Friends, Christianity is a religion which involves a spiritual battle, a ‘Holy War’. But it is not the Jihad of Islamism. There is a battle to be fought. But it is not against flesh and blood. It is against the world, the flesh and the devil. It is against Satan and his demons, who have taken humans captive to do his will. It is a willing captivity of lost humanity. But it is a captivity none-the-less. And in this fight our weapon is … our speaking. We fight by speaking. Our message is our weapon. The gospel of Jesus Christ, the news that the Lord Jesus Christ is king who died and rose again for us, that is our weapon.
The thing God gives us to do is to speak. That is our powerful activity. Sure, we need to act consistently with our speaking. But it is the word of explanation, the word of the Risen Christ, that God uses to save lost people. And it is the word of supplication, the word to the Risen Christ, that God will answer by saving lost people.
We speak upwards to heaven, to God, and we speak outwards, to others. Speaking upwards is prayer. Speaking outwards to other humans is evangelism. And we are called to both forms of speaking.
Paul first of all urges the Colossians to prayer. Colossians 4 verse 2:
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (NIV)
This is a more general instruction to be ‘devoted to prayer’ or to be ‘busily engaged in prayer’. We are busy in many things. It is so easy to get busy in so much else. But the thing Paul wants us to be devoted to prayer.
Prayer is not the only thing we are to be devoted to, as we shall see. Neither is breathing. But I am devoted to breathing. I do more than eat, although eating is pretty important to me. I like to sleep. I am devoted to sleeping also. I am devoted to eating and breathing and sleeping. There are other things I am involved in. But these are pretty important. They are necessary.
In the Christian life, prayer is like eating, breathing, sleeping. It is part and parcel of the Christian life. Like breathing, it is a natural thing. We call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. But unlike breathing, we have to decide to pray, lift our eyes above ourselves. And to get beyond the perfunctory, we have to plan to pray.
I don’t want you to feel guilty. Guilt is a poor motivator. But I do want you and I to pray. If you are a Christian, you already pray. You cannot be a Christian without praying. Just like you can’t be in a relationship with someone and decide not to talk with them.
You can pray right now, and God will hear your prayers in Christ. You can say a four word prayer, ‘Save me Lord Jesus’, and if you mean it in your heart, the Risen Jesus promise to hear it and do it. But we want to do more than that. So at some time today, after you go home today, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your father in secret. Let seeing your pillow be a reminder. Let seeing your food be a reminder. It doesn’t have to be long. Use the Lord’s prayer, and put it into your own words. You know it off by heart by now. But let that time you take out of other things show your devotion to prayer. Let your business in prayer start there.
Paul also gives the Colossians an example of this devotion to prayer, Epaphras. Chapter 4 verses 12 and 13:
12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. 13 I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.
Epaphras wrestles in prayer for his Colossian Christian brothers and sisters. His devotion to prayer is devotion to God and to the Colossian Christians. Epaphras prays for the Colossian Christians. In fact, he wrestles with God, like Jacob. He agonises for them in prayer. His intercessory prayer is part and parcel of his hard work for the Church of Colossae.
Epaphras wrestles in prayer for his Colossian Christian brothers and sisters. His devotion to prayer is devotion to God and to the Colossian Christians. Epaphras prays for the Colossian Christians. In fact, he wrestles with God, like Jacob. He agonises for them in prayer. His intercessory prayer is part and parcel of his hard work for the Church of Colossae.
Paul says two things should characterize our prayers.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful (NIV)
We are to be watchful and thankful, or realistic and optimist.
The first thing is watchfulness, or realism. We must be alert but not alarmed. We often close our eyes to pray, but there is another sense in which our eyes need to be wide open. We need to understand the needs of the hour. Being watchful means, to be realistic, to understand the times.
We live in an evil world. The day of testing is coming and is now here. Trials will test our faith. Persecution will come, in some form or other. There is the flesh within, and the world and the devil without.
They must be fought, rejected, killed off. All this, while we show love for the lost and pray for those who hate us. And we long for Jesus, our only hope, who will rescue us from the coming wrath, after we have suffered for a little while.
The other thing is ‘thankfulness’, our optimism. We can thank God for everything we have received from his hand. We thank God of course for giving us his Son, Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of sins, the hope of heaven. But we also thank God for all his temporal blessings, food, clothing, shelter, family, friends. All of this changes our prayer to be half-full, not half-empty. We can rejoice in our salvation that God has promised.
But Paul wants prayer for specific things. Paul asks for intercessory prayer for his gospel preaching:
3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. (NIV)
Two things Paul wants here, and all related to the gospel. First, Paul wants a door opened for his message. This is an opportunity to preach the gospel. Ask God, says Paul, that I might preach the gospel of Christ. Give me people and opportunity to preach the gospel. Preaching the mystery of Christ is revealing the secret that Jesus is Lord and Christ, and the fulfillment of all God’s promises.
Second, Paul prays for the ability to give a clear explanation of the gospel. Clarity. Let me allow the gospel to shine out, not hide it under jargon, or under stuff that doesn’t matter. We are evangelicals, gospel people. We take the mystery out of Christianity. We want the simplicity of the gospel to shine through. Liberal Christianity wants to make everything complicated, under fancy words. Roman Catholic or Orthodoxy hides the gospel under tradition and rituals. But we evangelicals, we gospel people, proclaim Christ clearly.
Here is what Christianity is about. Christianity is simply about the Lord Jesus Christ. He is God and King and Lord, risen on high. Jesus was born as one of us, yet without sin. He fulfilled God’s law for us. He lived the life we should have, but haven’t. He died the dead we deserved to die, but now don’t have to. He took the punishment for all our sins. He defeated death, the devil and hell. He rose again as ruler of the universe. He is seated in heaven at the right hand of God the Father ruling the world. And one day will return to judge. In the mean time, the Lord Jesus Christ sends out God the Holy Spirit to his people. And if you too, turn around and put your trust in Jesus Christ, Jesus will send you his Holy Spirit and will forgive all your sins. You too will be saved, and given a home in heaven. Your death is the doorway to eternal life. And so all people are called to give the Lord Jesus Christ the honour and glory he deserves as your maker and your savior.
That’s the gospel. You believe this, you are saved. Heaven is your home, and you are waiting for Christ to rescue you.
Paul wanted this sort of clarity. So he asked for the Colossians to pray for him. And he got it, because how many wonderful memory verses come from St Paul?
But Paul doesn’t want to keep all the gospel action for himself. He has commands for all the Colossians to promote the gospel. Verses 5 and 6:
5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (NIV)
Verse 5 calls on us. We need to behave wisely in our dealings with outsiders. Jesus himself says to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Jesus says not to cast your pearls before swine. And so we are called to act with wisdom. Wisdom is to know the appropriate word or action for the moment. And we are called to act and speak wisely.
I think primarily it is a wisdom to turn opportunities into gospel opportunities. We are to have an answer prepared for the outsider. We must know the gospel and be ready to speak it into any situation.
This is a call to seize the day for the sake of the gospel. Literally, we are to redeem the time, buy back the time. Soon we will be dead, or Jesus will have returned. The time for gospel preaching and repentance will have past. So now, with urgency and holy desperation, we preach Christ and him crucified and risen King of the Universe.
Our conversation needs to be full of grace. I think this refers to both the content and manner of our speaking. The gospel is a gracious message. The gospel offers forgiveness and amnesty and friendship. ‘I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law Christ died for nothing’. We need grace. ‘We are saved by grace, through faith, and this is not from ourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.’ ‘And if it is by grace, it is no longer by works. If it were, grace would no longer be grace.’
This is all the more amazing because we are such rotten sinners deserving of hell. Grace is amazing not because we deserve it. Grace saves wretches, and that is what we are, apart from grace.
But also, we need to speak in a gracious manner: gently, lovingly, kindly, for the good of the other. Sometimes, of course, a stern rebuke is required. But this isn’t our natural mode of discourse. We want people to drink long and deep of God’s mercy and kindness. And if we are prickly or scary, they won’t come to us.
Our speech needs to be salty in two ways, in the two ways that salt is used on food.
First, salt is used to preserve food, to extend its life. And the gospel is the most life-saving preservative there is. Believe the gospel, and you have eternal life. So we must preach and speak the gospel, because faith comes by hearing. The gospel is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe.
And second, our speech is to be salty in the sense of moorish. We want people wanting more. I was always told that the take away shop put salt on your chips so that you would buy a drink too. Not only does salt enhance the flavour, but it keeps you coming back for more. And we want people to come back for more bible, more Jesus, more gospel.
Friends, Paul is calling you to speak about Jesus. You have the life saving message of the gospel. Speak it. Unless you speak it, how will the lost hear it? They aren’t going to hear it on TV, or secular radio. They aren’t going to hear it from Muslims or Atheists, or Buddhists or Materialistic Aussies. They need us. We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Unless we are salty, our society won’t be preserved.
We are all called to promote the gospel. We are all called to have an answer prepared to explain our hope in Christ. Each one of us needs to have an answer for everyone ready to go.
Paul was a team player. Verses 7 to 17 are filled with the names of Paul’s co-workers. We make a mistake to think of Paul as a Superman, who single handedly saved the day, or Mr Incredible, who works alone.
Paul is more like part of the Fabulous Four, or the Famous Five or the Secret Seven, more like the Avengers than Iron Man who works by himself. Paul is the leader, but the Pauline mission was a team effort.
So in verse 7, we read of Tychicus, Paul’s messenger, more than likely carrying the letter to the Colossians. Paul sends Tychicus so that he may encourage the Colossian’s hearts. Onesimus comes with him. We will learn more about Onesimus next week.
Aristarchus is described as a fellow prisoner. He was either arrested with Paul, or voluntarily confined himself to be with Paul under house arrest.
Mark, the cousin of Barnabas is with Paul. This is interesting, because Luke records in the book of Acts that Mark turned back from the Galatian ministry in Paul’s first missionary journey. And Paul and Barnabbas had such a sharp disagreement over John Mark that they parted company, and couldn’t work together. However, here, in the early 60s, Mark and Paul have been reconciled. Paul finds Mark useful, though as a younger man, he was a disappointment. And we all find Mark useful, because he wrote Mark’s gospel. Mark is generally thought to have written down Peter’s recollections into a book. And Mark’s gospel is eminently useful.
One gospel writer was not enough for Paul. Paul also had Luke the beloved Doctor with him. In fact, it may well have been that Luke’s Gospel, or an earlier version, was used for Paul’s defense in court.
There are other friends, there too, co-workers. Jesus, who is called Justus, is there. The name Jesus is the Anglicization of the Greek form, which in Hebrew is Anglicized as Joshua. Demas is there too. Later, Paul would say that Demas loved the world, and has gone to Thessalonica. Perhaps Demas went a bit wobbly under stress, as Mark had done. Maybe he came back. We don’t know.
Archippus is probably an elder or presbyter who has responsibilities for the church in Colossae. Paul gives him an exhortation in verse 17: "See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord." Do what Christ has commanded, and you will receive your reward.
Paul also sends gospel good wishes to fellow workers in the local area. The church in Laodicea meets in Nymphas’ house. The NIV translates it as ‘Nympha’, a woman, but that is most probably an error. Most of the best manuscripts have a masculine pronoun. ‘Nymphas[1], and the church in their house’, almost certainly refers to a man who is the head of his household.
Even though God was with Paul, and Christ sent Paul, Paul couldn’t do gospel ministry by himself. He got by with a little help from his friends. He gathered together a gospel team with patrons, fellow workers, supporters, messengers, and companions.
I can’t do gospel ministry by myself. I need you. You can’t do gospel ministry by yourself. You need me, and us. We are better together. Gospel ministry seems to be getting harder in our society. And even if it wasn’t, in any case, my job is to equip you guys for the work of ministry, so that the body of Christ will be built up. So we need to use our different and varied gifts and talents for the sake of the body of Christ.
Paul thinks that his letter to the Colossians is worth reading further afield. So in verse 16 he says:
16 After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea. (NIV)
No one has identified for sure what this letter from Laodicea was.[2] I think the most likely suggestions is the letter to the Ephesians. I don’t think it was the Letter to Philemon.
Friends, praying and proclaiming don’t look powerful. But we need to trust God that praying and proclaiming Christ is the only way we can survive as Christians. It is the only thing that will save our lost world. Don’t be ashamed of the gospel, friends. The time, perhaps, is coming, when it will be easy to go with the flow. It will be easy to be ashamed of the bible, and the gospel. It will seem wise to compromise. To survive, it seems, we will need to evolve and change and give up our core commitments and come into polite society. No. All that can go to hell. We will stay with the good old gospel, with faith in Christ, with the sure bible, and we will pray and preach while we wait for Jesus to rescue us.
Let’s pray.
[1] The best mss suggest Nymphas was a male. See note below. Following the masculine plural pronoun, the reading in a A C P, etc. The feminine singular is found in B and Origen. The masculine singular is read by D G K L Byz.
[2] Some, including Calvin and some fathers, take it the letter from Laodicea was written by the Laodiceans to Paul. But the phrase Paul uses does not have to mean ‘the letter written from Laodicea’, but could simply mean ‘the letter procured from Laodicea’. A Latin mss exists of a supposed ‘Letter to the Laodiceans’ from Paul, but has commanded little support, and has been widely determined to be a forgery, and adds little to our understanding of Paul’s theology in any case. A letter purportedly from Paul addressed to the Laodiceans was rejected as a forgery by the Muratorian Fragment, and also Jerome (4th Century). Alternatively, several canonical letters from Paul have also been suggested as that from Laodicea, including 1 Timothy, and 1 & 2 Thessalonians, but there is no evidence that Paul had ever been to Laodicea at the time of writing Colossians. Hebrews has been suggested, with no success. Marcion identified the Laodicean letter as Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, and this view has been revived by some modern scholars. It does appear that Ephesians was a circular letter. Philemon has been suggested, but with little success. In the final analysis, no one hypothesis can be proved. For a discussion, see Lightfoot, Colossians & Philemon, 274- 300.