1 Tychicus {Col. 4:7-9; :4; Eph. 6:21; II Tim. 4:12; :12}

How much do you know about Tychicus? … “Who?!” perhaps he is another one of those characters you have never met before. He was a great friend of the apostle Paul, - a personal envoy, if you like.

His name - Tychicus - is a Greek name, and it means ‘fortunate’, ‘lucky’. He was from the Roman province of Asia, probably from . It is very likely that he took the offering to the church in , - accompanying Paul on the way, Acts 20:1 And after the uproar was ceased [in Ephesus], Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia. 2 And when he had gone over those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece, 3 And there abode three months. And when the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia. 4 And there accompanied him into Asia of Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and . II Cor. 8: 17 For indeed he accepted the exhortation; but being more forward, of his own accord he went unto you. 18 And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the throughout all the churches; 19 And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind: II Cor. 12:18 I desired Titus, and with him I sent a brother.

He was with Paul during the first imprisonment and he carried the letters to the Ephesians and the Colossians, Eph. 6:21 But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things: Col. 4: 7 All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord: 8 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts; 9 With , a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here.

Titus was the pastor in that difficult church on the island of Crete. And Paul told him that he would send either or Tychicus.

During his second imprisonment Tychicus was with Paul, until he was sent to Ephesus, II Tim. 4:12 And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus. D.G. 2 Indeed he was distinguished for his integrity and his faithfulness. He held the affection and the confidence of Paul as an able worker in the service of the Lord . Yes, Paul commended Tychicus in three particular ways, …

The Dear Brother (Amp. Bible, “much loved brother) oJ ajgaphto;" ajdelfo;" . Tychicus was a silent companion, - we don’t read of his great exploits, - he just comes across as a man who gets on with the work. . But nonetheless, he proved himself, - he was with Paul on his third missionary journey, … he was always there when he was needed. . He could be trusted, e.g. (Eph. 6:21) . Paul gave him an important message by word of mouth, - many of us would forget some of it or add a little bit to it, … but not Tychicus! . Paul was an important person throughout the Church, … and what he said was important, therefore it was imperative that someone reliable would give an accurate report of the work, - Tychicus was such a person. . You see, he was ‘a dear brother’ in the Lord, - ajgaphto;", - a word that described the closeness between one Christian and another. . ajgaphto;" is often used to describe the love that is evident in the community of the Church, ... between brothers and sisters in the Lord. . We are going to spend eternity with them in the presence of the Heavenly Father, … we are going to stand beside them singing praises unto God, … . Do you have the ajgaphto;" love that Paul had for Tychicus? . For this is important, … because from this love grows respect that is honouring to God, . These two men worked closely together, - in harmony, - because of the respect they shared for each other. . Isn’t it so true that the Church is a Body that draws from all backgrounds, personalities, classes, intellects; . And the Head of the Church expects that each member’s relationship is characterised by ajgaphto;" love. . Indeed the Church of Christ is unique in this matter, - in any club, group, party, all must have the same aim, - but in Christ each born- again believer must not only have the same aim, they must also have a love that characterises them.

D.G. 3 . This is the kind of relationship that these two servants of God shared.

The Faithful Minister pisto;" diavkono" . By what we can gather Tychicus wasn’t necessarily the type of Minister who stands up in front of the people bringing the Word of God. . Indeed, … Scripture seems to suggest that Tychicus was content to carry on a faithful work behind the scenes. . He didn’t make noises like Peter; he didn’t cause riots like Paul; he didn’t speak eloquently before great crowds like . . But nevertheless he is commended for his faithfulness to the ministry to which God had called him, … what ministry was that? . He was an encourager to Paul and, in turn, Paul sends him to other churches to encourage them. . Is that an important job? Of course it is! . We need more men and women of God like Tychicus. . It was a quiet work that God had given him, but what an important work! . God has given each of us a work to do in His service; is He finding you faithful in carrying out that work? . He has given you a special work to do, and when you stand before His throne He will judge your faithfulness to His calling, … how will you fare? . Tychicus was found faithful in the task to which God had called him.

The Fellow Servant suvndoulo"/ . With whom does Tychicus keep company? With whom is he a ‘fellow servant’? . He worked alongside Paul, - that would have been a privilege! . … travelling all over the then-known world, . … meeting all different kinds of people, . … standing alongside the great giant of the early Church. . But, what about Sopater (the son of Pyrrhus), Aristarchus, Secundus, Gaius, Trophimus? … who?? (‘never heard of them!’) . Then what about Onesimus? … the slave, the runaway slave! . We all like to be seen with well-known people; but what about the Onesimus’s? the nobody’s?

D.G. 4 . What about the people who don’t feature/matter? . Tychicus was content to be one of a number of ordinary people whom God had called unto Himself in Sovereign Grace, and in the mercy of God was given the privilege of service. . And there is something else here, … do you see where Tychicus and Onesimus were going? … they were going into a minefield at Colosse, - this was a potentially explosive situation! . But Tychicus is not afraid to draw alongside his brethren in the work. . Oh, he could have said, . “I’m not going to be seen with that man, - he’s a slave! He’s a rascal, - he has stolen from his master, Philemon. Look! You can see there on his forehead the letter ‘F’ (=fugitive, runaway). I could be crucified if I had anything to do with that man. At the least, he will give me a bad name! . … that was the kind of person Tychicus was prepared to work with, - he was prepared to work with any brother/sister whose heart had been cleansed by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

CONCLUSION. Yes, that was the type of person Tychicus was, - a dear brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant. What commendations! What respect for this otherwise little-known servant of God. Paul rounds it all up by saying, ejn kurivw/ - it means that Jesus made the difference. They were mutually bonded together - if you like - with the cement of being in Christ. They belonged to the Family of God. Both of them could look back on a time . … when they called upon the Lord Jesus to take away their sin, . … when they handed everything over to Him, . when they willingly obeyed His call to follow Him with every bate of their breath. Tychicus is worthy of praise, - he lived in a manner that brought glory to His Saviour. Might we find in him an example to follow whether it be within the walls of this church building, at home, at work, or wherever God might lead us.

May God bless His Word to our hearts

D.G.