Colossians 4 New International Version - UK
(NIVUK)
4
Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that
you also have a Master in heaven.
Further instructions
2
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 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. 5 Be wise in the way you act towards 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.
Final greetings
7
Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful
minister and fellow servant[a] in the Lord. 8 I am sending him to you for the
express purpose that you may know about our[b] circumstances and that he may
encourage your hearts. 9 He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear
brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening
here.
10
My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the
cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to
you, welcome him.) 11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These
are the only Jews[c] among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they
have proved a comfort to me. 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. 14 Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. 15
Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and
the church in her house.
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.17 Tell
Archippus: ‘See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the
Lord.’18 I, Paul, write this greeting in
my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
Called
By God from The Oswald Chambers Daily Devtional
I
heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, and who will go
for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." —Isaiah 6:8
God
did not direct His call to Isaiah— Isaiah overheard God saying, “…who will go
for Us?” The call of God is not just for a select few but for everyone. Whether
I hear God’s call or not depends on the condition of my ears, and exactly what
I hear depends upon my spiritual attitude. “Many are called, but few are
chosen” (Matthew 22:14). That is, few prove that they are the chosen ones. The
chosen ones are those who have come into a relationship with God through Jesus
Christ and have had their spiritual condition changed and their ears opened.
Then they hear “the voice of the Lord” continually asking, “…who will go for
Us?” However, God doesn’t single out someone and say, “Now, you go.” He did not
force His will on Isaiah. Isaiah was in the presence of God, and he overheard
the call. His response, performed in complete freedom, could only be to say,
“Here am I! Send me.”
Remove
the thought from your mind of expecting God to come to force you or to plead
with you. When our Lord called His disciples, He did it without irresistible
pressure from the outside. The quiet, yet passionate, insistence of His “Follow
Me” was spoken to men whose every sense was receptive (Matthew 4:19). If we
will allow the Holy Spirit to bring us face to face with God, we too will hear
what Isaiah heard— “the voice of the Lord.” In perfect freedom we too will say,
“Here am I! Send me.”
CHRIST our mystery! From Elim Missions
Colossians 4:3
The Apostle Paul
uses this word often in his letters, but not as we do. We use it as something
which is confusing and hard to understand.
For Paul however, he takes the word well known at the time as Greek mysteries which were hidden, secret truths, beliefs and practices within secret societies. The initiated persons are the only ones enlightened, everyone else is oblivious. Christ hidden, Christ secret, Christ unknown not to heaven but to earth. Yet now ...! He is our mystery because we have been initiated and now we see.
So what do we do? v2-6
We pray for an open door.
We declare the gospel as clearly as we can.
We suffer for doing so.
We use wisdom.
We respond in grace
We do all this because others need to come in and know this mystery, this Christ!
The IVP New Testament Commentary Series
The Ministry of Prayer (4:2-4)
Paul
is first of all concerned with his readers' prayer life, and he commends three
characteristics of effective prayer to them. The opening imperative, devote
yourselves (proskartereite), is frequently used regarding prayer in the New
Testament (especially in Acts: 1:14; 2:42, 46, etc.) and suggests a gritty
determination not to give up until God's response comes (compare Lk 18:1-8).
The second phrase, being watchful, may imply a perspective toward the future,
when Christ returns and God will answer every prayer fully. Most commentators
are inclined not to find a futuristic meaning in this phrase because of Paul's
emphasis in Colossians on a realized eschatology; but I disagree. Paul's
opening thanksgiving is grounded in the congregation's future hope (1:5) and
restated as the aim of his Gentile mission (1:22, 28). The congregation is
called to pray in the confident expectation that it will be made acceptable
before God at Christ's return (Schweizer 1982:172). In addition, the word for
watchful (gregoreo) modifies and intensifies Paul's exhortation to pray,
calling for vigilance or alertness to petition God for all that agrees with
God's eschatological plans. In the immediate context, persistent and vigilant
prayer is an ingredient of the church's evangelistic mission: believers must
pray that those in need of God's salvation be converted before Christ returns.
The
third characteristic of prayer, thankful, suggests two possible meanings. A
thankful prayer expects God's answers (see 1:12; Wright 1987:152). Since this
exhortation concerns the church's evangelistic mission, a thankful prayer also
acknowledges that salvation finally belongs to the Lord and is the work of
God's grace.
The
more specific object of the congregation's intercessory prayer is that God may
open a door for our message. The meaning of the "opened door"
metaphor is debated among scholars (see Wright 1987:152). Elsewhere in Paul's
writing the image refers to the occasion for conversion granted by God through
the preaching of the gospel (1 Cor 16:9; 2 Cor 2:14; compare Acts 14:27). No
doubt this is the primary meaning intended by Paul here. But Paul may well have
placed this phrase in an inverted and parallel relationship with the next two
phrases, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in
chains. If this is the case, then the church's message is more specifically the
mystery of Christ (compare 1:26-7). Thus to pray for an "opened door"
is to pray that Paul's prison door be opened by God's grace so that he will be
"given another chance to preach" God's gospel (see Lohse 1972:165).
The
transition from the plural our message to the singular I am in chains no doubt
is intended to underscore the difficulty of Paul's personal situation. While he
is called by God to proclaim the mystery of Christ, he cannot do what he should
because he is in prison. In effect, then, the community prays that God's will
be done on earth as it is in heaven: that God open the door of Paul's prison,
setting him free to reveal the mystery of Christ, which is that Christ is for
Gentiles too, and that he is the "hope of glory" for them as well
(1:27).
The Ministry of Proclamation (4:5-6)
Paul's
second imperative to the Colossians is to be wise in the way you act toward
outsiders. The word outsiders generally refers to non-Christians (1 Cor
5:12-13; 1 Thess 4:11-12). In rabbinical use, however, it may include believers
who stand outside correct teaching. Perhaps Paul has both groups in mind,
including those persuaded by the false teachers along with the lost of the
world, since the ministry of evangelism includes both. Moreover, he would have
been especially concerned about the negative effect immature believers have on
the lost. Since we authenticate God's salvation by our lives and words, we can
either impugn or enhance God's reputation by bad or good example (Lohse 1972:167).
How many non-Christians justify their unbelief by testimonies of a Christian's
hypocrisy! To excuse our sins by referring to our spiritual immaturity or by
pointing out the Lord's perfect love will simply not do. In Christ's earthly
absence, the church remains the conduit of the word of truth on earth, for good
or for ill. If we remain in vice and despair, without any indication that God's
grace makes a difference, who but the fool will believe the claims of the
gospel? For this reason Paul calls us to life grounded in a wisdom that knows
God and remains committed to the trustworthiness of the gospel (1:9-10; compare
1:28; 2:3; 3:16).
With
respect to the ministry of evangelism, the exhortation to be wise suggests two
concerns. First, the wise community exploits every opportunity it is given for
evangelism. Watchful prayer makes one keenly sensitive to people and setting.
In fact, O'Brien suggests that the middle voice of the verb make the most
signifies "the personal interest" or involvement of believers in
their environment (1982:241). But the reason for our activism is pointed and
clear: this is a call not so much to be a "good Samaritan" as to
share with Paul in the work of evangelism. Second, the wise community, eager to
proclaim the gospel, engages the lost in conversation [that is] full of grace,
seasoned with salt. This last phrase, so graphic and memorable, captures the
wisdom of ancient rhetoric: ideological substance without personal style fails
to convince people. If a believer, who has a wonderful story of conversion to
tell, cannot tell it in a "salty," interesting way, the story will
not be heard. Of course, lively stories, like "fine-sounding
arguments," are sometimes used in the service of lifeless substance. In
this case, however, the communication of the "word of truth" is
undermined by uninteresting or incoherent words.
Paul
may have mentioned grace to link human graciousness, a characteristic of
effective communication, with divine grace. In this sense, the gospel of God's
saving grace will find its audience through a gospel ministry characterized by
a generous civility (see 3:12). The spiritual triumphalism that some evangelists
exemplify today not only fails to edify the church but fails to attract an
unsaved audience as well. Yet their rhetoric is often "salty," full
of vibrant images and pungency, hardly dull and never boring. Evangelists know
that an audience will never be attracted to new life by lifeless words, old
cliches and tired slogans! Paul's wise exhortation is to bring humane
graciousness together with carefully chosen words in our preaching ministry.
The
meaning of the final phrase, so that you may know how to answer everyone,
depends on whether it expresses the result of "gracious and salty"
proclamation or describes its occasion. Probably the latter option fits this
context best: the evangelist who makes the most of every opportunity finds a "gracious
and salty" answer for every sincere query or malicious challenge facing
the church.
The Bible Panorama
Colossians 4
V 1–6: GRACE Having given masters and
slaves mirror image obligations (see chapter 3), and having asked for
continuation in prayer in order that the gospel may do its work, through doors
open for Paul and his companions, the apostle urges wisdom and redemption of
time in dealing with outsiders. Grace must always characterise speech. If so,
it will enable the right answer to be given when needed.
V 7–15: GREETINGS Greetings are sent from those with Paul,
including Tychicus (his faithful messenger), Onesimus (the runaway slave of
whom we read in Philemon), Aristarchus (a fellow prisoner), Mark (Barnabas’
cousin), Jesus called Justus, Epaphras (the founder of the church and a zealous
fellow worker and prisoner with Paul), Luke (the doctor), and Demas (who later
chooses the world and deserts Paul). He asks them to pass on these greetings to
those in Laodicea and the church in the house of Nymphas.
V
16–17: GRASP Paul asks for the letter to be read elsewhere and urges Archippus
to grasp his responsibility and his gifting for the ministry of the Lord.
V 18: GRACE In signing off and
asking them to remember his chains, Paul again reverts to the question of
‘grace.’ He knows that they need God’s grace just as much as he needs it in
prison.
Dictionary of Bible Themes
7943 ministry, in the church
The
regular ministry of officially appointed or recognised ministers is a
particular instance of the duty and call of all God’s people.
The
responsibilities of those in recognised ministry
As
shepherds Ac 20:28 See also 1Pe 5:2
As
watchmen Heb 13:17 See also Ro 16:17; Php 3:2
As
teachers 1Ti 3:2 See also 2Ti 2:2,24
As
examples 1Ti 4:16 See also Ac 20:28; 1Pe 5:3
What
believers owe to those with recognised ministries
Respect
1Th 5:12-13 See also Php 2:29; 1Ti 5:17
Obedience
Heb 13:17 See also 1Co 16:15-16
Support
1Co 9:14 Despite Jesus Christ’s command, Paul did not claim his rights in this
matter, but supported himself as a tentmaker. See also Lk 10:7; Gal 6:6; 1Ti
5:18; Dt 25:4
Prayer
Ro 15:30 See also Eph 6:19; Php 1:19; 1Th 5:25; Heb 13:18
Hospitality
Php 2:29-30 See also Gal 4:14
Imitation
Heb 13:7
Recognised
ministers should encourage the ministries of other believers
Col
4:17 See also Ro 12:6-8; 1Co 12:4-11 The Holy Spirit allocates gifts and
enables ministries. No individual has all the gifts; ministry is shared and
mutual; Eph 4:7,11-13
The
motivation of ministry is mutual love
Gal
5:13 See also Ro 12:10; Ro 13:8; Col 3:12-14; 1Th 3:12; Heb 13:1; 1Pe 1:22; 1Jn
3:23
How
love is expressed in mutual ministry
In
humility Eph 4:2 See also Ro 12:10,16; Gal 5:26; 1Pe 5:5
In
patience 1Th 5:14 See also Jas 5:9
In
acceptance and forbearance Ro 15:7 See also Col 3:13
In
kindness, compassion and forgiveness Eph 4:32 See also Col 3:13; 1Th 5:15
In
burden-bearing Gal 6:2
In
encouragement 1Th 5:11 See also Heb 3:13; Heb 10:24-25
In
teaching and admonition Col 3:16 See also Ro 15:14; Eph 5:19; 1Th 5:14
In
prayer and confession of sin Jas 5:16
In
hospitality 1Pe 4:9
Some
thoughts on Church Ministry, the calling of the Shepherd/Pastor and Teacher.
Ephesians
4:11-16New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
11
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people
for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all
reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become
mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.14 Then we
will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here
and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people
in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we
will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head,
that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every
supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its
work.
An extract from Kingdom Dynamics from
the New Spirit Filled Life Bible.
, “Shepherding amid the Supernatural, Ephesians
4:11ff teaches us that all leadership gifts are given by Christ the Lord of the
church to “equip” (that is to mend, prepare and enable to function) the whole
body of the congregation............ , true supernatural ministry at work in
the church begets vital, spiritually functional people throughout the whole
church family. The body is to be built up by the mutual efforts of all members
supplying their contribution to the whole. The call to empower people
requires mentoring, training, imparting and discipling/discipleship - all aimed
at preparing the body for stability and increase.”
Dictionary of Bible Themes
7789 shepherd, as church leader
Church leaders are likened to
shepherds, on account of their pastoral responsibilities and tasks.
Shepherd
responsibilities
Feeding
the flock Jn 21:15 See also Mk 6:34; Jn 21:17; 1Co 3:2; Heb 5:12-14; Jude 12
Caring
for the flock Jn 21:16 See also Mt 25:36; Ac 20:28; Php 1:1; 1Ti 3:1-2; 2Ti
1:17; Tit 1:7; Jas 1:27; 1Pe 5:2
Protecting,
from false teachers Ac 20:29 See also Mt 7:15; Jn 10:1,10
7793 teachers
Those
who have responsibility for instructing others, especially in relation to
matters of faith and life: in the home, parents; in Israel, priests and teachers
of the law and in the NT church, apostles, prophets, pastors and teachers. At a
less formal level Christians should seek to teach one another. God is the
supreme teacher of his people.
The
gift of teachers in the church
Eph
4:11 See also Ac 13:1; 1Co 12:28-29; 1Co 14:29-34; Gal 6:6; 1Ti 2:12; 2Ti 2:2
Christians
as teachers of one another
