG, you're the goats, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, you're the greatest apostle of all time.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, you weren't even supposed to be one, but you're so good, everyone thinks you are one.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, that's kind of true, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: He wasn't the first 12, but he came in later, but he says, Pray for me.

[SPEAKER_00]: Pray for me for boldness that out of preach, how I ought to preach so that people can know Jesus, that doors would be open.

[SPEAKER_00]: And then the thing is, once we pray for these things, all of a sudden doors start to open, things start to change, and then Paul says, hey, walk in wisdom towards outsiders.

[SPEAKER_00]: Those who don't know Jesus, and it's not just like, hey, just play the part for just a second, but it's like, hey, walk.

[SPEAKER_00]: How's your life?

[SPEAKER_00]: Reflecting Jesus every single day on Monday when you go to work.

[SPEAKER_00]: How does your life reflect Jesus?

[SPEAKER_00]: If I went to work with you and I asked your coworker, hey, is this guy believe in Jesus?

[SPEAKER_00]: What did they say?

[SPEAKER_00]: That's pretty scary.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm glad you don't work with me and they're like, hey, does this lady believe in Jesus?

[SPEAKER_00]: She's had church every week and she serves in kids ministry said she did.

[SPEAKER_00]: I don't see

[SPEAKER_00]: That'd be scary, wouldn't it?

[SPEAKER_00]: And hopefully that they would say, hey, their life does reflect something different, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: Because we're walking in wisdom.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's a way of life.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's a lifestyle.

[SPEAKER_00]: Walking wisdom towards those who don't know Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: He says, redeem the time.

[SPEAKER_00]: You make the most of every opportunity.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I said this last week.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, I don't know if you realize but life is flying by right now.

[SPEAKER_00]: Um, one of Sam's kids is turning eight today, and I was like, I remember, like, when Morgan she was pregnant with him and Sam texts was like, hey, pray, because there's just some like things going on.

[SPEAKER_00]: I go scary.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's going to be born too early and I was like, and I told Colson, he's eight today.

[SPEAKER_00]: I was like, I remember praying for you at our old church at a pastor's conference.

[SPEAKER_00]: We had a thousand pastors.

[SPEAKER_00]: I was like, hey, guys, can we just pray?

[SPEAKER_00]: for this kid who's about to be born, and that all things would go good, but I'm like, and it's on the smart ass like, how old are you?

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm like, he's gonna save five or six for sure.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's like, eight, I'm like, eight.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, where is time gone?

[SPEAKER_00]: Eight years old, it's crazy.

[SPEAKER_00]: Anyways, times flying by, we got to redeem it.

[SPEAKER_00]: We got to make the most of it.

[SPEAKER_00]: Paul says, hey, when you're out there walking and redeeming the time, speak graciously,

[SPEAKER_00]: And then also be ready to answer questions.

[SPEAKER_00]: Doesn't mean you need to know every single answer, but you shouldn't know what you believe, why you believe it.

[SPEAKER_00]: Whether you consider it a strong argument or case, that's besides the point.

[SPEAKER_00]: You know that Jesus changed your life.

[SPEAKER_00]: You might say, well, I was just a church service, and I don't know how to explain it.

[SPEAKER_00]: It was just the Holy Spirit moving, and someone's gonna say, oh, that was just a feeling.

[SPEAKER_00]: How do you know that was really a God?

[SPEAKER_00]: Then you can go back, I don't know, maybe it was just a feeling.

[SPEAKER_00]: No, it was God.

[SPEAKER_00]: You know what you know, and you share what you know.

[SPEAKER_00]: You'd be ready to answer questions in your life and your words.

[SPEAKER_00]: They're meant to point people to Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: And after all of this beautiful, like theology and instruction that Paul gives us, he ends with, I think, something equally as beautiful, real people, with real names, real stories.

[SPEAKER_00]: That show us, and hopefully you hear today, and maybe you're struggling, you're discouraged, but shows us that the kingdom of God is not built on ideas and just theology and doctrine.

[SPEAKER_00]: The kingdom of God is built on the foundation, the rock, Jesus, and then through his people.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's you and me.

[SPEAKER_00]: like through us is like that's how his kingdom is built through real people and so again today's message title is play your part you have a part to play but let's look at what he says in verse seventy says titcha kiss will tell you all about my activities he's a beloved brother in a faithful minister in a fellow servant in the Lord now titcha kiss is a guy you're not going to find much information there's like two maybe three verses in the Bible about him and they pretty

[SPEAKER_00]: Paul's right into the church at Ephesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: He says so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tijikis, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything.

[SPEAKER_00]: But even though we don't know a whole lot, we know something super important about this guy.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's a faithful guy.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's trustworthy.

[SPEAKER_00]: Right.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's not playing a big part really in this thing, but he's not the flashy guy.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's not on stage.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's not the preacher.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's not the worship team.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's not the prayer leader, or whatever may be, but he's a faithful guy.

[SPEAKER_00]: And you guys need to know that the church, this world, too, like we need faithful people, men and women, to do the little things.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I'll say this later, I'm going to say it probably five times in this teaching, like there are no little things in the kingdom of God.

[SPEAKER_00]: Well, that just a small thing, that doesn't matter.

[SPEAKER_00]: What if that happened when Jesus made the fish and loaves into enough to feed 5,000 plus people?

[SPEAKER_00]: Peter, try to say that, what is this to so many people?

[SPEAKER_00]: And if they were to dismiss and say, no, seriously, Jesus, like, it's not enough.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I'm not going to bring it.

[SPEAKER_00]: It wouldn't have been fed.

[SPEAKER_00]: There wouldn't have been a miracle.

[SPEAKER_00]: Only bring the little, where faithful in little, he does the big things, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: And so, Ticicus is a faithful guy.

[SPEAKER_00]: He says in verse 8 of Colossians, chapter 4, I've sent him to you for this very purpose that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts.

Colossians 4 · chapter mention

[SPEAKER_00]: And so, what's his job is faithful.

[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, that's not a very glorifying job, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: You're like, hey, Paul, man, I'm here.

[SPEAKER_00]: I've just gave him a life to Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm ready to serve, baby, what do you want me to do?

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, you know, I'll do the altar call.

[SPEAKER_00]: You want me to do the altar call?

[SPEAKER_00]: I'll lead communion.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's like, no, I need you to deliver a letter.

[SPEAKER_00]: And this wasn't just go drop it in the mailbox, like today, like, oh, cool, no problem.

[SPEAKER_00]: Man, it's 30 seconds done.

[SPEAKER_00]: What's next?

[SPEAKER_00]: This is like, hey, you need to go to the next town over.

[SPEAKER_00]: You can take a couple of days to get there.

[SPEAKER_00]: And you're going to deliver this letter to the church that's over there, because they need to hear this.

[SPEAKER_00]: So he's doing something that seems little.

[SPEAKER_00]: He could have been like, man, I don't want to do that.

[SPEAKER_00]: Have someone else go do that stuff, but he's faithful.

[SPEAKER_00]: He does the little things which again are the big things and his task was he's not writing God's word or preaching God's word but look he's delivering God's word.

[SPEAKER_00]: and I want to encourage like some of our surf team here today is like when we set up and stuff it's like some of you might be like man I want to preach or teach and maybe there will be one day when God calls you to do that and stuff but even where you're serving right now like meet the media team it's like yeah sure you're not preaching but what you are doing is you're allowing God's word to go out to the world.

[SPEAKER_00]: So that people may know Jesus, see like every little thing matters.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like if we come together, like I can't do everything alone.

[SPEAKER_00]: I could preach to myself and that'd be kind of weird.

[SPEAKER_00]: But you know, encourage my heart, Lord, but you know, like we need each other.

[SPEAKER_00]: And when we're together, we're stronger together.

[SPEAKER_00]: When every part plays their part, God's word goes out.

[SPEAKER_00]: People are changed.

[SPEAKER_00]: I hear the gospel.

[SPEAKER_00]: They repent of their sins.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, and it's a beautiful, wonderful thing.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so, Ticicus is a faithful guy.

[SPEAKER_00]: Then in verse 9, he mentions another guy.

[SPEAKER_00]: Some of you may be familiar with him or heard of him.

[SPEAKER_00]: Onissimus, have you guys heard of onissimus?

[SPEAKER_00]: Pop quiz, where is onissimus mentioned in the Bible?

[SPEAKER_00]: Finally, man, there we go.

[SPEAKER_00]: Gold star to this man down here in the second row.

[SPEAKER_00]: All right.

[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, Nismiss, he's in filing.

[SPEAKER_00]: And if you want to go read a book of the Bible today, you're like, man, one of my goals for the new year was to read a book of the Bible.

[SPEAKER_00]: And you're like, man, I just feel bad I haven't done it yet.

[SPEAKER_00]: Go read filing, and it's literally like 19 verses total.

[SPEAKER_00]: Take you like one minute to get through it.

[SPEAKER_00]: Boom, check.

[SPEAKER_00]: I read a book of the Bible this year.

[SPEAKER_00]: How about you?

[SPEAKER_00]: All right, filename, and though filename, and he's a slave owner, onissimus was his slave, and Paul writes this letter to filename and saying, hey, I'm sending onissimus back to you, because he, this is the thing, onissimus ran away from filename.

[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, if you're a slave, I think we'd all have that mindset, like, all right, when are they going to sleep?

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna break out, all right, tomorrow's the day guys, I'm leaving, then.

[SPEAKER_00]: Are you sure?

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I'm serious.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: And he leaves it, but he didn't just leave.

[SPEAKER_00]: He stole stuff from filing it, too.

[SPEAKER_00]: So he wasn't like a good guy.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's a bad guy.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's a robber, and he's a, um, we could say, what's the word when you're running away?

[SPEAKER_00]: fugitive, right, in that sense, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: So that's onissimus, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: And what Paul says here, verse nine, with them onissimus are faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you.

[SPEAKER_00]: They will tell you of everything that has taken place.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so this is, again, it's an incredible story because, again, onissimus is a runaway slave.

[SPEAKER_00]: Paul writes in Philemon, verse 10 and 11, he says, I appeal to you, Philemon, for my child, onissimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment, formerly, and I love this part, verse 11, formerly, he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.

[SPEAKER_00]: He went from useless, like he was a slave, a robber, a thief,

[SPEAKER_00]: But now that he's met the Lord, Paul's like, hey, I'm vouching for this guy.

[SPEAKER_00]: This guy's the real deal.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's a faithful brother.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's not a slave anymore.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's not a fugitive anymore.

[SPEAKER_00]: He is redeemed, and he is part of the family.

[SPEAKER_00]: And that's why he's talking to finally and is like, welcome him in.

[SPEAKER_00]: Treat him with grace and mercy and he says, he was useless, but now he's useful.

[SPEAKER_00]: And that's just part of the story that God does in our life.

[SPEAKER_00]: Doesn't he?

[SPEAKER_00]: Like before he come to know Jesus and start to live for him and play our part for him, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: It's like we were, you wouldn't say it was useless, but I mean if we're honest, we look back on our life, our BC days, before Christ, like all that stuff, like it's pretty useless.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm just pursuing myself, my own dream, my own things that I wanted, selfish pleasures, all that stuff, not to say that God doesn't redeem it because He does for sure.

[SPEAKER_00]: He uses it as our testimony, but I mean, it's like, man, we were kind of useless for the kingdom back then.

[SPEAKER_00]: But once you meet Jesus, like now you're useful in onissimus, he's evidence of that.

[SPEAKER_00]: Second Corinthians 5, 17 says, if anyone, not like a specific person, if anyone is in Christ, help me if it's on the screen, he is a new creation, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: And onissimus' evidence of a redeemed life.

[SPEAKER_00]: The next person Paul mentions verse 10,

[SPEAKER_00]: He says, Aristicus, my fellow prisoner greets you.

[SPEAKER_00]: And Mark, the cousin of Barnabes, concerning whom you have received instructions, if he comes to you, welcome in.

[SPEAKER_00]: So there's two guys here.

[SPEAKER_00]: First off, Aristicus.

[SPEAKER_00]: This is a man who stayed with Paul.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's in prison with Paul.

[SPEAKER_00]: And this isn't the first time we see Aristicus with Paul Acts 19, verse 29.

Acts 19:29

[SPEAKER_00]: There's a riot going on in Rome, or in the theater.

[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if they're in Rome yet.

[SPEAKER_00]: They're on their way to Rome, possibly.

[SPEAKER_00]: But there's like this theater going on.

[SPEAKER_00]: There's this whole riot, confusion going on.

[SPEAKER_00]: And Aristicus is one of the guys like he's just he's down.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like he's like, you know what I mean?

[SPEAKER_00]: Like those friends like we're going to go like we do in this thing.

[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if you guys have a testimony, but like part of my testimony.

[SPEAKER_00]: I used to be a little wild and there was a time where there was just a big street fight happening.

[SPEAKER_00]: You're like Pastor Nick, you definitely didn't be a part of it, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: will not confirm nor deny that, but like you got some homies, some friends, they got your bag and they're like, we're going in, because I got the homies.

[SPEAKER_00]: Aristochids is down for the Lord, he's like, let's go.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm in it, and so he gets into this thing for X19 verse 29 tells us about it.

[SPEAKER_00]: The city was filled with confusion, they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them gayists and aristachists, Macedonians who were Paul's companions in travel.

[SPEAKER_00]: So like, he's just one of those guys, like, we're going to jail today, that's fine, man.

[SPEAKER_00]: Let's go do it.

[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to praise the Lord.

[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to go tell him about Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: They might not like it, and most, they're definitely not going to like it, actually.

[SPEAKER_00]: But we might be in prison and jail for a while, and that's okay with him, because he's like, that's part of my, my job.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's going to be part of that with Paul.

[SPEAKER_00]: We see him with Paul in Acts 27 verse 2, Paul's heading towards Rome, says embarking in a ship, which was about to set sail to the ports along the coast of Asia.

Acts 27:2

[SPEAKER_00]: We put to see a company by Aristicus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica.

[SPEAKER_00]: So the thing about him, he's a faithful guy as well, and he's not going anywhere.

[SPEAKER_00]: things get hard, things get difficult, he's right there with Paul and you got to know this is that you need people like that in your life.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like if you don't have that yet, you got to find him and I know it might be difficult.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's going to take some time to find and develop those friendships.

[SPEAKER_00]: But you need some people in your life who are just down for whatever, like you want to go plant a church, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: This is a conversation, meaning my wife had before we even were

[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe even before we were dating like we were interested in each other And I just said are you on fire for the Lord willing to do anything for him Because I need to know like because if you're not like we shouldn't waste our time anymore Because I believe God's gonna He's going to do something and he can do anything Like he could send me over to wherever he wants in the world and who am I to say no to him?

[SPEAKER_00]: And so I need to know are you down for the Lord?

[SPEAKER_00]: She said yeah for sure right some of me know the rest of that story But like that's important and we need people like that

[SPEAKER_00]: in our lives, faithful to endure hardship.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so this guy, he stays.

[SPEAKER_00]: And then Paul mentions Mark.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I think this one's powerful.

[SPEAKER_00]: And this one's, uh,

[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, they're all powerful in their own way.

[SPEAKER_00]: This one's powerful, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: It mentions Mark and Mark.

[SPEAKER_00]: This one is John Mark.

[SPEAKER_00]: And if you know anything about him, if you don't, I'm gonna let you know.

[SPEAKER_00]: John Mark, he at one point went with Paul or in Barnabas.

[SPEAKER_00]: So it's actually Acts chapter 15, verse 37, says, now Barnabas wanted to take with them, John called Mark.

Acts 15:37

[SPEAKER_00]: All right, so Barnabes, he's like, hey, let's take my cousin Mark.

[SPEAKER_00]: He wants to come on this missionary journey, like he's down for Jesus too, right Paul?

[SPEAKER_00]: And then verse 38 says, but Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them and had not gone with them to the work.

[SPEAKER_00]: So there's this moment where like Mark's like, hey, like he comes on board and Barnabes is vouching for him.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, hey, I'm ready to go.

[SPEAKER_00]: But there was a point in Mark's faith journey

[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe he went with them at one point like, okay, let's go to that city and let's preach Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: Let's plant a church, let's do the work of ministry.

[SPEAKER_00]: But at some point, we don't know why we could assume, maybe he had a family emergency, maybe his wife was pregnant and he's like, well, I just can't go on this one, but the next one around man, I'll be there.

[SPEAKER_00]: We're having a baby, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe he was sick, maybe someone else was sick.

[SPEAKER_00]: Or maybe it was just too hard and he literally just gave up.

[SPEAKER_00]: He said, I don't want to do this.

[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if I'm ready to give my life.

[SPEAKER_00]: for Jesus, whatever it is, Paul had concerns, like we're not bringing Mark with us.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's a quitter.

[SPEAKER_00]: We don't need quitters, we need faithful men and women who are willing to do the work.

[SPEAKER_00]: So Mark, he bailed, and I don't know, maybe this resonates with some of you that you were walking with the Lord for a long time, you were on fire, you were all about it doing all the things, but something happened in your life, and you said, I don't know if I can do this anymore, and you walked away.

[SPEAKER_00]: You didn't stop believing in Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: I can still believe in the Bible and all that, but you're like, I just don't know if I can do this anymore.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so Mark, he bailed at one point, but now Paul saying, hey, Mark says, hello.

[SPEAKER_00]: Mark's with me now, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: Like the one guy he said, hey, no, he can't come anymore.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now he's with Paul and prison and he's like, hey, he's actually, I'm going to send him to you.

[SPEAKER_00]: In second Timothy chapter 4, verse 11, Paul says, Luke alone is with me, get Mark.

2 Timothy 4:11

[SPEAKER_00]: So this is like, hey, go get him and bring him with you, bring him to me, check this out for he is very useful for to me for ministry.

[SPEAKER_00]: All right, he went from quitting.

[SPEAKER_00]: to be useful again.

[SPEAKER_00]: Again, that's part of the power of God and some of you like, man, I can't come back.

[SPEAKER_00]: I've done too much.

[SPEAKER_00]: I bailed, I quit, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, well, look at Peter.

[SPEAKER_00]: You guys know the story of Peter, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, he literally denied Jesus in his time and he, like, oh, hey, you're one of Jesus followers, like, nope, I don't know what you're talking about.

[SPEAKER_00]: He denied him not just once, but three times while Jesus is getting, he's going through trials that are unlawful.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's getting beaten up, whipped, scourged, and then eventually hung on the cross to be crucified for the sins of the world.

[SPEAKER_00]: And meanwhile, Peter's over there by the enemy's fire, warming his hands and like, hey, you're one of those guys, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: Nope.

[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: But then Jesus restores him.

[SPEAKER_00]: So what I want you to see is that failure,

[SPEAKER_00]: Failure is not final.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's not final with God in the picture, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: Failure is not final in the kingdom of God.

[SPEAKER_00]: If it were, I mean, none of us would have any hope.

[SPEAKER_00]: Hell, man, you failed, we all did.

[SPEAKER_00]: You're not the only one.

[SPEAKER_00]: You're not alone, but thanks be to God.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's grace and mercy that man.

[SPEAKER_00]: We can get back up.

[SPEAKER_00]: His grace is sufficient, and we can keep moving forward, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, in Romans,

[SPEAKER_00]: And it's nine or ten.

[SPEAKER_00]: It talks about that the callings of God, or the giftings of God are irrevocable.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I just love that because it's like, you might have given up.

[SPEAKER_00]: This was what I did at one point right when I was a teenager like a young teenager freshman sophomore I like full heartedly I mean, I grew up in the church.

[SPEAKER_00]: I believe in God my whole life But this is when I really believe the Holy Spirit came into my life and I actually like cared about God and the Bible and Church and all the things like God gave me a heart for it I was a freshman sophomore in high school

[SPEAKER_00]: But then later in high school, senior year, I fell away.

[SPEAKER_00]: I fell into just whatever else was doing.

[SPEAKER_00]: They're getting high, they're getting drunk, they're going to parties, and they're doing everything that goes with that.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I fell away and I did that for many years.

[SPEAKER_00]: I went down that path, it was a dark path.

[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I came out of it eventually.

[SPEAKER_00]: But I mean, I was addicted to drugs.

[SPEAKER_00]: I was alcoholic, and some people might say that.

[SPEAKER_00]: So you're exaggerating like, well, when you're drunk every day, I don't know how else to explain it.

[SPEAKER_00]: But like I went through that, when I came back to Jesus, I even went to a counselor my mom, she's like, you need to go see someone, go to rehab, go to a pastor, whatever, like you need help.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I was like, I don't need to help mom, I can quit any day and she's say, well, then quit, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: And then do it.

[SPEAKER_00]: Show me that you can do it.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I was quit for, you know, 12 hours or so, and then go to work.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I didn't get high before work, mom, like, I'm a good boy, I didn't see you, and then after work.

[SPEAKER_00]: make the same mistakes again.

[SPEAKER_00]: Finally, I was like, fine, I'll go see someone.

[SPEAKER_00]: She found a Christian counselor, maybe a therapist.

[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know what you call it.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I went there and it first was like, I'm just going to go this one time and it's just for you, Mom.

[SPEAKER_00]: But I don't want to do, I'm not doing this every day or every month or whatever.

[SPEAKER_00]: I went there, though, in this guy, like, God met me there through this man and I broke down in tears and I said, man, I've ruined my life.

[SPEAKER_00]: like God set me up with everything like man he's he's died for my sins and I mean I could have done anything and in my mind I'm like I should be serving in ministry but I'm over here living for the world in so many different ways I'm like I've ruined my life any potential I had is surely gone I threw it into the trash can right hit control the halt delete it's gone forever that's how I thought how I felt my friends my best friends like one of well two of them

[SPEAKER_00]: One of them, two of them were in prison, one of them for a very long time that I had nothing to do with.

[SPEAKER_00]: I was the other one for a shorter time, a year or so, and it was pretty much my influence on him.

[SPEAKER_00]: If I didn't say, hey, let's go do this, he wouldn't have gone to prison, and so I carried a lot of guilt and shame, and I'm like, God doesn't have a plan for me anymore, dude.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, if he did, it's gone.

[SPEAKER_00]: And maybe, and I'm like, I know God can forgive me.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's what I said to him one day.

[SPEAKER_00]: I know God can forgive me, because I know the Bible.

[SPEAKER_00]: I've studied it as a young adult or teenager rather.

[SPEAKER_00]: I know he can forgive me, but what I said to him is, but God, I don't think he can use me anymore.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, maybe I, I don't know.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's just what I thought, it's how I felt.

[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you feel the same.

[SPEAKER_00]: But again, God's Scripture says, God's calling is giftings are irrevocable.

[SPEAKER_00]: like you've been made on purpose for a purpose.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so when you walk away from Jesus and then maybe you're like me in four or five years later, you come back to Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's not like, oh, well, I need to draft up a new plan because you messed it up.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's just more of a, hey, your calling is still the same.

[SPEAKER_00]: Your giftings are still the same.

[SPEAKER_00]: They're irrevocable.

[SPEAKER_00]: So when you come back to Jesus, what's the plan?

[SPEAKER_00]: Is a plan still to use you, Nick?

[SPEAKER_00]: It might take a little bit longer because you made some speed bumps along the way, but the plan's still the same.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so just be encouraging that, maybe you are like Mark and you've walked away, but man, God has plans for you failure is not final.

[SPEAKER_00]: In verse 11, it says, in Jesus, who is called justice, and I like this part because they're like, Jesus, and like, wait a second, what?

[SPEAKER_00]: He's back, oh wait, we need to clarify a man, like we can't be calling you, Jesus anymore, like, what can we call you, not just call me justice?

[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe that was his, I don't know, like,

[SPEAKER_00]: And I feel like that's even a prideful boast, just as, oh, of course, yeah, Mr. Jesus is going to be justice over here.

[SPEAKER_00]: But anyways, call me justice and then he's with them, he says these are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God and they have been a comfort to me.

[SPEAKER_00]: And then again, I mentioned a little bit earlier, we need people like this in our lives and we need to be those people for other people's lives because we need comfort.

[SPEAKER_00]: We need strength, we draw strength from one another.

[SPEAKER_00]: We need people in our lives.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now, we don't need a crowd of people.

[SPEAKER_00]: We talked about this a bit yesterday at our men's small group.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, you know, just having a few faithful brothers that you can lean on in hard times, which, like, hey, they're there for me.

[SPEAKER_00]: I can call them or text them at two in the morning.

[SPEAKER_00]: And they're going to be there.

[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I'm going through a rough time.

[SPEAKER_00]: I can talk to them.

[SPEAKER_00]: I can lean on them.

[SPEAKER_00]: We need people like this in our life.

[SPEAKER_00]: And it might not be a bunch of people.

[SPEAKER_00]: gives us the wrong perspective of like you need to have hundreds of friends or else you just have no friends.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's like having one best friend like one good friend like I'll take that over a thousand five thousand Facebook friends any day.

[SPEAKER_00]: You know what I'm saying like we got oh well I got two thousand Facebook friends like they're not your friends.

[SPEAKER_00]: I like that some of them are so let's not be too harsh but you know what I mean.

[SPEAKER_00]: We need people, we need faithful brothers and sisters to lean on and then Paul mentions in verse 12 a path for us and I love a path for us because he's believed to be the pastor of this church of Colosse, he's probably started it and he's made the trip to go see Paul and talk to Paul like I need some mentoring and I need some wisdom Paul help me out here and so Paul says a path for us who is one of you

[SPEAKER_00]: He's a servant of Christ Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: He greets you, always struggling on your behalf in His prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now this, I mean, this encourages me and convicts me as a pastor, because I'm like this.

[SPEAKER_00]: is a pastor's heart.

[SPEAKER_00]: Right here, this is a pastor.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's like Paul Valgene for a pastor.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's like, he's a prayer warrior pastor.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's praying with you.

[SPEAKER_00]: He says, always struggling on your behalf.

[SPEAKER_00]: Right?

[SPEAKER_00]: I've been in ministry for a little over 10 years now.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I remember back in Tucson.

[SPEAKER_00]: And we,

[SPEAKER_00]: I was a assistant pastor for about six years out there, and people would just ask me or other friends on staff who were pastors, like, what do you even do?

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, you know, like, what do you do?

[SPEAKER_00]: You know, it's like, well, like, we do ministry.

[SPEAKER_00]: We pray for people, like not just like, oh, do you need prayers?

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, we pray, like, I pray for you guys and oftentimes by name, like, God, I pray for these, you just come to my mind here on my heart.

[SPEAKER_00]: I pray for you as God brings you guys to mind.

[SPEAKER_00]: And it's like, and so that part of pastors, job, struggling in prayer.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I love that it just shows a path for us as hearts.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like man, he just wants these people of Colossae to really know and understand Jesus, like Paul.

[SPEAKER_00]: You don't understand the lies are coming in.

[SPEAKER_00]: The enemy is attacking.

[SPEAKER_00]: There's so much spiritual warfare, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: And like, the path for us is response that he just hits his knees and he prays.

[SPEAKER_00]: And he's struggling.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's fighting the good fight.

[SPEAKER_00]: The best he knows how, and that's the best way to be honest.

[SPEAKER_00]: And Paul's like, man, I bear him witness.

[SPEAKER_00]: Sman praise for you guys.

[SPEAKER_00]: And his prayer, his desire for you, so that you may stand mature.

[SPEAKER_00]: It wouldn't be like little kids anymore, baby Christians, but that you'd grow to know and understand what you believe.

[SPEAKER_00]: That Jesus is everything, that He's all that you need, and just keep your eyes on Him, and He says, and His prayers that you be fully assured in all the will of God.

[SPEAKER_00]: Again, I think the context is the church of Colossal, man, they're probably a little confused.

[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I don't know, like Paul, or Paffers tells us this, but my aunt's church, or whatever, they say this.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so, the path versus thing is like, man, Paul says a path versus desire that you be mature, you need to be fully assured.

[SPEAKER_00]: He wouldn't be standing on shaky ground.

[SPEAKER_00]: You'd be assured in the will of God.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so this guy, a paraphrase man, he's a hardworking man, hardworking pastor, working hard in prayer.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now he's not in the spotlight per se, but man, again, he's so powerful because the kingdom of God often advances through our prayers.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like when we pray,

[SPEAKER_00]: We're asking God Almighty, Creator of the universe who sees and holds and understands and has everything in the palm of his hand.

[SPEAKER_00]: We're saying, God, help us intervene in this situation, I mean, things change.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so he's praying for his church.

[SPEAKER_00]: In verse 13, Paul says, I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I wonder if there's even a little hint of like maybe the church of Colosseus was saying stuff about a paparist as their pastor, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: and Paul's just validating him saying, now he's a hard worker.

[SPEAKER_00]: I know you guys might want all these different things, but he's doing the one thing that matters.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's doing the one thing that's necessary.

[SPEAKER_00]: For he's a hard worker, I bear him witness.

[SPEAKER_00]: how he's worked for you and for those in Leodicea in Hieroprolis.

[SPEAKER_00]: Those would have been nearby towns.

[SPEAKER_00]: Those would have been bigger cities.

[SPEAKER_00]: Colosse, we could say, maybe like Huddo, where is like Leodicea would have been Austin, and Hieroprolis would have been round rock or something, you know, maybe not as close, but that's kind of the idea.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so he's like, hey man,

[SPEAKER_00]: And prayers oftentimes, the one work, the one thing that needs to be done.

[SPEAKER_00]: And prayer again, it is the hard work of ministry.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's part of it, at least for sure.

[SPEAKER_00]: Verse 14 says, Luke, the beloved physician, greets you as does deemus.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so Luke, he wrote two books.

[SPEAKER_00]: You guys know what they're called.

[SPEAKER_00]: First one, pretty easy.

[SPEAKER_00]: Luke, yep.

[SPEAKER_00]: There you go.

[SPEAKER_00]: He wrote the gospel, Luke, right, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and he also wrote Acts, right, which is basically the gospel part two, like Jesus' resurrected.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's gone to heaven.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now what?

[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, well, then the early church comes about.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so he's a, I would say he's even a historian, but he writes things and documents things so brilliantly, so we can know Jesus even today.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so he wrote these things he traveled with Paul.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's a doctor of some sort, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: So he's skilled in these things.

[SPEAKER_00]: And he's using his skills, his profession, his mind for the kingdom of God.

[SPEAKER_00]: And then this is the one I want us to focus on, a bit, is deemous.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now, this one's interesting.

[SPEAKER_00]: All right, because we got these other guys.

[SPEAKER_00]: They're faithful men.

[SPEAKER_00]: One was a slave and a thief.

[SPEAKER_00]: But now he's useful for ministry.

[SPEAKER_00]: One guy quit on Jesus and on church and ministry.

[SPEAKER_00]: But now he's back and he's useful again.

[SPEAKER_00]: But there's demons.

[SPEAKER_00]: And this guy's interesting.

[SPEAKER_00]: Then Paul just mentions him briefly.

[SPEAKER_00]: He says, right, Luke, greet you as does demons.

[SPEAKER_00]: So he's there.

[SPEAKER_00]: We don't know a whole lot about him here.

[SPEAKER_00]: But in second Timothy verse, or chapter 4, verse 10,

[SPEAKER_00]: Paul writes to Timothy, he says, for Demis, in love with this present world has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.

[SPEAKER_00]: All right, so that's what we know about him.

[SPEAKER_00]: He was a follower of Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: He was part of the, I don't know, the inside group, like, I'm down, let's go, let's preach Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: Let's see people get saved and have eternal life and this is good stuff here, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: Eventually, we don't know what happened, but we know, or how it happened, but you fell back in love with the world.

[SPEAKER_00]: And this happens at times, guys, I mean, I know I've struggled with it throughout my time giving my life back to Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: The world does look attractive at times, you're like, man, like everybody else is successful and making

[SPEAKER_00]: Money and like I got friends who are doctors and stuff now and I'm like man like that's cool right?

[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm like I could have done that or maybe I should do that and you start looking at the world Thinking it has something to offer but if you were here with us when we studied ecclesiasties You know that it's all vanity The world doesn't have anything to offer doesn't fulfill only Jesus fulfills But Demis bought that lie like he gave his life to Jesus cool awesome But then he's like But I kind of like my old life

[SPEAKER_00]: kind of like my old friends and ways of living and he fell back and loved with it and he deserted Paul.

[SPEAKER_00]: And that tells us something here today is like, it's not how you start your walk with Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's how you finish.

[SPEAKER_00]: Anyone ever like, anyone here, first of all, anyone done CrossFit before?

[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, if you cool, anyone ran a marathon up any kind.

[SPEAKER_00]: It could be a 5K, it could be a 10K, 26K, and now, all right, well, if you get the idea though, but it's like you know, if you've done these things, I've done CrossFit for like 13 years now.

[SPEAKER_00]: I haven't worked out in like three months.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not gonna lie.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'll just be vulnerable with you guys, and I need to get back to it one day.

[SPEAKER_00]: But what I've learned today when I first started out like you just the young guy like let's go Right there's a clock.

[SPEAKER_00]: I guess a whole scene right you got a clock a timer on there like all right 10 seconds Go to barbells let's go here we go three two one We blast the music and you're like let's go right and when I started across it I was 24 I think And I'll just like let's go with like after about one minute

[SPEAKER_00]: I basically, like, I had to take a break for a long time.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I don't know how you guys do.

[SPEAKER_00]: How are you going still, man?

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, what is this man?

[SPEAKER_00]: Superman?

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, man.

[SPEAKER_00]: You know, and I could just blew my mind.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I learned, like, it's not how you start a workout.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's how you finish.

[SPEAKER_00]: And like, now today, like, I'm...

[SPEAKER_00]: I would say I'm out of shape because at least compared to what I was, but I think I could still hold my own because I got some wisdom now, I'm like, it's not how you start, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: Go put me in a class with a bunch of 20 year olds and I'll still probably beat some of them, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: Just because I know I'm just going to let them burn themselves out, that's fine.

[SPEAKER_00]: All right, after two minutes, they're gonna be huffin' and puffin' laying on the floor.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna be over here laying back, man, old man, Nick's just goin' slow and steady, man.

[SPEAKER_00]: And it's the tortoise that wins the race.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, literally, that's how it is with CrossFit to a degree.

[SPEAKER_00]: Same thing with the marathon.

[SPEAKER_00]: You don't start off in a full-on sprint.

[SPEAKER_00]: I think I paste yourself.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so in our Christian walk, it's not how you start, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: So many people start up here.

[SPEAKER_00]: They're like, yes, Jesus saved me.

[SPEAKER_00]: Hallelujah, man.

[SPEAKER_00]: I got so much zeal, so much passion.

[SPEAKER_00]: And it almost is like this prideful zeal.

[SPEAKER_00]: Because then you start looking at people like, what are you doing sitting around, man?

[SPEAKER_00]: People need to save, like, you say you love Jesus, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: And you start pointing the finger in judging people.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, that's kind of the new believer.

[SPEAKER_00]: They're just like, mountain top experience.

[SPEAKER_00]: We got to go.

[SPEAKER_00]: I love it, but I'm also I've seen so many people go there and I've even lived it myself where you're going to burn out and that's where I'll oftentimes like a thing like Demis or maybe a mark we could say when they've left and bailed on Paul that you started out up here and then you came down to reality that there's trials and persecution involved with following Jesus and you come down to that reality and so again like we got to you could start up there a bit but just understanding like

[SPEAKER_00]: This Christian life is a marathon, or it's a CrossFit workout.

[SPEAKER_00]: You got a pastry, so I got to leave some in the tank because there's gonna be days that are gonna be harder than others, and you'll get discouraged, and I've seen so many people start out up here and they burn out, and then they fall away.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like man, when you see that light bulb or that fire burning in a new believer, it's so encouraging,

[SPEAKER_00]: I think back to your own life or if you've seen someone become on fire so encouraging.

[SPEAKER_00]: But it's also so concerning to me because I'm like, I've seen so many people be on fire and they walk away, but for me I'm like, man, like you see that fire, like God has a, he's got a plan for you, man.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like you got a gift, you got a call on your life and you see it and then to see people walk away, like Demis, it's heartbreaking.

[SPEAKER_00]: But that's a deemus, and again, just a word we can learn is it's not how you start, but it's how you finish, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: You might have fallen down, maybe you've walked away, and you're in love with this present world right now, presently.

[SPEAKER_00]: But just know this is like your race isn't over, you can get back in.

[SPEAKER_00]: If you just repent, you come back to Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: Verse 15, says, give my greetings to the brothers at Leodicea and to Nympha and the church in her house.

[SPEAKER_00]: And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Leodiceans.

[SPEAKER_00]: And see that you also read the letter from Leodicea.

[SPEAKER_00]: Just a couple things, this is just a fun fact that I saw in it is that there was a letter to the church of Leodicea that we don't have today.

[SPEAKER_00]: Some people believe that the church, the letter to the Ephesians, could have been it, like a doubles thing, like I gave this to Leodicea and Ephesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: But we don't have it, but what you do know, we do know about Leodicea as like later on in Revelation, Jesus says, they're the lukewarm church.

[SPEAKER_00]: The only thing left is to spit you out of my mouth.

[SPEAKER_00]: So it's again, not how you start, it's how you finish.

[SPEAKER_00]: But as we kind of wrap this up, right, we step back, we look at everything.

[SPEAKER_00]: There's different guys mentioned here, different backgrounds, different personalities, different stories, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: One of them, he's a faithful servant.

[SPEAKER_00]: Another one, he's down for whatever, we're going to jail, let's go to jail and Jesus name.

[SPEAKER_00]: One of them, he was a former thief and slave.

[SPEAKER_00]: A prisoner, there was a quitter, he gave up, and he came back.

[SPEAKER_00]: There's a prayer war here, pastor in this, there's a doctor.

[SPEAKER_00]: And then there's an example of someone who didn't finish well, but the point that I want you to get today and take home is the kingdom of God as built with all kinds of people.

[SPEAKER_00]: all kinds of stories, all kinds of different backgrounds and things that you've gone through.

[SPEAKER_00]: The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 12, 4 and through 6, there's a variety of gifts, but the same spirit and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord and there are varieties of activities, but as the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

[SPEAKER_00]: And if you skip to 1 Corinthians 12, 18,

[SPEAKER_00]: But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them as he chose.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so again, like every person, like you're created uniquely by God, and you're created with a purpose with the plan, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: Not everyone on this list is Paul.

[SPEAKER_00]: None of them are Paul, matter of fact.

[SPEAKER_00]: Not everyone is up front.

[SPEAKER_00]: Some of them are just the male man who's got to go through the rain and the heat and the storm because Paul told you to deliver this letter.

[SPEAKER_00]: I just imagine Ticicus going on his way.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like man, it's just like, I guess there wouldn't be tornado warnings, but back then, you know, they don't have their phone.

[SPEAKER_00]: But they're just looking out, man, like it's a bad day to be walking out here.

[SPEAKER_00]: delivering this message.

[SPEAKER_00]: Why am I doing this again?

[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, yeah, because Paul asked me to and because I'm going to be a faithful minister.

[SPEAKER_00]: Not everyone's upfront.

[SPEAKER_00]: Some people are doing those small things.

[SPEAKER_00]: Not everyone has the same role, but everyone does have a place in the kingdom of God.

[SPEAKER_00]: you have a place, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: There are no insignificant roles in the kingdom of God.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I just been trying, this is my heart for our serve team and just understand like when we set up pipe and drape, we're doing it so that people may know Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: When you're serving kids and one of them gets an attitude like you're loving them and being gracious and patient and maybe text in the parent to come pick them up.

[SPEAKER_00]: But because

[SPEAKER_00]: Because we want them to know Jesus, like we're doing everything so that people may know Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't matter if you're plugging in a sound core, like greeting at the door, breaking down, like, well, it's not a prominent ministry.

[SPEAKER_00]: No one sees me.

[SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't matter who sees you.

[SPEAKER_00]: God sees you.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's asking you to play your part.

[SPEAKER_00]: Whatever that may be, there's no insignificant roles in the kingdom of God.

[SPEAKER_00]: There is only faithful and unfaithful.

[SPEAKER_00]: You either do it or you don't.

[SPEAKER_00]: and bringing this to a close, right, I mean, some of you, you're probably like, okay, well, I get that, but I don't know what I have to bring.

[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know my gifting, I don't know where I fit.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not as gifted as these other people, or maybe you struggle like I said, like you're past, you think it disqualifies you.

[SPEAKER_00]: But again, when you look at these guys, like God uses people like onissimists.

[SPEAKER_00]: He restores people like Mark.

[SPEAKER_00]: He works through people like Apafarus.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so again, if God can use these guys,

[SPEAKER_00]: Especially like Mark, who quit and came back, I mean, he can use you.

[SPEAKER_00]: And if that's not enough, I mean, take my life for an example.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I'm here, you can see me.

[SPEAKER_00]: I can tell you my story.

[SPEAKER_00]: Like, literally I thought I was done.

[SPEAKER_00]: God had other plans.

[SPEAKER_00]: And here we are today, we've started a church, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: And we're going on six years here in September because God can do anything.

[SPEAKER_00]: If you can use the people in the Bible, and that was part of my story.

[SPEAKER_00]: One of my best friends gave his life to Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: He was crazier and I would say more of a drug addict than me.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I was pretty like over the edge.

[SPEAKER_00]: But he came to know Jesus.

[SPEAKER_00]: And eventually it took a while because I was like, oh, I used to do that too, you'll be back.

[SPEAKER_00]: Now, here's a real deal.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's faithful, and as I saw God start to use him, open doors to use him.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's spoke to me.

[SPEAKER_00]: If God can change him, because man, he's messed up.

[SPEAKER_00]: If you're watching, I love you, dude.

[SPEAKER_00]: You're messed up, but if God can use him, I think there's hope for me.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so like you can look at the Bible, if he can use these people, he can use you.

[SPEAKER_00]: Ephesians 2, 10, says, for we are His workmanship.

[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus, workmanship, were crafted by God, created in Christ Jesus, for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

[SPEAKER_00]: This means that your life, it's not random, it's not by accident that you're here, you're created on purpose, for a purpose.

[SPEAKER_00]: And where Paul ends here, he says in verse 17, he says to Archipus, see that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.

[SPEAKER_00]: And that's what I want you to hear today.

[SPEAKER_00]: See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.

[SPEAKER_00]: See that you do it, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: What does that mean?

[SPEAKER_00]: Well, like, pay attention.

[SPEAKER_00]: Don't drip for fillet.

[SPEAKER_00]: That means finish it.

[SPEAKER_00]: Don't quit halfway, even if it gets hard.

[SPEAKER_00]: And fulfill the ministry.

[SPEAKER_00]: Or we could say it's your assignment from God.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's your calling.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's your instruction.

[SPEAKER_00]: God's like, hey, do this thing.

[SPEAKER_00]: that's your ministry because some of you you think ministries what i'm doing up here yeah this is part of it but god has a calling on your life and when you live it out that is ministry even at your work that gap but i work at u ps right like for me i could be like why work at u ps that's not ministry no that is very much ministry

[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe that's even more important ministry like sometimes what we do here on Sundays like I'm out there in the world I got to walk wisely towards outsiders.

[SPEAKER_00]: I got to speak with grace because my life is a living testimony of Jesus and if I mess this up They're gonna not let like church or Christians even more than they already don't like them Right, that that's your ministry.

[SPEAKER_00]: What's your calling?

[SPEAKER_00]: It's your assignment and here's the thing you've received it from God

[SPEAKER_00]: God gave it to you.

[SPEAKER_00]: No one can take that away.

[SPEAKER_00]: Get the callings, the giftings of God, they're irrevocable.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's your place to fulfill.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's your part to play.

[SPEAKER_00]: And it's not something you made up, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: Church planting for us wasn't something I'm like, you know, I think I want to go church plant one day.

[SPEAKER_00]: I loved my job back in Tucson.

[SPEAKER_00]: I led the young adults ministry, the pastors conference.

[SPEAKER_00]: It was fruitful.

[SPEAKER_00]: Things were great, but God,

[SPEAKER_00]: He put it so firmly on our hearts, our minds confirming it over and over again that you're going to go plant this church.

[SPEAKER_00]: Are you sure, God?

[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, I'm sure.

[SPEAKER_00]: I just kept getting clearer and clearer, and so we got to go fulfill it.

[SPEAKER_00]: That's our assignments.

[SPEAKER_00]: We're gonna do that faithfully God's given it to you.

[SPEAKER_00]: Not something the enemy can take from you.

[SPEAKER_00]: Not something anyone else can take is something you've received May we use our gifts or calls to

[SPEAKER_00]: honor God and to bring other people to God, right?

[SPEAKER_00]: Be faithful with what He's entrusted to you.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's giving you an opportunity.

[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe it's just like an opportunity to serve on Sundays.

[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I've been wanting to serve at the Furvin Church, but I didn't ever did it, because I just felt like I'm not good enough.

[SPEAKER_00]: And we all have been there, but it's like, fulfill that ministry that conviction God's putting on your heart.

[SPEAKER_00]: It might be here, it might be something else.

[SPEAKER_00]: But don't waste what God has given you.

[SPEAKER_00]: Don't waste the life he's given you fulfill the life, fulfill the ministry.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so with that said, we're going to pray and we're going to end in worship and a time of communion.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so Father, we just come before you, we're thankful.

[SPEAKER_00]: For your word, the book of Colossians, it's short, but powerful, Lord, and we've been studying it here for little over three months now, or two and a half months, but it's got it's been good.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I pray that for each and every one of us, even if this is our first time hearing some of this today, God, that you've been encouraging our hearts, that you're recalibrating us, to keep our eyes on you.

[SPEAKER_00]: to focus back on what really matters or that being you and that you have a plan for us for our lives that it's good and that our job is not to ask why or any of that but just to obey to be faithful men and women.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so God, I just pray in this moment as we close, God that you do the heart work in us.

[SPEAKER_00]: Some of us have walked away and maybe we're like Demis and we've fallen in love with the present world.

[SPEAKER_00]: And we're just, we don't know where we're at or if there's hope for us, God, I pray that we'd come back to you this morning.

[SPEAKER_00]: Some of us were just the faithful men and women, lower the titch of kiss, doing the small things.

[SPEAKER_00]: We're a path for us, Lord, doing the hard work of prayer.

[SPEAKER_00]: God, I pray you'd encourage our hearts that we are doing our part.

[SPEAKER_00]: We're playing our part and every part matters and God, you will be glorified through it.

[SPEAKER_00]: But wherever we're at God, meet us in this moment, and as we get into communion, may we remember your life, your death, and your resurrection, and that it's only by your blood, that we can be washed clean, and that we can be fully assured in the you God.

[SPEAKER_00]: We pray this in Jesus' name.

[SPEAKER_00]: Amen.