You Need a Team – Colossians

Brandon Werner - July 27, 2026

You Need a Team

Together Church | Pastor Brandon Werner

July 26, 2026 | Series: Colossians

Today, we’re headed down the homestretch on our journey through Paul’s letter to the Colossian church.

Let’s open our Bibles together to Colossians 4:7-18.

*Dismiss kids to the Bible Zone and pause while they open*

Paul concludes his letter with the following introductions & greetings…

Colossians 4:7-18

7 Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, 9 and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.

10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14 Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. 16 And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17 And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”

18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

INTRODUCTION

Let’s take a quick poll…

Like me, how many of you have been guilty of quickly skimming a list of names or greetings like this in your personal Bible reading on more than one occasion?

Hey, I’m right there with you.

But here’s the thing…

These introductions and greetings from Paul make up nearly 25% of his entire letter!

Paul’s not rolling the credits, he’s landing the plane.

And when the original readers were hearing this part of the letter for the first time, their interest wouldn’t have fallen off… it would have peaked.

Why?

Because of relationship!

Today, we’re going to see how God uses all kinds of people within the new humanity to accomplish Jesus’ mission and build up His Church.

There are eleven names mentioned in today’s passage.

Eleven people working together as a team.

Every name has a story.

Every person was mentioned for a reason.

Once we get to know these people, we won’t want to skim anymore.

So, here’s the plan:

Let’s meet Paul’s team… those he decided to introduce, reintroduce, or greet in this letter.

Then, let’s step back and ask, “What’s the lesson?”

After that, we’ll close by applying what we’ve learned.

BODY

Let’s meet the team.

The first two teammates Paul introduced are traveling together. Paul sent them on this trip for two important purposes. They’re going to Colossae to…

Give a report – let the church know how Paul and his companions are doing, AND
Through the report, to encourage the hearts of the believers at Colossae.

The first person in this traveling duo is Tychicus.

Colossians 4:7-8

Tychicus is the leader of this pair, and he’s almost certainly the one carrying this letter to the Colossians for Paul.

In scripture, Tychicus is known for this precise manner of service to the Apostle Paul. His name appears five times in scripture, and every time we see him, he is either traveling with Paul or on behalf of Paul.

In verse 7, Paul introduces Tychicus “a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.”

Those are high praises!

Paul calls Tychicus a fellow servant of the Lord with Paul –

Paul and Tychicus had different roles in the church. Paul had apostolic authority and was a spiritual leader to Tychicus. But Paul knew there is only one master… and that master is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul understood that he and Tychicus shared a common bond as bondservants of Jesus Christ. They were fellow servants of the Lord.

Paul calls Tychicus a beloved brother –

He is a fellow son of God. In one of the first messages in this series, we talked about the new humanity being God’s family. Even though they were not biologically related, Paul truly holds Tychicus as a “beloved brother” in the Lord.

Paul calls Tychicus a faithful minister –

The Greek word for “faithful” is pistos. It literally means “worthy of trust.” Tychicus was a valuable teammate in Jesus’ mission – not because he was a flashy minister or a highly gifted minister – but because he was a FAITHFUL minister… dependable and trustworthy.

“Minister” literally means servant. Tychicus was a faithful servant to Jesus, to Paul as his spiritual leader, and to the whole church.

This letter itself is an example of Paul’s confidence in Tychicus. It’s widely agreed that Tychicus was the courier of this letter… he was the one Paul personally trusted to ensure this letter made it to the Colossian church and was read publicly.

That’s a lot of trust.

So, Paul sent Tychicus as the point person to give reports about his activities and to encourage the hearts of the believers at Colossae…

But Tychicus wasn’t sent alone.

Paul paired him with Onesimus.

Now, if you’ve read the New Testament before, that name probably rings a bell.

Onesimus had a complicated past.

He was from Colossae and had been a slave in the household of a Christian man named Philemon. At some point, Onesimus ran away… he abandoned Philemon and left Colossae. It appears he may have even stolen from Philemon before leaving.

Eventually, somehow, Onesimus crossed paths with Paul.

Through Paul’s witness, Onesimus became a follower of Jesus Christ.

Not only that, but Onesimus became a faithful minister to Paul and was specifically an encouragement to Paul while he was in prison.

Now, here’s Tychicus arriving – most likely with Paul’s letter in hand – and who shows up with him? Onesimus, the runaway slave!

Scandalous.

Or is it?

Many scholars believe that Tychicus was carrying up to four letters on this journey…

One for the church at Ephesus (it is Ephesians in our Bibles, and Tychicus is mentioned in the greetings there, too)
One for the church at Laodicea (not in our Bibles)
One for the church at Colossae (our passage at hand)
One for Philemon – the master Onesimus abandoned

By sending Onesimus with Tychicus, Paul has tied the two together. He was essentially saying, “If you receive Tychicus, you are receiving Onesimus, too.” That’s spiritual leadership and wisdom.

Paul knew Philemon would hear the letter to Colossae when it was read publicly. If you’ve been here for this study, you know Paul’s already given some powerful instructions for how Jesus transforms the relationship between brothers in Christ who are bondservants and masters.

For example, he said in Colossians 3:11…

In Christ, “there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.”

And at the end of Colossians 3, when Paul addresses Christian households, Paul reminds masters and bondservants that their new identity in Christ will radically transform their human relationships.

And while I won’t take time to read Paul’s entire letter to Philemon here right now, I’d highly encourage you to read it. It is a brilliant work of persuasion. In it, Paul provides spiritual leadership for Philemon and calls him to live like he belongs to the new humanity as he loves, welcomes, and forgives Onesimus… a brother who had wronged him.

This is powerful stuff, you guys!

At one point in his letter to Philemon, Paul acknowledges this reality about Onesimus…

Philemon 10-12

10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. 11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart.

Onesimus had been transformed by Jesus. Once a runaway slave, Paul now calls Onesimus useful… useful to the Lord, to Paul, to Philemon, and to the whole church!

Thus, Paul sends Tychicus…

9 and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you.

This first pairing gets a lot of attention in the text as Paul starts these introductions and greetings. They also set the tone for what follows…

Paul moves from introducing those arriving to extending greetings: both from those with him and to those he is writing.

Paul says “greet” three times in this section.

Greetings matter. At the very least, they say, “I see you, I am glad because of you, and I am grateful for you.”

The first three men Paul sends greetings FROM are…

Aristarchus
Mark
Jesus (who is called Justus)

These three men all share something in common…

They are the “only men of the circumcision” among Paul’s fellow workers for the kingdom of God. That means these three were the only Jews working with Paul as part of his ministry team.

That’s significant.

Paul had experienced a lot of conflict and persecution from Jews throughout his ministry. In fact, he’s writing this letter from prison… and it was Jewish opposition that landed him there!

To have these three brothers in Christ who were also Jews – or “of the circumcision – was, as Paul puts it, a great “comfort” to him.

Now, concerning each man respectively…

Aristarchus is called “a fellow prisoner” –

He is suffering willingly alongside Paul in jail for the sake of the gospel. Anyone willing to suffer for the name of Jesus is worthy of honor and respect.

Hearing this report would have also been encouraging to the church for this reason: they knew that Paul was not alone. A brother in Christ, and one of Paul’s kinsmen, was with him and encouraging him.

Then, there’s Mark, the cousin of Barnabas –

Goodness, these greetings are loaded. Another man with a complicated history.

Perhaps you remember the story of Paul and Barnabas, and how they went separate ways over a controversy?

Their controversy wasn’t caused by scandal or moral failure on either side… it was a sharp disagreement about how to respond after one particular man had abandoned them on a previous missionary journey. Who was that man?

John-Mark, the cousin of Barnabas.

Barnabas thought Mark should be given another chance right now.

Paul thought, “Not yet.”

The result?

Barnabas took John-Mark and went one way, and Paul took Silas and went another.

But look at this greeting!

Now, some years later, Paul is writing to the Colossians about… Mark! And he says, “Welcome him.”

That’s great church leadership from Paul.

If word had gotten out about Mark’s abandonment, the church may not have known how to respond if Mark visited them.

But here, Paul is indicating reconciliation and encouraging the church to welcome Mark as a brother in Christ. That’s awesome.

Then there’s Jesus, who is called Justus –

Nothing is added about him except that he is one of the three Jewish men serving the Lord as part of Paul’s team. Paul is so encouraged to have these three that he mentions Justus by name.

That alone tells us something important about Justus – like Paul, he is a man who stands for truth despite the opposition.

Three Jewish men who love Jesus and are a comfort to Paul.

The next greeting is from a familiar name… Epaphras! He’s back!

If you were with us in this study in chapter one, you probably remember him. He is widely considered to be the church planter and chief elder of the Colossian church.

Epaphras is also the leader who went to Paul to bring word about what God was doing in the Colossian church. God used his leadership to prompt Paul to write this letter… and it is ultimately in our Bibles through that chain of events.

Paul calls Epaphras a man who is faithful to struggle on behalf of the church in prayer. Specifically, Epaphras is constantly praying for discipleship in the church – that the church may “stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.”

As the pastor at Together Church, I can relate to Epaphras’s prayer. I share his heart and his burden – to see everyone in our church presented fully mature in Christ.

Paul also bears witness that Epaphras has been working hard for them! And not only for them, but also those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis (two nearby cities with sister churches in them).

This greeting would have been an exciting one for the church to hear. To have a spiritual leader they knew and admired so much mentioned by the apostle would have been very meaningful to them.

The last few greetings move very quickly in Paul’s conclusion…

He sends greetings from Luke the physician –

This title makes it almost certain that this is the Luke who wrote the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts.

Paul had few companions as faithful as Luke. Throughout much of Paul’s missionary ministry, Luke traveled alongside him, caring for him, and recording the mighty acts of the Holy Spirit they witnessed together.

As a doctor, Luke purposefully devoted himself and his abilities to serve the Lord, to serve Paul, and to serve all those who were working together with him.

I’m so grateful for those at Together Church who are like Luke. Our church is blessed with so many skilled and talented people who use what they have to serve the Lord, to serve the leaders of our church, and to serve all of us. What you do matters.

Luke is a great example of a member of Jesus’ Church using their gifts and talents to strengthen the team and build up the body of Christ.

Next, Paul sends greetings from Demas –

Demas is mentioned alongside Luke, but Paul doesn’t state why he is specifically on this list. It’s possible the church would have recognized his name, but we don’t know for sure.

What we do know is, when we search the Bible for Demas, he does appear again. Paul mentions him to Timothy in…

2 Timothy 4:10

For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica…

It’s interesting. In Paul’s greetings, we have…

Mark – once abandoned, now reconciled

AND

Demas – currently in fellowship, but later abandoned

What should we take away from this?

Demas is a sobering reminder that some who are part of the team today may one day walk away…

And Mark is a reminder that no one is too far gone.

Their stories should encourage us to always be ready to welcome back Marks and pray for Demases.

And here’s what’s encouraging… we don’t know how Demas’s story ends – scripture doesn’t say. And that’s the truth with anyone who walks away… their story isn’t over. We don’t know, so we keep praying.

There are three more names, then we’ve reached the end of Colossians…

Nympha
Archippus
Paul

First is Nympha –

She is the only individual Paul sends his greeting to by name. That’s significant! Why does Paul select her?

Because Nympha opened her home so the church could gather there.

Paul gives her incredible honor by mentioning her name in his greetings. She is clearly a faithful woman who is using her gift of hospitality to love and edify Jesus’ Church.

There are so many people at Together Church who have volunteered to open their home so the church could gather there in our small groups. If that is you, you are like Nympha… and you are deserving of recognition, honor, and praise.

What a generous, selfless, and loving act: to serve the Lord by welcoming God’s people into your home as they gather in Jesus’ name.

Then there’s Archippus –

Paul has a specific message for him: “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”

We don’t know a lot more about Archippus. He is mentioned in Paul’s greetings at the close of Philemon, but that’s it. In that greeting, Paul calls him a “fellow soldier” in the Lord, giving us a sense of the kind of spiritual warrior he must have been.

What’s clear here is that Paul is giving an encouragement and a charge: FINISH STRONG.

Don’t quit. Don’t give up. What you have received from the Lord, finish it as a good soldier in the strength of the Lord.

Then, of course, there’s the Apostle Paul –

Paul concludes his letter in his own handwriting (a signature move that authenticates his authorship).

In that final greeting, he makes one request: remember my chains.

We’ve seen it through the entire study…

Paul loves Jesus and loves Jesus’ Church. He literally gave up his life, his freedom, his comfort, his home, and his physical wellbeing in service to the Lord and for the sake of the gospel.

And now, we remember his chains.

This letter isn’t just lip-service…

It is written out of the overflow of Paul’s life.

Remember Paul’s chains.

Paul is an incredible spiritual leader… gifted at bringing together people from all walks of life to serve the Lord as partners in the gospel. Paul is the common thread connecting every name on this list of greetings!

CONCLUSION

Those are the teammates Paul greets and introduces. Now…

What’s the lesson?

There’s one big lesson for us all.

Before I share it, I want to give the Holy Spirit some space to speak to you personally. There are so many important lessons woven throughout this passage.

So, let’s start with this exercise…

First, review this list of the eleven teammates in Paul’s signoff…

Tychicus, faithful & trusted minister
Onesimus, redeemed & useful
Aristarchus, suffers alongside others
Mark, restored and welcomed
Justus, courageous for Christ
Epaphras, loving in prayer & labor
Luke, uses skills for Jesus
Demas, sobering reminder (pray for straying)
Nympha, hospitality in her home
Archippus, finish strong
Paul, sacrificial leader

What a cast!

Now, is there something the Holy Spirit wants to say to you?

Each of these people are included in Paul’s greeting to be an ENCOURAGEMENT to Jesus’ Church. Let them encourage you!

Grab on to a lesson from one or two of them. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Write it down in your notes.

Now, here’s the lesson that applies to all of us…

God uses all kinds of people within the new humanity to accomplish Jesus’ mission and build up His Church.

*say it again*

Aren’t the people in this passage great?

Wouldn’t you have liked to get to know any of them personally?

But notice something about them…

There’s nothing extraordinary about any of these people in Paul’s greeting! Paul doesn’t say…

Oh, you’ve got to get to know Tychicus! He’s such a dynamic speaker.
Nympha is a talented worship leader and rising star.

They didn’t make this list because they had some superstar talent or extraordinary gifting.

They all made this list for one reason…

THEY WERE FAITHFUL WITH WHAT GOD HAD ENTRUSTED TO THEM.

They were willing to use what they had to serve the Lord and build up Jesus’ Church… that’s what made them extraordinary.

Paul wasn’t looking at Epaphras and saying, “He really needs to be more like Tychicus.”

Paul wasn’t thinking, “If only Tychicus had a cool testimony of redemption like Onesimus.”

Or, “Nympha’s contribution of hospitality in her home isn’t as significant as what others have to offer.”

None of that!

They were a team full of diversity. All of them brought something different to the table, and they all mattered.

And they aren’t the exception. This ministry team in Colossians is here to be an encouragement and an example to us…

God’s plan is to reproduce teams of disciples like this in His Church a million times over. He wants every person in the body of Christ to find a place to get out of the seats and get into the game.

You don’t have to be someone else for your life to truly matter. God made you to be YOU. He formed you in your mother’s womb. He has gifted you with talents and abilities. God has great plans for YOU.

What you need is discipleship.

Discipleship is the process of maturing in Christ so that you fill up all your potential and can maximize what God has given you for the glory of the Lord and the edification of His Church.

At Together Church, that’s what we are all about.

This is God’s vision for our church…

We will develop people who radically impact the world for Jesus Christ.

How do we align ourselves with that vision?

By forming small groups that function as a team and exist to make disciples.

God wants every group in our church to be like these eleven on Paul’s ministry team: full of diversity, full of potential, and everyone faithfully using what they have to become like Jesus and help others come to know Him.

If you are a member of the new humanity, you have what it takes.

No one can do every part, but everyone can do their part on a team that works together to share the gospel and make disciples of Jesus.

INVITATION: LOST

For this to be true of you, you’ve first got to join Jesus’ team.

Some of you aren’t on the team because you’re not a follower of Jesus. Today can be the day of your salvation (SHARE THE GOSPEL).

INVITATION: CHURCH

Some of you are on Jesus’ team, but you haven’t joined a ministry team like Jesus had with the twelve or like the eleven in Paul’s greetings to close Colossians.

You can change that today.

Our church is full of small groups that meet all throughout the week for this very purpose. God wants you to get out of the Sunday seats and into the game in a small group.

Go develop your potential and serve the Lord!
Go work as a team to reach the lost and make disciples
Be faithful with what God has given you

Some of you are in a small group, but you haven’t been a good teammate. If that is you, God wants to use this message to stir you again today.

And others? You are the backbone of this local church. You are faithful members of a small group team and you are using what you have to make disciples of Jesus. If that is you, be like Archippus: SEE THAT YOU FULFILL THE MINISTRY YOU HAVE RECEIVED FROM THE LORD.

On August 9, we will have our annual Church BASH.

This is our opportunity to come together for another season of teamwork and ministry in our small groups. Details on Right Now page. Two weeks from today. Make it top priority.

For today,

Who needs prayer?

To find the right group?
To devote yourself again to be faithful to do your part?
To press on and fulfill the ministry you have received from the Lord?

If you need prayer, please stand.

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