The Crowd

Some say the Apostle Paul was not a particularly good looking guy which may be true.  A lot of us are afflicted with some degree of ugliness so there is no need to hold that card against him.  However, it does seem that he was a strong force with which to be reckoned.  He could stand toe to toe and hold his own in any debate and when it comes to being able to articulate sound theology, he stands head and shoulders over most folks.  To read the trials he endured is to know that he had stamina and determination.  He was not one to be stopped easily. 

 

Even though all this is true, it is also true that the Apostle Paul did not go it alone.  He had a group, a team, or a fellowship of ministry partners.  There were others upon whom Paul depended.  In the last   section of the epistle to the church at Colassae, he names them, "Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristaarchus,  Mark, Justus, Epaphras, Luke, Demas..." (Colossians 4:7-14)  These were the men who shared in ministry with Paul and some of these were the men who shared the prison from which he wrote this particular letter. 

 

What we sometimes forget is that we were never intended to walk the road of faith alone.  To think that we need no one else on the journey is a clear expression of our own self-righteousness.  Jesus traveled with at least twelve men, sometimes maybe more.  It is foolishness to think that the Christian life is just about me and Jesus.  It never is.  It is always about Jesus and the way we live with other disciples as well as the way we give love to those around us who may rub us the wrong way, or who seem to be undeserving.  Paul named the crowd that stood with him.  Maybe today is a good time to name the ones with whom we stand, who stand with us, and then give thanks for them.