All my state shall Tychicus declare
unto you, who is a beloved brother,
and a faithful minister and fellow
servant: in the Lord: whom I have
sent unto you for the same purpose,
that he might know your estate, and
comfort your hearts; with Onesimus,
a faithful and beloved brother, who
is one of you. They shall make known
unto you all things which are done here.
Colossians 4:7-9
Paul here does not give an account of his state there in a Roman prison and has sent Tychicus to give an account for him to the Church. Faithfulness by anyone calling themselves Christian is a lovely thing and by this faithfulness that person is rendered as worthy of our affection and esteem. Ministers, not just in a person's Church, but ministers who are faithful to God's word are our fellow servants. By means of faithful ministers the Gospel is spread by them and there are among them various ministries, and they have different capacities to be used in their service. Paul was concerned for the Colossian Church and desired to get an account of them for he as a faithful servant of God, even under imprisonment, cared for the brothers and sisters. It is a great and wonderful thing that God has provided faithful ministers throughout Church history and has provided even now for us in this present age who care for us.
Onesimus who had been a servant to Philemon and had converted to Christianity while in Rome who had fled from his master's service as a slave was now sent with Tychicus. Onesimus who may or may not have been a free-slave, that is, a bondservant, showed himself to be a poor servant. Now after his conversion Paul calls him a faithful and beloved brother and should be received back into the Church as such.
Circumstances of life can and often do cause a person to do things that are wrong, bad, and until those circumstances are placed in the right order life is full of bad and hurtful things. Some people in Church will not accept a person who has repented and converted to the Lord Jesus Christ, but how this can be is amazing to me when one things about the life of Paul. It is a person's spiritual relationship with God, with Jesus Christ following the words of Jesus that manifest the truth and reality of conversion. It is first of all amazing that God has saved that person and by the power of the Holy Spirit and the reading and applying of God's word in that person's life that God has not departed from him and has accepted him/her into the body of Jesus Christ. We who hold to the truth of Scripture when seeing a person's truthful conversion will not hinder that person from communion with the saints of God. The prayers of that person who has converted to God, and that will include all of us no matter our past circumstances in life, should be an excitement to all that this person is faithful and devoted as an Authentic Christian and has made himself/herself, available to the service of God. Misconduct may be a picture of your past and if that past is past then your present conduct is a blessing to you and to all you minister too.
Brothers and sisters, while we examine all things and hold on to that which is good (1Thessalonians 5:21) we in love accept those who are truly converted and are faithful in the Lord. It may take time for a person to be fully accepted but there will be a time to accept and this is important for the spiritual health of one who has left the past behind and not be driven back to it by being snubbed. Friendliness among brothers and sisters means more that being part of a "click," and never meeting or speaking to those you may not know at all, or well. Take the time to meet and greet all in the Lord. These are your eternal friends, brothers and sisters, all part of this great body of Jesus Christ, all having to undergo the trials of this world and are in need of your friendliness and love. Give it and you world will be bright and you will receive blessing that you may not know exist. We are the Church of God, the call-out ones by God so we must manifest this to the world.
Trust in the LORD, and do good;
so shalt thou dwell in the land,
and verily thou shalt be fed.
Psalm 37:3
Befriend someone today in the Lord
Richard L. Crumb
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