PAUL’S COMPANIONS

“And Sopater of Berea accompanied him to Asia, also Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia” (Acts 20:4 KJV).

Names are important in Scripture and names fill this verse. To some this may seem unimportant and meaningless. However, these names are not meaningless since they are all names of companions of the apostle Paul which says good things about them.

“Sopater” - Being from Berea says he had a good attitude toward the Word of God and diligently studied it (Acts 17:11). The “Good Book” and good companions go together.

“Aristarchus” - In other places where he is mentioned, we learn that he suffered much for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul called him “my fellow prisoner” (Col. 4:10). He was in prison because of persecution which means he was faithful to Christ.

“Secundus” - This is the only reference to him in Scripture, but it is enough to tell us that he had great character. Any person who was a loyal companion of the apostle Paul was a person who lived a faithful and courageous Christian life.

“Gaius” - In the Bible there are several men named Gaius. All were very receptive to God’s ministers. While other people persecuted God’s ministers, Gaius was a loyal supporter. We need a lot more men like Gaius in our churches today.

“Timothy” - Much is written about Timothy in Scripture, and two of the apostle Paul’s letters are written to him. An important distinguishing feature of Timothy was that his godly mother and grandmother taught him Scripture in his youth (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:15).

“Tychicus” - He is mentioned in four of the apostle Paul’s letters and is known for being very trustworthy. As a result, the apostle Paul had him deliver some of his letters to various churches. Tychicus may not have had many skills but he was trustworthy, and that kind of person will always be used by the Lord.

“Trophimus” - He will always be remembered as the one whom the apostle Paul “left in Miletus sick” (2 Tim. 4:20). Though godly, yet Trophimus suffered. The godly do suffer trials, too. But God takes note of their trials and uses them for His glory and their good.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 2)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“God wants us to be dependable even when it costs us. This is what distinguishes godly faithfulness from the ordinary dependability of secular society!”

Jerry Bridges (1929 – 2016)

American Pastor, Theologian and Author

Word Study

Fellow heirs

In Eph. 3:6 we read, “That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel” (NKJV).

“Fellow heirs” is the Greek word sunklēronómos (συγκληρονόμος = soong-klay-ron-om'-os). It is made up of two Greek words: “sun” which means with, association, fellowship, and “klēronómos” which means one who has been given an inheritance, a joint participant, a joint heir. Thus, the word speaks of receiving possessions along with another, or of inheriting together with. In the Old Testament God had included Gentiles in the sphere of salvation, but never on an equal footing with Jewish believers (cf. Gen. 12:3). Now God has revealed that the Gentiles are to share equally with saved Jews as “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17), and fellow heirs with all the redeemed. The two have become one new man in Christ.

Did You Know…

According to the Book of Joshua, God caused the sun to “stand still” to allow the Israelites to defeat the Amorite armies (Josh. 10:13-14).

Bible Quiz

According to 1 Peter, how should wives win their husbands to the Lord?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz

According to the Book of Hebrews, the Lord Jesus is counted worthy of more glory than what Old Testament figure? Moses (Heb. 3:3).

Prophecies Fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ

Timing of the Messiah – Prefigures the Coming of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ (Rev. 22:16; cf. John 1:14, 49; Gal. 4:4)

"I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult” (Num. 24:17 NJKV).

The "Star" that will “come out of Jacob” is often thought of as referring to the coming of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. It was probably this prophecy that convinced “wise men from the East came to Jerusalem” to search for the baby Jesus (cf. Matt. 2:1-2). It seems strange that God would use a sorcerer like the prophet Balaam to foretell the coming of the Messiah. But this teaches us that God can use anything or anyone to accomplish His plans. By using Balaam, God was not making the use of sorcery acceptable; in fact, the Bible condemns sorcery in several places (cf. Ex. 22:18; 2 Chron. 33:6; Rev. 18:23). Rather, God was showing His ultimate sovereignty over good and evil. Thus, the fulfilment of this prophecy points to the Lord Jesus Christ who is referred to as “the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star” (Rev 22:16). His birth as the incarnate King was declared by the heavens in the appearance of a star over Bethlehem (Matt 2:1–10).

Did You Know – Christian History

Elizabeth Payson was born October 26, 1818, in Portland, Maine. She was an American author, well known for her hymn “More Love to Thee, O Christ.”  

Prentiss was the fifth of eight children of renowned and esteemed Congregationalist pastor Edward Payson. The influences of New England Christianity were evident in the Payson family. The family would gather for prayer three times a day. From an early age, Prentiss exhibited sharp mental abilities, deep and ready sympathy, and an exceptional perceptiveness. She was a regular contributor of stories and poems to “The Youth’s Companion,” a New England religious periodical. After the death of her father, the family moved to New York City in 1831. In May of that year, Prentiss made a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ and joined the Bleecker Street Presbyterian Church. Elizabeth Prentiss was a frail woman who suffered intensely from chronic insomnia all her life. Few knew it. Despite her misery, and a depressed mood, the face the world saw was usually a radiant one for she strived hard to overcome the annoyance of her illness. She was described as a bright-eyed woman with a keen sense of humor.

In 1838, she opened a small girls’ school in her home and took up a Sabbath-school class as well. Two years later, she left for Richmond, Virginia, to be a department head at a girls’ boarding school. In 1845, she married George Lewis Prentiss, and the Prentisses settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where George became pastor of South Trinitarian Church. As a housewife and mother, her activities included the writing of religious books, novels and poems. Her notable hymn: “More love to thee, O Christ” was written in 1856 at a time of serious illness. Thirteen years would pass before she showed the lines to her husband. Composer George W. Doane later set them to music. One of the darkest days of her life was on January 16, 1852 when her son Eddy died. The five-year-old had broken into a rash and fever. Prentiss did the little that the doctors could suggest in an attempt to save his life. After Eddy died she recognized that going to the Lord Jesus was a great blessing for him, however much pain it cost her; and she wrote lines in which she urged him, “O, hasten hence! To His [Christ’s] embraces, hasten!”

The family eventually settled in Dorset, Vermont, where Elizabeth would die in 1878 at the age of 59. Her hymn “More Love to Thee” was sung at her funeral. After her death, George Prentiss published “The Life and Letters of Elizabeth Prentiss” (1882), citing his wife’s words in the book’s preface: “Much of my experience of life has cost me a great price and I wish to use it for strengthening and comforting other souls.”

A Little Humor

A singing group called “The Resurrection” was scheduled to sing at a church. When a big snowstorm postponed the performance, the pastor fixed the outside sign to read, the “Resurrection” is postponed.

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Be friends with Jesus, use Faith Book, the Bible!”