2 Timothy 4:11-12, "Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. I sent Tychicus to Ephesus."

Interesting points:
1. These seemingly mundane verses provide us very practical insights into the types of people we ought to surround ourselves with and trust. Besides Timothy, Paul identifies three other reliable and gifted men that are critical in these last months of his life – men that will continue his legacy of reaching the nations for Christ.

2. As we have seen, many people had left Paul behind in Rome for various reasons; however, Luke remained. In Colossians 4:14, Luke is identified as a doctor and fellow missionary accompanying Paul. Extremely loyal to him, Luke had also remained with Paul during his first imprisonment. The author of the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, Luke probably served as scribe for this letter as Paul’s eyesight was rapidly failing.

3. Paul requested Timothy bring Mark, the young man who travelled with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey but left them early to return to Jerusalem. When Paul refused to take Mark with them for a second trip, Barnabas and Paul parted ways, with Mark and Barnabas remaining on the island of Cyprus to minister there. Colossians 4:10 and Philemon 1:24 both record that Mark stayed with Paul during his first arrest in Rome. Mark would later author the Gospel of Mark.

4. The last person Paul mentions is Tychicus, whom he personally dispatched to Ephesus – most likely to substitute Timothy so that Timothy could travel to Rome and meet with Paul. We know from Acts 20:4 that Timothy and Tychicus knew each other from their travels with Paul through Macedonia and Greece. From Ephesians 6:21 and Colossians 4:7 we understand that Paul entrusted Tychicus to deliver letters to the Ephesian and Colossian believers during his first imprisonment.

Application.
Brothers, we can learn a lot from Paul’s discernment and deliberate actions to ensure that kingdom-building would continue on earth even after he had departed it. Paul sent an entrusted brother in Christ to cover down on an important church at a key hub for the Roman Empire so that its leader (Timothy) – who would serve as a key leader in the early church in fighting heresies – could personally meet with him.
Additionally, Mark and Luke – two courageous and effective communicators -- would be instrumental in spreading the Good News by penning two of the Gospels bearing their respective names.
Paul chose well; likewise, each of us ought to consider those in our lives who are reliable, fully committed to Christ and courageous so that we can properly invest in, equip and cultivate a relationship with them, encouraging them to continue kingdom-building long after we are gone.