The Necessity For Apostolic Kinship

If you have your Bibles, you can turn to Colossians chapter 4.

Colossians 4 · chapter mention

We're going to start in verse 7.

Seth, I believe it was Seth, was the last one to preach on verses 1 through 7.

So I'm going to continue where he left off.

And, you know, it's a really interesting thing.

Colossi seems to be a church that was just getting going, and there was a lot of establishing to happen.

And Paul articulates that in the beginning of the letter.

So we are also a church that's getting established.

We're not established yet, but we're in the making.

So there's a lot that we can draw from the book of Colossians.

So I'm thankful that we went through this book.

And I think there's a lot in this passage that we're about to read that relate to us.

And so, Lord willing, we can draw even more with the last one today.

So I'm going to read verses 7 to the end, and then we'll dive in.

I'll kind of explain what I think the meat of this passage is.

So, Colossians chapter 4, starting verse 7, it says,

Colossians 4 · chapter mention

They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.

And see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.

For I bear witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.

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

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

And when this letter has been read among you, have it read also to the church of the Laodiceans.

And see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.

And say to Archippus, see that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.

I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand.

Remember my chains.

Grace be with you.

Okay, so this is God's word to finish out Paul's letter to the Colossians.

And, you know, at first, reading through the text, this can kind of seem like dismissive or non-important.

Kind of just sounds like Paul saying, say hi to so-and-so and say hi to this guy.

And this guy says hi to you.

Grace and peace, you know.

It's kind of like, okay, we get it.

You know, it's kind of like reading the, you know, the genealogies.

It's just a bunch of names.

It's like, what's the meaning behind this?

And initially, when I first read it, that was my thought.

I'm like, how the heck is this important?

But I think it's 2 Timothy 3 says that all scripture is breathed out by God.

And it's profitable for teaching and reproving and instruction.

So as I read this and I looked at all these names and I was thinking about why and how Paul was talking,

I think this is very relevant not only to our church but to many churches.

And it teaches us about what the relationship between one another can look like, especially in an apostolic way.

And so I went ahead and titled this message,

The Necessity for Apostolic Kinship.

The Necessity for Apostolic Kinship.

And I'll explain why I said that.

A little bit of a Brian kind of title there.

But the reason I chose to title this The Necessity for Apostolic Kinship is because what I think lies in the text here is very much what kinship embodies.

And honestly, what the apostolic, what we're doing, embodies as well.

And so here's what I mean by that.

So apostolic or apostleship, the word apostle literally just means sent one or sent person, messenger or envoy.

So when something is apostolic, it in large part is referring to either relating to the apostles or just being sent out by God purposefully.

So the necessity for a apostolic kinship refers to a body that is sent out, but not just a body or a people, but one that is kin.

And the word kin literally just means blood relationship.

And obviously, all of us are not literally bound by blood.

We all come from different families and that sort of thing.

But I do believe that there is a huge deficit in the church today of family found in the church body.

And so when you talk about kinship, the reason I chose the word is because the body of Christ united through the body and blood of Jesus Christ should be more than just blood.

It should be greater.

And when we think naturally about family and blood relationship, we immediately think of the closeness.

You know, you're close with your family members.

Even if you have a bad relationship with your family or you don't feel close, your family is inescapable.

You're bound to them as long as you live.

They're there.

They're your family.

You can't abort them.

You can't divorce them.

They're always there.

So there's this type of non-severing with kinship, which I think we should value in the body of Christ.

Because if we are members of one another through Jesus, then we cannot separate ourselves from one another.

So the necessity for apostolic kinship.

I'm going to walk through the passage and explain how I think for our church this would be extremely beneficial.

And that if we were to abort this, would be aborting God's mission to the church.

Or more specifically, God's witness through the church.

So a little bit of my aim, and before we get into the passage, is to show how the apostolic team that Paul lays out through all those names, those guys are his apostolic co-workers.

He calls them beloved brothers, servants.

So my aim is to show how the biblical apostolic team looks more like kinship or family than it does anything else.

It looks more like that than it does just partners, you know, somewhat like business, or just kind of working alongside each other.

And then when we're done, we're like, see ya.

It looks more like family than it does anything else.

And that in addition to that, as much as we are united through the body and blood of Jesus will prove to be how much we are family.

How much we believe that.

And so more and more churches today in America have been found with the, you know, entrepreneurial type spirit.

The kind of American dream at its core resulting in what I think is winning to people, to everything else, but Jesus himself.

And no, I don't think that all churches are rotten to the core.

But I think fundamentally there's something missing that teaches people about God and about the body that he died for.

So, you know, in churches today, they might be one with, or one to a handful of things.

It might be new habits, new ways of life, maybe a self-help if you're struggling.

It might be one to friendships or even positions of influence.

I could go on.

But, however, to find a church that is zealous for the kinship found between men like Paul and Timothy, or Jesus and John, you know, intimate relationship.

Or even his disciples, where the scriptures say that their hearts burned within them as they walked along the road.

So, that type of kind of connection, that type of burning in relationship, to find that seems really rare nowadays.

And so, we're at the precipice of getting established at Christ Church here, and this has got to be at its core.

And so, I assure you that if that kind of church is planted, the kind that is zealous for that relationship, that it will be characterized by the life of Christ himself.

It will look like God living through his people incarnationally.

And I believe that the church must return fundamentally to the confession that looks a lot like, you know, the song we sing, A Mighty Fortress.

Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also.

The body they may kill, God's truth abides still.

His kingdom is forever.

I think that when we are a united people, we are looking like God, which is sacrificing our lives for one another.

There is more power in a group of people that is willing to die for one another than there is any individual articulate of any business model for church ever.

And I think that that's valuable.

So, let's get into the text.

And I'm hoping that from what all I just articulated to you, that you'll see that a little bit and even imagine how Paul would relate to his coworkers maybe in that view.

So, quite a handful of names here throughout this passage, but we're going to kind of just go through from the top.

And right off the bat, it talks about Tychicus being the messenger or the agent that's delivering this letter, it seems.

Because Paul says, Tychicus will tell you all about my activities.

I have sent, in verse 8, it says, I have sent him to you for this purpose.

So, Paul is sending Tychicus as the kind of messenger to deliver these things.

Trustworthy enough for that.

We first meet Tychicus.

I hope I'm saying his name right.

I hope most of these names are...

I listened to him early this week and I was like, I think I got it.

We first meet him in Acts 20, verse 4, where we see him as one of Paul's companions traveling to Corinth.

Acts 20:4

Or sorry, from Corinth to Jerusalem.

Tychicus is a native to Asia, which is today Asia Minor.

Tychicus, we really don't have much on with what the New Testament gives us, but he's trustworthy, according to Paul, to deliver his letters.

And he has the same language, actually, for Tychicus in Ephesians 6, as he does in Colossians 4 here, which is,

Tychicus, the beloved and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything.

So, something about him, something about Tychicus' life with Paul was trustworthy enough.

Maybe he just observed everything.

He's like, this guy is responsible for informing you guys of how we are, and we'll do a good job to explain that.

So, he's a trustworthy guy.

But he doesn't just send him with a mere purpose to deliver the letter.

He sends him with two purposes.

One, to tell you how we are, he says, but also that he may encourage your hearts.

So, Tychicus might be especially gifted in this, gift of encouragement, which is valuable and useful to Paul.

So, he's saying, send this guy so that they'll get a little boost or refreshment.

And with Tychicus, it says in verse 9, if you scroll down,

With him, Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you.

Because the church at Colossae is largely Gentile, I believe the phrase, he is one of you, is meaning Gentile, versus merely just one of you as in he's a Christian as well.

I think it's a little bit more meaningful to that church by saying he is like one of you in his descent Gentile.

But one thing about Onesimus is that Onesimus was not saved the whole time, at least it seems, because Onesimus was the fugitive slave of Philemon, which is one of Paul's friends.

And Onesimus actually robbed Philemon and fleed to Rome to escape from him, but providentially ran into Paul while he was in prison there.

So, Onesimus was thinking, I'm going to rob Philemon and get out of here.

I'll be good.

But God saw it fit for him to connect with Paul by circumstance in Rome.

And Paul availed himself of the opportunity there to preach the gospel to Onesimus.

So much to where Paul in Philemon, if you go back and look, it says that he became his son in the faith.

And Paul doesn't use that language in many places.

He uses it with Timothy.

In different spots, he calls Timothy his son, but he also calls Onesimus his son.

So not only was Onesimus not a believer, but he ran into Paul and so much to where Paul led him to Christ and now can call him his son.

Notice the familial language there.

You know, I think it even says, my child Onesimus.

I appeal to you for my child Onesimus.

That's very familial.

And that's in Philemon.

We're in Colossians and here, when Paul introduces each person, he calls them faithful, but he also calls them beloved brothers.

You know, that's more than just coworkers.

Coworkers is not, you know, to diminish that fact.

They are that, but he calls them brethren.

And so some think that, like I said before, that Onesimus came to Christ before he was already in Colossae and maybe he was just kind of a struggling Christian.

And then he was born again by being led to Christ by Paul in his imprisonment.

Given that Paul says, I appeal to you for my son, or my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains.

Formerly, he was useless to you.

This is Philemon.

Or Paul speaking in the letter to Philemon.

Formerly, he was useless to you, but now he's useful to both you and me.

So formerly, he was kind of saying he was just a slave, not useful.

But now that he's come to Christ and I have fathered him, he's very useful to you.

And actually, if you read the book of Philemon, Paul is kind of in turmoil.

Well, not in turmoil, I guess you should say.

He doesn't really want to send Onesimus because he has such a benefit from him.

But he knows it would be good for him to go back.

And he urges them to receive him not as a slave, but as a brother in Christ.

So even there, you see it after Onesimus' conversion.

He says, relate to him not as a slave, but as a brother.

There's the familiar language again.

So with him, Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you,

they will tell you everything that has taken place.

So both Tychicus and Onesimus are partners in that work.

And then in verse 10, he introduces another character, Aristarchus,

who he calls his fellow prisoners.

We know that he was in prison with Paul.

He was walking through the struggle with him.

And Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instructions.

If he comes to you, welcome him.

Very briefly on Aristarchus, he's mentioned in the book of Acts

during one of the riots in Ephesus.

Paul preaches, I don't know if you remember, Paul preaches to,

I think it's Demetrius, one of the idol makers.

He's a metal worker making idols.

Artemis is one of the false gods that was really propagated in Ephesus.

And Paul preached to Demetrius, kind of stirred up the crowd.

And I think Paul escaped, but they seize Aristarchus,

named mentioned right here, and then Trophimus, another companion.

So he's mentioned there in Acts.

But there's not a ton on Aristarchus.

Most of these guys, there's really not much.

The most is probably like three times some of these people are mentioned

in the whole New Testament.

But Paul seems to really commend them in his letters,

or seems it fit to mention their names.

You know, you have to remember, this letter is being read to an entire church.

Not sure what the size of the church is.

Not only Colossae, but actually two churches, the church at Laodicea.

So he's specifically naming these people who seem to maybe have a sphere of influence.

But if not that, they're very dear to Paul, and they should be dear to us.

John Mark.

So in verse 10, it says,

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, or known as John Mark, is first mentioned in Acts 12, the cousin of Barnabas.

And he is a companion of Barnabas and Paul on their first missionary journey.

They're sent out together and start preaching the gospel.

I think Cyprus is the first place that they hit.

And then after Cyprus, we see in a peculiar way,

it says that John Mark left them in Pamphylia,

which is right after their time in Cyprus.

And people dispute why he left.

Some people say, you know,

scholars say maybe because of the fruitlessness in Cyprus,

there was only one recorded conversion,

that they were pretty discouraged.

So John Mark, maybe he was like,

I'm going home, guys.

I'm done.

We're not really sure.

Maybe he had business to take care of.

That was too much that he had to go back.

We don't know.

But he left in Acts 13 in Pamphylia.

And in Acts 15, if you go,

he appears again on Paul's second missionary journey,

about to leave with Barnabas.

But this time, Barnabas was like,

we should take John Mark with us on our second go around.

But Paul said, no, John Mark is unreliable.

Something about John Mark leaving the missionary journey the first time

did something to Paul that showed him that John Mark was not fit.

It was kind of a disqualifier.

And again, we don't know why John Mark left.

It could have been something akin to, you know,

Aunt Debbie's funeral.

Got to go home, make a good showing with the family.

But, you know, Paul is a very radical missionary.

And I can imagine him saying something like,

let the dead bury their own, John Mark.

You know, not to say that he wasn't letting him go.

He did let him leave.

But I think it's important to note that

Paul has a view of the apostolic ministry

as not for the faint of heart.

And if someone is going to leave,

then they're not so easily let back in.

There is qualifiers for doing the work.

I'm going to touch more on that later.

But we see that with John Mark.

We see that with Paul in Acts 15.

It says that he said that John Mark was not fit to come back.

And then John Mark, it says that there arose a sharp disagreement.

So they butted heads about that.

You know, it wasn't just like, yeah, I'll stay behind.

It was probably more like, no, you're not seeing this right.

I should come because X, Y, and Z.

And Paul's like, no, you're not fit.

Whatever, sharp disagreement.

So what ends up happening is Paul doesn't take Barnabas with him.

Barnabas and John Mark actually leave together

to go on their own separate way.

And Paul takes Silas instead.

So Paul acquires a new companion,

even after the time that he was with Barnabas.

It's interesting.

You don't see Paul forfeiting Barnabas,

or sorry, forfeiting his position to not take John Mark

at the expense of his companion Barnabas.

He says, you know what, Barnabas,

if you want to leave too, that's fine.

I'll take Silas with me.

He has a rigidity to his decision and his apostolic way.

And I think that's important to note

because so much of the church nowadays,

we're talking about the apostolic.

We're talking about church being sent down.

That's the language that we see here

and what this church is.

So it's important to note that we have to draw from that.

We have to look at Paul's way of life,

how he sees people who are committed to his work,

as well as one another,

how we see people committed to this work that we're doing.

And at bare minimum,

say that church planning is not whimsical.

You can't come and go as you please.

That doesn't mean that church planning is covenantal,

meaning that you're going to be severed

if you break the covenant.

You can go.

But according to Paul,

it's very serious.

You know,

let goods and kindred go.

You know,

this mortal life also.

Paul realizes that doing this work

could result in the death of his own life

and his companions.

But he's down.

You know,

he says in another passage,

I know whom I have believed.

You know,

he saw the Lord.

He was convinced

that his life was totally worth sacrificing

and even the life of his,

his fellow workers.

So.

I really think it's,

it's,

it's valuable to see that discourse with John Mark,

because I do believe that what John Mark experiences

and what happened with Barnabas

and how Paul dealt with it happens all the time,

not in practice or practical outflowing merely,

but in our thoughts,

how committed we are to the work.

How much do we trust God's call on us

to fulfill the ministry?

If we're constantly wrestling in our minds with,

is this a good idea?

Oh man,

I really missed the comforts of home

or wouldn't it be better to go back to Egypt?

This kind of mentality.

This doesn't work for,

for apostolic ministry.

It's,

it's duplicitous at the worst

and will hinder the kinship

between one another.

So that's why I mentioned John Marks,

because although it's such a small thing,

you know,

he left,

there's a disagreement,

they move on.

I think there's a lot there.

And I think that many churches

and his congregants

see church

as something to where,

you know,

if I,

if I find a good church,

good,

but I could get up and leave at any moment,

you know,

and there is a little bit more pressure

when we talk about church planning

versus just church attendance.

There is a distinction.

So don't misunderstand me

when I'm talking about anyone,

but

for Christchurch,

this is very applicable

because we are sent ones.

We came from Bellicose.

We were sent out for a specific work

and we're on the precipice

of just getting going.

So this is very relevant.

So

please see that.

My prayer is that you see that

in the word of God

and

we should draw from that.

So that's John Mark.

Paul says in verse 11 that,

or sorry,

after that,

there's a guy named

Jesus,

not the main Jesus.

It's also called Justice.

And then he says,

these are the only men

of the circumcision

among my fellow workers

for the kingdom of God.

So all the names

that we just read

seem to be

Jews

or seem to be,

you know,

men of the circumcision.

And he said,

and Paul said that

they've been a comfort to me.

Maybe it's just

who they were,

their character

that was a comfort.

Maybe it's the fact that

they were kin to him,

you know,

of the same tribe.

Not sure.

But in one way,

we know that they comforted him.

And then we introduced

a guy named Epaphras

who Paul says

in verse 12,

is one of you

a servant of Christ Jesus.

He greets you

always struggling

in his prayers

or on your behalf

in his prayers

that you may stand mature

and fully assured

in all the will of God.

For I bear him witness

that he has worked hard for you

and for those in Laodicea

and Hierapolis.

So Epaphras,

he says,

one of you,

again,

I think he's probably saying

Epaphras is Gentile

like you guys

at Colossae.

Epaphras is likely

the one

who planted

the church

at Colossae.

If you go back

to chapter one,

Paul is commending them

for receiving

the word

delivered

by

Epaphras.

Epaphras

was the first person

to preach

the word

to them

and so began

the church

at Colossae.

This could mean

that Epaphras

was recognized

as an apostle

by Paul as well.

We're not sure.

He seems to have

the lingo

of Paul.

If you look at

how Paul talks

about him

in verse 12 here,

it says that

he's got

two things.

One,

he's always

struggling

struggling

on your behalf

in his prayers.

Very interesting

phrase,

you know,

to characterize

somebody.

He works hard

in prayer.

He's an intercessor,

you know,

and he struggles

too.

He doesn't just

put in half

the effort.

He struggles.

He wrestles.

But to what end?

Why does Epaphras

struggle?

It says,

so that you

may stand

mature

and fully

assured

in all

the will

of God.

That's pretty

awesome because

if you go back

to Colossians

1 down

to verse 28,

we hear Paul

say,

him we proclaim,

talking about

Jesus,

warning everyone

and teaching

everyone

with all

wisdom that

we may present

everyone mature

in Christ.

And then he

says in 29,

for this I toil,

struggling with

all his energy

that he powerfully

works within me.

Same language.

Paul says he

struggles.

He's struggling

with all

Christ's energy

within him.

Why?

Why does he

say that?

To what end?

Go back

in the verse.

So that we

may present

everyone mature

in Christ.

Okay?

This character

recognizes Paul.

Paul struggles

and Epaphras

as well

in his prayers.

They struggle,

but to what end?

Both of them

see the same

goal,

which is to

present you

mature

and make you

fully assured

of all the

will of God.

When we're

talking about

building a

church,

how did

they build?

How did

Paul build?

How did

Epaphras build?

And they

did it by

working hard

with a

struggle,

and they

did it with

the goal

of maturity.

So everyone

in this room

to one degree

or another

has level

maturity.

Some are

more mature

than others,

and some

people in

this room

are already

at work

to that

end,

but it's

good for us

to look at

the Word

of God

and say

this is

why we

struggle

for one

another,

so that we

might actually

be mature,

not infants,

as it says

in other

places,

but as

adults,

you know,

in the

faith.

we see

that Epaphras

has that

mantle,

that he

shares that

with Paul,

he's locked

in on the

vision of

that,

and I

just want

to kind

of hone

in on

the unity

between Epaphras

that you

can see

there,

even in

the language

struggling,

presenting

mature,

the unity

that we

should strive

to have.

Earlier

this week,

I

went out

with some

guys,

Judah was

with me,

we went

to a

young

adults

ministry

in the

city,

some of

our other

guys were

with us,

some people

there,

and went

down just

to meet

people,

but with

also the

intent of

mission to

reach some

people who

maybe don't

know God,

but are

affiliated with

church,

very big

young adult

ministry,

a lot of

people there,

and as I

was talking

to one

of the

guys,

who was

actually a

leader at

this ministry,

he was

asking a lot

about Christ

church,

kind of

where we

are,

how we

are doing,

I was

asking about

his life,

and then I

started to

articulate how

we are still

building the

foundation,

and how

family is a

big aspect

of that,

and I

talked about

the need

for paternal

presence,

or the

presence of

fathers in

the life of

the church,

and we

eventually got

down the

road to

me asking

them,

do you

think,

either in

the past

or presently,

that you

have

experienced

being

fathered

by someone

in this

church,

or another

church in

the past,

and he's

like,

I don't

know,

I don't

think so,

and knowing

what I know,

I was shocked,

because I'm

like,

oh my gosh,

this guy is

just,

you know,

riding off of

who knows

what,

mentors,

influencers,

all those things

are good,

but Paul says

you have many

of those,

but you don't

have many

fathers,

that's the

rebuke,

you know,

to a church

that has no

paternal presence,

is you have

guys,

you have

mentors,

you have

instructors,

but you

don't have

many fathers,

Paul said

that he

became a

father through

the gospel,

so the way

that we do

that is

through the

gospel,

but that has

to be an

aim,

a little

tangent

there,

where were

we,

I was just

talking about

Epaphras,

oh yeah,

so the goal

is maturity,

that's the

goal of every

church,

so we might

present its

members to

saints mature,

you know,

we can really

forget that

sometimes,

we go week

by week,

and it's

kind of just

like,

there's a lot

of responsibilities,

a lot of

things to do,

but are we

growing in

our maturity

in Christ,

and maturity

towards one

another,

and that

should be

our aim,

so moving

on,

it says

in verse

13,

for I bear

him witness

that he

has worked

hard for

you,

talking about

Epaphras,

and for

those in

Laodicea and

Hierapolis,

verse 14,

it says,

Luke,

the beloved

physician,

greets you

as does

Demas,

give my

greetings to

the brothers

at Laodicea

and to

Nympha

and the

church in

her house,

I'm not

going to go

into much

about Luke

and Demas,

but Luke

is the

author of

Acts,

so he

was there

for a lot

of it,

you know,

Demas is

mentioned

two other

places,

one in

Philemon

and one

in 2

Timothy,

the one

in 2

Timothy not

being a

very good

light,

Paul says

that Demas

has forsaken

me in love

with this

present world,

so it's

very possible

that I

don't think

Demas is

apostate

in that

section as

much as

Paul sees

him as

taken up

with other

things,

you know,

maybe he

got a

sweet job

offer,

and he's

like,

sorry,

Paul,

I'm

going to

take this,

and Paul's

like,

what the

heck,

you know,

why are you

in love

with the

world,

we've been

doing this

forever,

you know,

we don't

know much,

but we

do know

that about

Demas,

and we

do know

that Paul,

again,

with Paul's

zealous,

rigorous view

of apostleship,

that he sees

something maybe

like that as

you're in love

with the world,

Demas,

you know,

you've got

things out of

priority,

and let us

not be like

Demas,

you know,

whether in

small or

in great.

It's important

to realize

that everything

that Satan

works is crafty,

and begins in

small increments,

doesn't happen

all at once,

and we must be

on guard,

the love of the

world,

and other

things that

slip in,

especially at

the beginning

of a church

plant.

Satan would

love to devise

in our hearts

love for other

things,

and distract

us from

the work.

You know,

I might beat

a dead horse

by saying

that,

but we

don't wrestle

with what we

can see,

with flesh

and blood,

the scriptures

say.

So we

have to be

focused on

what God

has said.

That is the

only way that

we walk

with sight,

in a sense,

is we can

see what God

has said,

and we can

follow him,

believing in

faith that he

rewards those

who seek

him,

right?

So Luke,

the beloved

physician,

greets you

as does

Demas.

Give my

greetings to

the brothers

at Laodicea

and to

Nympha

and the

church in

her house.

A little

shout out

to the

ladies.

Nympha

seemed to

be a

prominent

enough woman

to get

her name

put in

the letter,

but we

also see

that she

was likely

very hospitable.

the church

in her

house.

She would

have

gatherings

of prayer

or at

least some

type of

gatherings.

I forgot

to mention

this about

John Mark,

but John

Mark's mom,

Mary,

also was

mentioned

in Acts

as one

who regularly

had people

gather in

her house

for prayer,

which is

also mentioned.

so the

women in

the church

seem to

be of

prominent

standing for

Paul to

mention as

well.

And then

it says,

and when

this letter

is read

or has

been read

among you,

have it

also read

to the

church of

the Laodiceans

and see

that you

also read

the letter

from the

Laodicea.

last

character

here

in verse

17,

that's

mentioned.

It says,

and say

to Archippus,

see that

you fulfill

the ministry

that you

have received

from the

Lord.

Okay,

this phrase

is,

I think,

one of the

more

prophetic

phrases

that we

could draw

from this

passage for

Christ's

church today,

right now,

because we

are a

collective

group with

callings and

giftings.

And Paul

singles out

one guy,

Archippus,

mentioned two

other places

very briefly

and says,

hey,

say to this

guy,

fulfill what

you're called

to do.

What was

Archippus called

to do?

Nobody knows.

Apparently,

Paul does,

though,

and Archippus.

And he calls

him out and

says,

hey,

you remember

this?

Remember how

God anointed

you to do

this?

Remember how

you're gifted?

Remember how

you minister

in this way?

Do it.

You know,

maybe Archippus

was dragging

his feet.

Maybe he got

discouraged,

whatever.

Paul has

enough boldness

and apostolic

authority to

say,

look,

dude,

I was there

for that,

and you

know what

you're called

to do.

And you

can do it.

By the grace

of the Lord,

you can fulfill

your calling

because God

literally supplies

you.

He makes up

your constitution

with the

giftings that

he assigns

and gives you

grace to do

it.

So he's

saying,

remember that

and fulfill

it.

And I can

only imagine

what it was

like maybe

to be Archippus

and have that

read to the

church and

have his name

called out.

Maybe he was

like,

geez,

Paul,

I get it.

I'll get

going.

But in

addition,

you have to

remember,

Paul's a

father.

He's not

just like

an angry

boss that

calls you

out.

He's a

father.

So I

imagine

that Paul,

with his

fatherly

tone,

and Archippus

knowing about

Paul's

fatherly

tone,

can receive

that saying,

I know

Paul loves

me.

I know

he's there

for me.

And he's

encouraging me

and rebuking

me like a

son.

And I'm

sure you

guys have

many people

in your

life that

if they

said something

like that

to you,

you'd be

like,

get out

of here,

man.

You don't

even know

me.

Get off

my back.

But there's

also people

that would

say the

same thing,

that you

would be

humble and

sober and

you would

say thank

you.

Because of

that equity,

because of

the familial

tie,

the relational

kind of

substance

between

each other.

You know

what I mean?

This has

got to be

present.

It's got to

be somewhere

in there

as he's

speaking.

And so

he says

say to

him,

see that

you fulfill

the ministry

of the

Lord.

that you

have

received

in the

Lord.

I don't

know if

you guys

remember,

this is

very similar

to Paul

saying to

Timothy,

guard the

deposit

entrusted

to you.

It was

given to

you by

the laying

on of

hands.

Very

similar.

He calls

him out

and says,

hey,

Timothy,

guard that.

Just like

that.

That tone

he's saying

to Archippus,

see that you

fulfill the

ministry.

Which

fulfill here

literally means

to fill

up.

It doesn't

mean just

do a

bunch,

but actually

let your

life be

full.

Let the

calling that

God has

impressed,

the area

that God

has impressed

and gifted

you,

let it

fill up

your life.

Don't let

it lack.

And there's

much to be

said about

our giftings,

our callings,

and how we

relate to

one another.

But one

thing for

sure is

that it

must be

full.

If we

know them,

some of us

don't know

them very

well,

and that's

where we

got to

start to

take aim

and use

the other

parts of

the body

to be

like,

how am

I gifted?

How has

God called

me?

But some

of us know

how we're

called,

but we're

not fulfilling,

we're not

filling up.

and maybe

you need a

fatherly figure

to just help

you along

and say,

hey,

fulfill the

ministry.

You've

received it

from the

Lord,

I'll go

out and

do it.

And we

can't be

idle in

that.

So after

Paul caps

it off

with his

exhortation

to Archippus,

he seals

it,

with his

apostolic

heart by

saying,

I,

Paul,

write this

greeting with

my own

hand.

This is

for me.

Realize

who this

is from.

Don't forget

about me.

Remember

my chains.

And he

says,

grace be

with you.

So

that's the

scope of

the passage.

I think

when I

first,

like I said

in the

beginning,

when I

first read

this,

I was

like,

you know,

daunted

by all the

names a

little bit.

But these

people

are Paul's

apostolic

crew.

You know,

and we

are an

apostolic

crew.

I mean,

how much

we're knit

together will

prove to be

how we

are.

But we

have to

look at

the scripture

and say,

the kinship

that is

wrought

through Jesus,

what we have

through the

body and

blood of

Jesus and

what he

did on

the cross

is more,

it's not

less than

the forgiveness

of sins,

but it's

more than

that.

Because the

forgiveness

of sins

through the

cross is

not just

that that

was purchased.

It was

reconciliation

to the

father.

You see

that?

That's

familial.

Not having

your sins

forgiven and

then being

reconciled to

God.

That is

a type

of kin

relationship.

You have

God as

your father

through Jesus.

And we

share the

same father.

And we're

brothers and

sisters of

one another.

Fathers and

mothers.

So to

abort those

characteristics is

to abort the

omission of

God and

Christ Jesus

for us.

Yes,

he's forgiven

us and

washed us

clean of

our sins.

Totally

clean.

But he has

also called

us to be

kin.

to relate

to one

another as

family.

And

it takes

work to

do that.

It doesn't

happen in

one day,

nor should

you expect

it to

happen in

one month

or maybe

even one

year.

But you

have to

have the

purpose

in mind

saying God

wants this

for us,

so we're

going to

strive for

that.

And so

we see that

in the

letter.

We see

that in

Paul's

heart.

He

literally

says when

I'm

sending

Onesimus,

who he

calls his

son,

he's

sending

my very

heart.

What kind

of person

talks like

this?

You know

what I

mean?

And I

think we've

been blessed

to come

from a

very great

church,

Bellicose.

We're sent

out with

a lot of

affection.

And it

wouldn't be

strange to

me, and

this is how

I know

this, it

wouldn't be

strange to

me for

someone to

say, hey,

we're sending

so-and-so

from Bellicose

and with

him our

very heart.

You know,

whoever that

person is,

they've been

proved, they've

been tried, and

you'll know

them, and

you'll have

affection for

them, because

you know where

you came

from, and

the seed of

family is

there.

So, I

want to

kind of

wrap up

with five

closing

points,

which I

think are

applicable to

Christ's

church, but

also are

found here

in this

passage.

And really

briefly, five

ways to

embrace the

apostolic

kinship that

we see in

the scriptures.

Number one,

and this is

kind of to be

on guard

against,

number one,

is to put

to death

a duplicitous

heart.

You know,

James 1.8

says that the

double-minded

man is

unstable in

all his

ways.

Being

double-minded,

duplicitous,

always being

like, should I

do this, should

I do this, is

this good, is

this bad, having

that kind of

mindset.

We really

need to put

that to

death.

Not saying

that you

shouldn't,

you know, if

you're ignorant,

strive for

knowledge and

ask questions,

but there is a

type of love

of sentimentality,

can be even

idolatry, you

know, where you

came from,

idolizing what

you had, that

needs to be put

to death, if

that exists in

us, and it

can creep in.

you know, Jesus,

when he often

talks, although

some places may

seem to be, you

know, hyperbole,

talks in a very

matter-of-fact

way, you know,

if anyone does

not hate his

mother and

father, you

know, all the

excuses of the

people, Lord, I

just bought a

field, you

know, Lord, my

father just died,

let the dead

bury their own.

It's like,

geez.

But what he's

getting at is

basically like, be

undivided in your

devotion to God,

be undivided in

your aim, and

do not let the

love of this

world or the

love of comforts,

either in the

privacy of your

own mind or

your outward

workings hinder

you from

following Christ.

So point

number two,

that's point

number one.

Point number

two, very

simple one that

you've heard a

thousand times,

but it's

love one

another.

Romans 13, 8

says, owe

no one anything

except to love

each other, for

the one who

loves one

another fulfills

the whole law.

There's that

word, fulfill,

you know, filled

up.

You obey all

the commands,

Jesus says, when

you have love for

God and your

neighbor, right?

This is the law

and prophets, he

says.

And so we must

do that to one

another.

We must

honestly strategize

how to love

each other

better.

And if there

is something

that hinders

us from

loving each

other, we

must repent.

I was

convicted earlier

this week

about how

in my own

heart, I

really didn't

have full

affection for

this person

in my life

and I was

mulling over

why that

was.

And it

came to

me, why?

And it

was like

crystal clear.

I was, I

had strains

of jealousy

and just a

projection of

judgment rather

than grace for

this person.

God

and the

Lord convicted

me and

said, this

is why you're

not loving

him.

It's because

you're letting

these things

to thrive.

Even on a

small, it

seemed to be

small level,

it ruled the

ability to

love him.

And so I