Pauls Epistle to Colossians (24)

Colossians 4:7-18 and the Closing Benediction

Psalm 32, put to music, the Lord delights in hearing the truth of His word spoken and sung by the people of God. We are in the last section of this epistle of Paul to the Colossians. Lord willing we will cover Colossians 4 beginning with verse 7 to the end which is verse 18.

And here the Apostle identified not 9 but 10 and I found another one after I had listed 9. There are 10 specific persons in his concluding statements in this epistle. And although Paul referenced them specifically, specific persons, nevertheless we may learn from these words additional information regarding the church and how the Apostle and others conducted the work of the ministry.

Let's read the entire passage first. Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and a 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. He will tell you of everything that has taken place here. Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you and Mark the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instructions, if he comes to you, welcome him.

And Jesus, who is called Justice, he is the only man of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God, for I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you, and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.

Luke, the beloved physician, greets you, as does Demas. Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea and to Nympha and the church in her house. And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.

And say to Archippus, see that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the.

Lord.

I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, remember my chains, grace be with you. I differ a little bit from the way the ESV has formed its paragraphs here. I really think it should be a new paragraph with verse 15, because of the subject matter.

But you have an outline, before you have Paul's messengers listed or identified, verses 7 -9. And then secondly, you have greetings from Paul's companions, verses 10 -14. And then beginning with verse 15, you have Paul's greetings to various friends.

It's clearly a change. It ought to be a different paragraph division. I think the New King James translators did that, by the way, if I recall rightly. We want to take each of these persons in turn and consider what is said regarding them.

And so first, let's consider Paul's messengers. And the first one listed is Tychicus. He is a friend of the Apostle, first mentioned in verses 7 -9. Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He's a beloved brother, 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, I don't know why I'm having trouble with that, Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you, they will tell you of everything that has taken place here.

Tychicus is mentioned. Paul had mentioned this man elsewhere, and in fact, almost the same language he used of him in the last chapter of the Epistle to the Church at Ephesus. But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, my beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you, whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts.

Same thing, isn't it, virtually? And the fact is, the Epistle to the Colossians was probably written at the same time as the Epistle to the Ephesians, and they both were delivered at the same time, or the same delivery to each church, and Tychicus probably was the deliverer.

And so this same word of encouragement, Paul had the same purpose of sending Tychicus both to the church at Ephesus as well as to the church at Colossae. And so he was probably the carrier and deliverer of both epistles.

He may also have delivered an epistle written to the church at Laodicea. And here, outside of the book of Revelation, the church at Laodicea is mentioned. Tychicus was a fellow worker of Paul who knew intimately and personally the nature and details of the apostolic ministry, and so he would be able to report accurately to the church at Colossae as well as Ephesus the news of Paul's ministry.

Paul was in prison in Rome. He would also be able to represent Paul faithfully to the church, for Tychicus was a capable man in his own right in the work of the gospel ministry, for Paul described him as a faithful minister.

And he could assign him the task, therefore, to comfort their hearts, not just report but actually do ministry. He could bring a good word to these people on Paul's behalf. The word translated as minister here is the Greek word diakonos, which, of course, elsewhere is translated as deacon.

It probably shouldn't be here as an official office, but deacon simply means he's a minister, he's a servant, and here Paul commends him for that. And so he's a capable man, a faithful servant of Jesus Christ.

Paul also mentioned or referenced Tychicus twice in his pastoral epistles to Timothy and to Titus. Be diligent to come to me quickly, this is Paul's instruction to Timothy, for Nemus has forsaken me, having loved this present world, has departed for Thessalonica, Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia, only Luke is with me, get Mark, bring him with you, for he's useful to me for ministry, and here it is, and Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus.

No doubt an allusion to what he wrote about in Colossians and Ephesians. And then also in Titus, when I send Artemis to you, or Tychicus, he didn't know which one he was going to send at that point, be diligent to come to me at Nicopolis, for I had decided to spend the winter there.

And so Tychicus was a fellow servant of Paul, they knew one another well, worked with one another, and Paul regarded him as a faithful man. We also read of Tychicus in the book of Acts, and Luke was a traveling companion with Paul, and he wrote of men who were with them, and Tychicus traveled with Paul and Luke.

And so we have in Acts 20, now when Paul had gone over that region, encourage him with many words, he came to Greece, stayed there three months, and when the Jews plotted against him as he was about to sail to Syria, he decided to return to Macedonia, that's the region on the northern end of the Peloponnesian Peninsula, Greece, of course, Sopater, Berea, accompanied him to Asia, also Aristarchus, Secundus of the Thessalonians, Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and here to Tychicus, and Trophimus of Asia.

These men going ahead waited for us at Troas. And so here we read that Tychicus was from Asia, and this of course would have been Asia Minor, and I actually had a map that I thought I grabbed and copied rightly, and it was going to be right here for you, to show you Asia Minor, which is just a western region of what is modern day Turkey, probably within 300, Turkey's a wide country, it's over a thousand miles wide, but perhaps 250 miles of the west region is Asia Minor.

And we see that Tychicus was from Asia, Asia Minor. And this is also the region, of course, where Ephesus was and Colossae was located, as well as Laodicea. And so Tychicus was probably converted under Paul's ministry when Paul had served in Ephesus for two years.

We read of that period of ministry in Acts 19, When some were hardened, did not believe, but spoke evil of the way before the multitude, that's the Christian way, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.

And this continued for two years, this is in Ephesus, so that all who dwelt in Asia, there it is, that's Asia Minor, heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. And I suspect Tychicus was among those who heard the word of God, who dwelt in Asia.

Paul described Tychicus as a beloved brother. They served the Lord and the Lord's people together. There was a companionship, a close affinity with one another and the Lord. And often these are the richest kinds of friendships that Christians may have.

Is that not right? Those who serve the Lord together in a fallen world, they work together for the furtherance of the gospel. Paul could call him my beloved brother. You know, we read of Paul being alone in Second Timothy at the end of his life and whatnot.

But aside from that, Paul always had a group of faithful people around him. And he listed these men and women as well that were part of his team, really, that were so faithful, who brought encouragement to him and whom he could have confidence, I could send this man to you and I know he will comfort your hearts rightly.

He's going to be able to impart truth to you rightly. Those are good folks to have, to have around you. Well, secondly, we have Onesimus mentioned, and perhaps this is one person of the most interest in the list.

And so we have again him mentioned in verses seven through nine, which we've already read, for not only was Tychicus sent by Paul, but with him, Onesimus, verse nine, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you, Onesimus was from the Church of Colossae.

He was one of you. And he's described as a faithful and beloved brother. Paul knew this man and trusted him. Their hearts were knit together. Onesimus' affection and commitment to the apostle was a tried relationship, for it was while Paul was in prison that Onesimus proved himself to be a faithful brother, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you.

And Onesimus was with him. We read that Onesimus was one of the members of the Church of Colossae. Paul declared this. Onesimus was a citizen of Colossae, even a member of the household where the Church of Colossae most likely met every Lord's Day.

And yet Onesimus was never converted, even though he was probably in that church week after week after week. You probably recognize Onesimus due to the epistle of Paul that principally speaks to him, and that's, of course, the epistle to Philemon.

This is Onesimus, the runaway slave. We mentioned that Paul wrote Colossians and Ephesians at the same time. He also wrote the letter to Philemon. And they probably were all delivered at the same time by Tychicus.

And Onesimus was with that letter being delivered into the hand of Philemon at the Church of Colossae. And so the subject of this letter to Philemon was, of course, the return of Onesimus, his runaway slave.

And we'll not read all of it, but there are a number of verses in Philemon that describe this, where Paul is appealing to Philemon, who is no doubt the wealthy house owner in whose house the Church met.

He's the principal leader of the Church.

And Paul writes,.

You see, he was a slave owned by Philemon. And this in no way, of course, substantiates slavery, but this depicts how Christians operated within that system. But without your consent, I wanted to do nothing that your good deed might not be by compulsion as it were, but voluntary.

For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever, no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, as a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

If then you count me as a partner, receive him as you would me. That's a pretty powerful appeal, isn't it? But if he's wrong you or owes you anything, put that on my account. I, Paul, am writing with you my own hand.

I will repay, not to mention to you that you owe me even your own self besides. Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord, refresh my heart in the Lord. Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more.

Than I say.

But meanwhile, also prepare a guest room for me, for I trust that through your prayers I shall be granted to you.". How could Philemon have possibly ignored that or failed to follow through? All the just piles of appeals, strong appeals upon one another, gracious appeals, but it was clear what Philemon had to do.

Now again, Paul wrote this letter at the same time he had written his epistle to the Church of Colossae, and so although Paul had been bound, however, his gospel was not bound, and so his message of salvation through Jesus Christ found a home in the heart of this runaway slave from Colossae.

This is a wonderful story of conversion. Although Onesimus had become very helpful to Paul, Paul thought it necessary for this slave to return to his master, and so he sent him along with his letter to make his reception with his master a favorable one.

This could have been a difficult reunion, for Onesimus was not only a runaway slave or runaway property, but he had also probably been a thief when he ran away. Paul hints at this in verse 18, but if he has wronged you, and you recall I mentioned how in the Greek language these conditional sentences imply different degrees of probability, it's almost like you could read, if he has wronged you, and I know he has wronged you, or owes you anything, and I know he owes you something, put that on my account.

And so Paul's labor in the gospel found one of God's elect in this slave, Onesimus. In some ways, Onesimus was typical of God's elect, he was not a wise man after the flesh, Onesimus was not a mighty man in stature, he was not a noble one of the earth, no, he was like most of God's elect, as Paul described us in 1 Corinthians 1, God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty, the base things of the world, things which are despised, God has chosen things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are, and here's the purpose clause, for what purpose?

So that no flesh should glory in its presence, salvation is brought to us in such a way, nobody can take credit for it, you have to give it all, all the glory to God. And so Onesimus was a runaway slave and thief, and yet he was an object of God's sovereign electing grace, as Charles Spurgeon once aptly described Onesimus, he ran away from Colossae, and therefore in thinking that he would be less likely to be discovered by the ministers of justice, he sought the city of Rome, that's where runaway slaves went, because half the population of the city was slaves and you could hide real easily in and around them.

There in those back slums Onesimus would go and hide, for among those gangs of thieves which infested the imperial city he would not be known or heard of anymore, so he thought, and he could live the free and easy life of a thief, and yet mark you, the Lord looked out of heaven with an eye of love, and set that eye on Onesimus.

Were there no free men that God must elect a slave? Were there no faithful servants that he must choose the one who had embezzled his master's money? Were there none of the educated and polite that he must look upon a barbarian?

Were there none among the moral and the excellent that infinite love should fix itself upon this degraded being who is now mixed up with the very scum of society? And yet eternal love, which passed by kings and princes, and left Pharisees and Sadducees, philosophers and magi, to stumble in the dark as they chose, fixed its eyes upon this poor benighted creature that he might be made a vessel of honor fit for the master's use.

I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion, rose-like thunder from the cross of Calvary, and from the Mount Sinai. The Lord is sovereign and does as he pleases.

Let us admire that marvelous electing love which selected such a one as Onesimus.

Amen.

Of course, God's word teaches a wondrous doctrine of election. God has chosen certain persons from fallen humanity to be recipients of his salvation, having chosen them before creation in Christ, not based on any foreseen condition or response of them, but solely due to his own good pleasure, according to the purpose of his will.

It wasn't because he saw Onesimus restored that he chose him. He saw Onesimus as a sinner and purposed to restore him so that no flesh would glory in his presence. Election, of course, follows the understanding of man's total depravity or total inability to come to God, so left on his own, even after having been instructed, admonished, persuaded, pleaded with, Onesimus would still choose to reject God's rule over him.

He was in church, heard the word of God, taught, probably prayed over this man. He was never converted, though, at Colossae. And of course, the reason was Onesimus was dead, incapable, and unwilling to do the things God commanded him, and so the salvation that would come to Onesimus must originate outside of him.

It wasn't going to come forth from him. And so we have God's election unto salvation. Now although certainly God's election of some means passing over others, hence a doctrine of reprobation, nevertheless, election is always presented in the scriptures positively, unto salvation, not to damnation.

The scriptures do not say God chose some for damnation, no, he chose some for election, unto salvation. He chose them for salvation. As the First London Confession, which is a good confession, we affirm that it is Jesus Christ never intended to give remission of sins and eternal life unto any but his sheep.

So these sheep only have their sins washed away in the blood of Christ, the vessels of wrath, as they are none of Christ's sheep, nor ever believe in him. So they have not the blood of Christ sprinkled upon them, neither are partakers of him, and therefore have all their sins remaining upon them, and are not saved by Christ from any of them under any consideration whatsoever, but must lie under the intolerable burden of them eternally.

And the truth of this appears unto us by the light of these scriptures compared together. In other words, you know, if you go to heaven, it's because of God's grace. If you go to hell, it's because of your sin.

People don't go to hell because God didn't choose them to salvation. They go to hell because they choose to love and live in sin. Now the Bible, in addition to speaking of election, speaks of predestination.

And although frequently these are used synonymously, they are really not the same. Election speaks of God's choice of people. Predestination speaks of the end or purpose for which God chose them. He elected them, and he predestinated his elect to become something.

Predestination describes God's design for the ones he chose. He predestined them to be conformed to the image of his Son, to become his adopted sons, and to be to the praise of his glory. Each one of those speaks of predestination.

God had elected Onesimus in eternity past to become one of his own, and he destined Onesimus to become conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. And until God's purpose of salvation had begun to be seen in this man, reconciliation and fellowship with his Christian master would not have been possible.

But now it is possible. Not only did God save Onesimus due to his electing love and predestination, but God saved Onesimus through his work of providence. Clearly this is seen beautifully. Not only is there sovereign grace in God's election, but there must be sovereign grace in God's providence also.

God's providence is simply God ordering events according to his purpose that he has.

Decreed.

If the elect are going to be saved, it is going to be through God's providence. Providence is similar to the word provide. We have used this illustration in the past. Many of you made provision for your Sunday afternoon meal, perhaps.

Originally, when I used this illustration, I said many of you ladies, but then I was mindful of Stan. He is always preparing, so I made it generic. Many of you had made preparations for a Sunday afternoon meal ahead of time.

You planned what you would provide for your family. You purchased what you needed. Perhaps some preparations have already been made. The final preparation will be made just before you and your family sit down together to enjoy what you designed and provided for them.

Similarly, in God's providence, he very skillfully prepares for the conversion of the ones that he elected to himself in eternity. The providence of God is his carefully managing of events ahead of time to bring out his purposes.

You have, through your providence, arranged for a meal. God, through his providence, arranges for the salvation of his elect. Every one of us that has come to Christ, we don't know it when it is happening, but when we look back, we can probably see the hand of God quite clearly, can't we?

Now, we could consider God's providence in a negative way. When we speak of God's providence, we generally speak of positive things that fall out for the benefit of the Lord's people, but God's providence brings about his judgment upon sinners also.

There is no escape of the wicked. God will see to it, in his providence, that the wicked reap what they have sown. I had an Old Testament passage I was going to quote here, but I realized we don't have the time, but the prophet speaks about the man fleeing, trying to escape the judgment.

Of God.

He flees. He runs to his house. He goes into his house, puts his hand on the wall, gets bit by a snake, and dies. I mean, you can't escape when God is out to get you, basically, is the warning. God's providence can be spoken of negatively.

We most commonly speak of God's providence bringing about good for his people, but again, this often comes in the form of what on the surface may seem to be great difficulty and.

Trouble.

For God, in his sovereignty, has all-powerful control over all events, uses all events, both good and bad, both sinful acts of men and those that are not, in order to bring about his purposes of grace in his people.

And so consider the providence of God in Onesimus's life. Philemon had been a good master to Onesimus. Now, that's an assumption, but I think it's legit. Philemon was a Christian man. I suspect that Philemon would have seen to it that his entire household, including his slaves, attended the church service that was conducted weekly in his house.

Onesimus was privileged to hear the word of God regularly. But God, in his providence, sent Onesimus to far-off Rome, where he would be converted under the ministry and message of the Apostle Paul. And so, God used Onesimus's sin of thievery, rebellion, and escape to bring about his salvation.

This is similar to what Joseph could say to his brothers, who had years before mercilessly beat him, sold him into slavery. Do not be afraid, am I in the place of God? In other words, God controlled all these things.

But as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about, as it is this day, to save many people alive. Insert Onesimus in there. The same thing is true, isn't it?

Onesimus had no intention of seeking God. He wanted to get away from that household. It probably sickened him, grieved him, to have to sit there and listen to this stuff.

In church.

I know there's some money there. I know where it is. I'll grab it and run off to Rome, and I can be a free man and live the way I want. Some of us may question God regarding what we are encountering in life or what's encountering in people that we know.

Why Lord?

Well, the response might be as Paul gave to Philemon in verses 15 and 16. And Paul is not saying that he understood the details of God's providence. That's one of the secret things of the Lord. You and I don't have that kind of wisdom, as we've tried to say repeatedly in the past.

But Paul supposes, sets forth the possibility, for perhaps he departed for a while for this.

Purpose.

In other words, perhaps God allowed it for this purpose, that you, Philemon, might receive him forever, no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, how much more to you, both in the flesh and the Lord.

I think we ought to trust God in his providence. Let us also be mindful of God's providential dealings in people's lives when we are seen there having problems. How do you know it's bad? I love that question from that metaphor of the old Chinese farmer.

I won't repeat that now because of the time. But, you know, the Lord knows what he's doing. And we might be wringing our hands because we're watching those for whom we're concerned. And we think, you know, they're not going to be converted in the way they're going and what they're doing.

But you never know what God is setting the stage for. And we ought to pray to that end. And so let us trust God to deal with us wisely in his providence. Let us also be mindful of God's providential dealings in people's lives when we see that they're having problems.

No doubt, okay, Paul, no doubt, son onesimus, for perhaps the Lord is bringing events about to glorify himself in manifesting his saving grace. And that's exactly what God was doing. Well, not only in God's providence, but we also displayed in the life of Onesimus the grace of God in conversion.

God in his providence brought Onesimus to Rome, also brought Onesimus to come into contact.

With Paul.

Paul in jail, maybe. Onesimus was thrown in jail too, in the same cell as Paul, surmising, I don't know. But somehow he and Paul came together. And he heard the gospel and was converted. How was it that Onesimus received the message in Rome that he failed or refused to receive.

In Colossae?

Well, we would argue it was in God's purpose. It was in God's decree. Was it because Paul could make the gospel more clear and convincing than those in the.

Church at Colossae?

Not necessarily. No, people are not converted because of the style or the delivery of the message. You know something that's humbling to a pastor? And I've been in this for 42 years. I've seen it repeatedly over the years.

You try and teach something and force something and you think people get it and they understand.

It.

And then they go and visit somewhere or hear something on the radio. Pastor, you should have heard the truth I just learned. And they repeat it to each other. You know what I say? I've been teaching in that for 10 years, you know, but, you know, the Lord is sovereign in that too.

And you've got to be thankful that they, you know, they've learned it. Thank the Lord. And the Lord is sovereign in that too. Was it because it was necessary for Onesimus to have hit the bottom in Rome, say as the prodigal son to do so in a far-off country?

Was it all of a sudden because Onesimus was now willing because he was in Rome where before.

He wasn't?

And although some of these things might be true, ultimately, again, there's only one answer why Onesimus was converted in Rome and not in Colossae, it's because God purposed to do it that way. God by his grace elects sinners.

God by his grace directs the sinner to himself and his providence. God in his grace converts the sinner to himself in his own way, in his own time. It's by the grace of God we are what we are. John Newton, of course, penned the words, I was blind but now I see.

And to what did he attribute the change? God's amazing grace. God has to bring the blind sinner to see his sinful condition and his guilt before God for his sin. God must give him a holy concern. He taught my heart to fear, and by his grace my fear is relieved, is what the hymn declares.

This is God opened the heart of Lydia to attend to the things which are spoken by Paul. God opened the heart of Onesimus to attend to the things which were spoken by Paul. Paul described his own conversion that way.

This is why we need to pray, as we've been emphasizing the last few weeks. God calls people to salvation. He calls people through our gospel, but he's got to do it, because all the simplicity and shouting and teaching doesn't bring forth fruit.

Who can bring forth life from the dead? I can't. You can't. And if your son or daughter goes off into the world to live in sin, it's not necessarily your fault, not necessarily my fault, although we might have contributed to it, I don't know.

But they're sinners, and unless God changes them, they're not going to change. And all the more reason for prayer. We also see in Onesimus' life a transformed man, don't we? No longer did he want to live in a so-called liberty or freedom, but he wanted to please the Lord and return home, to make things right with the one he offended.

He must have thought back and thought about the kindness that his master had been and shown to him, and how he abused that kindness in his thievery and probably in his rebellion, defiantly stubborn, resistant, grumbling, and he wanted to set things right.

And Paul felt he needed to set things right, and so he sent him back. Onesimus possessed a desire to make restitution, how sorrowful he must have felt for his former attitudes and his behavior. Onesimus is a great story in the New Testament that illustrates for us how God brings salvation to sinners.

All right, let's look now at the next division of this concluding section of Colossians. Greetings from Paul's Companions, verses 10 -14. The third person that's mentioned is Aristarchus. We read in Colossians 4 .10, Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you.

And including this reference here in Colossians, Aristarchus is mentioned five times in Scripture. Three times in Acts, here in Colossians 4, also in Philemon, verse 24. Let's quickly consider these. Acts 19, we read of the riot that occurred in Ephesus due to the uproar caused by idol.

Makers.

Hey, we're going out of business. It's because of the Christians over here. You know, people don't want to buy our idols anymore. They had a big riot in the amphitheater. I've been there, huge place where the whole city was in an uproar.

And here we first read of Aristarchus. So the whole city was filled with confusion, rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul's travel companions.

And when Paul wanted to go into the people, the disciples would not allow him. And some of the officials of Asia, there's Asia Minor where Ephesus was, who were his friends sent to him pleading that he would not venture into the theater.

Some of the leaders, the government officials were Paul's friends by this point. I mean, the whole world was turned upside down. But even at this early time, Aristarchus was a member of Paul's ministry team as they evangelized Asia Minor and established a church in the city of Ephesus.

And then in Acts 20, verse 4, Aristarchus left Ephesus with Paul. They traveled across the northern Aegean Sea to Macedonia, where the cities of Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea were located. We read there, after the uproar had ceased, Paul called the disciples to himself, embraced them, and departed to go to Macedonia.

Now when he had gone over that region, encouraging them with many words, he came to Greece, stayed there three months. And when the Jews plotted against him as he was about to sail to Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia.

He went back up north, Sopater of Berea, accompanying him to Asia, and here it is, also Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius, Timothy, Tychicus, and Trophimus. These men going ahead waited for us at Troas.

And so here we see Aristarchus was originally from Thessalonica, Tychicus was from Asia Minor, Colossae, Aristarchus was from Macedonia, in fact, Thessalonica, the city. And he had been traveling with the Apostle probably quite some time.

And then in Acts 27, this is at the end of Paul's ministry, traveling to Rome, the long voyage of Paul while under guard, taken to Rome from Caesarea in Palestine, after Paul had been in Jerusalem. And so in Acts 27, we dive in, when it was decided we should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustan regiment.

So entering a ship of adram, idiom, we put to sea, meaning to sail across the coast of Asia, here it is, Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us. And the us includes Luke, Paul, and at least Aristarchus, and probably others as well.

And so we have confirmed that Aristarchus was from Thessalonica, and here he is with Paul, traveling from Palestine to Rome. He had been with Paul a long time, serving with him in the Gospel. And then he's mentioned in Philemon 24, Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas.

And so Aristarchus is described as one of several slavers in the law. And then of course here in Colossians, Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you. He was there in prison with Paul. When Paul wrote this epistle, Aristarchus greets you too.

The fourth person mentioned, Mark, this is also found in verse 10, Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instructions, if he comes to you, welcome him.

So Mark also greeted the Church along with Aristarchus and Justice. There was a time when Paul would not have commended Mark to the Church as he did here. When Barnabas wanted to take Mark with him and Paul on their second missionary journey, Paul resisted because, of course, on their first missionary journey, Mark perhaps became cowardly and abandoned them, left them.

John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. And that reference in Acts 13, it says John, but that would have been John Mark. His name was John Mark. Sometimes he's called John, other times, most of the time, he's called Mark.

However, when the debate arose between Barnabas, who's described as the son of Constellation, when the heat arose between Barnabas and Paul, Barnabas insisted on taking Mark with him. And so Paul and Barnabas split.