Continuing A Legacy
of Faithful Service
What’s Your Legacy?
Romans 16:1-6
Dr. Rochelle Carr
William S. Epps, Sr. Pastor
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Sunday, November 21, 2021 |
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1Be sure to welcome our friend Phoebe in the way of the Master, with all the generous hospitality we Christians are famous for. I heartily endorse both her and her work. She’s a key representative of the church at Cenchrea. 2Help her out in whatever she asks. She deserves anything you can do for her. She’s helped many a person, including me. 3Say hello to Priscilla and Aquila, who have worked hand in hand with me in serving Jesus. 4They once put their lives on the line for me. And I’m not the only one grateful to them. 5All the non-Jewish gatherings of believers also owe them plenty, to say nothing of the church that meets in their house. Hello to my dear friend Epenetus (Apentatus). He was the very first follower of Jesus in the province of Asia. 6Hello to Mary. What a worker she has turned out to be!
Romans 16:1-6 Message Bible (MSG)
What is legacy? Legacy is about life and living. It's about learning from the past, living in the present, and building for the future. It’s something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor.
Why is legacy so important? It’s your imprint that your descendants and others can be proud of.
Consider what you are doing to root a legacy of remembrance.
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Monday, November 22, 2021 |
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1Be sure to welcome our friend Phoebe in the way of the Master, with all the generous hospitality we Christians are famous for. I heartily endorse both her and her work. She’s a key representative of the church at Cenchrea. 2Help her out in whatever she asks. She deserves anything you can do for her. She’s helped many a person, including me. 3Say hello to Priscilla and Aquila, who have worked hand in hand with me in serving Jesus. 4They once put their lives on the line for me. And I’m not the only one grateful to them. Romans 16:1- 4
In Romans, Paul has taken 11 chapters to remind us of God’s mercies in Christ and another four chapters encouraging us to submit to God’s will for the church – as individuals and in society. Paul is now completing a long letter to the church in Rome. The church in Rome was made up of ordinary but diverse people. Some were slaves, others were blue collar workers, and others were wealthy. Some were men, but Paul mentions several women. What drew them together and united them? SERVICE
Consider how you are involved in your church and community.
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Tuesday, November 23, 2021 |
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4They once put their lives on the line for me. And I’m not the only one grateful to them. 5All the non-Jewish gatherings of believers also owe them plenty, to say nothing of the church that meets in their house. Romans 16:4-5
Paul teaches the diversity of the church: Paul knew that these believers demonstrating unity in one church was an important to the witness of the kingdom of heaven. Do we really believe that today? If we are truly believing in radical, social and gender diversity. We no longer offer lip-service regarding diversity or merely host multi-ethnic events, but we live multi-ethnic lives and in multi-ethnic unity. Paul displays this in Romans 16 as he greets the individuals that made up the church.
*Jew and Gentile - Racial diversity
*Many are common slave names, but there are also higher-ranking people/names - Social diversity
*Ten of twenty-nine are women - Gender diversity
Diversity shaped every moment of the Roman house churches. Paul strives for unity in the diversity, a sibling relationship in Christ that both transcended and affirmed one’s ethnicity, gender, and status. Every person in each of the house churches in Rome had formed an identity apart from Christ and then in Christ. How is your identity shaped?
Consider how your identity has been shaped apart from Christ and within the body of Christ.
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Wednesday, November 24, 2021 |
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1Be sure to welcome our friend Phoebe in the way of the Master, with all the generous hospitality we Christians are famous for. I heartily endorse both her and her work. She’s a key representative of the church at Cenchrea. 2Help her out in whatever she asks. She deserves anything you can do for her. She’s helped many a person, including me. 3Say hello to Priscilla and Aquila, who have worked hand in hand with me in serving Jesus. 4They once put their lives on the line for me. And I’m not the only one grateful to them. 5All the non-Jewish gatherings of believers also owe them plenty, to say nothing of the church that meets in their house. Hello to my dear friend Epenetus (Apentatus). He was the very first follower of Jesus in the province of Asia. 6 Hello to Mary. What a worker she has turned out to be!
Romans 16:1-6 Message Bible (MSG)
Noteworthy are the names
Paul mentions by name 29 people and 10 are women. What is especially Interesting, seven of the ten women are described in terms of their ministry (Phoebe, Prisca, Mary, Junia, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis). By comparison, only three men are described in terms of their ministry (Aquila, Andronicus, Urbanus), two of these men are ministering alongside a female partner (Aquila with Prisca, Andronicus with Junia).
For contemporary readers, we deliberate Paul’s weightiness on the male side of things. But for an ancient reader, it would have been shocking to include women at all—let alone such a significant number of them.
Paul doesn’t just give these women a shout-out, either. Paul refers to them as “coworkers,” or co-laborers (verse 3). They were indispensable in the work of the early church.
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Thursday, November 25, 2021 |
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1Be sure to welcome our friend Phoebe in the way of the Master, with all the generous hospitality we Christians are famous for. I heartily endorse both her and her work. She’s a key representative of the church at Cenchrea. 2Help her out in whatever she asks. She deserves anything you can do for her. She’s helped many a person, including me. 3Say hello to Priscilla and Aquila, who have worked hand in hand with me in serving Jesus. 4They once put their lives on the line for me. And I’m not the only one grateful to them. 5All the non-Jewish gatherings of believers also owe them plenty, to say nothing of the church that meets in their house. Hello to my dear friend Epenetus (Apentatus) He was the very first follower of Jesus in the province of Asia. 6Hello to Mary. What a worker she has turned out to be!
Romans 16:1-6 Message Bible (MSG)
Was your named called?
It makes you feel good when someone knows your name. It makes it even better when they call you name! We get upset with the Pastor or those in leadership when our names are not called, but my questions is what are you doing for your named to be called?
Daily, you should be leaving a legacy and imprint that will be transformative, revelatory, kingdom worthy.
Ask yourself: Does the residue from your service linger when you leave the room?
Paul in his greeting acknowledge those that were doing the work of the kingdom, leaving a legacy that even in 2021 would be recognized as making a difference in the lives of others. None of the people listed in Romans 16 were famous or powerful in the world’s eyes. None of them knew that their names would be enshrined in Scripture for millions of Christians down through the ages to read. Even though our names will never be in Scripture and none of us will probably be recognized or remembered by the world, God knows your name and you are important to God.
Consider how you are leaving a legacy of faithful service.
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Friday, November 26, 2021 |
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1Be sure to welcome our friend Phoebe in the way of the Master, with all the generous hospitality we Christians are famous for. I heartily endorse both her and her work. She’s a key representative of the church at Cenchrea. 2Help her out in whatever she asks. She deserves anything you can do for her. She’s helped many a person, including me. Romans 16: 1-2
Phoebe was a minister in Cenchrea, a port town of Corinth. She had travelled to Rome where one of her tasks was to deliver Paul’s letter. Paul introduces her to the Romans in terms of her ministry. Paul urges the church to extend hospitality to Phoebe, whom he calls “our sister.” Paul insists on the Roman Christians to treat Phoebe like their sister, even though they have never met her. It is not only Christians within a particular Christian community who are to regard each other as family, but all Christians everywhere. They are to recognize this Phoebe as their sister, thus ensuring she will be provided for.
Phoebe was a sister, part of the family of God, a member of the body! Are you?
She was a servant, not a bystander, not a "someone else will do it" person! She served; we know she was a helper. Do you come to church or are you the church?
She was a saint, someone set a part for holy use, and used in a holy manner. You have been made holy, you are sanctified by the blood of Christ, but are you used in a holy manner, are you a saint?
Paul’s words about Phoebe reveal to us 2,000 years later the importance the roles women played in ministry in the early church. Phoebe is one of quite a few women that Paul mentions and commends for their leadership and service.
Consider all of the women who have been influential throughout you lifetime.
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Saturday, November 27, 2021 |
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Herstories that have left impactful legacies and the residue from your service lingers in the room today:
Harriet Tubman, The Underground Railroad lead many to freedom.
Maria W. Stewart , Abolitionists and Women's Rights Activist
dared to preach and call for personal and societal change in the Episcopal Church. The American Episcopal Church continues to recognize Maria Stewart as a prophetic witness in their liturgical calendar.
Minister Jarena Lee – First authorized female preacher in the A.M.E. Church.
Katherine Johnson, NASA mathematician who had a hand in sending Americans to space for the first time
New Voices leaving imprints transforming a new generation:
Stacy Abram, Fair Fight Founder to ensure every American has a voice in our election system.
Maxine Waters - US Representative (CA) Outspoken advocate for women, children, people of color and the poor.
Taraji P Henson, Actress using her celebrity platform to shine a light on mental health
God has given each of us an important role to play in God’s kingdom purposes. It may be to be a loving homemaker and to rear your children to love and follow Christ. It may be to set a godly example as a loving husband and father. It may include serving in some capacity in the local church or in the cause of world missions. It may be to tell your neighbor the good news of Jesus Christ and to explain to her or her) how they can know the goodness of the God you serve. Whatever your gifts and calling, the most important thing is that you know that Christ has saved you to live so that the residue of your life lives long after you are gone.
My Grandmother (Bigmama) would sing this song as a confirmation of the residue of her service:
May the works I've done speak for me.
May the work I've done speak for me.
When I'm resting in my grave,
there is nothing to be said;
May the works that I've done,
Speak for me.
May the life that I live speak for me.
May the life I live speak for me.
When the best I try to live,
my mistakes He will forgive;
May the life that I live
speak for me.
May the service that I give speak for me.
May the service I give speak for me.
When I've done the best I can,
And my friends don't understand
May the service that I give
speak for me.
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Gratitude Project
We are using this thanksgiving season to journey on our way through the month of November with scriptures and themes to lead us on a journey to thanksgiving with expectations of the Lord’s fulfillment of the Lord's intentional will in our lives.
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2412 Griffith Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90011
Phone: (213) 748-0318
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