God likes His people to work together.  He set the pattern of Father, Son and Holy Spirit living, loving and working together (Ephesians 3:14-15); and the family business of God is extended to include all who trust in Jesus.  So, although Paul was appointed as an apostle, he did not exercise a solo ministry.  Even in prison, he gathered colleagues together to support each other and pray as they preached Christ (see Word@Work on Colossians 4:10-11 and Colossians 4:12-13).

Fellow-prisoner and fellow-worker seem to sum up much of real Christian ministry.  Epaphras, who planted the Colossian church (Colossians 1:7) and perhaps visited Paul in his Roman prison, also became a prisoner because of his faith in Jesus.  Mark is the John Mark, cousin of Barnabas, who wrote Mark’s Gospel.  Aristarchus was a Macedonian Christian who travelled with Paul (Acts 19:29) and accompanied him on his final voyage to Rome (Acts 27:2).  Demas worked well with Paul but when the risks got too great, he retreated (2 Timothy 4:10).  Luke is the faithful physician and historian who accompanied Paul to Rome and wrote Luke’s Gospel.   

These men were still working for the Lord.  Even though the prison walls and constraints did not allow them to do everything they wished, they were used by the Lord to achieve what He wanted.  Indeed, without the times in prison, we might never have received Paul's letters to instruct us in how to follow Jesus.  Paul’s travelling team had learned through many troubles and prayers how to receive and use the grace of Christ.  Philemon would also need that grace to deal wisely with Onesimus, and so Paul prayed that Philemon would live in that grace too.

The family business of God is world-wide.  Even this little message is shared by over 20,000 people in almost 200 countries.  Never think you should do Christ's work on your own (Luke 10:1); always look around and see who is willing to work with you.  We never know what may be expected of us next, but it is the Lord’s intention that each believer should be surrounded by wise friends and eager hearts, as Paul did.  The circumstances may not appear to be ideal to us, but the Lord always arranges things so that the right people are in the right place at the right time to work with Him.  So, seek out believers at work and in the community; and when you know you can trust them, press ahead together in prayer and ministry.