1 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your 2 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:12,360 Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Studyheadquarters dot com. Well, 3 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:15,640 Speaker 1: good morning, church family. I hope everybody is doing well. 4 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 1: Kind of a unique morning this morning, and this morning 5 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:22,880 Speaker 1: as we deal with the reality of being snowed in. 6 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:26,520 Speaker 1: I don't know if you love it or if you're 7 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 1: like me and you just put up with it. You know, 8 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:31,960 Speaker 1: we're all hunkered down in our homes, which is fine, 9 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,639 Speaker 1: But I actually thought it might be interesting and kind 10 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,760 Speaker 1: of fun today to just take a quick pause from 11 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:40,640 Speaker 1: our study of the Book of Revelation to maybe just 12 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:43,600 Speaker 1: take a look at one of the most overlooked chapters 13 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 1: in the New Testament. And the chapter that I actually 14 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 1: want us to take a quick look at this morning 15 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:53,080 Speaker 1: together is Romans chapter sixteen. And I'll say this, Roman 16 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:57,600 Speaker 1: chapter sixteen doesn't get quoted very often. It's probably one 17 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,240 Speaker 1: of those chapters that if I asked you to quote 18 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 1: from the book that you might actually have a difficult time. 19 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 1: I will tell you that one of my children, their 20 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:11,320 Speaker 1: name is in Romans chapter sixteen. Our daughter Julia, her 21 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 1: name could be found in this chapter. But Roman chapter 22 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:17,959 Speaker 1: sixteen doesn't get quoted very often doesn't really contain, you know, 23 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 1: like a famous doctrinal statement or a theological argument or 24 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: anything like that. And actually, if you just glance at 25 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:27,280 Speaker 1: it quickly at first glance, it probably would look to 26 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,480 Speaker 1: you like it's just a long list of names and 27 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 1: personal greetings and things of that nature. But the truth is, 28 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:37,399 Speaker 1: Romans chapter sixteen is a lot more interesting than that, 29 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:39,120 Speaker 1: and you don't really have to look too far to 30 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: figure that out. This passage of scripture, to me anyway, 31 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:46,240 Speaker 1: it's kind of interesting because it actually gives us an 32 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: interesting window into how the early Church lived. And will 33 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 1: notice as we look at this together that they enjoyed 34 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: patterns and they enjoyed practices that we who live here 35 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:03,920 Speaker 1: in this present church can absolutely benefit from. And on 36 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 1: a day like today, when we're all stuck inside, I 37 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 1: actually thought it might be enjoyable for us to just 38 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:11,640 Speaker 1: take a quick moment to take a look at a 39 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:15,960 Speaker 1: few things from Romans chapter sixteen. So please join with 40 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:17,639 Speaker 1: me as we look at these things. Let me have 41 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:19,360 Speaker 1: a word of prayer for us, and then I'm going 42 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:21,960 Speaker 1: to read from two sections in the chapter, but I'd 43 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,359 Speaker 1: encourage you to read the entire chapter. If you get 44 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 1: the opportunity in just a little bit. But first, let 45 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:29,000 Speaker 1: me just pray for us, Lord, thank you for this day. 46 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:31,399 Speaker 1: Thank you for the fact that no matter what context 47 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:35,520 Speaker 1: we're in, that we can worship you, and we can 48 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:37,839 Speaker 1: give you praise, we can study your word, we can 49 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:40,320 Speaker 1: look at the different things that you've revealed to us 50 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 1: in it. Father, we pray that as we look at 51 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 1: Romans sixteen now, that you would speak to us, that 52 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 1: you'd give us your understanding, that we would grow in 53 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 1: our walk with you, and that we would be able 54 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:53,640 Speaker 1: to see certain things in the patterns and in the 55 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: lives of the members of the early Church, some of 56 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:58,959 Speaker 1: the things that they did that we could find genuine 57 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:02,080 Speaker 1: benefit in in our present day. And we pray again, 58 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 1: Lord that on a daylight today, when we're snowed in, 59 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 1: when we're unable to move about and just get outside 60 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:10,640 Speaker 1: and do the type of things that we normally like 61 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 1: to do, we pray that we would look at this example, 62 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 1: that we would learn something and that we would grow 63 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: in our walk with you as a result. So we 64 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:19,560 Speaker 1: commit this time to you now, Lord, we pray that 65 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: you'd speak to us by the power of your Holy Spirit, 66 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:27,359 Speaker 1: and we pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen. As 67 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:29,240 Speaker 1: I mentioned just a moment ago, I'm going to read 68 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:34,680 Speaker 1: several sections the from Romans chapter sixteen, but I'm going 69 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 1: to start here with part of verse one. I'm going 70 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:39,760 Speaker 1: to read a few verses, and then i'll jump into 71 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: a later section here. But this is what it says 72 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 1: in Romans chapter sixteen. It says, I commend to you 73 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:49,400 Speaker 1: our sister Phoebe, a deacon in the church. It's in Centria. 74 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:51,800 Speaker 1: And then Paul says to the church, he says, I 75 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:53,880 Speaker 1: ask you to receive her in the Lord in a 76 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 1: way worthy of his people, and to give her any 77 00:03:56,960 --> 00:03:59,120 Speaker 1: help she may need from you, for she has been 78 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:02,800 Speaker 1: the benefactor of many people, including me. And then he 79 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:04,960 Speaker 1: goes on to say this, so you start to see 80 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 1: some other names here. He says, greet Priscilla and Aquilla, 81 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 1: my co workers in Christ Jesus. They risk their lives 82 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:15,120 Speaker 1: from me. Not only I, but all the churches of 83 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:18,039 Speaker 1: the Gentiles are grateful to them. And then when you 84 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:21,040 Speaker 1: get to verse five of Romans chapter sixteen, the first 85 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:24,520 Speaker 1: part of verse five he says, greet also the church 86 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:27,840 Speaker 1: that meets at their house. That's kind of one of 87 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: the key verses I want to hone in on again. 88 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 1: I'll read it again. Roman sixteen, verse five he says, 89 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:37,640 Speaker 1: greet also the church that meets at their house. Kind 90 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:40,240 Speaker 1: of a familiar portion of scripture for us today and 91 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:43,039 Speaker 1: the context that we're in. So what this chapters showing 92 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 1: us here is that the Church didn't begin in sanctuaries. 93 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:49,000 Speaker 1: It didn't begin in campuses. It didn't begin in buildings 94 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:52,719 Speaker 1: with signs out front. It actually began where in homes, 95 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:56,200 Speaker 1: around tables, in living rooms and the kind of places 96 00:04:56,520 --> 00:04:58,320 Speaker 1: that all of us are going to be spending a 97 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:01,839 Speaker 1: little bit extra time in today and maybe even in 98 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 1: the coming days. Right, the church began with ordinary people 99 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: whose lives had been changed by Jesus, and they got 100 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:12,479 Speaker 1: together in their homes. Now, when you go later in 101 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:14,880 Speaker 1: Romans chapter sixteen, I'll read this for us right at 102 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:17,240 Speaker 1: the outset as well, when you get to verse twenty 103 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:20,040 Speaker 1: and some of the verses afterward. There, Paul says this. 104 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:22,599 Speaker 1: He says, the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. 105 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 1: Then he says, Timothy, my coworker, sends his greetings to you, 106 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:31,080 Speaker 1: as do Lucius Jason, and Sousipator, my fellow Jews. And 107 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:34,520 Speaker 1: then Tertius, who was writing this down on Paul's we 108 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:37,240 Speaker 1: have He says, I Tertius, who wrote down this letter, 109 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:40,960 Speaker 1: greet you in the Lord Gaius, whose hospitality I and 110 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:44,480 Speaker 1: the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings. That's 111 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:47,599 Speaker 1: an interesting statement, right, whose hospitality I and the whole 112 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:50,839 Speaker 1: church here enjoy. So Gaius, he was somebody who was 113 00:05:51,839 --> 00:05:55,000 Speaker 1: directly showing hospitality to the early Church. And then it 114 00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:58,159 Speaker 1: says Erastus, who is the city's director of public works, 115 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:01,039 Speaker 1: and our brother Cortus send you their greetings. This is 116 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:06,160 Speaker 1: certainly a weekend when our city director of public works 117 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:09,159 Speaker 1: is getting a workout and your city director of public 118 00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:11,080 Speaker 1: works is getting a workout. Well, in the early Church, 119 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:14,039 Speaker 1: you have Erastus, who is the city's director of public works, 120 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: who is blessing and helping the people in the midst 121 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:19,880 Speaker 1: of their day to day responsibilities. So that is something 122 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:23,440 Speaker 1: that Paul says at the close of this letter. He 123 00:06:24,920 --> 00:06:28,040 Speaker 1: ends this letter to the Romans by greeting real people 124 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:31,920 Speaker 1: in real places, and he makes it clear that many 125 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:36,000 Speaker 1: of these people were hosting churches in their home. So 126 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:38,400 Speaker 1: back up in verse five, he says greet also the 127 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:40,479 Speaker 1: church in their house. And then when you get to 128 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:43,160 Speaker 1: verses like verse ten and beyond all of that, he 129 00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:49,120 Speaker 1: greets entire household and entire families who were clearly gathering 130 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:54,080 Speaker 1: together as expressions of the early Church. And by the way, 131 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:57,160 Speaker 1: I should say this, this is a change for us today, 132 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:01,040 Speaker 1: but for them, this wasn't an emergency backup plan. This 133 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:04,440 Speaker 1: was the normal pattern of the early Church. And I 134 00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:07,160 Speaker 1: honestly think even though we presently enjoy the benefits of 135 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 1: meeting in a traditional church context, which we all know 136 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:14,040 Speaker 1: is highly practical and has some genuine benefits, there are 137 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:19,520 Speaker 1: absolutely some principles and some concepts that we should learn 138 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 1: from and adopt when we observe what house churches were 139 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:27,120 Speaker 1: doing during the first century. And something else to keep 140 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:32,960 Speaker 1: in mind if it ever becomes impossible or impractical to 141 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:37,000 Speaker 1: meet like we normally meet. There are patterns and they 142 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:40,360 Speaker 1: are outlines for us in scripture like this chapter that 143 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 1: we can learn a lot from. So one of the 144 00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:44,559 Speaker 1: principles that I think we can learn from a portion 145 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 1: of scripture like this in Romans chapter sixteen is that 146 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:51,160 Speaker 1: the church was actually relational before it was institutional. I 147 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:52,720 Speaker 1: think one of the things we notice here in this 148 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:55,880 Speaker 1: chapter is just how relational the church was. You have 149 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:59,360 Speaker 1: Paul ending this letter. Some would argue maybe as most 150 00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: is best. Well, you know, his most well known letter 151 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:05,040 Speaker 1: is best known letter in the New Testament. And what 152 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:07,760 Speaker 1: does he do. He ends up by naming person after person. 153 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:12,920 Speaker 1: And he's doing this not as ministry titles or you know, 154 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:16,680 Speaker 1: in some sort of fancy formal way. He's listing these 155 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:22,280 Speaker 1: people as friends, as co laborers, and as brothers and 156 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:25,920 Speaker 1: sisters in faith. He mentions people like Phoebe, He mentions 157 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:29,880 Speaker 1: Priscilla and Aquilla. When you go into the chapter a 158 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:35,280 Speaker 1: little further, he mentions Andronicus. He mentions other people, right, 159 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:40,439 Speaker 1: he mentions Rufus, and Rufus's mother and many many others. Right, 160 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 1: and again, these weren't anonymous attendees. They were his friends. 161 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:47,600 Speaker 1: They were people that were known and valued and loved, 162 00:08:47,679 --> 00:08:49,440 Speaker 1: people that they would do day to day life with. 163 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:53,400 Speaker 1: They serve together, they love the Lord together, they worshiped 164 00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:57,120 Speaker 1: the Lord together. First century house churches made that kind 165 00:08:57,160 --> 00:09:00,760 Speaker 1: of relational depth unavoidable. You couldn't slip in late and 166 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:03,680 Speaker 1: leave early. Everybody would see that you're there. Everybody would 167 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 1: notice that you were there. You couldn't stay hidden. Your 168 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:09,320 Speaker 1: life was shared. And then when you look throughout the 169 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:11,839 Speaker 1: course of the Book of Acts in particular, but when 170 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:13,760 Speaker 1: you see the different things that are referenced in Paul's 171 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:16,240 Speaker 1: letters and Peter's letters and some of the other letters, 172 00:09:16,280 --> 00:09:19,800 Speaker 1: you see that the early church grew and it kept growing. 173 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:22,000 Speaker 1: Well why did it grow? Well, it didn't grow because 174 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:26,440 Speaker 1: of impressive programs. And I'm not I'm not opposed to 175 00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:29,280 Speaker 1: impressive programs, but that's not why the early church grew. 176 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:32,400 Speaker 1: It grew because the people were connected to one another 177 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:36,920 Speaker 1: through genuine relationships that were centered on Christ. Christ was 178 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:40,000 Speaker 1: glorified in their context, and the people worked and served 179 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,000 Speaker 1: and lived together, and it was a beautiful thing. And 180 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:44,160 Speaker 1: I look at that and I think that's a needed 181 00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:47,520 Speaker 1: reminder for us today. I love the fact that technology 182 00:09:47,559 --> 00:09:49,440 Speaker 1: gives us many ways to connect. I love the fact 183 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:51,120 Speaker 1: that I could sit in front of a computer here 184 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:56,000 Speaker 1: on a snowy Sunday morning and just share things like this, 185 00:09:56,400 --> 00:09:59,320 Speaker 1: and that I can pass this along digitally, and that 186 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:03,840 Speaker 1: we as our church can still look at God's word together. 187 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:06,480 Speaker 1: So I love the fact that technology gives us all 188 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:09,640 Speaker 1: sorts of ways to connect. But the irony with that 189 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:13,400 Speaker 1: is that technology also allows us to stay distant, and 190 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:16,000 Speaker 1: we've grown used to that in this day and age. 191 00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:18,480 Speaker 1: And then you look at what we see here in 192 00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:21,120 Speaker 1: Romans chapter sixteen, and you realize that some of these 193 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:24,120 Speaker 1: house church principles they actually invite us to kind of 194 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:28,120 Speaker 1: slow down a little bit, and if they're implemented, you 195 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:31,120 Speaker 1: end up knowing one another. You start to listen to 196 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:33,920 Speaker 1: one another, You bear burdens together, you share life together, 197 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:37,480 Speaker 1: you celebrate joys together. You have the opportunity to do 198 00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:40,360 Speaker 1: all of these things. So what that means as we 199 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:43,280 Speaker 1: look at this as a principle, is this idea that 200 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:45,880 Speaker 1: we're being shown here is that the church isn't primarily 201 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:49,040 Speaker 1: a place we attend. The church is a group of 202 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:52,480 Speaker 1: people or a community that we belong to. This is 203 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:56,720 Speaker 1: a family that shares common union with Jesus Christ. And 204 00:10:56,760 --> 00:11:00,280 Speaker 1: so that's what we see here in Romans chapter six team. 205 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:04,600 Speaker 1: But we also see, as Paul kind of outlines these 206 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:08,320 Speaker 1: things here, that the church was centered on shared responsibility. 207 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:12,520 Speaker 1: It shows us here that ministry wasn't concentrated on just 208 00:11:12,559 --> 00:11:15,880 Speaker 1: a few professionals. So Paul doesn't just greet a handful 209 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:19,200 Speaker 1: of leaders and then ignore everybody else. What he does 210 00:11:19,200 --> 00:11:22,280 Speaker 1: here is he recognizes men and women. He recognizes Jews 211 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:28,480 Speaker 1: and gentiles, which the Church at Rome was consisted of 212 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:31,200 Speaker 1: a mixture of Jews and Gentiles, were somehow trying to 213 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:33,720 Speaker 1: figure out how to get along together as this new 214 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:36,920 Speaker 1: body called the Church. He was also recognizing people that 215 00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:40,520 Speaker 1: we would say were longtime believers in their present day context, 216 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:43,280 Speaker 1: and also newer believers. So you have a mix of 217 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:47,679 Speaker 1: all kinds of people, men, women, leaders, volunteers, Jews, gentiles, 218 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:51,080 Speaker 1: longtime believers, newer believers. And he calls many of them 219 00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:54,360 Speaker 1: what's his phrase for them, He calls them workers in 220 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 1: the Lord. People who share this, this this opportunity, this 221 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:03,280 Speaker 1: participation that they're doing together. They are co workers in 222 00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:06,920 Speaker 1: the Lord, co laborers in the Lord. And the truth 223 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:10,200 Speaker 1: is house churches the way they were structured in the 224 00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:13,600 Speaker 1: New Testament era in the first century, the first century church, 225 00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:23,080 Speaker 1: they required participation, so teaching, hospitality, prayer, encouragement, generosity, it 226 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:27,240 Speaker 1: all flowed through ordinary believers. There wasn't a lot of 227 00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:30,480 Speaker 1: room for spectators. If you participated in the early Church, 228 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:32,079 Speaker 1: if you were part of it, you didn't have a 229 00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:35,640 Speaker 1: lot of opportunity to just be a spectator. Basically, everybody 230 00:12:35,679 --> 00:12:38,440 Speaker 1: needed to get plugged in for it to work. Now 231 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:41,320 Speaker 1: I have to complement our church at this point, because 232 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:44,960 Speaker 1: even though we're not a house church, we often do 233 00:12:45,559 --> 00:12:48,720 Speaker 1: gather in our church or in our houses as an 234 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:51,920 Speaker 1: expression of church life. And one of the things that 235 00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:54,959 Speaker 1: I'm grateful for is I believe that we as a 236 00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:59,360 Speaker 1: church family have a higher participation rate than what I 237 00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:02,160 Speaker 1: see in me any context. And I'm grateful for that 238 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:04,280 Speaker 1: because when I look at this portion of scripture in 239 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:06,800 Speaker 1: Romans chapter sixteen, I look at this and I say, 240 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:08,760 Speaker 1: there wasn't a whole lot of room for spectators in 241 00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:11,560 Speaker 1: their context. And I'm grateful that in our context, we 242 00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:14,800 Speaker 1: aren't trying to be spectators. We're not just trying to 243 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:17,440 Speaker 1: watch what's going on. We're not just trying to observe. 244 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:21,200 Speaker 1: We're trying to participate. We're sharing life and ministry together. Now, 245 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:24,960 Speaker 1: when you see people sharing life and ministry together, I 246 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:26,880 Speaker 1: don't want to say that. I don't want to give 247 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:29,800 Speaker 1: the impression that the early church was without leadership, because 248 00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 1: clearly there was leadership in this context as well. And 249 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:36,280 Speaker 1: you can see that Paul valued elders and teachers and 250 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:38,920 Speaker 1: overseers and different titles and things like that that we're 251 00:13:38,920 --> 00:13:41,920 Speaker 1: given to people that served in various capacities. We see 252 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:44,560 Speaker 1: that in many of his letters, as he makes that clear. 253 00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:50,360 Speaker 1: But leadership functioned within community, not above it. It was 254 00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:55,040 Speaker 1: functioning together with just the Body of Christ serving in 255 00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:58,600 Speaker 1: that capacity. And I think there's a challenge for us 256 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:01,360 Speaker 1: today to notice when we see that pattern in the 257 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:05,920 Speaker 1: New Testament. I think that challenges this idea that ministry 258 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:08,800 Speaker 1: only happens on a stage. Some people have this mistaken 259 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:11,680 Speaker 1: thought that ministry only happens when it's up in front 260 00:14:11,679 --> 00:14:14,560 Speaker 1: of people in a stage type context, and that other 261 00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:18,280 Speaker 1: things aren't functioning in the same way or with the 262 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:22,200 Speaker 1: same value. The principles that we see exhibited here in 263 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:25,760 Speaker 1: house churches show that every single believer has a role 264 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:29,000 Speaker 1: to play. Every believer, it doesn't matter what your gift 265 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:31,960 Speaker 1: set is. There's four primary places in scripture where the 266 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:35,160 Speaker 1: spiritual gifts are referenced. We see that in Romans twelve, 267 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:37,320 Speaker 1: so just a few chapters prior to this, that's one 268 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:40,360 Speaker 1: of the places. We also see that in one Corinthians twelve. 269 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:42,920 Speaker 1: We see it in Ephesians four, and we see it 270 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:45,800 Speaker 1: in First Peter four and there tells us that every 271 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:49,320 Speaker 1: single one of us has been gifted by the Lord 272 00:14:49,440 --> 00:14:52,920 Speaker 1: with a way in order to serve one another within 273 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:55,400 Speaker 1: the church. The moment you come to faith in Jesus Christ, 274 00:14:55,920 --> 00:15:00,800 Speaker 1: you're gifted spiritually. So every belief or has a role 275 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:03,880 Speaker 1: to play. We can't grow spiritually to the level that 276 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:07,080 Speaker 1: we're supposed to grow without help from one another. So 277 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:10,920 Speaker 1: that also means that every home your home, my home. 278 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:14,560 Speaker 1: Every home can become a place of encouragement or a 279 00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:19,520 Speaker 1: place of worship. Every table can become a place of discipleship, 280 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:25,720 Speaker 1: Every conversation can become an opportunity to point someone toward Christ. 281 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:29,440 Speaker 1: And when believers understand that the church belongs to Jesus 282 00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:32,280 Speaker 1: and that he invites all of us to participate, I 283 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:35,840 Speaker 1: think ministry starts to become something that's shared rather than 284 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:40,560 Speaker 1: something that's outsourced. Now, something else that I think is 285 00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:43,360 Speaker 1: worth noticing when you look at Roman sixteen and kind 286 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:46,680 Speaker 1: of this house church example that we're given on this snowy, 287 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:50,680 Speaker 1: snowy Sunday, right, the church was flexible and it was 288 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:54,280 Speaker 1: resilient in its context. It was flexible and it was 289 00:15:54,360 --> 00:15:59,600 Speaker 1: resilient house churches. That model made the early Church remarkably 290 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:03,400 Speaker 1: resilt because in that era, it wasn't like weather delays 291 00:16:03,440 --> 00:16:05,400 Speaker 1: were the big issue for them. The big issue for 292 00:16:05,440 --> 00:16:10,440 Speaker 1: them many times was persecution. Persecution frequently came. Many of 293 00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:13,800 Speaker 1: the believers that are referenced in scripture dealt with persecution, 294 00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:20,440 Speaker 1: had on leaders were often threatened or imprisoned their public gatherings. 295 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:22,880 Speaker 1: They loved to gather in public. Scripture tells us that 296 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:25,120 Speaker 1: they would often do that, but their public gatherings were 297 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:29,960 Speaker 1: oftentimes restricted or threatened. The people were threatened, and yet 298 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:32,680 Speaker 1: the church continued to grow. It's kind of amazing to 299 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:35,240 Speaker 1: look at the growth that existed during the New Testament era. 300 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:39,520 Speaker 1: It grew rapidly, it grew exponentially. Well, why was it 301 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:43,800 Speaker 1: growing so quickly? Well, in many respects, something that was 302 00:16:43,840 --> 00:16:46,080 Speaker 1: at least contributing to the growth was the fact that 303 00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:51,120 Speaker 1: it wasn't overly dependent on buildings. The church wasn't overly 304 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:57,040 Speaker 1: dependent on centralized systems. You had you had believers gathering 305 00:16:57,120 --> 00:17:01,200 Speaker 1: all over the place, city after city, in a house context, 306 00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:04,560 Speaker 1: much like many of us are being forced to do today. 307 00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:08,600 Speaker 1: That's a beautiful thing. So Romans sixteen. Here is reflecting 308 00:17:08,640 --> 00:17:13,360 Speaker 1: that flexibility. You have churches spread across homes, spread across neighborhoods, 309 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:19,359 Speaker 1: spread across cities. So if one gathering was disrupted, others continued. 310 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:23,800 Speaker 1: If the believers were scattered, the gospel went with them. 311 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:27,560 Speaker 1: I think that flexibility is rather useful for us to 312 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:32,159 Speaker 1: deserve in or to for us to observe. I do 313 00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:37,480 Speaker 1: know words sometimes they escape me, but I think it's 314 00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:41,720 Speaker 1: useful for us to observe that in the present day, 315 00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:44,800 Speaker 1: because we know and we could see just even in 316 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:50,959 Speaker 1: how today is going. Circumstances change, access changes, seasons shift, 317 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:54,800 Speaker 1: but the mission of Jesus remains the same even in 318 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:56,320 Speaker 1: the midst of all the things that you and I 319 00:17:56,359 --> 00:17:58,600 Speaker 1: deal with on a day to day basis. And that 320 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:01,080 Speaker 1: means that house church princes, like we're seeing here in 321 00:18:01,119 --> 00:18:04,040 Speaker 1: Romans chapter sixteen, something again useful for us to be 322 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:07,120 Speaker 1: thinking about today. They remind us that the Church can 323 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:12,480 Speaker 1: thrive anywhere believers choose to gather in Christ's name. Wherever 324 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:15,200 Speaker 1: we gather in Christ's name, that the church can thrive. 325 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:17,840 Speaker 1: So that could be living rooms, it could be kitchens, 326 00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:20,280 Speaker 1: it could be dorm rooms. I'm sure some of you 327 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:22,360 Speaker 1: are gathered together in a dorm room, right. It could 328 00:18:22,359 --> 00:18:25,720 Speaker 1: be coffee shops, it could be even sometimes online space 329 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:28,920 Speaker 1: is like we're utilizing right now. They can all become 330 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:33,280 Speaker 1: places where the Gospel is lived out. It is not 331 00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:37,879 Speaker 1: an exaggeration to say that the Bible has been studied 332 00:18:38,119 --> 00:18:42,520 Speaker 1: in community with believers from my dining room table just 333 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:45,520 Speaker 1: as frequently as meals have been shared in that same space. 334 00:18:45,560 --> 00:18:48,120 Speaker 1: I can think of many, many hours throughout the course 335 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:49,520 Speaker 1: of the years that we have lived in our home. 336 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:52,280 Speaker 1: We've lived in our home almost almost eighteen years. I 337 00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:55,119 Speaker 1: can't believe how quickly that time is gone. But we 338 00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:58,040 Speaker 1: have studied scripture together with our brothers and sisters in 339 00:18:58,119 --> 00:19:00,520 Speaker 1: Christ and with our family at our dining room table. 340 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:02,960 Speaker 1: I would say oftentimes just as much as we've actually 341 00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:06,960 Speaker 1: enjoyed meals at the dining room table. So what does 342 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:09,280 Speaker 1: that mean, Well, in the context of looking at what 343 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:11,919 Speaker 1: we're seeing here in Romans chapter sixteen and in what 344 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:16,000 Speaker 1: we're living out today, the Church doesn't disappear when circumstances 345 00:19:16,119 --> 00:19:19,960 Speaker 1: change or when there's challenges. The church adapts. So we're 346 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:24,199 Speaker 1: adapting right now. The early church they adapted, and what 347 00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:26,600 Speaker 1: we see here in Roman sixteen is that the church 348 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:32,000 Speaker 1: was ultimately rooted in the Gospel, not in its common structures. 349 00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:35,399 Speaker 1: And I think it's important with that in mind, to 350 00:19:35,480 --> 00:19:39,919 Speaker 1: notice that Paul doesn't praise house churches just because homes 351 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:43,040 Speaker 1: were inherently spiritual. That's not what's going on here. But 352 00:19:43,119 --> 00:19:46,040 Speaker 1: what he's doing in this passage, as he's acknowledging churches 353 00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:48,800 Speaker 1: that meet in homes and acknowledging people that have the 354 00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:52,359 Speaker 1: gift of showing hospitality from their homes, what he's doing 355 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:55,320 Speaker 1: is he's celebrating these believers and the heart that they 356 00:19:55,359 --> 00:19:59,960 Speaker 1: exhibit here because they're all united in Christ. He's celebrating 357 00:20:00,119 --> 00:20:05,360 Speaker 1: that union in Christ that gets expressed in these house contexts. 358 00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:08,120 Speaker 1: And when you look at Roman sixteen, you have Roman 359 00:20:08,200 --> 00:20:12,159 Speaker 1: sixteen really ultimately ending with Paul pointing back to the 360 00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:15,280 Speaker 1: Gospel itself, because when you look at verses twenty five, 361 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:18,240 Speaker 1: twenty six, and twenty seven, he writes here that God 362 00:20:18,359 --> 00:20:21,159 Speaker 1: is able to strengthen believers, and he says, according to 363 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:25,280 Speaker 1: my Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ. So that's 364 00:20:25,359 --> 00:20:28,760 Speaker 1: the foundation, not the size of the gathering, not the format, 365 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:35,320 Speaker 1: not the location. House churches worked in their era because 366 00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:38,280 Speaker 1: Jesus was at the center. And when we gather together 367 00:20:38,359 --> 00:20:40,760 Speaker 1: in our homes, when we gather together corporately, when we 368 00:20:40,800 --> 00:20:43,640 Speaker 1: gather together in our homes, what's the point. The whole 369 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:47,080 Speaker 1: point isn't necessarily where we're gathering. The point is that 370 00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:51,520 Speaker 1: Jesus remains at the center. And when Christ is at 371 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:56,280 Speaker 1: the center, the church flourishes wherever it meets, whether it 372 00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:59,720 Speaker 1: meets in a cathedral or a kitchen, the church flourishes. 373 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:05,280 Speaker 1: But when Christ is absent, even the most impressive structure 374 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:08,240 Speaker 1: just becomes empty and it feels wasted. I was talking 375 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:12,160 Speaker 1: with some people just the other day about some churches 376 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:15,880 Speaker 1: that I'm familiar with near where I grew up. Those 377 00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:20,640 Speaker 1: buildings are beautiful, and they're also dead. They're just completely dead. 378 00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:24,160 Speaker 1: Christ isn't the center there anymore. And you look at that, 379 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:27,000 Speaker 1: and those churches are almost those buildings, I shouldn't call 380 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:29,679 Speaker 1: them even churches, right, those buildings. You look at that, 381 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:32,439 Speaker 1: and they're just a relic to a time when faith 382 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:36,840 Speaker 1: was alive, but at present they're just it's just like 383 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:39,240 Speaker 1: a shell. It's a shell of what it once was 384 00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:44,880 Speaker 1: because Christ isn't central there anymore. And I look at 385 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:46,800 Speaker 1: this in our context right now, And I think that 386 00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:50,679 Speaker 1: this can be useful for us to recognize because this 387 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:53,879 Speaker 1: keeps us from romanticizing the early Church while missing the 388 00:21:53,880 --> 00:21:56,520 Speaker 1: heartbeat of the early Church. Right The goal isn't to 389 00:21:56,560 --> 00:21:58,879 Speaker 1: replicate their architecture. It doesn't matter if you meet in 390 00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:01,359 Speaker 1: a home or a cathedral, or wherever you meet. The 391 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:04,960 Speaker 1: idea is to share their devotion to Christ and remain 392 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:08,760 Speaker 1: adaptable wherever you are. So today we're adapting, but our 393 00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:12,080 Speaker 1: devotion to Christ needs to be the same as what 394 00:22:12,119 --> 00:22:16,520 Speaker 1: the early Church expressed. But I also wonder when I 395 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:19,520 Speaker 1: look at a portion of Scripture like this, I think 396 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:23,560 Speaker 1: there are principles that we can be implementing today. And 397 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:25,600 Speaker 1: so let's highlight a couple of those as we kind 398 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:28,160 Speaker 1: of land the plane and finish out some of these 399 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:30,840 Speaker 1: thoughts together this morning. How do we live this out 400 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:32,360 Speaker 1: in present day? Well, let me give you a few 401 00:22:32,359 --> 00:22:34,760 Speaker 1: ideas here that I think are practical for us, things 402 00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:37,679 Speaker 1: that I certainly think about as a as a local 403 00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:41,480 Speaker 1: church pastor as the pastor of our church. But just 404 00:22:41,560 --> 00:22:43,920 Speaker 1: these principles I think that we as Christians should should 405 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:48,160 Speaker 1: bother to notice. I think, first of all, we can 406 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:51,320 Speaker 1: make a point, like the early church did, to open 407 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:58,119 Speaker 1: our homes intentionally. Hospitality doesn't require perfection. Your home doesn't 408 00:22:58,160 --> 00:23:00,720 Speaker 1: have to be perfect, doesn't have to be perfect organized, 409 00:23:00,720 --> 00:23:02,920 Speaker 1: doesn't have to be perfectly clean for you to open 410 00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:05,720 Speaker 1: it up to somebody else. It just requires you to 411 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:08,520 Speaker 1: be willing to do that right, So, inviting people into 412 00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:13,680 Speaker 1: your space oftentimes will create opportunities for conversation and for 413 00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:17,879 Speaker 1: prayer and for encouragement that can sometimes be hard to 414 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:21,439 Speaker 1: replicate in a larger gathering. I remember this is a 415 00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:23,760 Speaker 1: group of years ago, my wife and I invited a 416 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:25,760 Speaker 1: group of people to join us for a meal, and 417 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:29,280 Speaker 1: it wasn't our intention to turn that into a prayer gathering. 418 00:23:29,280 --> 00:23:32,200 Speaker 1: It just kind of became that way as different people 419 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:34,560 Speaker 1: mentioned that they had different prayer needs, and so we 420 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:36,639 Speaker 1: kind of thought, well, we're all gathered together around this 421 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:39,000 Speaker 1: dining room table, and we're all done eating, why don't 422 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:41,679 Speaker 1: we just pray together? And so we prayed together, and 423 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:44,800 Speaker 1: it was an intensely spiritual moment, and I remember thinking, 424 00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:47,919 Speaker 1: in that context, I'm grateful that we had opened up 425 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:51,000 Speaker 1: our home intentionally that day and it just turned into 426 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:52,600 Speaker 1: a prayer gathering. I thought it was going to be 427 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:54,800 Speaker 1: a meal, it turned into a prayer gathering. So first, 428 00:23:55,040 --> 00:23:58,119 Speaker 1: let's open up our homes intentionally. I see a variety 429 00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:00,720 Speaker 1: of us in our church family doing that, people hosting 430 00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:04,040 Speaker 1: all sorts of things, people inviting people over, small groups, 431 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:07,680 Speaker 1: college and career groups, youth groups, different things like that. 432 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:10,240 Speaker 1: It's a beautiful thing, all right. Second, I think another 433 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:12,560 Speaker 1: principle that we can take from the early church that 434 00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:16,199 Speaker 1: gets illustrated in Roman sixteen is just this idea of 435 00:24:16,280 --> 00:24:21,560 Speaker 1: pursuing deeper relationships. The house Church principles that they're illustrating 436 00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:25,320 Speaker 1: in Roman sixteen, they challenge us to move beyond surface 437 00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:29,720 Speaker 1: level interactions. When you're in a context like that, you 438 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:33,160 Speaker 1: find yourself asking real questions. You find yourself being more 439 00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:36,600 Speaker 1: willing to listen carefully. Maybe you even find yourself more 440 00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:40,240 Speaker 1: willing to carry one another's carry one another's burdens, because 441 00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:43,640 Speaker 1: in a context like that, it's hard to escape those things, 442 00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:45,920 Speaker 1: it's hard to hide from one another. And so as 443 00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:48,040 Speaker 1: you get to know each other in a deeper context, 444 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:51,560 Speaker 1: you end up finding yourself maybe more willing to carry 445 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:55,840 Speaker 1: one another's burdens and pursuing deeper relationships. Actually, notice this 446 00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:58,359 Speaker 1: with the Midweek Bible study that we frequently host on 447 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:02,760 Speaker 1: Wednesday nights, even at the church. We had a prayer 448 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:05,080 Speaker 1: need and the person that I'm referencing will know who 449 00:25:05,080 --> 00:25:07,960 Speaker 1: I'm referencing. They'll know that I'm referencing them, and that's okay. 450 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:10,320 Speaker 1: But there was a prayer need the week before last 451 00:25:10,359 --> 00:25:13,600 Speaker 1: that somebody brought and it came with tears, and that 452 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:15,840 Speaker 1: was shared with that small group, and so we prayed 453 00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:17,800 Speaker 1: for that need, and then the following week we had 454 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:21,959 Speaker 1: the opportunity to celebrate the answer to that prayer. And 455 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:24,520 Speaker 1: what happened there, well, we couldn't escape one another, right, 456 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:27,119 Speaker 1: We were up close and personal. We were pursuing deeper 457 00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:30,879 Speaker 1: relationships as we walked together in our relationship with Christ. 458 00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:33,880 Speaker 1: And that's a beautiful thing. And I think sometimes these 459 00:25:34,280 --> 00:25:38,920 Speaker 1: you know, these more in person settings that get orchestrated 460 00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:41,840 Speaker 1: or put together in moments of need like this, when 461 00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:44,320 Speaker 1: we're kind of forced to just gather in our homes, 462 00:25:44,359 --> 00:25:47,640 Speaker 1: smaller groups things like that, I think that that could 463 00:25:47,680 --> 00:25:50,280 Speaker 1: be useful. We can pursue deeper relationships as we walk 464 00:25:50,359 --> 00:25:52,639 Speaker 1: together in our relationship with the Lord. But I think 465 00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:54,719 Speaker 1: there's a third thing that we can do here and 466 00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:58,720 Speaker 1: that's embrace shared ministry. When you look at the early Church, 467 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:01,320 Speaker 1: they were oftentimes looking for ways that they could encourage 468 00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:04,439 Speaker 1: one another to use their gifts. They noticed each other's gifts, 469 00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:06,840 Speaker 1: and they use those gifts. So they'd pray together, they'd 470 00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:09,959 Speaker 1: read scripture together, they'd serve together in accordance with those gifts, 471 00:26:10,359 --> 00:26:13,280 Speaker 1: and ministry would grow when it was shared as people 472 00:26:13,359 --> 00:26:16,040 Speaker 1: were given opportunity to do that. Well, let's do that. 473 00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:17,840 Speaker 1: Let's do that on the big level, let's do that 474 00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:20,919 Speaker 1: on the small level. I think a fourth principle that 475 00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:24,719 Speaker 1: we learned from the early Church is this to remain flexible. 476 00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:27,080 Speaker 1: That's actually something that the Lord's been teaching me all 477 00:26:27,119 --> 00:26:28,679 Speaker 1: throughout the course of my life. I don't think that 478 00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:31,480 Speaker 1: you can last in any kind of ministry if you 479 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:36,479 Speaker 1: aren't willing to remain flexible. The mission of Jesus doesn't 480 00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:40,600 Speaker 1: depend on our comfort or our familiarity. And I think 481 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:45,080 Speaker 1: being open to new expressions of community, or being open to, 482 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:50,080 Speaker 1: you know, just new opportunities and new things, like just 483 00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:54,359 Speaker 1: doing new things that sometimes just cause us to meet 484 00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:57,280 Speaker 1: the need that's present at the moment. Whatever the need is, 485 00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:01,159 Speaker 1: it's oftentimes going to require us to remain flexible somewhere, 486 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:02,960 Speaker 1: or it's going to stretch us in some way. And 487 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:05,040 Speaker 1: you see the Early Church being forced to do that. 488 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:08,320 Speaker 1: They weren't really ever allowed to become too comfortable. They 489 00:27:08,359 --> 00:27:11,720 Speaker 1: had to stay flexible and adaptable in their context because 490 00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:15,520 Speaker 1: their circumstances were changing. It was a new era. And 491 00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:18,800 Speaker 1: I think that that's you know, I like predictable routines. 492 00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:21,040 Speaker 1: I'm a man of routines. But I look at this 493 00:27:21,119 --> 00:27:23,000 Speaker 1: and I think, you know what, sometimes the Lord's telling me, 494 00:27:24,080 --> 00:27:27,960 Speaker 1: just be flexible, be flexible, do something new in a 495 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:32,000 Speaker 1: new context, as new situations arise. Be flexible. That's something 496 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:34,440 Speaker 1: I have to learn from the example of the Early Church. 497 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:37,040 Speaker 1: I think one other thing that we could learn from 498 00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:40,600 Speaker 1: them is this to just keep pointing one another to Christ. 499 00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:43,720 Speaker 1: We're not trying to point one another to ourselves or 500 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:46,920 Speaker 1: to our methods, or to nostalgia or to whatever right. 501 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:50,080 Speaker 1: We're trying to point one another ultimately to Christ. And 502 00:27:50,119 --> 00:27:52,600 Speaker 1: the Early Church they had a knack for doing that. 503 00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:56,080 Speaker 1: They would point one another to Jesus. And we living 504 00:27:56,119 --> 00:27:58,600 Speaker 1: in our era right now, have the opportunity to do 505 00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:04,000 Speaker 1: that as we make intentional investments in one another's life. 506 00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:07,440 Speaker 1: Now at the heart of Roman sixteen, and you've probably 507 00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:10,320 Speaker 1: noticed it already, there's a beautiful truth. And the truth 508 00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:13,520 Speaker 1: is this, Jesus is the one that's holding this all together. 509 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:16,959 Speaker 1: He's the one holding this all together. Every name that 510 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:19,160 Speaker 1: Paul lists in this chapter, and there's lots of names, 511 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:21,800 Speaker 1: I didn't count them, be interesting to count them. But 512 00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:26,200 Speaker 1: every name that Paul lists here, every one of those 513 00:28:26,280 --> 00:28:30,439 Speaker 1: names matters to Jesus because Jesus knows them all. Every 514 00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:33,840 Speaker 1: house church that existed in that era or exists in 515 00:28:34,040 --> 00:28:38,880 Speaker 1: our era, it exists why because Jesus is building his church. 516 00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:43,480 Speaker 1: Every act of faithfulness that we see in that context. 517 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:46,320 Speaker 1: You know what's that all about. Well, ultimately it flows 518 00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:49,200 Speaker 1: from the grace of Christ being lived out among his people. 519 00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:54,080 Speaker 1: Jesus is the true host that welcomes us all into 520 00:28:54,080 --> 00:28:56,680 Speaker 1: God's family. He's the one who tore down the barriers 521 00:28:56,880 --> 00:29:00,520 Speaker 1: between jew and Gentile that were very prevalent in the 522 00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:02,600 Speaker 1: church at Rome. That was one of the big struggles 523 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:04,280 Speaker 1: that Paul was trying to help the church at Rome 524 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:07,080 Speaker 1: to overcome. And Jesus would tear those barriers down, and 525 00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:10,440 Speaker 1: He's like, look, share life in one another's homes, you're 526 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:13,800 Speaker 1: one family in Christ. Some of the people were slaves, 527 00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:15,560 Speaker 1: some of the people were free, some of the people 528 00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:18,200 Speaker 1: felt like insiders. Some of the people felt like outsiders. 529 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:20,920 Speaker 1: And Christ said, look, here's the deal. You're all one. 530 00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:25,400 Speaker 1: You're all one family. That those barriers are torn down 531 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:30,080 Speaker 1: and welcome one another, serve one another. Just as Christ 532 00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:32,400 Speaker 1: has welcomed us into the family of God, he invited 533 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:35,640 Speaker 1: the church to welcome one another. He's the reason that 534 00:29:35,640 --> 00:29:38,320 Speaker 1: people from different backgrounds could gather together at the same 535 00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:41,880 Speaker 1: table during the first century era, and he's the reason 536 00:29:41,920 --> 00:29:43,920 Speaker 1: that they could call one another family. He's the reason 537 00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:47,240 Speaker 1: that we can call one another family as well. And ultimately, 538 00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:50,440 Speaker 1: those house churches that we see in Roman sixteen and 539 00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:53,120 Speaker 1: elsewhere in the New Testament, they remind us of the 540 00:29:53,160 --> 00:29:57,840 Speaker 1: Gospel itself. God didn't save us from a distance. He 541 00:29:57,920 --> 00:30:01,200 Speaker 1: came near. He entered our world. He dwelled among us, 542 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:03,840 Speaker 1: and now through his spirit, he dwells with his people. 543 00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:06,040 Speaker 1: He's dwelling with us right now. He is present with 544 00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:08,720 Speaker 1: us right now, present with you in your home, present 545 00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:12,480 Speaker 1: with me in my home. So whether we're gathered in 546 00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:15,160 Speaker 1: a large context like we usually are week to week, 547 00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:17,880 Speaker 1: or whether we're gathered together in a small context, just 548 00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:21,240 Speaker 1: with our families and our neighbors, in our homes, whether 549 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:23,800 Speaker 1: in a church building, whether in a living room. The 550 00:30:23,840 --> 00:30:27,320 Speaker 1: presence of Jesus is what makes the church the church. 551 00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:31,600 Speaker 1: And when Jesus is at the center, the church is 552 00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:37,080 Speaker 1: alive no matter where it meets. Now, I hope things 553 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:39,520 Speaker 1: are going well in your house. I hope that you know, 554 00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:42,120 Speaker 1: as we're kind of the early part of this storm, 555 00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:46,360 Speaker 1: that you're not stir crazy just yet. We're going to 556 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:48,760 Speaker 1: get stir crazy right now. I hope we don't. But anyway, 557 00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:52,160 Speaker 1: what I want to say is this, you know, whatever 558 00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:54,880 Speaker 1: the context is right now, wherever you're at, you're probably 559 00:30:54,880 --> 00:30:58,800 Speaker 1: at your home right now. I do know that some 560 00:30:58,840 --> 00:31:01,120 Speaker 1: of you are at places of employment. One of my 561 00:31:01,200 --> 00:31:05,480 Speaker 1: sons is at a place of employment right now, staying over. 562 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:07,600 Speaker 1: They ask them to come in early, stay over early, 563 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:10,800 Speaker 1: or stay over late, I should say. And so depending 564 00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:12,680 Speaker 1: on the nature of your job, maybe that's where you're 565 00:31:12,680 --> 00:31:15,720 Speaker 1: at right now. Wherever you are, make Jesus the center. 566 00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:18,400 Speaker 1: Let me take a moment to pray for us as 567 00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:21,840 Speaker 1: we finish up this morning. Father, again, we thank you 568 00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:23,840 Speaker 1: for the fact that we can come before you. We're 569 00:31:23,880 --> 00:31:26,800 Speaker 1: grateful for the example that you gave to us in 570 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:30,960 Speaker 1: the lives and the ministries, the attitudes and the actions 571 00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:33,760 Speaker 1: of the early Church. I pray that you'd help us 572 00:31:33,760 --> 00:31:36,600 Speaker 1: to be men and women who know you, who love you, 573 00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:40,360 Speaker 1: who follow you, who walk with you, and in whatever 574 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:44,240 Speaker 1: context we find ourselves in, whether we're whether we're in 575 00:31:44,320 --> 00:31:47,120 Speaker 1: our home, whether we're in a place of business, our car, 576 00:31:47,160 --> 00:31:50,320 Speaker 1: wherever we may be. Right now, Lord, we pray that 577 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:52,640 Speaker 1: you would help us to know you and love you, 578 00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:56,080 Speaker 1: and follow you, and serve you, and to worship you. 579 00:31:56,680 --> 00:31:58,720 Speaker 1: Thank you, Lord, that you're present with us. Thank you 580 00:31:58,760 --> 00:32:03,240 Speaker 1: for the reminders of of life and worship and accountability 581 00:32:03,440 --> 00:32:06,600 Speaker 1: and shared ministry that we see in the believers that 582 00:32:06,680 --> 00:32:09,200 Speaker 1: came before us. Please help us to live those things 583 00:32:09,280 --> 00:32:12,880 Speaker 1: out in the present context that we serve in at 584 00:32:12,880 --> 00:32:15,280 Speaker 1: present day. And we're grateful, Lord that you're with us 585 00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:17,520 Speaker 1: right now. Lord, we pray that you look after us 586 00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:19,440 Speaker 1: in the midst of this storm, in the midst of 587 00:32:19,480 --> 00:32:21,920 Speaker 1: the season, and that by your grace, that you'd allow 588 00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:24,840 Speaker 1: us to be able to come together again very soon. 589 00:32:25,280 --> 00:32:29,800 Speaker 1: We love you, Lord. We pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen, 590 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:34,080 Speaker 1: All right, everybody. It was great to be able to 591 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:36,520 Speaker 1: spend a little time together this morning. I hope you're 592 00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:38,680 Speaker 1: doing well. I hope things are going well at your home. 593 00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:42,840 Speaker 1: May your power remain on, May your back be as 594 00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:45,960 Speaker 1: strong as you need it to be, as you prepared 595 00:32:45,960 --> 00:32:49,080 Speaker 1: to dig. May the snacks that you bought at the 596 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:52,400 Speaker 1: end of last week last you until roads are plowed 597 00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:54,560 Speaker 1: and stores are open again. I hope you have a 598 00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:58,160 Speaker 1: wonderful day and we will see you very soon on 599 00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:01,360 Speaker 1: the other side of this storm, a great one.