[Power of the Word] What Tychicus Teaches Us
Daniel Brady
“But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing,
Tychicus, a 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.” --Ephesians
6:21-22
Tychicus was probably a citizen of Ephesus who became a Christian through Paul’s ministry there. When Paul left Ephesus, Tychicus went with him. He presumably remained with Paul throughout the rest of his journeys and was with him in Rome. From Rome, he was sent by Paul to both Ephesus and Colosse (whether on the same trip, or on two separate trips, we do not know). And it is possible, though doubtful, that Paul also sent him to relieve Titus in Crete.
Tychicus is an unsung hero of the First Century Church. His name is not known to most of us. I mean, we are all familiar with Peter, James, John, Paul, Apollos, Timothy, and others. But who in the world is Tychicus? I would imagine that, until the preceding entry, and again in this one, you’d never even heard of him. I myself, until coming to Ephesians 6:21-22, had never heard of him. But in Colossians 4, Paul refers to Tychicus as a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant of the Lord.
Now, let’s face it. Because of our egos, we often compare ourselves to other people, to other Christians, and even to Christian leaders. We look at the extent of their ministries and the notoriety they possess. Then we look at our own lives, see that we do not have the same influence they do, and we conclude that we are not being used by the Lord.
However, this is worldly thinking. God is not concerned with quantity so much as He is with quality. Quantity is important, but quality is of greater significance. Therefore, God is just as pleased with a man who faithfully pastors a congregation of fifty is a small Midwest town as He is with Billy Graham, who has preached the gospel to millions. He is just as pleased with a guy who writes devotions for little more than 100 people as He is with the likes of C.S. Lewis or Oswald Chambers, whose books are known the world over. He is just as pleased with the ushers, the Children’s Sunday School teachers, and the janitor as He is with the pastor and the worship leader.
The type or size of your ministry is not nearly as important as your faithfulness in serving. And in fact, as you faithfully serve where God has placed you, I believe He will expand your ministry. As Jesus taught in the parable of the talents, if you are faithful over a little, He will place you in charge of much. However, this does not mean that we should grudgingly serve in small ways, biding our time until something bigger and greater comes along. If this is our attitude, then we are not serving faithfully, and God will not be able to give us any greater ministry opportunity. We must faithfully serve simply because we love the Lord, as well as those to whom we do minister.
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