AM Bible Study Group; July 24, 2013
Colossians 4:7-18
Theme: In this final study, we consider all the ways God used the different people mentioned in Paul’s closing greeting.
(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from
There was a job description that was once written from a fictitious church that was looking for a pastor. It said that this church wanted a pastor . . .
who preaches exactly twenty minutes and then sits down. He condemns sin, but never hurts anyone’s feelings. He labors from 8 AM to 10 PM in every kind of work, from preaching to custodial service. He makes $60 a week, wears good clothes, buys good books regularly, has a nice family, drives a good car and gives $30 a week to the church. He also stands ready to contribute to every good work that comes along.
The ideal pastor is twenty-six years old and has been preaching for thirty years. He is at once tall and short, thin and heavy-set, and handsome. He has one brown eye and one blue; his hair is parted in the middle with the left side dark and straight and the right side brown and wavy. He has a burning desire to work with teenagers and spends all his time with the older folks. He smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his work. He makes fifteen calls a day on church members, spends all his time evangelizing the unchurched, and is never out of his office. (From David Haney, The Idea of The Laity [1973, Zondervan], p. 42.)
Thankfully, God doesn’t create such monsters to serve the needs of His church. As the closing verses of Paul’s letter to the Colossians have shown us, God not only does His work through people; but He does a variety of work through a variety of people. Everyone is needed . . . and in different ways.
This morning, let’s take one final look at this closing passage—Colossians 4:7-18. There are twelve verses in this passage; and—other than our Lord; and if we include Paul himself—there are twelve individuals mentioned by name in these twelve verses. Some were educated and cultured, such as Luke; and some were slaves, such as Onesimus. Some were outstandingly faithful, such as Tychicus and Aristarchus; and some needed a second chance, such as Mark. Some worked tirelessly for the church, such as Epaphras; and some needed to be encouraged, such as Archippus. Some served in faithful anonymity, such as Jesus Justus; others became a sad object lesson for all, such as Demas. And some, like Nymphas, had been given the means to make it all possible—just in providing the place to meet.
They were all very different; but let’s review some of the ways God specifically used them together.
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1. Two of them wrote Gospels; and they are Mark (v. 10) and Luke (v. 14). Historians believe that Mark wrote his Gospel account first; and if that’s the case, Luke would have made use of it (see Luke 1:1-4). Their accounts have characteristics and distinctions between them—just as the men themselves were distinct from one another. Mark had a history of failure; Luke was a faithful man. Mark’s experience with Jesus was early; Luke’s came later. But God used them both to complement one another and to bless the church richly throughout the centuries.
2. One of them was a simple courier. That, of course, would be Tychicus. Unlike Mark and Luke, we have nothing that he himself wrote. But God used him to deliver no less than three crucial New Testament letters that have blessed the church for centuries: Ephesians (Ephesians 6:21-22), Colossians (Colossians 4:7-8), and Philemon.(if we assume—as we safely can—that he brought the letter to Philemon with him when he delivered the other two). We should never minimize the importance of seemingly small, behind-the-scenes support tasks in the work of the Lord when they are done faithfully! We read and are blessed by these letters twenty centuries later!
3. Some brought news, keeping the church family informed of what was happening. That was a part of Tychicus’ role—and Onesimus’ role as well (vv 8, 9). In the process of their doing so, they have given us a model of the sort of mutual love and care that God wants to see prevailing in His church. He wants us to keep one another informed.
4. Some brought encouragement and comfort to others who needed it. That certainly would have been the case with Tychicus and Onesimus in person (vv. 7-9); and with Epaphras from a distance (vv. 12-13). That encouragement was to be passed on by the Colossians to the Laodiceans; and from the Laodiceans to the Colossians (v. 16). As a result of their having done so, Christians have been comforted throughout the centuries—and are being comforted even today!
5. Some brought greetings. In verses 10-15, you’ll find eight different calls for ‘greetings’ to be exchanged. We tend to pass by those “greetings” that are mentioned in the Scripture as if they were something incidental. But they’re not incidental at all. In bearing greeting from Paul, these Christians were letting one another know that they weren’t alone in the things that they suffered for the Lord Jesus; and that neither are we.
6. One man, we’re told, labored fervently in prayer for the establishment and stability of others. It’d be hard to find higher words of praise for such labors as we find concerning Epaphras in verses 12-13. We can safely speculate that others did the same kinds of things—even though their labors weren’t mentioned as much as those of Epaphras. They give us an example to follow of discipleship and Spirit-empowered follow-up with others who have trusted the Lord Jesus.
7. That same man, we’re told, evangelized. In Colossians 1:7-8, we’re told that the Colossians believed the gospel “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.” His faithfulness to God’s call—and perhaps others with him—made it possible for those Colossians to become members of the household of God. He inspires us to the work of the Great Commission with a sense of its great success in God’s hand.
8. Some gave companionship and direct assistance to the leaders. This was certainly true in the case of Aristarchus and Mark and Jesus who is called Justice (vv. 10-11)—Paul’s “only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision; they have proved to be a comfort to me”. We could include Onesimus in that number; because in Philemon 11-13, Paul says that he wishes he could keep the young, runaway slave with him—”now profitable”; Paul’s “own heart, whom I wished to keep with me,” that on Philemon’s behalf, “he might minister to me in my chains for the gospel”. Such servants of the Lord teach us that, in the fulfillment of His work, God calls some—like Paul—into the spotlight, and others to work behind the scenes to make their ministry a success.
9. Some exhorted those in ministry, and stirred them up to a renewed enthusiasm for the work that God gave them. This was the case of the Colossians themselves when it came to Archippus (v. 17). He needed encouragement; and they were to provide it. Paul’s call to them reminds us to look around and see who else in the work needs to be lifted up.
10. Some provided for the physical, material needs of the church. This would have been the case with Nymphus (or Nympha—depending on the translation used) who is mentioned in verse 15. He (or she) even gave his (or her) home a place for the church family to meet; and in doing so, reminds us that giving to the work is as crucial to the work as the actual doing of the work.
11. Some shared the instruction and teaching they had received with others in the body of Christ. That, again, would have been the case of the Colossians with respect to the Laodicean church—and the Laodicean church with them (v. 16). It may also have been a part of the ministry that Archippus needed to be encouraged to perform (v. 17). They remind us that we have been given precious truths to believe and live by in the word of God; and that we have an obligation to our brothers and sisters within and outside our church walls to share what we have been given.
12. Some served as a warning and illustration of the dangers of falling away. This would be the sad ministry that Demas performs to us. He was mentioned with honor in Colossians 4:14; but with sad dishonor later on in 2 Timothy 4:10. He who once sent greetings had later “forsaken” Paul; “having loved this present world”—teaching us that even those whose ministry is outstanding in the church must keep on our guard against the traps of the devil.
13. And, of course, let’s not miss one more important point in all this. In writing all of these things, Paul was himself giving due recognition and acknowledgment to those who labored so hard among them. In doing this, Paul reminds us that we all need to be encouraged and appreciated and told “thank you” every now and then.
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So, dear brothers and sisters in Christ; it’s very true that God Himself does His work. But let’s never forget that He does it through people like you and me. Let’s be encouraged by the fact that He doesn’t need us to be brilliant and powerful like Paul—and that, as brilliant as he was, not even Paul could do it all. God can use us just as we are if we avail ourselves to Him. As someone once said, the only ‘ability’ God needs from us is ‘avail-ability’!
What an honor to be used by God! May we become increasingly available to Him; and may He use us to accomplish His great work through us. And above all, may He get all the glory.