Sunday, July 29, 2018 - Ephesians 6:21
The
Encouragement of a Believer to Fellow Believers, Pt. 1
Grace
Fellowship Church
Pastor/Teacher,
Jim Rickard
We now turn to not only the last section of this chapter, but also the last
section of the book. In our outline of the Eph
6:10-24, it is:
1. The Empowerment, vs. 10.
2. The Enemy, vs. 11-12.
3. The Equipment, vs. 13-17.
4. The Energy, vs. 18-20.
5. The Encouragement, vs. 21-24.
In our outline of the overall book it is:
A. The Believer’s Walk in Unity; God’s Plan for Faithful
Living in the Church to Build the Church, Eph
4:1-16.
B. The Believer’s Walk in Righteousness; God’s Pattern
and Principles for Members of the Church and His Standards for Faithfulness in
the Church, Eph 4:17-32.
C. The Believer’s Walk in Love; The conclusion of God’s
Pattern and Principles for Members of the Church and His Standards for
Faithfulness in the Church, Eph 5:1-17.
D. The Believer’s Walk in the World; God’s Standards for
Authority and Submission in the Church, Eph
5:18-6:9.
E. The Believer’s Walk in Warfare; God’s Provision for
His Children’s Spiritual Battles, Eph
6:10-20.
This is Paul’s closing salutation. Here, he provides
encouragement to the churches by telling of his own situation and sending
welcomed friends to give them a further update and to strengthen their faith by
delivering this letter and the other prison epistles. The principle is that we
provide encouragement to the church by telling of our own situation and sending
welcomed friends to give further updates, which strengthens everyone’s faith.
Paul also gives them a blessing, just as we should give
others verbal blessings of encouragement, coupled with prayer on their behalf.
A parallel benediction is found in Col 4:7-9, “As to all my
affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow
bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information. 8For I have
sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our
circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts; 9and with him
Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your number. They
will inform you about the whole situation here.”
Now, exegeting vs. 21, we have: Eph 6:21, “But that you also may know about my circumstances, how I am
doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will
make everything known to you.”
In the Greek, This begins with
HINA of Purpose Clause, which couples with the Subjunctive mood in the upcoming
verb. This introduces Paul’s purpose for sending Tychicus with this letter and
further communications about Paul’s current situation, to let them know how he
is doing. We translate it “in order that.”
It is follow by the Transitional
Conjunction DE to indicate a transition to a new topic while linking it to the
previous subtopic of Paul being an “ambassador in chains.” Paul is telling them
that he will give them further information about his “chains,” through
Tychicus. We can translate this “Now.”
Next, we have “may know,” which is the Verb OIDA, οἶδα
in this HINA clause, in the Perfect, Active, Subjunctive. OIDA means to, “know
fully, understand, recognize.” Although OIDA is in the Perfect tense it is
translated as if it were a present, “know.” Yet, the perfect idea of “possessed
knowledge,” rather than the present aspect of “acquiring knowledge,” dominates
the word’s definition. Therefore, Paul desires that they have the complete
understanding about his situation. The Subjunctive mood also emphasizes this is
the purpose Paul intends.
Principle:
When people know more about your
situation, they have a greater opportunity for intercessory prayer, a greater
opportunity to encourage you with principles from God’s Word about your
situation, and they have a greater opportunity to be encouraged themselves,
especially when they realize that others are going through problems and
difficulties too, which sometime may be worse situations than their own.
Therefore, they may not feel so bad about their own situation.
This is followed in the Greek by
the Adjunctive Conjunction KAI, for “and, even, or also.” Here we translated it
as “also” as it is a continuation regarding
Paul’s desire for them to have knowledge about his situation. This is
additional information Paul desire them to have.
Then, in the Greek, we have
HUMEIS. Even though the Verb OIDA was in the 2nd Person Plural, Paul
adds the Personal Pronoun HUMEIS for emphasis in the 2nd Person
Plural, which we can translate “you all,”
meaning all those Paul is sending Tychicus to.
So far we have, “Now in order that you all may also know.”
Next, Paul gives them too forms of
understanding. The first is “about my
circumstances,” which is HO KATA EGO that means, “the things about / concerning me,” that is, his situation or
circumstances. This is the general understanding of what is going on around
Paul. The outward pressures of life.
Then we have, “how I am doing,” which is the Interrogative Pronoun TIS for “what
or how,” with the Customary Present,
Active, Indicative of the Verb PRASSO, πράσσω that means, “do, accomplish,
commit, practice, observe, act, be, etc.” We translate this “doing,” to indicate Paul’s ongoing
inward struggles, condition, and situation.
This is what Paul desires them to
know; what his outward circumstances are, and how he is doing inwardly, which
can include both physical and mental circumstance. This is what Tychicus will
tell them.
He wanted them to know what the
reality of his situation truly was, while under house arrest, so that they
could pray for him at the least, and send him written or verbal encouragement
at the most.
So far we have, “Now in order that you all may also know the
things concerning me; how I am doing.”
The next part of this passage in
the Greek is actually what most English translators put last, will make everything known to you.” It
begins with the Dative Adjective PAS for “all
things,” with the Future, Active, Indicative of GNORIZO that means, “to
make known, reveal, point out, or declare.” We noted this word in Eph 1:9; 3:3, 5, 10; and 6:19.
The Future Tense speaks of
the future time period when Tychicus will arrive with this letter. Therefore we
add “will make known.” With this is
the Dative Personal Pronoun HUMEIS once again, in the 2nd Person
Plural, for “to you all.”
This is written from the Future
Tense perspective, but in reality, Tychicus will deliver the letter, read it,
or have it read to the congregations, and then will follow up with further
verbal communication about Paul’s situation.
Next, we see the bearer of Paul’s
news, “Tychicus,” or in the Greek, the Nominative Name, TUCHIKOS Τυχικός. In
addition to our passage, this companion of Paul and great servant of God is
noted in Acts 20:4; Col 4:7; 2 Tim 4:12;
and Titus 3:12. We will discuss him
further below.
Principle:
Paul gave Tychicus direct authority to relate his situation
to the churches. This is not gossip. We too can give others expressed authority
to communicate our situation to others, so that they can pray for us, or
encourage us, or be encouraged.
When you ask others to pray for
you, or give them an opportunity to encourage, you are giving them an
opportunity to exercise their common Christian service to the church, and/or
their spiritual gift. When they do, you are also giving them an opportunity to
produce the fruit of the Spirit / Divine Good Production, Gal 5:22-23; Eph 5:9.
Paul then gives two true glowing
accolades about Tychicus. The first is, “the
beloved brother,” that begins with the Article HO and the Nominative
Adjective AGAPETOS, ἀγαπητός “beloved, esteemed, etc.,” and the Nominative Noun
ADELPHOS, ἀδελφός “brother, a fellow-Christian, neighbor.”
AGAPETOS is a recurring address
for Paul’s “dear friends,” Rom 1:7; 1
Cor 4:14; Col 1:7; 4:7, 9; Philemon 1:1, 16. Several times, like here, it
is connected with ADELPHOS. Peter also used this phrase regarding Paul, 2 Peter 3:15, “... our beloved brother
Paul,”
ADELPHOS is used here not in its
literal sense of a family member or relative, but in its figurative sense as a
brother in the spiritual sense; a fellow believer and worker in Christ. It also
points out the affection and close relationship Paul had with him.
Principle:
All of our fellow Christians
should be brothers / sisters to us. Unfortunately, many times they are not,
either because of their reversionism or ours. Yet, if we are going forward in
God’s Plan for our lives, for all of those who are going forward in God’s Plan
for their lives, they should be beloved brothers / sisters.
The second acclamation Paul gives
to Tychicus is “and faithful minister,”
which is the Coordinating Conjunction KAI
that applies the Granville Sharp Rule, making this accolade also directed to
Tychicus. The accolade is the Nominative Adjective is PISTOS, πιστός that
means, “trustworthy, faithful, reliable, credible, etc.” Paul used this word in
Eph 1:1, regarding the believers who
would receive this letter.
Then we have, the Nominative Noun
DIAKONOS, διάκονος that means, “servant, attendant, waiter,” and is even used
for “deacon.” It means, “one who serves
as an intermediary in a transaction; an agent, intermediary, courier,” (A
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian
Literature). Greek DIAKONOS were usually a subordinate officer or assistant
employed in the ministry of the gospel, as to Paul and Apollos, 1 Cor 3:5, Tychicus, Eph 6:21, Epaphras, Col 1:7, Timothy, 1 Thes 3:2, and also our Lord Jesus Christ, Rom 15:8.
Paul used this word to describe
himself in Eph 3:7 as a “minster” of
God. Here, Paul is not using this word for the office of Deacon that Tychicus
might have held, but more generically as a “servant.” See also Col 4:7; 1 Tim 4:6.
Principle:
When we have the Christ-like
nature, we are faithful in ministering to the needs of others, and faithful
ministers in the eyes of our God.
1 Tim 4:6, “In pointing out these things to the brethren,
you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words
of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.”
Finally, we see why Paul is
commending Tychicus, because he is, “in
the Lord,” which is the Dative of Sphere of the Preposition EN and the Noun
KURIOS. This is the one who Tychicus was serving; the Lord Jesus Christ, just
as Paul was. Even though Tychicus was helping and assisting Paul, he was really
doing the work of the Lord, and that is why Paul commends him.
Our final translation of vs. 21 is, “Now, in order that you all may also know the things concerning me; how
I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord,
will make everything known to you all.”
