To Encourage You

Colossians 4:7 “Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.”

When God transforms a life by the new birth and brings someone new into His family, it is always demonstrated by the relationship of that newborn child, spiritually speaking, to everyone else in the Father’s family.  One evidence of this is found in Paul’s description of the man Tychicus in the verse above.  You see, Tychicus was a Gentile.  Before Paul’s life was changed on the Damascus Road, he viewed people like Tychicus as little more than dogs.  As a “Hebrew of the Hebrews” Paul was proud of his national heritage.  He viewed himself as one of God’s chosen people.  He was better than everyone else that was not like him. In fact, he despised them.  And then if that person was a Christian, it was all the worse.  Paul was little more than a terrorist when it came to Christians as he persecuted them to the death.  One example is the Greek Christian Stephen, whom Paul, when he was still called Saul, stood by and watched with approval as he was stoned to death by a Jewish mob. 

But now, all things had become new with Saul – with a new name, Paul, and a new nature which loved people like Tychicus with a love almost too deep for words. Look at the language he uses to describe him:  beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant.  In every way he could, Paul identified with this man as they served the Lord together. 

Some years ago, I had the privilege of witnessing a very similar thing in the land of the Bible.  It was on a visit to Israel, a place known for violence between the Jews and Palestinians.  We read about it all the time, especially in recent months.  It’s a tale of hatred and revenge that has gone on for centuries.  Yet, what I also witnessed in Israel was a church that was filled with both Jewish and Palestinian Christians. There was no animosity there.  All the dividing walls had been torn down between them as these people, historical enemies, had been brought together in love at the foot of the cross. It’s there at the cross that the cure for the enmity between God and man is found – and it’s there at the cross that the enmity between people who previously hated one another is found as well. 

Thanks be to God for the way He changes hearts that hate to hearts that love, and all because while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.