Colossians 4:7-19

Well, good morning, church.

Turn with me, if you will, to Colossians chapter 4, Colossians chapter 4, and today we will be looking at verses 7 through 18, which is Paul's conclusion to the church in Colossi.

Colossians 4 · chapter mention Colossians 4 · chapter mention

As a way of concluding this letter, I would like to remind us of the context and give a summary of this awesome epistle.

I hope you guys have enjoyed it as much as I have.

So the city of Colossae was a very diverse culture.

It was highly religious and it was a very pagan area.

Truth to them was always morphing and changing.

So the people in this culture, they loved it when there were new religious ideas, when they were presented.

So they could kind of add it to their religious smorgasbord.

Therefore, when they heard about the Christian faith, they tried to hijack and absorb Christianity.

They attempted to redefine it.

And so they had the Judaizers who tried to add to Christianity.

They were saying you need Jesus plus works.

You need Christ plus the Sabbath, Christ plus dietary laws.

And then they had the Gnostics who tried to redefine who Christ was.

They said Christ is really two persons.

There's Jesus the man, and then there's Christ the God, and they are distinct.

And then you had the mystics, they tried to attack Christian practice by saying Christ isn't enough.

You need to be experiencing special visions, dreams, prophetic insight.

And if you're not experiencing that, you're not a true Christian.

And so these Christians, they were confused, they were vulnerable.

Were they missing out?

Maybe they were the deceived ones?

Perhaps they were misled.

I mean, who's the false teachers here?

Which is why Paul writes this letter to set things straight.

In chapter one, he establishes the complete sufficiency and supremacy of Jesus Christ.

In chapter two, he denounces all these false teachings and he reminds us that Christ is sufficient.

He is all we need.

And then in chapter three, he commands us to keep our focus on Christ as we kill sin, as we put on Christ, as we walk out his original design for us in our relationships.

And then here in chapter four, he reminds us that all of this should lead to two things: a deeper prayer life with God and a greater outer life of witness.

All of Colossians is shouting, All you need is Christ.

If you have him, you need nothing more.

Therefore, love him, seek him, obey him.

And now we arrive at the conclusion here in verses 7 through 18.

And if you look at your Bible headings, most of them are titled Final Greetings.

And if you're like me, you look at such a passage and you think, man, there is no rich theology here, nothing practical.

This is just Paul giving a few shout-outs to his homeboys.

This is just a formality, a custom.

However, I would like to argue this morning that that could not be further from the truth.

This conclusion is not some meaningless formality.

This church is holy scripture.

And what we see here is rich practical theology regarding church life and relationships.

In this passage, there are six essential traits that we learn about the church.

One, that they informed one another.

Two, that they greeted one another.

Three, that they advocated for one another.

Four, that they affirmed one another.

Five, that they prayed for one another.

And six, lastly, that they circulated God's word amongst each other.

All of this is found in these 11 verses.

And these real-life examples should give us insight on how the church should relationally function.

It may seem insignificant or of less importance, but it is my hope today that we will see the value of informing, greeting, advocating, affirming, praying, and sharing God's word with one another, that we might see how vital these things are.

So the Apostle Paul from prison finalizes his letter to the Colossians this way, starting in verse 7.

Tychicus will tell you all about my activities.

He is a beloved brother and a faithful minister and a fellow servant in the Lord.

I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts, and with him, Onisimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you.

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

And Aristocus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, in Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instructions.

If he comes to you, welcome him.

In Jesus, who is called justice.

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

Apaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.

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

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 also read in the church of the Laodiceans, and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea, and say to Archipas, 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.

So the first thing that we can observe here is how the early church informed one another.

Tychicus and Onisimus are being sent to tell them about Paul's activities throughout the book of Acts.

We see the churches sending letters, they send messengers, even risking their lives to go and inform churches.

So during this time, Paul was in prison, if you remember, and enemies of Christ saw this as an opportunity to spread rumors about him.

They accused him of being greedy, of abusing his apostleship, they accused him of preaching a different gospel than that of the other apostles, and so on.

So here it comes straight from the horse's mouth.

If Paul didn't inform the churches, they may have fallen victim to believing falsehoods.

And this is why we as a church should seek to inform one another.

Because sharing information promotes communication.

And communication promotes relationship and opportunities.

How can the church be praying for you if you never inform anyone?

How can we support your ministry efforts if you never tell anyone?

How can we sympathize with your struggles if no one knows?

How can we rejoice with you if you're not sharing what God's doing in your life?

How can we continue to pray strategically for the purvises or for Grace Church in Danville or for Julia who transferred membership if we don't seek or have updates?

Proclamation Church, we should be sharing relevant information with one another.

We should be sharing our lives together.

It deepens relationships, we feel more connected, it creates opportunities to pray, support, and meet needs.

It strengthens unity.

But living in an isolated and autonomous culture, we struggle with this.

And yet it seems so simple.

We don't do it because we don't want to burden others, nor do we want to be burdened.

We don't do it because I'm so busy.

Life is so crazy.

I don't need one more thing to think about.

We don't do it because we distrust people.

We have shared things in the past and people used that information against me.

We don't do it because we think the church doesn't care.

They don't need to know.

Listen, some things are meant to keep private.

I understand that.

But church is indeed a family.

More than our blood family, by the way.

Christ teaches us that in Matthew 12.

We will be spending in eternity together forever with Christ.

Therefore, most things should be shared with those whom you are in covenant relationship with.

Healthy churches are healthy communicators, both corporately and individually.

Therefore, what struggles do you have?

How are your ministry efforts going?

What has God been doing in your life?

Do you need prayer?

Do you need support?

All of these things we should be sharing with one another because it keeps us relationally connected and it provides opportunities for the church to rejoice with you, weep with you, pray for you, or at the very least sympathize with you.

Friends, the church is called to share many things.

But one thing we often take for granted and ignore is sharing information about our lives with one another.

I know this is so basic, but how often we don't do this because our view of church is so low, and we just don't see the need to share.

In the days ahead, may we be a church that informs one another, as we see here in the early church.

The next thing we can observe from this passage is the high emphasis on greeting one another.

Aristocus, Epaphrus, and Luke all send greetings.

Paul himself sends greetings to the brothers at Laodicea and to Nympha in the church in her house.

So this isn't just some meaningless formality.

Back in this time, when you greeted someone, it was a serious acknowledgement of someone's presence and worth.

It was actually very strong.

It was to ignore that they even exist.

So this is such a simple, again, but yet powerful practice in church life.

When you greet someone at church, or just in general, whether you know it or not, you are saying more than just hello.

What you're really saying is this I noticed you, I was excited to see you, and you are important.

So here, when Paul says that these men, hey, they're sending you greetings, what he is saying is they deeply care, they warmly acknowledge, and they recognize you.

So there's a story that I heard once about a young man who was struggling with suicide.

His reasoning was that nobody loved him, nobody cared.

He was estranged from his family, he had broken relationships, and he felt like no one in this universe cared for him.

And as a last-ditch effort, he walked into the closest local church, not far from his house.

And you know what the biggest impact for this young man was that Sunday.

It wasn't the sermon, it wasn't the music, it was the door greeter of all people.

When he walked up, the door greeter, full of light and life, looked at this young man, shook his hand, and he said, I am so glad that you came here today.

It's so nice to meet you.

My name's Bob, and if you're comfortable, I'd love to get to know you.

And this young man never experienced such genuine care.

And it was in that moment that this young man realized that someone cares.

Ironically, of all people, a complete stranger.

And it was meaningful and genuine.

And so never doubt the power of a warm, heartfelt greeting.

And this isn't a matter of being introvert or extrovert, whether or not you have social anxiety or not, whether or not you have the gift or calling of meet and greet.

As Christians, we should all be joyful greeters.

Could you imagine walking into a church where no one welcomes you?

Everyone feels cold, distant, and disengaged.

Yet it happens all the time.

And it is a result of people thinking more about their feelings, their awkwardness, than about loving other people who are made in the beautiful image of God.

Proclamation Church, may we be good greeters to anyone who walks through our door.

Not only that, but may we be good greeters in life in general.

People are so self-consumed, so self-absorbed that this is becoming a lost art in our society.

I've seen it.

I go up at Kroger to cashiers, and the moment they see me, there's a big sigh.

And they roll their eyes because I'm inconveniencing them because they don't want more work.

When you try and talk to a stranger in public, I've seen it, I've been there.

You can see them roll their eyes because they have a busy day.

You're just getting in the way.

A stranger will walk through our door, and it creates in you an uncomfortable social feelings.

So you go and you talk to someone else who you do know, hoping that someone else will greet them.

Church, may we be good greeters and be intentional in sending our greetings to especially the brethren here at Proclamation Church.

Next, what we observe is advocacy.

Okay, this is just a very small portion at the end of verse 10.

But Paul advocates for Mark.

If you remember from the book of Acts, Paul and Barnabas had a ministry split because of Mark.

Okay, many theologians believe it was Mark who fled naked in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Some theologians believe Mark was actually the young rich ruler.

But whatever it may be, when trouble comes, Mark seems to be the guy that runs.

So not the kind of guy you want in frontline ministry.

So in Acts, Barnabas and Paul argued over whether Mark should join them in their ministry.

Paul thought he was flaky, Barnabas didn't, and it ended in a ministry split.

But now here in Colossians, Paul is advocating for Mark.

Whether uh whatever was going on, it had been resolved.

So I'm sure many Christians heard about this drama, and sadly it left a bad reputation for Mark.

If Paul couldn't trust him, neither should we.

And I'm sure gossip was spreading and the story got blown out of proportion.

But here Paul advocates for him, and he says, Listen, if Mark comes to you, welcome him.

Let him in.

Things have been resolved, so treat him as family.

And so what we see here, church, is advocacy.

The church is called to this ministry.

We must advocate for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

And I'm not talking about unhealthy tribalism, but we are an eternal family.

We are brothers and sisters in Christ, and sometimes, just like a family, a sibling makes a stupid choice.

And sometimes, just like a family, there is a time to correct and rebuke, and in extreme cases, through church discipline, excommunicate.

In any family, there is a time to warn everyone and say, hey, listen up.

Uncle Joe is off his rocker.

Okay, he is dangerous right now.

And I think it would be best if we all just stayed away from him until something changes.

And there's a time for advocacy, a time to say, family, listen up.

Aunt Lucy, she made a big mistake, but she has repented and she's moving forward in holiness.

So don't put any unnecessary sorrows or guilt on her.

Welcome her back in.

Love on her, forgive her, treat her as family.

Advocacy should always be our bent.

At all costs, we should always err on the side of grace.

And we should always be advocating for one another whenever the church falls into the temptation of ganging up on a weaker sibling.

By nature, we tend to hold grudges and be suspicious.

Rejection is a last resort or excommunication only when the entire church body is at great list risk because of someone's habitual unrepentance or false teaching.

And the goal is always restoration.

Church, let us advocate for one another.

If you see a weaker sibling getting beat up, stick up for them.

If you see someone being unfairly treated, speak up for them.

If you see another brother or sister still being shunned for a sin that they repented of years ago, advocate for them.

This is our duty.

Next, what we see in this passage is affirmation and acknowledgement.

Paul affirms the courage and faithfulness of Aristocus, Mark, and Justice, because they were the only Jews who stayed with him.

And later in verse 17, he affirms Archipus and the ministry that the Lord gave him.

Paul acknowledges faithfulness when he sees it and he gives encouragement where it is needed.

Affirming and acknowledging others is so important.

It increases motivation, it adds value to someone, it increases faith, and it celebrates what God is doing through someone.

In my experience, encouragement and appreciation has been a greater benefit than gold.

But sadly, we don't often do this first because we think it will lead to pride.

Okay?

Well, I don't want to compliment him because his head might get too big.

Well, maybe, but maybe not.

But that's not our concern.

I cannot control their response to my affirmation.

But I am called to acknowledge faithfulness when I see it.

I am called to affirm those who are laboring for Christ.

The second reason we do not affirm or acknowledge others is because we are just outright negative.

We're even jealous.

We can point 20 things wrong with the person, but we're too blind to point out the one good thing.

We are negative with ourselves, thinking we are just so worthless and pathetic, and thus often we are negative towards other people, unable to see anything praiseworthy in anyone, only seeing their warts and moles.

Someone could be blessing the entire church, but all we see is the hole in their sock.

You know, affirmations are so powerful.

Just a couple of months ago, uh, I'll admit, I was tired, I was weary, I felt beat down, I was discouraged in ministry, if I'm being honest.

And I get this random text from Dave Perry that said, it was so simple.

It just said, Jimmy, you are doing God's work.

I'm proud of you.

Keep doing what God called you to do.

Those three sentences did far more for me than what you could ever imagine.

Do not be shy to share when you see someone laboring faithfully for Christ.

Don't keep those thoughts secret.

Let it be known.

If you see Big Rick setting up Sunday after Sunday after Sunday, and you think to yourself, wow, what a faithful guy, go to him and say, Rick, thank you for all that you do for this church that we can worship because of your effort.

If you see someone involved in a very tough ministry waving through the flames of adversity with integrity, tell them.

Anytime you recognize faithfulness or you're inspired by God's grace in someone, let it be known.

Not for their sake, but to give God the glory for what he is accomplishing through them.

People need affirmation because all of us are surrounded by the voice of the enemy who is constantly shouting in the back of our heads, you're pathetic.

God isn't with you, he has forsaken you, you're a constant failure.

And this is especially true for people in ministry.

I think that's why Paul takes special note here towards Archipus in verse 17, because ministry is hard.

Archipis was obviously given a ministry from the Lord.

Maybe he was a pastor, perhaps a deacon.

We don't know the details.

But Paul knew that ministry is tough, it's not easy.

So Paul reaffirms something that God already confirmed and says, fulfill the ministry that God gave you.

You know, in ministry, there are so many trials.

Ministry is unique because it is the care of souls.

What a heavy weight.

This is probably why Charles Spurgeon told his young preacher to young men who wanted to be preachers, he would beg them not to enter the ministry if you can help it.

If a man can be content doing something other than ministry, then do that instead.

There is a demonic target on the back of faithful ministers.

There is constant temptation because if the leader falls, it disgraces the ministry or the church, and unbelievers will sit back and laugh, affirming their delusional belief that the gospel is just some big fat fairy tale.

One of Satan's primary ministries is to attack and ruin Christian leaders, to get them to doubt their calling, see that with Moses, to fall into gross sin, we see that with Samson, or to make them insecure and ineffective, we see that with Gideon.

Do we not see all of these examples throughout the Bible?

His goal is to blaspheme the power of the gospel, and he does this by ruining a leader and then publicly advertising their failure, saying, Behold, here is the so-called power of Christ.

So Paul takes special note on calling Archipis out, saying, Hey, do you remember that time when you received that ministry from the Lord?

Do you remember how clearly the Lord commissioned you, how convinced you were that God entrusted you with this unique calling to fulfill that, to persevere in it, stay strong.

Church, we need to be encouragers.

We need to affirm one another as much as we possibly can.

Acknowledge faithfulness, especially those in ministry.

Anytime you see faithfulness, courage, or godliness, make it known.

God knows that they need it.

God knows that I need it.

And I think it's safe to say that I know that we need it.

And he's given us a voice to do this.

We use our voice for so many bad things.

We've spent enough time gossiping, criticizing, tearing down others.

Why not use our voice to uplift believers around us?

The next thing that we see in this passage is the importance of praying for one another.

Paul mentions it in verse 12 that Epaphras is always struggling on your behalf in his prayers that you may stand mature and fully assured and all of the will of God.

So Paul asked for personal prayer, if you remember back in verse 4.

And now he lets them know that Epaphras is literally struggling in prayer for them.

Meaning, Epaphras isn't just, you know, throwing a little prayer up for them every day.

No, he's struggling.

It's denoting the idea of deep intercessory prayer for them.

We should be praying for one another and for other churches and for other Christians.

This is what keeps us relationally healthy.

I don't know about you, but it's very hard to hate, gossip, or resent someone that you're praying for.

Praying for one another, it unites us as a church.

It lightens the burdens.

It points us to God, it exercises our faith.

And plus, God works mightily through prayer.

So please don't interpret this challenge as legalism.

I promise that's not my desire.

But I would encourage every one of us to have a church directory.

Every one of us should be going through it in praying to some degree to the brothers and sisters that we worship with.

We should have at least a church or two outside of us that we're praying for.

Because this is what we see in the early church and throughout church history is Christians laboring in prayer for one another and for other believers.

A praying church is a powerful church.

Lastly, Paul commands this church to spread his letter.

During this time, the church did not have the complete canonized word of God.

It was literally in process.

And the Apostle Paul knew that.

So he's not being arrogant here.

He didn't write this letter and send it out and be like, wow, my writing is amazing.

Spread this letter around.

Okay, not at all.

Paul understood that this was the Holy Spirit working through him, that this was God's holy, inerrant, and perfect word.

And so he commands them to circulate it and publicly read it.

In 1 Timothy chapter 4, Paul commands Timothy to devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture.

1 Timothy 4 · chapter mention

We do this because it upholds the supremacy of God's truth.

It instructs the church corporately, it reveals the salvation of Christ, which brings eternal life, and it edifies the regenerated, and it demonstrates the church's authority.

Obviously, we live in a different age, and we have the complete word of God, aka the Bible.

And so the modern day principle here is this is that we as a church should be constantly reading and speaking God's word.

This is what we should be all about as a church.

God's holy word.

We talk about it often.

We should be singing it, we should feed on it, we should digest it.

We're nourished by it because we know without it we will spiritually starve.

When people ask questions, we should open the book.

When people need encouragement, we should open the book.

We discuss it, we wrestle with it, we study it, we proclaim it, we preach it because we're convinced that it is God's revelation to us.

That it reveals who He is, who we are, how we're saved, and it is the implanted word, as James says, that is able to save our souls.

And so may we be a church that is utterly convinced that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, and that God's word is living, it's active, and that it is indeed sharper than a double-edged sword.

So proclamation church.

Today's passage forces us as a church to confront ourselves and ask the question: What kind of a church do we want to be?

What kind of a church culture do we want to have?

Are we relational?

Are we informing one another?

Are we welcoming?

Are we good greeters?

Do we pray for each other?

Do we advocate for one another?

Do we encourage each other?

Are we spreading God's word amongst each other?

Jesus Christ did not die on the cross to redeem and purchase a separated, isolated, distant people.

Ephesians 5 25 says that Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, referring to this pluristic corporate body.

Of course, the body is made up of individual members, but we are one.

He purchased a body, a family, and just like any healthy family, we function in deep relationship, commitment, and love.

This is why we practice meaningful membership.

This is why we pray for other churches in our pastoral prayer.

This is why Rick and Candace opened their home on Sunday evenings to have a prayer meeting.

This is why we do small groups.

This is why our liturgy is intentional with prayer and scripture reading.

Not that we do these things perfectly.

Trust me, we're still developing and learning here at Proclamation Church.

We are far from a perfect church.

But we want to take these things seriously.

Who wants to covenant together?

Who wants to really commit to these things?

Who wants to take this seriously?

Who's willing to be held accountable for these things?

Who wants shepherded and who doesn't?

You can either treat church like it's a dead religion, you just show up, you do the bare minimum, you pay your dues, watch the show, and live the rest of the week unconcerned about the needs, cares, or the prayers of the church.

Just come get what you need from it, but no need for further commitment.

And I'll admit that is the easy way.

This is the easy, convenient, but ultimately tragic way.

Or you can treat church like a family, a body that Christ died for.

You prioritize everything in your life around the church, looking for ways to care for the needs of the poor, encourage the weak, loving the difficult, greeting those who walk in and they're looking all uncomfortable, sharing God's word with those who are discouraged, equipping saints for the works of ministry, grabbing a church directory and praying diligently for your brothers and sisters throughout the week.

And I'll admit, this is the hard way.

This involves many tears, heartaches, and sacrifice.

But its reward is worth it.

Its reward is knowing in your soul and conscience that you were faithful to the command and that you laid down your life for the brethren.

Paul's conclusion here gives us insight on how the early church functioned.

There's no need to glorify the early church.

Trust me, they had their problems.

But 2,000 years later, living in a postmodern, atheistic, hedonistic, self-seeking culture, we must ask ourselves, what blind spots do we have as a church living in America in 2024?

And whatever the change, whatever change needs to happen, it starts with you and it starts with me.

Everybody wants to change as long as I'm not the one to do it and there's someone else to blame.

It's so easy to sit back and say, man, this church is not very welcoming.

This church doesn't greet well, this church isn't praying enough and complain.

But let me give you another perspective.

Perhaps God has placed on your heart and is pointing the finger back at you, saying, That's why I brought you here.

Be the change, set the culture, and model the truth that the rest of the body needs to grow in.

That's how a body works.

You know, for many years I confessed that I had a critical heart, participating in the same ministry as Satan, accusing the bride of Christ of not doing this, guilty of that, and so on.

Sitting back, pointing out everyone's faults for not doing things right, you know, because I'm so special and I have it all figured out.

Talk about having a plank in my own eye until one day it dawned on me, with the Spirit's help, I believe, that God took my pointed finger and pointed it right back at me.

Tell me what is more productive to sit back and complain about what people are not doing, or getting up in God's strength and being the change that I notice is lacking.

If we want to be good communicators, hospitable greeters, constant encouragers, prayer warriors, and speakers of God's truth, it starts with my own heart.

It starts with me.

It starts with me remembering who Christ is, and as a result, having a higher view of church and putting into practice as a moving member of this body what God requires of me.

Yes, Jesus died for me so that I could escape the future wrath of God that's coming upon this world.

Yes, Jesus died for me so that I could be set free from the penalty and power of sin.

Yes, Jesus died for me so that I could be reconciled to God and have a real relationship with him.

But let us never forget that Jesus died so that I could be a part of his church.

That I would be an active, moving ligament in the body of Christ, not just in theory, but in reality, as I lock arms with a local church and commit myself to them, foretasting together what future glory will be like with Christ forever in his kingdom.

Fulfilling as best we can the 59 one-another commands, learning together, knowing each other, loving one another, fighting sin together, worshiping the Lord together as the great day of the Lord draws near.

And it is near.

And so, church, let us take these things to heart this morning.

Let us pray.