Beloved Brethren

Colossians 4:7- 18
7As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information. 8For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts; 9and with him Nesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your number. They will inform you about the whole situation here. 10Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Barnabas's cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him); 11and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me. 12Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. 13For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas. 15Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house. 16When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea. 17Say to Archippus, "Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it." 18I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand Remember my imprisonment Grace be with you.

Observations
· As Paul concludes his letter to the Colossian church, he introduces us to some of his faithful and beloved brothers. There is Tychicus, the “beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, Onesimus, the “faithful and beloved brother from the Colossian church to which Paul is writing; Aristichus, a fellow prisoner who sends his greetings to this church; Barnabas, cousin of Mark and fellow traveler with Paul on his missionary journeys, of whom the church had received instructions and who was to be welcomed; Jesus called Justus who was among the fellow workers for the kingdom of God; Epaphras, who was also a member of the Colossian church and bondslave of Jesus Christ, who always labors earnestly in his prayers for his Colossian brothers, that they may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God, and who also has a deep concern for his brothers and sisters in Colossi, as well as other churches in that area; Luke, the beloved physician, who traveled with Paul, sends his greetings; and Demas, who is also Paul’s fellow missionary, but who had once left him because of his love for this present world. Paul also sent greetings to the saints of Laodicea and also to Nympa and the church that meets in her house. And finally, there is Arichippus, who the church is to instruct to Take heed to his ministry and fulfill it.”

Remarks
· These were Paul’s beloved brethren. We too have beloved brothers and sisters whom we should hold in high regard and love from our hearts as Paul loved and greeted his dear ones from prison. But, since Paul’s time, the church that Christ established has debated, fought, divided, contorted, conformed, deformed, reformed, replicated, restored and apostatized, until one can scarcely find the true church. I spent years in legalism with those who are certain that they are right and everyone else is wrong. My brethren used to preach a sermon titled, “The Way That’s Right and Can’t Be Wrong.” I also spent many years in liberalism (although I didn’t subscribe to their progressive theology) I was with a church that has the grandest slogan I have ever heard: “The church where salvation makes you a member.” But people came and went as they pleased, giving too little thought to the matter of their salvation. When I asked a leader about this failure, he replied, “The church is open ended; we have to make room for people with different views. Different views in matters of opinion to be sure, but certainly not in matters of faith! Through these experiences I came to realize that my brothers and sisters are those who have submitted in faith to Christ as their Savior and Lord and are following Him to the best of their ability. I also learned that faith does not depend on one's belonging to either the right church or the left church but to Christ. And with this understanding, my faith found a resting place in Christ alone.