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UNION GROVE CHURCH OF CHRIST, CLEVELAND TN. |
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ONESIPHORUS Remember him? He is a not-so-well-known character of the New Testament. Not Onesimus, not Eutychus, not Epaphroditus, but Onesiphorus. This man, about whom the apostle Paul spoke highly, is mentioned only in the book of 2 Timothy. Near the close of that epistle the aging apostle sent greetings to Onesiphorus’ household (4:19). The message at the end of the first chapter, though, is what we want to consider now. There it is written, "The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me. The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well" (2 Timothy 1:16-18). Let us note some things that we learn about Onesiphorus. Onesiphorus was different. In what way? Just before Paul mentioned Onesiphorus, he stated that Phygellus and Hermogenes had turned away from him (2 Timothy 1:15). Not Onesiphorus. He did not lose his desire to be with and serve God’s faithful. Many of Jesus’ disciples turned away from Him (John 6:66). We must be willing to be different, not just for the sake of saying, "Hey, I’m different," but in order to be a holy vessel for our Lord (2 Timothy 2:20,21). Onesiphorus often refreshed Paul (1:16). He did not refresh him once and leave it at that. He did it often. The word "refresh" comes from the Greek word "αναψύχω” (anapsucho), which means “to recreate by fresh air; to refresh, cheer” [The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised, p. 27]. Surely every child of God can find opportunity to refresh or cheer others. Some have lost loved ones. Some are encountering troubles at work. Some have lost their sense of being useful in the Kingdom. Some are lonely. Some have grown weary in well-doing. Some feel unappreciated. Let each of us step out to give the attention and refreshing that others sometimes need. Onesiphorus was not ashamed of Paul’s chain (1:16). More than once Paul had been arrested and had his body bound with literal chains. Onesiphorus was not ashamed to be with and support Paul, despite the apostle’s bondage. On one occasion Paul described himself as "the prisoner of the Lord" and said that for the sake of the gospel he was "an ambassador in bonds" (Ephesians 4:1; 6:19,20). If our brethren are faithful to our Lord and in the process suffer reproach in the eyes of men, even to the point of being imprisoned as innocent victims, let us not abandon them in their hour of trial. Let us be like Onesiphorus. When Onesiphorus was in Rome, he diligently sought out Paul (1:17). We know that Paul was a prisoner in Rome for at least a couple of years (Acts 28:20,30). The text sounds as if that might be the occasion when Onesiphorus looked him up. No doubt it took some effort on his part to get to Paul. Companionship with God’s people is a special part of life. It is so uplifting to be with those that walk faithfully with the Lord. We find it hard to understand why some Christians throughout their entire life seem to be satisfied with seeing one another at public assemblies and then never have any contact with other saints until the next assembly. Not Onesiphorus. Onesiphorus ministered unto Paul (1:18). That simply means that he served him. He did so in "many" things or ways (1:18). One way in which we serve Jesus is by serving His and our brethren (Matthew 25:40). We are encouraged when we read, "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister" (Hebrews 6:10). Onesiphorus was a servant. That did not put him in the spotlight or headlines, but it made him great in the eyes of the One that matters. Our Lord said, ". . . but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister. And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant" (Matthew 20:26,27). The Bible does not tell us a whole lot about Onesiphorus, but what we read in the sacred text surely portrays him as a diligent servant. Reckon that’s what we ought to be? I don’t recall personally meeting anyone by the name of Onesiphorus, how about you? I hope that in the future when we will think about Onesiphorus, we will not remember him just as one of those folks that had a funny name. Much more than that, we should keep him in mind as a zealous servant. Did I mention that the name "Onesiphorus" means "profit-bringer?" [Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon, p. 447]. After learning how he was not ashamed of Paul’s bonds, but rather diligently sought, refreshed, and served him, that meaning shouldn’t surprise us. Are you an Onesiphorus? -- Roger D. Campbell |
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