“My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. “Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house” (Colossians 4:10-15)

I must admit, each time I come to the end of one of Pauls letters, reading through the long laundry list of who’s who in his ministry, my brain tends to check out. I’m sure we are all like this, after all the people are only mentioned once or twice and their names are very difficult to pronounce. So why are they even important to us today?

As I ponder over these names of countless individuals that helped and ministered with the Apostle Paul these phrases stand out, "they have proved a comfort to me,” "is one of you," "a servant of Christ Jesus," "wrestling in prayer for you," "he is working hard for you." These are among the few attributes that Paul gives them, they obviously come very highly recommended and deserve a moment for us to ponder as well. 

These people helped spread the gospel and preserve the written instructions of Paul in the early push of Christianity. Where would we be without them risking their lives to share the good news of Christ Jesus? What they did was amazing and unbelievable. What Paul said about them is true, not only for the believers in the early Church but for us as well. They did work hard for us! As we read about them we should be grateful that these men and women risked their lives for Christ so that we could know Him 2000 years later.

What a great testimony of faith to know that what you are doing now could affect someone outside of your time and influence. These people had no idea of their impact in the world, they just loved the Lord and wanted to spread His good news. We can do the same. We can live a changed life by our relationship with Jesus, listening to the Holy Spirit’s direction and following His leading. Then we, like these men and women, who all we have to remember them by is their names and audacious faith, will bless the body of Christ and obtain a lasting legacy. 

I’d Love To Hear From You…

Knowing that even small things can have a lasting legacy for the body of Christ, what is one thing you can do, starting today to make Christ known to friends, family and neighbors?