AM Bible Study Group; July 10, 2013
Colossians 4:12-14
Theme: This passage shows how God is able to use each believer’s unique talents and personality—if they will remain faithful.
(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been considering Colossians 4:7-18—which contains the list of people that the apostle Paul spoke of at the end of his letter to the Colossian believers. We’ve been finding that this list of names is well-worth going through in detail. There’s a surprising amount of biblical data about some of the people that are mentioned—and there are many lessons to be learned from their stories.
Most recently, we’ve been studying verses 10-14; and the greetings that Paul sent to the Colossians from those who had either ministered to them in the past or who were currently ministering to them from afar. In verses 10-11, we studied what Paul had to say from those who were his fellow Jews. We learned about Aristarchus—Paul’s faithful traveling companion; Mark—a man who once failed in his faithfulness to ministry, but who later proved very faithful; and Jesus “who is called Justice”—a third Jewish fellow worker who, perhaps, was instrumental in making this threesome an effective ministry team. Together, Paul—the prisoner for the gospel—says that “they have proved to be a comfort to me” (v. 11).
This morning, we study three more individuals who ministered to the Colossians from afar—this time, Gentile believers. They too have an instructive story to tell; and give us examples of how effectively to minister to and with one another.
I. EPAPHRAS—THE FERVENT LABORER (vv. 12-13).
A. Paul writes, first, of Epaphras. “Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has a great zeal for you, and for those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis” (vv. 12-13). This man Epaphras—whose name is taken from a contracted form of Epaphroditus; which means “lovely”—was truly a saint in Christ who lived up to his name. The apostle Paul, it seems, speaks in higher terms of this man than anyone else in all his letters (with the possible exception of Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:25-30; 4:18—apparently a different man from Epaphras). He was certainly precious to Paul, and very dear to his heart.
1. This man was a native Colossian—”one of you”, Paul says. Paul spoke of his powerful influence on the Colossians at the very beginning of his letter; because Epaphras was apparently the evangelist who first brought the gospel to his own people. Paul wrote of the gospel of Jesus Christ, “as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, who also declared to us your love in the spirit” (1:7-8). He not only brought the gospel to the Colossians; but because he was present with Paul, he apparently also brought the news about the Colossians to Paul. He truly was a faithful “fellow servant” with Paul and a “faithful minister” of the Lord. Perhaps we can get a sense of just how much of a “fellow servant” and “faithful minister” he was by the fact that, at the close of the tiny letter of Philemon—a letter that appears to have been written at the same time as the letter to the Colossians—Paul sends greetings from “Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus” (Philemon 23). It may be that Epaphras stuck close to Paul and served him while he was spending time in prison. It may even be that Epaphras became imprisoned himself in his work with Paul in the gospel. No wonder Paul would have a great deal of love for a fellow believer like him! And so would the Colossians! The possibility that one of their very own was in prison with Paul might have inspired their hearts to an even greater intensity of faithfulness to the gospel of the Lord Jesus that Paul preached.
2. Now; even though this man Epaphras was very possibly in prison because of the gospel, that doesn’t mean that he was inactive in the work of the gospel! Look at what Paul says about this man’s ongoing ministry to the Colossian believers.
a. Paul says, first, that he is “always laboring fervently for you in prayers” (v. 12). The word Paul uses for “fervently” is one that refers to strenuous, agonizing labor. Many people lead someone to Christ and then abandon them to their own devices—leaving them, as it were, ‘spiritual orphans’. But not Epaphras. He had not only brought the gospel to the Colossians, but also continued to labor strenuously for them in his prayers that they might be established; “that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God” (v. 12). In that sense, he was very much in concert with the apostle Paul; who, in 1:28-29 said that he preached Christ, “warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.”
b. Paul says, secondly, that he “bears witness” of Epaphras—as if he was serving as character witness for him. And what he bore witness of was that Epaphras a great heart of passion for the saints. Paul bears witness to the Colossian believers “that he has a great zeal for you, and for those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis” (v. 13). The fact that he has a great heart for those in Laodicea is particularly interesting. Paul mentions the Laodicean believers in chapter two of this letter—saying, “For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea . . .” (2:1); and he also mentions them at the end of the letter—telling the Colossians to make sure that this letter was read in the church at Laodicea, and that the letter that he wrote to the Laociceans was also read by the Colossians (4:16). Paul had a very passionate concern for both churches—and apparently so did Epaphras. He was a man with the true heart of an evangelist and a pastor.
B. There’s a very interesting detail that we shouldn’t miss. In this passage, Paul calls Epaphras “a bondservant of Christ” (v. 12). Paul calls himself by that name (Romans 1:1; Galatians 1:10; Titus 1:1); and even refers to himself and other preachers of the gospel in general by that name (2 Corinthians 4:5). He calls other believers to behave as “bondservants of Christ” (Ephesians 6:6). But in his letters, Paul only refers to one other person by that specific name—and that would be Timothy in Philippians 1:1—”Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ”. The character qualities of Epaphras moved Paul to refer to him by a title that he didn’t throw around carelessly. Epaphras was truly a “bondservant of Christ”—and he had characteristics that you and I can possess. What do you suppose God could do through a true “bondservant of Christ” who was “always laboring fervently in prayers” for His people; and who had “a great zeal” for his or her brothers and sisters in Christ?
II. LUKE—THE BELOVED PHYSICIAN (v. 14a).
A. Another member of this group of Gentile servants was Luke. Paul writes to bring greetings from “Luke the beloved physician.” Though Paul doesn’t say much about him in this letter, he was clearly a man that the Colossians already knew well. Back in the old days, a doctor was a key citizen in the community. Did you ever have a doctor like that?—someone that everyone knew and loved? Well; Luke must have been that kind of a doctor. He was “the beloved physician”. But he was more than that; because he, too, can be characterized as the faithful traveling companion of Paul. He was someone who figures very highly in the Book of Acts—which tells us much of the details of Paul’s ministry. He wrote strictly as a chronicler of Paul’s ministry up until Acts 16:10; when it’s clear that he reported as traveling companion with Paul, and was thus an eyewitness to many of the events he recorded.
B. Luke is mentioned along with Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus and Demas at the end of Paul’s letter to Philemon; where they are referred to as “my fellow laborers.” Luke—who was an educated man; and who, as was often the case with physicians in that day, a respected citizen—was also a man who was very sacrificially devoted to the cause of the Lord Jesus. Because he writes of the story of Paul’s shipwreck in Acts 27 in the first person, he would have shared this adventure with Aristarchus (Colossians 4:10; Acts 27:2). He was a man who was proven to be devoted to the ministry of Paul—even at times when it was rough to do so. At the end of his life, when it seemed as if everyone else had abandoned him, Paul was able to write, “Only Luke is with me” (2 Timothy 4:11).
C. But Luke was even more still than all these things; because he was the great historian of the New Testament. In fact, some students of ancient literature—even unbelieving students—refer to Luke as one of the greatest historical writers of the ancient world. If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have two very important books of the New Testament; “The Gospel of Luke”; and (the second part, if you will, of this gospel) “The Book of Acts”. Approximately one-fifth of the New Testament was written by this man Luke. How poor we would all be if it hadn’t been for his faithful labors. We have reason to call him “beloved” too.
III. DEMAS—THE ONE WHO LOVED THIS PRESENT WORLD (v. 14b).
A. Paul mentions one more man in this group if Gentiles who send their greetings: “Demas”. And sadly, his is the great failure story of this small group. He was an active part of Paul’s team when this letter was written; and was also among those at the end of his letter to Philemon as one of Paul’s “fellow laborers”. But near the end of his life, Paul had to write to Timothy and say, “Be diligent to come to me quickly; for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica . . .” (2 Timothy 4:9-10). In this sense, he had something in common with Mark; who also once abandoned Paul in the work. But we’re told that Mark was restored to usefulness. We’re not told this concerning Demas.
B. Was Demas merely a backslidden believer that we will one day see in heaven? We certainly hope so. We’re not told elsewhere that he repented of his unfaithfulness. We won’t really know Demas’ full story for certain until we’re in the Lord’s presence. But I believe we can say that even Demas was used by God to serve the church. He certainly served it for a time, along with Paul; and he now serves the church forever by providing a lesson to us of the dangers of the allure of worldliness. The apostle John once wrote; “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17). James puts the matter even more strongly; ” Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, ‘The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously’?” (James 4:4-5). God uses this man Demas in our lives even today to warn us that anyone—even a spot-light Christian leader—can be drawn away from the work God has for them through a love of worldly things. We might say that we’re learning his lesson, and he paid our tuition.
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Here again are three different men that God used. One was a faithful and sacrificial bondservant who ministered as an evangelist, pastor, and prayer worrier. Another was a scholar and a world-traveler whose talents and abilities were used by God to give us a record of His works in advancing the gospel. The third was a man of great potential with a record of faithful service; but who now is only known to us as someone who departed from the work “having loved this present world”. He teaches us that our unique talents, style and abilities are only fruitful if we remain faithful.
May God keep us from Demas’ failure, so that we never have to suffer loss; but instead, may He help us to grow us in faithfulness, so that the record will forever be that we were useful to His cause.