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Colossians 4:7-11 As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information. 8 For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts; 9 and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your number. They will inform you about the whole situation here. 10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Barnabas’s cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him); 11 and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me.
Paul is drawing this Christ-exalting letter of Colossians to a close. You may wonder why we should spend time preaching on these concluding remarks where Paul comments about individuals who have been with him. What’s the point? First, because these words are rich in truth and application. But second, because all Scripture is God-breathed. It is inspired by God and it is inerrant and infallible and sufficient for us. We believe in the verbal and plenary inspiration of the Bible. That means every word and all of the Word in the original manuscripts is inspired and without error. So these concluding comments are just as inspired as the rest of Colossians and the whole Bible. Added to that, we are committed to expository preaching. We don’t preach skyscraper sermons – one story after another. We don’t preach cotton candy sermons – just to make you feel good about yourself. And we don’t preach slingshot sermons, stretching the text to make it say what we want. Expository preaching looks into the Word, explains the text to see what it says, what it means, and how to apply it to our lives.
Notice in verse 11 Paul describes people there as “workers for the kingdom of God.” That is such a great phrase. I’m calling these men, “kingdom workers.” You and I as believers are kingdom workers. We’re not social activists. We’re not kingdom players. We are kingdom workers! That great calling should fire us up! We are working for God’s kingdom! What is God’s kingdom? Now God’s kingdom is the church where Christ rules in the hearts of His people. So the church is considered the kingdom of Christ. The kingdom in the future is when Christ is going to come and He’s going to set up His kingdom on earth, all over the world. So we’re working today for that future time when you and I are going to be there. And then after the great white throne judgement, the eternal kingdom begins. We are kingdom workers now for the church, for the millennium, and then for eternity future. This is exciting! As we look at these kingdom workers in Colossians, we see that they remained fervent to the Lord. They stayed focused on pleasing Christ by being faithful to Paul and God’s church.
You as a believer in Christ are a kingdom worker now in this local church as Christ rules as our Head. God has given His people gifts: preaching, teaching, encouraging, serving, fixing, and helping. He supplies everything we need as a local body and each of you here has a part! Where can you serve? How can you be a kingdom worker here in this body of believers? Evansville Bible Church began with a lot of enthusiasm. We came together excited about this new church plant and especially about the truth of God’s Word. Many of you pitched in to clean up this building and arrange for fellowship times. Now, the test of our spiritual condition is to keep going, stay involved and fervent in spirit. Never put your Christian life on cruise control or idle. New people have come and you are kingdom workers. God brought you here and we’re excited to see your gifts being used for His kingdom. Kingdom workers like these men around Paul, strengthened through Paul’s example, kept the pedal to the metal. Let us do the same.
FIVE FAITHFUL FRIENDS
Let’s look at these five men who served Christ alongside Paul with great enthusiasm and loyalty. Paul was a man who fired up other believers with his single-minded heart for Christ and the gospel. When a man says, “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God“ (Acts 20:24), you can be assured his friendships will be determined by his passion for Christ and the ministry. His spiritual integrity and intensity drew the best out of others. These men are faithful laborers, gladly serving as Paul’s associates and friends in the faith.
1. Tychicus, one of Paul’s most trusted messengers.
Colossians 4:7-8 As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information. 8 For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts;
Tychicus means fortunate and Paul was blessed with a man of his caliber. He joined up with Paul in Acts 20 on his third missionary journey and stuck with him. The last thing we hear of him is in 2 Timothy 4:12, where Paul sent him to Ephesus to help in the ministry there.
Now Paul is sending him out from Rome, across Italy, the Adriatic Sea, through Greece, across the Aegean Sea, and over a hundred miles on foot in Asia to this city of Colossae. This was at least a 700-mile trip. Here goes this first century Gentile Christian carrying the very inspired Word of God in his duffle bag those many miles, that same Word that we now study and ponder and memorize after 2000 years!
How does Paul describe this kingdom worker? 1) Beloved brother. Paul deeply appreciates him. He’s a true friend. 2) Faithful servant. Give him a job and you can count on him; he’ll get it done. Servant here is our word “deacon.” Thank God for faithful deacons right here in our church. 3) A fellow-slave in Christ. Just like Paul, he gladly submitted his life to Christ as his Master. 4) A trustworthy messenger, informing the church of Paul’s situation. Paul had confidence in him. 5) A spiritual encourager. He knew how to build up God’s people with the truth of Christ and the ministry of the gospel.
Tychicus, a beloved, faithful servant of Christ. You really can’t improve on that. Hopefully they can put that on your gravestone: Joe Christian, a faithful servant of Christ.
2. Onesimus, a runaway, redeemed, and returning slave!
Colossians 4:9 and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your number. They will inform you about the whole situation here.
This guy’s story is truly a testimony to the surprising grace of God. He was a slave from Colossae, a hometown boy, but he had run away from his master Philemon to Rome. As one author said, he ran with stolen money in his pockets. He made his way to the Las Vegas of the ancient world, the eternal city of Rome. There in Rome Christ captured him by His grace and brought him into contact with Paul, who led him to faith in Christ. Wouldn’t you love to hear the details of how that all happened? His name means useful, and now Paul is sending him back to Philemon. Paul seems to make a play on his name.
Philemon 1:10-12 I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment, 11 who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me. 12 I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart,
Paul doesn’t even call him a slave, just our faithful and beloved brother. Paul wrote, in Christ “there is neither slave nor freeman.” God has no limits on whom or how He can save and transform people’s hearts and lives. Here’s a runaway slave. One Bible note says, “A runaway slave who was returned to his rightful owner could face a variety of punishments, including flogging, branding, chains, or even crucifixion.” But now Onesimus is a new creation in Christ. His name means “useful” and Paul sends him back to Philemon as a useful brother in Christ.
That’s the hope of the gospel. God can thoroughly surprise you with His sovereign grace. You just never know when He will launch a grace missile aimed straight for the heart of one of His enemies and bring him to the cross.
Here’s Onesimus, fleeing to Rome to try to melt into the masses, but no one hides from God. Isn’t this great? Remember your own life. There you were, minding your own business, going your own way, either ignoring or trying to run from God, but suddenly you found yourself sitting down and in your right mind at Jesus’ feet, converted by divine grace through the gospel. Look at it from Paul’s side. We Christians never know whom God is going to send our way and plop right beside us at work, in school, at a restaurant, or wherever. We can pray for this. Lord, send an Onesimus my way to give him the gospel.
So there goes Onesimus back to Philemon. Paul is thrilled to send him back to his master, a runaway, redeemed, and returning faithful and beloved brother in Christ. We can imagine the church rejoiced when Onesimus showed up with Philemon in church.
3. Aristarchus, a courageous friend in the same situation as Paul – imprisoned!
Colossians 4:10a Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings;
The word prisoner means “taken captive at the point of a spear.” So he was a fellow POW there in Rome with Paul, engaged in the great spiritual battle for the faith. Some think he was a voluntary prisoner so he could assist Paul in his chains. He was a Jew from Thessalonica who joined Paul on his third missionary journey and stayed with him all the way to Rome. He experienced persecution in Ephesus. Paul had been preaching the truth about how worthless idols were, which stirred up quite a riot by the silversmiths making money in the idolatry business. Acts 19:29, “The city was filled with confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companion from Macedonia.”
That’s what it was like to travel with Paul. It certainly wasn’t safe. You just never knew in which jail you’d spend the night. Being Jewish, he well may have left behind a lucrative business to follow Christ. He was one of those believers who wasn’t going to deny the Lord just for his own personal comfort. In Acts 27:2 he’s right there with Paul on the boat headed for Rome. He experienced the shipwreck on the island of Malta. One author says, “Whenever Paul was in bad trouble, Aristarchus was there.” What a friend. Proverbs 17:17 says “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Paul describes him as his “fellow prisoner” and Luke calls him a “traveling companion.” He was a truly faithful, loyal, and courageous friend.
4. Mark, one of God’s classic examples that failure isn’t final.
Colossians 4:10b, and also Barnabas’s cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him);
This is wonderful. Mark was Barnabas’ cousin. Now we know why Barnabas was so committed to taking Mark on that second missionary journey in Acts 15. Paul was determined to leave him behind since he had quit halfway through the first trip. Acts 15:37-39 describes the sharp disagreement between these two leaders.
Acts 15:37-39, Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. 38 But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.
Paul was a strong, determined leader who would not tolerate quitting. He didn’t want it to happen again. But now here is Mark, re-committed, re-connected, and ready to go. What happened? Barnabas may have helped Mark grow a spiritual backbone. Kingdom workers must be able to receive correction, discipline, or experience apparent failure without letting it destroy their walk with Christ. God isn’t looking for perfect people and failure is not final in Christ. Paul says, “Welcome him! Open your arms to him. He’s on track and serving Christ.” In 2 Timothy 4:11 Paul tells Timothy to “Get Mark and bring him along. He is very useful to me for ministry.”
In 1 Peter 5:13 Peter calls Mark “my son.” Peter may have had a lot to do with Mark’s recovery, since Peter himself knew what failure was. Remember “I don’t know the man, curse, curse!”? Jesus assured Peter in Luke 22:31-32, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Peter understood failure and recovery to usefulness and he may have helped Mark. Not only did Mark recover from failure, he got to write one of the four Gospels in our Bible!
5. Justus, a Jew who loved Jesus more than Judaism.
Colossians 4:1, and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me.
There are three Jews in this list: Aristarchus, Mark, and Justus. We know nothing more about Justus, but he’s well known in heaven. There weren’t many Jews who came to Christ and became kingdom workers. The Jews typically stirred up trouble against Paul. He longed and prayed that more Jews would see Christ as their Messiah. Justus was a Jew willing to take a stand with Paul for the gospel. It may have cost these Jews their friendships, their family, even their own lives. But with Paul as their mentor they grew strong and stayed fired up as Kingdom Workers. They were a huge encouragement to Paul.
KINGDOM WORKER QUALITIES
Paul’s fervency and conviction for Christ and the gospel and his handling of trials and persecution drew these men to loyally serve Christ with him. What are the qualities in these kingdom workers that every one of us should be growing in our own lives?
1) These men were all faithful. They had put Christ above everything else and were committed to serving him in whatever way they were needed. Paul said in 1 Cor. 4:2, “It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.” Faithful to Christ, faithful in the disciplines of the Christian life, and faithful in ministry. These men were faithful, encouraging servants, filled with God’s Spirit and loving the body of Christ.
Look around and think of the people God has called together here to assist in this ministry – so many, whether elders, deacons, SS teachers, finances, secretary, audio visual, media issues, building and upkeep, people taking meals, serving in the nursery, music, singing, so many encouragers, mainly hearts fired up to love and serve Christ in this local church. How blessed we are! We truly have a body with each member doing his or her part, not to earn points with God, but through faith loving Christ and serving one another, a people investing their lives for God’s kingdom in whatever way they can.
2) They were encouragers. They encouraged Paul and they encouraged others. Encouragers are believers who believe God. If you’ve got the gift of discouragement, get rid of it as soon as possible. Discouragers are people who don’t believe God. Kingdom workers believe God and His Word and even if they end up in prison, they know Christ is Lord of all and they are bound for glory.
3) And they were great Christ-loving friends. They were faithful, encouraging friends. “They have been a comfort to me,” writes Paul. Very little is more important in our lives in this world than the people we hang out with, the people we call friends. Are you blessed with quality friends? Even more importantly, are you a quality Christian friend to others? Human friends are wonderful, but the best friend a man or woman can have is Jesus Christ. The hymn says, “There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus, no not one.” Jesus came as the friend of sinners. Another hymn says, “What a friend we have in Jesus.”
Five faithful men. Like you and me, these men were living their lives as worldly, sin-loving people, but one day God changed everything for them. He pierced their hearts with conviction of sin and opened their eyes to understand salvation through the cross of Christ and they turned from going their own way to putting their faith, their trust in Christ alone. What about you? Has God done this great work in your heart? If not, trust Him today.