Church Planters; As We Serve One Another, We Serve God

 

Hello! This is Multiply, a podcast to Encourage Village Church Planters and we are Brad & Daneille Snowden.

In Colossians 4 Paul is ending his letter with a personal salutation mentioning friends and co laborers of the faith. 

Let us read verses 7-9;  Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts,  and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here”

Notice, Paul did not deliver the Colossian’s letter, it was Tychicus. A man that has been with Paul by his side for a long time now. He entrusted him to not just deliver this letter but share Paul’s heart with the Colossian church. Paul uses the words: ‘a dear brother in verse.7, a servant of Christ Jesus in verse 12, or dear friend  in verse 14.’ 

As I am now older, I stand amazed how our God has sewn people into my life that created a strength to accomplish His purpose within myself and others. 

My parents were pastors, in their early years together, my mother started a little children’s ministry in her own backyard. She invited the neighborhood children and would teach the gospel to them. Forty years later, a man found my father who had attended mom’s children’s ministry and became a Christian. He later went into the fulltime work of Jesus Christ serving Him as a pastor and evangelist. All because of my mother sharing the Gospel during that little children’s ministry. 

Because of Tychicus, we have three books in the New Testament that he faithfully delivered to their recipients—Ephesians, Colossians, and most likely the tiny book of Philemon (which appears to have been delivered at the same time as the letter to the Colossians).

We never know how our life will work and who God choses. Look at Onesimus; a slave to Philemon. He gave his master a hard time and even ran away. And God somehow brought Paul and Onesimus together where he was introduced to Jesus. God knew, and He had a plan all along; he would use someone from Collosse to introduce Tychicus as he delivered Paul’s letter and message to them. 

Some of us are Paul’s, some of us are Tychicus or an Onesimus; we all have an important part in God’s Plan for the Gospel to change lives. And we do this together, unified accomplishing our life’s-call in leading others to the saving knowledge of Jesus. 

Christian scholar E.M. Bounds said, “Men are God’s method. The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men.” 

Church planters you cannot go to every house, yet a Church Planter can disciple many to go and share Jesus, as they in turn carry the message as did Tychicus to places that still have not received the Gospel message.

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Thank you and God bless!

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