Unchained Ambassadors

Ephesians 6:18-22

Paul is reaching through a brother (Tychicus) across legal chains and spatial boundaries to encourage the unified Church through local churches in Ephesus and Colossi.

Christian discipleship is not about self-fulfillment for its own sake. It is larger than us. It is larger than our local church. It is about God, His kingdom and His glory.

We are to tell our story to one another. God is sending us to one another. We are to be peace, love, faith and grace to one another. This is the church. One God. One Church. One Mission

Self-Absorbed

My children were born into this world as little selfish monsters. Greedy. Self-absorbed. Tiny Monsters.

Thinking back to these days as, this week, Logan graduated 5th grade and he is now a middle-schooler. Arabelle graduated 2nd grade and is headed to 3rd. Dylan graduated pre-school and is headed to Kindergarten.

Navel Gazing

This carries into “Christian” life. There is a version of Christianity that is all about me. It is all about my self-fulfillment. Fulfilling my God-given potential. And those phrases sound familiar, they even sound good.

… but it is all about me.

You can twist our church’s mission in this way. Your “next bold steps”. That could easily be all about your personal development, practicing your skills, developing your talents, exploring your passions.

Well… that isn’t our mission.

Unchained Ambassador

Ephesians 6:18-20

18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Tychicus – Brother to the Brothers

Ephesians 6:21-22

21 So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. 22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.

Paul sends Tychicus, not just to the churches in and around Ephesus, but also, similarly, to the church in Colossi.

Colossians 4:7-9

7 Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, 9 and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.

Onesimus

Onesimus was the runaway slave who Paul encountered, probably while in prison in Rome. Paul sends him back to his master, Philemon, who Paul had also converted to Christianity. Paul writes the letter we have in our Bible Philemon, seeking to reconcile the two and also asking Philemon to receive him, not as a slave, but as a beloved brother.

Tradition says that this is the very same Philemon who is consecrated a bishop by the Apostles and receives leadership of… wait for it… the church in Ephesus.

Final Greetings

What he wants to leave his brothers and sisters in Christ with.

Ephesians 6:23-24

23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.

A beautiful prayer, a beautiful blessing to the people of God.

Ambassador in Chains

But who is writing this. I said at the beginning, I see strong evidence, as well as strong church tradition, that these are the words of Paul, writing from prison, likely in prison in Rome.

When he says “ambassador in chains” he is being fairly literal. He is the ambassador of the King… but he is in chains.

This is an oxymoron: ambassadors have diplomatic immunity.

But where is Paul’s focus. It is not on the misery of his situation. It is on the mission.

Pray for me “that I may escape”.

Pray for me “that I may be found not guilty.”

Those are the things I would pray for.

But Paul’s focus is on his mission, and his mission is the Kingdom of God. God’s mission to the world.

Pray that I may speak boldly. In the midst of my circumstances.

And his heart, his encouragement is for the Kingdom in motion – for the church. But not just his local home church, all the churches. He sends Tychicus from church to church, and circular letters for churches to pass around.

In the midst of suffering, Paul blesses Christ’s Church and continues Christ’s Mission.

It is about more than his present circumstances. It is about more than the well being of his immediate friends and family. I am sure he cares deeply about those things. But he is large enough, his vision is far enough, his scope is wide enough to keep following Jesus as He leads.

Outflow

Years ago we went through a book called Outflow in a small discipleship group. I loved it. It centers around this simple idea.

You follow Jesus and have this personal relationship. You have the Spirit in you welling up and over, like a spilling fountain.

The love and passion, the energy, the overflow then spills out to your family and friends. That bounces back and forth among you and it overflows out further to your community. And then ultimately to the world.

It is a powerful picture. A beautiful metaphor for how it should work.

However, we have the capacity to block any of those spillovers, and hoard it all for ourselves. It is so easy to turn “following Jesus” into an endless striving for personal self-fulfillment. Even the way we talk about “Next Steps.”

We mean: Next Steps in following after Jesus. In Christian, that is Christ-following, maturity, belief and ministry.

But you could translate that into “next step in accomplishing my goals, being all I can be, growing my skills and developing my talents. For your own glory.

If Paul had been living for his own glory, he was really making poor use of his time in even writing this letter to the churches. And wasting opportunities to ask for help. Or a prison break.

Instead, it is all for the Kingdom.

Christian growth is not all about you. It is all about him. That is hard to hear and hard to swallow. That isn’t easy Christianity. But Jesus was pretty clear

Covered in the Dust of the Master

We are going to start a sermon series in the Gospel of John. And we are seeking to walk with the disciples, chasing after the Master. Learning what discipleship looks like. Listening to what Jesus says and then doing it. Watching where Jesus goes and then following.

Following so closely we are covered in the dust of the Master.

But as we go. As we talk about discipleship in coming months, and we seek to build and grow as a church in our ability and practices and ministries of discipleship… we must be very careful not to fall into these traps.

It goes beyond me.

It goes beyond my immediate friends and family.

It goes beyond my local church.

It goes beyond my Association or denomination.

It is the Church across space and time. It is God and His mission to rescue his people. Here in Thornton, there in Zambia, all peoples in all places in all times.

His Mission – Your Mission

Now that can sound terrifying and sound like I am saying everyone has to go to Zambia as a missionary. No, and this is the beauty of discipleship. You do not have to be the one to balance all the things.

Where is Jesus? What is he doing? How do I take a step in following him. Not a huge leap. One tiny step after another. He will lead us.

And we keep our eyes wide open. So when he calls a couple of us to Cambodia, some go and some send but all together we follow as Christ leads each and all of us. We don’t block the Outflow.

Jono and I have been called for this short trip to Zambia to minister to ministers, leaders in established churches. I got a literal call on the phone asking me, I believe God was in that and His perfect timing, and how amazing it is that we can, together, reach across the world and bless His church, serve His kingdom. Pray for us. Help send us.

We aren’t all missionaries, but we are all on His mission. If we are disciples, if we are followers, we are all following him. That happens in our personal relationship, it happens in our home churches, it happens in our everyday relationships, in our neighborhoods… and it extends outward as he leads us to serve His kingdom across all boundaries.

Where are you in His mission?

I know some of you are overwhelmed. Keep your eyes open for his leading. Tiny actions of obedience, tiny sacrifices in the midst of your chaos, can be incredible Kingdom victories.

A man in prison takes a few hours to write words of encouragement and teaching to mostly strangers. The Holy Spirit inspires his words, breathes life to him.

A man carries a letter for a friend along his journey.

Someone reads the letter to the church.

Many copy the letter so it can bless others.

And how many millions have been deeply blessed by the miraculous multiplication of these tiny steps.

One tiny step, to serve that one God, to bless his One Church, to serve His One Mission.

In the midst of your present circumstances, keep taking next steps after Jesus. Because ultimately it’s bigger than you.

Ephesians 4:1-6

1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.