How do you want to be remembered? When your time on earth has come to an end, what will the people who knew you best say about you when you’re gone? It is not so much what you want people to say about you, as it is about what you want your life to amount to. It is about what you value, what is important to you, and what really matters to God in the long run. What impact am I making on my family, friends and my church?
Faithful Friend 7-9
In a world without commitments, please be faithful!
If you did not show up to serve Jesus, what would not happen?
Tychicus name means “fortuitous.” He’s dependable.
Paul trusted him. Are you trustworthy?
Onesimus means “useful.”
Onesimus was a slave who became a Christian leader!
God can change your legacy from useless to useful!
Fellow Worker 10-11
Paul’s closest friends shared in the fellowship of his sufferings.
Aristarchus name means “a leader among men.”
He was arrested and suffered right along with Paul.
Mark, or John Mark, was given a second chance!
He wrote the Gospel of Mark. The deserter became a defender.
Justus means “just.” His given name was Jesus.
He believed in doing the right thing and stuck with it.
Prayer Warrior 12-13
If you have a friend who prays for you, you are in a very good place.
Ephapras name means lovely, and prayer is a beautiful thing.
Epaphras wrestled in prayer for his friends.
He had a wide vision for the Colossians, Laodiceans and Hierapolis.
Genuine Friend 14
Luke was the beloved physician.
He was an extraordinary researcher, historian and writer.
His great works were the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts.
Demas is the only co-worker who doesn’t receive a commendation.
In Philemon 1:24 he is called a fellow laborer.
In Colossians, he is just Demas.
2 Timothy 4:10 says, “Demas has forsaken me.”
He was not a genuine friend!
Godly Leader 15-17
Nymphas held church in his house in Laodicea.
He is thought to be a well to do individual with a large house.
It is an honor use your possessions in service of the Kingdom.
Archippus was likely the pastor of the church in Colossae.
According to Philemon the church met in his home.
If God has given you a ministry to do, fulfill it!
Now it is up to you what kind of legacy you are going to leave. Will you be counted among Paul’s faithful friends? Will you step up and be one of our fellow workers? Will you be known as a prayer warrior? Will you be a genuine friend to the end? And will you become one of the leaders and contributors to the church. When they write the names of the righteous and read them out in heaven, will Jesus bless your name out loud, and say, “well done, you good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of the Lord.”
How do you want to be remembered?
It’s a simple question that defies a simple answer. After you are dead and gone, when your time on earth has come to an end, When they talk about you, if they talk about you at all, what will the people who knew you best say about you when you’re gone?
It is not so much what you want people to say about you, as it is about what you want your life to amount to. It is about what you value, what is important to you, and what really matters in the long run.
The question is, what can you do today that will determine the legacy you want to leave behind. In essence, choosing how you want to be remembered is really all about the small life choices you make every single day. You might as well ask, what are people saying about me today? What am I memorable for? What impact am I making on my family, friends and my church?
When Paul said his goodbyes to the Church at Colossae, he mentioned 10 men. Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark, Justus, Epaphrus, Luke, Demas, Nymphas and Archipus. Each of these men were memorable to him because of what they contributed to the kingdom of God. Even though most people today don’t even know who these guys are, each of them left a legacy that changed world history in ways that most of us can’t even see today.
The question I have for you is “How will you be remembered?” Let me just suggest that if you want to leave your mark on this world, that you might want to imitate some of these guys. We are going to review each of them, and find in their lives qualities we want to have in our own.
Here’s to the Beloved, faithful, hardworking servants among us. May their tribe increase. The first two guys were known as faithful men. That’s a quality in short supply these days!
Faithful Friends
In a world without commitments, please be faithful! If you want to be trusted, be trustworthy. If you want your life to count, be someone that we can count on. What do they say, 80% of success is just showing up! If you don’t show up for work, nothing gets done. If you don’t show up to your kids games, no one cheers. And if you don’t show up to serve Jesus, nothing great happens. Faithfulness is the building block of the kingdom of God.
7 Tychicus, a beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. 8 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that he may know your circumstances and comfort your hearts, 9 with Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you all things which are happening here.
Tychicus name means “fortuitous.” Anyone would be lucky to have a friend like Tychicus. Tychicus is mentioned five times in the New Testament. (Acts 20:4; Romans 15:25–26; Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7–8; Titus 3:12). Each time it’s the same thing. He’s dependable. He’s someone that Paul trusted to pass on important information and messages to the churches. He’s called a beloved, faithful, fellow servant. When he gave you his word, you could believe it. That’s why Paul trusted him to pass on the news about himself, and why he trusted his judgment to find out what was going on at the church.
Onesimus was another man who Paul called a faithful, beloved brother. His name means useful. Some people are useless, not Onesimus. Onesimus had quite a story. He was a slave at one point and fled from his master. He encountered Paul while he was in prision. Paul led him to the Lord and sent him back to his master, who he just happened to know! In Philemon verse 11, Paul said, “Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.”
Tradition has it that Philemon freed Onesimus. And it must have happened about two years before Paul wrote the book of Colossians. Because, now Onesimus is serving with Paul, and Paul calls him a faithful and beloved brother.
Maybe you are like Onesimus. You have messed up your life. Your are essentially a runaway slave. No matter what you’ve done, God can change your legacy and turn you into a faithful and beloved man or woman. Thanks for your faithfulness.
Those are the first two co workers. They are faithfulThey are a comfort to Paul.
Fellow Workers
The next three men are some of Paul’s closest friends. They shared in the fellowship of his sufferings. They suffered right along with him. It’s when the going gets rough, that you discover who your real friends are. If you know someone who is willing to stand up for you when no one else will, you are a very lucky person. Real friends have your back. They are there for you. I think that’s what characterizes these next three:
10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision; they have proved to be a comfort to me.
Aristarchus was a leader among men. When Paul was imprisoned for his faith, Aristarchus was arrested as well and served time with him. In the riot in Ephesus, in Acts 19:29, Aristarchus stood with Paul and was mobbed for it.
Mark, or John Mark, was the cousin of Barnabas. During Pauls first missionary journey John Mark had deserted him and returned home. when Barnabas wanted to give him a second chance, Paul refused and the two of them went their separate ways. Years later, however, Paul came to realize that Mark had grown up and he gave him a second chance, and here he is, serving once again with Paul.
This was the John Mark who wrote the Gospel of Mark. The deserter became a defender. And that is what his name means. “Defender of God.”
Justus is Paul’s third friend. As with Aristarchus and Mark, he’s also Jewish. His given name was Jesus, which in Hebrew would have been Joshua, meaning Jehovah Saves. I’m guessing that he didn’t feel worthy to retain the name Yeshua, or Jesus, so they nicknamed him Justus, or “The Just.” Someone who believed in doing the right thing and sticking with it. That made him memorable.
Paul said, “these three have proved to be a comfort to me.” When you are all alone, and you have a few friends like Aristarchus, Mark or Justus, you find comfort in that! That’s what you can be. You can leave a lasting legacy for the kingdom of God by being an encouragement and a comfort to the people around you. That’s a legacy worth leaving!
The next gentleman is named Epaphras, and he is a prayer warrior.
Prayer Warriors
If you have a friend who prays for you, you are in a very good place. That’s a great friend to have. You need someone who will pray for you.
12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has a great zeal for you, and those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis.
Ephapras name means lovely, and prayer is a beautiful thing. You can’t get along without it. In Colossians 1:6-7, it was Ephaphras who first shared the Gospel with the Colossians. He was also imprisoned with Paul. It says that Epaphras labored fervently, or wrestled in prayer for them. He was vitally interested in their spiritual walk, and wanted them to have everything he had in Christ.
People who pray are people who care. And Ephaprus had a wide vision. He took an interest in the Colossians, the people in Laodicea and those in Hierapolis. These three burgeoning cities were only about 15 miles apart and had vital churches. And Epaphras legacy was that he was a praying man. He prayed strategically, that the gospel would grow and flourish in this metropolis. We could use more men and women of prayer.
Genuine Friends
14 Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you.
Luke was the beloved physician. Be he was more than that. He was an extraordinary researcher, historian and writer. His great works were the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. Both of them are extraordinary works. His name means “light giver,” and his work sheds good light on the early church. He was a talented and bright man who could have made a name for himself, but instead chose to assist the Apostle Paul. Paul’s life was certainly enriched by the people who chose to call him friend and co-worker.
Demas is the only co-worker mentioned who doesn’t receive some special commendation from Paul. It’s just Demas. Demas gets three mentions in the Bible. The first is in Philemon 1:24 where he is called a fellow laborer. Then here in Colossians, where a few years later he is just Demas. Did something happen? Did his relationship with Paul become distant? A few years later Paul would include Demas in a footnote in 2 Timothy 4:10. It says, “Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world.” That’s his legacy. And it is a legacy that has haunted him for a thousand years. It is NOT what we want to be known for. This is one legacy you want to avoid!
You can be a Luke, who went on to do great things, or you can be a Demas who was never heard from again. He went into obscurity with the reputation of a deserter.
Church Leaders
We have two more men left in our message, Nymphas and Archippus. Nymphas held church in his house in Laodicea, and Archippus was a leader in the church in Collossae.
15 Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and Nymphas and the church that is in his house. 16 Now when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. 17 And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”
Laodicea was a well to do city and Nymphas is thought to be a well to do individual with a large house for accommodating a church meeting. He used his house for the kingdom of God. It is a privilege and an honor use your possessions in service of the Kingdom. Some of you open your homes for Bible Study, youth group and other events. You follow a good tradition.
Archippus was likely the pastor of the church in Colossae. According to Philemon the church met in his home. His role was an important one. Paul reminded him that people were depending on him, and God was the one who had given him that ministry. When God gives you a thing to do, you ought to make sure that you fulfill it to the best of your ability. That will be your lasting legacy.
Verse 16 tells them to read this letter in the church in Laodicea. It was a cyclical letter. It was meant to be passed around. It was meant to have a larger than life impact. And today we still read it. It’s not only read in Laodicea, but it has been read in Roseburg Oregon to you!
Now it is up to you what kind of legacy you are going to leave. Will you be counted among Paul’s faithful friends? Will you step up and be one of our fellow workers? Will you be known as a prayer warrior? Will you be a genuine friend to the end? And will you become one of the leaders and contributors to the church.
When they write the names of the righteous and read them out in heaven, will Jesus bless your name out loud, and say, “well done, you good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of the Lord.”
We have just one last thing to say. Verse 18:
18 This salutation by my own hand—Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Amen.
In 1540, the Great reformer, Martin Luther’s good friend and assistant, Friedrich Myconius became sick and was expected to die within a short time. From his bed he wrote a tender farewell letter to Luther.
When Luther received the message, he immediately shot back a reply: “I command thee in the name of God to live because I still have need of thee in the work of reforming the church — the Lord will never let me hear that thou art dead, but will permit thee to survive me. For this I am praying.”
“I command thee to live.” What a prayer. Luther needed that man! Luther loved that man. He was one of those precious partners in the ministry. Will you be one?
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