I know what you're thinking. What is Frasco going to do with these last Dozen verses or so in the book of Colossians and I thought the same thing earlier this week. But I believe that the Lord would have us to honor these verses just like we honor the rest of God's word. And so if you would take your Bibles and go ahead and begin turning to the book of Colossians and to chapter four. As long as I've been a Christian, I've noticed a problem in the church. And I'm not necessarily speaking of this church, but the greater Christian church. And sadly, the problem in my 30-plus years of ministry has not gone away. Things have not gotten better. The problem I noticed all those years ago pertains to missions and missionaries. Let me explain my longstanding concern, if I could. Many years ago, I remember visiting a church, and I soon discovered that they supported a lot of missionaries. And that was good, I thought. I was encouraged by it. It appeared to be a missions-minded church. That's always a good thing. But my enthusiasm soon gave way to questions And with that, ultimately, disappointment. I began inquiring about some of their missionaries. Did this couple have children? What are the first names of these missionaries? What's the particular nature of their ministry? And in most cases, they had no answers. I'm not sure if they have kids or if they do, how old they are. I don't know his wife's name or honestly his children's names. I'm not exactly sure what their ministry is, what it looks like, what they do, nor were they aware of their missionaries particular challenges and needs. I couldn't bear to ask if anyone from their church had ever actually been to the field. Even more disappointing was that this was not the report of visitors to the church or even from its members. Those answers came from the leadership of the church. And that was frightening because even though They didn't know the answers to those really simple questions. For a lot of missionaries, ultimately they were responsible. In another sense, they didn't have any missionaries at all. There was no real vibrant connection to the church. They really didn't know these people, and the extent of the relationship was a meager but regular check, an occasional general prayer on behalf of their missionaries. And that initial discovery of one church developed into a routine investigation almost every time I visited a church. And ever since that first discovery, I've observed that same shameful pattern play out in many, if not most, churches. They not only do not have even a slight idea of who or what they are supporting, they don't know their names, they don't know the cities where they minister, they only know where to send the check. That's the extent of it. Too often, the missions budget and the individual support checks come almost as more of a guilt offering than from genuine heartfelt support for missions. For many believers and churches, it seems to be enough just to regularly send our support check. My concern is that churches, their leadership and their people, they need to begin with a basic understanding of what missions even is. And with that, what a missionary is. You see, answers to those questions are what enable the church then to begin to answer the important question, what does Or what does a missionary do? To a degree, we had wrestled with these same questions in seminary. What is missions? What is a missionary? But once I stepped into the pastoral ministry role, questions regarding missions began to take a new sense of urgency. Is character important for a missionary? Is doctrine important for a missionary? What work will this particular missionary be doing? What kind of ministry? What is the missionary's relationship to the local church, if at all? Is occasional prayer and financial support enough of a commitment for a church and their missionaries? What missions philosophy is better? To have a whole lot of missionaries with a meager support for each, or to have a few very well-supported missionaries? And then, what about so-called short-term missions? If the mission's dollar is already spread so thinly, how can we justify sending someone to some jungle for a week? One notable scholar described missions as the carrying of the message and work of Jesus Christ to others, especially of a different culture. I like that, it's simple. taking the gospel to a different culture, and that could be done even here in this city. As such, though, missions is primarily evangelistic work, and therefore it is to be about the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of that, there are a lot of so-called ministries and missions that are not supportable. Not in my opinion. There's no New Testament office of missionary, and so the missionary must be one of, or a combination of, the offices mentioned in the New Testament. Elders, evangelists, shepherds, teachers. And because of that, those sent out must be of the highest moral character meeting the qualifications of an elder, as set forth in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. One of the surest things that we learn about missions, from God's Word, is that it is not to be a solo effort. Churches need missionaries, and missionaries need churches. Those serving on the field need prayer and accountability and financial support. And supporting churches need the outlet of those on the field. Just for a moment, I know you've got your finger in Colossians, but if you would turn back to 2 Corinthians and to chapter 8, I want to take you just to a few verses there. Since we're talking about missions, I'd like you to see this. Paul is writing to the Corinthians and he's trying to stir their heart. They had already made a commitment for financial support of Paul's mission, and now Paul is doubling back and he's having to remind them of that support. They hadn't followed through. which is a problem so often with the so-called faith promise effort. We make a promise in January of what we're going to do, presumptuously, and then we never follow through. If you would, look at verse 1 of chapter 8. Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia. Here's what Paul's doing. He's trying to stir the heart of the Corinthian church by using the churches of Macedonia as an example. It's very creative. Paul is commending the generosity of the Macedonian churches, Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, It was a mark of God's grace at work in their lives, especially since it came in a very challenging context. Look at verse two. We wish to make known to you the grace of God that in a great ordeal of affliction, their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. The Macedonian churches were under the same hostile persecution that Paul had faced in that region. As you know, thrown in jail in Philippi, run out of town in Thessalonica, and so he calls it a great ordeal of affliction. And what is more, these were not wealthy churches. And yet even out of their poverty, Paul says, they gave joyfully and generously. But I want you to see Paul's point in 3 to 5. Verse 3, for I testify that according to their ability and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints. And this, not as we expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. Paul indicates here that these churches gave not because of some high-pressure campaign or some creative gimmick that someone has offered to give a dollar for every dollar the saints give up to, you know, $500,000. These were self-motivated believers. They gave of their own accord. No one coerced them. But you have to hear verse four. This is why I brought you here. It says, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints. That is an astounding statement. They literally begged Paul for the opportunity to participate in supporting the cause of the gospel. And he says that they did so with much urging. You know what that tells me? Some well-meaning believer in Macedonia quietly came up to Paul at some point and said that their church would like to help. And Paul looked around at their low condition and graciously refused their offer. And so they begged him, not once, but over and over repeatedly until Paul said yes. Verse 5 tells us this was not a matter of them writing a monthly check because they first gave themselves to the Lord. They were fully committed Christians. They were all in. And so it's in this context that Paul characterizes Macedonian church's participation in missionary efforts as the favor of participation. The favor was theirs. It's a privileged partnership. Anytime a church has the opportunity to come alongside a missionary on the field, it is a privileged partnership. The work of missions is a tandem effort. missionaries and churches, and because of that, the relationship between the two should be strong and vibrant. Jesus himself provided a guiding principle when he said, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Writing a check is not enough. Churches should know their missionaries, and missionaries should know their churches. I know that most people are not thrilled to read the average missionary letter. And it's true. Sometimes they are too wordy and obtuse. That's true. Referencing things that we have no idea what they're even talking about. But I suppose we should ask, while we're at it, since it is a two-way street, this relationship, When was the last time that a church sent a missionary an information letter? Both sides are responsible for establishing and developing a rapport. Paul sought to create and maintain deep and vibrant connections between himself and his churches. It was vital. Think of it, just the letters themselves indicate the depth of relationship that Paul had with his churches. In his letters, Paul provided instruction, rebuke, prayer, what he heard about them, both good and bad, and he gave churches the ever-important informational update on his ministry. I know this is risky, but I want to take you through the New Testament if I could, if you would turn to Galatians. What I purpose to do here is just show you where, we're not going to spend a lot of time in each epistle, but I just want to show you where in order of the epistles as they were written, I want to show you where and how often Paul provides these informational updates, the book of Galatians and to chapter one. In Galatians 1, verses 11 and 12, what Paul does is basically talk about his seminary training. In verses 11 through 24, he gives his readers in Galatia his background on preparation for ministry. It's an incredible section. Turn, if you would, to 1 Thessalonians, the next epistle likely that was written. And in 1 Thessalonians 1, verses 2 through 10, chapter 2, verse 17, all the way through 3.10, and then in 5.25, land there if you could, he gives not only an update and a report from Timothy, his trusted assistant, but then finally in 5.25, he just says, pray. Pray for us. Turn to 2 Thessalonians, one book to the right, where it's brief, but in verse one and in verses three and four, he not only speaks of his ministry team, which is information in and of itself, but he also gives these believers an affirmation. Turn, if you would, back to the next epistle written to 1 Corinthians chapter 16. In 1 Corinthians, what we're doing here is just reading missionary letters. That's what we're doing. I'm telling you where they are. 1 Corinthians 16, 1 through 12. And here, this is the first discussion about the so-called collection, the one that we just learned about in 2 Corinthians 8. But he also provides there in 1 through 12, travel plans and more information, both background and ministry information on young Timothy. Turn to 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 1, verse 8, there he speaks of the hardships that he had experienced in Asia, and God's delivery from them, and his subsequent travel plans. In chapter two, verse 12 and 13, he speaks of his time in Troas and Macedonia, which will become important later in that letter. In chapter 13, one through three, he tells of his plan to come and visit Corinth, which probably sent shivers down their spine because they knew that they were going to receive a rebuke. Turn to Romans chapter 15. In Romans chapter 15, Paul gives a missionary update, and in it he gives them the reason for his delay. He had never visited Rome when he wrote them. And there were some people in Rome that were rolling their eyes, thinking that Paul was just a blowhard. He was just promising things that he had no intention of completing. So Paul tells them the reason for his delay. He talks about an anticipated visit, but his plans in the meantime were to visit Jerusalem. Ephesians 6. I'm going to leave off having you chase me around. I'll give you a list. Ephesians 6, 18 through 22, Paul says, pray for utterance. And he updates them about his circumstances. In Philippians 1, 12 through 26, he talks about the greater progress that his imprisonment was having on the gospel. In 2, 19 through 30, he tells them that he's going to send Timothy in Epaphroditus. In Philemon, he speaks of a preparation for a visit, and he says, get this, prepare me a lodging, make a room ready. You say that that's really not that informational. Paul's in prison. which means he really believed that he was going to be released from prison, an argument that I'll take up momentarily. He gives an update in 1 Timothy 1, another one in Titus 3, and then in his final letter, he still is giving missions updates in 4, 9 through 22. Just amazing. And even though we skipped it, Paul also included a missions update, by the way, to the church in Colossae. Evidently, Paul's churches there were greatly concerned about the beloved apostle. Remember, so far as they know, he's in a dark, dank prison in Rome. How was his health? What were his living conditions? How was his ministry? How was his pending court case before Caesar? These were no small questions. And so Paul seeks to provide answers And we find it in chapter 4, beginning in verse 7, if you would. Colossians 4, beginning in verse 7. And for our purposes today, I'll take just these three verses. As to all my affairs, Tychicus will bring you information for I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances, that he may encourage your hearts. And with him, Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother who is one of your number, they will inform you about the whole situation here. The fascinating thing you may have even noticed is that Paul doesn't even immediately answer their pressing questions. Questions about his health and the details of his incarceration and his legal case with a man who could take his life at the snap of a finger. Instead, he tells them that he had sent two men that would bring that report verbally. Paul very graciously doesn't want to bog down his letter with personal details about himself, no matter how urgent those details might be. And as expected, there's a nearly identical report in Ephesians 6. Paul's report there only includes seven words that isn't in the Colossian version, and the entirety of Colossians 4.9 is absent from Ephesians. There's your comparison. But the core of the report is cited almost verbatim. So I'm not even going to take the time to have you flip back to Ephesians. Let's stay right here in Colossians 4 this morning. I want to give you what Paul would call a missions update. And there are some important elements here in this update, what I would call elements of a missionary newsletter. There are just some things that in any missionary newsletter have to be there. And the first thing is the identity. You need to know who the letter's from. And Paul says, as to all my affairs, Tychicus, and in verse nine, with him Onesimus. At the outset, we looked at building a strong relationship between a church and a missionary on the field, saw how important that is. And so the first thing that a church has to know is the identity of the missionary. And Paul, the one writing this particular update, identifies two key players, Tychicus and Onesimus. In Scripture, we first meet Tychicus in the midst of Paul's third missionary journey. We don't know much about him, Paul is traveling to Jerusalem against the advice of trusted friends. Even in Acts 20, he himself says that the Holy Spirit has warned him that bonds and afflictions await him. He knows trouble is on the horizon. Nevertheless, Paul and a small band of ministry companions are making this dangerous journey to Jerusalem. And it's a mixed group that's traveling with him. gathered from probably many of the cities who had given a financial gift for Jerusalem in their famine. There was a man named Sopater of Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus of Thessalonica, Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, Tychicus, and Trophimus from those who were in Asia. Luke doesn't even tell us how Tychicus was converted or exactly when and how he began to accompany Paul in his missionary work. But as there are so many different men from so many different areas, it's likely that they were coming along to accompany the Gentile church's financial gift destined for the Jewish church in Jerusalem. Even if it were only from goodwill, we know that Tychicus is a ministry-minded individual. In addition to his mention here in Colossians and Ephesians 6, Paul mentions him twice more. Titus 3.12, when I send Artemis or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis. Paul recognizes that both Artemis and Tychicus are suitable replacements for Titus. Capable, faithful men, Titus serving there on the island of Crete and Tychicus is perfectly capable of filling in. He's a fellow worker in the gospel. The final time that he's mentioned is in 2 Timothy, Paul's final letter, and he mentions Tychicus one last time. He simply says, Tychicus I've sent to Ephesus. That is a massive statement. No doubt, the ranks of those willing to serve Christ had thinned. But Paul had enough confidence in Tychicus to send him to one of the churches that was most dear to Paul himself, to Ephesus. Paul mentions, as you can see, a traveling companion for Tychicus, a man named Onesimus. If that name sounds familiar to you, it should. Onesimus was the runaway slave that came to faith in Christ under Paul's ministry in Rome. Amazing thing. When Paul writes to Philemon, Onesimus' former master, he refers to Onesimus as my child, whom I have begotten in my prison. Paul wasn't suggesting that Onesimus was his literal son, but that this runaway slave had come to Christ through his preaching. Amazing. And now this man is traveling with Tychicus, and had he been traveling alone, he would have been subject to arrest and prosecution. But God protects him by sending him along with Tychicus And it is so gracious of Paul here, he doesn't even mention Onesimus' background, either that he was a slave or a runaway slave. He only says, and very delicately, that he's one of your member. He's from your area. He's a Colossian. He doesn't mean that he's from their church because he's only recently become a Christian. But his master Philemon, was very likely a member of the Colossian church. And so it's incumbent on him to keep this whole matter private. But the bottom line is that Onesimus has been saved. And look how far he's come. Not only is he a saved man, but he's humbly returning to face the master whom he wronged when he ran away to Rome. It's a remarkable turn of events. And so we not only need to know the missionary's identity, but we need to know the missionary's character. Look at verse nine. Tychicus, our beloved brother, pardon me, look at verse seven. Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond servant in the Lord. And then of Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother. Beyond just, pardon me, beyond just the identity of these two ministry servants, we observe that they're men of godly character. First of all, Tychicus, I want you to notice something, he not only refers to Tychicus as a beloved brother, but as our beloved brother. The word brother is borrowed from the language of the family, speaking the most intimate family relations. In other words, he's instantly uniting the Colossian church with Tychicus by means of their common Savior. He's your brother in Christ. Paul proceeds to tell the Colossians about something that he already knows of Tychicus. He is beloved by Paul. And the Colossians will surely discover the same thing in time. This is a lovable man. Paul wants the church to trust Tychicus and the report that he brings about Paul. But in addition to being a beloved brother, Paul says that he's also a faithful servant. That word that Paul uses for servant here is diakonos. You probably heard it. It's the word from where we get our word deacon. But Paul isn't talking about the office of the local church here. He uses this word in its most basic sense, servant. It's exactly what the word means. One who is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and do the hard and thankless work of ministry. And in the context of Paul's ministry, if Paul needed something done, Tychicus was an eager and willing individual. He was a servant. And what is more, he was faithful in that service. It isn't just that Tychicus was faithful to Paul, but he was faithful to God. That's where it counts. And as such, he was loyal, trustworthy, a man of high integrity. One of the necessary requirements of those in the Lord's service is faithfulness. 1 Corinthians 4.2, Paul declares that it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. They do what they say they're going to do. They follow through, they get it done. For Paul, faithfulness in ministry was the ultimate compliment. Consider this, Tychicus was faithful enough as a servant to be tasked with the great responsibility of carrying these letters. Ephesus, Ephesians rather, Colossians, and Philemon. Paul adds, thirdly, that Tychicus was a fellow bondservant. He uses a different word here for servant. When Paul refers to him as a faithful servant, we might be inclined to think that Tychicus was Paul's subordinate. Not the case. When Paul refers to him as he does here as a fellow bond servant, it implies that whatever Paul was willing to endure, Tychicus was willing to endure right along with him. The only other time that Paul uses this word in all of his letters is Colossians 1, 7, in reference to a man named Epaphras. These men were fellow sufferers with Paul. not just fellow servants. There was no task beneath Paul and there was no task beneath Tychicus. When Paul adds here that little phrase, in the Lord, it points really to all three of those character qualities. Tychicus was their beloved brother in the Lord. He was a faithful servant in the Lord. He was Paul's fellow bond servant in the Lord. In other words, none of this went to the credit of Tychicus. It was all due to his union with Jesus Christ by faith. Likewise, Onesimus, whatever he was before, an ornery slave, a felon from justice, a runaway. Paul doesn't mention any of that. Even the people of the church did not, if they did not already know about his reputation, in time they might hear of his background and come to the conclusion that he was deceitful and dishonest, a man not to be trusted. And so now Paul simply says of him that he is faithful, he is a trustworthy man. And he adds that he is also a beloved brother. He is a Christian man. In his companion letter to his master Philemon, Paul refers to Onesimus with the same beautiful name, beloved brother. Only the grace of God could lead to that kind of a transformation. We're looking at elements of a missionary newsletter. We've seen the missionary's identity, the missionary's character, and finally, the missionary's report. We come really to the heart of Paul's report, and he begins in verse 7, as to all my affairs, Tychicus will bring you information. That's what a missionary newsletter is, right? It's information. Prayer requests, update, needs. Paul uses the same root word for knowledge three times. Verse seven, information. Verse eight, that you may know. And again in verse nine, they will inform you. And Paul indicates that the report that these two servants will bring will be complete. All my affairs, Paul promises. Literally he says, all the things of me. But there's a progression here and I want you to notice it. The report will be very complete. Verse 7 talks about Paul's affairs. Verse 8 speaks about our circumstances, and verse 9 refers to the whole situation here. Nothing will be left out. The report will be full and complete. Verse 8, Paul says bluntly that this was the entire purpose of their trip, to bring these letters. And he says, I've sent him for this very purpose. The knowledge of the circumstances of Paul and his team in Rome. And he provides no details. But he says that this purpose is to encourage their hearts. I mean, that's one thing that we ought to be able to glean from a missionary newsletter, right? We're supporting them. We ought to see the fruit of their ministry and to be encouraged by that, that our support isn't for naught. Our prayers on their behalf are effective. This encouragement was not just run-of-the-mill comfort. It was a powerful motivation to persevering in the faith. Don't quit praying for us. And then finally, and somewhat cryptically, Paul closes in verse 9 by saying that Tychicus will inform you about the whole situation here. Now, in our 21st century hearing, that sounds tantalizing, doesn't it? Paul has a situation there in Rome. But in the original, the statement is so much blander. He only indicates that these two emissaries will tell the Colossians, get this, about the things here. Paul Downe plays it. Not that big a deal. What kinds of things might have been in their report? Well, we already know that Paul is under house arrest there in Rome, but he had a great deal of freedom. The way that Luke characterizes Paul's incarceration there at the end of the book of Acts, Acts 28, 30, and 31 goes like this. Just listen. He stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness unhindered. I mean, that doesn't sound like prison to me. Paul had a wide freedom for ministry, visitors coming and going, opportunities to preach and teach, and even in his writing ministry, he was not impacted by this so-called imprisonment. He writes four significant letters during his time, Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, and Philippians. Any report would no doubt include those very positive elements. Beyond that, however, even as Paul outlines in Philippians chapter one, the ministry there in Rome was going remarkably well. For the greater progress of the gospel, he says in Philippians 1, 12, his fellow believers are becoming more and more courageous to speak the word of God. They're looking at Paul under so-called imprisonment, and they're realizing if he can be bold, I too can be bold. And he fully believes that he will prevail in his appeal to Caesar and be released even from this relaxed house arrest. And he says it's because of the prayers of God's people that he believed that he would be delivered, released. And a great argument, honestly, a great argument can be made that Paul did enjoy release from prison, even if briefly. And that enabled additional ministry travel. During that period of freedom, he made one final tour that included Macedonia, numerous cities in Asia, Ephesus, Troas, Miletus, and then also to the island of Crete, where he had a servant named Titus. All the early church fathers, Clement, Eusebius, Chrysostom, Jerome, all speak of this brief period of release for Paul. This is also when he would have written 1 Timothy and Titus before being finally rearrested, imprisoned, and ultimately martyred. The final element of the report that Tychicus and Onesimus might have brought, not only by the means of these epistles that he was able to write and the confidence in his release from prison, but also the success of the gospel. as would have been seen in the wonderful example of God's grace, Onesimus. He was a living, breathing fruit of Paul's preaching. Well, as I said, the church needs its missionaries. The missionaries need its church. And I would just remind the saints, one of the reasons that we've sought to have a missions liaison is that you will know them, they will know you. We support Evgeny and Tanya Eva in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. What an amazing story they have. They were originally missionaries in Ukraine, and now they run not only a school, but an in-home orphanage, which at last count had 21 children. not their own. They also provide a food supply outreach and do prison ministry in all their spare time. Frank and Barbara Tetrault planting a church in Geneva, Switzerland. Part of three couples planting the church. They're biblical counselors and instructors in the same. They have no children on the field with them. Ruslan and Natasha Scheringa are in Odessa, Ukraine. Yes, the same Ukraine that is under attack. Ruslan is a pastor and a church planter, and he's so much more. He provides food and shelter and clothing ever since the war broke out. He had a big desire to plant 25 churches in and around Odessa. God has steered him. I think at last count there were five. And then there's Andrei and Anya Saprykin in Donetsk, Ukraine, where he is shepherding the people of Donetsk, caring for them. He's preaching the gospel, caring for the needy. The last missionary newsletter we got from him, April of 2024, said that their big goal was to build a bathroom. These are your missionaries. These are the ones that you are responsible for. We should pray for them. Our merciful God, we thank you for Paul's missions update. We thank you for this sweet and thorough letter. We thank you for the information that he provides about himself, but also about missionaries in general and what our expectations should be of them. We should know them. We should know their character. We should know their situation, their needs. We should pray for them. We should support them. We should know them. Lord, we pray for the Evas. Pray that you would use them for your glory as you have. We pray for the Syringas there in Ukraine and pray that you would give Ruslan, just great wisdom to know exactly how to use his time and his efforts and his resources. Use, please, Andre, from whom we haven't heard in so many years, but we know if he's alive, he's preaching Christ. And we pray for the Tetros and their team in Geneva. We pray that this church would be established, that it would grow, and that each believer there would take the gospel to their respective cities and nations, and that the gospel would flourish because of it. We thank you and we praise you in Jesus' name, amen.