Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. 9 He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here. Colossians4:7-9
As we look at some of the names that Paul mentions in his letters, we would do well to remember that these were real people of flesh and blood with families, histories and testimonies of God's work in their lives.
We meet two of them today:
Tychicus is mentioned as Paul's travelling companion and emissary in Acts, Ephesians, Colossians, Timothy and Titus. We don't have a lot of information about him... He came from the province of Asia, joined Paul on his final journey to Jerusalem, and Paul sent him to Ephesus, Corinth and to Titus at Crete. Paul tells us about his character: In Ephesians he describes him as "dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord" and here in Colossians he is "a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord."
Wouldn't it be great to be remembered in this way?
The Greek word translated as "dear" is probably better translated "beloved." The word of minister is the word from which we get "deacon." So Tychicus is trustworthy, loving, responsible, faithful, and servant-hearted. He is remembered more for his character than personality.
Onesimus' story is told in the letter to Philemon. He was a slave who ran away and bumped into Paul in Rome where he was converted and Paul sent him back to his master Philemon. The transformed Onesimus courageously went back to "face the music" and became a valuable part of the life of the church. Legend even has it that he became a beloved and admired bishop in the early church.
Would we be mentioned in letters today? Do those around us see us as trustworthy, reliable, beloved and ready to serve?
Not everyone can be in the limelight, most of us will play side roles and maybe get a quick mention when the credits roll, but will we be servant-hearted and faithful?
It's our choice...
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
