This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain. But when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously, and found me. The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that day. And you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for this word, and we thank you for this part of your word, this passage. Lord, help us to understand it. And may you apply your word to our lives, that it may change us and do the work in us that you have designed for it to do. We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated. We're remembering the persecuted church today, Christians who are suffering around the world. And Christians have been suffering and been persecuted many, many times throughout church history. One of those times was in the Roman Empire. The persecution came in waves for the first 300 years after Christ. One of the worst persecutions happened in the early 300s under the Roman Emperor Diocletian. At that time, Christians were required to burn incense to Caesar. That was a way of acknowledging that Caesar was the Lord and God. And if they didn't do that, they would be imprisoned and often killed. They had to give up all their copies of the Bible. And the Romans were really trying to burn all the copies of scripture and suppress the truth. But God did not allow that to happen. But it was a time of great suffering. Many Christians suffered in prison. And there was a Christian woman at that time Her name was Anastasia of Sirmia. She was a Christian woman and she visited the Christians who were suffering in prison. She brought them food and drink, she brought them clothes, and she encouraged them not to deny Christ. She ministered to them physically and spiritually. 250 years before that, there was a man named Onesiphorus, and he ministered to the Apostle Paul in a very similar way. And this passage in 2 Timothy describes how Onesiphorus did that. And in doing that, it shows us, it teaches us how we are to minister to one another. And it does that in three ways. We're to minister through service, to minister to the suffering, and to receive God's mercy for ministering. First, minister through service. Verse 18 says, you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus. Onesiphorus ministered to Paul while Paul was at Ephesus. Paul was at Ephesus around the 50s AD. This is about 10 years before he wrote 2 Timothy. He wrote 2 Timothy when he was in prison in Rome. But he's writing, and he's remembering how Onesiphorus ministered to him when he was at Ephesus. That word minister is actually the same word that we get the word deacon from. It's talking about ministering in practical ways, in serving in practical ways. And so while Paul was in Ephesus, Onesiphorus was serving him, was ministering to him practically. Ephesus was a significant city, and Paul spent about three years there. This passage talks about Asia. When it talks about Asia, it's talking about the Roman province of Asia. So that would be a part of what's now Western Turkey, not the whole continent that we think of as Asia. But that was an important area, Asia, an important province in the Roman Empire, and Paul spent time there. And what did he do there? Well, we know from the book of Acts that he was preaching the word, he was sharing the gospel, he was teaching both publicly and from house to house. He was also doing apologetics. He was reasoning from the Scriptures. He was reasoning with both Jews and Gentiles. He was persuading people that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah. He was also involved in spiritual warfare. There were healings that happened. There were demons that he was casting out. And he was, all the while that he was doing all this ministry, he was working as a tentmaker to provide for his needs. What was the result of what Paul was doing? Well, the Bible tells us that God blessed Paul's ministry and that many, many people converted and came to Christ, that churches were planted, and when people converted to Christ, their lives were changed. There were many people there who practiced witchcraft, but when they converted to Christ, they brought their books together that they used for that, and those books were worth a lot of money, and they burned them publicly. Ephesus was also well known for being a center of pagan worship. There was a large temple in the city to the pagan goddess Artemis. And there were a lot of silversmiths in that city who would make silver shrines. And as the gospel spread and more and more people came to Christ, they stopped worshiping Artemis. They stopped buying those silver trinkets. And so the silversmiths got upset, and they caused a huge riot. They stirred up people, and they tried to stop the spread of the gospel. So what Paul was doing was dangerous as well, but God did not allow that to happen. He didn't allow the riot to succeed. In fact, Acts says that what happened in the end was the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. So while Paul was working so hard ministering, and while he was pouring himself out doing that, the Lord raised up a man named Onesiphorus to minister to him and to serve him in practical ways. We don't know all the ways that he served Paul. Paul just says, you know all the ways, how many ways he ministered to me. But it was many different ways. But here are some of the things he might have done. He might have provided food for him, meals. He might have helped him with carrying his luggage or loads. He might have saddled his horse if he was going to go out and preach in a nearby town. He might have ministered to him even in other ways, like massaging his limbs if he was very tired at the end of the day, or possibly even washing his feet. We don't know if Onesiphorus was wealthy or not. But we do know that washing feet was something that slaves and servants would do because it was a messy and dirty job. But it was important because in those days, people wore sandals and the roads were dirty and dusty, and their feet would get very dusty. Jesus, our Lord Jesus, set us an example of humbly serving by washing his disciples' feet, and in doing that, setting us an example. But whatever Onesiphorus was doing, it was that kind of humble, practical service. He probably also ministered to Paul spiritually as well. Paul often asked for prayer in his letters, and he would ask for prayer for two main things. One, that the gospel would be successful, that it would spread and it would grow, Three things, actually. Secondly, that he would be bold, that he would speak the gospel as he ought to do. And thirdly, that he would be protected from attacks of the evil one. Onesiphorus no doubt would have prayed for Paul in those kinds of ways and also had the opportunity to see him, to see him in intimate moments when he was tired, maybe when he was discouraged, and could have brought words of encouragement to him from Scripture in those times. The Bible tells us and gives us a list of gifts, spiritual gifts, that is gifts of the Holy Spirit. And one of those gifts is the gift of helps or the gift of service. It's that same word. Onesiphorus almost certainly had that gift that he was just specially gifted by God to serve practically. And some of us have that gift. And you can just see in the way that people are just gifted in that way. But all of us, whether or not we're given that gift, all of us are called to serve and to minister to one another. The Bible gives us a number of commands to serve one another. I'll just read a few of them. Through love, serve one another, Galatians 5.13. Bear one another's burdens, Galatians 6.2. love one another with brotherly affection, outdo one another in showing honor, comfort each other, and edify, that means build up, one another. Ononesiphorus did those things, he served in those ways, and God calls us to do that as well. And Onesiphorus did that kind of service, which was not very glamorous, not very exciting, but he did that because he loved Paul and he had that calling from God to serve him. And in doing that, he played an important role in supporting Paul. And we don't know much about him. The only time he's mentioned is this passage in 2 Timothy. But yet, there was so much that he was doing. And he did that because he loved Paul and he had a servant's heart, a heart to minister. When I was 16, I had the opportunity to go to Egypt and to visit my grandfather and stay with him for about a month. At that time, my grandfather was almost 80. My grandfather was a Presbyterian pastor in Egypt who had a really amazing ministry. The Lord really used him to minister to many people. And at that time, when I got to spend some time with him, he was almost 80, and he was suffering from Parkinson's disease. That's a disease where Basically, it had progressed to the point where his arms would be shaking and his legs would be shaking, and he had more trouble moving. There were a lot of things he couldn't do at that time because of that condition that he would have been able to do in the past, and so he needed people to minister to him, even in very specific, practical ways. So one of the things that I got to do was to put on his socks in the morning when he would get up. He couldn't really do that himself, or to take them off at night. And I really loved to do that. It was such a privilege. It was such a joy to do that, because I loved my grandfather. And he had ministered to me in so much. And it was such a blessing to be able to serve him in that way. Well, Ness of Forest had that kind of a heart, that kind of a love and service. And that's how he ministered to Paul. So brothers and sisters, let's serve one another through love and minister to one another through serving. There are so many ways that we can do this, and there are so many ways that you all do do this. When people need help moving, come out and help them move. When people are sick, there are things you can do like taking them meals or just visiting them and seeing how they're doing. We've had some sickness going through my family right now, and it's an opportunity when a family member is sick to get to minister to them in a special way, to serve them in a way they can't serve themselves. Our baby particularly is sick, and there's a lot of things she can't do for herself, but we get the opportunity to serve her. Well, there's also so many other opportunities. There's taking meals to people who maybe they're sick or they just had a baby. And of course, you all do that so well in this church. And there are just so many other ways, too, of serving. There are people who are lonely that would love a visit, like elderly people. And there are so many other ways. So maybe God is pressing on your heart a particular kind of a ministry of service But whatever it is, don't neglect that. Minister to others through service. And if you don't know how to, ask other people how you can help. And maybe look out for those in the church who are gifted, especially in that way, and set such a good example. But brothers and sisters, let's minister to one another through service. Secondly, we're to minister to the suffering. We see this in verses 15 through 17. This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain. But when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me." After Paul was in Ephesus, he did further traveling, and eventually he went to Jerusalem, where he was arrested, and he ended up appealing to Rome and ending up eventually in Rome. And after some time there, it seems that he was released, and we don't know exactly what all he did, but we do know that he spent some time back in Ephesus and in the province of Asia. And it was likely in that place that Paul was arrested. We know that At that time, around that time, around AD 64, there was a terrible persecution of Christians that broke out. Christians had already been persecuted by the Jews, but the Romans began to persecute very fiercely. The Emperor Nero blamed Christians because of a fire that happened in Rome, and there was a terrible time of suffering and persecution for Christians. And it was during that time that Paul was arrested, and this happened, it seems, in or near Ephesus. And Paul says that when that happened, that persecution came, that many, many people forsook him, turned away from him. He mentions two men in particular, Phygelus and Hermogenes. We don't really know much about these men, but they were apparently important enough that they were specifically mentioned in the letter. It's sobering to think about that. How would you like to be remembered and be in the Bible for deserting the Apostle Paul when he was being persecuted? It's a sobering thing to think about because even we as Christians, we can forsake our fellow Christians when they're being persecuted. And why, if we can be afraid and not want to risk the danger? This is especially, of course, common in other countries, but even in our own country, we can not want to be associated with Christians who are being persecuted. Well, there were many that forsook Paul, and no doubt that would have been very difficult and painful for him. We know that Paul was arrested, we know that he was sent to Rome, and that he was condemned as a criminal, and that at the time he was writing 2 Timothy, he was in prison and he was going to be killed, going to be executed. Paul was not in a comfortable prison. Paul would have been, in this imprisonment, in a very uncomfortable Roman prison. It would have been cold. It would have been damp and smelly, filthy. It would have been infested with fleas and rats, most likely. He would have most likely been very hungry. He wouldn't have had much to eat, and what he did have wouldn't have been very good food. He was likely lonely, and he could easily have been discouraged as think about he had in such difficult conditions where he's been forsaken, and it would have been very easy to become discouraged. Paul was suffering. He was suffering for the sake of the gospel. And he was also, no doubt, feeling the betrayal of those who had not stood up for him but had forsaken him. But when others forsook Paul, Onesiphorus did not. In fact, Onesiphorus made a special trip to Rome to see Paul. Now, in those days, the trip from Ephesus to Rome would have most likely been by boat, and it would have taken about a month. It would have been a long trip, and it would have been expensive. And likely, Onesiphorus would have had to leave his family behind in making that trip. But we know that he made the trip because he wanted to see how Paul was doing. But when he got to Rome, it wasn't just a simple matter of arriving in Rome. He then had to find Paul. Rome was a very large city, in fact, the largest city in the empire at that time, one of the largest cities in the world. And it had many different prisons. Just, it would have been kind of like New York City of our time, that such a huge city. Well, how was Paul, how was he going to find Paul? It seems that he didn't, the other Christians in Rome didn't seem to know where he was either because it says that when he went to Rome, he had to seek him out very zealously and search for him to find him. So just imagine Onesiphorus has to go from prison to prison asking about Paul. And that wasn't just a simple matter of asking, that wasn't just, that would have been a dangerous thing to do. Because right now, at this time, Christians were being persecuted. And if you went and visited Christians and there was a danger that he could have been arrested himself, he could have been arrested for being a Christian. But Paul did that, Onesiphorus, rather, did that anyway. At the beginning, I mentioned a woman named Anastasia, and I talked about how she ministered to Christians who were in prison. Well, because she did that, she was arrested herself, she was imprisoned, and she was killed. And that could have easily happened to Onesiphorus, but that didn't stop him. Verse 16 says, he was not ashamed of Paul's chains. So he kept going from prison to prison asking for Paul. Well, eventually, Paul says, he found me. Eventually, Onesiphorus found Paul. Just imagine the scene for a moment, that Paul is suffering in prison, and then he hears a cell door open, and there's a visitor to see him, and it's his friend, Onesiphorus, who's come all the way from Ephesus to see him. how that must have been so encouraging, how they must have embraced each other. It's likely that Onesiphorus would have brought food and drink for Paul. He would have brought him clothes. He might have brought him money from the church in Ephesus. And certainly he brought their love and their prayers and their greetings. And no doubt they would have talked and whatever happened, Verse 16 says, this meant a lot to Paul. It says that Onesiphorus refreshed Paul. He refreshed him physically and spiritually. And that was very encouraging to Paul. A few years ago, there was a Christian missionary named Andrew Brunson who was imprisoned in Turkey. And he talks about his imprisonment, and one of the things, that was a very hard time for him. He was very lonely and discouraged. But one of the things that really encouraged him was the fact that his wife would visit him as often as she possibly could in prison. Well, Onesiphorus's visit would have been a great encouragement to Paul, but Onesiphorus didn't just visit one time, as dangerous as that might have been. Paul says in verse 16, he often refreshed me. He stayed in Rome for some time, and he kept going back to visit Paul multiple times and kept refreshing him. Well, brothers and sisters, that's an example to us that we are called by God to minister to those who are suffering. We have brothers and sisters in Christ that we've been praying for and we will be praying for more after lunch, and they are suffering for the gospel in prisons in very similar conditions to what Paul was suffering so many years ago. Hebrews 13 says, we are to remember those who are in prison as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated since we also are in the body. And there are a number of practical ways that we can minister to those who are suffering. We can pray for them. There are ministries like Open Doors and Voice of the Martyrs that share prayer requests for how we can pray specifically for Christians who are being persecuted. And we're going to be doing that more after lunch. But prayer is important and significant, so pray for your brothers and sisters. Also, there are other things you can do. There sometimes are opportunities to write letters or cards of encouragement. There's also opportunities sometimes to give money or to support ministries who are seeking to help the persecuted. And there are a number of other ways. But let's remember the persecuted and pray for them and support them and minister to them as we're able. But we're called not only to minister to those who are being persecuted in other countries, but also to those who are suffering even closer to home, in our own country, in our own area, to fellow believers who are suffering. Because there are many reasons why people suffer, and there are many kinds of suffering that people experience in this world. There are those who have lost loved ones, those who are very sick, those who are maybe elderly and they can't get out, those who are shut-ins, and there are people who are genuinely poor, and there are many people who need help and who we can minister to in different ways. And so, sometimes those people could use visits, or prayer, or there are many ways, many specific ways that we can minister. If you don't know how to do it, ask God to show you how you can minister to others, and maybe ask others where there are needs where you can serve. But whatever the opportunities are, or whatever the situations are, God calls us to minister to those who are suffering. So let's do that. Thirdly, we are to receive God's mercy for ministering. We see that in verses 16 and 18. The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus. And verse 18 says, the Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord on that day or in that day. We need God's mercy in order to minister to others. God has shown us such great mercy himself. Think about this passage from Matthew 20. It says, speaking of Jesus, the Son of Man did not come to be ministered to, but to minister, or to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. The Lord Jesus set an example for us in how he served and he ministered, and he showed such great mercy to us. And it is out of that mercy that we can minister to others. Matthew 5-7 says, blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. When we are merciful, God delights to pour more of his mercy into our lives. Psalm 23 says, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, or more literally, shall pursue me, that God loves to lavish that mercy on us. And in verse 16, it says that the Lord would grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, that the Lord loves to show mercy to households, to families. Onesiphorus, although we don't know for sure, but it's very likely that his family was involved in ministering, in practically serving both Paul and other believers. And likely, they would have had to sacrifice in that he would have had to likely leave them behind when he made his trip to Rome to see Paul. We know in 1 Corinthians 16, the Bible tells us about another family. It calls it the household of Stephanus. And what it says about that family is that they devoted themselves to serving, to ministering to the saints. And that's such a wonderful pattern and example for us. So brothers and sisters, let's minister as families. So parents, involve your children in ministry, teaching them how to serve. It's such a powerful thing to minister as a family. I'm very thankful for the way that My mother really taught my siblings and I to serve in different ways from a young age, where one of the ways we did that, and this isn't one way to minister to people, is through hospitality, having people in your home. And when people come into your home, she would say, now go ask them what they need, if they need anything, if they need anything to drink. And in various other ways, basically taught us to be tuned in to how to serve other people. And it's a wonderful opportunity to do that. And there's so many other ways to do that, but it's very powerful to minister as a family. There's opportunities to go and see people who are maybe older people in nursing homes who are lonely and minister to them through different ways. And there are so many other ways that we can minister. But may God help us to minister as families and bless us as we do that. Verse 18 says, may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord in that day. And that is referring that day to the final day of judgment. And Matthew 25 describes what that day will be like. It describes how Jesus will return in glory and how he will gather before him the nations and he will separate the sheep from the goats. And then it says this, then the king will say to those on his right hand, the sheep, come you blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me." Notice those things that he mentions. Those are the kinds of things that Onesiphorus did, how he ministered to Paul. Well, then the passage goes on and it says, then the righteous will answer saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in? Or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and come to you? And the king will answer and say to them, assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me." That's amazing. Jesus was saying that in serving our brothers and sisters in Christ, we actually are serving Jesus himself. When Onesiphorus was serving Paul, he was serving Jesus. And when we serve one another, we get to serve Jesus. I'm sorry, excuse me. There are many different ways that we can do this. If you change your covenant child's diaper, that's a way of ministering to Jesus. If you sit with a suffering brother or sister or take them a meal, pray for them, that's a way of serving Jesus. So brothers and sisters, let's remember that as we serve one another, we are serving Jesus. And also remember that on the day of judgment, the things that we are doing, doing in faith, doing to serve one another, Those good works are things that the Lord will reward. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. In order to minister to others, though, it needs to come from hearts that are full of love and mercy and service. Onesiphorus had a heart like that. So did Anastasia. And of course, most of all, so did the Lord Jesus, who came not to serve, not to be served, but to serve. And so, none of us have as much love or mercy or service or desire to minister as we would want. But God gives that. So if you feel like you are lacking that love or that mercy or that desire to serve, ask God to give you that heart, to give you more and more of that love, that mercy, that desire to serve. God promises that he will conform us to the image of his son and to make us more like Jesus himself. And so ask God. to help you and equip you to serve in whatever way he might call you to do from a heart of service. So brothers and sisters, receive God's mercy for ministering. Will Anastasia of Sirmia minister to Christians who are suffering in prison? And so did Onesiphorus, and so have so many others, and we are called to do the same. And there are many, many ways to do that. But in this passage, we're especially reminded to minister through service. Onesiphorus was serving Paul in many different practical ways before Paul was even suffering persecution. And we have the opportunity to do that right here and where God has placed us. And it doesn't matter how menial the task might be, if we're doing it for the Lord or one another, it's a way that we actually get to serve the Lord. And there's also a place for ministering, especially to those who are suffering, for praying and for serving and ministering as we're able to persecuted brothers and sisters, but also for ministering to those who are suffering around us and near us in different ways. And in order to do that, we receive God's mercy for ministering. And as we do that, God pours his mercy into our lives more and more. So may the Lord help us and give us hearts to love and to serve and to minister, that we may serve and we may be those of whom the Lord may say, blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for this passage. We thank you for the example, the convicting and the challenging and the edifying example of Onesiphorus. Or we pray that you would help us to minister to one another through serving in different ways. Show us how we're to do that. Show us how we're to minister and who we're to minister to. And equip us for that. Give us hearts that desire to do that. We pray that we remember this day our brothers and sisters who are suffering for the gospel. We remember those in chains as though we were chained with them. We are in the same body, the body of Christ with them. We pray your blessing on our time of prayer after lunch, but we pray that you would hear their cries, that you would deliver them, and we pray that you would help us to remember them. We pray that you would bring people to minister to them, even like Onesiphorus ministered to Paul when he was in prison. We pray, Lord, that you would help us to minister to those who are suffering around us. Open our eyes to see the needs and to know whether those are from you or who we're to minister to and how, and give us wisdom in that. Lord, equip us for service and give us hearts that desire to minister, even like the Lord Jesus, who came not to be ministered to, but to minister. Lord, we pray that we would minister, and we pray that we would even receive that blessing of the saints at the final day of judgment, that in serving the least of your brethren, we were serving you. We pray that you would equip us to do that, and that you would say of us, blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.