Tychicus was a faithful follower of Jesus and a faithful friend to Paul (mentioned 4 other times - Acts 20:4, Eph 6:21, 2 Tim 4:12, & Titus 3:12). Tychichus could personally share what was going on with Paul, because he invested time with Paul. Despite Paul’s imprisonment in Rome, he had much to be thankful for and wanted to encourage the Colossian Christians through Tychicus and his travel partner, Onesimus. Christians rarely traveled alone, and NEITHER SHOULD YOU. Who are some of your brothers and sisters you are traveling this life with?

Onesimus was from Colossae, a slave who ran away to Rome, and later responded to Paul’s message about Jesus. He was now called a faithful and dearly loved brother. In coming back to Colossae, Onesimus was returning to his Christian master, Philemon (read the 1 chapter writing on your own).

These 2 Christian brothers, Tychicus & Onesimus, made this long 1000+ mile journey from Rome to bring this important letter to the Colossian church. It must have been important.

Character Questions 

Are YOU, like Tychicus, a faithful follower of Jesus & a faithful brother/sister who is entrenched in the lives of other Christians?

Are YOU, like Onesimus, formerly running from your heavenly master, but now a faithful and dearly loved brother?

Aristarchus was faithful to Paul, even willing to face physical persecution for him while in Ephesus (Acts 19:29). Aristarchus journeyed with Paul to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4), and then on his voyage to Rome (Acts 27:4), where he was now serving with Paul as a fellow prisoner.

Mark, is John Mark, who wrote the gospel of Mark. Mark once deserted Paul & Barnabas in the middle of their mission (Acts 15:37-38), ultimately causing a division between Paul & Barnabas (Acts 15:39). But now, given a second chance, Mark is viewed as a trustworthy teammate.

Jesus was called Justus, instead of trying to wear the Name of the King. To clear away confusion, Jesus (Yeshua) went by his Latin version = Justus. 

These were the 3 Jewish followers of Jesus (“the circumcised”), Paul’s faithful coworkers for the kingdom of God.

Character Questions 

Have YOU, like Aristarchus, ever stood with another brother/sister when they were persecuted or going through tough times? Have you left your comfort to comfort them?

Have you, like Mark, ever had a falling out with another believer, but were/have forgiven, and went back to serve again?

This is what REAL RELATIONSHIPS look like within the Church, the Body of Christ. They aren’t perfect. They require time, effort, servanthood, grace, forgiveness, and second chances.

Epaphras likely heard the gospel from Paul and planted the church in Colossae. He was a hard worker who prayed for his people to grow to maturity in Jesus and worked hard for that to occur.

Are YOU, like Epaphras, wrestling for others in prayer, asking God to help them grow in maturity? Are you, like Epaphras, working hard to share the Gospel with others? 

Luke is the physician who accompanied Paul often, even until his death. He is the writer of both Luke & Acts, a medical doctor who used his abilities to minister to others far away from home.

Up until this point, Demas had been a faithful brother, but sadly, Demas later deserted Paul according to 2 Tim 4:9-10 (Unlike John Mark, who returned, we have no record that Demas returned.)

Have YOU, like LUKE, ever used your work skills to help further the gospel mission at home or far away? Have you asked God to use you that way?

Have you, like Demas, abandoned other believers to satisfy your own selfish desires? If so, there is still time to turn back. Go and seek forgiveness from God and those you have deserted or harmed.

Paul expected these letters to be read and then sent to the sister church in Laodicea, separated by almost 10 miles. Paul encourages Nympha, who used her home for the Laodicean church to gather in.

Paul then encourages Archippus to carry out the ministry given to him by the Lord Jesus.

Do you, like Nympha, use YOUR home to help the Church grow? Have you ever considered asking God how He might use your material wealth to bless others?

Do you, like Archippus, pay close attention to carry out the ministry God has given to you? Do you even KNOW what ministry God is pointing you to? If not, it’s time to start asking God! 

Paul often had an assistant put to paper what he spoke. But now Paul signs this letter “with my own hand”. This was no forgery, but a genuine letter from their spiritual father, closing with these words: “Remember my chains. Grace be with you.” These believers were to remember WHY Paul was imprisoned, for the sake of sharing the Gospel. When faced with persecution and death by both Gentiles & unbelieving Jews, Paul refused to be silent. Thankful for God’s grace in his own life, Paul blesses these churches trusting that God’s grace be with them.

We, like the Colossians, are called during this time to prayer, not fear. We are to stay alert, not distracted by sin, persecution, nor this coronavirus. God is AT WORK. If anyone in this text had something to fret about it was Paul (in prison), but he tells the Church to be people who are known for our thanksgiving! In the midst of tough times, this is where we have 2 options 1) Worry or 2) Pray…and as we pray and ask God for help, we also THANK HIM for so much.

This is how we can pray for pastors & missionaries, but it is also how we should pray for EVERY BELIEVER we know during this time.

Outsiders are people we know/meet who are NOT followers of Jesus. We must be prayerful & careful when near them, making the most of the time we have around them. 

Our lives speak LOUD, but our lips must get in the game too! If you KNEW that Jesus was coming back the end of this week, would you just ‘live it’ in front of people…OR would you get bold, open your mouth, and share Jesus with them? 

We must be prepared to act wisely and use gracious speech, seasoned with salt toward those who don’t know Jesus yet. Our lives should SHOW Jesus and our words should SHARE Jesus in a kind & truthful way. May we not be hypocritical nor apathetic as we GO to our Christ-less culture.