We are continuing to think about those that come alongside us in our ministries. Every believer has a ministry. The husband ministers to his wife. The father ministers to his family. Wives and mothers do the same. We all have ministries to our neighbors and fellow church members. And we all have helpers, those that encourage, and confidants who come alongside us as we fulfill these ministries.
Yesterday we looked at the names Paul includes in these last few lines to Titus. These were people who came alongside Paul to help and encourage him. Today, however, we want to notice the request that Paul makes to Titus. We see it in Titus 3:12...
Titus 3:12 When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. (NASB95)
Paul planned to spend the winter in Nicopolis, a city northwest of Crete in northwestern Greece, but Paul wants to have Titus there with him.
Although Paul had concern for all the churches and, thus, all the believers in those churches, there were some who were closer to Paul than others. Of course, Timothy, Luke, and Titus come to mind as those who seem to be closer companions of the Apostle Paul.
Here he tells Titus to come to him, and in 2 Timothy 4:11, he says that only Luke remains with him. Others had deserted him, gotten ill, or be sent on to other ministry assignments, but Luke remained. In 2 Timothy 4:21, he also tells Timothy to do his best to come to him before winter. Paul seems closer to these men.
As I said, everyone of us has a ministry and there are likely many who have come alongside us in that ministry, but there are likely a few who have been especially supportive, especially encouraging, especially helpful. These are the people that you would want close to you as endure a long winter.
Pause for a moment and pray, out of all those who have come alongside you in your ministry, who would be your few that you're especially close to?
More tomorrow.