Colossians 4:7-18...

Joel Gilbert

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CONCLUSION: THE EXAMPLE OF SOME HEROIC CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS, 4:7–18

One thing stands out from these verses: the number of people who are mentioned.

This in itself makes a telling point that we should not miss.

Although Paul was under arrest pending trial in Rome when he wrote these words,

he was not alone.

He was at the centre of an extensive network of friends and helpers.

Paul was a man with a capacity for friendship.

He had a warm heart and a big heart.

What kind of man do you think Paul was to get this reaction from people?

"There were many tears shed by everyone. They embraced Paul and kissed him, "grieving most of all over his statement that they would never see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.” ()

Arthur, J. P. (2007). Christ All-Sufficient: Colossians and Philemon Simply Explained (p. 201). Darlington, England: Evangelical Press.

They had great affection for Paul.

CONCLUSION: THE EXAMPLE OF SOME HEROIC CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS, 4:7–18

As we remember our context of the book, we see that Paul has a strategy in emphasizing the bonds that linked him to this church.

(4:7–18) Introduction: this is one of the great lists of God’s Hall of Fame, some of the heroic Christian believers of history.

Paul could prove beyond doubt that he had an accurate picture of their situation and that

he had a right to express his concerns about the predatory newcomers who had almost seized control there.

Then, us, the modern reader, we should note that we are given a number of snapshots of fine first-century Christians.

We can seek God’s grace to emulate Paul; we can also try to copy his friends.

Let’s see these two messengers.

Arthur, J. P. (2007). Christ All-Sufficient: Colossians and Philemon Simply Explained (p. 202). Darlington, England: Evangelical Press.

1. Tychicus: the believer who served others (vv. 7–8).

2. Onesimus: the believer who sought to correct his past and to make it right (v. 9).

3. Aristarchus: the believer who stood as a companion in trials (v. 10).

"Tychicus, our dearly loved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. "I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know how we are and so that he may encourage your hearts. "He is coming with Onesimus, a faithful and dearly loved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.” ()

4. Mark: the believer who redeemed himself (v. 10).

5. Justus: the Jewish believer who turned from religion to Christ (v. 11).

First we meet two men who would soon be travelling together from Rome to Colosse on Paul’s behalf.

6. Epaphras: the believer who wrestled in prayer and worked hard for the believers of his church (vv. 12–13).

7. Luke: the beloved physician (v. 14).

8. Demas: the believer who slipped back (v. 14).

9. Nymphas: the believer who kept an open house (vv. 15–16).

10. Archippus: the believer who was given a special task and needed encouragement (v. 17).

1. Tychicus

11. Paul: the believer who was faithful to the point of suffering imprisonment (v. 18).

1 (4:7–8) Tychicus: the believer who served others.

Tychicus: Tychicus was a native of Asia. He was a companion of Paul who often traveled with him ().

⇒ He was commissioned by Paul as a messenger to various churches (; ; ; ).

⇒ He was entrusted to deliver the letters of Paul to the Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon (; ).

⇒ He was sent on a special mission to Ephesus ().

⇒ He was to be sent to Crete for the purpose of relieving Titus ().

⇒ He was called not only Paul’s beloved brother and faithful minister, but also his fellow-slave ().

We note that it adds much to the beauty and strength of the gospel ministry

when ministers are loving and condescending like this one to another, and

Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (1996). Galatians–Colossians (p. 231). Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.

by all just means support and advance one another’s reputation.

The first, Tychicus, whose name means ‘fortunate’ or ‘lucky’, was to be the bearer of this very letter.

2 (4:9) Onesimus: the believer who sought to correct his past and make it right.

He was probably a native of Ephesus and is mentioned five times in the New Testament.

Onesimus was the runaway slave talked about in the Epistle to Philemon.

Onesimus had fled from Colosse to Rome. Note what Paul says about him.

We first meet him in , when Paul, on his third missionary journey, was on his way to Jerusalem,

a. He was a faithful and beloved brother.

taking gifts from the churches in Europe to help Jewish believers caught up in a terrible famine.

Paul called at Ephesus en route and Tychicus went with him, staying with Paul during all his travels up to the time of writing,

when he was in Rome during his first imprisonment there.

Tychicus had gone back and forth across the eastern Mediterranean in the apostle’s company. He was clearly a man of outstanding spiritual calibre.

At one point, Paul had considered using him as a stand-in for Titus, the leader of the churches in Crete ().

By now the two men had been together for four years and Tychicus was entrusted with a perilous mission.

He had been led to the Lord either by Paul or some other believer in Rome.

that he was faithful to the Lord. He obeyed the Lord and kept His commandments and faithfully walked in Him day by day and bore testimony to His saving grace

In either case, Paul knew Onesimus and knew him well. Paul was able to declare …

To get from Rome to Colosse he would first have to cross the Italian peninsula on foot,

that he was faithful to the Lord. He obeyed the Lord and kept His commandments and faithfully walked in Him day by day and bore testimony to His saving grace

then make the first of two sea-crossings over the Adriatic to Illyricum, modern Albania.

This would be followed by another long slog on foot along the Egnatian Way through Macedonia until he reached the port of Thessalonica on the Aegean Sea.

• that he was faithful to the Lord. He obeyed the Lord and kept His commandments and faithfully walked in Him day by day and bore testimony to His saving grace

A second sea crossing would take him to Ephesus on the coast of Asia Minor.

Colosse lay a hundred miles inland from Ephesus in the Lycus Valley.

It would be long, time-consuming, potentially hazardous and exhausting, and Tychicus had a precious burden to carry.

He had to get the letters we know as Colossians and Philemon to their destinations and, since he went by way of Ephesus,

it is highly likely that he delivered that epistle as well ().

There was also a letter from Paul to the believers in nearby Laodicea that has not survived.

Modern Christians owe a great deal to the fact that Tychicus carried out his mission successfully.

He was also a beloved brother, a brother in the Lord, who was held so dearly by other Christian believers that he was known as a beloved brother.

Countless believers over twenty centuries of the Christian era have been stirred by the picture of the Christian soldier in ,

taken to heights of worship by the exalted description of Christ in and

moved by the touching appeal to Christian forgiveness in the tender letter to Philemon.

We owe all of that, in the providence of God,

He was also a beloved brother, a brother in the Lord, who was held so dearly by other Christian believers that he was known as a beloved brother.

to the fact that a first-century Christian was

faithful to his charge and resolutely travelled hundreds of miles in

conditions that would leave an experienced modern traveller balking at the hardship and danger of it all.

We know something of his quality from a number of phrases that Paul used of him. He was a ‘dearly loved brother’ (4:7).

b. He was so faithful to Christ and so beloved that he was now “one of you.”

I suspect that Paul wanted his readers to understand that this was not merely his own estimate of Tychicus,

but a conclusion that was widely shared among those who knew him.

He was also a ‘faithful minister’.

Remember: he was a slave and some in the Colosse church were wealthy property owners who owned slaves.

This does not mean a ‘minister’ in the restricted modern sense of the word,

This is a significant point. There are to be no social distinctions in the Lord’s church.

a church elder set aside for the ministry of the Word and prayer and freed from the need to earn his living in some other way.

The poorest person is to be as welcomed and loved as the richest person.

Here ‘minister’ translates a Greek word, which means ‘servant’ in a general sense.

At the same time we should note that Paul used exactly the same word to describe his own ministry (see 1:23, 25).

Paul thought of Tychicus as being as much a ‘minister’ as he was.

It is clear that Tychicus was no untried novice, but a man who had already proved that he could be entrusted with a great task.

The third phrase used to describe him, ‘fellow servant in the Lord’, means that Paul saw Tychicus as

a man like himself, a bond-slave of Jesus Christ.

Their gifts may have differed, but at the level of commitment their two hearts beat as one.

c. He was returning to Colosse with Tychicus. Why?

Because he had broken the law by running away from his master, Philemon, and he wanted to make things right.

He had been converted and God had forgiven him all his sins.

He wanted Philemon to forgive him as well.

"So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, "leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. "Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him to the court, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison.” ()

Think of how we pray for International missionaries and N.A. Missionaries and NWI Baptist Churches.

“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison” ().

Our hearts and pricked when we can pray for them.

"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing.”” ( see Col. 3:13)

Information from them and about them and their spiritual needs, excites us

and our mutual interests,

it promotes our union with the world-wide body of Christ and

stimulates the work of God in and through our church.

2. Onesimus

3 (4:10) Aristarchus: the believer who stood as a companion in trials. Scripture says the following about Aristarchus:

Tychicus would not be travelling alone. His companion was Onesimus,

⇒ He was a member of the Thessalonian church, a citizen of Thessalonica (; ).

a runaway slave who had been converted in Rome.

He was going home.

Paul’s phrase, ‘who is one of you’ (4:9), tells us that Onesimus was from Colosse himself.

⇒ He was one of the believers attacked by the violent mob in Ephesus.

(It was also a gentle hint to his Colossian readers that Paul had inside information about the situation there.)

In one sense, Onesimus was going back to face the music, but Paul’s short letter to his master, Philemon, himself a Christian,

was intended to smooth the path with a tender appeal for forgiveness,

given that Onesimus was now a changed man, a wonderful example of the power of God.

He had once been feckless and irresponsible, dealing with problems by running away from them,

but now he was ‘a faithful and beloved brother’ (4:9).

Has your life been a waste up till now?

Once God goes to work that need never be the end of the story.

The citizens were rioting against Christianity because so many people were being converted that it was cutting into the sale of idols made to the goddess Diana.

The fact that Aristarchus was one of the believers attacked and dragged before the mob shows that he was a leader and spokesman for Christ ().

⇒ He went with Paul to minister in Asia ().

⇒ He is seen travelling with Paul to Rome after Paul had been arrested and was being transferred to Rome as a prisoner ().

⇒ He is seen as a fellow prisoner with Paul in Rome while Paul was awaiting trial on the charge of treason.

Apparently he too was being charged with the same crime (; ).

Three Jewish Christians (4:10–11)

The point is that he was a real companion, a companion who stood by the side of his fellow believers through thick and thin.

He would never think of deserting his dear friends or the Lord, no matter how difficult the task or terrible the trial.

The point is that he was a real companion, a companion who stood by the side of his fellow believers through thick and thin. He would never think of deserting his dear friends or the Lord, no matter how difficult the task or terrible the trial. He would face imprisonment and suffer death before he would be a traitor. He was a good man to have around when facing trials, for he would stand by your side.

He would face imprisonment and suffer death before he would be a traitor.

He was a good man to have around when facing trials, for he would stand by your side.

"Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you greetings, as does Mark, Barnabas’s cousin (concerning whom you have received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), "and so does Jesus who is called Justus. These alone of the circumcised are my coworkers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.” ()

"Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” ()

“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” ().

At this point Paul included greetings from a number of Christians who were closely involved with him but who would not be making the journey to Colosse.

"Remember those in prison, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily.” ()

4 (4:10) John Mark: the believer who redeemed himself. Mark had earlier deserted Paul and the ministry.

The first three were ‘of the circumcision’ (4:11), Christians of Jewish extraction.

But note what Paul says to the Colossian church.

He tells the church that they are to receive him if he is able to visit them.

Apparently, some earlier instructions had been sent to the churches founded by Paul telling them about Mark’s desertion.

But now the young man had repented and recommitted his life to Christ.

He had redeemed himself; therefore, he was to be welcomed.

Note Paul’s wistful observation that these were his ‘only fellow workers for the kingdom’ from that background.

Thought 1. When a believer fails and sins, even if it is desertion of Christ, he is to be welcomed back with open arms once he has repented.

The fact that the bulk of the Jewish people at that time had not responded in faith

We must not hold a person’s failure and sin against him.

Christ has forgiven us for so much—all of us—therefore we must forgive and welcome our brothers and sisters back into our hearts and lives.

to Israel’s Messiah was something that Paul felt very keenly (see ).

We follow God like this:

1. Aristarchus

"“I—I sweep away your transgressions for my own sake and remember your sins no more.” ()

"Let the wicked one abandon his way and the sinful one his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, so he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will freely forgive.” ()

“Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee” ().

“Use hospitality one to another without grudging” ().

“Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities” ().

First we meet Aristarchus, a Jew of the Diaspora born in Thessalonica.

“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins” ().

He had already learned that following Jesus was no easy option,

“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” ().

having been seized by the rioting mob in Ephesus that resented the way that Paul’s preaching had

undermined the flourishing trade in silver trinkets of the goddess Diana ().

There is a strong likelihood that he had accompanied Paul on his journey to Jerusalem and then on to Rome.

Paul’s description of him as his ‘fellow prisoner’ (4:10) says a great deal about this man.

It was not that he had been arrested along with Paul and held pending trial as he was.

It was rather than he had taken up residence in the prison voluntarily in order to be a helper and companion to Paul.

He was in prison because he chose to be, like the Moravian missionaries in the eighteenth century who

deliberately sold themselves into slavery in the West Indies so that they could share the gospel with the black slaves.

Aristarchus understood the force of Jesus’ words: ‘I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me’ ().

He was an outstanding example of practical compassion at work.

5 (4:11) Justus: the Jewish believer who turned from religion to Christ.

Note the word “circumcision”: this means that he was a circumcised Jew who lived in Rome.

Jews, of course, were strict religionists.

Most of the Jews in Rome rejected Christ and turned a cold shoulder to Paul and his preaching of Christ (see ).

But there were some who turned from religion to Christ ().

Justus was one, and he apparently became so strong in the Lord that he became a close companion of Paul,

close enough for Paul to mention him to the Colossians.

Note: Paul says that all believers mentioned so far are Jewish believers, believers who had turned from religion to Christ.

They were now working with Paul and other believers—working for the kingdom of God.

Note that Paul also says that they had ministered to him personally and were a comfort to him while he was in prison.

2. Mark

Thought 1. It is an absolute essential for those who trust religion to turn to Christ.

Religion cannot make a person acceptable to God; only Christ can.

"For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.” ()

"“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” ()

The Mark mentioned in verse 10 is no less than John Mark, the author of Mark’s Gospel.

His inclusion here is both fascinating and thrilling.

"He answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” ()

At one time he had proved a great disappointment to Paul.

On the apostle’s first missionary journey, at Perga in Pamphylia,

a much younger Mark had deserted Paul and Barnabas ().

This in turn had led to a parting of the ways between Paul and Barnabas ().

Barnabas wanted to give Mark a second chance, whereas Paul feared that he would prove a liability.

Was there any reason to suppose that there would not be a second failure of nerve?

The note here that Mark was ‘the cousin of Barnabas’ may help to explain the patience of that good man.

When the grace of God is at work, there is hope for cowards.

Mark had close links with the apostle Peter,

a man who had himself been restored to spiritual usefulness after a shameful display of cowardice ().

"Since they are ignorant of the righteousness of God and attempted to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness. "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes,” ()

At any rate, time had passed and Mark had built himself a reputation as a steady and useful Christian.

Paul had no lingering suspicions of him and

clearly thought that he deserved a welcome in Colosse as a believer in good standing.

By the time of Paul’s final imprisonment, when 2 Timothy was written,

Mark had become one of his most stalwart and valuable companions: ‘He is useful to me for ministry’ ().

"holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people.” ()

"Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin”?” ()

"There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filth.” ()

3. Jesus called Justus

6 (4:12–13) Epaphras: the believer who wrestled in prayer and worked hard for the believers of his church.

⇒ He was the “minister” of the Colossian church ().

We know little about the third character. Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew Yehoshua (Yahweh saves)

⇒ He was “a faithful minister of Christ” ().

⇒ He was “a servant of Christ” ().

⇒ He was a “fellowservant” who was held ever so dearly to Paul’s heart ().

and Justus is a Latin surname, meaning ‘righteous’.

⇒ He was so committed and dedicated to Christ that Paul called him “my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus” ().

We have no way of knowing whether this name was an expression of pious aspiration, or

⇒ He was a believer who fervently labored and toiled in prayer for his dear people in Colosse ().

whether it was given to him because his character deserved it.

He prayed in particular for one thing: that they might be perfect and complete in all the will of God; that is,

At any rate, we know that, like John Mark, he had ‘proved to be a comfort’ to Paul (4:11) and

that they might know the complete or full will of God and do it perfectly.

had helped to put new heart into him.

Three Gentile Christians (4:12–14)

"Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.” ()

"Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving.” ()

"Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” ()

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” ().

“Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving” ().

“Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually” ().

1. Epaphras

⇒ He was a minister who worked hard for his own church and for all the churches that surrounded him (, Laodicea and Hieropolis).

He prayed and prayed much, but he also worked much—

so much that his labor was even a testimony to the great minister Paul.

"“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work,” Jesus told them. "“Don’t you say, ‘There are still four more months, and then comes the harvest’? Listen to what I’m telling you: Open your eyes and look at the fields, because they are ready for harvest.” ()

"We must do the works of him who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.” ()

"Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize. "Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable crown.” ()

"I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me.” ()

"Therefore, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands.” ()

“Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” ().

The next of Paul’s associates to be mentioned was Epaphras.

“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man work” ().

Again, the phrase, ‘one of you’ (4:12) tells us not only that Epaphras was a citizen of Colosse himself,

but also that Paul wanted the believers there to know that he had reached his conclusions about

“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible” ().

the state of the church on the basis of sound information.

As we have seen, Epaphras was in fact the founder of the churches in the Lycus Valley.

He was probably the current pastor of the church in Colosse and had made the long journey to Rome

to seek help and guidance once he had realized the extent of the threat posed by the newcomers.

Paul’s generous tribute to this good man was partly intended to bolster his standing within the church.

“Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily” ().

The new teachers had probably damned his teaching with faint praise, and him along with it,

“Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands” ().

arguing that those who longed for real depth and maturity in their Christian experience

7 (4:14) Luke: the physician who was beloved by Paul and the church (see Introduction, Author—the Gospel of Luke;

Note one other fact here in Colossians: Luke is said to be the “dearly loved physician”—a physician who was endeared to the hearts of believers.

would not be content to remain with the frankly minimal gospel that Epaphras had brought to the Lycus Valley.

Apparently, his medical treatment of believers was diligent, compassionate, warm, and personal. He had an effective ministry for Christ among the believers.

"“I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”” ()

"Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good.” ()

It is ironic, therefore, that Paul mentioned his ‘great zeal’ for the three churches (4:13).

"And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone, just as we do for you.” ()

"Since you have purified yourselves by your obedience to the truth, so that you show sincere brotherly love for each other, from a pure heart love one another constantly,” ()

This showed itself in fervent prayer (4:12).

The phrase, ‘always wrestling’ translates a Greek word that is also the root of our word ‘agony’.

Epaphras’ prayer life cost him sweat, toil and pain.

But it is the content of his prayer for the Christians in Colosse that makes the accusations of the new teachers so unjust.

He prayed that the believers in his home town might “stand mature and fully assured in everything God wills.” (v12b)

To argue that this man knew nothing of Christian fulness and spiritual maturity was a travesty.

2. Luke

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” ().

“Let love be without dissimulation [hypocrisy]. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good” ().

“And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you” ().

“Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently” ().

Luke (4:14), the author of the Gospel that bears his name and also of the book of Acts,

is mentioned by name only three times in the New Testament but was often involved in the action.

The passages in the book of Acts where he employs the word ‘we’ tell us that he was a frequent companion of Paul,

8 (4:14) Demas: the believer who slipped back.

Overcoming failures. When we read the names in Paul’s final greeting, we discover three names associated with personal failures in the New Testament—Mark, Onesimus, and Demas.

John Mark went along with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey to help them ().

For unspecified reasons, he left the mission and returned home to Jerusalem (13:13).

Acts records a later split between the former mission partners Barnabas and Paul over whether to take Mark again on a new mission (15:36–40):

and the affectionate description of him as ‘the dearly loved physician’ tells us that he was greatly valued by the apostle.

"After some time had passed, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit the brothers and sisters in every town where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they’re doing.” "Barnabas wanted to take along John Mark. "But Paul insisted that they should not take along this man who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work. "They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed off to Cyprus. "But Paul chose Silas and departed, after being commended by the brothers and sisters to the grace of the Lord.” ()

Paul clearly harbored suspicion of Mark.

But this breach between Paul and Barnabas did not hinder the gospel’s advance.

Instead, it meant that there were now two missions.

Yet somehow, by the writing of Colossians, Mark redeemed himself in Paul’s eyes and become helpful to his ministry (see also ).

The fascinating and moving account of Onesimus, a runaway slave.

He also was guilty of desertion but had turned things around when he was converted by Paul.

Paul warmly recommends him to his master as a brother in Christ who has served him in the gospel while he was in chains.

Paul mentions the third person, Demas, without any commendation.

Perhaps this is a hint of his failure to come: “Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica” ().

In Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Demas appears as the halfhearted Christian who beckons the pilgrims to turn aside from their journey to tarry at a silver mine. The judgment of Bunyan’s Christian against Demas may be too strong:

I know you; Gehazi was your great-grandfather, and Judas your father; and you have trod in their steps; it is but a devilish prank that thou usest: thy father was hanged for a traitor, and thou deservest no better reward.

After all, Paul only says that Demas deserted him, not Christ.

We do not know the rest of the story; but we do know how God can redeem failure,

including those who even desert their Lord and deny him with curses (cf. , ; ).

The key to overcoming failure is that one turn to God in repentance and trust in God for renewal.

The stories of personal failures connected to these names presents an opportunity for the preacher to investigate the nature of failure.

Failure happens, but failure need not be final.

Those who have triumphed over their failures or in spite of their failures recognize that they may have had a failure,

perhaps many; but they were not failures.

No amount of falls will really undo us if (by God’s grace) we keep picking ourselves up each time.

We shall of course be very muddy and tattered children by the time we reach home.

No amount of falls will really undo us if we keep picking ourselves up each time. We shall of course be v.[ery] muddy and tattered children by the time we reach home. But the bathrooms are all ready, the towels put out, and the clean clothes in the airing cupboard. The only fatal thing is to lose one’s temper and give up. It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present in us; it is the v.[ery] sign of his presence.

But the bathrooms are all ready, the towels put out, and the clean clothes in the airing cupboard.

The only fatal thing is to lose one’s way and give up.

It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present in us; it is the very sign of His presence.

We can never succeed on our own.

The good news of the gospel is that we do not have to. We live in Christ and triumph through him.

Garland, D. E. (1998). Colossians and Philemon (pp. 290–291). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

9 (4:15) Nymphas: the believer who kept an open house and opened his home to the church.

Note that Nymphas lived in Laodicea and Paul knew about him and his great testimony for Christ.

He was so committed to Christ that he had opened his home to all the believers in the city,

allowing them to use his home as the meeting place for the church.

Remember: the early church had no buildings; therefore they met in the homes of believers for joint worship and fellowship.

"Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality.” ()

"but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled,” ()

"Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it.” ()

"Be hospitable to one another without complaining.” ()

“Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality” ().

3. Demas

“But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate” ().

“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” ().

“Use hospitality one to another without grudging” ().

Reference is also made in passing to a man named Demas (4:14).

"After this letter has been read at your gathering, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.” ()

Churches did not have separate buildings; they met at homes large enough to accommodate the group.

NIV Zondervan Study Bible: Built on the Truth of Scripture and Centered on the Gospel Message Chapter 4

May refer to Ephesians, which Paul wrote to churches in the surrounding area as a circular letter without greetings or advice tailored to a specific setting (see Introduction to Ephesians: Date, Place of Composition, and Destination”). If that is not the case, the “letter from Laodicea” was somehow lost to us.

Moo, D. J. (2015). The Letters and Revelation. In D. A. Carson (Ed.), NIV Zondervan Study Bible: Built on the Truth of Scripture and Centered on the Gospel Message (p. 2435). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

v16 May refer to Ephesians, which Paul wrote to churches in the surrounding area as a circular letter without greetings or advice tailored to a specific setting.

This is very poignant.

DEEPER STUDY # 1

The next time we hear of this man, he had defected: ‘Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica …’ ().

and has departed for Thessalonica …’ ().

It was no small privilege to have been a trusted associate of the apostle Paul,

If that is not the case, the “letter from Laodicea” was somehow lost to us.

yet the time came when a man who had once walked alongside a spiritual giant lost the inward battle for possession of his heart.

The daily call to deny oneself and follow Christ demands reserves of toughness and consistency

that only God can give, and Demas gave way to the pull of the world.

When Paul wrote to the believers in Colosse the sense of betrayal and disappointed hopes still lay in the future,

(4:15–16) Epistle to the Laodiceans: What is the letter sent to the Laodiceans?

but there is a solemn reminder here that the real test of a Christian is staying power.

Does he or she last the course?

⇒ Was it a letter that has been lost?

This would be an appropriate point to reflect carefully on our own spiritual weakness.

It is disturbing to consider the possibility that someone who thanks God for us now

may one day be sorrowing over what we have become.

⇒ Was it the Epistle to Philemon?

⇒ Was it the Epistle to the Ephesians?

No one knows, and opinions vary as to what the letter was. But note Paul’s instructions to circulate it and the Colossian letters around and among the churches. This is a striking point: it means that the letters of the New Testament are not just casual letters between friends, but are for believers of every generation and for every church. They are the inspired Word of God, and therefore are to be available to all believers to study and to live out the Word day by day.

Conclusion

10 (4:17) Archippus: the believer who was given a special task and needed encouragement.

What was the ministry or task assigned to Archippus? We do not know.

There is only one other mention of him and that is where Paul calls him his fellowsoldier ().

Whatever the case with Archippus, he needed to be encouraged; he needed to take heed and complete his ministry.

Thought 1. How many quit and never finish the task and ministry given them? How many …

Mercifully, there was only one Demas. On the whole Paul’s friends were an impressive group.

It says a great deal for the apostle himself that he attracted people of such sterling quality.

• need to take heed “pay attention”: to keep their eye on God’s call and not allow the world and its possessions and attacks to defeat them?

Some of the other references in this passage are so brief that they leave us with tantalizing questions.

• need to fullfill “accomplish”: keep on fulfilling and completing the ministry?

Who was Archippus? What was the ministry that he needed encouragement to fulfil? (4:17).

Who was Nymphas, who hosted a church in his home? (4:15).

There is some uncertainty as to whether this generous Christian was a man at all.

The manuscripts are divided between Nymphas, a man’s name, and Nympha, the feminine version.

On balance it seems most likely that the ESV, NASB and the NKJV footnote are correct and

that Paul wanted to thank God for the hospitality of a believing lady called Nympha.

We ought to note in passing that the overwhelming bulk of first-century churches met in homes.

Purpose-built church buildings were as yet unknown and

would have been impractical when we consider the poverty of many early Christians and

the ever-present threat of persecution.

A Christian with a spacious home who was willing to let the church meet there

could be a real encouragement and blessing.

Amid all the detail, the one thing that we must not miss is that,

11 (4:18) Paul: the believer who was faithful to the point of suffering imprisonment and possible martyrdom. Paul signs the letter himself. Remember: his wrists were chained so he had to have a secretary write the letter while he dictated it. He simply closes by saying.

as well as telling us something about Paul’s associates,

these verses say a great deal about Paul himself.

We not only see his evident enjoyment of people and his care for them,

but it is also clear that he shared his ministry.

There was nothing of the control freak about him.

His use of the word ‘fellow’ is very telling.

Tychicus was his ‘fellow servant’ (4:7),

Aristarchus his ‘fellow prisoner’ (4:10) and

John Mark and Jesus Justus were his ‘fellow workers’ (4:10–11).

Paul did not want people to work for him but with him.

Some prominent Christian workers have been quite the opposite.

His loyalty to Epaphras also stands out.

It pained him that this true-hearted servant of Christ had not received his due among

the people who had benefited from his ministry.

It is also worth noting what impressed him in other people and

asking ourselves what Paul would have thought of us.

We can see from verse 18 that, as he brought this letter to a close,

⇒ “Remember my bonds”—imprisonment; that is, pray for me.

Paul stopped dictating and wrote the final greeting, or ‘salutation’, with his ‘own hand’ (4:18).

This was his usual practice ().

⇒ “Grace be with you”—the favor and blessings of God—all of which we do not deserve but which He pours out upon us anyway.

It seems that he needed to guard against forged letters circulating around the churches that falsely claimed his authority.

The touching request, ‘Remember my chains’, is a plea for the sympathy, emotional support and, by implication,

the prayers of the believers in Colosse.

Paul asks them to recognize that the man whose greatest longing was to carry the gospel to parts of the world where it was quite unknown was confined like a caged bird.

Finally, the letter ends, as it began,

Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (1996). Galatians–Colossians (pp. 429–432). Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.

by commending Paul’s readers to the grace of God.

Those who cherish this letter today will never get beyond

the need for the grace that

saves us,

keeps us and will one day

lead us to our eternal home.

So here as one of the guidelines for promoting and furthering the gospel is Cultivating networks (and unity).

Throughout these closing remarks Paul mentions how Christians should pray for one another.

Prayer links individuals and churches together into overlapping networks (see ).

It keeps us from focusing only on our own immediate group and its concerns.

If Epaphras founded the congregation in Colosse, he did not forget it when he left but continued to pray for it.

How many pastors continue to pray for the congregations they once served when they moved to different, usually greener pastures?

How many Christians continue to pray for the churches they may have left after moving away?

We see the premium Paul put on friends working together and praying together, caring about what was going on in their lives, and offering mutual support.

Paul clearly did not believe that he was self-sufficient;

he needed the help of all those listed and appreciated and affirmed each person’s contribution.

No one works alone.

The emphasis is on

• cooperation, not independence or competition

• praying for mission opportunities for others, not just for ourselves

• praying for mission opportunities over the entire world, not just our corner

• praying that every Christian in every circumstance will have the wisdom and courage to communicate the gospel boldly and clearly.

Like Paul, we should never lose sight that God has called us to serve him and has called us to serve with others.

We need each other’s prayers and support.

Being ready to accept the consequences of preaching in a hostile world.

Paul preferred to be freed from his chains so that he might carry the gospel to ever more distant climes (see ; ).

But he accepted his present chains and continued to preach the gospel and to write encouraging letters to churches.

For centuries those letters have blessed those who have studied them.

For this reason, Paul’s imprisonment may have contributed more to advance the gospel than his freedom.

Paradoxically, suffering may abet our mission, and we must be prepared to accept it graciously.

The government does what it needs to do. The church does what it needs to do. If we go to jail for being the church, we shall go to jail. Jail is a wonderful place for Christian evangelism. Our church made some of its most dramatic gains during the revolution when so many of us were in jail. In jail, you have everyone there, in one place. You have time to preach and teach. Sure, twenty thousand of our Methodist pastors were killed during the revolution, but we came out of jail a much larger and stronger church.

Willimon remarked that the Bishop saw the drift of the questions directed to him from the audience and responded:

Don’t worry about the church in Angola; God is doing fine by us. Frankly, I would find it much more difficult to be a pastor in Evanston, Illinois. Here there is so much. So many things. It must be hard to be the church there.

Overcoming failures.

If we read the names in Paul’s final greeting canonically, we discover

three names associated with personal failures in the New Testament—Mark, Onesimus, and Demas.

John Mark went along with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey to help them ().

For unspecified reasons, he left the mission and returned home to Jerusalem (13:13).

Acts records a later split between the former mission partners Barnabas and Paul over whether to take Mark again on a new mission (15:36–40):

Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.

Paul clearly harbored suspicion of Mark.

But this breach between Paul and Barnabas did not hinder the gospel’s advance.

Instead, it meant that there were now two missions.

Yet somehow, by the writing of Colossians,

Mark redeemed himself in Paul’s eyes and become helpful to his ministry (see also ).

The fascinating and moving story of Onesimus, a runaway slave, will be dealt with in the commentary on Philemon.

He also was guilty of desertion but had turned things around when he was converted by Paul.

Paul warmly recommends him to his master as a brother in Christ who has served him in the gospel while he was in chains.

Paul mentions the third person, Demas, without any commendation.

Perhaps this is a hint of his failure to come: “Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica” ().

After all, Paul only says that Demas deserted him, not Christ.

We do not know the rest of the account; but we do know how God can redeem failure,

including those who even desert their Lord and deny him with curses (cf. , ; ).

The key to overcoming failure is that one turn to God in repentance and trust in God for renewal.

The stories of personal failures connected to these names presents an opportunity for the preacher to investigate the nature of failure.

Failure happens, but failure need not be final.

Those who have triumphed over their failures or in spite of their failures

recognize that they may have had a failure, perhaps many;

but they were not failures.

Failures may simply be underpasses that lead to success.

No amount of falls will really undo us if we keep picking ourselves up each time.

We shall of course be very muddy and tattered children by the time we reach home.

But the bathrooms are all ready, the towels put out, and the clean clothes in the airing cupboard.

The only fatal thing is to lose one’s temper and give up.

It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present in us; it is the very sign of his presence.

We can never succeed on our own.

The good news of the gospel is that we do not have to.

We live in Christ and triumph through him.

Garland, D. E. (1998). Colossians and Philemon (pp. 288–291). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

Arthur, J. P. (2007). Christ All-Sufficient: Colossians and Philemon Simply Explained (pp. 202–210). Darlington, England: Evangelical Press.

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