Paul the
apostle shared with the Ephesian church members how he was “an
ambassador in bonds” and desired for them to pray that he might
“speak boldly, as” he “ought to speak”. In
chapter six and verse twenty-one of his letter, Paul told the
Ephesians he was sending “Tychicus” to them whom he called
a “brother beloved and faithful minister” where we read:
But that
you also may know my affairs, and
how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the
Lord, shall make known to you all things:
The
verse begins, “But that you also may
know my affairs, and
how I do, Tychicus,...” Paul
began with the word, “But”
which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be
written takes precedence over what was previously stated, “moreover,
nevertheless and nonetheless” “that
you also may know”
or “that the Ephesians would perceive, notice, discern and
discover” “my affairs”
which means “Paul's manner and means”, “and
how I do”
or “the way Paul exercised, practiced, was busy with, carried on,
undertook, accomplished and performed”, “Tychicus”
whose name means “fateful” and was “an
Asiatic Christian, friend and companion of the apostle Paul”.
Paul was concerned for the Ephesians church members to know how he
was managing in his life.
The
verse continues, “...a
beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known
to you all things:” Paul
added, “a beloved brother”
which means “a well-loved, esteemed, dear, favorite and worthy of
love fellow believer, united to another by the bond of
affection” “and
faithful minister” or “trusty,
one who kept his plighted faith, worthy of trust and can be relied
upon one who executes the commands of another especially of a master
as an attendant” “in the Lord”
who is “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has
power of deciding; master and the title given to God the Messiah”,
“shall make known”
or “gain knowledge and recognize” “to you”
which refers to the Ephesian church members “all things”
which means “each, every, any, the whole and everyone”. Paul
acknowledged that “Tychicus” was
a man who close to him, could be “trusted” and relied upon” to
inform the Ephesians of his state.
When
we consider these words of Paul, we may have never heard of
“Tychicus” before. This man, whom Paul named as “beloved”
and “faithful”, could be trusted by Paul to reveal what
was happening in his life. The Ephesian church members were concerned
for Paul, and “Tychicus” was commissioned to communicate
to them about Paul and his ministry. Sometimes God will commission
people to take on the task of simply revealing to others concerning
ministries or about the lives of people. These are not insignificant
tasks as they are in line with the “commission” of Jesus Christ
for the spreading of His gospel. The Holy Spirit will lead us to the
“tasks” we are authorized to complete, and with His aid, we shall
inform others not only of important information, but also ways in
which they can pray.
Next
time Paul shares the reason Paul sent “Tychicus” to
the church in Ephesus, so read ahead, and we shall join together
then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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