Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you. Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
Ephesians 6:21-24
It can be tough to say goodbye. When we’d travel to Baltimore, we’d stay with Mary Ann’s parents house. They had a basement with a bed and bathroom, so we could take it over like a hotel room.
We always had a good time with Kate and Bill. They’d join in the conversations, adding lots of great stories and humor along the way. Even into their mid-90’s, they were kind and gracious.
But it wasn’t till we were walking out of the house that Kate would start to cry. You could also see Bill’s eyes start to overflow. There wasn’t a tear anywhere to be found until we were finally leaving. While they weren’t especially emotional people, leaving always brought out the emotions and turned on the waterworks.
It can be difficult to know how to say goodbye. How to wrap-up your conversations. You’ve said so much, been together through the good and bad times. And now, it’s finally time to say that last goodbye.
To keep the Ephesians up to date on what Paul’s doing, and how he’s doing, he’ll be sending Tychicus back with updates. Tychicus was a messenger for Paul. But he was more than just a guy who gave status reports.
Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts.
Colossians 4:7,7
Look at how Paul describes this guy.
Dear brother – he wasn’t just any other fellow believer, he wasn’t just another brother, he was a dear brother. He showed the love of God in everything he did. He wanted nothing but the best for everyone.
Faithful minister – he wasn’t here today and gone tomorrow. He was reliable, you could count on him to show up and do what he was supposed to do. He did his job with energy and skill.
Fellow servant – he wasn’t trying to climb up the organization chart, he was happy to follow orders and serve people, putting the needs of others ahead of his. He put other people first.
When Paul called Tychicus a fellow servant, he was pointing back to himself as a servant. The great Apostle Paul, who seemed to walk into a town, snap his fingers, and churches sprung up all around, thought of himself as a servant. Someone who was always focused on following orders and meeting the needs of others.
That sums up the Christian life. Those two ideas: loving God and loving people are at the center of how Jesus lived and what he said.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.
Matthew 22:37,38
This is to be at the center of how we live. This is to be what motivates us day and night. As we live out each and every day, we need to have these two thoughts energizing our words, thoughts, actions, and attitudes. We need to ask these two questions.
First, does it show love for God? Is it in line with who God is, his loving compassion for us and others? Are we looking to show that God wants nothing but the very best for us and the people around us?
Second, does it show how we want to be treated? Are we acting towards anyone else the same way we want to be treated? Are our words, thoughts, actions, and attitudes the same way that we want to be treated?
As we say goodbye to the Ephesians, this is where we need to carefully look into the mirror at ourselves. We need to see God’s eternal and powerful love for us, demonstrated by Jesus dying on the cross. We also need to compare how we want to be treated in the mirror of how we are actually treating others. This is how we finally end our journey through Ephesians.
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2
Noodling Questions
Is it hard for you to say goodbye to people? Why?
How would you describe a “fellow servant” that you know?
List three different ways you want to be treated well by others.
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