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I spent last
week as a guest in a home with the largest television set that I have
ever seen in a house. It was one of those HDTV LCD ABC etc.
television sets. I saw Barry Bonds 756th home run 757 times
on that set one night. The only problem with that huge television set
is that I was seldom in the house to enjoy it. We were in Las Vegas
and saw shows like Blue Man Group, Cirque du Soleil, and Jerry
Seinfeld at night. We found parks like Red Rock Canyon and Mount
Charleston to hike during the day. So there sat that big, beautiful
television set with no one to watch it - Well, almost no one. The
owner of the home did have the tiniest of dogs, a Yorkshire terrier,
named Shandy, who was a bit spoiled. Her food had to be prepared
twice a day with fresh meat heated for 13 seconds in the microwave and
then she had to be begged to eat. When we were leaving the house our
host said, “Just a minute.” Then she went into the room with the big
television set and turned it on. “Shandy likes to watch TV when I’m
out,” she said. Now I know what you’re thinking and the answer is the
Lifetime Channel. Yorkies apparently are fans of the Lifetime
Channel. As I walked out of the house I kind of sighed in a less than
sentimental way, “What a waste of power. Such a big TV for such a
little dog. Couldn’t they have just a little portable TV for such a
tiny dog?”
Power
is a terrible thing to waste, but I fear we do it all the
time.
We are preaching about old friends you may have
never met this summer. Today I want to introduce you to Philemon:
a man of power. Here was a man who had a great deal of power and,
like all of us, the potential to waste it. He was apparently a
prominent member in the Colossian community. He may very well have
had a house of some size, a church met in his home, and he had
servants. In fact, that is what prompted this one chapter book of the
Bible. Paul wanted to talk to his friend about Onesimus, a runaway
slave who had found a friend in Paul. But I move too quickly. Allow
me to introduce you to the story in the first six verses. Hear now
the Word of the Lord:
1Paul, a prisoner of Christ
Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and
co-worker, 2to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow
soldier, and to the church in your house: 3Grace to you and
peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4When
I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God 5because
I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord
Jesus. 6I pray that the sharing of your faith may become
effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ.
The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to
God. In this letter Paul encouraged his friend Philemon to do the
most with what he had. Let us pray.
Look at this last phrase in verse six. Don’t read over
it too quickly for it contains the essence of this letter, “that
the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive
all the good that we may do for Christ.”
Can you perceive all the good that we may do for
Christ? What an interesting phrase. It is a phrase that infers we
have some power, “all the good that we may do for Christ.”
Power is a terrible thing to waste. In this little book we
find great power: the power of leadership, the power of
friendship, the power of freedom, and the power of
community.
The Power of Leadership is a terrible thing to
waste.
Philemon had some
power. He was the owner of a slave - an institution not yet exposed
for its inhumanity, but neither in compliance with Christian ideals.
Paul had been impressed by Onesimus, who left his home and master in
Turkey to aid the imprisoned apostle in Rome. He had proven himself
to be a devoted follower of Christ and Paul wrote to Philemon, a
leader of a house church, and more than likely the husband to Apphia
and the father to Archippus mentioned in verse two. He was a man of
influence in an influential community. He possessed the power of
leadership.
Do you know that kind of power? Last week I was hiking
up Cathedral Rock in Mount Charleston, about 45 minutes west of Las
Vegas. It is a beautiful spot with tall trees, blue skies, and even
some cool temperatures. It also has some steep grades. I was
stopping to look at the scenery and catch my breath when I noticed two
other men walking on the trail. I struck up a conversation with one
of them and noticed a cross and flame on his t-shirt. I introduced
myself and revealed my identity as a United Methodist pastor. They
introduced themselves and one of them was the pastor of University
United Methodist Church in Las Vegas, just across the street from UNLV.
We had a nice visit up to the crest of the rock and they proved to be
quite helpful. They had hiked the trail several times a year. They
pointed out the bristlecone pine, desert mahogany, and most
importantly, the proper fork in the path to take. It was nice to have
someone who knew how to lead.
There have been many people in my life with the power
to lead. Some have exercised that power well and some, quite frankly,
have wasted it. Yesterday at a Leadership Summit, attended by eight
leaders of this church, we heard the painful story of Kirk Franklin,
who came to a point in his life of addiction and immorality where he
knew he needed to turn it around. When he went to his pastor, he
received no encouragement, no prayer, just the empty assurance that he
would outgrow it all. He looked at the thousands of church leaders at
the conference and said that he could have avoided so much pain in his
life if a leader would have exercised his power to lead. Philemon had
the power of leadership and Paul wanted to make sure he did not waste
it. What about you? Where do you have the power to lead? Where are
your greatest influences? Don’t waste it for power is a
terrible thing to waste.
The Power of Friendship is a terrible thing to
waste.
Philemon was Paul’s friend. Paul reminded his young
friend that though he had the authority to command him to free
Onesimus, he preferred to request him to do so out of love. He knew
it was always better to relate to a friend eye to eye, rather than
pull any kind of power play. He wrote in verse nine, “I would
rather appeal to you on the basis of love.” He was exercising the
power of friendship. The thing Paul admired about Philemon, according
to verse seven was how he refreshed the hearts of those around him.
Paul then requested of his friend in verse 20, “Refresh my heart in
Christ.”
Friends have the power to do that. The reason we were
in Las Vegas was to visit with friends that we have known since our
college days. About fifteen years ago we all wound up in the same
part of the country visiting mutual friends. We had such a great time
that we determined to vacation together every year. Over those
fifteen years we have watched our children grow up. Two of the
children have already served in Iraq. Several have gone off to
college and none of them wanted to spend a week with the old folks in
Las Vegas. We sat in Red Rock Canyon last Tuesday and celebrated
communion under a shade tree in the midst of the beauty of the earth.
We remembered our children climbing on rocks and getting into
treacherous situations. We were always able to call them down and
back to safety. Now they are older, driving cars, living in different
cities, serving in foreign countries, and we can’t always call them
down. We wept together as we remembered a Heavenly Father who knows
exactly what that is like. In the midst of our tears our hearts were
refreshed in Christ. Friends have the power to do that.
When was the last time you refreshed the heart of your
friends? The power is yours. They can’t demand it, and even if they
could it is so much better when it is offered. You have the power of
friendship and power is a terrible thing to waste.
The Power of Freedom is a terrible thing to waste.
Philemon was free, but Onesimus had not yet been
released by his lawful owner. Paul let Philemon know how much was at
stake. In verse sixteen he told Philemon that freedom for Onesimus
would present him to Philemon, “no longer as a slave but more than
a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me but how much more to you.”
Freedom would allow Onesimus to be so much more effective for the
kingdom of God and, therefore, to Philemon. Philemon could do what he
wanted. He was free to determine Onesimus’ fate, but that freedom,
that power would be a terrible thing to waste.
Every year at the Willow Creek Leadership Summit
leaders from around the world are challenged to use the power of
freedom to make a difference. We are confronted with global crises of
hunger, disease, poverty, war, and then reminded that we have the
power to do something about it. Carol Tatum told the children that we
have the freedom to take nickels from our dresser tops and turn them
into nets that can save lives in Cote d’Ivoire. It’s your money,
you’re free to do with it what you wish, but the power in that freedom
is a terrible thing to waste. How are you making the most of your
freedom? I am quite sure that Onesimus used his for the greatest
good, because his friend, the Apostle Paul had so much confidence in
him. This brings me to the last expression of power in this old
friend you may have never met.
The Power of Community is a terrible thing to
waste.
F.F. Bruce a New Testament scholar wrote, “The
letter to Philemon is one of the two truly personal letters in the New
Testament, in which one man is addressed by one man.” Even though
this is true, look at how much reference there is to community. Paul
began the letter by introducing Timothy and by saying “hello” not only
to Philemon, but also Apphia, Archippus, and the church that met in
Philemon’s home. He ends the letter by including Epaphras, Mark,
Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke in his final greetings. It is obvious
that this matter between Philemon and Onesimus had an impact on more
than just those two men. It had community ramifications.
I was reminded of this in a powerful way last
Wednesday. I was on a three-hour plane ride, doing what I like to do
best on an airplane – minding my own business. I had my papers out
studying for this sermon, when a young woman asked if the seat next to
me was taken. She sat down and fooled with her hair for awhile, read
the airline magazine for awhile, fooled with her hair a little more,
and then sat still looking at the seat in front of her. About an hour
had gone by when I felt this strange sense that I was suppose to talk
to her. I know this sense well, it is usually God’s Spirit nudging me
to get out of my comfort zone. I quietly argued with the Lord
reminding the God of the universe that this was just a short plane
ride and then we would never see each other again. What did God
expect? Besides I was studying for a sermon. Then something awful
happened. Nothing that I was reading was sinking in. I read one
paragraph three times.
Finally I caved. “Do you live in Houston?” I asked.
That was all that was needed. For the next two hours she told me her
heartbreaking story.
She was moving to Las Vegas to move in with her
boyfriend. She is nineteen years old, a recent graduate from High
School. She had not seen her mother, father, or three siblings for 10
months, since her mom kicked her out of the house. She did not know
what she was going to do in Las Vegas, but would probably get a job
and hopefully go to college. The more she shared the more I could see
this frightened child, trying to seem so very brave, not knowing where
her life was headed. I told her that I was nineteen when I left home
and moved to Texas. Lulls in the conversation would take place and I
would breathe a prayer for help. “OK, Lord, you got me into this,
what do you want me to do?”
“Pray for her.” I sensed was the answer.
“That’s just weird,” was my silent response.
“I mean it.”
I looked at the young girl to my side and said, “I will
pray that things work out for you.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“Not enough,” God said.
“I’d actually like to pray with you now if that’s
alright,” I said.
She smiled. “I’d like that.”
I prayed for her and after the prayer asked her about
her faith in God. She had been to church a couple of times, never
really read the Bible, but did look up Revelation after seeing the
movie, “The Omen.” I told her about the Gospel of John being a little
better first book of the Bible to read and told her stories of
Nathanael, Nicodemus, the woman at the well, and the man by the pool.
I have never in my entire life seen anyone so hungry and so captured
by the message of this book. When I told her Jesus said to Nathanael,
“I saw you under the fig tree,” the hairs stood up on her arm. When I
told her how the Samaritan woman ran and said, “This guy knows me. He
really knows me,” her eyes grew misty.
I can’t get this young girl out of my mind. I pray for
her every day. I pray that God will answer my prayer and send
leaders, friends, people of community to this seeker and guide her
into the life that can be hers.
Yesterday as I was praying for her I asked God why I
was led to her, why I started a conversation on an airplane, and why I
can’t get her out of my mind. I sensed God’s response being, “Because
the community needs her as much as she needs the community.”
Then God opened my eyes to look across University Drive
and God whispered, “She’s over there: in every dormitory, in every
classroom, in the coffee shop, and in the cafeteria. You have the
power of community and power is a terrible thing to waste.”
It seemed a little odd to me as I walked out of that
house with that incredible TV and that little dog. I wonder how often
I have used the incredible gifts of God for such little benefit:
Leadership, Friendship, Freedom, Community. That’s a lot of power and
power is a terrible thing to waste. Amen.
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