seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
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. 8 I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. 9 He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.
10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) 11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. 13 I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.
16 After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.
17 Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.”
18 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
The commentary explains who these people are. Here's and excerpt.Tychicus, a beloved brother: Apparently, the Colossian Christians didn’t know who Tychicus was. He would carry this letter to them (will tell you all the news about me).
With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother: Onesimus was a slave owned by a believer in Colosse, but he ran away and came into contact with Paul in Rome. There, Onesimus became a Christian and a dedicated helper to Paul. His story is continued in Paul’s letter to Philemon.
Luke the beloved physician: This is the one passage that informs us that Luke, the human author of the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, was a physician. We also see that his works are written with a more scientific, analytical mindset (Luke 1:1-4) and have much detail that a physician would be interested in (Luke 4:38, 5:12-15, and 8:43).
Perhaps Luke was in Rome to deliver a document he recently finished — the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, which probably were together a “friend of the court” report, explaining to the Romans why Paul stood before Caesar’s court.
Demas: Here, nothing positive is said about Demas, only that he greets the Colossian Christians and therefore must have been known to them. In Philemon 1:24 he is grouped among Paul’s fellow laborers. Yet in the last mention of him (2 Timothy 4:10), Paul said that Demas had forsaken him, having loved this present world, and that he had gone on to Thessalonica.
And that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea: Apparently, Paul wrote a letter to the Laodiceans that we do not have. We should not assume from this that our treasure of inspiration is incomplete. The Holy Spirit has chosen to preserve those letters that are inspired for the church in a universal sense. Paul was not inspired in this way every time he set pen to paper.
This salutation by my own hand: As was the custom in that day, Paul generally dictated his letters and personally signed a postscript with his own hand.
Remember my chains: There is much emotion, sorrow, and strength in this simple phrase. Paul not only knew the confinement and loneliness of the prisoner; he also had the uncertainty of not knowing if his case before Caesar’s court would end with his execution.
Happy Thanksgiving! No... I don't mean the verses... although they do have a Thanksgiving type theme. It's Thanksgiving as I write this.Will your family be with you today? Will those who cannot make it give you a call today?
This is a close of the letter to the church. Paul dictated this letter and then signed it. Quite businesslike right?
At any rate, Paul is talking about the others in the Church as he closes the letter to the Colossians. It made me think how apropos that I should be reading this on this day. I'll think of family and friends as I give thanks.
Today I am thankful.
I've heard some horrific stories about what the "Christians" of the day did to the Native Americans in this area. We should all be ashamed... and yet we publicly "celebrate" how they shared their food with us. Much like the preacher in the bar on Water Street, just off the Baltimore Block, "wannabe preachers" did so much damage to the image of the "church". I'm thankful we are finally admitting it. We are all so very human... we're stinky.
I'm thankful that God let Jesus step up and become our Savior.
I'm thankful for Jesus.
I'm thankful!
Are you thankful?
