Beloved Brothers - Colossians - Part 28

Now we get to a wonderful part of the book. The writer starts talking about people.

"Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here." - Colossians 4:7-9 ESV

If these two men were in town would you want to spend time with them?

Tychicus is described as:
- a Beloved Brother
- a Faithful Minister
- a Fellow Slave in the Lord

He is there to:
- Inform
- Encourage

Onesimus is:
- a Faithful Brother
- a Beloved Brother
- One of them (this could mean several things. He might have come from there but he also might be a different class and the writer was encouraging the people to see him as a peer.)
- He might have been Philemon's run away slave (see Philemon 1:10f) now set at liberty. Which adds an interesting twist.

They are going to tell the Colossians (and whoever else the letter goes to) everything that has taken place and their testimony can be trusted to be true.

Where do we get our news? Is it from beloved brothers? That is where I want to get my news. These two men aren't going to lead me astray. They aren't going to sell me a bill of goods. The have the same theology as the writer of this book. They aren't going to magnify differences. They are going to lift up Jesus and focus on Him.

I had a man I love dearly recently greet me this way, 'Does God still love you?'... What a provoking greeting! I momentarily made me review my theology and relationship with God. I said, 'Yes' and then we talked about the many uses for a question like that.

Later that day I asked the cashier at the pharmacy the same question as I fumbled to pay. I swiped when I should have inserted the chip and it gave us a little time. I said, 'It is an interesting question isn't it?' She agreed. Then I talked a little about the cross and how we know God does still love us because Jesus died for us. She put my items in a bag shyly. As I took the bag I asked again, 'So... Does God still love you and she said, 'Yes. Yes He does.'

Thank You God for our beloved faithful brothers. Thank you for those who encourage and inform. Thank you for unity that transcends class and status. Make us ministers today. We don't want to just dispense information we want to impart the life and theology that has been imparted to us. Fill us. Help us. Remind us. Lead us.

Thank You God.

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