trbccoffeebreak

“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.”  Colossians 4:7-8 (ESV)

As a little girl, I remember my parents gathering around our tv nightly to watch the news.  It was one of those, “you’d better be quiet” moments.  If you wanted to know what was happening in the world, you had to pay attention to the anchor at 6 pm.  Today, news of world events flash before our eyes on social media long before the nightly news hits the screen. And yes, with all the info we have at our fingertips, we often wonder what is really happening and who can we trust.

Flip through the pages of Colossians and you will find Paul sitting in a prison cell writing a letter to the believers in Colossae.  Crucial instructions detailing the dangers of false teaching.  Reminders of who God is and who we are in Christ.  Practical guidelines challenging these believers to put on the new self and abandon the old.  News in the form of a letter which couldn’t be given to just anyone.

Tychicus, Paul’s personal messenger, was entrusted with delivering the letter to the Colossians.  One who accompanied Paul on his journey from Macedonia to Jerusalem, Tychicus was not only a messenger but a beloved friend.  Standing with a prisoner was not for the faint at heart.  Aligning yourself with the accused could cost you your life – yet Tychicus was faithful to Paul and God.

Not only would Tychicus deliver Paul’s message to the people, but he would bring news about Paul.  News the people longed to hear.  Information on how Paul was enduring prison. Details on what was happening in Paul’s life – a personal update not included in the letter Tychicus would deliver.

Despite his imprisonment, Paul’s driving passion was for the body of Christ.  He wanted them to know truth, to know how he was doing and to be encouraged in their faith.  Tychichus was Paul’s chosen one because he had proven he could be trusted.

Information and news today can be found at our fingertips. We can surf the web and Goggle will take us to all kinds of places….just not all necessarily true.  As believers, we should follow in Paul’s footsteps and seek to share God’s truth and encourage one another.  Rather than zeroing in on divide, we should be building bridges of hope and strengthening unity so we can stand strong against the attacks of the enemy.  United we will stand – divided we will fall.  Old saying yet impactful.  Satan’s game plan never changes.

Sweet friends if we were amongst Paul’s companions would we have stayed or left when prison became his home?  Would we have proven to be trustworthy and faithful to deliver Paul’s letters to the churches  – his only method of sharing news?

Our brothers and sisters in Christ desperately need truth bearers and encouragers – those who will see things from God’s perspective and not our own. Those who will pay the price to ensure truth and unity reign.

“Father, help us to resist the urge to present our agenda over Your truth. Help us to be faithful, devoted followers who seek to encourage the body of Christ rather than divide.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life