Here is my commentary on Ephesians 6:21-22. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 6:21-22

“So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus will tell you everything. He is a dear brother and a faithful minister in the Lord. I’m sending him to you for this very purpose, to let you know how we are and to encourage your hearts.”

In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul covers topics of cosmic significance, deep issues about our place in God’s Kingdom, and how we should live. He now turns to personal greetings because church is more than ideology and grand ideas. Even the greatest of our conceptions are based in relationship with God and with one another.

Paul is sending the letter with Tychicus, his dear friend and trusted coworker in the preaching of the gospel.

Paul knew that the Ephesians would want to know about how Paul was coping in his imprisonment. Their love for Paul is described clearly in Acts 20:13-37. They would value the opportunity to hear the news of Paul, not just advice and doctrine .

Tychicus is mentioned several times in the New Testament. He carried Paul’s letter to the Colossians and had been involved in part of Paul’s third missionary journey (Acts 20:1-4).

For people involved in Christian ministry, there is nothing like a faithful brother in the Lord who stands with you and encourages you over a long period of time.

Tychicus was a faithful minister in the Lord. Despite the many temptations to give up, he remained faithful to the Lord and to Paul.

We sometimes lament over preachers and pastors who lose their ministry because of scandalous sin. Some even announce that they have lost their faith in the Lord. For every celebrity pastor who falls, there are undoubtedly many other less known ministers who just get worn down by the constant pressure of being at the forefront of the Christian community.

Maybe we should rejoice in those who, like Tychicus, remain faithful to the Lord and to their assignment. When we think of the intensity of spiritual warfare that surrounds every believer, but especially those called to preach the gospel, it is only the grace of God that sustains them and strengthens them in the battle.

As well as being a messenger for Paul, Tychicus seems to have had the ministry gift of encourager. Paul wanted him to encourage the hearts of the christians at Ephesus.

Every church or christian community needs that one person (or more) who has this gift of encouragement. They are the people who remind us of our purpose in dark times. They believe in us as followers and ministers of Christ. They cheer us on when the battle gets difficult. They are the ones who hold our arms up when the battle goes longer than we can endure alone (Exodus 17:10-13).

Paul did not send just anyone to carry his messages. We live in an era of constant bombardment in emails, text messages, and phone calls by people who are not interested in us, but only in our money. Rather than sending just anybody to deliver his message, Paul considered this to be a ministry in its own right. The bearer of the message had to be the right man who would go on to do much more than merely carry a letter.

Key points in these verses:

• The context of Ephesians is a personal relationship between Paul and the church
• Tychicus was a beloved friend and coworker with Paul
• We need to pray and encourage pastors and other ministers of the gospel
• We all need encouragers

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 6:20. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 6:20

“… for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.”

Paul describes himself as an ambassador in chains for the gospel.

Every nation sends out ambassadors to other countries to represent the interests of the home nation abroad. An ambassador is a go between in many ways, communicating the views of their own government as well as informing their government if what is happening in the other nation.

To be an ambassador for the gospel means to represent the gospel amongst those who do not know it, to be the light in the darkness, so to speak.

Paul particularly saw himself as an ambassador to the gentiles. At this time of his life, that ministry is now focused on one particular person, the Emperor himself.

For Paul, the great culmination of years of preaching the gospel would be reached when he stood before Caesar to represent the Kingdom of Jesus. If he could share the claims of the gospel with the most influential people in Rome, the gospel would be more easily preached right through the Empire.

Paul’s dream did not come to pass in his own lifetime. He was executed by Nero around the year 65. Persecution of Christians continued sporadically through the Empire until Constantine became a Christian in the early 300’s. Within a generation of that date, Christianity had become the official religion of the Empire.

In every nation of the world, to be appointed as an ambassador is seen as a prestigious thing. Ambassadorships can be offered to career public servants or as a reward to political allies. While there are some positions that might be considered as less prestigious than others (e.g. remote locations in Africa or South America would be less exciting than London or Washington), nobody would want to be appointed as an ambassador in chains.

In the human way of looking at things, Paul was just another political prisoner or a religious zealot awaiting trial before the emperor, but Paul saw his position as God saw it. He was an ambassador of Jesus Christ!

We must not let our self-esteem be determined by the world’s judgements. If we are serving God, it is His assessment of us that matters, not the world’s .

Paul asks for the Ephesians to pray for him to be bold in his speaking.

We might think that Paul would want to tread carefully while he is in prison. In this situation, he is vulnerable to mistreatment by guards, other prisoners, and officials. It might be tempting to not say anything that might cause offence. Paul isn’t one to fly under the radar. He prays for the ability to speak the message boldly even in this vulnerable condition.

He is aware that he must speak. It isn’t clear whether he is thinking primarily about his eventual court case before the Emperor. Perhaps he is thinking about his daily encounters with various people.

He is conscious of the need to share the gospel. It is like a fire burning within him, a force that compels him. If he is going to speak, as indeed he must, he might as well do so boldly .

He needs prayer for this because it is all part of the spiritual warfare that he wrote of earlier in the chapter. As the ambassador of Christ in chains, his battle is not against human enemies, but against the principalities and demonic rulers of this present age.

Key points in this verse:

• We are all called to be ambassadors for the gospel
• whether we are In chains like Paul, it is God’s calling that gives us status not the rewards of men
• Even though Paul’s desire to see the Emperor saved did not come in his lifetime, it did come to pass eventually
• We must not soft-pedal the gospel even when we are tempted to do so
• Everybody needs prayer to be able to share the gospel