Women Who Made A Difference

Well today if you haven't noticed is the day we do set aside to honor our mothers and celebrate motherhood But I convinced there are a lot of women that come to church on Mother's Day with a bit of apprehension Maybe you're single and you just wonder how all this really applies to you anyway. I'm gonna hear another Mother's Day sermon or maybe The Lord has not given you children and you come to Mother's Days at church and you always go away feeling kind of empty I would guess there are probably a number of moms here who are a bit on edge thinking they're gonna hear another Supermom message from Proverbs 31 and Go away feeling even more guilty than you did when you came in Expect there a few of moms like that here this morning. I would say there are probably some moms who are here Who feel they're gonna hear something about all the energy and effort you should be giving to your children You work outside the home. You already feel guilty about not giving enough You're just not sure And I am confident there are some stay-at-home moms here this morning who Feel misunderstood and battered by the cultural expectations of women today and are just looking for some kind of affirmation from the church So we come mothers come today grandmothers come women come today with many needs Expectations and maybe apprehension So this morning I'd like to do something a little different than the typical Mother's Day sermon I like to broaden the message beyond mothers and motherhood to basically preach today more generally about godling women and womanhood You see contrary to the feminist Stereotypes of the Bible the Bible really elevates the role of women Particularly as compared with the culture in which it was written The ministry of Christ and the ministry of the early church both elevated the role of women to a place of high respect and honor Much contrary to the culture of the day Middle Eastern culture even Roman Greek culture did not value the role of women like Jesus honored them and Like the New Testament church honored them When the spirit was poured out on the appendix cost on the disciples There were women in that group of the 120 who were in the upper room Married the mother of Jesus was there other women who witnessed the crucifixion and the resurrection were there In the early church and the ministry of the early church There were a number of women that were greatly used of God to further the work of God and contribute to the work of God in many different ways And so this morning what I would like to do is highlight five women who are honored in the New Testament for their role in the work of God The first of those is a woman by the name of Lydia and her story is described for us in Acts chapter 16 so join me there Please we'll be looking at several different passages this morning, but Acts 16 where we find Lydia who is a godly business woman Acts chapter 16 this woman who Through belief in the Old Testament would eventually be led to the Savior through the ministry of Paul and then would use her position as a Business woman to help the church in Philippi get established and get started and even continue its ministry God used her in a great way. Let's read her story Beginning in verse 11 of Acts chapter 16 Luke the writer of Acts is telling the story as he accompanies Paul and his journey from this point on he says in verse 11 from Troas We put out to see and sailed straight for Samathras and the next day on to Neapolus from there We traveled to Philippi a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia and we stayed there several days On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river where we expected to find a place of prayer We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there One of those listening was a woman named Lydia a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thia Thira Who was a worshiper of God the Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message When she and the members of her household were baptized she invited us to her home If you consider me a believer in the Lord she said come and stay at my house and She persuaded us a little background to the story will help us understand the significant role this woman plays Not only in Paul's ministry, but in the church in Philippi Paul has before this time been ministering in Asia Minor What we know currently knows the country of Turkey? He actually had intentions of moving further east from there into Asia and going further east with the gospel, but the Holy Spirit stopped him and In a vision Paul saw a man from the west from across the aegean sea in Macedonia Say come and help us and God used that to direct Paul to turn west and go into Europe with the gospel rather than going further east And so Paul finds his way to Philippi which is a major Roman city the first major city he will come to in this area It is actually a Roman colony an outpost for many Roman retired soldiers and it has a special Exemption from taxes in the Roman Empire because it's a Roman stronghold So the Bible says here in this story that Paul once he gets there Goes to find a place of prayer near a river on the Sabbath day The reason he would do that is because there was no synagogue in Philippi You know Paul's method if you know the book of Acts You know that Paul when he got to a place would first try to find the Jewish synagogue And he would go there on the Sabbath and begin to speak two reasons for that number one There would be a ready-made audience of people who were already familiar with the scriptures of the day the Old Testament And so he could use that to build on Secondly, it was also ready-made opportunity for any adult male in the assembly to stand up and speak about the scriptures And so it was a perfect opportunity for Paul to take what the what the people already knew from the Old Testament and Speak about Christ and bridge them over to the gospel But there is no synagogue in Philippi Because you had to have ten adult Jewish males to have a synagogue and evidently there were not enough In this Roman outpost of Philippi But the second choice for Paul would be a place of prayer and he knew that on the Sabbath day if there were not enough Jews to have a synagogue There would probably be a smaller group of people gathered at a place for prayer It would be outside the city Conveniently located near a river usually because not a place of commerce not a lot of noise And so Paul makes his way to where he expects to find some people praying sure enough There are people praying there on the Sabbath day the Jewish day of worship and so Paul begins as he would in a synagogue to describe The fulfillment of the Old Testament in the person of Christ and there is a woman there who hears and she hears with more than her ears She hears with her heart and God opens her heart the Bible says to the gospel and she trusts Christ as her Savior and becomes the first Convert Christ on the continent of Europe An amazing story for this woman and for the church that will be raised up there in Philippi Now the Bible makes it clear here that she's not an 80th of a Philippi She has moved there from Thia Thira which is a city in Asia Minor again. They Turkey a City that is mentioned in Revelation one of the seven churches was located in Thia Thira and it was well known for a Unique purple die which was produced there and the cloth that would be made from that with that color She evidently is representing that company from Thia Thira in Philippi She's a business woman who sells this purple cloth Maybe she is the head of their office in Philippi. Maybe she is one of their executives I don't know but she is the one representing this company in Philippi selling this cloth. She is a business woman And she's moved there to set up the operation from Thia Thira ministering or working in in in Philippi the Bible says she was a worshiper of God Which is a way of saying she had become a convert to Judaism She had heard about the true God of the Old Testament From Jewish people in Philippi and evidently had come to know the true God and was worshipping the God of the Old Testament But when she heard the gospel she understood the bridge between old and New Testament between what Christ would do to fulfill All the Old Testament and she received Christ as her own Lord and Savior But her influence in the fledgling church is Significant it is seen immediately She offers for Paul and his companions which we know number at least Silas Timothy and Luke at this time To make their headquarters in her home And so she evidently is a woman of significant means and has the opportunity to provide for them a base of operations And by the time they have won others to the Lord and have been arrested and thrown into jail and the remember the story of the Philippian jailer Getting saved after the earthquake at midnight Notice what happens down in verse 40 After Paul and Silas come out of the prison They went to Lydia's house where they met with the brothers and encouraged them Then they left So we find that the brothers a term for Those who've come to know Christ to save your are now meeting in Lydia's house And so Paul and Silas meet with them there and encourage them and speak to them before they move on So here is a godly business woman who has not only opened her heart to Christ but opened her home To this fledgling young church just getting off the ground She makes her career and her means and her resources her home available to the work of God and this young church Evidently begins to be nourished and grows as it meets in her house She's a representative I think of women who may choose the business world or a career There's nothing wrong with that as long as you don't sacrifice your family on the author of a career Certainly nothing wrong with that at all for a woman God may use women like Lydia to be women of means who can use The position and the resources God has given them to then pour back into the work of God and Have a significant impact on the work of God God can use you in that way Maybe he has given you the training and the opportunities in the workplace and in the business world If he has done that with you make sure that you use those opportunities To enable his work in significant ways with financial support with other Opportunities for ministry just like Lydia did here's a godly business woman who God used To help this young church which did not have much resources in the beginning But God used her to be an encouragement and a help and a blessing to this young church 12 years later Paul would write a letter back to this church Let us we know as the Philippian letter and He would thank them for their generous and faithful giving to him I just wonder how much a part of that Lydia had a Significant role if she is still there and still living. I am have no question that she still was faithful to Christ And faithful to give to the work of God a godly business woman that used her Position and resources to bless the work of God and if God has placed you in that position Be faithful as a steward of the opportunities that God has given you To bless the work of God just like Lydia did There's another woman however who is also honored in the New Testament for her role in the early church Her name is Priscilla and her story begins in Acts chapter 18 Priscilla is a godly partner. We have a godly business woman But here we have a godly partner a godly partner and mate to her husband and One who as a partner with her husband is Significantly again used in the work of God and has a tremendous impact on the early church in a couple of different ways Three or four different ways actually we'll see let's begin her story Acts chapter 18 verse 1 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth There he met a Jew named Aquila a native of Pontus who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla Because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave room Paul went to see them and because he was a tentmaker as they were he stayed and worked with them every Sabbath He reasoned in the synagogue trying to persuade Jews and Greeks now we're introduced to this couple that Paul meets in Corinth Interesting how God brought them together Paul is moving from place to place on his missionary journey and he finds himself in Corinth He needs some work to be able to provide for himself while he's there He will mention that even to to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 how he worked To be able not to be a burden to them as he started this new church So Paul's a tentmaker about trade so where is he gonna find work? Well, he's gonna go to the tentmaker part of town to the tentmaker where tentmakers work wherever that is and He comes upon this couple who also are tentmakers Begins working with them when we don't know all the details of how if he knew them before the indication is they didn't but he met them here in Corinth But somehow he finds out their believers And they've come there from Rome Now they are in Corinth because the emperor the Roman Emperor Claudius has kicked all the Jews out of Rome By the way, there is a comment in a Roman historians book that refers to this and says that Claudius basically Caused the Jews to leave Rome or sent them out of Rome over a dispute about a man named Crestis is the way the Roman historians refer to him which is a Latin form of Christ So it was a dispute in the Jewish community which we're well aware of from the New Testament and a dispute in the Jewish community Over Christ and who he was as some Jews were coming to Christ others were not there was an uproar of some kind in Rome and Claudius not understanding obviously was that and just expelled all the Jews from Rome in God's providence two of those were Aquila and Priscilla they flee to Corinth where God providentially brings them across the path Of Paul and as they work together in the tent making business they begin to realize they have another kind of camaraderie as well and that is A desire to serve God together and so they begin to serve God together they worked in Corinth for a year and a half together Get down if you will the verse 18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time that he left the brothers and sailed for Syria accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila Before he sailed he had his hair cut off at Cancria because of a value had taken verse 19 They left they arrived at Ephesus where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews He's on his way basically to Jerusalem and so he leaves Aquila and Priscilla there this husband and wife team This is a significant church in Ephesus They've had a year and a half of ministry together in Corinth now they minister together in Ephesus But Paul's just passing through and he leaves them there to work in Ephesus He must have gained a lot of confidence in this couple Because that's a strategic work from the church in Ephesus Many churches will be planted in the surrounding area about a hundred mile radius So significant work this is the same church that Paul later will send Timothy to when Paul writes two letters to Timothy Timothy is pastoring the church in Ephesus So it's a significant work, but he leaves Aquila and Priscilla there Well somebody else shows up in Ephesus look down at verse 24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollus a native of Alexandria came to Ephesus He was a learned man with a thorough knowledge of the scriptures He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and he spoke with great fervor and talked about Jesus accurately although he knew only the baptism of John That's a little difficult to know exactly what's going on here, but evidently Apollus being a Jew understanding the Old Testament And understanding enough about the prophecy the Old Testament to know the prophecies of the Messiah Has been accurately preaching about the coming of Messiah and probably has heard that Jesus was the Messiah and is preaching about Jesus But he doesn't know the full story yet He doesn't know all that has happened and so the only baptism he's familiar with is the baptism of John Which was associated with introducing the Messiah and preparing the nation for the Messiah Probably his information doesn't go much beyond that so maybe he doesn't know yet about the death of Christ the resurrection the beginning of the church And so the information he has and what he can build on from the Old Testament He's preaching powerfully, but he just doesn't have the whole message yet and so look what happens in verse 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue when Priscilla and Aquila heard him They invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately And a policy's lack of information is filled in by this partner team this husband and wife team of Priscilla and Aquila they take him aside. They don't review or correct him publicly They take him aside in their home and they say hey, what you're doing is great your message is wonderful up to a point You just don't have the whole information yet and they explained to him the way of God more fully So that he became a powerful preacher of the entire message of the gospel So they worked together there in Ephesus Three times in Paul's epistles Paul will make reference to Aquila and Priscilla He will send greetings both to the church in Corinth and in Ephesus from them because they were significant partners in both churches the first of those Is is a fairly extended greeting in Romans chapter 16 you might want to look at that one Romans chapter 16 verses three and four Where Paul says greet Priscilla and Aquila my fellow workers in Christ Jesus Isn't that great not my fellow tent makers although they were that but they're my fellow workers in Christ in Christ Jesus We served together in the gospel then he says in verse four they risk their lives for me Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them We have no record of how that happened just this one brief mention But they risk their lives for the Apostle Paul We do know that later in Ephesus there was a riot against the Christians and the Jews in Ephesus and It's quite possible that during that time Priscilla and Aquila laid their business and their lives on the line willing to risk their lives For the sake of the gospel that Paul had brought to Ephesus So they're highly honored and in two other places he sends greetings We'll just put these on the screen so we don't have to turn to them first Corinthians 6 16 verse 19 the churches in the province of Asia Send you greetings Aquila and Priscilla send you or greet you warmly in the Lord and so does notice this the church that meets in their house Paul is writing the Corinthian letter from Ephesus and so he's he's greeting them from the city of Ephesus and Priscilla and Aquila who are still there Who have a church in their house send their greetings to the Corinthians as well? So we know that now they have opened their house for the church in Ephesus one other mention in Paul's last epistle second Timothy verse four or verse 19 of chapter four Greek Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onus Ephraines onus Ephraines Paul is writing to Timothy who is now in Ephesus Priscilla and Aquila are still there and So they're serving faithfully the Solace letter Paul the right shortly before he dies and they are still serving faithfully Now some 15 years or so after Paul first met them what a great couple What a great couple Priscilla and Aquila just a few mentions a few things I want to mention about them particularly Priscilla The wife of the husband and wife team One lesson we can learn from them is that they are always mentioned together as Partners in ministry They're mentioned six times their names are mentioned six times the New Testament every time it's the couple They're partnering together they are partners in ministry not only in life and work But also in ministry what a great thing it is for husbands and wives to partner together in ministry and God bless you wives who partner with your husbands and serve together with them in Ministries in the church or in serving the Lord in somehow a Second thing that I notice about Priscilla however as a godly partner is that in four of the six mentions of them as a couple she is mentioned first Now I don't know how much to read into that But it may indicate that she was actually more influential than her husband was One of those mentions is when they are instructing a palace more fully in the gospel So again, I don't want to read too much into that But there are many who believe that probably indicates that Priscilla was maybe even deeper in the Scriptures than her husband was and Maybe she was one that even took the lead in this private meeting with a palace and instructing him More fully in the gospel Certainly they did it as a team, but she seems to be very influential as she is mentioned first and at least four of these occasions I thank God for godly women who know the Scriptures well sometimes even better than their husbands and Know how to use that knowledge to be able to encourage and build up and help others Be strengthened in the faith. Thank God for my wife who in many ways Her walk is much deeper than mine in the Lord and she is constantly a challenge and encouragement and and blessing to me I thank God for women like that who are deep in the word and deep in the Lord and really know what it means to walk with God and Can help others see that as well Third thing I notice about Priscilla Along with her husband Aquila is that they use their business as a means for ministry They were tent makers, but you know that's not what moved them from place to place their hearts were really in ministry Wherever they were they used their business as a platform to support themselves so that they could do ministry They had to leave Rome they went to Corinth. They're doing ministry there with Paul in the church Why did they go to Ephesus because there's a better tent making capability there? No indication of that they went to Ephesus because of ministry reasons And they seem to settle there and bless the church there because their priority was ministry So here's a woman who's in the business world. Yes, who is in the tent making business with her husband a partner in work But also a partner in ministry and it is the ministry which really drives their lives and Causes them to even move from place to place What a blessing such committed and faithful partners are Who along with their husbands will go anywhere God sends them Seeing their vocation only as a means to do the work of God and it is the work of God Which is paramount which is primary which is most important? The business enables you to do the work of God. You know sometimes people will joke about Their occupation is being just a way to support themselves so they can really do what they like and it's a hobby or it's some other form of work Well these these people took that seriously They were committed no doubt to their vocation, but they used their vocation as a means Observing Christ and it was the serving of Christ that was primary in their lives You know we desperately want folks to go into missions here at Johnson Chapel and to go into vocational ministry I would love to see there's a dearth of pastors in many churches Especially in the southern part of the state and I would love to see more men going that direction But thank God for every layperson who faithfully serves God into local church and along with their partners their wives Together serve Christ and there are many of you here. I honor you. I respect you. I value you highly As co-workers in the Lord both men and women who do work hard at their vocation, but also See their vocation as a means to Support themselves so they can serve the Lord and serving the Lord as primary Couple three I guess it was three weeks ago now. I I Led a leadership retreat for Elkview Baptist Church. They met at Chief Logan State Park They'd asked me to come over for a day and guide them through some things they were Considering doing as a church, and so we had a great day and After lunch, they surprised me with a question they they Were supposed to go to the gym and have some fun time and they canceled that and said we just want to talk and so we sat in the Conference room and we just talked and they asked me this question They said we're here a group of deacons with our two pastors and There's some things that deacons can't say to their pastors and there's some things pastors can't say to their church or their deacons You tell us they looked at me and said you tell us what would you want deacons to know about pastors? It was an interesting conversation and then they asked me the other side. What would you want? Pastors to know about their deacons and I had no time I'd spend a lot of time preparing for all the other assignments I've been given for that day, but no clue this was gonna happen no time to prepare and you know the first thing that came to my mind When they asked me what would you want pastors to know about us? My mind immediately went back to my time at Appalachian Bible College when I was a layperson in faith Baptist Church Now I was not in a pastoral role And I told them this I said I said what I want what I would want every pastor to know is How hard you men work to do what you're doing today and how much you sacrifice to do what you're doing today You work 40 hours at a bare minimum and when I said that Guys laughed at me and an IT guy afterwards came up to me and said I work about 70 hours every week and then I give 10 to 20 hours to my church There are lots of people here who do that same thing Work 40 50 60 hours a week and then still give time for ministry to the church and teach classes and Serve and ministries and are faithful in the services and sometimes I think we as pastors don't say how much we appreciate you And I know I've kind of gotten off on the men a little bit, but let me say it for the women There are many of you women who serve so faithfully and Use your vocation. Yes, you're working hard at your vocation, but you're also working hard in the church and you're faithful God bless you how much we need you and how much I and the other pastors here value you For the contribution you make to the work of God. Thank you. Thank you so much. There are many Priscilla's in this church. We highly value you Thank God for you But there are also a lot of Phoebe's I'm not sure any by name anybody here named Phoebe I didn't think so but there is a Phoebe in the Bible and She is an example of a godly servant Let's look at her for a moment if you're in Roman 16 her story is told very succinctly in two verses Verses one and two I Come into you our sister Phoebe a servant of the church in Cancria I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help She may need from you for she's been a great help to many people including me a godly servant She is called a servant mentioned only here in the New Testament and these two verses But she makes a significant Confribution to the ministry of Paul and to the church She's from a church not in Rome. She's not a member of the church in Rome. She's from a church of verse one tells us in Cancria which is a suburb of Corinth Now Paul wrote the Roman letter from Corinth so he's in Corinth He has some Association with Phoebe at the time. He's writing this letter and the fact that he says to the church in Rome receive her in the Lord This is an official kind of greeting like you know, you don't know her But she's coming so receive her she may well have been the one that that took the letter to Rome The letter Paul's writing to the Roman she may have delivered it to the church in Rome She lives where Paul's writing from it makes sense that she would be the one that would deliver it and That fits with her ministry She is a servant Interesting word by the way. It's the feminine form of the word for Deacon And actually from this passage many churches have adopted the role of Deacon S.S Church I passed her in Indiana for nine years. We had Deacon S.S And they were they did exactly what Phoebe did They served in roles of helping others in the church by the way by the way the word Deacon in the New Testament is a word for servant and From what we know of the first Deacons in the book of Acts they helped with Physical needs of people financial needs of people they helped in various things in the church in that way and that's what Phoebe does She is a woman who serves others in the church She is a servant and verse two says she has been a great help to many people including me Actually that word for help is a word which means some translations even translate a benefactor Someone who has resources and plows them into the work of God to care for the poor and and strangers visitors to a certain town and church and Those who are needy what a great ministry and blessing it is to the church to have Godly servants women who serve the needs of others in the church And we have many of you here. Thank you for what you do What would we do without you ladies who fix meals for people and care for the sick and help the herding and counsel the downtrodden and serve in ministries of the church So many servants what would we do without you? We could not function as a church without our Phoebe's Here at Johnston Chapel and we honor you and respect you and value you highly in the Lord for your work here at Johnston Chapel But then there are two other ladies. We've seen a godly business woman a godly partner a godly servant in the church two other women though that deserve special commendation because they're exalted and lifted up and honored in the Bible and that is lowest and Unis and they are godly mothers Godly mothers and if you've got space to write it in grandmothers too Lois and Eunice godly mother and grandmother of Timothy the story is told in second Timothy chapter 1 We're Paul writing this letter to Timothy Says in verse 5. I've been reminded of your sincere faith Which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and I'm persuaded and now lives in you also Timothy I see a sincere faith in you and that's sincere faith. I know Live first in your grandmother's heart and then your mother's heart And how did it get to your heart? Well, he tells us in chapter 3 verse 14 314 says but as for you continue in what you've learned And it become convinced of because you know those from whom you learned it and you might be thinking at this point Oh, he learned it all from Paul right? Well, he learned a lot from Paul that's not where it started verse 15 and how from Infancy you have known the holy scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus Paul comes to this city of Listera on his first missionary journey in the book of Acts Chapter 13 and 14 And he wins some people to Christ there and evidently a couple of those people who are one to Christ are Lois and Eunice He comes back on his second missionary trip comes back to Listera and he spots a young man It's Lois's grandson Eunice's son by the name of Timothy and he spots him immediately as a young man Who is mature beyond his years in the faith and it's because of his Grandparent and parent Who from the time he's a little boy from the time he's an infant actually have taught him the scriptures and Upon understanding and hearing the gospel and the full message themselves have completed that knowledge for him as well And he now is following the Lord and from that point on travels with Paul and becomes Paul's right hand man Paul would write to the Philippians. I have no man like mine did like Timothy who will naturally care for your state Nobody like him this young man Presented himself well acquitted himself well in ministry to the fact that Paul would place him in Ephesus to minister in that significant church there Why where did it all start? It started with a faithful grandmother and mother who from infancy taught him the Bible and gave him a Solid background now. There's one other verse where they are mentioned in the New Testament It's in Acts 16 and I want you to see this verse because it adds an important clue Acts 16 verse 1 Paul came to Derby and then to Listera Where a disciple named Timothy lived whose mother was Jewish and the believer But whose father was a Greek So his mother was a believer. We know his grandmother was as well But the contrast there implies that his father was not a believer Spother was a Greek and that seems to indicate because of the contrast that he was a Greek in culture in his Mindset in his view of life. He probably was not a believer and so for that reason Timothy is raised in a good home But in a home where the spiritual input is coming from his grandmother and his mother and They were faithful wasn't easy. I'm sure they're in a pagan environment They do not have the support of Timothy's father and Yet from the time he's an infant they pound into him the scriptures. They teach him the word of God Until the point where he himself comes to faith in Christ and he grows up to be a godly young man A man that Paul would say don't let anyone despise your youth be an example of the believers The ideas continue being the example. I know that you already are One of the greatest contributions ladies you can make to the churches and the training of your children and grandchildren Yes, it is best when that's a partnership with husband and wife Yes, it's best when the husband takes the leadership as Ephesians 6 indicates he should But when that is not there thank God for faithful grandmothers and mothers who poor spiritual truths into their children We have a number of you in this church as well We valued you we honor you we thank God for you Continue to be that faithful grandmother and mother Who will impart the scriptures to your children and grandchildren Teach them the ways of God And ladies thank God if you have a husband who loves Christ and does it with you and even takes the lead spiritually as he should in the home Thank God for him A couple of weeks ago I received my time magazine and it was called time 100 List of the 100 most influential people in the world Guess what your mother wasn't on that list Neither was mine As is typical and it's disgusting The list was full of entertainers Actually the person who made the top of the list the number one influence in the world is Beyonce And she was dressed so provocatively on the cover I'd throw the magazine away after glancing through who else they had and I'm thinking is this the most influential person in the world if that's the case we are in deep weeds You know we are really in trouble But it was the natural list of Rockstars and sports stars Miley Cyrus was on there as well. I'm the okay. Yep really influential for good, right? And on and on the list went with actors and sports star Richard Sherman Seattle see off. He's on there. He's known better for his mouth than his football play I mean all kinds of people were on there I couldn't give you two cents for most of them including the political leaders that were on there But my mom wasn't on there Nobody from time interviewed me Anybody here get interviewed by time to rate your top 100 people in the world influence I didn't think so It certainly would not be my list Number one living person by way of influence in this world I would have put Jesus Christ Number two on the list I would have put my mother Living my dad were living. He'd be right up there tied with her Time didn't ask me so I didn't get the chance They didn't ask you you didn't get the chance But today is your chance To let them know the influence they've had in your life And today is my chance to let you know how much I value and honor in our whole pastoral staff a whole church leadership staff Values and honors all of the women of our church Godly business women godly partners godly servants Godly grandmothers godly mothers thank you for all you do God bless you and may your tribe increase Let's pray together Father thank you for the women of this church Thank you for how godly business women and partners and servants and grandmothers and mothers Have made such a difference Made such an impact on all of us here today and Contributed so much to this church Lord we could not do what we do without godly women like that I thank you for them today Lord I pray that even more would join their ranks I pray Lord if there is a mother here a grandmother a woman Today who does not know you as savior that they would realize they must begin there by coming Relationship with you through Christ through faith in him and his death on the cross Lord I pray for mothers who are struggling For women who are struggling mothers or not I pray father that you would help them to turn to you To grow deeper in your word and stronger in grace and knowledge of Christ I Pray that they too would impact their world make a difference around them I pray for children who may be here today who may have been influenced by a grandmother a mother but has walked away from that I pray that they would recognize the significant impact that parent had that mother grandmother had Would come back to the faith today Father Father we ask for your spirit to do his good work even as you open the heart of Lydia Long long ago we know you can open hearts today That is your work and we leave that to you to do We trust you to do it you're way in your time In Jesus name we pray amen