Unsung but Not Unseen - The Servants God Remembers

So the title of my message today, I'm going to give you a title because I like the title a lot. You brainstorm, you come up with something, you like it, you should share it. Unsung but not unseen. Unsung but not unseen. The servants God remembers. the servants that God remembers. So, uh, big elephant in the room.

I think all of us were utterly shocked and surprised. We should have been at the passing of Mr. Michael Shide last Sunday. This has been a deeply emotional event for probably all of us to some degree. Uh we spent Sunday night through Wednesday morning with Debbie and she greatly appreciated having someone in the house with her as you can imagine um being alone.

They have a they bought a large home here when they moved back over the summer and it's a it's a big house and so uh you know without Michael there it's pretty lonely place the first night so we stayed with her and then Thursday the Reeves came and spent some time uh excuse me Wednesday the Reeves came they sort of we batoned her over to them and then they stayed the night and then they brought her to their home.

So she is currently in Vancouver visiting with the Reeves family and staying through Monday. So, um, she's getting a lot of comfort, a lot of help, a lot of support, and it's it's been beautiful to watch. And so, I will while I was while we were there, uh, we had a chance to talk a lot, spend three and a half days with somebody, you're going to talk a lot.

We did spent a lot of time talking to her. And one of the subjects that came up is she mentioned that um there was a subject on Michael's mind that he had recently entered into a notebook. So Michael kept a a little just a little book. It wasn't very thick. Um something you could even keep in your pocket, but it was his ideas book. And so he would write in it.

He would write often either a subject he wanted to study or maybe he was thinking about speaking on it or a scripture that struck him in some particular way. So Debbie having mentioned this um this particular one that was on her mind that he and her had talked about which he he called epitaps. And so I asked her if I could see it.

And so she brought me the she brought the little book to me and I I thumbmed through it and he had several pages of just little one or two line notes with a scripture and on one of the pages very recent was this note. And I want to begin where where he was at. Acts chapter 13. Acts chapter 13 verse 22. Acts 13 verse 22.

So here in context, Paul is speaking at a synagogue on the Sabbath and he's been giving them a a lecture, if you will, at their own request. We get to verse 22 and Paul quotes from the Old Testament the following. I'm going to drop right into the middle of the verse here. He says, "I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all my will.

Just before this, Paul indicates who says these things. He refers to the God of the Old Testament. He gives testimony. As we read just prior to this, it says, "And he, this is God of the Old Testament, gave testimony." So it is God who says of David, I have found a man after my own heart. But it's more than that.

Who will do all my will? That's kind of an amazing thing to think about. This isn't Paul saying this. This isn't an elder. This isn't a prophet. God himself wrote David's epitap. And that's it. If you're not familiar with what an epitap is, it is that short or small saying that you would find on a gravestone or a headstone or on a suppler or on in a memorial.

When we use when we think of a life, how hard is it to to how hard is it to summarize what you know about someone? Can you think of one sentence that would define an entire life of a human being that you care about? But this is the desire of an epitap, isn't it? Wife, mother, sister, daughter.

You might find husband, father, son, or you might find something significant that they accomplished. Very challenging to to write in just a few words. God here does it brilliantly for David. We know everything about the character of a man in that statement. As we grieve together, mourn the loss of our friend, our brother, I think it's important for us to stop and consider that one of the things that I have learned since they moved back was a very simple reality that I have seen repeated throughout the congregation.

It's when I'll go and I'll visit someone and I find out, oh yeah, we just spent yesterday or the day before or last Sabbath or somebody where so- and so was just here and spent several hours here at a shutin's home, for example. Nobody called me. I get no notification that you, any of you, have been loving on a brother or sister who can't be here with us.

That happens throughout a congregation. Nobody calls me up and says, "Hey, I just want credit for this. That's not why we do that. It's the quiet things that God's people do that matters. It's that service that we do for one another that matters. It's a part of the legacy of the Shides that most people may not know because they never sought recognition for the quiet things they did to serve.

And I think to myself as I'm meditating this week that the Bible gives us people that have done things, remarkable things in some cases, who are recognized in the pages of our Bibles, but we may not take any time to read them because they're blips. You might you might read right through something that somebody import that somebody is noted for and never really pause to think about what's being said about that person.

We in the sermonet today learn a little bit more about Joseph Barnabas the encourager and examples that we can emulate. And in some cases, I know we sit here and as we're looking at that and listening to that and reading in our the pages of our Bibles about this individual, some of us are thinking of somebody that we know that's like that.

You know what an encourager is? Someone who builds courage in someone else. That was Barnabas. You know, there's a great line from a movie that said, "There's no such thing as courage without fear." The word courage doesn't exist unless there is fear. Barnabas was somebody who recognized that fear in other people and helped them push through.

What a beautiful gift he had. He's not the only character in the Bible who has a lesson for us. And I think as a tribute in some ways to Michael, we ought to take a look at some other people and recognize the beauty of what conversion looks like in the life of quiet and humble people who just live their calling. That's what we want to emulate.

That's what we want to do. It's what we are doing. So, this isn't a pat on the back necessarily, but it is a moment to reflect on the profound service that we find in God's people serving one another. Hebrews chapter 6, I want to go over here next. Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 10. Hebrews 6:10, for God is not unjust. How would God be unjust? It says he's not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward his name in that you have ministered to the saints and do minister.

The opposite of this is to say that God would be unjust if he did not recognize that God sees what we do. He sees how we treat one another. He sees this word minister means to serve. In several of the examples we'll walk through today of characters that you might have missed, certainly may not have really stopped to think deeply on in maybe a while, if ever, is there's a theme that runs through their stories.

It's the word minister, serve. We need each other. And that service matters. So today I want to pause and I want us to reflect on the unsung heroes of the Bible. People who lived the way God wants. People who did not live their lives to serve themselves. Who did not seek accolades.

who did not seek recognition, prominence, or anything else, but just desired to serve. And I hope as we go through some of these examples that you'll see maybe some of yourself in these examples, certainly you're going to see somebody else in your mind who fills the same shoes that we'll read about because it matters.

It mattered then and it matters now. Why are these stories in our Bibles if they're not important? Who inspires the Bible? Well, we know who inspires the Bible. It is our heavenly father. If it's important enough to God to ensure somebody's name was recorded in the scriptures and then cottified that for us, canonized it for all eternity from here forward.

the books, the books of life, the books of the Bible, that's what that talks about, being opened for judgment. And God gives us these names for a reason. Then I find that remarkable as a thought that God has preserved these names for us. I think I'm just going to go through four of these with you today. I could go through a bunch because there are a lot of examples.

We don't have an endless amount of time. So, let's go through four really good ones. And let's see what we can learn about this individual, these individuals, and maybe about ourselves. There's a there's an individual who goes by the name of Tabatha. You might remember that the word Tabatha is translated as Dorcas. Not a name that I have seen recently on any birth certificates, but there's this lady. She's called Dorcas.

Her story is very short. But all the stories that we'll go through today are short. And that to me is what to me that's the best reason to stop and to read carefully and think through these stories about what we learn because there's not much. But what's there is potent. This character Dorcas only gets a few scriptures over in Acts chapter nine.

You're going to notice that she's not made famous because she's not even well known because she's a good aator. because she was a deaconess, because she painted well, or any other those any of those kinds of things. You'll notice very quickly this is not how she's recognized, but she's got a legacy that is so clear, so beautiful that an entire group of people pleaded for her to be brought back to life when she died.

verses 36 and 37 of Acts chapter 9 verses 36 and 37 it says at Japa there was a certain disciple named Tabatha which is translated Dorcas this woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did but it happened in those days that she became sick and died when they had washed her. They laid her in an upper room.

Not a lot written there, but there's a lot written there. The verse calls her a disciple. The Bible only really uses the word disciple in one way. It is a student of Christ, a follower. That's what disciple is, a student, a learner. So right away we understand that she was a learner, a disciple of Jesus Christ, a follower of the way. She was converted.

Was she just a good person? Maybe she was just really nice. She didn't just do one or two kind acts. Luke says she was full of good works, plural. We have a very we have a much better understanding of what he meant by the fact that he added the word full as an expression of what she was doing. She was a servant.

This is what her focus was. Her life overflowed with practical ongoing care. The phrase charitable deeds refers to acts of mercy, especially toward the poor and vulnerable. Now, she lived in Japa. That's a coastal city, and it has a very diverse population, and the early church there wasn't wealthy, and it wasn't powerful. It would have depended on people like Dorcas, people who noticed needs and met them even without being asked.

when she died, the believers didn't just mourn her passing. They sent for Peter. Now, he was nearby and Lyda, and that alone tells us how deeply they felt her loss. These were practical people, but something about her life made them hope for a miracle. Let's notice verses 38 and 39. Verse 38 says, ' And since Lya was near Japa and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them.

Then Peter, verse 39, then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. They're not holding that up as some kind of tribute. Peter comes into the room.

He's been implored by men who passionately. That's what implored means to passionately seek. They implored him, please come with us. He would have known immediately what they were after. Dorcas has died. We need a miracle. So Peter came. He knew his duty and he came quickly. He walks into a room and there are a bunch of widows.

Well, we have widows in God's church. They have needs. I think our church does a good job of looking after them and making sure they don't get left behind. They don't get left out. They don't suffer. They don't, you know, whatever their needs are. We try to make sure our widows are cared for. If I walked into a room and I saw a bunch of our widows crying over someone's passing figure.

I mean, that would that as a pastor, it would just shake you to your core. But he wasn't just called to see the body. He was called to do something. That's why they sent to him. It isn't to come sit with us and mourn with us. They're not even ready to go there yet. They want action for this person. How significant a life do you live where those who knew you best aren't trying to mourn your death? They're trying to have you resurrected right now.

Like that speaks volumes about an individual and what were they doing as they pleaded for her life? Showing the works that she had done for them. You know, it's not meaningful to us in the context of do you have do you lack clothing? Certainly meaningful in those days. She was making for them clothing to wear.

That might be hard for us to recognize, but this is the same thing as standing by while somebody's roof is caving in, a widow's house's roof is caving in, and we do nothing. It's the same level of care. You provide what they need. the essential thing that they need when they need it. And this was Dorca's gift.

I happen to know a number of our ladies knit and sew and have the same gift. And when you share that with somebody else out of need, not out of selfish desire for a pat on the back, a need for some recognition, but because you see the need and you fulfill the need, that's Tabatha. That's Dorcas. to see a need and to fill the need.

That's love. Enough love that everyone who knew her wanted her back. Adam Clark writes that Dorcas quote was not one of those who say to the cold and naked, "Be ye warmed and filled," but gave what was needful and made clothing for them. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia notes that the grief of the widows quote indicates how real was the loss felt by the poor of the community.

So Peter responded to what he saw and I believe felt deeply the loss and that he was being asked to take an action. He has no power within himself to resurrect her. He's not foolish enough to think he does, but he does know he has a duty. He has a duty. Verses 40 and 41. But Peter puts them all out of the room.

This is no, this isn't about them. This is about what God has to do now. Puts them all out of the room. He knelt down and he prayed. I don't know how long the pause should be between prayed and him doing his next action, but I guarantee you there's some amount of time here while he prayed fervently for her. Somehow God in somehow he knew because he that God was going to do this because it says next it says and turning to the body he said Tabitha arise and she opened her eyes and when she saw Peter she sat up.

Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up. And when he had called the saints and widows he presented her alive. God gave Tabitha back to these people for a time. She was never intended to live forever, but clearly God sought thought her service wasn't over either. But he allowed her he allowed her story to exist in the pages of our Bibles.

I think in honoring her story, we read it and we learn from her when we just pause and acknowledge she's here as a lesson for us in what service means. Selfless, quiet service. That's what she did. Maybe you see a little of yourself there. Maybe her epitap says something like that. Tabatha who served the poor and the widows.

Like that'd be a great appetite, wouldn't it? We don't need much more than that. So Dorcas reminds us that greatness in God's eyes does not depend on prominence. She wasn't a great aurator, a great speaker, a great writer. She didn't leave poetry. She didn't leave books. She didn't speak. She didn't preach. She just served. She used the skills God had given her to serve others.

A person can serve God meaningfully without ever being well known. Probably the best servants are those who are doing it quietly behind the scenes. And no one really ever does know except those who are served. And that's meaningful. It matters. This tells us something important. Even when no one else sees, God sees.

That's a great takeaway. Tabitha wasn't serving because she needed accolades. She wasn't wondering who was watching what she was doing, but God was watching what she was doing. That's what's so beautiful about the fact that it's recorded here. God inspired that. And we can appreciate her example. Her example speaks especially to those who may feel forgotten in older age or in maybe quieter roles in the church.

Those who can't do what they once did or even those who just serve behind the scenes. A faithful life lived in service to others is not small. Every service that we do, every act of service matters and it's the kind of thing that God remembers. Let's look at another figure that would easily be passed over. His name is Onesophus.

Anessa Forest. Anessa Forest. That's how you say it. Okay. I had to look it up. Anessa Foris. I typed in Google pronounce and I put the word in and it takes you to a couple places and it don't speak Greek. I don't know. So that's how you say it. Anessa. All right. 2 Timothy 1 16 and 18 for you're taking notes. 2 Timothy 1 16-18.

This individual only appears here in Paul's second letter to Timothy. There's no stories. There's no miracles. There's no dramatic acts around him. But what is said of him is deeply meaningful, especially relevant for those who may feel they have little to offer in terms of strength or visibility or public service.

His example reminds us that supporting others, even just one person, matters. We're in second Timothy 1 16 and 18. 16-18, excuse me, where Paul says, "The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onessaphorus. For he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain. But when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me.

The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that day." And you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus. Another short story packed with a lot of meaning. So he's Paul here is writing near the end of his life. He's in prison. He's in Rome. We read just earlier. Let's look let's look at verse 15 and see the state of mind he's in where he says in verse 15 this you know that all those in Asia have turned away from me all those in Asia have turned away from Paul among whom are Felis and Hermogynes this is amazing because these two

individuals stand in stark contrast to Anessa for us, not in a good way. Paul goes out of his way to write a note about somebody who impacted him so positively, he wanted to make a note of that. The opposite of that is when you impact him so profoundly in a negative way, he might make a note of that, too. And he does.

I don't think we want to be in that latter category. So rather than focusing on what these boys did wrong, we'll focus on what Anessa Forest did right. But we do understand what Paul was, you know, sort of dealing with when he describes all of the brethren from the Asian areas as abandoning him, which I can only tell you as a as a pastor, and I've only been doing it for what, a year and a half, closing in on, it would be soul crushing if you all left.

I would feel like a failure. What tells you that you're doing a terrible job than if everybody you're serving leaves you? like what other message do you draw from that? That's the message that I think I would take from that. So, thank you for not leaving me. Turns out that's really important to me to not fail.

Turns out that was really important to Paul and he was taking it hard. But somebody didn't leave him. He's in the pit of despair. Do you think it's fun to be in a Roman prison? Our prisons are paradise by comparison to a Roman prison. You would not want to spend time there. Paul's stuck there. And it's not that Onesa Forest just happens to be passing by and says, "Hey, I heard that this Paul dude is here.

Maybe I should go check on him and just maybe meet him. That'd be kind of cool to do." That's not how he's described. It says here that Onesaphor Forest refreshed him. Now that's that's something that didn't happen one time. It happened often while he was in prison. The word used here for refreshed implies more than comfort.

It means to revive, to bring relief. Think of it as if you've got a really parched throat and you drink a glass of cold water. The relief how you feel revived. Like I remember when I was a teenager playing a lot of basketball and you sweat profusely if you're playing correctly which means a lot of running and then man you'd get you know you'd get to halftime and you'd be you'd been running if you didn't have any bench.

Some of us played on teams with no bench or very little relief and man when you get to that drinking fountain or you get to your water bottle you're hammering that thing and it gives you relief. And that's this is the sense of what's being described here. So Anessa Forest didn't just visit him. He brought relief to a man stuck in prison, a servant of Jesus Christ.

He brought him what he needed when he needed it. Even if that meant traveling far and wide because he had to travel far and wide to get to where Paul was. That's a deliberate act. We're also told that he was not ashamed of Paul's chains. In Roman society, imprisonment, especially under imperial authority, brought disgrace.

When you go visit somebody who everyone in the Roman system believes belongs in prison, and that person therefore is a disgrace, you attach yourself potentially to that disgrace. Many people abandoned Paul during these final years as he told us. So Paul remembers Anessa for us not just for the act in Rome but for many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus as we read.

Now that word ministered, didn't we just read that word about Tabatha? Yeah. And here it is being said about Anessa Forest that he ministered. Now, this isn't about position or title. The root word is the same root word we have for deacon or deaconess. It's the same root word, but the word actually means service or servant.

And so this describes activity. It doesn't describe position. Paul's describing what he did. Onapor Oneshaporus had helped Paul before, but always behind the scenes. So he had a pattern of he had a pattern of service not occasionally but it was a way of life for him to serve his brother Paul.

It's worth noting something else here. Paul asks a blessing but not just on Anessa on his household. What does that tell you? When when you think about prayers that you give to a household, to someone or for someone, if we know, for example, that a married couple, one of the spouses is sick and and maybe they're at home and we learn, oh, she's not here or he's not here because he's sick, or maybe even they're both not here because one of them's sick and the other's worried about passing around what they've got.

Do you pray for just the one that's sick, or do you pray for both? I'd think you pray for both. You certainly don't want the one who's not sick to get sick. So, you're asking God to be merciful on both of them. Clean up the household. Get whatever is there out. This is normal prayer in my mind for us to do that for households.

But what if you know somebody? Have you ever prayed for somebody that's not in the church? I'm not talking about a relative. Maybe a friend. Maybe somebody that you know just needs needs a little intervention. You don't know what God might do with it. So maybe you pray for them. Do you pray for the whole household? See, that's the distinction.

That's why that's important. It's telling us something about Onessa Forest's household that they're on his team. They're on the same page. They're also disciples and worshippers and believers. I can't prove that to you. But some things you just know because we live it. I know how I pray for people.

If I'm praying for a household, it's because generally speaking, I know that household are faithful people of God. Going to pray for all of them. I might especially pray for the one that's sick or the one who has a particular need, but I won't forget their household. I doubt you do either. That's normal. And so that tells us something important.

It implies that this family shared in this same spirit of service as well. So Paul's prayer shows that God sees everything. God's the one who inspired the writing. Paul may have pinned it, but God inspired the writing. Commentator John Gil points out that Onessa Forest quote did not content himself with wishing Paul well, but went to him, visited him, and was not deterred by danger or shame.

The Cambridge Bible notes that Paul uses quote a warm and grateful recollection of Anessa Forest of excuse me, of Anessa Forest's support when most others had failed him. There is a there is the possibility that Anessa Forus has already passed away when Paul writes this because it's written strongly in the past tense.

If that's true, Paul's writing his epitap. We're 2,000 years later and we're reading about a man none of us have ever met, but he was important enough in the life of Paul to make sure that he wrote about him. Like, as we think about our own life, what legacy are we leaving? What is it that's going to be written on our epitaps? I don't know yet.

And I'd like to think that it would be something like David got, but I don't know. Maybe it'll be something like what Anessa Forest got. Just a recognition of somebody who was faithful and who went out of his way to serve. I mean went way out of his way to serve. So time and distance doesn't matter to him. It's the service that mattered.

Taking care of somebody who needed it when they needed it. But notice that he asks may that he may find mercy from the Lord in that day. Many scholars suggest that Anessa Forest may have died by the time this was written. And so Paul's gratitude becomes his epitap. There are many in the church today who do this kind of thing without attention.

Some send notes, some make calls, some pray intentionally and consistently. Some bear others burdens quietly without being asked. Some fast for other people, pray for other people, write to other people. This is what God's people do. I know that's going on in this congregation. I know it goes on in congregations all across the world.

That kind of service is still service. It still matters. There's another individual whose name could be tricky. It's Titicus. I promise you this. When I first looked that name up, I did not have it pronounced right in my head. Ticus is how you say that. Colossians chapter 4 is where I want to go. All right. Colossians chapter 4:es 7 and 8.

He's not a well-known name. He never gives any speeches. He never writes any letters. He's not a part of any dramatic events. But what we find is that Paul trusted him very much enough to send him into difficult circumstances to carry important letters and even to act on his behalf when necessary. Let's notice something said here about Titus here in Colossians 4 7 and 8 under the heading in my Bible says final greetings.

It says, "Takeus, a beloved brother, faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. He will tell you all the news about me. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that he may know your circumstances and comfort your hearts. So, Titicus was with Paul during his imprisonment. He called him a beloved brother, a faithful minister, a fellow servant.

Each of those descriptions points to character, not position. Beloved brother points to his spiritual integrity and his relationship with Paul and the church. Faithful minister, same root word for deacon and deaconess. Not about office, about service. Faithful servant tells us that he served consistently.

It wasn't an occasional thing. and fellow servant shows that he didn't act independently. He labored with Paul under Christ for the church. Now, his task here is very specific. Carry this letter to the Colossians, learn how they're doing, and comfort them. You know, I was thinking about as a as a pastor, you know, we live not next door, as you know.

It has been an incredible blessing that we have the same spirit here of service. All the elders will go out of their way at a drop of a hat to go serve somebody that needs it, an anointing, maybe a visit at the hospital. I will get a call or a text saying so and so is in the hospital. I'm running over there.

They know I'm two and a half hours away or two hours away or if I drive real fast, two hours away. If I obey the speed laws, two and a quarter, I don't know. So they immediately drop everything and they'll go 10 tend to that knowing I can't be right there right then. Maybe that's what's needed right now. Right now I'm going. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that.

It's deeply meaningful to me because it means we're all on the same page. We're on the same team. We're all making sure the brethren are being cared for. This isn't about me. This is about us. We're a spiritual family. And when you have needs, when something happens and you need something right away, we're going to make sure it gets taken care of.

It would be there's no different. Paul has few he can lean on. Titicus is one. and he leans on him as he has to. He doesn't send him, notice that he doesn't send him to be the boss of these people. It's to catch them up on how I'm doing. Find out how they're doing and tell me about it and comfort them. Like, what an amazing thought. That's the job.

I know a lot of you would love that job. Yep. I'm happy to go do that. I haven't seen them in a while anyway. I would love to catch up with them. We see the same pattern here though in uh let's turn back to Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 6 verses 21 and 22. I'm not trying to be as abusive on my elders as Paul seems to be with Titicus over here in Ephesians chapter 6:es 21 and 22.

It says, "But you also may know my affairs and how I am doing. Ticus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you, whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts. Beautiful epitap of an individual who served selflessly. He was there.

What do you need? You bet. I'll do it. I'll take care of that. He also appears later in Paul's life. 2 Timothy 4:12. Let's go back to 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy 4:12. It says here, "Anticus I have sent to Ephesus." So again, Paul putting Ticus to work over in Titus. Notice Titus chapter 3:12. You may just want to make a note of these.

I can get to them quickly here and read them to you. Titus 3:12. Again, another letter, another comment. When I send Artemis to you or Ticus, be diligent to come to me at Nicopolis for I have decided to spend the winter there. Paul never says, "Hey, you know what? Ticus finally got irritated and just said, "No, I'm done doing all this work for you." Just nope.

Got another job for you, Ticus. And he's always man up. You bet. What do you need? Notice also that Paul sends him to stand in for other ministers, which implies reliability, maturity, spiritual stability. I can trust this person. Man, what a great relief that is for me as a kind of a remote pastor a little bit to know that when my elders go, that is as secure as it's going to get. They're going to get the truth.

They're going to get biblical support for whatever their needs are. They're not going to be led astray by somebody with an agenda. It's safe. That is a big relief as a pastor knowing that if I sent an elder to you, you're safe. you're going to get the care that you need. So, we don't know what Titicus did before Paul found him, but we do know this.

He was a steady and dependable servant. He was willing to go. He was willing to carry. He was willing to observe. He was willing to comfort. He was willing to do all of that and report everything back to Paul. His name doesn't appear in lists of miracles or leadership teams, but his work was essential. He helped Paul continue his ministry during times of imprisonment and separation.

When Paul needed the help, Ticus was willing to go do the work. John Gil notes that Titicus was quote employed by the apostle to carry his epistles and was one he could trust being a faithful minister. Three stories so far. Same word for each of them. A minister of Christ, a servant. The pulpit commentary says, quote, "He was evidently one of those quiet workers whose usefulness is not measured by prominence, but by fidelity and devotion.

" Ticus reminds us that helping quietly is still helping faithfully. He didn't need recognition. He wasn't serving because who's watching me? Who's going to see how great I am? What do you need? I'll take care of it. Being dependable might not draw any attention, but it does build trust. It strengthens the church.

Ticus didn't serve for approval or recognition. He served because he was needed. See, that's the great legacy that we have in God's church even right now. We serve when it's needed. God sees that. Those things are remembered. How do we know? Because he's here. This guy never would have asked to be written about.

I don't need those accolades. Don't put me in there. I guarantee if Paul had said, "Hey, I want to make a note about you in here." He probably said, "No, I don't need that. Don't make this weird." Paul probably didn't ask him. Just wrote it. All right, last person I want to look at today.

Another another great story, but she only appears in two verses in scripture. Her name is Phoebe. But what we learn about Phoebe in these verses gives uh one of the strong is that Paul gives one of the strongest recommendations found in any of his letters. Her example is clear. It's grounded and it's worth remembering. Romans chapter 16.

Romans chapter 16. We'll read the first two verses. As I said at the beginning, it's easy to read these things and to go very quickly, especially, let's say if you're doing your Bible reading program and you know, you're just you're in the grind every day. You just get up. This is my routine. I get to this passage.

I read right through it. Maybe we don't even pause to think about what's being said about somebody. Yeah, there's some there's some lady named Phoebe here. Okay, great. But man, like I said before too, though, not not much in terms of breadth here, but potent said. Paul says here now, he's written the letter to the Romans.

He's got to send that somehow to get there. And he says to whoever gets this, cuz she's going to deliver it herself, he says,"I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the church in Senria, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and a sister in whatever business she has need of you.

For indeed she has been a helper of many, and of myself also. Not a lot said, but man, what's said is potent. Sria was the eastern port city of Corinth. It's a bit of a hike to get to Rome. The congregation there is not mentioned often, but it was active. Phoebe was part of that church. And Paul calls her, quote, "A servant of the church in Sria.

" The word for servant, the same word we've encountered with each of our examples. It's the root word for deacon and deaconist. Same word is minister. Obviously, once again, this doesn't point to an office. It points to action. What she did, she served. and she served faithfully and she served consistently. Paul's commendation is more than a polite introduction.

He uses the formal Greek structure of a letter of recommendation. Have you ever given a recommendation? Have you ever been asked to be a reference for someone? Some of you have. I know I've learned to take that seriously. You can help someone or you can crush someone by what you say. I know that there have been people when I was young especially there were people that I would hope that would give me a recommendation because I knew their name alone would carry so much weight.

So a letter of recommendation in this context is a powerful imagery for what Paul was trying to do here. Commending a sister in Christ to a congregation that doesn't know her be no different than if you said, "I'm going to visit family in this location and I knew you were going and knew that you had a particular skill that they might need.

I might give you a recommendation and you may or may not even know it because I probably just write the minister there. So and so is coming to your congregation and she's skilled in this area and you might need that or he's got a really big talent in this area." Like I might send Daniel and go talk to somebody like in Arizona. I didn't say anything to Dave.

I'm sorry, Colorado. I didn't say anything. I did not do that to you. I would if I thought of it 100%. That's the thing. Okay. So, this letter of recommendation is what Paul's doing. And what's important about that is that it's this we move past we have a relationship when he gives the letter of recommendation. It's no longer she has this reputation.

It's no, I'm telling you this is who she is from someone who knows her. That's her epitap. Paul wrote it for us. So Phoebe was almost certainly the one carrying the letter to the Romans. And that alone speaks volumes that Paul entrusted. You know that this is one of the most significant letters Paul wrote in the entire New Testament, the book of Romans.

He entrusted that to Phoebe to take to Rome, not to accidentally lose it overboard when she's fishing through her purse or like a guy would do, we shove it in our pocket and then you reach in there for something and you and it flops out onto the ground. You don't even know it. You walk on.

This is like serious business. She had to make sure the letter arrives. You don't give that to somebody that you know has a little sloppiness in how they take care of things. like nope got to be guaranteed this is getting there. So that tells you something important. But even beyond that task, Paul praises how she lived.

He says she was a helper of many in the congregation, a servant in Sincria. Her work was noticed. I've said that to you before. I'll say it again. Your work is noticed too. We may not say it. Often times service goes unsaid, unacknowledged, unrecognized. If we serve because we need that, then that's wrong before God. That's not why he called us.

We serve because he gave us a way of life to live and that's part of that way of life. And we want to live that way. I don't need accolades. I don't need my name in lights, a big party and celebration and fireworks cuz here comes, you know, so and so, great servant. So, it's beautiful that Paul recognizes her and it's a quiet kind of service.

She's not bragging about this. Paul's bragging on her. The word he uses for helper is I'm not going to tell you these words. I've been skipping just giving you the Greek. Honestly, you have the word just write that word down. But here's what it means. It's a rare Greek term meaning one who stands by, supports, or even protects.

That's what that word helper means. Someone who stands by, who supports, and even protects. So that implies that Phoebe had used her resources, her time, and her influence to care for others. She wasn't just generous. She was committed to the well-being of the brethren. That's the takeaway. Paul says that he personally benefited from her.

She was trusted not because she sought recognition, but because she was consistent and consistently a servant. he could trust. That's who she was. That's the beauty of seeing that this language is that of a recognition letter, a recommendation letter. We can trust that Paul believed this about her.

He was willing to put his own reputation behind that. What she did mattered. Commentator John Gil observes that quote she had been hospitable, liberal in the right way and kind to the poor uh saints and to strangers and remarkably so to the ministers of the gospel. The pulpit commentary notes that Phoebe quote had devoted herself to the works of love and usefulness and rendered help at her own charges wherever needed.

So Phoebe is a model of service that many of the church reflect today. Very generous spirit in God's people. If they can't do something physically, oftentimes we'll get a donation that says this is for this purpose to help soand so to take care of this person to take care of that need. There are many brethren who do just what Phoebe did. open their homes.

See, we don't have to be flushed with so much money that we can just pay for everybody's whatever their needs are. Sometimes it's the simple things of just opening our homes and being hospitable with one another, inviting somebody in and sharing a meal, getting to know one another, supporting one another, bearing with one another, carrying each other's burdens.

All of these things that we do with and for one another, they matter. That's what makes us a family, a spiritual family. these men and the women that we've looked at today, they weren't known for fame or titles or recognition because I bet if I hadn't walked you through these names, I bet most of us have read them and probably remember them after we see them again.

But like that's these names aren't on the tip of the tongue. Remember that story about Anessa Forest? I haven't heard any of you mention him in the entire time I've been here. So, I'm just saying that's not your fault. Like a lot of people, and there are many other characters in our Bibles that that have little things like that said about them, I couldn't possibly cover all of them in a sermon.

It's worth going back and looking for them and seeing what's noted about them and and pausing to think about what's being said about them. What can we learn about them because of what we've just read about them? So small, but yet maybe very potent. what's described about a person. What's important for us is that they lived God's way when no one was watching and their lives mattered.

Their service mattered. It serves as a lesson for us, an example for us to emulate. Many of you have been living this way for decades. You've carried others through grief. You've prayed for the church. You've made meals. You've written cards. You've made phone calls. You've sent texts and emails. You've served.

Our serving isn't done. We're going to be serving right up until Jesus Christ returns. We're going to be caring for one another, helping one another, loving one another, and serving one another. Galatians, let's end here. Galatians chapter 6:9. When we think about the epitap of our life, I hope these I hope these examples that we paused on today help us to realize we're succeeding.

We're not perfect, but we're not failing either. We're succeeding maybe a little bit more tomorrow than we did yesterday. And that's okay. That's the journey of overcoming, being better. But this is what we have to be on guard for. Galatians chapter 6:9. And let us not grow weary while doing good. For in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

I know that there are brethren at home right now that wish they could be here desperately who can't for health. They can't serve the way they used to. I want to encourage them. The little things that go unseen by us are not unseen by God. It's the prayers, the cards, the phone calls. Those are the things you can still do.

Then do those things. Those things matter. If you become infirmed and you can't come to services, you can still pray. Maybe even write a note or make a phone call. you can still serve. I hope as we contemplate our own epitaps that when Jesus Christ returns that he finds us so doing