Two Brothers, One Bible
Two Brothers, One Bible
Episode 319 - A Comfort to Paul
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And welcome back to another episode of Two Brothers One Bible Podcast coming to you from Columbia, Tennessee. I love doing that. Okay. I don't know why, but I I do. And uh we're we're coming to you from New Song Baptist Church. I'm Robert Twakefield. I'm Peter Smith. And Peter, again. Welcome back to the show. I know that you're kind of new to the area.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Thanks for having me. Yeah. I just kind of wandered by. Did you now?
SPEAKER_00You saw my car here? Well, a car. I didn't know it was your car. Okay. So you saw the car here and you said, well, I wonder if they're doing a podcast right now. I'm always up for a podcast. I'm always up. Well, that is really funny. We're still in Colossians and we're uh we're winding down. Well, and I'm not apologizing for it. It's a great book.
SPEAKER_02But it's so good.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. It is so good. What has been the one thing that has stood out for you so far in these episodes we've done?
SPEAKER_02Well, how much it mirrors Ephesians. Right. There's a lot of the content. Um, and we'll get into it a little bit more, but uh, you know, he I think he wrote all four prison letters at the same time. Okay. And I think the same person took them to deliver them. Okay. Uh, and so I I think that's why there's some similarity. He just kind of wrote and wrote and wrote and right.
SPEAKER_00So and that's a that's an incredible thing. The fact that he was in prison when he wrote these, yeah, uh just absolutely amazes me. Because this was, you know, I don't know how much I'm gonna get accomplished if I'm in prison. Yeah. And look what he got accomplished.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00It's just it's just incredible to me. And God used him in that way. Oh, absolutely. So uh that that's fantastic. Well, we are in chapter four. We are going to attempt to do verses seven through eleven today. Uh-huh. So, uh, Peter, if you've got that in front of you, let's get right to it. All right.
SPEAKER_02Tickus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances, and that he may encourage your hearts. He is coming with Onesismus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here. My fellow prisoner Aristichus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. You have received instructions about him. If he comes to you, welcome him. Jesus, who is called justice, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me.
SPEAKER_00All right, so that is the word of the Lord. So you made a very astute uh observation here. Okay. And I don't know what the word astute means, but I like I like saying I think you called me stupid. Well, no, no, I didn't. Oh, okay. No, I did not call you stupid, because if I'd called you stupid, well, you would know. I would know. Yeah, you would know. And astute really does not uh it does not say. I would know the difference. You would know it's astute. So moving but you've noticed that these verses here from 7 to 11 are all Jewish brethren. Right. Did I understand you'd say that? That's what I said. And and I did not catch that. That's an amazing point right there.
SPEAKER_02He says that at the bottom of 11. He said, These are the only Jews among my co-workers for the kids. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So that's that was the clue.
SPEAKER_02Well, and I I you know, let we'll start with the last verse that we're gonna cover. I think this is significant because Paul writes that it's significant. So when Paul the the Jew of Jews, the tribe of Benjamin, you know, studied in Gamao, so basically, because of his going to the Gentiles with this gospel message, they just shunned him. Not only shunned him, I mean they tried to kill him. Oh, yeah, they did. You know, and that's why he's in in Rome in the first place. And so he he makes a special note that these are the Jews that I've known for a long time that have stuck with me. Right. And so this is this is really important to him.
SPEAKER_00That's that's that's a great point, and and I'm so glad you pointed out uh verse 11. I forgot all about that. So so let's talk about the the first one. Uh uh Tychus, is that his I went Tickus. Oh, Tickus, okay. Tickus is good. Uh he is the faithful messenger. Yeah. Uh I I I look at him as the um the mail carrier.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Yeah, probably so.
SPEAKER_00So just because he's the one, he's the messenger, he's a beloved uh man who physically is going to carry this letter to Colossae. Yeah. So they put a stamp on it, put a put a uh eagle on his head, and take off. Take off. Be back uh in twin ten hours.
SPEAKER_02Tickus is mentioned five times. Okay. Uh he's a native of Asia. These verses that we see are very similar to how he wraps up the book of Ephesians in verse and chapter six, verses twenty-one through twenty-four. And so uh I do think Tickus is probably the one that takes these back. But you know, when I was reading this verse, I'm listening to the words Paul says. Right. He calls him a dear brother, faithful minister, and a fellow servant of the Lord. Now, if you're trying to get a resume or or ask someone for a letter of recommendation, right, and you ask Paul, can you can you just you know write me a letter of recommendation? Can you think of any better three things for someone to say about you?
SPEAKER_00No, I I I can't think about this this guy wrote this right here, the the beloved brother. It's uh relational warmth. I mean, you you could you could tell that just about he is a beloved brother for him saying that he's got a relationship with this guy. He's they're they're brothers in Christ, they they have an affection for one another, they love each other. Okay. He's a faithful member minister, which shows that he's dependable in in service. Yes. So that's another great descriptor. And then finally, a fellow servant, he's an equal partner in this mission.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_00So I I think those three things are are incredible that uh Tickus is described as this faithful messenger.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I said in the previous podcast that that chapter four gives us an insight into Paul that I think we miss. Because we would we kind of see Paul as prickly, kind of I'm gonna do it on my own, I don't need anybody. Right. And and these the rest of this chapter just shows you how much he loves other other people. Right. And and so not only has he learned to come to appreciate Tickus in his life, but you know part of his prayer journey is praying for Tickus and for his ministry. Right. Exactly. And so yeah, he is very endeared to not only this man, but to others that he'll get talk about.
SPEAKER_00Right. Uh and Paul sends him for this very purpose is to inform the church and to encourage their hearts. Yeah. So if you are a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant, what better three things could you send to go encourage others? Right. Uh and I think that's an incredible thing that Paul is talking about here. Uh I some think of uh Tickets as the chief of staff. Okay. Uh who carries the message, he prepares, uh, he protects the mission and he strengthens the team. So a chief of staff. So let's go to the uh Onesimus. Yep. Okay. These these uh these names are really good.
SPEAKER_02Well, let me say something about this. Okay. So I went to Israel a number of years ago, and um so we had a tour guide, and we were in the Kidron Valley, and he said, Do you want to go see the the tomb where the remains of Malaki were? And I thought, well, sure, I guess I'm here. Had no idea who Malachi was. Right. It's Malachi. Oh, okay. So right then and there, you knew I learned all these the ways I think I'm pronouncing them, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Not even close.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So when people say, is that how you pronounce it? It's like, that's how we're going with it today. Because I have no idea. They the the you know how the the Jews put emphasis on different words. I mean, even like David is David, you know, Bethlehem is Betlachem. Oh, yeah. You know, so it's it's very different. So we get all caught up with you know how to pronounce it properly. Let's just pronounce it and go.
SPEAKER_00Okay, all right, I like that. So I if I'm now listen, if we're gonna do that, yeah, we have to make a deal right now. Okay. In front of all these witnesses. Yeah, all right. That uh that we cannot make fun of each other if we butcher the name.
SPEAKER_02Have I ever made fun of your Greek?
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_02Oh, okay. Well, okay, all right, then we'll pinky swear.
SPEAKER_00No, no, no. No, no, okay, okay. I'm kidding. You've never made fun of the uh the Greek, but you have uh you know snuck a Greek text when I was uh leading worship work. Well, I did, but you deserve that. So all right, Onesimus, let's move on. Yeah. He is the transformed brother.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, if we read the another prison letter, Philemon, uh so Onesimus was a runaway slave. That he was. And and Paul knew Philemon, and so when he encountered Onesimus, and how that happened, we don't know. But he says, You're a runaway slave, and you know, if you're gonna be a believer in Christ, you need to go back and you need to be a good servant to your master. Right, which is what he says in Philemon. So he's here too, with with Tickus. And so I mean, that's just amazing how you have all the and and he says some of the same things about it.
SPEAKER_00I was gonna say that. He's uh faithful, he's beloved, and he's one of you. Yeah. Um but it what's interesting about uh uh Onesimus is that he was the runaway slave, but now when he returns, he's gonna be a brother.
SPEAKER_02Dear brother, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and and that to me is that there's a change there. Yeah. Even though you're still a slave, you're different now because of Jesus. Yep. Yeah. So faithful, beloved, and one of you, uh, that's just uh that's just a radical way of looking at it. It really is. It's like introducing someone who used to be known for failure and saying, Well, this is family now. Yep, exactly. So um that that's good. So he's the transformed brother there in verse nine. Let's talk about these three or these two in verse 10.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, well, there's three in there. We can talk about all of them.
SPEAKER_00Oh, there is three. Yeah. Okay. We can talk about all three of these.
SPEAKER_02So prisoner, uh, the the guy is Eridicus, and so you know, it he's an interesting guy. Uh so um we see him in the book of Acts a few times. Paul and Eridicus travel together, and so when Paul says, my fellow prisoner, I don't think he is locked up. He's but I think this guy has been a part, especially of the third missionary journey for a while. Okay. So he was part of the people shipwrecked uh when he wasn't that amazing.
SPEAKER_00You know, if you're going with a guy who is had all these terrible things happening to him for the sake of the gospel, right. And you're part of the shipwreck, and you're still there. Yeah. What a loyal, loyal friend that would be. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Well, so you know, that shows you the closeness they have. And so this is a uh and and Eridicus was was a Jew. He was from Thessalonica, and so uh, and that was one of the early places that Paul went to as Thessalonica. So uh they've had a long-term relationship.
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah. And and he's uh the fellow prisoner of Greece, but this one here. Yeah, let's go there. This next one really, really uh, and every time and and I knew it was here, but every time I read it, I'm just I'm just amazed. Yeah. Because he says, Mark, and that's a surprising name here, because of the division between Paul and Barnabas in Acts chapter, I think it was 13.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, when you read Acts, uh, you know, Barnabas and Paul were called out from the Church of Antioch and they were sent on their first missionary journey, and they took some people with them, and John Mark was one of them.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_02John Mark got homesick, basically it reads like, and and wanted to go home. And Paul had a come apart. And I think that's part of where I say Colossians 4 is so important because if we see Paul as a grumpy old man, I don't need anybody, but he was adamant, I do not want, and so he hooked up with Silas. Right. And and Barnabas ended up going his way and took John Martin. And took John Martin, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Right. So it's just really so interesting to me that you know he the division between Barnabas and Saul that we read about in Acts was so sharp over this guy. Yes. Uh that now uh he's he's saying, uh, and Mark, you know, welcome him.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00He's got my instructions, if he comes to you, welcome him.
SPEAKER_02You know what's interesting in Acts, it never talks about John Mark being the cousin of Barnabas. So I can see where I could see where Barnabas is pushing more. Come on, he's young, he's my cousin, you know, he's my wife's kid, you know, whatever, you know. And so he says, you know, I I you know, we really need to, and and Paul just said, I'm not gonna take any quitters. I, you know, I I he did it once to me and I'm done. Now I don't know where the reconciliation took place.
SPEAKER_00Right. I don't think it tells us.
SPEAKER_02But I think that's important to show Paul's not one-dimensional. He grew in his relationship, and now he has found this person where he said, I am not taking one foot in a missionary journey with John Mark. Now he says he is so valuable to me.
SPEAKER_00Right. And another thing that struck me about Mark being there is that you know, you've got Barnabas, and he's wanting to take Mark. You've got Paul, he's against it. So Paul takes Silas with him. Yeah. Barnabas takes Mark with him. Right. And now you've got two teams of missionaries going out. Exactly. Which you you only had one originally. Right. And now you've got this other, this whole other team going to probably another part of the world. Yep. And that was probably God's design from the beginning.
SPEAKER_02Well, it seems to work in church splits that new churches are formed. That's probably the most popular method of growing churches, is division.
SPEAKER_00It certainly is. Division equals multiplication.
SPEAKER_02No, it's not a good thing. It's not healthy, but if that's maybe how because that's what we see here. There there was discord, and out of the discord came came two groups. We have no idea the missionary journey that Barnabas and John Mark took.
SPEAKER_00Exactly.
SPEAKER_02And and where they went and what fruit was there. But that is what was accomplished.
SPEAKER_00You know, you sp you speak about church divisions and stuff. I I've actually seen that in my life. Uh, where a church split that took place and another congregation was planted and it just thrived. Yeah. And you you gotta think, well, well, makes me think, uh, was that God's plan all along? He had plans for you to go to this new place. Right. Because he wanted these people reached. Yeah. Uh, but again, it's it's painful. It's not a good look for the church, I don't think. No. And but maybe well we've seen all through scripture how God uses uh people that maybe not be in the best of character to help his his cause. Yeah. So uh, you know, again, it's i I don't know if that the split was was God's design, but it sure worked out.
SPEAKER_02You know, I again speculation. I would think God's design, the perfect way to for that to happen, is for an individual's within their congregation to say, I really feel led to go. You know, when when Paul and Barnabas were separated, there was six of them that they felt were leaders of that church. They send two out of the six out. Right. And so if a church would say, Man, we've got some people in our congregation that have a vision, they want to do this church start, and they're gonna do it with our blessing. We're gonna fund them, we're gonna empower them. If they need something, we're gonna be there. Yes, that would be the ultimate way to do it. That's the way to do it. Rather than saying, I'm opposed to what you're doing, uh, we're gonna, you know, not support you in any way, we're we're gonna shun you when we see you out in the stores. You know, that's not healthy, that's not kingdom. No, and so I think you know, what we're seeing here is as Paul recounts these people is how so many people were part of the ministry of Paul.
SPEAKER_00That's so that's so good. So let's go on to verse 11 and talk about Jesus justice.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So this this guy's got the name Jesus, and so obviously they can't call him Jesus because they're gonna go, who are you talking about? Right. So they went with his his surname, which is Justice. And so that's what they're calling him.
SPEAKER_00All right. And he's a rare encourager. He's barely known. Yep. Uh, but Paul highlights him uh as one of the fellow uh Jewish believers who stood with him. Yeah. And um, so I I think that's just uh we don't I don't think well, I don't know. Is he mentioned anywhere else in scripture? I don't know that not that I'm aware of. Uh so you know, the the illustration here is some people don't say a lot, but their presence is like oxygen. Yeah, and and that's who justice was like.
SPEAKER_02So as we wrap up, Robert, I I I think when Paul says this last thing in verse 11 that these are the only Jews among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me, he he's really sp expressing his heartfelt thanks. Because when he decided, you know, he he just he didn't really forsake his Judaism, but he said, Because of who Christ is, I've got to have Christ in the context of everything I believe as a Jew.
SPEAKER_00Exactly.
SPEAKER_02And so when he did that, he ticked off a lot of people. Yes, he did. And so there was a great cost, and the way he did it cost him even more. You know, he's literally got a death sentence on him. They before he left Jerusalem, there was 40 people that took a vow we're not gonna eat or drink anything until we kill this this Paul. Right. And yet he keeps going, keeps going, keeps going. And so these Jews, fellow Jews who are now Christian believers, who have been with him, he says, Man, they've been just such a comfort to me.
SPEAKER_00And and it's family. Yeah. And I think that's what he likes. Yeah, absolutely. That's exactly right. Well, that's gonna wrap it up for this episode of Two Brothers One Bible Podcast. I'm Robert Wakefield.
SPEAKER_02I'm Peter Searson.
SPEAKER_00And we will pick up in verse 12 of chapter four. And you think we'll finish the next one? We'll give it a go. Thanks so much for listening, and God bless.