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Monday, September 23, 2024
"Onesiphorus"
Message summary: Is there someone you might minister to by refreshing them just as Onesiphorus often did toward Paul?
Listen to our message on your audio player.
"You
are aware of
the fact that
all who are in
Asia turned
away from me,
among whom are
Phygelus and
Hermogenes.
The Lord grant
mercy to the
house of
Onesiphorus,
for he often
refreshed me
and was not
ashamed of my
chains; but
when he was in
Rome, he
eagerly
searched for
me and found
me—the Lord
grant to him
to find mercy
from the Lord
on that
day—and you
know very well
what services
he rendered at
Ephesus" (2
Timothy
1:15-18).
How do you
like your
name? I was
named after
the Stephen in
the Bible
(Acts 6,7).
But my grandpa
enjoyed
purposefully
mispronouncing
it and called
me Step-hen,
making it
sound like two
words, step
and hen.
Brooksyne's
name is far
more unique,
actually a
name her
mother made up
so she could
be named after
her father
Brooklyn.
All of her
life she has
been informing
people how to
pronounce her
name. She
explains to
people it's
pronounced
brook-seen',
like the scene
of a brook.
She
has heard many
different
responses over
her lifetime,
most are
positive or
complimentary
except for one
doctor who,
after hearing
her name,
remarked,
"That sure is
an odd name".
That was
probably 20
years ago but
Brooksyne
hasn't
forgotten that
uncomfortable
exchange.
I
think we'd all
agree that
some people
really do have
odd names in
our
estimation.
Elon Musk
named his son
X Ć A-12 which
he says is
pronounced "X
Ash A Twelve".
We kind of
wonder how
that name will
age and how
much his son
will enjoy
explaining it
to others for
the rest of
his life!
Today's
Scripture
portion has
three rather
odd names:
Phygelus,
Hermogenes and
Onesiphorus.
In fact each
of them are
hapax
legomenon,
which means a
word found
only once in a
body of
literature, in
this case only
in the book of
II Timothy.
We
learn from
Biblical
examples, both
positive and
negative.
In Friday's
message we
considered the
negative
example of
Phigelus and
Hermogenes. "You
are aware of
the fact that
all who are in
Asia turned
away from me,
among whom are
Phygelus and
Hermogenes"
(1 Timothy
1:15). If
you've been
rejected (and
who hasn't)
you are in
good company
with Paul and
Jesus.
Onesiphorus,
on the other
hand, sets a
positive
example and is
highly
commended as a
blessing to
Paul and to
others in
Ephesus. His
name means
"bringing
profit" and
the brief
description of
his life
indicates he
indeed brought
profit to
those who were
blessed to
know him.
When reading
the Bible we
tend to gloss
over these
brief passages
wondering what
relevance they
may have for
us. In this
reference and
the only other
reference to
Onesiphorus in
2 Timothy 4:19
Paul refers to
"the house
of
Onesiphorus".
Some speculate
that he may
have died by
this point but
the phrase
could also be
a way of
saying how his
entire
household had
been a
blessing. In
our years of
Christian
service we
consider
households
that just seem
to minister
together as a
family,
especially
married
couples.
Let's look at
four
characteristics
we can glean
about
Onesiphorus in
our text that
are an example
for all of us:
2) He "was not ashamed of my chains". Knowing the rest of the story I can't imagine being ashamed of Paul's chains. But we have the whole record since Paul's imprisonment and final victorious outcome is now history. But at that time some were embarrassed, afraid or even ashamed of his situation. What a great privilege it would have been to know Paul and to continually refresh him in his otherwise drab, insufferable surroundings. May God give us boldness and discernment to stand with those who suffer, as we by faith envision the rest of the story even before it happens!
3) "He eagerly searched for me and found me". It must have taken some effort to locate Paul but Onesiphorus did this eagerly. Servant ministry involves more than just praying for an individual; it may require your being inconvenienced, giving of your time, possibly your finances, overcoming roadblocks or other setbacks in the process of helping another in need.
4) "You know very well what services he rendered at Ephesus". As mentioned above the only reference we have to Onesiphorus is here in Paul's second letter to Timothy, but Onesiphorus was already well-known and highly regarded among the people. Paul briefly alludes to their familiarity with him through the services he offered in Ephesus. Can you think of people well-regarded because of their service for the Lord and to others? In your own self-evaluation how would you rate your servanthood?
Spurgeon comments on Onesiphorus:
Spurgeon's
challenge is
one we issue
to all our
readers today.
Is there
someone you
might minister
to by
refreshing
them just as
Onesiphorus
often did
toward Paul?
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, there
are people you
bring
alongside us
on our path of
suffering who
bring us
comfort,
assurance, and
encouragement.
They know just
what to say or
do that lifts
our spirit to
give us
courage for
another day
just like
Onesiphorus
refreshed Paul
while he was
in
chains.
In some cases,
it is their
own gracious
example of
suffering that
teaches us a
great deal
without their
saying a
word.
There are
those
instances when
we grow
fearful,
doubtful, and
wonder if
you're mindful
of our
suffering and,
if so, why you
don't
eliminate
it. But
until our
suffering is
over we thank
you for those
who come to
refresh us.
We, too, need
to be the ones
who refresh
others who are
weary, sick,
or struggling
in some way.
Bring those
individuals to
our mind so
that we can
reach out to
them and
refresh their
spirit while
reminding them
of their
importance in
our lives. In
the name of
Jesus we pray.
Amen.
Today's
Suggested
Music and
Supplemental
Resources
"Make
Me A Servant"
Listen
on YouTube
Maranatha
Singers
"Choir
and orchestra
selections
from our
service
yesterday at
Calvary
Church" Listen
on YouTube
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version and a variety of other versions.
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