WEBVTT 00:00:09.480 --> 00:00:14.320 Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:16.600 an international church in Bangkok, Thailand, 00:00:16.760 --> 00:00:19.820 with dozens of nationalities worshiping together. 00:00:20.140 --> 00:00:23.000 We invite you to connect with us from wherever 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:27.219 you are through our website, ecb .asia, or our 00:00:27.219 --> 00:00:31.059 mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed 00:00:31.059 --> 00:00:35.250 by this week's sermon. The series that we started 00:00:35.250 --> 00:00:37.789 in the book of Colossians we call Grace and Peace. 00:00:38.030 --> 00:00:41.990 Because grace and peace are the two legs of the 00:00:41.990 --> 00:00:44.890 Christian walk. God wants you to follow him, 00:00:45.109 --> 00:00:48.189 but he wants you to be walking in both his grace 00:00:48.189 --> 00:00:50.649 and his peace. And if you are not experiencing 00:00:50.649 --> 00:00:53.270 either one of those, then the book of Colossians 00:00:53.270 --> 00:00:57.189 is with you. And for you in all the details that 00:00:57.189 --> 00:00:59.750 we've been able to cover. So go back to the website, 00:00:59.909 --> 00:01:02.350 the app to catch up with the studies if you have 00:01:02.350 --> 00:01:05.670 not seen all of them yet. But today we are on 00:01:05.670 --> 00:01:09.590 the eighth study of the series. And we are going 00:01:09.590 --> 00:01:12.670 to be talking about God's peace flowing through 00:01:12.670 --> 00:01:17.689 us into our teamwork. More about that in a moment. 00:01:18.599 --> 00:01:21.400 But what we have learned so much so far in the 00:01:21.400 --> 00:01:24.879 study of Colossians is that what you have, the 00:01:24.879 --> 00:01:28.019 Apostle Paul telling us is, look, if you believe 00:01:28.019 --> 00:01:31.319 in Jesus, if Jesus is your Savior and you're 00:01:31.319 --> 00:01:34.079 following him, you have to understand that he 00:01:34.079 --> 00:01:36.200 already saved you, brought you from darkness 00:01:36.200 --> 00:01:39.640 into his kingdom of light. You are fully reconciled 00:01:39.640 --> 00:01:43.400 with him. All your sins fully paid. You have 00:01:43.400 --> 00:01:46.680 to worry no more about whether God will love 00:01:46.680 --> 00:01:48.799 you or reject you or whether you are good enough. 00:01:49.180 --> 00:01:52.579 Jesus has made you good enough. And therefore 00:01:52.579 --> 00:01:55.599 you can rest on his grace. And once you understand 00:01:55.599 --> 00:01:57.939 his grace, you start experiencing his peace. 00:01:59.159 --> 00:02:01.439 But that grace and that peace now that you have 00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:04.680 as you are rooted in him, this grace, this peace 00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:07.719 starts flowing from you into all of these other 00:02:07.719 --> 00:02:10.819 spaces in which you are. Your relationships with 00:02:10.819 --> 00:02:15.800 people. Also your relationship at home and your 00:02:15.800 --> 00:02:18.520 marriage with your children. Also your relationship 00:02:18.520 --> 00:02:21.659 at work in the environment in which God has placed 00:02:21.659 --> 00:02:25.259 you to serve him. Also the impact that we have 00:02:25.259 --> 00:02:27.639 in our communities and the world as God leads 00:02:27.639 --> 00:02:30.439 us to impact the world of darkness with his light. 00:02:30.860 --> 00:02:34.599 And today he's going to add how God wants us 00:02:34.599 --> 00:02:40.580 to impact our teamwork. With his love, with his 00:02:40.580 --> 00:02:43.759 grace, with his peace. Now, it's an interesting 00:02:43.759 --> 00:02:46.620 question because if I were to ask you how is 00:02:46.620 --> 00:02:50.240 your experience with teamwork, nine out of ten 00:02:50.240 --> 00:02:54.000 will say, well, you really want me to tell you. 00:02:54.860 --> 00:02:59.340 Because teamwork always involves dynamics that 00:02:59.340 --> 00:03:02.699 are challenging, that often are just discouragement 00:03:02.699 --> 00:03:07.449 and a pain, just to put it bluntly. And when 00:03:07.449 --> 00:03:11.389 we are thinking about serving the Lord and following 00:03:11.389 --> 00:03:15.750 Him in the calling that He has given us, most 00:03:15.750 --> 00:03:18.289 of the time, He's going to place you in positions 00:03:18.289 --> 00:03:20.449 and roles in which you have to work with other 00:03:20.449 --> 00:03:23.009 people in order to accomplish the things that 00:03:23.009 --> 00:03:26.189 He is calling you to pursue. And that reality, 00:03:26.590 --> 00:03:30.789 that space, is where God's grace and peace need 00:03:30.789 --> 00:03:36.139 to flow. And what makes it challenging is that 00:03:36.139 --> 00:03:38.599 if the experience of working with people is already 00:03:38.599 --> 00:03:42.639 a challenge, how do you navigate that space? 00:03:45.439 --> 00:03:48.780 You may be there and you say, well, I'm not work 00:03:48.780 --> 00:03:51.860 outside. My husband is working full time. I'm 00:03:51.860 --> 00:03:54.560 just on a visa here. I cannot work, so I'm a 00:03:54.560 --> 00:03:57.280 stay -at -home mom. And it's like, I don't really 00:03:57.280 --> 00:03:59.740 have a team so much I'm engaging with. Well, 00:03:59.780 --> 00:04:01.439 let me tell you, if you are married, you have 00:04:01.439 --> 00:04:05.460 a team. It's called marriage. It's husband, wife, 00:04:05.659 --> 00:04:08.159 and God together, the three people in that team. 00:04:08.419 --> 00:04:11.180 And therefore, you also have to make sure that 00:04:11.180 --> 00:04:14.819 God's grace and peace is flowing into that team. 00:04:17.060 --> 00:04:19.680 How does this work? And what are we going to 00:04:19.680 --> 00:04:23.860 discover in this study is that there's a person 00:04:23.860 --> 00:04:28.100 with a calling. And the Apostle Paul wants to 00:04:28.100 --> 00:04:31.240 encourage this person to make sure that they 00:04:31.240 --> 00:04:34.899 remain faithful to that calling despite the challenges 00:04:34.899 --> 00:04:38.459 that he, as a mature follower of Jesus, experienced 00:04:38.459 --> 00:04:42.600 leader, knows this guy is going to experience. 00:04:42.620 --> 00:04:46.620 So he writes to him to encourage him to be faithful 00:04:46.620 --> 00:04:50.879 to that calling. So we'll go and explore. You 00:04:50.879 --> 00:04:53.879 must remember that this letter was written as 00:04:53.879 --> 00:04:57.259 the Apostle Paul is in prison, and he is writing 00:04:57.259 --> 00:05:00.920 it to these people in the city of Colossae. And 00:05:00.920 --> 00:05:03.160 we have gone through the whole book, and towards 00:05:03.160 --> 00:05:05.259 the end, we are going to be reading the very 00:05:05.259 --> 00:05:09.319 last verses of this book. It's going to be a 00:05:09.319 --> 00:05:12.360 selection of greetings. Hey, greet so -and -so 00:05:12.360 --> 00:05:13.920 and so -and -so and so -and -so and tell this 00:05:13.920 --> 00:05:16.079 person hi and remember this person, he's with 00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:19.779 me. And by the way, give this reminder to this 00:05:19.779 --> 00:05:22.779 person to be faithful to God's calling. And that's 00:05:22.779 --> 00:05:25.560 the flow of the end of the book. So let's see 00:05:25.560 --> 00:05:30.579 what it has to say. Tychicus will give you a 00:05:30.579 --> 00:05:33.829 full report about how I'm getting along. He is 00:05:33.829 --> 00:05:37.250 a beloved brother and a faithful helper who serves 00:05:37.250 --> 00:05:40.810 with me in the Lord's work. I have sent him to 00:05:40.810 --> 00:05:43.970 you for this very purpose, to let you know how 00:05:43.970 --> 00:05:48.829 we are doing and to encourage you. I'm also sending 00:05:48.829 --> 00:05:54.589 Onesimus, faithful beloved brother, one of your 00:05:54.589 --> 00:05:58.370 own people. He and Tychicus will tell you everything 00:05:58.370 --> 00:06:02.269 that's happening here in Rome. Aristarchus, who 00:06:02.269 --> 00:06:05.589 is in prison with me, sends you his greetings, 00:06:05.810 --> 00:06:09.649 and so does Mark. Yeah, Mark, Barnabas' cousin. 00:06:10.610 --> 00:06:14.310 As you were instructed before, if Mark goes there, 00:06:14.389 --> 00:06:16.629 make sure that he's welcome when he comes your 00:06:16.629 --> 00:06:21.410 way. Jesus, not Jesus our Savior, but Jesus, 00:06:21.670 --> 00:06:25.189 the one we call Justice. I know the name is common. 00:06:25.889 --> 00:06:29.819 But Jesus' name, Justice, also sends you. His 00:06:29.819 --> 00:06:32.839 greetings. These are the only Jewish believers 00:06:32.839 --> 00:06:36.279 among my co -workers. They are working with me 00:06:36.279 --> 00:06:40.939 here for the kingdom of God. And I can tell you 00:06:40.939 --> 00:06:46.720 what a comfort they have been. Epaphras, well, 00:06:46.759 --> 00:06:48.680 Epaphras, a member of your own fellowship and 00:06:48.680 --> 00:06:51.680 a servant of Christ Jesus, he also sends you 00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:56.360 his greetings. I can tell you, he always prays 00:06:56.360 --> 00:06:59.750 earnestly for you. Asking God to make you strong, 00:06:59.970 --> 00:07:03.089 perfect, fully confident that you are following 00:07:03.089 --> 00:07:07.910 the whole will of God. And this guy, I can assure 00:07:07.910 --> 00:07:11.310 you that he prays hard for you. And also for 00:07:11.310 --> 00:07:13.970 the believers in Laodicea and Herapolis, all 00:07:13.970 --> 00:07:16.230 those cities that are just right next to you. 00:07:16.370 --> 00:07:22.709 He's praying for all of you. Luke, the beloved 00:07:22.709 --> 00:07:27.540 doctor, he also sends you his greetings. And 00:07:27.540 --> 00:07:31.060 so does Dimas, this guy that he is here with 00:07:31.060 --> 00:07:36.019 me too. Please give my greetings to our brothers 00:07:36.019 --> 00:07:40.300 and sisters at Laodicea and to Nympha and the 00:07:40.300 --> 00:07:44.540 church that meets in her house. After you have 00:07:44.540 --> 00:07:48.379 read this letter, pass it on to the church in 00:07:48.379 --> 00:07:51.500 Laodicea so they can read it too and you should 00:07:51.500 --> 00:07:53.779 do the same thing. You read the letter that I 00:07:53.779 --> 00:07:59.209 wrote to them. Exchange it. And please, make 00:07:59.209 --> 00:08:04.910 sure you say to Archippus, be sure to carry out 00:08:04.910 --> 00:08:12.589 the ministry the Lord gave you. And if there's 00:08:12.589 --> 00:08:15.230 anything else I have to say, it's just this. 00:08:15.250 --> 00:08:17.829 Here is my greeting in my own handwriting so 00:08:17.829 --> 00:08:20.889 you know, Paul, right here, my signature there. 00:08:22.410 --> 00:08:24.910 Because he's using a scribe to dictate the letter 00:08:24.910 --> 00:08:27.860 and write it. But it's like, this is really me. 00:08:28.079 --> 00:08:35.179 So you can know. Remember my chains. And may 00:08:35.179 --> 00:08:40.980 God's grace be with you. And that is the end 00:08:40.980 --> 00:08:45.279 of the letter. The Apostle Paul has served God 00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:48.179 throughout all his adult life since the Lord 00:08:48.179 --> 00:08:51.899 Jesus saved him. He pursued the calling that 00:08:51.899 --> 00:08:55.639 God has given him faithfully. But it was tough. 00:08:56.860 --> 00:08:59.500 He went through so many different circumstances. 00:08:59.500 --> 00:09:03.820 But in all that space, he was able to see firsthand 00:09:03.820 --> 00:09:09.100 the power that the gospel had to transform people's 00:09:09.100 --> 00:09:12.539 lives. He went throughout the Roman Empire that 00:09:12.539 --> 00:09:16.480 was filled with people with beliefs shaped by 00:09:16.480 --> 00:09:19.659 Greek mythology, Roman mythology, and local places 00:09:19.659 --> 00:09:22.730 and religions where they worship. Both spirits 00:09:22.730 --> 00:09:25.009 and they worship things and deities that they 00:09:25.009 --> 00:09:28.129 made up themselves. And in that world, he was 00:09:28.129 --> 00:09:32.169 able to be the first person to enter that space 00:09:32.169 --> 00:09:34.850 with the gospel. And he saw people coming to 00:09:34.850 --> 00:09:37.690 believe. And when they believed, he saw the transformation 00:09:37.690 --> 00:09:40.610 that started happening in them. But he was not 00:09:40.610 --> 00:09:43.409 alone. Throughout all of these journeys where 00:09:43.409 --> 00:09:46.190 he saw people coming to know Christ and Christian 00:09:46.190 --> 00:09:48.870 communities started being formed throughout the 00:09:48.870 --> 00:09:52.409 Roman Empire. and these churches being planted 00:09:52.409 --> 00:09:54.730 that eventually became the focus of his letters 00:09:54.730 --> 00:09:58.669 that we have in the New Testament, he got to 00:09:58.669 --> 00:10:01.389 meet many people and work with some of them, 00:10:01.450 --> 00:10:03.929 and he was able to start experiencing teamwork 00:10:03.929 --> 00:10:10.039 firsthand, both the good and the ugly. And he 00:10:10.039 --> 00:10:12.919 mentions at the end of his letter lots of people 00:10:12.919 --> 00:10:15.279 and names of people that are there with him, 00:10:15.419 --> 00:10:17.940 that have worked with him in the past, some that 00:10:17.940 --> 00:10:20.820 came to visit him now that he's in prison. And 00:10:20.820 --> 00:10:25.240 all of these names and this season of his life 00:10:25.240 --> 00:10:28.559 is very meaningful, very important. And the connection 00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:31.519 that he's going to give, Archippus and his church, 00:10:32.100 --> 00:10:35.929 all of them come together. But in order to understand 00:10:35.929 --> 00:10:38.649 this, we have to understand the background and 00:10:38.649 --> 00:10:42.570 dig a little bit deeper. I imagine it like this. 00:10:43.450 --> 00:10:46.210 Picture for a moment that I found the Apostle 00:10:46.210 --> 00:10:49.549 Paul's cell phone and it's unlocked. And I'm 00:10:49.549 --> 00:10:51.529 just curious, so I pick it up. Is it the Apostle 00:10:51.529 --> 00:10:55.149 Paul's cell phone? Let me see his text. Wow, 00:10:55.370 --> 00:10:59.389 Onesimus? Who is this guy? I have no idea. Let 00:10:59.389 --> 00:11:03.059 me check. Oh, there he is. Oh, he names Onesimus 00:11:03.059 --> 00:11:07.000 here too. But who is Philemon? Let me do a search 00:11:07.000 --> 00:11:10.460 in his email. Philemon Onesimus. Like, oh, what 00:11:10.460 --> 00:11:13.539 is that guy? You know, and before you know it, 00:11:13.539 --> 00:11:15.799 a picture starts emerging once you start doing 00:11:15.799 --> 00:11:18.860 all this detective work. Now, I know that doesn't 00:11:18.860 --> 00:11:20.720 make you very confident in showing me your cell 00:11:20.720 --> 00:11:24.159 phone now. But we don't have his cell phone, 00:11:24.200 --> 00:11:26.970 of course, but we have his letters. And we're 00:11:26.970 --> 00:11:29.029 going to take this later and start seeing what 00:11:29.029 --> 00:11:30.889 are the connections, because once you see the 00:11:30.889 --> 00:11:34.850 connections, wow, this becomes something so much 00:11:34.850 --> 00:11:38.870 more powerful. Let me start by reminding you 00:11:38.870 --> 00:11:40.889 that the Apostle Paul is, towards the end of 00:11:40.889 --> 00:11:43.549 his life, he's in prison in Rome, awaiting trial. 00:11:44.149 --> 00:11:49.330 And down the road, he is going to die, decapitated 00:11:49.330 --> 00:11:54.750 at the hands of the Roman Emperor. He does not 00:11:54.750 --> 00:11:56.990 know that yet. But the Lord has been speaking 00:11:56.990 --> 00:12:01.009 in his heart that something is coming. But he's 00:12:01.009 --> 00:12:04.250 in prison awaiting trial. And as he's in prison, 00:12:04.289 --> 00:12:07.129 he leads Onesimus to Christ. And Onesimus was 00:12:07.129 --> 00:12:11.549 this slave that had escaped from the area of 00:12:11.549 --> 00:12:14.309 Colossae and came all the way to Rome. He shares 00:12:14.309 --> 00:12:16.710 the gospel with him. Onesimus comes to know Christ. 00:12:17.090 --> 00:12:20.049 And now we find out that Onesimus' master was 00:12:20.049 --> 00:12:23.429 Philemon, who happened to be Paul's friend. Who 00:12:23.429 --> 00:12:26.230 lived in that city. And Philemon was a Christian. 00:12:27.370 --> 00:12:31.210 So now. Paul is wondering about all these things. 00:12:31.570 --> 00:12:34.289 And it so happened that. The founder of that 00:12:34.289 --> 00:12:38.570 church. That Philemon attended. His name Epaphras. 00:12:39.509 --> 00:12:42.529 He is visiting right there in Rome. And now Paul 00:12:42.529 --> 00:12:44.669 is asking him. All these questions about. So 00:12:44.669 --> 00:12:46.529 tell me how is that church going. And what's 00:12:46.529 --> 00:12:48.750 going on. And what are the challenges you are 00:12:48.750 --> 00:12:51.610 facing. And as he hears all these things. Apostle 00:12:51.610 --> 00:12:54.350 Paul says you know what. If it's okay with you, 00:12:54.409 --> 00:12:56.429 I'm going to write a letter to this Colossians. 00:12:56.450 --> 00:12:59.110 So he starts writing this letter. And he says, 00:12:59.149 --> 00:13:01.409 you know what? I'm also going to write a letter 00:13:01.409 --> 00:13:03.850 to this Philemon. And he writes this letter. 00:13:04.370 --> 00:13:07.269 And now he has this letter. And it's like, who 00:13:07.269 --> 00:13:10.289 do I send with these letters? They didn't grab 00:13:10.289 --> 00:13:13.750 during those years. So he couldn't get a motorcycle. 00:13:15.289 --> 00:13:18.190 So, hey, Tychicus, would you be willing to take 00:13:18.190 --> 00:13:21.840 these letters? And Diacus says, sure, I'll go. 00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:25.320 It's far, but I'll go. Would you take Onesimus 00:13:25.320 --> 00:13:29.159 with you? Sure, we'll take the letters. So there 00:13:29.159 --> 00:13:34.259 they went. And once they go there, and once we 00:13:34.259 --> 00:13:36.480 get the letters for the Colossians and Philemon, 00:13:36.659 --> 00:13:39.679 you take the letter of Philemon and you start 00:13:39.679 --> 00:13:42.299 reading the beginning of it, and you discover 00:13:42.299 --> 00:13:46.740 something. Paul starts saying at the beginning 00:13:46.740 --> 00:13:49.580 of that letter, I'm writing to Philemon. Our 00:13:49.580 --> 00:13:53.320 beloved co -worker. And to our sister, Appiah. 00:13:53.799 --> 00:13:57.240 And to our fellow soldier, Archippus. And to 00:13:57.240 --> 00:14:03.820 the church that meets in your house. Oh. Archippus 00:14:03.820 --> 00:14:06.799 is the guy that he's addressing at the end of 00:14:06.799 --> 00:14:09.679 Colossians. Saying, make sure that you are faithful 00:14:09.679 --> 00:14:13.000 to God's calling. And now we realize that this 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:18.120 guy. Is here. He is the one that is leading now 00:14:18.120 --> 00:14:21.899 the church of the Colossians. And he is leading 00:14:21.899 --> 00:14:24.759 them in a season. In which they are being invaded 00:14:24.759 --> 00:14:28.139 by all this teaching. And all these misconceptions 00:14:28.139 --> 00:14:31.279 about Jesus and the gospel. And all this Jewish 00:14:31.279 --> 00:14:33.860 teaching that is saying. As a Gentile you are 00:14:33.860 --> 00:14:36.159 not good enough. You have to be circumcised and 00:14:36.159 --> 00:14:38.919 follow the law of Moses. And then maybe you will 00:14:38.919 --> 00:14:41.340 be saved. And all of these things. And Archippus 00:14:41.340 --> 00:14:44.720 is now dealing with all of that stuff. And because 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:46.740 he's addressed here at the beginning of the letter 00:14:46.740 --> 00:14:51.639 to Philemon, many Bible scholars believe that 00:14:51.639 --> 00:14:56.480 Philemon is married to Appiah, and their son 00:14:56.480 --> 00:15:00.620 is Archippus, who is now leading the church at 00:15:00.620 --> 00:15:06.940 Colossae. We do not know that for certain, but 00:15:06.940 --> 00:15:09.799 there seems to be a relationship there that is 00:15:09.799 --> 00:15:14.879 family connections. So now that we find out who 00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:17.759 this guy is, it starts making sense. Because 00:15:17.759 --> 00:15:20.940 he says, said to Archippus, be sure to carry 00:15:20.940 --> 00:15:25.039 out the ministry the Lord gave you. And he's 00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:28.480 doing it from a position and a place of experience. 00:15:29.879 --> 00:15:34.080 Wait. When the Apostle Paul says to you, make 00:15:34.080 --> 00:15:36.820 sure that you are carrying the calling God has 00:15:36.820 --> 00:15:41.889 given you, that is something. Because he has 00:15:41.889 --> 00:15:45.169 gone through all of his life of service. And 00:15:45.169 --> 00:15:48.570 now he's addressing a younger leader in a young 00:15:48.570 --> 00:15:52.009 church facing all these challenges. And he sends 00:15:52.009 --> 00:15:55.370 this letter to him. The letter of the Colossians. 00:15:55.529 --> 00:15:59.730 So that his church can be blessed with all this 00:15:59.730 --> 00:16:04.509 truth that he has written to them. And now you 00:16:04.509 --> 00:16:06.830 understand that the Apostle Paul has all of these 00:16:06.830 --> 00:16:10.029 people that he has worked with. He's an experienced 00:16:10.029 --> 00:16:16.549 leader. And he knows what it's like. To have 00:16:16.549 --> 00:16:20.509 to lead in a place where teamwork is challenging 00:16:20.509 --> 00:16:23.970 because of all the dynamics that are happening. 00:16:24.190 --> 00:16:27.190 And now he is in a place of experience, maturity. 00:16:27.470 --> 00:16:30.309 And now he has developed a group of people that 00:16:30.309 --> 00:16:33.230 he trusts, that love him. It's like what we call 00:16:33.230 --> 00:16:38.049 a dream team. It takes a long time to get there. 00:16:39.450 --> 00:16:43.990 And it was not easy. And all of these names are 00:16:43.990 --> 00:16:46.029 there. And he says, you know, this guy is faithful. 00:16:46.409 --> 00:16:50.350 Oh, this is beloved. Oh, this is such a comfort 00:16:50.350 --> 00:16:52.990 to me. You know, all the descriptions that he 00:16:52.990 --> 00:16:56.429 gives about all these people, they are very encouraging. 00:16:57.210 --> 00:16:59.690 And when I'm reading all of those, I can't help 00:16:59.690 --> 00:17:01.809 but wonder. It's like if you had to describe 00:17:01.809 --> 00:17:04.089 the people in your team, what words would you 00:17:04.089 --> 00:17:10.690 use? This person, I wish I knew before I hired 00:17:10.690 --> 00:17:18.019 them. Or oh this person. The reality we can see. 00:17:19.859 --> 00:17:21.859 That if we are going to be serving the Lord in 00:17:21.859 --> 00:17:25.660 our calling. He is going to position us. To serve 00:17:25.660 --> 00:17:27.940 in whatever capacity he is calling you to serve 00:17:27.940 --> 00:17:31.720 him with. And you will have to work with people. 00:17:33.539 --> 00:17:37.079 And that space of working with people. Is going 00:17:37.079 --> 00:17:40.910 to be an invitation. To let God's grace and his 00:17:40.910 --> 00:17:45.430 peace flow through you into that team. Rather 00:17:45.430 --> 00:17:48.009 than use the dynamics of the team as an excuse 00:17:48.009 --> 00:17:54.289 to stop following God's calling. And that's why 00:17:54.289 --> 00:17:57.970 this letter ends with such a strong calling to 00:17:57.970 --> 00:18:01.470 this guy Archippus. Archippus, I know it's hard 00:18:01.470 --> 00:18:06.890 to be leading where you are. Make sure that you 00:18:06.890 --> 00:18:10.839 follow God's calling. And something emerges from 00:18:10.839 --> 00:18:14.039 this picture. Because to get to the place where 00:18:14.039 --> 00:18:17.279 he is, he went through a journey and he overcame 00:18:17.279 --> 00:18:20.119 common challenges that they had to go through. 00:18:20.299 --> 00:18:22.640 One of those problems that they had to overcome 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:28.569 was the problem of motive. Not everybody working 00:18:28.569 --> 00:18:31.089 in his team throughout the years had the right 00:18:31.089 --> 00:18:33.549 motives. And once you're working with people 00:18:33.549 --> 00:18:36.069 that have ulterior motives and healthy motives, 00:18:36.289 --> 00:18:39.109 it creates toxicity in the team. And now you 00:18:39.109 --> 00:18:40.950 have to navigate that space. And what are you 00:18:40.950 --> 00:18:47.829 going to do? We know because we have one of the 00:18:47.829 --> 00:18:50.130 other emails, one of the other texts in his cell 00:18:50.130 --> 00:18:53.990 phone. And he writes to the Philippians. And 00:18:53.990 --> 00:18:56.230 he tells them right there from the same prison 00:18:56.230 --> 00:18:58.829 that he wrote Colossians. And he tells these 00:18:58.829 --> 00:19:02.789 guys from the city of Philippi what's going on 00:19:02.789 --> 00:19:06.710 right there in Rome. And what we discover is 00:19:06.710 --> 00:19:10.730 not pretty. I want you to know, my dear brothers 00:19:10.730 --> 00:19:13.349 and sisters, that everything that has happened 00:19:13.349 --> 00:19:18.470 to me here has helped to spread the good news. 00:19:18.730 --> 00:19:23.049 I know I was not hoping. When I started following 00:19:23.049 --> 00:19:25.450 Jesus, I was going to end up in prison for so 00:19:25.450 --> 00:19:29.809 many years. This was not part of my plan. But 00:19:29.809 --> 00:19:33.809 I can tell you that God has been using this experience 00:19:33.809 --> 00:19:38.170 as a platform so that the gospel is being proclaimed. 00:19:39.250 --> 00:19:42.250 Everyone here, including the whole palace guard, 00:19:42.549 --> 00:19:45.509 knows that I am in chains because of Christ. 00:19:46.329 --> 00:19:49.210 All these guards, they are now trying to avoid 00:19:49.210 --> 00:19:51.450 me because every time they talk to me, it's like 00:19:51.450 --> 00:19:54.410 I want to tell them about Jesus. All of them 00:19:54.410 --> 00:19:56.329 know that I'm here because I'm a follower of 00:19:56.329 --> 00:20:00.930 Jesus. And because of my imprisonment, most of 00:20:00.930 --> 00:20:03.170 the believers here have gained confidence and 00:20:03.170 --> 00:20:06.769 boldly speak God's message without fear. Some 00:20:06.769 --> 00:20:10.109 of these guys that are following Jesus have seen 00:20:10.109 --> 00:20:12.329 me in prison and now they're thinking, wow, if 00:20:12.329 --> 00:20:14.869 Paul can be preaching the gospel, And leading 00:20:14.869 --> 00:20:17.490 people to Christ. While he has lost his freedom. 00:20:17.950 --> 00:20:21.369 I am free. I have freedom. I am going to start 00:20:21.369 --> 00:20:23.849 sharing the gospel too. And they feel inspired 00:20:23.849 --> 00:20:27.089 to lead. They feel inspired to impact the world 00:20:27.089 --> 00:20:31.549 with God's word. That's great. But look at what 00:20:31.549 --> 00:20:36.849 happens next. It is true. That some are preaching 00:20:36.849 --> 00:20:42.710 out of jealousy and rivalry. What? Did I read? 00:20:44.329 --> 00:20:47.769 It is true that some are preaching out of jealousy 00:20:47.769 --> 00:20:58.150 and rivalry. Really? Yeah. Some people have weird 00:20:58.150 --> 00:21:02.410 motives. They're doing all these good things, 00:21:02.430 --> 00:21:04.269 you know, but their motive is completely wrong. 00:21:04.410 --> 00:21:08.369 And they preach because they have these desires 00:21:08.369 --> 00:21:13.109 for rivalry with me. But others preach about 00:21:13.109 --> 00:21:15.630 Christ with pure motives. And they preach because 00:21:15.630 --> 00:21:19.069 they love me. For they know I have been appointed 00:21:19.069 --> 00:21:21.849 to defend the good news. They know who I am. 00:21:21.890 --> 00:21:24.230 They respect me. And we have this relationship 00:21:24.230 --> 00:21:26.809 with these other people. Those others do not 00:21:26.809 --> 00:21:28.670 have pure motives. And they preach about Christ. 00:21:29.109 --> 00:21:32.630 But they preach with selfish ambition. Not sincerely. 00:21:33.630 --> 00:21:36.549 Intending to make my chains more painful to me. 00:21:41.790 --> 00:21:48.250 Really? That happens in the church? That happens 00:21:48.250 --> 00:21:53.829 among missionaries? People that are proclaiming 00:21:53.829 --> 00:21:57.150 the gospel, taking it to the world, they play 00:21:57.150 --> 00:22:02.569 politics? And they can use the pulpit so I can 00:22:02.569 --> 00:22:08.309 hurt your ministry? Oh, I just want to throw 00:22:08.309 --> 00:22:13.609 up now. And they're doing that to cause you pain? 00:22:18.730 --> 00:22:23.130 Wow. So what are you going to do about that, 00:22:23.210 --> 00:22:29.349 Paul? Well, it doesn't really matter. Whatever 00:22:29.349 --> 00:22:31.470 their motives are, false or genuine, the message 00:22:31.470 --> 00:22:34.630 about Christ is being preached. Either way, so 00:22:34.630 --> 00:22:41.430 I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. That 00:22:41.430 --> 00:22:51.869 is a mature following of Jesus speaking. When 00:22:51.869 --> 00:22:54.289 you are serving God and you have this calling, 00:22:54.589 --> 00:22:59.890 you will face those moments in which people are 00:22:59.890 --> 00:23:03.509 going to have the wrong motives, play politics, 00:23:03.609 --> 00:23:08.640 and they drain you. That's why when he says at 00:23:08.640 --> 00:23:11.220 the end of the Colossians letter. Hey I have 00:23:11.220 --> 00:23:13.180 these other people with me. And they are working 00:23:13.180 --> 00:23:18.000 here with me. For the kingdom of God. And what 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:23.420 a comfort they have been. Yeah. Because to find 00:23:23.420 --> 00:23:27.000 people. That you share the same heartbeat for 00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:29.799 the kingdom of God. That you are really there 00:23:29.799 --> 00:23:33.119 because you love Jesus. Not out of selfish ambition. 00:23:33.640 --> 00:23:36.559 To be able to work with people like that. Wow. 00:23:37.079 --> 00:23:40.460 That is such an encouragement because that is 00:23:40.460 --> 00:23:46.640 rare. When you have all these other people with 00:23:46.640 --> 00:23:51.079 selfish ambition and jealousy and envy and competition 00:23:51.079 --> 00:23:54.279 and all of them are trying to follow Jesus and 00:23:54.279 --> 00:23:57.779 work together, it's just like a pain. It's hard. 00:23:58.099 --> 00:24:02.680 It's draining. And at that moment, Archippus, 00:24:02.720 --> 00:24:05.819 you are going to feel tempted to say, you know, 00:24:05.859 --> 00:24:09.680 I'm done. This is too hard. Make sure, Archippus, 00:24:09.880 --> 00:24:13.079 that you remain faithful to the calling that 00:24:13.079 --> 00:24:15.579 God has given you. Because He is the one that 00:24:15.579 --> 00:24:18.759 placed you there. Not these people. So you have 00:24:18.759 --> 00:24:21.779 to learn to have thick skin. Let them preach 00:24:21.779 --> 00:24:24.440 Christ for the wrong motives. But it doesn't 00:24:24.440 --> 00:24:28.500 matter. Because I'm not here for them. I'm here 00:24:28.500 --> 00:24:32.940 for the one who called me. And I'm going to remain 00:24:32.940 --> 00:24:37.609 faithful to His calling. And you will have to 00:24:37.609 --> 00:24:41.970 go through that. And it will be tough. But when 00:24:41.970 --> 00:24:45.029 the Lord blesses you with a dream team, ah, you 00:24:45.029 --> 00:24:51.789 will be so blessed. The Apostle Paul had to make 00:24:51.789 --> 00:24:56.950 a choice. Would he let the ulterior motives and 00:24:56.950 --> 00:25:00.369 the politics around him make his life more miserable? 00:25:02.630 --> 00:25:06.490 Or? Would he let God's grace and his peace flow 00:25:06.490 --> 00:25:12.950 through him into that space? That's a choice 00:25:12.950 --> 00:25:17.609 that you and I have to make. Because you will 00:25:17.609 --> 00:25:24.329 be tempted to quit when it gets tough. But if 00:25:24.329 --> 00:25:26.509 it is true that you are there because God called 00:25:26.509 --> 00:25:29.509 you to be there, and you are positioned there 00:25:29.509 --> 00:25:31.980 because God positioned you to be there, you will 00:25:31.980 --> 00:25:34.259 have to start asking a whole different question. 00:25:34.779 --> 00:25:36.900 The question is not, do I enjoy these people? 00:25:37.099 --> 00:25:40.039 No. The question is, God, do you call me to be 00:25:40.039 --> 00:25:44.660 here? Because if so, would you let your grace 00:25:44.660 --> 00:25:47.700 and peace flow through me into this space? Because 00:25:47.700 --> 00:25:53.740 the political game is getting very strong. At 00:25:53.740 --> 00:25:57.460 the end of the day, it doesn't matter. What matters 00:25:57.460 --> 00:26:02.549 is I remain faithful to God's calling. The second 00:26:02.549 --> 00:26:05.930 challenge that he had to overcome, as he followed 00:26:05.930 --> 00:26:08.890 the Lord and as he became a mature believer and 00:26:08.890 --> 00:26:12.509 a team that he could be blessed with, they had 00:26:12.509 --> 00:26:17.089 to overcome the ethnic divisions. Because, Archippus, 00:26:17.109 --> 00:26:21.440 I know you are a Gentile. I know you're leading 00:26:21.440 --> 00:26:24.880 this church in Colossae that are mostly Gentiles, 00:26:24.880 --> 00:26:27.539 but yeah, you also got these Jews that started 00:26:27.539 --> 00:26:29.240 coming saying, you're not good enough, you're 00:26:29.240 --> 00:26:31.140 a Gentile after all, so you also need to become 00:26:31.140 --> 00:26:34.559 a Jew to really be saved. I have to tell you, 00:26:34.680 --> 00:26:38.299 there are some people that will look at you and 00:26:38.299 --> 00:26:42.420 they will see you as a category. They will see 00:26:42.420 --> 00:26:46.599 you as not good enough for the job because they 00:26:46.599 --> 00:26:50.069 cannot really see you. They don't see the person 00:26:50.069 --> 00:26:53.730 you are. They see what you represent, shaped 00:26:53.730 --> 00:26:56.730 by all the prejudices. And you want me to tell 00:26:56.730 --> 00:27:01.130 you how this whole thing even began? I mean, 00:27:01.150 --> 00:27:04.930 from the very beginning, this whole thing of 00:27:04.930 --> 00:27:08.529 prejudice in the kingdom of God and the teams 00:27:08.529 --> 00:27:11.890 that God established has always been a struggle. 00:27:13.150 --> 00:27:15.740 Because, you know, You might imagine that when 00:27:15.740 --> 00:27:17.880 the Apostle Peter, my friend, preached the gospel 00:27:17.880 --> 00:27:20.099 for the first time, you remember 3 ,000 people 00:27:20.099 --> 00:27:23.339 came to know Christ? You could imagine that was 00:27:23.339 --> 00:27:25.380 heaven on earth, but it was nothing like heaven 00:27:25.380 --> 00:27:28.299 on earth. It was the Holy Spirit on earth, but 00:27:28.299 --> 00:27:32.259 not heaven yet. We had conflicts and things. 00:27:32.380 --> 00:27:36.019 In fact, the Apostle Peter... Was sent by God 00:27:36.019 --> 00:27:38.700 to this town. To preach the gospel to this family. 00:27:38.960 --> 00:27:41.839 And they were Romans. Not Jews. They were Gentiles. 00:27:42.119 --> 00:27:44.619 And an angel had to appear to him. To send him 00:27:44.619 --> 00:27:47.079 in there. So he arrived to this place. Preaches 00:27:47.079 --> 00:27:49.400 the gospel to this Roman family. And they all 00:27:49.400 --> 00:27:53.380 come to know Christ. So now people started hearing 00:27:53.380 --> 00:27:55.740 about what had happened. So the apostle Peter 00:27:55.740 --> 00:28:00.019 goes to Jerusalem. And now as he arrives to Jerusalem. 00:28:00.160 --> 00:28:03.640 Before he can say anything. People started like. 00:28:05.920 --> 00:28:08.940 Looking at him with this judgmental attitude 00:28:08.940 --> 00:28:11.599 and asking him these questions, it wasn't pretty. 00:28:12.500 --> 00:28:15.400 Soon the news reached the apostles and other 00:28:15.400 --> 00:28:18.400 believers in Judea that the Gentiles, can you 00:28:18.400 --> 00:28:21.220 believe it? Gentiles had received the word of 00:28:21.220 --> 00:28:27.380 God. Those people. But when Peter arrived back 00:28:27.380 --> 00:28:29.720 in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized 00:28:29.720 --> 00:28:33.359 him. And they said to him, Peter, did I hear 00:28:33.359 --> 00:28:37.809 correctly? That you enter the home of those Gentiles. 00:28:38.609 --> 00:28:47.549 And you even. Did you even eat with them? I can't 00:28:47.549 --> 00:28:49.730 even picture that. I mean the very mentioning 00:28:49.730 --> 00:28:57.950 makes me just have nausea. Those people. Archippus. 00:28:58.509 --> 00:29:01.390 That's how the gospel of Jesus started reaching 00:29:01.390 --> 00:29:07.619 us. And then I had to go to that council later. 00:29:09.240 --> 00:29:12.759 And we had debates about whether the Gentiles 00:29:12.759 --> 00:29:15.019 were also part of the kingdom or not. And whether 00:29:15.019 --> 00:29:17.900 these churches were also legit churches or not. 00:29:18.140 --> 00:29:21.339 And whether Gentiles had to become Jews or not. 00:29:21.460 --> 00:29:23.819 I mean, I was in the middle of that beginning. 00:29:24.079 --> 00:29:28.940 You have a good if you just knew where I was 00:29:28.940 --> 00:29:34.069 at the beginning. So that's why. When I started 00:29:34.069 --> 00:29:37.009 preaching the gospel and I met Timothy, oh, Timothy, 00:29:37.250 --> 00:29:41.170 he was a nice guy. He loved the Lord. He knew 00:29:41.170 --> 00:29:43.990 the word. He came from a home where his grandmother 00:29:43.990 --> 00:29:47.369 taught him the scriptures since young. And God 00:29:47.369 --> 00:29:49.769 started putting in my heart that I needed to 00:29:49.769 --> 00:29:54.869 invite this Timothy to work with me. So I approached 00:29:54.869 --> 00:29:56.910 Timothy in one of these trips and said, Timothy, 00:29:57.130 --> 00:30:01.599 I have a proposition for you. Would you like 00:30:01.599 --> 00:30:04.920 to join me in my ministry and travel with me 00:30:04.920 --> 00:30:07.759 as we share the gospel in all these places in 00:30:07.759 --> 00:30:13.420 the Roman Empire? It's a great, great opportunity. 00:30:13.440 --> 00:30:19.119 But Paul knew there's a problem. You see, Timothy's 00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:21.819 mother was a Jew, but his father was a Greek. 00:30:22.200 --> 00:30:26.420 We meant something. It meant that Timothy was 00:30:26.420 --> 00:30:30.910 not circumcised. And that's going to be a problem 00:30:30.910 --> 00:30:34.289 because if I take him with me and we meet some 00:30:34.289 --> 00:30:38.470 Jews and say, what's your last name? It's like, 00:30:38.509 --> 00:30:41.930 hey, that sounds Greek. Is your father a Greek? 00:30:42.250 --> 00:30:46.569 Yeah. So are you circumcised? Are you one of 00:30:46.569 --> 00:30:51.430 us? If those things start happening, it's going 00:30:51.430 --> 00:30:53.670 to create so much trouble with this whole ethnic 00:30:53.670 --> 00:30:58.529 tension. So, Timothy, I want you to pray about 00:30:58.529 --> 00:31:06.220 this. Find out. You want to join me? But if you 00:31:06.220 --> 00:31:09.519 do, here's the deal. We'll have to go through 00:31:09.519 --> 00:31:16.299 surgery first. And that's what he says. Timothy 00:31:16.299 --> 00:31:19.119 was well thought out by the believers in Lystra 00:31:19.119 --> 00:31:21.640 and Iconium. So Paul wanted him to join them 00:31:21.640 --> 00:31:24.240 on the journey. In defense to their Jew of the 00:31:24.240 --> 00:31:28.039 area, he arranged. In deference to the Jews of 00:31:28.039 --> 00:31:30.660 the area, he arranged for Timothy to be circumcised 00:31:30.660 --> 00:31:33.420 before they left, for everyone knew that his 00:31:33.420 --> 00:31:40.339 father was a Greek. Can you see the level of 00:31:40.339 --> 00:31:43.299 ethnic tensions that they had from the very beginning 00:31:43.299 --> 00:31:45.460 to the point that he had to even make sure that 00:31:45.460 --> 00:31:50.650 this Timothy had it all right? So when he writes 00:31:50.650 --> 00:31:52.750 at the end of Colossians, and he says, you know, 00:31:52.809 --> 00:31:55.589 Aristarchus, Mark, Jesus is the one called Justice, 00:31:55.849 --> 00:31:58.349 these are the only Jewish believers among my 00:31:58.349 --> 00:32:03.250 co -workers. That's a lot. You have three Jewish 00:32:03.250 --> 00:32:06.789 Christians that have endorsed God's vision for 00:32:06.789 --> 00:32:09.190 the Gentile inclusion into the kingdom, and they've 00:32:09.190 --> 00:32:11.130 been preaching the gospel with you. Wow, way 00:32:11.130 --> 00:32:15.410 to go, Paul. All the Jews that are here in Colossae 00:32:15.410 --> 00:32:17.849 that are coming to our church keep telling us 00:32:17.849 --> 00:32:19.910 you have to be circumcised before we can become 00:32:19.910 --> 00:32:22.589 truly saved. And I'm so glad you sent me this 00:32:22.589 --> 00:32:24.430 letter because now I understand the theology 00:32:24.430 --> 00:32:32.710 of it. Jesus is enough. Wow. But Archippus, don't 00:32:32.710 --> 00:32:38.549 let the prejudice of others keep you from following 00:32:38.549 --> 00:32:43.259 God's calling. You are not there for them. They 00:32:43.259 --> 00:32:45.200 cannot see you for who you are, but the one who 00:32:45.200 --> 00:32:49.359 calls you knows you. So what are you going to 00:32:49.359 --> 00:32:52.599 do? Are you going to let God's grace and peace 00:32:52.599 --> 00:32:57.839 flow through you into that space to overcome 00:32:57.839 --> 00:33:01.599 those tensions? Because there are moments in 00:33:01.599 --> 00:33:04.000 which God will place you in leadership roles 00:33:04.000 --> 00:33:07.039 in which people will not respect you at the beginning 00:33:07.039 --> 00:33:09.400 because they see you as a category. Well, you're 00:33:09.400 --> 00:33:13.609 a woman. And women don't lead in my place, in 00:33:13.609 --> 00:33:18.349 my company, in my ministry. You're from that 00:33:18.349 --> 00:33:22.190 country, and now they entrusted you to lead this 00:33:22.190 --> 00:33:25.950 mission? It's like, I'm not sure I can trust 00:33:25.950 --> 00:33:27.609 people from your country. They're not honest. 00:33:27.750 --> 00:33:31.829 They steal money. So do we have people checking 00:33:31.829 --> 00:33:35.589 the finances here apart from you? And you have 00:33:35.589 --> 00:33:37.890 all these conversations that are going on in 00:33:37.890 --> 00:33:41.089 all of these places. And you are there thinking, 00:33:41.269 --> 00:33:44.750 they see me as a category. They hear my accent 00:33:44.750 --> 00:33:48.450 and they think that I'm not trustworthy. What 00:33:48.450 --> 00:33:54.970 are you going to do? Archippus, remain faithful 00:33:54.970 --> 00:33:57.549 to the calling that God has given you because 00:33:57.549 --> 00:34:00.009 you are not a category. You are a servant of 00:34:00.009 --> 00:34:02.970 the most high God. And he positioned you there. 00:34:03.069 --> 00:34:05.730 And until he removes you from there, guess what? 00:34:06.410 --> 00:34:12.070 You stick to it. And when his grace and his peace 00:34:12.070 --> 00:34:16.750 flows through you, let those people realize that 00:34:16.750 --> 00:34:19.690 they were wrong all along. And the year will 00:34:19.690 --> 00:34:22.190 come, they will look at you with respect. And 00:34:22.190 --> 00:34:24.969 some may tell you, you know what, when you started 00:34:24.969 --> 00:34:27.949 this responsibility, this is what I thought of 00:34:27.949 --> 00:34:32.889 you, but I was so wrong. To get to that place 00:34:32.889 --> 00:34:36.590 takes effort. But more than that, it takes God's 00:34:36.590 --> 00:34:38.550 grace and peace flowing through you into that 00:34:38.550 --> 00:34:42.920 team. And that's why the third challenge is going 00:34:42.920 --> 00:34:46.920 to be very important. But I added these books 00:34:46.920 --> 00:34:49.440 here for you because if you are serving in a 00:34:49.440 --> 00:34:52.219 multicultural team or you are married in a multicultural 00:34:52.219 --> 00:34:58.360 marriage, any team is already challenging to 00:34:58.360 --> 00:35:00.360 work together. But you add the multicultural 00:35:00.360 --> 00:35:04.500 element to it and it becomes so complex. So complex 00:35:04.500 --> 00:35:08.139 that there are books, seminars you can go to. 00:35:09.420 --> 00:35:11.619 College, you can get master's degrees in all 00:35:11.619 --> 00:35:14.260 this topic. You know what we call it in the academia? 00:35:15.119 --> 00:35:20.500 We call it cultural intelligence, CI. You need 00:35:20.500 --> 00:35:22.480 to grow in cultural intelligence so that you 00:35:22.480 --> 00:35:25.300 know how to work with multicultural teams. And 00:35:25.300 --> 00:35:26.940 these two books are very helpful. The Culture 00:35:26.940 --> 00:35:29.519 Map is one of them. It's not a Christian book 00:35:29.519 --> 00:35:32.440 per se, but it's just an amazing book. I read 00:35:32.440 --> 00:35:34.820 it, recommended it, I listened to it, I laughed 00:35:34.820 --> 00:35:36.579 through it from the experiences that it shares. 00:35:36.739 --> 00:35:39.239 The other one is leading multicultural teams 00:35:39.239 --> 00:35:42.300 that was written by this couple who served in 00:35:42.300 --> 00:35:45.159 ministry in missions for many years and did an 00:35:45.159 --> 00:35:47.639 excellent summary of anthropological studies 00:35:47.639 --> 00:35:51.079 on culture and they put it together. So if this 00:35:51.079 --> 00:35:53.820 is an area in which you are struggling or serving 00:35:53.820 --> 00:35:55.820 and you realize, I need to understand a little 00:35:55.820 --> 00:35:58.380 bit more of this, these are two books that I 00:35:58.380 --> 00:36:00.880 would highly recommend. But after saying that, 00:36:02.670 --> 00:36:04.670 The third challenge they're going to face is 00:36:04.670 --> 00:36:07.630 not one of cultural differences and ethnic tensions. 00:36:07.929 --> 00:36:11.949 It's going to be one of unsolved tensions. And 00:36:11.949 --> 00:36:14.590 this perhaps is one of the most common reasons 00:36:14.590 --> 00:36:18.409 why people end up being so discouraged that they 00:36:18.409 --> 00:36:21.750 end up quitting and not pursuing God's calling 00:36:21.750 --> 00:36:25.130 altogether. And the Apostle Paul had to experience 00:36:25.130 --> 00:36:28.769 it. He mentions at the end of Colossians this 00:36:28.769 --> 00:36:33.889 guy called Mark. Hey, Mark. If he goes to visit, 00:36:33.989 --> 00:36:38.630 you make sure you welcome him. When he's mentioned 00:36:38.630 --> 00:36:41.170 in this name, this is fast forward several years, 00:36:41.269 --> 00:36:43.889 but at the beginning when we encounter Mark in 00:36:43.889 --> 00:36:45.789 relationship to the Apostle Paul's ministry, 00:36:46.170 --> 00:36:49.789 what you find out is that when the Apostle Paul 00:36:49.789 --> 00:36:51.889 started his ministry, taking the gospel to the 00:36:51.889 --> 00:36:55.170 world, and he started working in team, his first 00:36:55.170 --> 00:36:59.380 team was Barnabas. And Barnabas and Paul started 00:36:59.380 --> 00:37:01.599 sharing the gospel together. They were in Antioch, 00:37:01.599 --> 00:37:03.760 serving together at that church. And now they're 00:37:03.760 --> 00:37:05.880 going to go and start traveling the world and 00:37:05.880 --> 00:37:08.320 taking the gospel to places. And as they're doing 00:37:08.320 --> 00:37:11.440 that, Barnabas has a great idea. He has a cousin. 00:37:11.579 --> 00:37:15.059 His name is Mark. He's a young guy, but he loves 00:37:15.059 --> 00:37:18.800 the Lord. He's a nice person. He could be so 00:37:18.800 --> 00:37:22.400 useful. So let's take him with us. So they did. 00:37:23.659 --> 00:37:26.099 They decided, okay, let's meet together. Let's 00:37:26.099 --> 00:37:28.820 plan our mission trips that we're going to do. 00:37:28.900 --> 00:37:31.159 We're going to go this way, all of that. This 00:37:31.159 --> 00:37:32.940 is what you need to do. This is what you need 00:37:32.940 --> 00:37:35.840 to do. And they had the whole plan ready to execute. 00:37:36.239 --> 00:37:43.559 And they started executing it. Except that in 00:37:43.559 --> 00:37:48.239 the middle of executing it, this little guy, 00:37:48.539 --> 00:37:53.409 Mark, Barnabas' cousin, Says, you know what? 00:37:53.610 --> 00:37:56.250 I don't like this anymore. This is not what I 00:37:56.250 --> 00:37:58.610 expected. I'm just not going to go back home. 00:37:59.650 --> 00:38:02.889 It's like, what? You can't leave us now. I mean, 00:38:02.929 --> 00:38:04.590 you should have thought about all this before, 00:38:04.730 --> 00:38:07.429 but now in the middle of it? Yeah, you know. 00:38:08.409 --> 00:38:10.989 It's like, I don't like their food. It's too 00:38:10.989 --> 00:38:15.389 spicy. You know, over there, it's just too hot. 00:38:15.590 --> 00:38:19.829 I like AC. This is just not me. This is not what 00:38:19.829 --> 00:38:28.059 I expected. So Mark quit. And he left them in 00:38:28.059 --> 00:38:32.500 the middle of everything. So now later they come 00:38:32.500 --> 00:38:34.599 back, they finish that trip, and they're planning 00:38:34.599 --> 00:38:40.239 another trip, and Barnabas says, hey, why don't 00:38:40.239 --> 00:38:44.239 we bring Mark this time? Barnabas agreed and 00:38:44.239 --> 00:38:47.719 wanted to take along John Mark, but Paul disagreed 00:38:47.719 --> 00:38:52.099 strongly. That's to put it nicely. Since John 00:38:52.099 --> 00:38:55.420 Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not 00:38:55.420 --> 00:38:57.579 continued with them in their work. Did you hear 00:38:57.579 --> 00:39:00.920 the word deserted them? Yeah. That's how it felt. 00:39:02.639 --> 00:39:07.599 Wow. So their disagreement was so sharp that 00:39:07.599 --> 00:39:11.440 they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with 00:39:11.440 --> 00:39:15.519 him and sailed for Cyprus. Paul chose Silas. 00:39:15.599 --> 00:39:18.579 And as he left, the believers entrusted him to 00:39:18.579 --> 00:39:26.420 the Lord's gracious care. That's how Paul and 00:39:26.420 --> 00:39:30.619 Mark began working together. And at that moment, 00:39:30.679 --> 00:39:32.900 it was so clear that Paul says, you know what, 00:39:32.920 --> 00:39:37.659 I cannot trust this type of people. It's like, 00:39:37.739 --> 00:39:40.980 bear me once, bear me twice. No, I don't think 00:39:40.980 --> 00:39:47.599 so. But what God will start doing in the life 00:39:47.599 --> 00:39:50.880 of the Apostle Paul is that the Holy Spirit is 00:39:50.880 --> 00:39:54.909 going to start prompting him. His grace and his 00:39:54.909 --> 00:39:58.329 peace has to flow through him into the slave 00:39:58.329 --> 00:40:01.190 of this guy. Because, yeah, he made mistakes 00:40:01.190 --> 00:40:03.210 because he was immature. But he's growing up. 00:40:03.550 --> 00:40:08.289 He needs new opportunities. He will mature. You 00:40:08.289 --> 00:40:12.690 can work with him. And eventually, he started 00:40:12.690 --> 00:40:17.730 reconnecting with Mark. To the point that now 00:40:17.730 --> 00:40:20.230 that he's at the end of Colossians, he says, 00:40:20.409 --> 00:40:26.380 Mark. Is here with me. Barnabas is cousin. And 00:40:26.380 --> 00:40:28.420 as you were instructed before. Make Mark welcome. 00:40:28.500 --> 00:40:33.360 If he comes your way. He's a good guy. A blessing. 00:40:38.920 --> 00:40:43.039 And did you know. Paul did not know at the beginning. 00:40:43.960 --> 00:40:47.119 Little Mark. The immature one. Was going to become 00:40:47.119 --> 00:40:53.099 the author. Of the gospel of Mark. How do you 00:40:53.099 --> 00:40:58.320 like that? The gospel that you read about the 00:40:58.320 --> 00:41:01.320 life of Jesus was written by this leader that 00:41:01.320 --> 00:41:04.880 was able to grow into maturity because God's 00:41:04.880 --> 00:41:07.699 grace and his peace gave him opportunities to 00:41:07.699 --> 00:41:10.780 learn from his immaturity, his mistakes, and 00:41:10.780 --> 00:41:17.559 he grew into a leader shaped by a mentor called 00:41:17.559 --> 00:41:25.329 Paul. Yeah. But there's something that the Apostle 00:41:25.329 --> 00:41:28.690 Paul does not know yet. One of the guys that 00:41:28.690 --> 00:41:34.670 he trusts there, his name is Demas. Demas is 00:41:34.670 --> 00:41:37.349 there with him, but something is going to happen 00:41:37.349 --> 00:41:41.090 that's going to create a tension that is so deep 00:41:41.090 --> 00:41:45.750 and sorrowful. And he will write about this later 00:41:45.750 --> 00:41:49.949 to the last letter that he wrote to 2 Timothy. 00:41:51.719 --> 00:41:54.320 This is the last letter that he ever wrote before 00:41:54.320 --> 00:41:58.900 he died, after the Colossians. And now we know 00:41:58.900 --> 00:42:04.519 what happened. He says, Timothy, please come 00:42:04.519 --> 00:42:10.960 as soon as you can. Demas has deserted me. Because 00:42:10.960 --> 00:42:13.280 he loves the things of this life, he has gone 00:42:13.280 --> 00:42:16.920 to Thessalonica, which is in Greece. Crescens 00:42:16.920 --> 00:42:19.980 has gone to Galatia. Titus has gone to Dalmatia. 00:42:20.710 --> 00:42:24.329 Only Luke is with me now. Yeah, the doctor, the 00:42:24.329 --> 00:42:27.989 friend, who also will become the author of the 00:42:27.989 --> 00:42:33.989 Gospel of Luke. But he's in a place of loneliness. 00:42:34.969 --> 00:42:37.849 He will say in another letter, everybody deserted 00:42:37.849 --> 00:42:42.750 me. Only Luke is with me now. It feels lonely. 00:42:43.349 --> 00:42:50.079 It feels kind of sad. Because I never saw it 00:42:50.079 --> 00:42:53.840 coming from Demas. I trusted him. I mean, if 00:42:53.840 --> 00:42:55.760 you would have seen what I wrote to the Colossians 00:42:55.760 --> 00:42:58.199 at the end, Demas, you know, I even mentioned 00:42:58.199 --> 00:43:02.000 his name as one of my dream team here with me. 00:43:03.119 --> 00:43:05.960 In a lifetime, in a thousand, in a million years, 00:43:06.099 --> 00:43:09.599 I could not have imagined that Demas would betray 00:43:09.599 --> 00:43:18.079 me this way. What are you going to do? When people 00:43:18.079 --> 00:43:22.679 betray you, when you are in that space of tension 00:43:22.679 --> 00:43:25.699 where there's no compromise, it's like, my way, 00:43:25.739 --> 00:43:27.460 not my way, not mine, what are you going to do? 00:43:29.579 --> 00:43:33.460 Are you going to use that as an excuse to say, 00:43:33.500 --> 00:43:35.159 I'm done with this, I cannot do this anymore 00:43:35.159 --> 00:43:39.079 because it's too hard? Or are you going to let 00:43:39.079 --> 00:43:42.880 God's grace and His peace flow through you into 00:43:42.880 --> 00:43:46.769 those relationships so that You can remain faithful 00:43:46.769 --> 00:43:49.429 to the calling that God has given you. Not them, 00:43:49.510 --> 00:43:58.650 but God. And perhaps this place is the hardest 00:43:58.650 --> 00:44:06.889 of all. When I got ordained as a pastor, it's 00:44:06.889 --> 00:44:10.090 been like, what, 20 years ago now. When I got 00:44:10.090 --> 00:44:13.309 ordained as a pastor, I remember it was a very 00:44:13.309 --> 00:44:16.630 detailed process. I had to write all my doctrinal 00:44:16.630 --> 00:44:21.190 statements. It was like a big dissertation like 00:44:21.190 --> 00:44:24.050 this. All these questions you have to answer 00:44:24.050 --> 00:44:26.130 about everything. Because they want to measure 00:44:26.130 --> 00:44:28.449 whether you understand the scriptures, whether 00:44:28.449 --> 00:44:30.570 you have mature theology, whether you can engage 00:44:30.570 --> 00:44:33.150 defending the faith or not. So I had to write 00:44:33.150 --> 00:44:37.309 all this stuff. Then you submit it to a board. 00:44:38.179 --> 00:44:40.639 And then all this board meets with you and you 00:44:40.639 --> 00:44:43.539 are there sitting and they start bombarding you 00:44:43.539 --> 00:44:45.420 with all these questions. What about this? What 00:44:45.420 --> 00:44:47.159 about that? What does the Bible say about this? 00:44:47.219 --> 00:44:48.840 What is your argument about this? If somebody 00:44:48.840 --> 00:44:51.079 says this, how would you counteract that argument? 00:44:51.239 --> 00:44:53.199 What is your biblical foundation for this? You 00:44:53.199 --> 00:44:58.199 know, it's like several hours of that. And then 00:44:58.199 --> 00:45:00.059 after serving with the church for two years and 00:45:00.059 --> 00:45:03.280 passing the theological examination, then you 00:45:03.280 --> 00:45:06.599 get ordained and now we can trust you. You have 00:45:06.599 --> 00:45:09.320 the biblical theology down. You have led. We 00:45:09.320 --> 00:45:11.500 can see your character. We trust you. Ordain. 00:45:11.699 --> 00:45:16.599 There. But there was one question during the 00:45:16.599 --> 00:45:19.019 theological examination I had not prepared for. 00:45:19.820 --> 00:45:24.460 And it wasn't about theology. One of the pastors 00:45:24.460 --> 00:45:29.219 asked me, Pablo, what are you going to do when 00:45:29.219 --> 00:45:31.820 you have someone in your team that stops you 00:45:31.820 --> 00:45:40.880 in the back? I mean, at least I knew my theology, 00:45:41.099 --> 00:45:44.260 so I gave the right answer. Well, it's like God 00:45:44.260 --> 00:45:46.179 says you need to forgive everybody, you know, 00:45:46.199 --> 00:45:49.400 77, you know, all that, you know, and therefore, 00:45:49.619 --> 00:45:56.079 yeah, that's what you need to do. Easier said 00:45:56.079 --> 00:46:01.119 than done. I had headaches throughout the years, 00:46:01.219 --> 00:46:05.019 and sometimes people see you as a headache too. 00:46:05.929 --> 00:46:08.610 But in teamwork, I've experienced many things. 00:46:10.329 --> 00:46:15.789 But only one time, in my entire journey of serving 00:46:15.789 --> 00:46:23.469 the Lord, I was stabbed in the back. By someone 00:46:23.469 --> 00:46:30.230 in my team. And I can tell you, I was not prepared 00:46:30.230 --> 00:46:38.119 for it. It was so hard. a combination of feeling 00:46:38.119 --> 00:46:44.019 sad, betrayed, angry, very disorienting space. 00:46:45.980 --> 00:46:50.260 And I remember saying to my wife, like, I feel 00:46:50.260 --> 00:46:58.619 like my soul, my soul is bruised. And I had never 00:46:58.619 --> 00:47:02.679 found myself there. And it took me several weeks 00:47:02.679 --> 00:47:05.679 to process it, and it's just like, The peace 00:47:05.679 --> 00:47:08.639 of God had been compromised. I was not experiencing 00:47:08.639 --> 00:47:12.059 peace. I was experiencing pain. I felt betrayed. 00:47:12.480 --> 00:47:17.239 I felt blindsided. I felt it's like... And I 00:47:17.239 --> 00:47:20.119 remember having to go into time alone with the 00:47:20.119 --> 00:47:22.719 Lord. And the anger coming out in my prayer. 00:47:22.960 --> 00:47:28.739 And all of these things being released. Until 00:47:28.739 --> 00:47:32.239 I finally was able to say to the Lord, I forgive. 00:47:35.280 --> 00:47:38.840 And at that moment, the grace and peace started 00:47:38.840 --> 00:47:44.320 flowing again. And now, my soul was in a better 00:47:44.320 --> 00:47:47.480 place. And I could see that person again later 00:47:47.480 --> 00:47:51.440 in my life. I have no bitterness. I could greet 00:47:51.440 --> 00:47:53.659 that person. I could hug that person. I could 00:47:53.659 --> 00:47:57.860 do anything. It was no longer shaped by the betrayal 00:47:57.860 --> 00:48:05.989 and the stabbing. We have to make a choice. Are 00:48:05.989 --> 00:48:08.070 we going to be faithful to God's calling until 00:48:08.070 --> 00:48:11.949 the very end? Or are we going to let the complexities 00:48:11.949 --> 00:48:16.409 of working with people deter us from God's calling? 00:48:18.030 --> 00:48:21.250 And the choice is for you and for me. Not for 00:48:21.250 --> 00:48:25.929 the Lord to make, but for us to make. And the 00:48:25.929 --> 00:48:28.730 reality of all of these things is that the wrong 00:48:28.730 --> 00:48:32.090 motives are going to be there. But not in my 00:48:32.090 --> 00:48:35.030 heart. I can control other people's motives, 00:48:35.190 --> 00:48:37.889 but cannot control their motives, but I can control 00:48:37.889 --> 00:48:41.309 mine. And let my motive be only love for Jesus 00:48:41.309 --> 00:48:45.610 and faithfulness to his calling. The reality 00:48:45.610 --> 00:48:48.690 is that there will be ethnic divisions, but let 00:48:48.690 --> 00:48:52.190 my attitude be that I will never let other people's 00:48:52.190 --> 00:48:54.590 opinions define who I am, only the one who created 00:48:54.590 --> 00:48:58.329 me and calling me to serve him. And I'm going 00:48:58.329 --> 00:49:01.380 to expect it. but I'm going to let it deter me 00:49:01.380 --> 00:49:04.300 from following the calling God gave me. It is 00:49:04.300 --> 00:49:06.139 true that there's going to be unsolved tensions, 00:49:06.239 --> 00:49:08.980 but let those tensions be an opportunity for 00:49:08.980 --> 00:49:13.199 grace, for learning, for growing from a mark 00:49:13.199 --> 00:49:16.260 that makes mistakes to a mark that becomes the 00:49:16.260 --> 00:49:19.420 author of a gospel. Let these spaces be spaces 00:49:19.420 --> 00:49:24.260 for growth, not for division. That's why the 00:49:24.260 --> 00:49:27.900 Apostle Paul writes, To the Ephesians, these 00:49:27.900 --> 00:49:30.960 words as a mature follower, a mature leader. 00:49:32.239 --> 00:49:37.480 And he says this to us. As a prisoner of serving 00:49:37.480 --> 00:49:42.500 the Lord, I'm going to beg you to do something. 00:49:44.059 --> 00:49:47.900 I beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling. 00:49:48.739 --> 00:49:53.820 For you have been called by God. Not by the company. 00:49:55.690 --> 00:49:59.969 Not by the mission board. Not by those elders. 00:50:01.329 --> 00:50:04.510 You have been called by God and positioned by 00:50:04.510 --> 00:50:09.190 God. He is the one that you serve. So live according 00:50:09.190 --> 00:50:11.750 to that high calling. For you have been called 00:50:11.750 --> 00:50:16.730 by Him. So therefore always be humble. Always 00:50:16.730 --> 00:50:21.650 be gentle. Even when everything within you wants 00:50:21.650 --> 00:50:28.119 to be prideful and hurtful. Be patient with each 00:50:28.119 --> 00:50:31.260 other. Making allowance for each other's faults. 00:50:31.380 --> 00:50:33.639 Because those faults will happen. And they will 00:50:33.639 --> 00:50:39.579 come. But be patient. Expect it. Because of your 00:50:39.579 --> 00:50:43.820 love. Your love for the Lord. Your love for the 00:50:43.820 --> 00:50:47.280 calling. And therefore, that love that is flowing 00:50:47.280 --> 00:50:53.340 from you into your team. Let that love be the 00:50:53.340 --> 00:50:56.750 one that propels you forward. Know this challenge 00:50:56.750 --> 00:51:00.170 is the one that deters you and causes you to 00:51:00.170 --> 00:51:06.909 move backwards. So, do you have the right motive? 00:51:09.170 --> 00:51:12.670 Are you navigating that space properly and letting 00:51:12.670 --> 00:51:14.869 the grace and peace of God flow through you into 00:51:14.869 --> 00:51:18.289 the team? Are you engaging with the prejudice 00:51:18.289 --> 00:51:22.110 that you are facing? Letting God's grace and 00:51:22.110 --> 00:51:24.659 peace flow through you? Are you engaging with 00:51:24.659 --> 00:51:28.480 those team tensions and the complexities of it 00:51:28.480 --> 00:51:30.940 by letting God's grace and peace flow through 00:51:30.940 --> 00:51:38.980 you? What kind of leader are you becoming? Let 00:51:38.980 --> 00:51:43.139 it be true that we only become leaders that are 00:51:43.139 --> 00:51:45.840 characterized by the grace and peace of God flowing 00:51:45.840 --> 00:51:49.590 through us. And it is our very presence. And 00:51:49.590 --> 00:51:52.090 the very wisdom of God flowing through us that 00:51:52.090 --> 00:51:55.090 becomes a transformative presence in our teams. 00:51:56.909 --> 00:52:01.550 Read with me this section that is highlighted 00:52:01.550 --> 00:52:06.369 for us. Because this is God's word for you here 00:52:06.369 --> 00:52:12.130 and today. Be sure to carry out the ministry 00:52:12.130 --> 00:52:16.730 the Lord gave you. And Lord, yes, we stand in 00:52:16.730 --> 00:52:24.860 your presence. Bruised. Scarred. Wounded. Tired. 00:52:25.460 --> 00:52:29.119 Exhausted. Disoriented. And all of the above. 00:52:34.000 --> 00:52:38.699 But does that really matter? If your calling 00:52:38.699 --> 00:52:49.139 is clear. If your calling is true. If you have 00:52:49.139 --> 00:52:51.599 called us for this very thing and for this very 00:52:51.599 --> 00:52:59.880 season. Lord, we don't want to quit. We want 00:52:59.880 --> 00:53:07.380 to be obedient. So if the enemy is using anything, 00:53:07.539 --> 00:53:11.380 Lord, in our teams to discourage us, to deter 00:53:11.380 --> 00:53:15.519 us, let that voice be silenced today in your 00:53:15.519 --> 00:53:18.519 presence. And Holy Spirit, let your voice be 00:53:18.519 --> 00:53:20.659 the one that propels us forward. That reminds 00:53:20.659 --> 00:53:24.300 us that we are here for a higher calling. And 00:53:24.300 --> 00:53:29.980 that it's you who we serve. And no other until 00:53:29.980 --> 00:53:39.519 our last breath. In Jesus' name. Thank you for 00:53:39.519 --> 00:53:43.320 tuning in to the ECB Sermon Podcast. Whether 00:53:43.320 --> 00:53:46.349 near or far. If you are looking for community 00:53:46.349 --> 00:53:50.230 or are in need of prayer, we welcome you to engage 00:53:50.230 --> 00:53:55.090 by sending us an email to office at ecb .asia. 00:53:55.610 --> 00:53:58.710 If God is calling you to support our ministries, 00:53:58.750 --> 00:54:01.429 you will find giving options on our website. 00:54:02.230 --> 00:54:05.670 And remember to join us next week. God bless 00:54:05.670 --> 00:54:05.909 you.