A Partnership of Care

Intro:

Let me redeem myself after my recent dog comments and share a story about a dog saving the life of an owner.

In Oct 24 2024, an 84 year old Keith Johnson was walking outside in Washington state when he fell and broke his hip. Alone outside, only with his dog, GIta, he laid there for several hours helpless , unable to move. His dog Gita stayed by his side until finally Keith told his dog to go find help which lead Gita to go up to the main highway. When a State Trooper drove by, he noticed the dog standing at the street and he stopped. Trying to get the dog inside his car, thinking he was a runaway, the Trooper notice the dogs refusal to come as a sign he was signaling for help. The dog took off down the gravel road and the Trooper followed. There he found a conscious Keith Johnson laying there was a broken Hip. Gita was a hero that day as he cared for his owner.

I could say alot about this dog relationship with his owner being different from a sheep and his shepherd. A Shepherd cares for his sheep but the sheep cannot care for their shepherd. A dog clearly can care for their owner in a unique as Gita demonstrated. Its an amazing story.

Let me ask you how can we care for the leaders that minister and care for us. We are sheep, as the Bible says, and yet God’s people have numerous ways that we can care for those who lead over us. In Paul’s conclusion to the letter in Ephesus, we see ways to care for those in leadership and we see ways that those who minister to us care for us. Its a Partnership of Care!

1. Pray for Fruit in Gospel Ministry

Paul’s prayer to the body of Christ in emphasis centered around his fulfillment of gospel ministry. How do you fulfill gospel ministry in the call on your life when you’re in prison? The consideration of this question is what truly astonishes and challenges the church. Paul’s prayer from the prison cell in Rome is that he would not allow his circumstances to hinder his proclamation of God’s word. We’re not quite sure WHO Paul was sharing the gospel with but his prayer to the church was that his ministry would continue even in confinement.

Ephesians 6:19–20 “19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

A. What Words Were Declared

We have seen in Ephesians that Paul uses the phrase “the mystery of the gospel” and so we have to understand the reference so that we can understand what exactly Paul is asking for prayer. It does not appear that Paul is simply referring to sharing the message of Christ and salvation with his prison guard or prison inmates. We don’t doubt that Paul was evangelistic in his confinement but with the phrase the mystery of the gospel being used, we look back and see something more specific.

Let’s look back at Ephesians 3:3–6

“3 that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. 4 By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; 6 to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,”

What we see here is that Paul is asking specifically for the Saints to pray that he would boldly proclaim the truth of the gospel which includes Both Jews and Greeks belonging to Christ through faith in his name. You can imagine the passion that Paul had in a Roman prison for this truth to be carried on into the Roman world. His passion was Focused on seeing Jews and gentiles united under the banner of Christ in the church.

I appreciate Paul’s specific request from the church so that they might know exactly how they should pray for their spiritual leader from afar. It drives home the truth for all spiritual leadership to be transparent with spiritual ad ministerial needs. It also challenges the church to pray specificallyand not generally for those in leadership and for one another.

This is one area that I appreciate about the apostle Paul that I desperately seek to apply in my own life. I think it’s so helpful and necessary for your pastors and elders to be transparent regarding their lives and their needs. Paul was not afraid to remind his audience that he had great weakness.

Romans 7:18–20

“18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.”

Not does he share his weaknesses in his flesh and the spiritual battle with him, but he also shares his ministry needs for the church to pray. This of course is not just for the leadership for all believers to be transparent in our prayers with one another. Invite others into your life and let them know your struggle with sin, circumstances, and people. This allows your church to pray specifically for you, trusting the sovereignty of God will work in and through the prayers of GOd’s people.

B. How the Words Were Declared

Secondly, Paul asked for the How of his proclamation. We looked at the WHAT words he ws going to declare but he is also asking for his delivery. He needs BOLDNESS. What he means is that he needs courage to continue the fight. He is not allowing his circumstances to hinder his proclamation.

What might hinder Paul’s bold proclamation? Let me give a couple of possible examples:

Victimhood: Paul could be sitting in prison feeling sorry for himself and in doing so be hindered from an effective proclamation of truth. Remember that his imprisonment in Rome was under false accusation.

Acts 21:27–28

“27 When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him, 28 crying out, “Men of Israel, come to our aid! This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.””

Paul’s trial was lengthy and once arrested in Jerusalem, he remained in captivity until making his way to Rome to stand trial. He like many Christian could have fallen into a “woe is me” mentality and in doing so hindering the opportunities he had to share the great news of Jesus. Instead, the rest of Acts shows us a faithfulness before every audience he was given to declare the excellencies of Christ.

Fear: Another example we might speculate is Paul might be afraid to declare truth for making his situation worse. “I don’t want to be killed so I better keep my mouth shut.” This is an easy road to walk in the Christian life but its not a faithful road. Its not the road that Jesus our Lord walked. He wasn’t just willing to give his life, he gave his life up so that we could have freedom. In that spirit of faithfulness and courage, Paul did the same.

Acts 20:22–24

“22 “And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. 24 “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.”

Paul prayed for boldness because he daily needs the power of God to embolden him to move beyond fear to faithfulness with his gospel ministry. What an incredible prayer that we can pray for one another in the body of Christ. We must be faithful to ask God for boldness and courage for our brothers and sisters during evil days ahead.

C. Why the Words Were Declared

This leads to the third idea that Paul mentions in his prayer request of the church. He mentions one more aspect that is worth mentioning…his calling. Why must the mystery of Christ be declared with boldness….because of Paul’s calling to do so.

Paul references in two different places his calling. First he states he is an” ambassador in Chains.” Now the word translated “Ambassador” is actually the word PRESBUTEROS in the Gk. Normally that translates elder, but here it can also meant ambassador. Another place Translators take that same meaning is

2 Corinthians 5:20

“20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

It would be wrong to interpret 2 Cor 5 “we are elders for Christ.” Instead, ambassador is used here and Eph 6 to reflect the nature of the call to represent Christ in a lost world. Paul’s calling then is on the forefront of his mind. Christ had called him to take the gospel to the Jews and Gentiles after his conversion. His calling to preach of the gospel in Jesus Name is one which he died committed to completing.

His second reference to calling is at the end of v 20 “ as I ought to speak.” Literally, we could translate that “as it is necessary for me to speak” There was not wavering in his obedience to what Christ had called him to accomplish.

Now in the realm of prayer, Paul is asking for boldness and faithfulness to his calling as a Christian and apostle of teh Lord Jesus Christ to represent the Lord by being faithful. Again, we are confronted with the ways that we can pray for leadership in the church and for one another….Lord make us faithful.

Sovereign Grace Kids have a song,

VERSE 2  I too must be a servant Today and all my days To use the gifts You’ve given To bring You joy and praise Though I am sure to fail You You are so faithful And though I stumble You will pick me up again

Chorus

I want to be like You are I want to be faithful Help me to be like You are Oh make me faithful

2. Find Comfort from Faithful Servants

We come to the second statement in this section:

Ephesians 6:21–22 “21 But that you also may know about my circumstances, how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make everything known to you. 22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know about us, and that he may comfort your hearts.”

A. A Faithful Messenger

Tychicus is described by Paul as a beloved brother and faithful minister of the Lord. This brother in Christ and partner in gospel ministry reqiures our attention and focus. I want you to see first that Paul calls him a beloved brother. Obviously, Paul means that he loves Tychichus as a fellow brother and partner. We are introduced to this man in Acts 20 if you want to turn with me there.

Acts 20:1–4

“1 After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and when he had exhorted them and taken his leave of them, he left to go to Macedonia. 2 When he had gone through those districts and had given them much exhortation, he came to Greece. 3 And there he spent three months, and when a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. 4 And he was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.”

Tyichus began to follow with Paul after he left Ephesus and the uproar that occured there. Luke describes Tychicus as one “of Asia.” Now I want you to notice the second brother that Paul mentions from Asia “Trophimus.” Both of these men were from the same area of Asia Minor. If you look at Acts 21:29, you will see that when Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, the Jews identified Trophimus and called him “the Ephesian” which means that Trophimus was from Ephesus and Tychichus was from a similar area.

To say all this, my speculation is that Tychicus is beloved not just to Paul but also to the Ephesian church and the Colosse church because he was known to them as a local resident in that region sent out to accompany Paul.

When Paul sends him back to them, he is the one bringing this letter to the Ephesian church. Not only is he a familiar face, but he is one who brings news about Paul’s condition in the prision and the gospel ministry that is continuing.

He is similarly tasked as a messenger for Paul to the Colossians as well.

B. A Faithful Encourager

Secondly, he was more than a messenger. He was aslo an encourager to the people. The love that Paul had with these brothers and sisters in Christ was deep. He had taught and discipled them. In his arrest, they were distraught and needed an understanding of his condition. But more than that, they need the truths of God in their lives to comfort them.

It is believed that Tychicus was more than just a mailman. He ministered to their hearts with the word of God in accordance with the news of Paul’s condition.

This is similar to other messengers that carried news for Paul to the churches. Consider Timothy’s role:

Philippians 2:19 “19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition.”

1 Thessalonians 3:2 “2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith,”

And Epapharoditis

Philippians 2:25 “25 But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need;”

These men were discipled by Paul and full of the word of God to pour out onto those to whom they were sent. They role was to serve and encourage their hearts for those who possibly struggled with fear of their own imprisonment or discouragement in the state of the persecution of the church.

As a messenger, you can also imagine that Tychicus not only had news and encouragement about Paul but also about the status of churches seeing the work of God growing across the area. This overhead scope of the Lord working in all the churches also across a region and the world encourages the church to be steadfast. When we consider movement of God in different countries regardless of prosperity or persecution, we should rejoice with our brothers and sister across the globe about the Lord’s faithful in growing his church.

C. A Faithful Minister

One more thing to see about Tychicus that I think is important. If you look at 2 Timothy 4:9-12 with me

2 Timothy 4:9–12 “9 Make every effort to come to me soon; 10 for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service. 12 But Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus.”

By the time that Paul writes 2 Timothy, which was his last letter, time has past in his imprisonment and the end is near for Paul. Tychicus was a messenger for Paul and and encourager of hearts to those that received the letters Paul wrote. But in 2 Timothy, Paul is asking Timothy to leave Ephesus and visit him in Rome because his time was near the end. Paul comments “I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.” What this means is that Paul is relieving Timothy from his pastoral duties so that he can visit him. Tychicus has been sent to take Timothy role as pastor in the church in Ephesus. What a story to see from this young man who left the region of Asia Minor to accompany Paul, to becoming a messenger and encourager, to becoming a pastor and leading in Ephesus.

In this we as the church can see the importance of pastoral partnership in our prayers for our leaders but also we can see the importance of pastoral partnership in the gospel mission of the church. We are called to comfort one another in the Scriptures as we care for one another through different circumstances. But also our lives are encouragements to one another as we see the Lord working in us and growing us.

When I was a boy, my pastor Brother Jim was married to Mrs. Ruth. Mrs. Ruth told my mom when I was young that one day I was going to grow up and be a minister. I can only imagine my mom’s response at the time…she probably laughed. I saw Mrs Bro. Jim and Mrs. Ruth years later and I have always wondered if she praised the Lord for seeing me come to faith in Christ and now serving in ministry as she had predicted.

We should rejoice and be encouraged that Paul suffered well to the end. We should be encouraged that Pastor John Macarthur did not fall away from the faith but endured great trials as a pastor to Grace Community Church. We should be encouraged by the faithfulness of one another in our walks with Christ. God moves and works in our lives, like he worked in the life of Tychicus to be a comfort and encouragement to the church in his life, ministry and obedience.

3. Live Out the Proclaimed Word

Finally we come to Paul’s conclusion and our conclusion in this letter. Like all of Paul’s letters, he concludes in a similiar fashion. These conclusions are never meant to be ignored. If you don’t skip the last few pages of the end of a book you are reading, you should never glance over Paul’s conclusions to his letters. They are usually rich with theological truths to be applied to your life.

Ephesians 6:23–24 “23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.”

A. Peace

Paul is reminding the church of the peace that they have with God in Christ Jesus. They are no longer enemies of God because of the finished work of Christ on the cross. Normally Paul states, “Grace to you and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ.” This time, he changes things up a bit but the message is still rooted in a peace with God through Jesus Christ.

John 14:27 “27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

This peace comes “ from God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” His salvation provides the gift of peace and that peace is manifested to one another in forgivness and reconciliation in the church.

B. Love

Paul adds secondly that “Love with faith which comes from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Both Peace and Love with faith come from God. We have already looked at how the love of God is displayed in the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ and salvation. Even our faith is a gift in God for that salvation is a gift from him. (Eph 2:8-9)

But our love applied to one another also is rooted in our faith in God. We love others because we have faith in a God who first loved us. This means that our love is accompanied by faith. We do not love blindly. We love with truth in who God is and what God accomplished to redeem us from the bondage of slavery. That love leads to faith in Christ.

C. Grace

Paul mentions love again in v 24 but tied to grace. He closes with grace to all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love. What he means is that our love for Christ must not perish or be contamined with sin. To say it another way… our love must endure the battle with sin and Satan. We must be not carried away with the cares of the world. Those who endure to the end will be saved. They will expereince true grace in the Lord Jesus because their faith was tested.

These are the true beleivers in Christ. They are the ones who tripped and stumbled along the way but who did not fall away. They are the good seed of Matthew 13. They are the cloud of Witnesses in Hebrews 11. They are the ones who overcome in Revelation 21

I close with a personal praise as we said goodbye this week to one of my beloved childhood heros Hulk Hogan. I loved watching wrasling as a kid in Memphis when the Memphis wrastling scene was in its prime. I grew less fond of it in my older years but still appreciated it for the high flying drama it delivered. As a believer in Christ, I rejoiced to hear a few years ago that Hulk Hogan gave his life to Christ. You hear alot of these stories of celebrities coming to faith and you are never sure of the genuiness of their faith. I was doubly encouraged to read the faithful witness of Terry Bollea, AKA Hulk’Hogan’s faithfulness to Christ to the end. This is what his SBC pastor Aaron Filliponne wrote about him this weekend.

“Terry was a member of our church and a personal friend. Over the past two years, we had the opportunity to pray together, study God’s Word, challenge one another, and grow in our faith. It’s always a highlight to see believers taking spiritual steps, but I will always remember baptizing Terry and Sky and officiating their wedding ceremony. Though we miss him deeply, we know he is in the presence of the Lord—fully healed, fully free, and worshiping the Savior he loved with all his heart. Terry is more alive now than he has ever been. To the world, he was Hulk Hogan—a legend. But to us at Indian Rocks Church, he was simply Terry: a humble, joyful, Jesus-loving man who lived out his faith every day. He worshiped faithfully with his wife, Sky—not behind the scenes, but shoulder to shoulder with the people he loved. He didn’t want the spotlight or the green room. He wanted to be where God was moving. Those of us who had the joy of worshiping alongside Terry knew him not as a celebrity, but as a brother in Christ. He loved God, loved people, and loved his neighbors right here in Pinellas County. Most Sundays, he showed up in his iconic John 3:16 shirt—often with a guest or two—friends he invited because he wanted them to experience the same hope and love he found in Jesus. He always made time for people: handshakes, hugs, and conversations that pointed hearts to Christ. Terry wasn’t a perfect man—he never claimed to be. He had a past, and he made mistakes. But Terry was a Jesus man, and that’s the beauty of the Gospel. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Terry didn’t just talk about his faith—he lived it. He walked in grace, and he made sure everyone around him knew that grace was available for them too.”

lords supper