Colossians 4.17-Paul Orders Colossians to Command Archippus to Fulfill His Ministry
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday June 11, 2017
Colossians: Colossians 4:17-Paul Orders Colossians to Command Archippus to Fulfill His Ministry
Lesson # 121
Colossians 4:17 Say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.” (NASB95)
The command in this verse is in addition to the previous commands recorded in Colossians 4:16.
“Say” is the verb legō (λέγω), which means “to say, to tell, to communicate” and specifically the word means “to command” since the word refers to the Colossians passing along Paul’s command for Archippus to obey.
The second person plural form of this verb means “all of you” referring to the Colossian Christian community as a corporate unit.
The aorist imperative form of the verb legō is a constative aorist imperative which emphasizes the solemn nature of this command and emphasizing the urgency of the Colossians obeying this command.
It is emphasizing how extremely important it is for them to pass along Paul’s command to Archippus that he take heed of his pastoral ministry in Colossae.
“Archippus” is the proper noun Archippos (Ἄρχιππος) which is more than likely the same individual who Paul mentions in Philemon 2 since both Philemon and the Colossians were sent to the same location as we noted in our introduction.
“Take heed to” is the verb blepō (βλέπω), which means “to pay careful attention” to something indicating that Paul is commanding Archippus to continue to make it his habit of watching out carefully for his ministry in the sense of being ready in the future to deal or address any dangers or needs.
The implication is that of Archippus being prepared to respond appropriately to these dangers to his ministry and needs.
The present imperative form of the verb blepō is a customary present imperative whose force is for Archippus to simply continue making it his habit of paying careful attention to his ministry.
“The ministry” is the noun diakonia (διακονία), which pertains to a position or role of service.
Here it is used in relation to Archippus and his particular function in the body of Christ and specifically, it refers to his service as a pastor-teacher.
“In the Lord” is composed of the following: (1) preposition en (ἐν), “in” (2) noun kurios (κύριος), “Lord.”
The noun kurios refers to Jesus Christ emphasizing His rulership over the church and is the object of the preposition en which is functioning as a marker of a particular standard or rule specifying the rule or code of conduct a person follows or the standard of conduct to which he or she conforms.
The noun kurios contains the figure of metonymy meaning that the person of the Lord is put for His will.
Therefore, this indicates that Archippus receiving his pastoral ministry was “in conformity with” or “consistent with” or “in agreement with” the will of the Lord and this use of the prepositional phrase ἐν κυρίῳ appears in Colossians 3:18 and 20 where we translated it “in agreement with the will of the Lord.”
“That you may fulfill it” expresses the purpose for which the Lord gave Archippus’ his pastoral ministry.
“You may fulfill” is the verb plēroō (πληρόω), which means “to fulfill one’s duty to something, to fulfill the task of performing a particular activity, to complete the task of performing a particular activity.”
Therefore, the verb speaks of Archippus “fulfilling the task” or “completing the task” of his pastoral ministry.
Paul used this word in Colossians 1:25 and Romans 15:19 in the same exact fashion when speaking of his own ministry.
Colossians 4:17 I solemnly charge all of you to command Archippus, “Continue to make it your habit of paying careful attention to your ministry which you received in agreement with the will of the Lord in order that you would fulfill it.” (My translation)
The apostle Paul issues the Colossian Christian community another solemn command which is in addition to the two he issued them in Colossians 4:16.
Here in Colossians 4:17, he orders the Colossians to pass along a command to Archippus which required that he continue to make it his habit of paying careful attention to his ministry.
The reason why Paul orders the Colossians to pass along this command to Archippus is that he knew that pastoral ministry is not merely an individual activity on the part of the pastor.
Rather, it is an activity carried out with the support and encouragement of the Christian community since believers are members of a single family, the royal family of God, the body of Christ.
Without the support and encouragement of the Christian community, the man with the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher can never fulfill the purpose of his gift since his gift is designed to function in the presence of the Christian community.
The gift of teaching can only manifest itself in the presence of the Christian community and the function of this gift is communicating the Word of God to the Christian community.
“Archippus” is the same individual Paul mentions in Philemon 2 since both the epistle to Philemon and the one addressed to the Colossians were sent to the same location as we noted in our introduction.
If this is the case, then he appears to be the pastor who taught in the home of Philemon as indicated by the command here in Colossians 4:17.
Paul’s description of Archippus in Philemon 2 as a “fellow soldier” is a further indication that Archippus was a pastor since the only other time that sustratiōtēs, “fellow-soldier” appears in the New Testament it is used to describe a pastor.
The word occurs in Philippians 2:25 to describe Epaphroditus who was one of the pastors in Philippi.
Lastly, the language Paul uses to exhort Archippus in Colossians 4:17 is reminiscent of the language he uses with Timothy to exhort him to continue to remain faithful to his ministry in 1 and 2 Timothy and especially 1 Timothy 4:16 (cf. 2 Tim. 1:6-8, 13-14; 2:1-15; 22-26; 3:10-15; 4:1-5).
Paul wanted Archippus to pay careful attention to his pastoral ministry in the sense that he wanted this man to be ready in the future to deal with or address any dangers or needs.
The implication is that of Archippus being prepared to respond appropriately to these dangers to his ministry and needs.
It appears Archippus was already doing this and this command is merely an encouragement and preventative maintenance on the part of Paul.
If you recall, in Colossians 1:3-5 and Colossians 2:5, Paul affirmed the Colossians were faithful to the gospel which would indicate Archippus was faithful.
Also, Paul describes Archippus in Philemon 2 as a fellow-soldier which he would not do if Archippus wasn’t already carrying out this command.
Remember, Colossians and Philemon were both delivered to Colossae at the same time and by the same people, namely Tychicus and Philemon’s runaway slave Onesimus.
Paul felt the need to issue this command to Archippus because he needed encouragement because Paul was incarcerated in Rome and because of the threat from the Judaizers and their false teaching and which teaching Paul addressed in Colossians 2:8-23.
In fact, this command in Colossians 4:17 corresponds to the commands Paul issued both Timothy and Titus.
His letters to these two men were all designed to encourage these men in fulfilling their pastoral ministries in the face of difficult circumstances and opposition from false teachers.
Paul asserts that Archippus received this pastoral ministry in agreement with the will of the Lord.
He is speaking of Archippus being a faithful steward with the spiritual gift the Lord gave him at the moment of his justification or conversion.
Paul states that the purpose of the Lord giving Archippus his pastoral ministry is that he would fulfill it.
The same language Paul employs in Colossians 4:17 with regards to the pastoral ministry of Archippus, Paul uses in Colossians 1:25 and Romans 15:19 when speaking of his own pastoral ministry.
When Paul speaks of Archippus fulfilling his ministry which he received in agreement with the will of the Lord in Colossians 4:17, he is speaking of this man being a faithful steward with the spiritual gift that the Lord had given him.
He will give an account to the Lord Jesus Christ at the Bema Seat in order to determine if he merits a reward or not for being faithful to this task of communicating the gospel to the church.
When Paul speaks of Archippus fulfilling his pastoral ministry, he is referring to this man being faithful in fulfilling his four-fold responsibility as a pastor, namely to study, teach, pray and exemplify godliness.
The Scriptures teach that the pastor-teacher, i.e. the overseer has four responsibilities that are the means by which he tends and shepherds the flock of God: (1) Study (2 Timothy 2:15) (2) Teach (1 Timothy 4:13) (3) Pray (Acts 6:1-4). (4) Exemplify the Christian way of life (1 Tim. 4:12; 2 Tim. 3:10; Heb. 13:7).