God's Hall of Fame

When we think of a hall of fame, we usually picture famous athletes, coaches, or public figures. But God measures greatness differently. In this episode, we'll discover that some of heaven's greatest heroes are ordinary servants whose names may never be widely known, yet whose faithfulness is treasured by God. Join me as we explore the often-overlooked treasures of Romans 16 and discover why quiet acts of service matter more than we may ever realize.

I invite you to follow our podcast and share it with others as together we walk with our Master.

The Prattville family meets at 344 East Main Street, Prattville, AL.  Our web site is: https://prattvillechurch.org.  

And please, leave feedback using the "Send us a text" link above.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hello friends. Welcome to Walking with Our Master. I'm your host, Dave Leighton. Whether you're starting your morning or winding down your evening, let's take a few moments to center our hearts on some thoughts about what really matters. Every major type of sports has a Hall of Fame. Hall of Fame recognizes standout players and other people who've made remarkable contributions to that sport. It might be players or coaches or even broadcasters. But you know, God also has a Hall of Fame. Only its members are not the standouts. It's the quiet, often overlooked contributors. That's what Jesus said. He said, You want to be great? Be a servant. That's who's great in the kingdom. Most servants don't receive the kind of recognition we think of when we think of a Hall of Fame. Today I'd like to introduce you to some of the most important Christians you've probably never heard of. They're found in Romans chapter 16. Most of us arrive at the end of Romans eager to finish the letter. We see a long list of unfamiliar names and we think, I'll just skim over that part. Well God didn't skim over it. The Holy Spirit inspired every one of those names. And that should make us ask a question. Why are those names listed there? Well here's something I like to find. I call it an often overlooked insight. Here it is. Romans sixteen is not simply Paul's farewell. It's God's hall of faithful servants. Think about it. Think about it. God could have ended Romans after chapter fifteen. The gospel had been explained, theology was complete, the application had been made. Yet the Holy Spirit devoted an entire chapter to naming ordinary believers, and he did so because God wanted every generation to know something that we sometimes easily forget. People matter. Not just apostles and preachers and elders and missionaries and the deacons. God sees people. Paul knew what others miss a lot of times. Listen to the descriptions he gives. Oh by the way, if I mispronounce any of these names, just bear with me. Some of these names are not common here in Alabama. Phoebe was a servant. Priscilla and Aquila risked their lives. Mary worked hard. Adronicus and Junia endured prison. Trifina and Triphosa labored in the Lord. Ursus worked very hard. Rufus was chosen in the Lord. You notice something? Paul rarely talks about their talents. He talks about their faithfulness. God measures differently than we do. We often admire ability, but God honors faithfulness. Every congregation has people like those listed in Romans 16. You know, someone unlocks the doors before everyone else arrives, and stays around and secures the building after they leave. Someone prepares the communion. Someone changes the light bulbs. Someone teaches the toddlers. Someone writes encouraging cards. Someone visits the sick without anyone knowing. And someone quietly prays for the church every day. Few people notice, but God notices every one of them. Without them, the ministry would struggle. You know, from the very beginning in Acts chapter eight, the kingdom has always advanced on the shoulders of ordinary servants doing ordinary things with extraordinary faithfulness. Jesus once said, Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, he will by no means lose his reward. That's in Matthew chapter ten verse forty two. A cup of cold water, not a sermon or a miracle, not even a missionary journey. Just a simple act of kindness. Jesus wanted us to understand that heaven has a different measuring stick. The next time you've assembled with God's people, just look around. That person quietly greeting visitors, the widow that's faithfully praying, and the young father carrying children. I love to see that. And the person checking the baptistry. The men making sure all the worship positions are filled. Person preparing Wednesday night snacks, the man mowing the church lawn, and the list goes on and on. I take away a couple of things from that. First thing is a lot of people are serving. And the second thing is there's a lot of opportunities to serve. And you know most people never notice them or even know what they do. But God notices them that's what really counts. One of the blessings of growing older is learning to notice the people who serve quietly. They aren't looking for recognition. They're simply doing what needs to be done. I'd become convinced that some of the greatest servants in God's kingdom are people whose names will never appear on a stage, in a book, or on a church sign, or even in the bulletin, but their names are already written in a much better place. Perhaps the greatest compliment a Christian can receive is not everyone knows your name. Perhaps it's this God knows your faithfulness. Romans sixteen reminds us the kingdom isn't built by a handful of famous Christians. It was built by thousands of faithful servants whose quiet acts of love become part of God's eternal story. One day, those behind the scenes servants will hear the words every disciple longs to hear. Well done, good and faithful servant. Well one more thing before I close. Perhaps you're listening today and wondering whether your service matters. Maybe no one thanks you. Maybe no one even notices. Well you keep serving. Heaven keeps better records than we do. Your Father sees what is done in secret, and one day what was hidden on earth will be celebrated in eternity. Well thank you for listening today as together we walk with our master. Please join us again next week as we continue seeking truth, growing in faith, and getting back to what really matters.