THURSDAY January 23, 2025

Fellow Workers in God’s Kingdom

...with Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you all things which are happening here.
Colossians 4:9

Paul also mentioned Onesimus––another faithful and beloved brother in Christ. It seems Onesimus was with Tychicus and carried Paul’s letters to both the Colossians and to Philemon. Onesimus has an interesting story. He was a runaway slave belonging to Philemon, but he was converted by Paul in Rome (Philemon 10-17).

Paul shared the Gospel with Onesimus and sent the runaway slave back to his master. He was saved, restored and regenerated. Onesimus became useful in the Kingdom of God. Therefore, Paul wrote and asked Philemon to forgive his servant Onesimus, and, if his slave owed him anything, it was to be put to the Apostle’s account. Paul promised to pay for everything. This is true brotherhood in the Lord!

In Colossians 4:10-11, Paul continued to mention other names:

Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision; they have proved to be a comfort to me.

Aristarchus was a Jewish believer and also a native of Thessalonica. He was imprisoned with Paul. Interestingly, we see Mark’s name. This young man had failed to endure a difficult missionary trip and went back home. When planning another journey, Paul did not want to take Mark, but Barnabas insisted as Mark was his nephew. It caused a sharp division, and they ended up going their separate ways (Acts 15:36-39).

To see Mark’s name is such an encouragement to anyone who may have failed to complete a task in ministry. God is the God of second chances, and, in the end, Mark proved himself useful to Paul. The Apostle knew he was not a one-man team; he used a whole team of people. That is what we desire here at Calvary Chapel Golden Springs––to use a team of people who are called to work together for the sake of the Gospel.

“The truth is that teamwork is at the heart of great achievement.”
~John C. Maxwell~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!