Paul’s Team: Now Recruiting: Colossians 1:1
Paul's Team:
Now Recruiting
(Colossians 1:1)
Always Work Available
Recently, we have learned that some industries will always be in business: food suppliers, since people need to eat – doctors and hospitals, since people will always fall ill or have accidents – Christian ministry, since there are many lost in sin and many who need to be encouraged in Jesus. In the “Industry” of the Lord’s Kingdom, there is always a sign outside saying, “Now Hiring.” Or if you are in England, “Now Recruiting.”
Eight People on Paul’s Team
Let me make a quick introduction to eight people who were with Paul while he was waiting for trial in Rome. While awaiting trial and under house arrest, Paul wrote Philemon, Colossians and Ephesians and sent by the hands of Tychicus and Onesimus. He mentioned eleven other people in this letter. We will look at eight, since a few of the other people we know nothing about.
MOST OF US COULD NOT COPE
Joining Paul’s team meant enduring difficulties that few of us could endure. Social unrest, beatings, prison, mocking, insults, betrayal, near starvation, etc. Travel alone was on foot and precarious leaving someone vulnerable to weather and bandits. It is no wonder that loyalty and faithfulness were top on Paul’s list of qualifications to join. Let’s see what some of the other qualities were in the lives of his teammates.
1) TIMOTHY
Colossians 1:1 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God and Timothy our brother …”
Here Timothy is called a brother. Often Paul called him a son. Why does he call him a brother here, we do not know. It seems as though calling him a son, while introducing him to other people would reduce his status in their eyes. Introducing Timothy a brother makes Timothy an equal with Paul and with the church in Colossae.
Timothy met Paul and joined his traveling team from the town of Lystra (Acts 16:1-5).
Paul wrote that Timothy was faithful and that there was no one else quite like him (Phil. 2:19-30). This character quality was top on Paul’s list. If you wanted to join his team, you needed to prove yourself faithful.
2) TYCHICUS
Colossians 4:7 – “Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.”
Tychicus was the person who would carry the letters that Paul wrote and would eventually be part of our Bible. This means he carried in his hands the original copies of these letters. He is mentioned in Acts 20:4 as a traveling companion of Paul. In Ephesians 6:21, he carried the letter that Paul wrote to Ephesians. 2 Timothy 4:12, Paul sent Tychicus to Ephesus. And, in Titus 3:12 Paul sent Tychicus to Crete. He was a postal person and a person who would carry out exactly what Paul wanted to be done. He was loyal.
4) ARISTARCHUS
Colossians 4:10 – “My fellow prisoner, Aristarchus, send you his greetings.”
If this was all we knew about Aristarchus, it would not be much. We would at least see that he was not visiting Paul in prison. He was also in prison, serving time, perhaps awaiting trial. Perhaps already sentenced.
But we discover more when we read about him other places int he Bible.
He was from Macedonia and was almost killed by a rioting mob in Ephesus (Acts 19:29).
He was part plan to spoil the plot set against Paul. To avoid being mugged and possibly killed, he and some others split off from Paul’s team, travelled by sea instead of by land and had a rendezvous in the city of Troas (Acts 20:1-6).
As a traveling companion of Paul, he was arrested and imprisoned with charges held against him. He traveled with Paul to Rome, only this time as a fellow prisoner (Acts 27:2).
5) MARK
Colossians 4:10 – “… send you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas.”
There is too much here to write about, so I would encourage you to listen to the teaching. But, the fact that Paul mentions Mark is really significant. This means that there was reconciliation between Paul and Mark. Before this comment in Colossians, the last thing we knew was that Paul and Barnabas had a very strong disagreement over Mark’s character and faithfulness. READ ACTS 16:36-41.
6) EPAPHRAS
Colossians 4:12 – “Epaphras, who is one of you and is a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings.”
Epaphras was the person who started the church in Colossae. Perhaps from the revival that took place in Ephesus as Paul taught and performed extraordinary miracles, Epaphras believed and took the Good News back to his own people in the town of Colossae. See Col. 1:7 and Acts 19.
One other important quality about Epaphras, his prayer life. Paul was amazed as he observed Epaphras’ prayer life. So few ministers have a prayer life any more. So little value is placed on prayer and a life of passionate wrestling for others. Paul was astonished and impressed and boasted to others about how much this man prayed. (Col.4:12,13).
7) LUKE
Colossians 4:14 – “Our dear friend Luke, the doctor… sends greetings.”
Luke was mentioned 44 times in the Book of Acts. He was one of Paul’s traveling companions. What a great things for Paul to have a doctor with him, to care for his health while he was waiting trial.
Luke wrote 30% of our New Testament. That’s right. When you add the word count, his two books, Luke and Acts, contribute to over 30% of the words of the NewTestament and they also give us an account from the birth of Christ through the first 30 years of church history.
8) DEMAS
Colossians 4:14 – “… Demas sends greetings.”
We don’t know much about this man. He was with Paul and mentioned by Paul, so he must have been a key person in the ministry. But in 2 Timothy 4:10, Paul said that Demas had abandoned him. Why? Because he loved the world. I would not see Demas as someone who abandoned the faith, but as someone who could not handle the difficulties of ministry.
Luke wrote 30% of our New Testament. That’s right. When you add the word count, his two books, Luke and Acts, contribute to over 30% of the words of the NewTestament and they also give us an account from the birth of Christ through the first 30 years of church history.
