Perhaps you are familiar with the following Bible names: Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark, Justus, Epaphras, Luke, Demas and Nymphas. Some may be more familiar to us than others. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul wrote these names toward the end of that book. We find them in Chapter 4. It’s like a roll call of Christians.
Tychicus was from Asia Minor (Colossians 4:7) and Onesimus became a Christian when he met Paul in prison (Colossians 4:9). We have Aristarchus, Mark and Justus who were Jewish believers (vv. 10-11). Epaphras, Luke the doctor and Demas were Gentile Christians (vv. 12-14). We also have Nymphas (v. 15) who provided a home in which the church could gather.
These folks obviously meant so much to Paul and his work that he included them in the epistle. Most of these were not very well known. Their names appear for a brief moment in history, and then, they vanish away. They played a part in the spread of Christianity, and then, stepped to the side, just like we will do.
Yet, there is a reason that God chose to place these saints in His Word. The names represent great variety. Have you considered that? With His church, the Lord likes diversity. Social clubs usually are comprised of folks like each other, those people with similar interests and ambitions. However, God’s church is diverse. God takes people from all nations, cultures and social standings (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11) and makes them one in Christ.
The Lord’s church today should have variety like the Colossian church did back in the first century. We talk about first-century Christianity a lot, and diversity was part of that. With diversity in Christ, the Lord’s church can be unified and show this unity to others.
