4 Colossians Chapter 4

Colossians Chapter 4

Colossians 4:1 - "Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven."

Paul concludes his instructions by addressing employers telling them to give their bondservants what is just and fair - a very relevant instruction, given the fact that in many cultures today, it's the norm to pay minimal, and extract maximum work from employees. He goes on to remind them that they have a Master in Heaven too, and just as He is just and fair, they too needed to be so.

Colossians 4:2-6

"Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one."

Pray

Paul goes on to encourage the believers to pray, both continually and earnestly, while remaining vigilant and thankful - great reminders for each of us to take to heart in today's fast paced world. If we are to fulfil God's intended purposes for our lives, then we need to hear from Him what we are to do, how and where. That's one of the many reasons we need to pray.

Pray Continually

Praying continually doesn't necessarily mean we do nothing but pray the whole day - it means that, apart from the various times we set aside to pray in the day, we also continue communicating to the Lord while going about our daily work, thereby listening to the Lord's leading and direction, and being empowered by Him to do all that we're called to do.

Be Vigilant

We are also to be vigilant, since we're surrounded by temptations of various kinds - temptations to possess, to perform, to belong, to conform, to indulge, to overlook oppportunities to love and serve people, etc. If we are to overcome these temptations, we need to be vigilant, recognising these temptations, when they come our way. 

Be Thankful

And finally, he reminds his readers to be thankful - an attribute that should stem from a mind that reconginses, remembers and recalls the blessings, mercies and grace that the Lord showers us with. Paul reminds the Roman church in Romans 12:1 to remember God's mercies and so present their bodies as a living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to Him, and he goes on to say that this is their reasonable service - the same applies to us today. The Lord has done, and continues to do so much for us and it's appropriate that we remain grateful to Him for all His love, mercy and grace. Our prayers need to be more than a set of requests we have of the Lord - it needs to be filled with gratitude as well.

Open Doors

He goes on to request them to pray for him as well - that God would open doors for him to reach the world with the Gospel - a great prayer request we can ask of our friends as well, since the need to reach the world with the Gospel, has never been bigger than it is in our day. 

The Mystery of Christ

He goes on to articulate the message he desires to share with the world - the mystery of Christ. The message of Christ is indeed a mystery, as it goes against the grain of the world's understanding of God and His character. It's a message that invites anyone, no matter how good or bad they consider themselves, into a living, personal, eternal relationship with God and all this, at no cost on our part - God Himself paid the price through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus. He goes on to tell his readers that he's been imprisoned on account ot sharing the mystery of Christ. Neither did Jesus, nor does Paul promise a bed of roses, instead we who believe in Jesus are assured of His presence, in the midst of our troubles and persecution right to the end of time - no matter what we go through in life. (Matthew.28:20)

The Message

His request for prayer is very specific - that he would make manifest the message (the mystery of the Gospel of Christ) in the most appropriate manner - something that is also the need of the hour in our fast changing world. 

The Methods

Not only is the message important, but so also are the the methods we employ to share it. Our world has changed so much in the last 10 years or so that there are changing methods by which we gain information (oral, written, visual, audio-visual, tactile, practical, experiential and a combination of all the above). If we fail to employ the appropriate methods of communicating the message, we run the risk of our message not reaching our audience.

The Modes

Furthermore, the modes we employ are equally imortant to the methods used. In today's world, there are numerous options available to us, and we need to take advantage of these modes to share the message - here are a few: in person, by email, through Facebook, Whatsapp, Blogs, YouTube, Twitter etc). Though the world has changed a lot over the years, the message has always remained the same, but the methods and modes to share it have changed drastically. Let's keep the message unchanged, but use relevant methods and modes to share it as effectively as possible.

Walk the Talk

He goes on to remind his readers to be wise in the way they relate with unbelievers, and further encourages them to make the most of the time they have. People are more open to listen to us when they see our love and concern for them. Someone said, "People don't care how much we know until then know how much we care." We need to constantly remember that we are Ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20) and we represent the God of the Universe every momment of every day of our lives. And if one of our life's goals is to help others come to know Christ the way we did, then we need to take special care to ensure that we are wise and careful in the way we relate with unbelievers, lest our walk contradict our talk, and we end up marring the name of Christ thereby being a hindrance to the message we seek to share. 

Don't lose time - use time

We need to make use of every opportunity that comes our way, to share the Gospel with someone as we are not guaranteed of that opportunity again. Tine wasted is time lost. As Paul says in Ephesians 5:16, "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

Paul goes on to remind his readers to speak graciously, not rudely - people should be drawn to us before they hear us, and one of the ways we help do that is by the way we speak to them when we first meet them. We need to take pains to ensure our words bring love, healing, comfort, encouragement, joy etc so people are blessed as a result. When we speak this way to people, they both listen to us as we share the Gospel with them, and will ask questions. When they ask questions, we will have answers to give them, but if we turn them off on 'Hello,' we don't get to the next stage of having them listen, to ask, let alone clarifying doubts about the Gospel.

Colossians 4:7-9

Tychicus, a beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that he may know your circumstances and comfort your hearts, with Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you all things which are happening here.

Paul was in prison while writing this letter, and knew that his readers would be keen to know of his condition and happenings. He therefore, sends Tychicus along with Onesimus to them. Another reason he has sent them to the Colossian church was to comfort their hearts. He refers to Tychicus as a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord, commending him to the church at Colosse so they would receive him warmly. In Ephesians, we're told that Paul sent Tychicus to the Ephesian church for the very same reasons - "that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts." (Ephesians 6:21,22) He refers to Onesimus almost in the same light with the words, 'faithful and beloved brother.' This also gives us a glimpse of the fact that Paul never worked alone - he always had a team along with him. 

Colossians 4:10,11

Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision; they have proved to be a comfort to me.

Paul sends greetings from Aristarchus, referring to him as 'my fellow prisoner,' Aristarchus is mentioned several times by Paul in other epistles as well (Acts 19:29, Acts 20:4, Acts 27:2, Philemon 1:24), where we get the picture that he was one of Paul's traveling companions, a fellow labourer and  was even sent ahead of Paul to wait for him at Troas. It's amazing that Paul respected his team mates so much, and spoke so highly of them at all times. 

Colossians 4:12-15

"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 those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis. Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you. Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and Nymphas and the church that is in his house."

Epaphras is another of Paul's fellow labourers, whom he refers to in several ways in different epistles. In Colossians 1:7,8 he is referred to as a "dear fellow servant and a faithful minister of Christ who also declared to us your love in the Spirit," in Philemon 24, he's referred to as his "fellow prisoner." Here Paul refers to him as being "one of you, bondservant of Christ, labouring fervently for you in prayer," He even goes on to be specific about Epaphras' desire for the Colossian Church - that they might "stand perfect and complete in all the will of God." He goes to say of Epaphras that he has a great zeal for the Colossian Church, but not only for that church but also for the churches in the cities of Laodicia and Hierapolis. What commendation by Paul for his team mates. Paul was a wonderful reflection of a great leader and servant of Christ.

Colossians 4:16-17

Now when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”

Paul takes the pains to write this epistle so that it is read to the church in Colosse, and not only does he desire that the church in Colosse hear it, but that it is read even by the Church in Laodicea. He goes on to ask them to read the letter he wrote to the Laodicean Church - a letter that has been lost and not traced to date. He goes on to ask his readers to tell Archippus, whom he refers to as "a fellow solder," to take heed to the ministry which he received from the Lord - that he may fulfil it. It isn't clear whether this was a gentle rebuke to get back to what he had neglected for a while or whether it was just an encouragement to keep going with what he was already doing. Either way, it's important that all those who've been called to serve the Lord be encouraged at all times to continue what we were called to start, and to do it to completion. 

Colossians 4:18

This salutation by my own hand—Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Amen.

Paul ends his epistle by writing the salutation in his own handwriting - the rest of the epistle, would most probably have been dictated to someone who wrote it down for him. In the salutation is a request to his readers to remember his chains - perhaps requesting prayer for him.

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Michael Collins