#1509. Faithful Servant (5/5/26)

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.

In Jesus, we are to become faithful servants of God first, and then of others. 

To watch this devotional, please select the link below:

Having described Tychicus as a “dear brother,” Paul now calls him a “faithful servant in the Lord” — pistós diákonos.

Faithful — pistós

This speaks of someone who is reliable, trustworthy, and full of faith. To serve God and others effectively, we must not only have faith, but be faithful. The question we must ask is simple: Can we be relied upon?

Servant — diákonos

This is where we get the word deacon. A deacon is a servant of God and His people — one who is willing to serve in practical, often unseen ways. Tychicus models this beautifully. While Paul is in prison, he entrusts him with delivering his letter and sharing news about his situation.

To be an effective servant of God and others, we must be willing to serve where needed — choosing to serve rather than to be served.

Alongside the family nature of our faith — as brothers and sisters together — we must also remember that we are servants of God. The church is called to love one another deeply, but we must also ask: What does the Lord require of us? We are here to serve Him in the world.

We are to be like Samuel, who, in a time of widespread compromise, stood apart with a posture of readiness and obedience:

In the Lord

Tychicus is described as “a dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord.” This is crucial. He is not simply a loved brother or a faithful servant — he is in the Lord.

To be “in the Lord” carries rich meaning:

i. It identifies him as a Christian — someone united to Christ.

ii. It shows that his service is ultimately to Jesus. Though he serves Paul, his true Master is Christ.

iii. It reveals his primary loyalty. His devotion is first to God, and from that flows his love and service to others.

This has significant implications for how we serve alongside others and partner with other churches. Our unity and shared work flow from a shared life in the Lord. We labour together with those who belong to Christ and are seeking to serve Him.

It would be unthinkable for Paul to say, “I’m sending Tychicus to you — he’s a kind and reliable man, though not a believer and not concerned with living according to God’s word.” No — everything about his commendation is rooted in this: he is in the Lord.

So we are faithful to Christ, servants of Christ, because we are those who are in Christ.

Response

In Jesus, we are called to become faithful servants — first of God, and then of others.

Are we faithful? Is our faith strong and alive, and are we dependable in how we live it out?

Are we servants? Are we willing — even eager — to serve others in practical, unseen, and unglamorous ways

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?