Thursday – August 4, 2016
The week is slipping away, it is Thursday already. Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now, let each of us prepare to receive His Anointed Word. The last few Thursdays I have been talking about some aspect of FAITH, HOPE, AND CHARITY (love) (1 Corinthians 13:13) to kick off our study of Colossians. None of these exist alone unto themselves or in a vacuum so to speak. To exercise faith, love and hope must be present. If we are acting in Bible love (agape) we are exercising faith and Godly hope is the target of love and faith. If we have a Bible hope, promise of God, then we must exercise faith and love to bring it from the spiritual realm into the physical realm or reality. Faith is to believe the Word of God without doubt, love is to be obedient to the Word of God, and hope (promise according to the Word of God) is a future certainty in this physical reality with the exercise of faith and love as led of the Holy Spirit.
I will now continue to the Apostle Paul’s parting words to the saints and faithful brethren at Colossae and Laodicea. I will be wrapping up our study of Colossians this week and then we will move into a study of the Book of Ephesians.
Colossians 4:7 (KJV)
7 All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord:
It would appear from the context and construction of the preceding verse that Tychicus may be what we might call today the chief of staff for Paul’s ministry. He has full access to Paul and he is going to report on everything concerning the Apostle. This aid is mentioned several times in Scripture and always associated with Paul’s ministry.
Colossians 4:8 (KJV)
8 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts;
Tychicus was an ambassador or emissary for the Apostle Paul for he is coming to the folks
at Colossae and likely the Churches of that area which is what is now western Turkey and will report back to Paul concerning spiritual and physical circumstances. He is also there to comfort their hearts. As you may know, the ministry of the Apostle Paul was rather tumultuous at times and I suspect the people that looked to him for teaching, and guidance, would be concerned for his welfare.
Trouble and storms will come to each of us concerning every aspect of our lives. It is absolutely critical that we understand that Jesus is the gold standard not Paul. We do not need to have the things happen to us that happened to the Apostle Paul. He could have done the will of God without shipwreck and stoning. These storms have no authority in our lives when we are in right standing. When we get our eyes off Jesus, off the Word of God, and onto the storm or equally destructive, play god ourselves, we will suffer damage. That is what the devil does when he is allowed access to our lives. He is not given access just willy nilly. Sin opens the door for the devil to get a legal judgment against us. Yes, Jesus is our advocate (Lawyer) and our intercessor but that is not a free pass, He just gets us the best deal possible when the enemy accuses (brings a case) us before the Father. All the while the Holy Spirit is dealing with us about our sin in a multitude of ways because if we will acknowledge the light, repudiate the darkness, and repent then judgment is averted and the devil must flee.
Colossians 4:9 (KJV)
9 With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here.
It appears that Tychicus is being accompanied by Onesimus who is apparently from Colossae and would it seems make an ideal companion to introduce Tychicus and vouch for his authenticity. These two are going to update the folks at Colossae and Laodicea much the way a ministry today would send out an annual ministry report updating supporters about the activities and finances of the ministry.
Tomorrow we will pick up the valediction with verse ten and complete our study of the Epistle of Colossians.
By Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
