#1508. Dear Brother (4/5/26)

Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional (posted, at present, every weekday) as we continue our Ephesians series: Ephesians - To the praise, for the purpose, in the power of God.

To serve God well together, we must understand that we are family.

To watch this devotional, please select the link below:

This week, we finish our devotions in the book of Ephesians. We will be reflecting on the final words—the benediction—of this letter.

Paul speaks of Tychicus as “the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord…”

Tychicus had been serving alongside Paul, and it is most likely that he carried this letter to Ephesus and to other churches. He served with Paul for some time; for example, we also read of him in Colossians:

He refers to him as “the dear brother,” and I’d like to make a few comments on this phrase:

He’s a dear brotherThese words translate the Greek agapētós adelphós—“beloved brother.” Paul loves Tychicus. He is not just a colleague; he is a deeply loved brother.

Paul served God with brothers and sistersPaul viewed those he served with as family members. God was their Father—they were family first and foremost.

This stands in stark contrast to a purely professional mindset. Ministry is not a business organisation. Of course, we can learn from the world about efficiency and good practice, but the church is family, and ministry is a family affair.

In his book Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, John Piper challenges the drift toward becoming religious professionals rather than spiritual shepherds. He highlights what this shift can lead to:

A professional mindset tends to mean:

• Measuring success by performance, efficiency, and results

• Relying on training, technique, and strategy over prayer

• Keeping an emotional distance (like a consultant rather than a shepherd)

• Treating ministry as a career rather than a calling

He writes:

It is very important to note that Paul speaks of serving with dear brothers.

Paul uses the phrase “brothers and sisters” (Greek: adelphoi) around 130 times across his letters in the New Testament. This language reflects a deep conviction: the church is family.

This idea of being family—whilst also sharing in a mission together—is beautifully expressed in verses such as Philippians 2:25:

‘But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.’ (Philippians 2:25)

Notice the richness of these descriptions: brother, co-worker, fellow soldier, messenger.

I wonder—do these mark our identity? And if so, which takes precedence: the familial or the functional?

Paul’s emphasis suggests that relationship comes first. We are family before we are fellow workers.

This kind of familial love is also seen in words like these:

Response

To serve God well together, we must understand that we are family.

Yes, we have a mission—but we serve God on His mission as family, and it is to build God’s family that we do mission.

Are you living as a loving brother or sister?

How are you expressing God’s heart—through love, generosity, hospitality, and loyalty?

Community Group Study

(This week is ‘SIV’ (Serve, Invest and inVite) Week, so we’ll be focussing on this during our time together. 

1. Notices

It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News. 

2. Worship together

Let’s begin our time together by lifting our eyes and hearts to worship our great God. Perhaps you have readings and songs that you would like to use together. Let’s be open to the gifts that the Spirit wants to give in order to encourage one another.

3. Study and pray together

(This week is ‘SIV’ (Serve, Invest and inVite) Week)

What is SIV? 

SIV stands for Serve, Invest and inVite. This is our very simple strategy to help bring our community to Jesus. We believe that God has placed us in relationships and in specific locations to be 'salt and light.' and to ‘fish for people’.  We can effectively bring people to Jesus by: 

• 'Serving' them - Demonstrating the love of Christ in practical ways; 

• 'Investing' - Investing in the ‘people of peace’ those whom we feel the Spirit is leading us. 

• 'Inviting' - Inviting them into our homes by showing hospitality and inviting them to church events, to Alpha, and ultimately, inviting them to come to Jesus through the gospel. 

In your groups: 

• Share stories – Have you had any recent opportunities to Serve, Invest in, or Invite someone toward Jesus? Let’s encourage one another by sharing stories of how we’ve seen God at work through simple faithfulness.

• Think about practical next steps – Who might God be placing on your heart at this time? Are there any “people of peace” (see note) in your life—those who seem open, welcoming, or receptive to spiritual conversation?

Pray together:

• Pray for courage, wisdom, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit in our Serve, Invest, and Invite opportunities.

• Pray specifically for the ‘people of peace’ in our lives - that God would open hearts and deepen relationships.

• Pray for our Alpha ministry and Phil Mash who heads up this team 

• Pray for our mission in Roehampton - that He would lead us in reaching that community with the gospel. 

• General prayer: how do people want prayer at this time?