Final Greetings

“These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me (Colossians 4:11).” It is often overlooked or, at best, skimmed through, but the end of the letters in the New Testament, specifically those of the Apostle Paul, hold some telling information. For example, at the end of his letter to the Colossians, Paul writes about people like Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Justus, Epaphras, Demas, Nympha and Archippus. While they are Christians and have been blessed with having their names immortalized in the pages of the Bible, at the present time they are not much more than hard to pronounce names of people who lived nearly two-thousand years ago. However, to Paul, they are dear brothers (and a sister), faithful ministers and fellow servants in the Lord Jesus Christ. It has been my experience that in modern day Christianity too much focus is placed on going to church at the expense of developing relationships with fellow Christians. In Hebrews 10:25 we are told to “encourage one another” and “all the more as you see the Day approaching.” The best way to encourage each other is by first getting to know each other and then supporting one another through the daily events of life. Paul was writing his letter to the Colossians from prison. I doubt there was time for weekly fellowship at a local church. 

Furthermore, Paul didn’t have the use of modern comforts like cell phones to talk and text with, or computers to write and email. There wasn’t Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Snapchat to instantly post pictures or write posts informing others of the intimate details of his life. He didn’t even have a post office to quickly deliver his letters. Lord only knows how long it took to write a letter much less send it.  The times of loneliness and despair had to be frequent. Is it any wonder Paul grew close to Aristarchus, his “fellow prisoner”? Obviously, the time Paul spent with those individuals he mentions, in particular Aristarchus, is how Paul grew close to them, became friends with them and how they were able to be a comfort to him. True friendships are difficult to build once a week at a predetermined time and place where most of what you do is sit and listen to someone else preach. No, true friendships are built by daily interaction as you share experiences with each other and go through the ups and downs of life together. When is the last time you reached out to a brother or sister in Christ in order to encourage them or tell them how they encouraged you in the Lord? More importantly, do you have anyone to reach out to? The Apostle Paul, in my opinion, was able to name those close to him because they may have been the only people he had in his life to name. While we know there are millions of Christians around the world we only know and, dare I say, only need a few “fellow workers” to be a comfort to us. Perhaps one day many years from now someone will be reading what you wrote to your friends and be encouraged by your loving words to them.