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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/murray-mccandless/one-of-you/
Colossians, Colossians chapter 4, please. I certainly am going to divide the time, and that is something that preachers maybe are not the best at. Sometimes they're a little wild on additions and multiplications, but sometimes dividing, and I understand to be 50 minutes that's left in this meeting, that means 25 for each, and throw in three minutes for a hymn, so that'll be the time I will take.
Colossians chapter 4, please. This is something I've been personally enjoying of late, and just want to share that with you. Colossians chapter 4, verse number 12. Epaphras, who is one of you. Now if that's all I read, that would suffice for really what I had before me, but I would like to finish the verse.
A servant of Christ saluteth you, always, not occasionally, not when he's feeling good, not when he's in the right mood, always laboring, and you'll notice in your margin of most Bibles they give the word striving, fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect, and complete in all the will of God, and for the sake of reference, just back to verse number 9, he says, with Onesimus of all people, a faithful and beloved brother, who, and again the expression, is one of you, they shall make known unto you all things which are done here.
That little expression, one of you, in my mind I think that's very sweet, very commendable. Doesn't say that great gospel preacher that people like to hear, or that tremendous teacher of the word like Apollos that drew the crowds and that would be sent for to teach the Word of God.
A man by the name of Epaphras, who is one of you, I think that would be a very commendable epitaph on anybody's grave, one of you. Something very sweet about it, something very tender about it. Let me ask you today and just challenge your heart if I was to speak to the responsible of the leading, the oversight brethren in your assembly, and said now would this describe that brother, one of you, what would be their reaction?
They say, well, used to be. Now we don't know where he may show up. He comes here when he has to. Outside of that he could be anywhere. You don't think that happens? Well, maybe it does here in the Midwest.
As you come back where I live from with all the things that we have going for us in the East at times unfortunately this happens. One of you, just one of you, that's all. You know, it's lovely to think of this man Epaphras, he's a man that is found in the first chapter of this lovely epistle, very interesting, very teaching in depth, very profound epistle.
He's found in the first chapter and it's a commendable recognition of their, and he's found in the last chapter too. I think that I would speak for all of us today, especially my contemporaries. It's nice when it comes to assembly testimony of wherever you'll form part of assembly testimony.
It's nice to be found in the first chapter. The Apostle spoke of those that were found in the first chapter when he wrote in 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and he is reminding them of those that had refreshed them.
He spoke of those early days and of men that were found in the first chapter, men that he had baptized, men that had continued, and they were found in the last chapter as well. Some of us, brethren and sisters, could be closer to the closing of that last chapter than ever we realized, all of us really.
The Lord could come even while this conference is in progress and that chapter concludes. I would like to think that that chapter would conclude whatever way, whether it be by the rapture or by death, whatever it would be, I would like that chapter to conclude in my experience just simply being known as one of you.
You see, you would make a search and go through your Bible and find a man by the name of Deotrephes. You'd say, Deotrephes, that'd be one of you. Oh no, no, he's never one of us. He's the man that commands.
He's the boss. Everything goes his way. He's not one of you. Then you'd look maybe at the conference and you'd see that man cleaning up in the dining room and maybe he has a very big position with the company during the week, but when it comes to the responsibility of the conference and the cleaning of the plates, or last weekend in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, I'm sure you're in Stout as well, handling the garbage, just looking at it.
I just think of a brother that we know very, very well, a very, very dear man, just whether, you know, there he is, he's picking up, not what everybody was throwing out, just handling the garbage, okay?
No, he wasn't that clean job passing out the plates. Nothing against you if you pass out plates here. We're glad to get our plate, but just to watch Andrew and just to see the smile on his face and we know him.
He said, Brother John Meakin's home assembly, and I can say concerning that brother, stand here today and say he's one of you, one of you. That's sweet. I think that's something we could really strive for, because that's what this man would strive for, just to be one of you.
It's interesting that the context of this epistle, apart even from what was going on and what they were being, the believers were being bombarded with, there's something that's very interesting you'll find only in this epistle, and the Apostle is concerned about the oneness of that company.
He is very, very concerned about their standing, about the order. He uses the word taxes, which is a military term, and he uses the word salute, which again in this particular epistle is a military term, and he is concerned about them.
That's why when you go back to earlier, you'll read in chapter 2 of verse number 2, he says that you would be knit together, knit together. Now he says that's your work, but then when you go later in the chapter, and he speaks of hearts being covered, being knit together, and so on, and to all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and the Father of Christ, that knitting together, that was God's work.
God has brought you together, and isn't lovely to look around in that testimony of which you form a part of, and realize that even though there may be temptations, that you know, I could be, brethren would appreciate me much better if I was over there, but that's not where you are.
You see, that's something that this man Epaphras understood. It was never an issue. It was never a, it was never a thing in his life. He just understood the value of that, being knit together. Reminded of one time when it was in the Chicago Tribune.
It was a few years ago, and I think it was on your July 4th holiday weekend. On that particular weekend, Mr. Billy Graham spoke at the Lincoln Memorial, spoke to a large company. He spoke about a fear that he had for this great country, the United States of America, and the analogy that he used was a picture that he saw, and it was a young girl, and her name was Betsy Ross.
Every good American knows who Betsy Ross was, and what her aunt Sarah taught her. Her aunt Sarah taught her how to sew, and one of the first things that she sewed that will never be forgotten was your famous American flag.
If you were to go down to Philadelphia area, I'd go over to Pennsylvania from New Jersey. One of the bridges you would cross would be the Betsy Ross Bridge. Often thought about it. There's that bridge, and it's uniting two states that sometimes, you know, butt a little bit.
That never happens, does it, in your assembly or between assemblies? New Jersey and Pennsylvania are linked by the Betsy Ross Bridge, and in between those two is a lot of turbulent, rushing waters, but there's something calmness about, there's a calmness in just driving over the Betsy Ross Bridge.
Anyhow, Mr. Graham, as he was speaking, was drawing the analogy of just what that flag meant, and over the caption of that in the Chicago Tribune, it said this, time to check the stitches. See that? Time to check the stitches.
You know what his concern was? That nationally, this nation would start to disintegrate, would start to pull apart, and he touched, now it may have had a bit of a political slant to it, I'm not denying that, but I'm just using it as an illustration.
Here is a man, a religious leader obviously, and I'm out here voicing a lot to his credit, but hey, the man's remained clean, okay? Give him some credit. I know he wouldn't do everything we do, I'm not, just not going there today, but one thing I want to say, brethren and sisters, I think it's time we check the stitches.
See, here was a man by the name of Epaphras, and there was no, there was no bump in the stitch here, there was nothing that was tore here. Here was a man that would remain, just one of you. Now, you go to a man by the name of Demas, you say, hey Paul, Demas, Demas, remember your first time you mentioned about Demas, he's, you know, with you, with Luke, the physician, and Demas, fellow servant, and then the next time, it's just the bare mention of his name, and then the last time he is mentioned, Paul says, Demas, he has forsaken me.
There was a time when you looked at Demas and said, one of you, he's one of you. Couldn't say that today. Brethren, that's been the case too often. That has been the case too often, when there have been those that we would have said, one of you, just one of you.
I think it's lovely to, I think I can speak for my fellow preachers, fellow laborers today, that really when it comes to assembly testimony, we just want to be one of you. We are prepared, I hope we are prepared to roll up our sleeves at any time and just get down in the trenches and work with you believers.
Now, I just know that that has been so delightful here in Iowa and other places too, and Stout just recently, and here in Cedar Falls the year before, to work with these brothers and sisters, and you know something, they respond to it.
They respond to anybody that will simply just stay at their level, okay? Not coming to their level, not coming down to their level. We are never above their level. You see, when he uses the word saluted here, it's interesting that that word is never used to salute someone below you, okay?
It's used between God and Christ, taking his place at the right hand of his Father, being saluted. One is equal. It is also used in the New Testament as saluting someone that is above you. Here is a man that esteemed another better than himself, even though that may have been difficult to do, but he would salute them as his equal.
I think that's delightful. I think that's commendable about this man. I would say let his tribe increase. We could never have in our assembly testimonies too many men like an Epaphras, one that would just of whom it would be said, he is one of you.
One of you in what? Well, he's one of you in company, okay? He was there. Well, you are reading about the church, and you're reading about the word prayers here. Notice that it's not prayers, it's just not singular.
Not that he did not pray for them individually and personally. He did, but it says Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluted, always laboring fervently with you in prayers. Now, I looked that up, just looked that up this recent week, and that is the collective thought.
That when it came to prayer meeting night, you didn't look around and say, well, he's always here. He was there. And when it was prayer meeting night, you didn't say, well, you know, we don't expect them.
They just don't do prayer meetings. This man did. To be one of you, that's where you will be. He was one with them in company. When it came to the trials, when it came to the difficulties, when it came to what they were faced with, he was one of you.
He's not one that just, well, things didn't go his way, so he takes off. He doesn't like what the brethren are planning, so he's gone. He didn't like the color of the paint they used when they painted the hall, he's out of here.
Oh, oh, you say, you're overstating that. I am not. I am not. I am sorry to tell you that on more than one occasion, I have had related to me, shocking, because someone didn't like whatever the color of the carpet was or the wall.
You know, I get along well because really, I'm colorblind. Now, I go for my medical, for my pilot's license. The doctor knows that. He says, you don't want to do this, do you? I said, no, I don't want to do that.
Oh, he puts it down. Signs the license off, but he says, you can tell the lights, can't you? I said, I can tell lights. So you wouldn't worry about me if you wanted. I wouldn't, I wouldn't know. Okay.
The only thing I wouldn't know, I got to admit to you, I told the brethren they were using too light a carpet, in Sussex. I said, it's going to show the dirt too much when they did their renovations, but they did the renovations.
They made the decisions, not me. I still think the carpet's too light, but anyhow, just the resume of color it is. And I didn't go back to them and say, now, listen, you brethren, down on your knees and admit you're wrong.
Brethren are very slow at doing that. You know that, because this fellow is too. One of you. How about you? Fellow preachers here today. Is that who you are? When you come home, you want what? You don't have a ministry meeting, do you?
What's wrong with the Bible reading? What's wrong with just helping the assembly? What's wrong with just sliding in there and just being one of you? Prayer meeting comes. One of you. He's there. No matter what it is, one of you.
In other words, it's not the last place you want to go to. I'm standing, sitting here, saying that. And I've been just lately thinking, just giving, I guess after visiting my mother's grave here while I was here in Stoughton, I've been just crunching some numbers together.
And just the time that I have spent away from home, and I don't, I didn't think I spent that much away from home, and I just did the calculations of what likely would be left in normal life expectancy without something tragically happening or without the coming of the Lord.
How much time that I really would have to spend at home to enjoy my wife and our two cats. And I come to realize, wow, that could just be months. Because you see, someone said to me here a while ago, they said, you know, McCandless, if you stay as hard to the right as you are, it actually might limit your movements.
You know what I said to them? Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I have more places invited me last year than I could ever get to, and likely the coming year as well. I will go home. I will enjoy my family. What's wrong with that?
You know something else? I'll enjoy my home assembly. I would have to tell you, pardon the personal reference, but we went home from Stought. We went home, two tired dogs. I don't want to tell you, we were tired.
And it was Thursday night, it was prayer meeting night. And I'm not sure I'd taken John over to Nova Scotia and flew back to St. John, and my wife picked me up, and it was quick by lunch, and it was prayer meeting night.
Wouldn't have missed it for nothing. Wouldn't have missed it for nothing. Not only to be welcomed home. You know how he was welcomed home? Just one of you. Just one of you. Listen, young brethren, with whatever God has before you, young sisters as well, we don't over you.
Look, you dear young sisters, you older ones, you want to go in for something in the assembly? Just be one of you. One of you. Just be an epaphras. One of the company. He was one in compatibility. Notice what is said concerning him, a very lovely commendation is really said earlier of you.
He says, the apostle speaks of him as a dear fellow servant. Dear fellow servant. He's a very compatible individual. Nice to have brethren that are workable, compatible. Not this thing. Okay, we got to buy everybody else.
Got one more to go. This is a big one. You know, what's he going to say? That's not a one of you. That's one by yourself. That's you against everybody else. That will not cause assembly testimony to thrive or survive, brethren.
We're going to make it. We're going to make it. We need all we can. Our brethren and sisters, old and young. One of you. You got to check the stitches. You coming apart here? You contributing like you should to the local assembly of which you formed apart?
Now you say, you don't understand the circumstances. I might. I don't understand all that this book teaches or preaches either, but I do understand the value of a man like Epaphras. He would be one in their company, one in their compatibility, and one compassionately.
One of you compassionately. You know, nobody ever left us. Nobody ever left us and said, you know, there's just too much compassion there or just too caring. Nobody ever left us for that reason, brethren and sisters.
You know, we can become so tough and so hard. I remember one time, just coming to my mind, I don't think I've told this off a platform, but Brother Leroy Kramer and I were at the, I think it was the Glen Ewan Conference.
We were in these tin seats and they were hard. And Mr. Arnold Adams got up to speak. And I have to tell you, I'm not sure what he read, but he started off, his first comments were, we're one tough bunch.
He looked around everybody and people knew Mr. Adams knew that. He repeated it. We are one tough bunch. And he, I think, I'd have to check with Leroy, maybe three or four times he repeated that. You know what he said?
Time we softened up a little bit. The man was absolutely right. He was a man that was not only one of their company, one of their compatibility, but he says he's one compassionately. One that was part of that great fabric and understood it.
Understood you had to be careful. Don't allow something to snag it. Don't allow something to spoil it. You know how it is. Come on, you fellas like your designer sweaters and that sort of thing. And all of a sudden there's this thread, you know, and you think, oh boy, it's done now.
I just want one thread, just to keep you warm. I would wear it. My boys wouldn't. Just one thread out. Are you going to throw the whole thing out? Yeah, but it doesn't look right. Oh, that's on you. How about the pattern that he has given us?
And I no longer want to be one of you. So, not only that, but he says this, Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ. Interesting, he would serve them, but ultimately he served Christ. In other words, here's a man that had the right grasp, the right understanding that, you know, I'm not doing this for them.
That's just what they want. I'm serving Christ. Understand, they're likely down there working in that kitchen now while we're up here enjoying the comfort of this auditorium. They're serving Christ. The simplest, the most menial task.
Something that's not even seen here at this conference. You're serving Christ. Isn't it nice to be a servant of Christ? This is a man that is one of you now. Remember, don't leave that. He says he is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you.
You, yes, you his equal. He's not looking down on you. He saluteth you. He acknowledges you. He actually esteems you better than himself. Then he says, oh, he's laboring fervently. The word for fervently there is the word for agonizing, the word for striving.
You know, he just doesn't pray, I remember brothers so and so, hope he moves away. No, no, that wasn't him. He agonized for them in prayer. He maybe saw dangers coming in the life of a believer and he wouldn't be around to everybody else what was going on.
He would be fervently praying, agonizing in prayer. Do you ever do that for another brother in the assembly? Another sister? Isn't it nice when those come to say, you know, I pray for you every day. I think that's priceless.
Brother, we need it. Not just us servants that seek to serve the Lord, so are you a servant today. But he says he labored, he agonized. In fact, it's the same word that is used of the Lord Jesus at his prayers.
He prayed there in the garden. And interesting to notice, I think our brother Portman mentioned that at the Antioch conference about the disciples. They slept when the Lord prayed. You know, they did not fall asleep because of the length of his praying.
It was night. I would suggest to you they fell asleep because of the depth of his praying. There was a depth to his praying that those disciples couldn't grasp. He was a man and he would do the same. He would agonize for them, laboring fervently for you, agonizing for you in prayers that you may stand perfect.
Not that him. He says that you might stand perfect and complete in what? In the will of God. Isn't that sad when there's two wills that collide and clash. And as we've already been hearing from Brother Scott, certain things, you know, I don't think I can pray about this.
You know, it's just not too comfortable. I mean, imagine Jodah praying the night before, saying, oh, listen, Lord, this is, I know, but this is my plans, okay? You know, could you bless them? I want a safe journey.
Didn't know he was going to SeaWorld. Didn't know how he was going to get there, but, you know, oh my. You're praying? No, no. So you step up to him on the wharf and say, let's sing, and he went with Jesus, I can safely go.
No, no, no, not just now, okay? That was yesterday. That was last week. Not now. But Jodah, you're serving Christ. Maybe later, just not now. Now he did later, after some awful experiences, he ultimately did serve him.
Let me conclude. Let me keep to the time. This is all that you can remember from what little comments I had made this morning. I'll tell you, it would make our assembly something they'd never been before.
If I could just leave the Waterloo Cedar Falls Conference with this desire. Brethren, I want to be one of you.