Rooted in Ministry

NOTE:

This is a manuscript, and not a transcript of this message. The actual presentation of the message differed from the manuscript through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is possible, and even likely that there is material in this manuscript that was not included in the live presentation and that there was additional material in the live presentation that is not included in this manuscript.

Engagement

Who would have ever imagined that a 5’ 7” actor and comedian would become an international hero who would boldly lead his people as they faced an invasion from one of the most powerful nations in the world? But that is exactly what Volodymyr Zelenskyy has become right before our eyes. He is the latest example of a seemingly ordinary person who rose to the occasion to become an unsung hero.

Tension

I don’t think most of us really think of ourselves in those terms, though. Nor did most of those who were instrumental in the spread of the gospel and the development of the early church in the years following the resurrection of Jesus. Sure we know about Peter and James and some of the other disciples. We know about the gospel authors - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And we certainly know about Paul, who wrote the letter that we’ve been studying for the last couple of months. But there were many others, most of them whose names we’ll never know that played an equally significant of a role in spreading the gospel in the first century.

Today, we’re going to learn a little more about a few of those people. And my prayer is that this will be a great encouragement for all of us to do our part in furthering the kingdom of God and developing mature disciples of Jesus. Because whether we realize it or not, we all have a crucial part in that process.

Truth

Today we will finish our current sermon series - Rooted. In this series we’ve been studying the letter that Paul wrote to the church in Colossae - a church that he never personally visited. These last 12 verses comprise a section of Scripture that most of us are likely to just kind of skim over. To us, it looks like a list of people that really doesn’t seem very relevant to us. But, as I hope you’ll see before we’re done, there are some very practical things that we can take away from this passage.

Think about this. In this letter, Paul only devoted one verse to lust and greed, one verse to anger, one verse to wives, one verse to husbands, one verse to parents and one verse to children. Yet he spends the last 12 verses of this letter to mentioning the various people who worked alongside him in his ministry. So this must be important!

And this is not unusual at all for Paul. He mentions a total of over one hundred people by name in his New Testament letters, including the ten we find in today’s passage. While we often tend to view Paul as some kind of superhuman apostle, the fact is that he could not do ministry alone. He was in a deep relationship with other disciples who were the unsung heroes of his ministry.

I really debated how to approach this passage, but as I studied this week I became more and more intrigued by the various individuals who were part of Paul’s team. So I’m going to briefly share a little bit about each one and see what we can learn from their ministry. So I’ve left some space in your sermon outline for you to make whatever notes might be helpful to you as we talk about each of these people. But before I do that, let’s set the stage by identifying the overall principle we see here:

To be rooted in Christ, I must be part of a team of faithful people devoted to developing mature disciples

With that in mind, we’re going to work through this passage a verse or two at a time and see what we can learn about each of the people Paul mentions here:

Faithful messengers:

Tychicus

Colossians 4:7–8 ESV

7 Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts,

Tychicus is the mail carrier. He is the one who delivers Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae. That was no easy task. It would have required a journey of over 1,000 miles by ship and on foot. Based on what we read in Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus, it is likely that Tychicus is also carrying that letter, which he will deliver as well.

From the accounts in Acts and some of Paul’s other letters, we also learn that Tychicus was a frequent companion of Paul on his missionary journeys and also during his imprisonments. It also appears from Paul’s second letter to Timothy that Tychicus was sent to Ephesus as an interim pastor when Timothy came to visit Paul.

Notice how Paul describes him here:

a beloved brother

faithful minister

fellow servant

He is a great example of someone who was faithful with little things who came to be entrusted with even greater things.

Onesimus

Colossians 4:9 ESV

9 and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.

Tychicus is also carrying a third letter with him - Paul’s letter to Philemon. Onesimus was Philemon’s runaway slave and he is accompanying Tychicus on his way back to his master. Onesimus had likely come to faith in Jesus under Paul’s mentoring and in Paul’s letter to Philemon, he was urging Philemon to take back Onesimus, not just as a slave, but as a fellow disciple of Jesus.

Paul describes Onesimus as a “faithful and beloved brother”. He serves to remind us that in Christ we are all equal and that we are not limited in our service of Jesus based on race or social status or any other external characteristics that might otherwise divide us.

Jewish co-workers:

Paul identifies the next three people as “men of the circumcision”, which identifies them as Jewish.

Aristarchus

Colossians 4:10 ESV

10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him),

From the book of Acts, we learn that Aristarchus was a Jew from Macedonia who had been seized during the riot in Ephesus (Acts 19:29). Later, he was also shipwrecked with Paul on Malta on the way to Rome (Acts 27:2, 41).

Here, Paul calls him “my fellow prisoner”. It is not completely clear whether Aristarchus was actually imprisoned with Paul at this time or of this is just a reference to the fact that, like Paul, he had also been imprisoned for his faith.

Aristarchus is an example of someone who contributes to the ministry just by being a faithful friend regardless of circumstances.

Mark

Colossians 4:10 ESV

10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him),

Mark had a long history with Paul, not all of it pleasant. He was the son of a wealthy widow, which may be why he ended up abandoning Paul and Barnabas on Paul’s first missionary journey. So later, when Barnabas wanted to take Mark on Paul’s second missionary journey, Paul refused to do so. So Mark and Barnabas left for Cyprus while Paul took Silas with him.

It is possible that by now Mark has written the gospel account that bears his name. But whether or not that is the case, we see here that Paul and Mark have reconciled and that Paul instructs the Colossians to welcome him. We also know from Paul’s second letter to Timothy that Paul asked for Mark to come to him during his final imprisonment in Rome (2 Timothy 4:11).

Mark serves as a great reminder that God is not finished with you yet, even if you’ve failed Him in the past. He is a God of second chances. Just as Mark was restored to ministry and had a tremendous impact on the kingdom of God, God can do that for you, too.

Jesus called Justus

Colossians 4:11 ESV

11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.

Jesus was a common name in that culture, but for obvious reasons, Paul refers to him by his second name - Justus. This is the only place he appears in the Scriptures, so we really don’t know anything else about him.

However, we do know that Paul was constantly being persecuted by the Jews. In spite of that Paul maintained a heart for his fellow Jews and it must have been a great comfort to him to know that there were others who shared that same concern and who could have an influence for the gospel among the Jews.

Justus reminds us that sometimes just standing with our fellow Christians as they face opposition can be a tremendous encouragement and an essential aspect of ministry.

Gentile co-workers:

After mentioning three fellow Jews, Paul next mentions three Gentile co-laborers. Once again Paul demonstrates that in Christ, there is neither Jew nor Gentile.

Epaphras

Colossians 4:12–13 ESV

12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.

We were introduced to Epaphras at the very beginning of the letter. He was likely the founder and pastor of the church in Colossae and apparently also ministered in the churches in the nearby towns of Hierapolis and Laodicea.

Paul focuses on two characteristics of the ministry of Epaphras:

First, he was a prayer warrior. The verb translated “struggling” is the Greek verb from which we get our English word “agonizing”. It’s also instructive to note what he prayed for. He was concerned that the believers there in Colossae would mature in their faith and that they would be assured in all the will of God. So his focus was on the spiritual development of the people in the church.

Second, he “worked hard” in his ministry. The verb Paul uses there indicates that his ministry was difficult and painful.

Epaphras demonstrates the idea that ministry is a balance of dependence on God and hard work. If either of those characteristics are lacking, our ministry is not likely to be profitable.

Luke

Colossians 4:14 ESV

14 Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas.

This is the only place in the Bible where Luke is identified as a physician. He is essentially the first medical missionary. He accompanied Paul on his missionary trips and stayed with Paul to the very end. He is the author of both the gospel that bears his name and the book of Acts. It is interesting to note how often Luke uses the pronouns “we” and “us” in the book of Acts, which confirms that he was with Paul when those events took place.

Luke is an example of someone who uses his specific training and expertise for the benefit of God’s kingdom. While God used a slave like Onesimus, He also used someone with the skills and social standing of a doctor.

Demas

Colossians 4:14 ESV

14 Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas.

It’s interesting that Paul doesn’t write anything about Demas other than his name. Perhaps Paul was beginning to sense that Demas’ interests and attention were being drawn in another direction. When Paul was imprisoned on his second missionary journey, Demas abandoned Paul. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul tells Timothy what happened:

2 Timothy 4:10 ESV

10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.

Of all the people Paul lists here in this passage, Demas is the only negative example. He shows us that not everyone finishes well and that if we are participating in ministry, there are going to be some co-laborers who will disappoint us along the way. But, on a positive note, we do see that those disappointments should not keep us from doing our part. I’m sure that Paul had other people who let him down at times, but he never lets that deter him from doing what God has called him to do.

The valued recipients:

As he closes his letter, Paul turns from those who had been his co-laborers to those who would be the recipients of his letter.

Nympha

Colossians 4:15 ESV

15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.

There were no church buildings until around 300 AD. So often the church met in the homes of those who were part of the local congregations. It is likely that the home of Nympha was one of those local house churches in Laodicea. There is some debate as to whether Nympha was a man or a woman, but in the end it really doesn’t matter. In either case, this person was likely well to do since he or she owned a house that was large enough for the church to gather there.

So once again we see someone using whatever resources that God had provided - in this case a house - for the benefit of God’s kingdom.

Church at Laodicea

Colossians 4:16 ESV

16 And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.

While Paul’s letters were written to specific churches, they were often intended to be shared with other nearby churches. In this case Paul instructed that there was to be an exchange of letters, This letter was to be read in the church in Laodicea and the letter to the church in Laodicea was to be read in Colossae. There are two possibilities regarding that letter to the church in Laodicea. It is possible that it was another letter written by Paul that did not survive an which didn’t become part of the Bible. The other possibility, which is more likely in my opinion, is that it is the letter that was sent to the church in Ephesus, which, as we have seen in this study, complements Colossians very well.

In either case, we see here that as a local church, we are never in competition with other local churches who are faithfully preaching God’s Word and advancing His kingdom. So where it makes sense, we ought to be working together to bring the gospel to our community.

Archippus

Colossians 4:17 ESV

17 And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”

Based on Paul’s letter to Philemon, it appears that Archippus was Philemon’s son. But that’s really all we know about him. We don’t even know what his ministry was. But whatever role he had in the church in Colossae, Paul commands him to fulfill that ministry. Perhaps Archippus was burned out or was considering leaving his ministry. And Paul wanted to encourage him to keep at it.

Warren Wiersbe reminds us of the important principle we see here:

“Paul reminded Archippus that his ministry was a gift from God and that he was a steward of God who would one day have to give an account of his work. Since the Lord gave him his ministry the Lord could also help him carry it out in the right way. Ministry is not something we do for God; it is something God does in and through us.”

If God has given us a task or a ministry, then He will give us everything we need to accomplish that.

When I came here to Thornydale Family Church in 2004, I made a commitment to God that I would stay here as long as He wanted me to be here and that I wouldn’t go anywhere else unless I was 100% sure He was calling me to a different place of ministry. I think that is the kind of commitment that God is looking for from all of us, regardless of whether we are in vocational ministry or not.

Finally, Paul closes the letter with one last reference to Himself:

Paul

Colossians 4:18 ESV

18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

Paul likely dictated this letter to one of his companions, but then he signs it in his own had to assure the recipients of the letter that it was from him.

He also reminds his readers that he writes these words while being imprisoned. I think he does that not to call attention to himself but rather to encourage the church to remain faithful to Jesus in spite of what hardships they might face.

He then closes the letter the same way he began it - with grace.

Hopefully you can see now why I said earlier that...

To be rooted in Christ, I must be part of a team of faithful people devoted to developing mature disciples

Application/Action

Let’s close by taking a look at...

THREE IMPLICATIONS FOR MY MINISTRY

Every disciple is a minister

Since this is a principle that we talk about frequently, I won’t spend a lot of time here. Jesus gave the command to “make disciples” to every single believer, not just a chosen few or not just those in “vocational ministry”. If you are a disciple of Jesus, then you have the ability to help someone else become a disciple and grow in their relationship with Jesus.

Some of you may end up with a more public role, like Paul. But most of you will more likely end up being those behind the scenes, unsung heroes like those we read about today. But I can assure you that those roles are just as important to the mission of the church as the more public roles. In fact, they are indispensable.

So I want to encourage you to think about the people we’ve read about this morning, and about what each of them reveal about serving in God’s kingdom. And then, I want to ask you to pray and ask God to show you where he wants you to serve.

Jesus does not call the equipped; He equips the called

I know that some of you are probably thinking that you just don’t have anything to offer - that you’re not smart enough or educated enough or rich enough. But all the people we read about today were just ordinary people who were willing to be used by God however He wanted. They just trusted that God would equip them to carry out the ministry that He had entrusted to them.

The fast is that if you can read, even poorly, you are better educated than many of the people we read about today. And if you have a place to live and a car to drive, you are likely more affluent than most of them. So if God could use them, He can use you. And just like He equipped them, He will provide you with everything you need to do whatever He calls you to do.

People are more important than programs

In the modern church, there has been a lot of emphasis on developing programs to help churches reach others for Jesus and then to help those people to mature in their relationship with Jesus. Some of you are probably familiar with many of them - things like The Purpose Driven Church or the one I mentioned last week - Evangelism Explosion.

But Paul doesn’t mention even one program here, does he? Instead, he mentions the people who have dedicated their lives to ministry for Jesus. I’m not saying that some of these programs don’t have some value, at least for a season. But what we have seen this morning, is that what is far more important than any program, are the people who carry out the ministry that Jesus has called them to. That is why we need every single one of you to do your part.

Inspiration

If any of us were to go watch a movie and then proceeded to talk about that movie with someone else, we might say something like this: “Did you see that new Clint Eastwood movie?” or “Did you see the new Steven Spielberg movie?” But I doubt that we’d ask if the person had seen the latest movie with the well known grip Patrick James Ryan. I didn’t even know what a grip does until I looked it up this week. Anyone here know what a grip does? That’s right they set up the lighting on a movie set.

But guess what? That movie doesn’t get made without all the different grips who work on the set. And those people don’t get mentioned until the credits after the movie is over - the ones that no one watches unless one of your friends or relatives is included in the list.

That’s a pretty good illustration of how a local church operates. Most people might know who the pastor is, or who is on the worship team. But they probably have no idea about all the unsung heroes who work behind the scenes to carry out the mission of the church. But the church just can’t function effectively without them.

I’d love to see how God could use Thornydale Family Church for His glory if every single one of us carried out the ministry that God has given us the very best that we can. Will you do your part to help that dream become a reality?