Unusual - Name & Ministry

"All my affairs will be made known to you by Tychicus, the beloved brother, faithful servant, and fellow bondservant in the Lord. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts, together with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you everything that is going on here." Colossians 4:7-9 NHEB

Tychius is a person Paul uses often to send places to take care of things for him. Tychicus is first mentioned in Acts 20:4 where Luke tells us that Tychicus was among several men accompanying Paul from Asia. Then we have Paul mentioning him in Ephesians 6:21 and once again sending him on a mission. In 2 Timothy 4:12 it is stated that Paul is sending him to Ephesus, and in Titus 3:12 once again he is being sent. 

He was a very useful servant of the Lord assigned to Paul and the need he had as an apostle to keep in touch with the people he had brought into the Kingdom. In our passage today, Paul calls him, "beloved brother, faithful servant, and fellow bondservant in the Lord." Now that is a beautiful description of a diligent and faithful servant of the Lord. 

Tychius evidently had been assigned to Paul by the Lord Jesus, and took his work for Paul very serious and was all that he needed to be in the service of Paul. That was his call. We do not have a record of him teaching or ministering to other people, although that also might have been a part of his ministry to Paul and through his mission to Paul. His was a job of diligent service, especially in traveling and communicating in the name of another person. 

Isn't it interesting? The service of one Christian brother on assignment to serve another Christian brother is considered a ministry unto Jesus as a bond-servant. (For those who are unfamiliar with this term, please read Exodus 21:2-6 and Deuteronomy 15:12-17). This placement was not one of abuse or control, but rather of love in Jesus - freely given and freely received. 

May we see that our service to one another, especially if we have received such an assignment from the Lord, is counted as ministry unto Him. This would change a lot of things in the Body of Christ. Lord, open our hearts and our eyes, to our calling to serve one another in your love, and teach us faithfulness and diligence in that service.