"Looking Back to Learn From Members in Our Roots" Part 2 of 2
Colossians 4:12-18
(Children's Sheet for Sermon Interaction is at bottom. Notes are throughout sermon)Turn to Colossians 4:12-18. This morning we are finishing the preaching-teaching of Colossians verse by verse as we move through Paul's closing comments of this foundational epistle. In the previous sermon, we began to learn important principles from various Christian people in our historic roots. They were men that God used to establish His church for generations to come. This morning, we will continue to seek to learn from our roots. In doing so, we should recognize that we are connected to those first Christians in an unbreakable growth. We are the branches that are sustained by the same spiritual nutrients that our roots thrived in. When we consider this, we must realize that the same church that was alive then--in a sense--is alive now. The same people who were alive then, in earthly bodies, are still alive in spiritual bodies. When we leave this temporal world behind, we will meet with them and we will experience that next phase of our eternal spiritual salvation. It is just a matter of when.
In the meantime, as we travel through this current life span, God wants us to learn from our roots. The end of Colossians, provides a spiritual archaeology site for us to begin digging. As we unearth the foundation, let's examine the core church as it was taking root in the first century. Please read through the last section with me. We left off with verse 11 last time. Starting at verse 12, Paul says,
12 Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas. 15 Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house. 16 When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea. 17 Say to Archippus, "Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it." 18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with you."
Please prepare your heart to learn along with me, in the preaching of God's word, in this sermon titled,
"Looking Back to Learn From Members in Our Roots" Part 2 of 2
[prayer]
This morning, as we look back to learn from members in our roots, I want us to consider five things we can glean for our Christian lives.
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The first thing has to do with our brother in Christ, Epaphras. Epaphras represents characteristics that God wants all of us to have. He demonstrates the beautiful fruit of the Spirit of self sacrificing love for God and love for others. Notice,
"12 Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bond-slave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis." Colossians 4:12-13
Earlier Paul pointed out,
"5 ... the word of truth, the gospel 6 which has come to you, ... it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, ... in you ... since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth; 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-slave, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf," Colossians 1:5-7
We also read of Epaphras in Philemon,
"Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you," Philemon 1:23
One of the primary things I want us to see in Epaphras is that the Spirit indicates a fact about this man that is foundational for all ministry. It is certainly foundational for any of us to recognize and embrace concerning our relationship to our Lord. Epaphras is a bond-slave of Jesus Christ. For you, or me, to manifest the fruit of the Spirit of self sacrificial love for God, and for others, we must be serving Christ with our lives. That's what bondslaves do. I want us to think about how this finds its source in Christ and His work. In other words, self sacrificial love for God and for others is fruit that we bear because it comes from the Spirit. But at the same time, serving Christ with our lives, as part of that love, is service that is also fruit of the Spirit too. Let me put it another way: we love God, and other Christians, because the Spirit causes us to do so. We serve Christ because the Spirit causes us to do so. It all flows together as we manifest Christ out of our saved lives. In respect to this, we must recognize that when we labor in the gospel, or we pray for one another like Epaphras did, or we teach, these activities require power that does not merely come from our own efforts. The key to this is seen in how Paul describes his imprisonment with Epaphras. Notice how Paul describes Epaphras as,
"my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus" Philemon 1:23
Notice the very important clarification: "in Christ Jesus." We must truly be "in Christ Jesus" to be a true bond slave of the true Christ. To be in Christ Jesus is more than a confession. It is more than poetic language. It is more than what cults claim to be. Merely claiming that you follow Jesus, or just because you look like you do, does not amount to anything unless you are actually really "in" the real Christ Jesus. I want us to think about this a moment. As we do, think about a vile, demon possessed girl. She is as lost as a sunken ship. We find this girl in Acts 16. This demon populated vessel, followed the apostles around. She is an example of how non-Christians try to blend with Christians. She announced what a lot of fake Christians can easily assert, proclaim, and even preach,
"These men are bond-slaves of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation." Acts 16:17
I want us to think about how most churches in our foolish generation would instantly embrace this girl as a sister in Christ. This slave-girl was not in Christ Jesus, yet she was endorsing those who proclaim the way of salvation. She was a slave to sin. She was a bond-slave of demons. The demons in her were proclaiming truthful facts. They thought her proclamation would legitimize their evil possession. They recognized that Paul, Silas, and Timothy were bond-slaves of the most high God. Demons recognize who the true servants of Christ are in Christ, and so they act like they are advocates for the gospel in order to blend in with the real Christians. In reality they are liars. They really despise the true Christ. They hate all His people. Why?--Because His true bondslaves, are truly where? In Him. The question is:
"How do you get there?"
To be "in" Christ Jesus, you must necessarily have the Holy Spirit in you. If you embrace Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior who saves you from your sins through His sacrificial work of shedding His blood on the cross, and believe God raised Him from the dead, then you are saved, which means you have the Holy Spirit in you, given to you as pledge, 2 Corinthians 1:22, Romans 10:9-10, Ephesians 2:8 etc.
It is from this existence that you can truly do Christian work. By the Spirit, we do more than merely announce certain truths that even demons can say. We do not merely do religious duties according to the flesh. Instead of self sacrificial devotion out of religious piety, we, who are "in" Christ, are manifesting the born again life, where Christ is our life. The point is that it is only "in the Spirit" that you can serve Christ. You must be re-created as a miracle, doing the works that God prepared beforehand that we should walk in, Ephesians 2:10. Epaphras demonstrates being a bond-slave of Christ, serving Christ by the power of Christ, in so many ways. One way is that he planted this church at Colossae. Epaphras had a clear understanding of his duty to share the saving message of Christ with the lost. The fruits of his labors show it. Epaphras also shows that his labor brought persecution and imprisonment. The principle is that persecution is something that we must consider to be small in comparison to the greatness of serving our Lord. Now think about this. We serve Christ by Christ's power when we are ministering His gospel. In the same way, we serve Christ by Christ's power when we seek to build up the body in all our actions. We all know this. But we also must know that enduring discomfort, pain, and persecution, is endurance that comes by the same power of the Spirit. One of the hardest things to teach, because of fear, is that ministry is a step of faith work that takes off when you take the first step. Whenever you step out and go forward in ministry, then you are drawing upon the power of the Spirit to do it. Sometimes it is called "making the leap of faith." The power for the discomfort, pain, and persecution will be there. You see, when you are ministering in the faith walk, then in the midst of discomfort, pain, and persecution, you will have the power to handle it even if you do not think you will because of fear. It is the same way with the first steps in any ministry goal. It could be stepping out to talk to family members about Christ. It could be taking the step to talk to someone you know in the work world about Christ. It could be stepping forward to go into a foreign mission field among an unreached people group. It is all the same step. When you step forward in labor to minister, because you trust God with both the means, and the outcome, then God uses you for His glory even if you think you are a failure. God will do it even if you think that your greatest speaking ability is stuttering and fumbling for words to say. God will do it even if you have a hard time expressing yourself. God will always use you because God is the one empowering you even when you stutter. As long as the words you speak are accurate according to New Covenant revelation, then it doesn't matter how your presentation comes out. In fact, when you are weak, He is strong. So, then, while you are serving Him, the principle is that you will be able to handle the discomfort, pain, and persecution that you are so afraid of now. Why? Because His Spirit will empower you, even in your weakness and trembling A) for the step, and B) as you take the step. What I am preaching is a fact that our roots thrived in. We must embrace it immediately, and then do it to experience the rewards that come as God uses us for His glory. It is the fact that is stated over and over again in the New Testament, and it is demonstrated in every member of your roots. Personally, I have seen it many times. I have heard testimony after testimony of its working with people who think they don't have anything to say; or they think they are too afraid. Maybe that is what you think. But, what those people do is they begin taking the first steps anyway. Let's call it:
"The anyway first steps."
Then, as they go, they feel anxiousness. The heart rate increases. They become self conscious in an elevated way. Sometimes they tremble. But, then they press forward through the discomfort and they open their mouths anyway (it's a step) or they take a stand for righteousness in other ways. You know what step I'm talking about when I talk about taking a stand for righteousness; It says,
"I'm not going to compromise."
Or it it is the first step of walking away from compromise. Then something amazing happens. All of a sudden, you find that you are able to do it after all, and you don't compromise--you do speak forth the truth. You realize that you may be considered narrow minded among the culture of cool. You understand that you might be completely rejected as someone who is intolerant. You know that you may be labeled as a religious weirdo. All these thoughts are real. But, you find that you are able to stand. You keep on standing though you felt like you were going to fall. You have the power.
Where did it come from?
Folks, it was there all along. What is going on in the whole process is a faith issue to bring us to the point that we will see that we can continue on in the same faith issue. The same power that gives us faith to take the step, though we don't really feel like doing it, or we feel inadequate, and so we think we will fail miserably, is the same power that moves you through it to keep going on. This stepping out, by the way, is what it means to be "being" filled with the Spirit, Ephesians 5:18. The point is that there is no excuse when it comes to what is really going on in most situations where we hold ourselves back. Lack of faith has never been an excuse. We must be honest. We must admit that our bondslave walk with the Lord is a faith walk. We must recognize that we are called to walk by the faith of God and not by the sight of man. When we are walking by faith, what are we walking according to? We are walking according to the Spirit. The filling is that it is more of Him coming out than of us holding us back.
Another area that Epaphras demonstrates being a bond-slave of Christ, serving Christ by the power of Christ, is in His loving labor for other Christians. We can all accomplish this very easily in the Spirit if we will just do it. What is it? Epaphras "agonized" which is what the Greek word for "labored earnestly," in prayer for other Christians, means. His prayer for the Colossians was strong, focused, down to business, and specific. He prayed earnestly that they
"may stand perfect [complete] and fully assured in all the will of God." Colossians 4:12
@1 It is God's will that we are fully assured in all His _____________________. Colossians 4:12
Our roots, show us something about prayer that we must absorb. Let me ask you something:
How often do you pray, laboring in hard earnestness like Epaphras, over the spiritual state of other Christians?
Do you even do this at all?
Let's think about our daily prayer cares. Ask yourself another question. Check it by the Spirit within you:
What do you spend your time agonizing over?
Think about how prayer has evolved in our culture. Isn't the typical prayer focus today summed up in another kind of question:
How can I pray to get God to benefit me to make my life happier?
A lot of prayer today is not only practiced this way, but is being taught this way. This kind of prayer focus is shallow. It does not reflect the agonizing labor of self sacrificing, others loving, God loving, slave of Christ, prayer. Of course God benefits His people. But God benefits you to benefit others. If you are going to agonize over prayer for God to benefit you, then pray earnestly that He will benefit you for the purpose of benefiting others by spreading the gospel; by sharing money with those in true need; by giving your time and care for others; by being counter-cultural, where you manifest the culture of Christ to the lost and dying world around you. Epaphras patterns the work that is always pleasing to the Lord. He prayed in intercession with agony and perseverance on behalf of the spiritual state of others. I want us to notice something else we can glean about this service. Epaphras made the time to do it. He budgeted time from his precious life where he could easily be doing something else. He invested his time by spending it for others, and yet, just like you and me, it is precious time that he could have saved, right? But, in love, Epaphras uses himself as a tool in God's hands to pray by the Spirit. To do this, you are going to have to step out of your comfort zone, aren't you? You are going to have to purposefully move yourself out of the very thing you may be praying for. Think about it--If you are praying for the comfort zone, you are not going to want to get out of your zone to pray for others. You are not going to agonize over them in true laboring ministry for them to stand perfect, complete, and fully assured in all the will of God. This is self sacrificial prayer, in the sense that it is self diminishing love of others. It is the attribute of the early roots of the church that God wants us to learn.
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This leads us to learn from next figures in our roots: Luke, and Demas,
"14 Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas." Colossians 4:14
I am putting these two together for a bigger reason than the fact that they are both in the same verse. Luke represents the characteristic of steady faithfulness that God wants out of all of us. Luke represents the kind of Christian witness that is loved by everyone in a special way. It is the respect that comes from consistent manifestations of the Spirit filled life. Demas, unfortunately represents the opposite.
Luke was a physician. His placement in the text seems to indicate that Luke was a Gentile convert (Paul previously described Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark and Justus, as the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, cf. Colossians 4:7-11). As such, Luke would have been a respected man in the social sphere of the Roman world. Luke seemingly left the respect, comforts, and security of his local profession behind as he followed Paul throughout his missionary activities as a missionary himself. Luke was always there for Paul as a helper in commitment to the cause of Christ in the bigger picture. Luke demonstrates the importance of serving the Lord in this passing life on planet earth. He demonstrates the importance of being supportive of, and active with, other ministers in their work. The reason is because Luke was obedient to the Holy Spirit's leading. All of us who are saved are led by the Holy Spirit too. But Luke demonstrates what happens when someone consistently submits to the Holy Spirit's leading instead of putting it on a shelf somewhere. I'll repeat that:
All Christians are led by the Spirit, but not all Christians submit themselves to the Spirit's leading.
Luke, more than likely, served as Paul's amanuenses (which was a writing secretary) on more than one occasion. He also served in other ways as part of the apostolic ministry team. Paul calls Luke "beloved." Paul is explaining that Luke presented himself in such a way as to be especially loved by all the Christians who knew him. Luke is a beautiful sermon illustration that God put in His word for us throughout the generations. This beloved physician and faithful brother wrote the gospel of Luke. He wrote the historic chronicle of Acts. Luke remained with Paul until Paul's martyrdom. Paul wrote in his last epistle before being executed,
"... Only Luke is with me." 2 Timothy 4:11
Something that is key to notice in the faithful men of our roots, and of those we see all throughout history and into our own generation of the church, is a sense that they had of loathing on one hand, and of loving on the other. What I mean is that the sense of loathing had to do with an intense realization of who we are in this world while at the same time understanding the value of the world in our time. The world is cursed and is in the realm of the domain of darkness. In this particular respect it is to be loathed. Our roots took seriously Paul's advice to the Corinthians, where he said that
"... those who buy, [should be] as though they did not possess; and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away." 1 Corinthians 7:30-31
This is contrasted to the intense cares of lost people. The world's consuming focus comes out of their self-love extended outwardly in selfish futility. John explains,
"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15
@2 The Lord does not want us to ______________ the world, nor the things of the world. Colossians 4:12
The point is that we are to loathe the world in a certain respect which is seen in our love for the Lord and love for His people in all respects. The love of self is sin that is inherited from Eve and Adam. The love that we inherited from Christ, which is the love that God shed abroad in our hearts, is what moves us to use the world as though we do not make full use of it. It is what keeps us on course until the end. Be honest with yourself.
Ask:
"Where am I in respect to loathing this present world?"
"Am I manifesting the Spirit like Luke?"
Think about your answers as we think about the other man in this grouping who gives us something to pause and contemplate. He is Demas. Demas was part of that original missionary team of Asians who traveled with Paul. Demas is mentioned in at least three of Paul's epistles at various times. In this same package of letters, Paul says of Demas,
"24 ... Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers." Philemon 1:24
Demas is one of Paul's fellow workers. It would seem that Demas loathes the world, right? But the last time we hear of Demas is in the letter Paul wrote directly before being executed for Christ;
"Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me ..." 2 Timothy 4:10-11
@3 Demas __________________ the world, and deserted Paul the apostle in the ministry work. 2 Timothy 4:10-11
This is why I say that we should ask ourselves the probing questions;
Where am I in respect to whether I love this present world?
Where am I in respect to whether I loathe this present world?
In this second point that I am preaching, Luke represents the characteristic of steady faithfulness that God wants out of all of us. His walk in the Lord prompts love for him by other Christians in a special way. He is respected for his manifestations of the Spirit filled life. His fame is that he does not love the world, but rather loves the Lord and loves others, as is demonstrated in his service to Christ in his daily walk. Demas, the lover of the present world, and deserter of Paul, on the other hand, represents the opposite of these things. We should learn from both Luke and Demas by considering where we are in comparison. You may love the Lord, but it you are not beginning to loathe the world, then you are setting yourself up to be a Demas.
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This leads to the next item in our roots that we can glean. The principle is the importance of God's root mandate for closeness in the body, and respect of the members of the body for
a) providing community for one another in committed interaction,
and
b) for preservation and proclamation of God's word,
c) for protection of the saints through proper church discipline.
"15 Greet the brothers who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house. 16 When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea." Colossians 4:15-16
Committing to, and meeting with, a biblically defined local church family is consistently demonstrated, and mandated, all throughout our roots. To not do so is direct disobedience to God according to Hebrews 10:25, 1 Timothy 3-15, and so many other Scriptures. The word "church" is translated from a Greek word that by the time of the Koine Greek period's usage had come to mean "the called out and gathered." In respect to Christians, it meant the called out and gathered people of God in Christ--the body of Christ. In our roots, at the micro level, the local church formally met in specific places. The church was also identified at a more expansive scale for reference. The church, as "the called out and gathered ones," would meet in facilities like the home of Nympha, or like in synagogues, as refered to by James in James 2:2 ie. "sunagoge." There were all kinds of facilities that a group could gather, such as the historic small "Church of God" that we know about that was located on Mount Sion which was "built" by first century Israelite Christians of our roots,
(FOOTNOTE: The small Church of God, on Mount Sion; According to Epiphanius, in De Mensuris et Ponderibus, when the Roman emperor Hadrian visited Jerusalem (ca. 131/132) a small “Church of God” and “seven synagogues” existed on Mount Sion (Epiphanius De Mensuris 14; Koester 1989:93. See first, The Ancient Church of the Apostles: Revisiting Jerusalem’s Cenacle and David’s Tomb, MICHAEL P. GERMANO
http://www.bibarch.com/Perspectives/Germano-Cenacle-Paper.pdf
as a further analysis of, Church of the Apostles Found on Mount Zion, BARGIL PIXNERhttp://www.centuryone.org/apostles.html)
In the broader expanse of Christians, the term, church, would be connected to a city like Colossae, or a region, like Macedonia. Here, Paul mentions the church in Laodicea; and there is also the Colossian church.
Nympha, here, was probably a woman who owned her own home. She may have been a wealthy patron. She may have been a widow who was a woman of noteworthiness like Phoebe from Cenchrea mentioned in Romans 16:1, or like Lydia of Thyatira whose home Paul and Silas stayed in. What we can learn from Nympha is that she dedicated her house as a meeting place for the formal church gatherings. Philemon, the Christian slave owner who lived in the same region as Colossae and Laodicea, also dedicated his house to be used for church meetings. Whenever they met, our roots had elders who preached the Scriptures for instruction. All biblically defined churches had leadership as elders, who are pastors, who are shepherds, who are overseers--all according to specific qualifications from God. One main one is that they must be able to teach. The reason is because teaching and preaching by called and gifted men is foundational to the "mystery" in a truly biblically defined church service. All through the record from our roots, God shows us that He has called such men to do the very important things of ruling, of preserving, and teaching, the doctrines and precepts of "the faith" rightly handled, along with protecting the flock. This is the biblical mandate from our roots as seen in such passages as 1 Peter 5:2, Hebrews 13:17, 1 Timothy 3:2 as governed by 1 Timothy 3:15, and 1 Timothy 5:17,
"17 The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching." 1 Timothy 5:17
It is seen in more passages, such as Ephesians 4:11 and Acts 20:28 where we see the duties,
"He [God Himself] gave ... some as pastors who are teachers, ..." Ephesians 4:11
"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." Acts 20:28
Those who do not recognize God's called and gifted men that "the Holy Spirit has made to be overseers" in our day, and do not embrace it, and then do not honor it, are priggish psuedo-spiritual mavericks who are in sin, and should be avoided. In respect to what should be taught by biblically qualified shepherds ("made" by the Spirit) Paul's letters were considered to be Scripture to be taught directly from. Peter referred to them,
"15 ... Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, ..." 2 Peter 3:15
@4 We, like Peter the apostle, recognize that Paul the apostles letters are part of the Holy ________________________. 2 Peter 3:15
Paul's instructional letters were widely shared. When the shepherds of a church would receive an epistle like this Colossians one, they would read it for study and for teaching; they would copy it, and they would send it out to be received by the faithful and trustworthy leadership of the other churches. Paul says,
"When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea." Colossians 4:16
Some people today think the Bible did not exist yet during this period of our roots, in much the same way that they don't want to believe that there was pastoral leadership. But this is not true. The Old Testament was complete and was used for God's revelation by Christ and His the apostles. The New Testament existed too while developing over the years of the first generation, as God moved His New Testament prophets to write the completed canon epistles and gospels over time. The New testament writings became the written lens that God was establishing for understanding the Old Covenant in light of the New. Though written by men, such as Paul, the New Testament is God's recorded revelation. Paul explained,
"... we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe." 1 Thessalonians 2:13
And contrary to people who do not understand New Covenant Theology very well, and so they ignore, or try to diminish, New Testament law language (1 Corinthians 9:21, Galatians 6:2, etc.) or commandment language in its positive New Covenant sense outside the Mosaic Law,
"If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment." 1 Corinthians 14:37
@5 The words that were taught from the apostles are to be accepted as the word of ________________. They are to be recognized as the ____________________ commandment. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 · 1 Corinthians 14:37
The things that Paul wrote were not merely spiritual suggestions. They are the Lord's commandment meant to be obeyed according to the salvation which endows Christians with the indwelling Spirit to do so. This is the way it was with the developing church of our roots. They read, studied, and copied Paul's letters as the word of God. They analyzed them. They applied the theology and doctrine to their lives. The pastors preached the word itself in expository sermons in the legacy of Christ who did so from the Scriptures in the synagogues and on the road to Emmaus. This is why Paul expressly told his child in the faith, the overseer Timothy, to "preach the word" in 2 Timothy 4:2 for reproof, rebuke, and exhortation. This is why it is important to realize that the Bible is foremost about theology and doctrine. Without proper theology and doctrine, people will do a lot of weird things thinking they are abiding in the truth and are operating according to "the Lord's commandment." Always remember:
Your doctrine will drive your actions.
Just like our roots, where the public reading of the word of God was part of the worship services where it was preached (2 Timothy 4:2), the word of God should be central to our church meetings too.
Notice that Paul also mentions a letter to Laodicea. We do not know what happened to the letter to Laodicea. There are some scholars who think that the epistle of Ephesians is really the letter to Laodicea, but there is no way of knowing if this theory is correct. The main thing is that the Scriptures that God chose to preserve for us were the essential nutrient for the roots, and are just as essential for us today. You can not thrive in God's will without knowing God's will through His scriptures. This third aspect we are gleaning, then, is the importance of the close connection of local body of Christians with its biblically mandated leadership for a) providing community for one another in committed interaction, b) for preservation and proclamation of God's word, and c) for protection of the saints through proper church discipline.
/4/
This leads us to another very personal consideration. It has to do with the next figure in our roots. Paul encourages the recipients of the letter,
"Say to Archippus, 'Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.'" Colossians 4:17
In the letter to Philemon, Archippus is referred to in such a way as to suggest that he could be related to Philemon as a son, or as someone who met in the church at Philemon's home as possibly an overseer. The information is stilted from the only two places that Archippus is mentioned. In addressing the letter to Philemon the slave owner, Paul mentions,
"Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:" Philemon 1:2
Calling Archippus "our fellow soldier" strongly suggests that he was involved in the pastoring of the church that met in Philemon's house. This would make sense in explaining why the nearby Colossian's are to urge Archippus to take heed to the ministry which he had received in the Lord that he may fulfill it. To do so would suggest that Archippus was not among the Colossian congregation to which Colossians is addressed, but lived outside the city and ministered in another church nearby, such as the church that met in the house of wealthy Philemon. I think it is important to note that Paul used this same phrase about receiving his own ministry from the Lord,
"24 ... the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the good news of the grace of God. 25 And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom," Acts 20:24-25
The ministry that Paul received from the Lord was to testify to the good news of the grace of God in respect to the kingdom of Christ, which Paul proclaims in our Colossians epistle we have been studying, Colossians 1:13, 4:11. This same language suggests that Archippus was proclaiming the good news of the grace of God in respect to the Kingdom too. Whether Archippus was a pastor in the church that met in the house of Philemon, or was an evangelist, or both, the main point is that Archippus had service to fulfill for the Lord. This is the way it is with us too. Once again we find that this simple truth of our unspoiled roots is a greatly neglected aspect of so many in the church today. Maybe the reason is because ministry is service. To minister is to serve. Ministering is serving. This means that ministry is what you "do" for the Lord. But further, it means that you do something where you diminish yourself. In all of it, true ministry, no matter what package it comes in, is what you do through the indwelling power of the Person of the Holy Spirit. We are all called and gifted to serve the Lord in some capacity. When it comes to God's sovereign hand, your ministry is what God is doing with you in respect to the Kingdom. That's the way it was understood in our roots. It is the way you and I need to understand it now. We need to recapture this foundational truth in our day. We are all ministers, and so what this means is that we need to take heed to the ministry which we have received in the Lord, that we may fulfill it.
/5/
This leads to our last consideration from our roots. The last figure is Paul himself. Paul closes this epistle by taking the pen from the amanuenses secretary. Then Paul writes,
"18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with you." Colossians 4:18
We remember Paul's imprisonment, and in our remembering, we understand the intense sacrifice made on behalf of Christ. Paul has been gone for a couple thousand years. He is in a better place. But in our retrospective view, we need to remember Paul's imprisonment. We need to remember the typical lifestyle of being hunted, persecuted, and oppressed everywhere he went. Paul was in jail many times. He spent a night and a day in the ocean. He was beaten with rods and stoned on several occasions. Even as he prepares these letters, it must be a difficult process. He was not working in a comfortable room with a computer. He had to dictate his letters to someone. Luke may have been the one that this letter was dictated to. We don't know. But we know that down through the centuries, this letter has been preserved as a gift from God. It was birthed at the root along with others. It has been instrumental in transforming minds and lives for the glory of Christ throughout the generations. We need to remember the cost of having these scriptures in our own hands. Paul quotes the price tag. He says "Remember my imprisonment." We need to remember Paul's chains as we remember how nice our air conditioned Christianity feels. Let us give thanks to God for the roots of our faith. Let us learn from our roots. There is an old expression that states:
"The one who holds the ladder at the bottom is as important as the one on the top."
The revelation of the body of Christ at the bottom holds the ladder that we stand on today. The purity and strength of our Christianity stands or falls on our relationship to our roots. We can not invent our Christianity as we go along. We can not be the ones who define what we are. God, in His word, defines what we are in the example of our roots.
As we finish with Colossians this morning, remember Epaphras. We want that beautiful fruit of the Spirit of self sacrificing love for God and love for others. We are bond-slaves, sold into ownership. We have been bought with the blood that was shed on the cross. We should be faithful servants of Christ in all areas and in all ways. Remember how Epaphras labored for others in prayer. He agonized for them. Let's do the same. Let's do all of this remembering where we get the power. It is only in the Spirit that we can serve Christ. I encourage you to contemplate Luke and Demas. Luke represents the steady faithfulness that God wants out of all of us. Demas represents someone who loved this present world. Let's check our love allegiances at every level of our lives. Never forget the importance of the church. God wants us to be loyal to, and involved in, close connection of a local church for providing community for vessels of the Spirit in biblical interaction, and for preservation, proclamation, and learning of God's word. This means there must be proper leadership by qualified elders, who are pastors, who are shepherds. This goes beyond not forsaking your fellowshipping together. It goes for understanding why God has a biblically prescribed reason and way for fellowshipping together as a church. Remember Archippus. Apply the urging to your heart every day--
"Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.'" Colossians 4:17
Finally, remember Paul. Remember his self sacrificial work for Christ. Remember that the Bible did not fall from heaven. It was written by men moved by the Spirit of God. It was baptized with the blood of martyrs in an anointing to preserve God's word for all generations. We are the ones who hold God's word at the top of the ladder in our own generation. We are the ones, in our day, who are called to live it with our lives, preach it with our mouths, and preserve it with our own lives. Let us remember our roots and live out proper doctrines of the faith. In turn, we will continue the spiritual legacy that God has ordained for His glory forever. Amen.
@1 It is God's will that we are fully assured in all His _____________________. Colossians 4:12
@2 The Lord does not want us to ______________ the world, nor the things of the world. Colossians 4:12
@3 Demas __________________ the world, and deserted Paul the apostle in the ministry work. 2 Timothy 4:10-11
@4 We, like Peter the apostle, recognize that Paul the apostles letters are part of the Holy ________________________. 2 Peter 3:15
@5 The words that were taught from the apostles are to be accepted as the word of ________________. They are to be recognized as the ____________________ commandment. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 · 1 Corinthians 14:37
