Letter to the Colossian Church- 16

Subtitle: Partners in Ministry II

Colossians 4:12-18.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, November 9, 2025.

Today, we will finish this letter.  Paul continues listing various ones who are with him and send their greetings to the church in Colossae.

Let’s look at our passage.

Epaphras (v. 12-13)

Paul recognizes that Epaphras is one of their number.  This is a way of saying that he is a believer from the church in Colossae.  In fact, we should remind ourselves of Colossians 1:7. There we are told that Epaphras is the one who brought the Gospel to Colossae.  Apparently, he became a believer in Messiah Jesus while away, and then he went back to his hometown to share the Gospel with them.

Paul refers to Epaphras as a slave of Jesus Christ.  Epaphras was technically a freeman, but he lived his life like Paul, as a slave to the will and purpose of Jesus Christ.

It may be more powerful for a free person speaks of themselves as being a slave of Christ.  However, even slaves could embrace being a slave of Christ.  Though an earthly master may have claim over their body, the Lord Jesus has claim over our body and soul.

As Americans, we are all about our freedoms and rights.  There is a place for that, but we are not to use our freedom as a license for sin (Jude 1:4).  Which is more important, the freedom to do whatever you want, or being free from the things you have done and their consequences?  You can’t have both.  There is not one of us who does not have stupid and even sinful choices in our past.  We are accountable to God, and yet, He is gracious.

Epaphras serves Christ.  What a world this would be if more people would choose to be slaves of Christ.

Paul describes him as always laboring earnestly for the Colossian church in prayer.  The word for laboring earnestly comes from a root that refers to agony.  It pictures someone in a wrestling match exerting power to the extent of pain.  Anyone who has had children can identify with this image.  Epaphras had an intense concern for them and labored for them in prayer.  In light of chapter two of this letter, we can imagine it had to do with a prayer that they would not be deceived by charlatans.

Next, we have some of the general goals of his prayers.  First, he prays that they would stand.  This idea of being set, or fixed, in a place is a reference to their salvation and being set within Christ.  Yet, closely attendant to this desire are the descriptors, complete and fully assured.  It is not enough to join the people of God.  There is a lifetime of tests and trials ahead of us.  One of the ways that the enemy pulls us out of Christ is by tempting us with something we are missing (see Genesis 3).  Paul has made the point in this letter that we have everything we need in Christ.  When spiritual scammers come calling, we need to be careful that we are not hungry for something else.  Thus, we need to be fully assured that we have all that we need in Christ.  This only comes through prayerful relationship with Jesus as we read the Word of God and face life in its light.

He adds the phrase, “in all the will of God.”  The Scriptures lay out all of God’s will for us.  Of course, the Holy Spirit may lead you in specifics, but they will always be within the general will of God laid out for all the saints. 

In verse 13, Paul reiterates the deep concern that Epaphras has for them.  This word is different but also has a root that means pain.  Notice that Paul also mentions the towns of Laodicea and Hierapolis.  Laodicea was west of Colossae about 12 miles.  Hierapolis was north of Laodicea about 5 miles.  It may be that Epaphras had a role in the Gospel going to those towns as well.

Luke & Demas (v. 14)

This is the same Luke that accompanied Paul on many of his journeys.  Just as he is footing the bill for his house-prison so he would be footing the bill for any medical assistance.  From his letters, we see that Paul had issues with maladies on the road.  Luke seems to have sensed the call of the Holy Spirit to assist Paul with his medical expertise.   Of course, he is filled with the Holy Spirit and a capable minister as well.

Luke describes himself as being with Paul during the voyage to Rome under arrest.  It is most likely that he too is a prisoner with Paul.  Or at least, he has been allowed to accompany Paul due to frequent issues.

Paul shortly mentions a man named Demas who sends his greetings along with Luke’s.  Demas is also mentioned in the letter to Philemon in a similar fashion.  There is one other place where Demas is mentioned and that is 2 Timothy 4:10.

Paul tells Timothy that Demas had left him and gone to Thessalonica.  Of course, the ability of people to help out in ministry can have its own seasons.  However, it is the phrase that follows that tells a tragic story.  Demas left Paul “having loved this present world.”  It is not clear if Demas has left the faith.  Yet, it is clear that Paul is describing his leaving as a spiritual problem.

Of course, ask yourself this.  How long would you be able to hang in with Paul before you were ready to hang in the towel?  Demas is doing more than going back home to minister there.  His heart is longing for the things of this present world, and it is drawing him away from ministry.  Perhaps, he feared never having this or missing out on that.  There is nothing wrong with having things in this life.  God made them all to be enjoyed with thanksgiving, but the desire for the things of this world must never come between us and our Lord.  You cannot lean upon the things of this world.  God’s work in you is not dependent upon these things either.  It is not built on finances, wealth, family, connections etc.  Rather, it is built upon Christ who is our everything.

Did Demas apostatize, leave the faith?  We simply do not know the rest of the story.  Let his brief mention be a cautionary tale.

Nympha or Nymphas (v. 15)

Paul now switches to specific people on their end that he wants to greet.  At this point, we have a textual issue about whether Paul is addressing a woman or a man.  Your version of the Bible will be very clear on its translation either way, but there are some issues.  Let’s look at them.

First, the Greeks would change the ending of a name depending on how it was being used in the sentence.  We do not do this in English.  How is this a problem?  The name has a clear male form, Nymphas, and a clear female form, Nympha.  However, this name is not the subject of the sentence but the object.  Paul says, “[implied subject “you”] Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha/Nymphas [one of the objects of the verb “greet”].  Because it is an object, the ending is changed to “Nymphan” in order to make clear how it is functioning in the sentence.  The problem is that both Nympha (f) and Nymphas (m) have the same form when used as an object.  So, the name cannot tell us whether this is a male or female.

This then brings us to the recognition that a pronoun is used following the name, “and the church that is in [is it “her” or is it “his”] house.  Normally, the pronoun would have made it clear.  However, there are some manuscripts that have “her” and some that have “his.”

The manuscripts that have “her” tend to be older manuscripts.  However, there are far fewer of them than those that say “his.”  The challenge is to determine which manuscripts are more reliable, the ones that are older or the ones that are more numerous.

There is another issue.  If this represents a change- perhaps thinking it is in error for some reason, we have to ask which change makes the most sense.  Does it make more sense that the pronoun was originally “his” and was changed to “her?”  Or does it make more sense that the pronoun was originally “her” and was changed to “his?”  Many believe that it is unthinkable that someone would have changed “his” to “her” and believe that it must be the other way around, “her” was changed to “his.”

This represents the difficult world of determining what the original letter said.  The evidence appears to lean towards “her,” but not heavily so.  There is still doubt.  Some of the case for “her” is speculation, even though that speculation may make the most sense.  The problem is this.  We do not know what we do not know.

I take time to go through this so we can see that this debate is not about liberals trying to change the Word of God versus conservatives trying to protect it.  This verse has become one of the go-to passages for those who promote women fulfilling ministry roles in the church.  However, those who reject women in ministry offices will also reject the “her” translation.

Notice that this is a house church within the Laodicean community.  It was very common for churches to meet in someone’s house.  In fact, a city could have multiple house churches depending on the size of the Christian community there.  Nympha/s is clearly a leader in that church.

I believe that this verse is an important part of the debate, but we should not lean upon it too heavily.  Time may bring forth more manuscripts and older ones that will push the needle of certainty one way or the other.  We need to hold this lightly.

Yet, on the matter of women in ministry roles, the New Testament is far from putting women down and keeping them out of ministry.  We have mentioned Priscilla and Aquila in the past.  However, the Gospel is not pushing for women to take over ministry either.  We should stop listening to the world and our society, and we should not let the traditions of men get in the way of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever been in a church where there was a woman who was powerfully used by the Holy Spirit and the people of the church looked up to her as a leader?  If you haven’t, it is not as rare as you think.

Pentecostal churches had to come to grips with the fact that some women who were filled with the Holy Spirit were used powerfully in ministry.  Many churches were founded by women, whether through preaching or starting Sunday School classes.  Women were powerfully called and used on the mission field.  If you have a default setting that says God cannot use women in that way, then you will miss out on some of what the Holy Spirit is doing.  Yet, we are not to make the mistake of trying to make women leadership happen, as if there must be a 50/50 representation.  This is how the world thinks.  In Christ, we are more concerned with what he thinks.

In 1 Corinthians 4:19, Paul references some teachers who were causing problems in the church.  He says that he will “find out, not the words of those who are arrogant but their power.”  The true measure of the teacher is the presence of the Holy Spirit, not the outward presentation, whether words or gender.  The Church needs the power of the Holy Spirit in this hour more than it needs gender equity or patriarchal headship.  It also needs humility in the face of the hurts of people and the will of a holy God.

Paul’s final words (v. 16-18)

In verse 16, Paul refers to a letter that he has sent to the church in Laodicea.  This letter was most likely delivered by Tychicus and Onesimus on their way to Colossae.  It became common for churches who received letters from apostles to retain them and share them with others in their locality.  These would then be copied so that churches could have their own copy for reference.  This is how the New Testament took form.  Local and regional communities could vouch that these letters were authentically from one of the Apostles.  This can help us understand how churches quickly recognized false writings that would surface purporting to be from one of the apostles, particularly after the period in which they lived.  They could look to the style, the things taught, and whether it had a verifiable history of being written to a church or individual.

Paul also singles out a minister named Archippus.  He tells him to “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”  Take heed is an exhortation to watch and to focus upon a duty.  Archippus is also mentioned in the letter to Philemon so he may have bee a part of the church that met in Philemon’s home.  Paul refers to him as a fellow-soldier in Philemon 1:2.

Either Paul has reason to think that Archippus may be growing weary in ministry, or he may be simply encouraging him to fulfill the ministry in the sense of finishing well.  Both issues are important for our attention.  Doing our duty in ministry and in life is important.  Of course, if you fail, God will not fail the people in the church.  Yet, you will be accountable to him.  Similarly, we all need encouragement in life to “run through the tape,” as runners are told.  The weariness of the race creates an instinctual letting up as you approach the end.  We can also recognize that the ups and downs of ministry itself can create times of growing lax and losing our edge in ministry.  We all need encouragement to pay attention to the ministry that God has given us in the midst of the spiritual battle of life and ministry.

Paul tells them to remember his bonds.  I don’t get the feeling that he is fishing for pity.  Rather, Paul wants them to know that just as he was greatly empowered by the Holy Spirit and yet had great tribulation, so they could expect difficulties as well.  These are not signs that we are on the wrong path.  Rather, they are part of what it takes to follow Jesus who also suffered great persecution, even execution.  In all of these things, Paul has testified that Christ is worthy of any sacrifice.  He wasn’t in Rome without having chosen a path of suffering.  He wasn’t regretting his stand upon Christ, and neither should they.

He ends with the common sign-off, grace be with you!

As we finish, I want to encourage us with a summary of the letter to the Colossians.  I like to memorize at least one thing that is important about each chapter.

In chapter one, we are given a powerful Hymn to the Son of God’s Love.  It is an anthem regarding Jesus, the Exalted Messiah.

In chapter two, we have the influencers who were trying to pull the Colossians away from Jesus.  These were Jews who tried to make Gentiles follow the Laws of Moses, and Gentiles who tried to pull them into philosophies and mystical polytheism.  Paul then follows this up with a powerful tribute to the victory of Jesus over every spiritual power and the completeness of our salvation in him!

Chapter three calls us to do everything we do in the name of the Lord Jesus.  This leads to a series of exhortations that seek to recreate the relationships of the Christian home.  Husbands, wives, children, parents, slaves and masters, are all to use their position for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel.  Jesus is the Lord of all our relationships.

This last chapter reminds us to walk in wisdom towards the outsiders, those who do not know Jesus.  It ends by honoring the relationships that had been formed among those who were working together for the ministry of Jesus.

I pray that this study has encouraged you to put your trust fully in Jesus the Messiah!

Partners II audio

Letter to the Colossian Church- 15

Subtitle: Partners in Ministry I

Colossians 4:7-11.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, November 2, 2025.

Paul has wrapped up his letter and is closing it with greetings from those who were with him in Rome.  Though Paul may seem to be singularly important, he continually testifies of the many people who helped him and encouraged him in ministering for Jesus Christ.

It is important for us to understand that people who minister for Christ, even with great scopes of influence, need partners both to help them and to encourage them.

In some respects, these people are partnering with Paul, but in other respects they are all partnering with Christ and his work. 

To partner with God in any endeavor will generally involve partnering with others.  There is a tension between the way God uses others to help us spiritually and those things that we must face and do for ourselves.  Both issues are important.

We all have a part in the people of Christ and also in the ministry of Christ.  Paul may get the press, but he is not trying to hog it for himself.  So, let’s look at some of the men who helped Paul in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Tychicus (v. 7-8)

We do not have a lot of information on Tychicus.  He was with Paul in Rome while Paul was under house arrest.  He is first mentioned in Acts 20:4 during Paul’s third missionary journey. Paul picks up Tychicus as a helper somewhere in the Roman province of Asia (his hometown is never mentioned).  It seems that Paul was continually looking for fellow workers who had a call from the Lord to help in ministry.

Tychicus must have made his way to Rome in order to help Paul during his imprisonment.

Paul used Tychicus several times to communicate with individuals and churches, typically carrying letters from Paul to them.  It is clear that he is delivering this letter to the Colossians.  He is also mentioned in Ephesians 6:21 as the one who delivered that letter.  There is also a mention in Titus that Paul may use Tychicus to deliver that letter.

In all of these cases, Tychicus is not just a mailman.  He is also a brother who can encourage those to whom Paul is writing.

Paul clearly depended upon Tychicus and trusted him.  So, it is no surprise to read Paul’s description of Tychicus as a beloved brother (fellow believer in Jesus) and a faithful servant.  Calling one another “brothers” was an endearment that recognized the family of God that believers were.  His faithfulness as a servant was not just to Paul.  His servanthood was ultimately to Christ.  However, when you serve Christ, you will find yourself serving people.

Paul also calls him a fellow bondservant.  This is a different word that the previous “servant.”  A bondservant was a person who had no will or agency except that of their master.  We know that Paul is a freeman, so this is not about him being an actual slave.  Rather, he is a slave of Christ along with Paul, “a bondservant in the Lord.”

Tychicus would not only deliver the letter, but he would also inform them about Paul’s situation and condition.  Paul is doing well, and God is helping him.  Tychicus could encourage their hearts about Paul’s predicament and the advance of the Kingdom of Christ in the face of Roman imprisonment.

Sometimes we can be more concerned about people than they are for themselves, and that is okay.  The key is communication and prayer for one another.

Onesimus (v. 9)

Onesimus has travelled with Tychicus and was himself from Colossae.  Paul describes him similarly to how he described Tychicus.  He is a faithful and beloved brother.

This is the same Onesimus as that in the letter of Philemon.  It is generally thought that this personal letter to Philemon was sent at the same time.  At some point, Philemon must have made his personal letter to be public. 

Onesimus was Philemon’s bondslave.  He had run away and somehow ended up in Rome.  It is clear that though Philemon was a Christian, Onesimus was not.  Onesimus became a Christian, probably through interaction with Paul.  Paul then sent Onesimus back to Philemon, his master.  In that letter, Paul encouraged Philemon to accept Onesimus as a brother in the Lord.  He even stated that he would cover all that Philemon had cost him in running away.

This idea of not kicking against your station in life, i.e., being a slave, but using it for Christ, is puzzling to the modern age.  It is part of the call to let your relationships be transformed by Christ.  It may be that a slave was Christian and a master wasn’t.  The slave would be encouraged to serve their master as if serving the Lord.  It was also possible that a master would be Christian while a slave was not (as in the case of Philemon).  The master would be encouraged to treat the slave fairly as we saw earlier in this letter, remembering that they have a heavenly master to whom they will give account.  When both are Christians, they would both be challenged to serve to honor Christ in their commitments to one another.

By the way, it is interesting that Paul does not use the language of servant and slave with Onesimus like he did with Tychicus.  He could have, but in this case, he emphasizes that he is a fellow brother.

Aristarchus (v. 10)

At this point, Paul sends greetings from those who remained with him in Rome.

We first hear about Aristarchus in Acts 19 where Paul is in Ephesus during the third missionary journey.  Demetrius the silversmith had stirred up a mob.  They couldn’t find Paul, so they seized Gaius and Aristarchus.  They brought them before the magistrates.  They were eventually freed, but we see that Aristarchus has faced difficulty for the cause of Christ.

He is from Thessalonica, the capital city of Macedonia.

Paul tells us that Aristarchus is imprisoned with him.  It is unclear if he was arrested as a co-conspirator with Paul or if he simply volunteered to be arrested with him in order to help Paul in this time.  It is fairly clear that he accompanied Paul to Jerusalem where he was arrested and then put on a ship for Rome.

Aristarchus is another faithful man serving the kingdom of Christ in spite of adversity.

Mark (v. 10)

Paul sends greetings for Mark who is not mentioned as being a prisoner too.  This is the cousin of Barnabas who is no doubt also the young man they took on their first missionary journey.

In Acts 13, we are told that John called Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem.  There was no reason presented at the time.  However, in Acts 15 as Paul and Barnabas prepare to leave on a second missionary journey, there is a dispute about letting Mark join them.  This dispute becomes so sharp that Paul and Barnabas decide to part ways. 

Paul clearly believes that Mark is not someone who can be trusted.  This makes it clear that Mark had abandoned them earlier.  Barnabas wants to help Mark grow in working for the Lord without fear. 

This passage becomes one of the places where we see that Mark went on to prove himself to the apostle Paul.  They made amends, and Paul depends upon Mark without reserve.  2 Timothy 4:11 is another place where Paul asks for Timothy to bring Mark with him who is “useful to me for service.”

Was Paul too hard or was Barnabas too soft?  I am not sure that we should try to solve that.  There are good reasons why both took the stand that they did.  However, God’s purpose can be found even in our disagreements.  Our conflicts and reconciliations are part of not knowing everything.  Perhaps, God was using that disagreement to create two missionary teams.  

Regardless, we see Paul sending word that Mark is to be welcomed (as a faithful brother) because they would know of his prior reserves about Mark.  They are to welcome him.

It is important for believers to leave room for reconciliation down the road when there are disagreements and conflicts.

Jesus who is called Justus (v. 11)

Paul sends greetings from a man named Jesus who is also called Justus.  Of course, this isn’t Jesus the Christ, but a man who had the same name.  Perhaps, this is why he went by Justus.

We know nothing else about Justus.  However, Paul describes him, Mark and Aristarchus as fellow workers for the Kingdom of God who are of the circumcision.  This is not a reference to the Jewish Christians who were teaching that Gentiles had to be circumcised to follow Jesus.  He does use the term that way in certain letters.  In this case, Paul is using the word to refer to the Jews as a whole.  They saw themselves as the circumcised as opposed to the Gentiles who were not circumcised.

There were no doubt other Jewish Christians in Rome, but these three were the only ones who came alongside of him and helped him in the ministry.

This brings up a side issue regarding the apostle Peter.  Roman Catholics have presented through the years that Peter went to Rome as early as the 40s and was the Bishop of Rome, setting up the Church there.  They then extrapolate that Peter passed his authority on to the next bishop of Rome and so one, creating a long line of succession of the apostolic succession.  This is the foundation of their argument for the primacy of the Bishop of Rome, or the papacy.

Those who reject papal authority, or primacy, sometimes try to prove that Peter was never in Rome until his execution under Nero.  This passage begs the question of whether or not Peter was in Rome.  If he was, he would be a fellow Jew working for the Kingdom of God.  They believe that it is logical to infer from Paul’s statement that Peter could not have been in Rome.

It is possible that this is true, but I believe it is making Paul’s words say too much.  Paul calls them “fellow workers.”  Peter and Paul both had powerful ministries that did not intersect very often.  They are both working for Christ, but it is possible that Paul is using “fellow worker” in a narrower sense.  Paul may only mean those who are actively helping him with what he is doing.  Peter would be doing what the Lord is leading him to do separate to Paul.

I am not persuaded either way.  I think this is a weak verse to use for both ideas.  I would say this.  There are no passages that give any implication that Peter was the head Apostle of the Church and that all of the other Apostles gave him first place.  There is also no idea that Peter would pass down such an authority before his death.  In fact, this would be a line of argumentation that would have worked for Caiaphas.  Christian heritage does not guarantee that one will have the calling of their grandparents, and a Christian office does not guarantee that one will have the same spiritual authority as previous officers.

We will have some more people to introduce next week.  Yet, let’s see these as those who have proved to be an encouragement to Paul (vs. 11).  They are not just helpers in the ministry.  Paul needed encouragement.  I am sure that the Spirit of Christ encouraged him internally.  However, Jesus also used faithful brothers to be an encouragement to Paul.  Whenever you see someone who is being used greatly in ministry, never forget this simple truth.  They need people to minister to them too!

God help us to work together for the sake of the Kingdom of Christ, the Son of God’s love!

Partners I audio

Letter to the Colossian Church- 14

Subtitle: Final Instructions

Colossians 4:2-6.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, October 26, 2025.

As we near the end of this letter, Paul returns to general instructions that all Christians need to follow.  In our relationships, the distinctions of this world do not matter, male with female, wife with husband, parent with child, and slave with master.  However, we grow up in a world that inundates us with the idea that they are very important.  So, what does matter? 

We find this answer particularly in Galatians 5:6 and 6:15. The only thing that matters is “faith expressing itself through love,” and “being a new creation [i.e., like Christ].”  These are two ways of saying the same thing.  God is love; Christ is love.  When we take on his image by faith, His love flows through us.  This is an expression of God’s new creative work within us.  We are part of His new creation.

The devil and the world know that these differences bother people.  These differences are often the leverage they need to manipulate us for their ends, for political capital, etc.  This divide-and-conquer method is the most effective way to subjugate us. 

It is easy to think that this modern age is the apex of wisdom.  We are far too sophisticated to fall for such tactics.  However, the truth is this.  Humans have not changed over the last 2,000 years.  The United States of America is not the apex of wisdom; Jesus is!  If we do not listen to him and the apostles that he sent, we are only walking the same foolish path of others before us, no matter how great we are.

Thus, the Lord is telling us through the apostles that our rights and our experience are not the most important things in life.  We are not to focus on what our rights are, but rather on how we can use our abilities for the purposes of Christ.

As the Son of God, Jesus had rights and privileges, but he laid them down in order to serve God the Father, and in so doing, serve us.

Let’s look at our passage.

Be a person who prays (v. 2-4)

At the beginning of this letter, Paul described how he and his fellow workers had been praying for them. In Colossians 1:3, he says that they were “praying always for you…,” and in verse 9 of that chapter, he says, “we have not ceased to pray for you…”

So, here in chapter 4 verse 2, he is not instructing them to pray, as if they were not doing this, but rather, he is calling them to follow his example, which is ultimately to follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

We cannot follow Christ without prayer.  Yes, prayer for ourselves, but also prayer for one another.  This is fundamental to what it means to be a Christian.  If you haven’t been a person of prayer, then this is something that He is calling to do.  Prayer is not a mechanism for getting what we want.  It is a growing relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Paul uses the word “devote.”  This word has the idea of persevering in an endeavor, in this case prayer.  Devoting yourself to something involves time, energy, and desire.  It is not so much about desiring to do a religious work, but about desiring to talk with God about our life.

This is why we hear people in the Church talking about devotions or doing your devotions.  It generally means setting aside an amount of time each day to read the Word, pray, and worship God.  Of course, we do not want this to become a religious exercise alone.  We should want quality as much as quantity.  The best course is to make sure that you are doing some amount of time while also praying that God would help you to grow in a quality of devotion.  If you have been barely praying, don’t try to pray 2 hours a day.  This will not endure because there is no relational foundation to it.  The Bible doesn’t give us a number of minutes or hour.  Rather, it calls us to prayer.

Many people who begin reading the Word and praying will only go so long and then they quit.  Why do they quit?  Sometimes it is because it doesn’t feel like God is listening.  Of course, how would we know if God was listening or not?  Our feelings are just that, our feelings.  Sometimes people come to this conclusion because they prayed for God to do something that never happened.  Of course, we forget quickly that our earthly parents often didn’t do what we wanted them to do.

Our desire in prayer must be much deeper than trying to get something out of God.  Rather, we need to be giving Him our intimate self.  He is our source of wisdom, strength, and direction.  Without Him, we will be unfruitful in making an eternal effect upon this world. So, hear the Holy Spirit calling you to pray.  Devote yourself to it. 

Paul then speaks of being watchful in your prayers.  Keeping alert, being watchful, comes from the same word that Jesus used in the garden of Gethsemane when he asked his disciples to “watch and pray” with him.

In some respects, we are watching over our own soul when we pray.  We share with God what we are seeing in our heart and mind, while asking Him to help us to see more and better.  We pray about the things that threaten to make us stumble.  We pay attention to how the enemy is attacking us now but also praying for wisdom regarding his plans ahead.  We seek to hear from the Holy Spirit regarding those things in our life that need to be removed (sin) or added (like prayer).

In all of this, we should be watchful for what is happening to the other believers connected to us.  We are to be brothers and sisters spiritually watching one another’s back.

It is amazing how many things will come to you while you pray.  The act of praying over our life opens the door for the Holy Spirit to lead us further.  This is connected to the sense of being a vigilant watchman.  The enemy will continue to attack, but those who pray will be alerted to the threats and will alert others.

Paul then emphasizes that we should do this with an attitude of thanksgiving.  Prayer can easily wear a person down, especially when they are only focused on getting something from God.  Prayer is even more about God receiving what He deserves.  When we serve Him and enter into a real relationship with Him, it makes a fruitfulness in our life that is greater than any “bad” experiences we may have.

Don’t focus on what you are not getting or on what is not happening.  Instead, you should have an atmosphere of thanksgiving in all of your prayers.  I try to thank God every time I ask Him for something.  “God, please give me wisdom in this situation.  I thank you for all the wisdom that you have poured into my life through the Word, through mature believers, and by Your Holy Spirit.  So, I ask knowing that you know what I need to know.”  Pray in such a way that you are grateful to even be able to ask in prayer.

The person who isn’t thankful will say that it is because they don’t have anything, or much, for which to be thankful.  However, the person who stops and gives thanks for even the smallest of things will come to discover just how many ways God has blessed them.

In verse three, Paul then asks them to pray for him and his missionary associates.  Of course, Paul is currently under house arrest in Rome.  But that doesn’t have to stop the spreading of the Gospel.  This letter exemplifies God’s desire that we all be praying for one another, rather than each one for himself.  If we all pray for one another, then we go from only having one person pray for us (me) to having a bunch of people praying for us. Such prayer should flow from a heart of love, but in the end, it will increase our love for others.  This is cyclical but can be jumpstarted by simply being faithful in prayer.  Just make your first prayer about asking God for a heart of love.  “O God, help me to love as You love.”

Let’s take note of the kinds of things that Paul asks them to pray.

Pray that God will open a door for the Word.  Sometimes people and places are unwilling to give the Gospel of Jesus a hearing.  The idea of a door that God has opened is picturing those moments of opportunity that arise in life.  We saw this in the Book of Acts when Paul and his group kept hearing the Holy Spirit telling them not to go into certain areas.  It is God who should lead us.  Our work should dovetail with His prior and current work of preparing hearts.  In fact, “our” work should be infused with His Spirit and His Help.  Thus, our work is really His work too. 

Sometimes God will tell us in prayer that a door is opened or closed for sharing the Gospel.  This is an internal mechanism.  However, other times, the closed door presents itself rather forcefully, and yet, simultaneously other doors spring open to our surprise.  A praying person can trust God to lead them in both ways as He chooses.  While Paul was in prison, he could have given up, but he is praying for open doors instead of getting out of prison.  He wants to share Christ wherever God makes that possible.

We should also pray that we will be able to speak the Mystery of Christ to others.  This mystery is now only mysterious to those who haven’t had it explained to them.  The amazing person of the Messiah was not just to save Israel, but also all of the Gentiles who would respond to the offer of salvation through him.

Sometimes open doors look like going to prison.  They don’t make sense to us, but God uses them for His greater purpose.

This request for prayer is the backdrop to the description of Paul’s imprisonment in Acts 28. Paul was allowed to have visitors, even large numbers.  For two years, he was able to encourage the Christians of Rome, preach to the Jews who didn’t know Jesus and also to Gentiles who didn’t know the plan of God to save the world.  All of this was done in the city that was the seat of the devil’s beast kingdom.  I would say their prayers were being answered.

Finally, Paul asks them to pray that he would have the ability to make the Gospel clear (as he ought to do).  We should never take it for granted that we are being clear.  People come from very diverse backgrounds.  We really do need the help of the Holy Spirit to lead us in clarifying the Gospel.  Clarity isn’t the only obstacle to the Gospel, but at least if we are clear, their choice will be clear.

Be careful how you live towards unbelievers (v. 5-6)

Paul now moves from their prayers, whether personal or for others, to how they live among the believers of Colossae.  We need to take care how we are living around everyone.  However, we need to take special care around unbelievers because God wants them to come to know Him.

He uses a term that is best translated as “outsiders.”  It is a term that is used often to refer to something being outside of another thing.  Several times Paul uses it of those who are not Christians (1 Corinthians 5:12f, 1 Thessalonians 4:12).  They are not just outside of a local church.  They are outside of Christ.  They are not believers in Him.

This concept of believing in Christ and then being in him has been emphasized in this letter.  Chapter 2 verse 6 reminds them, “as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”  The phrase “in Him” is given again in verses 7, 10, and 11.  The outsiders are those who have not put their faith in Jesus and joined the community of believers.  They are outside of the grace of God.

People can be outsiders for very different reasons.  Most are outsiders because they are ignorant of the truth of God and His Messiah.  However, it can also be a willful rejection of the Gospel.  It may be a mixture of both.  The main point is that God is in the business of making outsiders to be insiders.  No one was made to be outside of His grace and love.  However, He will force no one to be in His grace and love.

We are then told to walk in wisdom towards these outsiders.  “Walk” here is a metaphor for how we live our life.  It also pictures intentionality as we walk towards them.  God wants our lives to intersect with outsiders.  If we let His wisdom lead us, we can be a good witness to them.  Part of the wisdom is simply knowing that God wants your life to speak to them of Christ.  Yet, we should pray for specific wisdom regarding specific people.

Of course, we fall short of displaying and living out the wisdom of Christ.  We must be honest when we fall short.  Jesus is saving sinners, and that includes us.

The flip side of this is for Christians to live foolishly around outsiders.  This would involve not obeying Christ, saying one thing and doing another, or trying to be like the outsiders.  Wisdom would tell us that they need saving, and yet, we can also be drawn away from Christ by them.  We must be wise in our conduct.

Paul then tells them to make the most of every opportunity.  Some versions say, “redeem the time.”  It can simply mean to make the most of every opportunity that God gives us with others.  Yet, it literally says, “redeeming the season.”  Time is contemplated here in regard to the season we are in rather than pure chronology or amount of time.  Now is the season for harvest.  It is a season of God offering grace to His enemies.  It is the season of the righteous laying their lives down so that others may hear the Gospel and be saved. 

We should also recognize that, within this great season of grace, various areas have a season, as well as individuals.

We are not just making the most of a particular opportunity, though that is important.  Until Jesus comes back, we have the great opportunity of working with the Holy Spirit in order to bring people into the Kingdom of the Son of God’s love.  Eventually the night will come, and there will be no more time to shine the light of Christ to them.  Intentionality towards the things of God is what helps us make the most of the time that God has given to us.

Paul then tells us to always speak with grace.  Of course, he doesn’t say to speak with grace if they are gracious to you first.  No, our life is to be marked by the grace of Jesus.

Grace here is not so much a theological topic that we are sharing, but rather, a way in which we speak with others.  We are to speak graciously.  The idea behind grace is that of a gift that should bring joy to the receiver.  The Gospel really is good news.  We should share it with grace, or with a gracious spirit.  We see this in the life of Jesus.  Of course, there were times of sparks when his grace was thrown back into his face by those who should have known better.  But even then, Jesus did not let these offenses embitter his spirit.  He was the grace of God to them.

Paul pictures this as seasoning a meal with salt.  Sharing the Gospel is like sharing a meal.  We can do so in a bland, flavorless way.  Jesus spoke of this in Matthew 5:13. “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, how can it be made salty again?”  He then speaks of it being thrown outside and trampled under the feet of men.  It takes the help of the Holy Spirit to speak with grace.  This gives people the greatest chance possible to embrace Jesus.

Paul may also be thinking of the Old Testament sacrifices.  All sacrifices in the Old Testament were to be salted.  As we sacrifice our lives for God’s purposes, we need salt, flavor, a zest for them, which comes across when we are gracious to others.

Earlier, Paul had asked them to pray for him to be clear as he ought.  Here, he turns that to them.  If they walk wisely towards outsiders, speaking with grace towards them, then the Holy Spirit will help them to know how to speak.  Even more, He will help them to know what to speak.

We can feel impotent in reaching others for Christ.  Yet, the answer is not in shrinking back from the duty.  “I’m no good; I might as well sit down and let others do it.”  The answer lies in exercising wisdom.  Through prayer, we go back to God who has called us.  We ought to take care of how we live and what we say.  “Does it honor Christ and His purposes?”  We should also have the right attitude.  It is God’s desire to draw people to Christ through us.

We should not take things personally and react from the flesh.  God is even working through the offenses that people make towards us.  Jesus is worthy of anything we may need to suffer because He has suffered for us all, even the outsider.

When the enemy stirs someone up to be an enemy towards us, we need to remind ourselves that God saw this coming.  Perhaps, He has them right where He wants them, just as He has you right where He wants you.  Don’t let anger and a desire for justice turn off the grace of God in the lives of those who are lost.

Final Instructions

Letter to the Colossian Church- 13

Subtitle: A New Home- 2

Colossians 3:22-4:1. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, October 19, 2025.

Paul continues to address relationships in the home that would have been a part of the lives of some of the Colossians.

Slavery verifiably has been part of human history for all of written history.  All ethnic groups have been slaves and have enslaved others.  There is very little data on the prevalence of slavery in Colossae during the first century A.D.  There is more data on the prevalence of slavery within the Roman Empire during this period, but it would have had variance depending on where you are looking.  It is generally stated that 20% to 40% of households would have had slaves during this period of the Roman Empire. 

No doubt, there was enslaving going on before the Flood, since it is described as extremely wicked.  Yet, it would be clear that there would have been no slavery in the very beginning, as Adam and Eve began having children.  This would have been the same dynamic with the family of Noah when they stepped off the ark.

So, how did it start?  As sin enters our relationships and our familial connections become further and further apart, it is easier to embrace such activity for various reasons, whether economic poverty, war, or pure dictatorial subjugation.  Of course, the Tower of Babel judgment would have exacerbated this dynamic.  They spread out and could not understand one another for a long period of time.  This would break down any emotional connections that did exist.

Throughout history, slaves were often the survivors of war.  Instead of killing everyone, the victors would subjugate people as spoils of war.  Of course, kidnapping was actively pursued by many groups throughout history.  This would typically be those who don’t want to wage all out war.  It was very common for people who were badly in debt to indenture themselves to others.  The debt would be paid off by the master, and the indentured slave would work for a set number of years to cover that value.

One of the problems with slavery in the 1800s is that its intersection with the ideas of evolution to dehumanize slaves further.  Those who inhumanely treat others have somehow justified seeing them as less human than themselves.

It has been common to present the Bible as written in order to strengthen the institution of slavery.  However, this is not intellectually honest.  Most early Christians were not wealthy.  It was common for church gatherings to have slaves and masters worshipping together.  In this passage, Paul is not trying to justify or protect slavery.  Instead, he is speaking to those who have this slave to master relationship and challenging them to submit this relationship to Christ.

Let’s get into our passage.

Jesus is the Lord of our relationships: to the slave (v. 22-25)

Notice that Paul is addressing each one in a relationship and giving them an exhortation as to what they should do.  According to modern culture, what should he have said?  Modern culture is appalled that Paul does not declare that slavery is wrong and does not call for a protest in order to set all slaves free.  Of course, few give thought to how quickly the Christians would have been stamped out by Rome if Christianity made that the thrust of its focus.  Neither do we truly listen to the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

What we do know is that many slaves heard the Gospel and believed in Jesus.  Also, some of those who had slaves would believe in Jesus.  It would have been common in the early church for slaves and masters to be worshipping Jesus together.  Paul is speaking about their situation, not ours.  Even if we are to say that these verses no longer apply to cultures that do not allow slavery, we can recognize similarities to the relationship of employer to employee.

All economic systems have to come up with a solution for those who are unable to take care of themselves due to being overly indebted, or they have an inability to work.  Most of those solutions will bear a resemblance to slavery in varying degrees.  This is not to equate them, but to highlight that some of the same dynamics are at play.  Employees have a varying degree of freedom to get another job that depends on their skills or lack thereof.  So, as we go through this, we can recognize some applications to those who are not slaves and masters, but rather employees and employers.
Paul tells slaves that they should obey their earthly master.  Let’s note that the word obey here is not the same as the word Paul used for women.  However, it is the same word that was given to kids.  Paul does not get into all the issues and whether or not there are any exceptions.  If a master commanded his slave to worship Zeus, is Paul telling them they must obey and worship Zeus?  This is a ludicrous approach to what Paul is saying.  He is essentially saying that the main moral issue for slaves is that of obeying their master.  This may seem insensitive, but the Gospel is more concerned with our soul and what is ruling within us.  Good things can be done with evil motives beneath them.

I would point out that Paul uses the prepositional phrase regarding their master, “according to the flesh.”  This is a not-so-subtle qualifier to what he is saying.  A master may have a claim on your body and can, therefore, give you commands.  However, there are other ways in which they are not your master.  You have a higher Master (Lord) who is over both body and soul.

Paul then adds that they are not to obey with “external service.”  The word is literally “eye service” and has the idea of only obeying when others are watching or will find out from those around you whether you are obeying or not.  It is the picture of a person who cannot be trusted to do something unless they are heavily supervised. 

He then adds, “as those who merely please men.”  This is used here in a negative sense.  Thus, some versions add the word “merely.”  The descriptions that follow help us to understand that these are people who please others in order to get what they want out of them.  God is not interested in shallow obedience.  He wants deep transformation within the hearts of those who follow Jesus, the kind of transformation that causes a slave to obey their master in order to please God, rather than themselves.  This is couched in terms of a slave to a master, but employees ought to take all this to heart regarding how they should do their job.

Paul adds more to qualify their obedience, “with sincerity of heart.”  The word for sincerity is a singleness of heart, which includes being free from pretense and hypocrisy.  Then, he adds, “as those who fear God.”  A person who fears God is a person who knows that God will hold them accountable for their treatment of others and obedience to His Word.  God holds claim not just to my body, but also to my soul.  He is my ultimate Master.  Of course, He is not a Master like the masters of this world.

A slave is not saved by their perfect obedience to their earthly masters.  Rather, they are being reminded that they have a Master who sees everything and has made promises to you.  God is the background for all of our relationships.  Husbands and wives are accountable to God.  Parents and kids are accountable to God just as masters and slaves.

God desires us to be a good thing in each other’s life, but as He defines it, not us.  It is not enough to be neutral in our impact on others.  It is definitely unacceptable to be evil to one another.  In Christ, we are called to give ourselves to Christ and serve his purposes through us to others.

Verse 23 gives a larger principle that can be applied to any relationship.  Having mentioned the fear of the Lord, he now turns to how we are actually serving the Lord God when we serve others. 

“Do what you do heartily as for the Lord.”  The Lord needs to be the director of how we relate to one another, and He needs to be the one we envision that we are serving.  This is not a mental game of pretense.  Jesus really is our Lord, and we really will come before his judgment seat to give account for our service to him.

This reminds me of Matthew 25:40. “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.”  The same message is being given to slaves.  Do what you do as unto the Lord, and when you stand before him, you will be blessed.

I said earlier that our salvation is not dependent on how well we did this.  Our salvation can be secure while any reward from Christ is in jeopardy. 

When we mistreat one another, God takes that personal.  Mistreatment often occurs within a power imbalance.  However, the modern world wants to treat power imbalance itself as a problem, even the only problem.  The existence of imbalance of power is not what is evil.  It is what is done within the context of that imbalance.

This is an attack against God as Creator, whether they know it or not.  God has created everything with a diversity of power, both in nature around us and within humanity.  It is impossible to really create a society where there are no power imbalances. Thus, we tyrannize the whole in pursuit of something that can never be.

God doesn’t rail against these imbalances.  Rather, He warns us to be careful how we operate within them.  We will give account to the Power above all powers, and He takes it personally.

Are you strong?  Fine, but you might ask why God has given you strength.  It is not for crushing the weak while using your strength for yourself.  It is not for crushing a slave or an employee for your own ends.  Instead, it is to be a blessing to the weak and the lowly.

All people have a variation of things in which they are strong or weak.  We need each other.  We can be a blessing to one another by working together in order to please God.  If everyone is doing what they do as unto God, then our relationships with one another will be vastly different than what is typical within our society.

Verse 24 tells the slave that they will receive a reward of inheritance from the Lord.  Of course, in this life, slaves do not inherit anything.  However, Christians will inherit eternal life in a glorified body with Jesus.  We will even inherit a new heaven and a new earth in which there will be no wickedness.

You may be a slave to a man on this earth, but in Jesus, you are a son of a Heavenly Father.  You have a great inheritance coming from Him.  Does it look like it?  When we are being mistreated, used and abused, we can forget about the Lord Jesus.  How was he treated?  Did he submit himself to the mockers and the shame?  Yes, it may not be fair (or it may be).  God knows.  He has made us to be His sons and daughters.  He will make everything right in the end.  Do you trust Him?

The heavenly master will judge the earthly masters of this world.  Our difficulties seem long, but they are short in light of an eternity of perfect righteousness with God Himself.  The rewards and attainments of this world will diminish and fade.  They are here today and gone tomorrow.  But the eternal rewards of God never end and never diminish.  Many who are first in this world will be last in the life to come, if they even make it.  However, many who are last in this world will be first in the life to come.

If you only hope is in this life, you will decry the Bible as a book made by masters to keep the slaves in check.  There were some masters who became Christians like Philemon of Colossae.  There were even some people from the household of Caesar who believed.  But most were low class, and many were slaves.  Jesus and his disciples were not from the echelons of society.  They may not have been slaves, but the boot of the Roman empire and the religious leaders of Israel probably made it feel like it at times.

They made themselves slaves of Christ, who had made himself a slave of God the Father, in order to bring salvation and hope to a lost world.  This life is short and temporary compared to the inheritance and reward that God has for us.  I can be used of God for His purposes in this unfair, often godless, world.  But, after it, I will have glory with Him.  Those who have glory in this world have it much harder to obtain glory in the next.  Those who have no glory in this world need only to trust Jesus in order to obtain great glory in the next!

There are many masters who will not make it.  The real question for a slave is not about their master, but about their own destiny.  Will I make it?  Even when a slave gets his freedom, which is good, it doesn’t fix the problem that all men deal with and that is spiritual bondage in our hearts and minds. 

Thus, Paul ends verse 25 with the reminder that the Lord will judge those who do wrong and give them their consequences without partiality.  This is a double-edged sword.  The Lord will judge both slave and master.  He will not show the master partiality because he is a “greater man” in this life.  However, neither will He show the slave partiality because he had nothing.  He will judge both alike for what is in their hearts and the deeds they have done.  There are consequences to be had for how we live this life.  The courts of men may favor the rich in this generation and then change to favor the poor in that generation.  However, God shows partiality to no one.  Quit looking at the other person and excusing your sin.  Look to God and ask Him to help you cleanse your heart.

We often justify our sin in the name of injustices and wrongs done against us.  It doesn’t feel fair for God to do the right thing over the top of injustice and wrong.  However, it wasn’t fair for Jesus to take our sins upon himself and extinguish the wrath of God against sin.  Can I trust the judgment of God and the consequences that come from that, whether rewards or punishments, and whether those are temporal or eternal?

God did create slavery.  We did.  God did allow us to enslave one another.  He did let us sin against one another.  This was not because He condoned it.  Jesus himself once said about divorce that “Moses permitted divorce because of your hard hearts.”  Our hard hearts have brought many things into the world that God does not condone.  He can focus on divorce, or He can let the pain of it drive us back to the central issue, our hard hearts.  When you wrestle with the problem of softening a hard heart, then you will have scratched the surface of the wisdom of God on these matters.

To the master (v. 4:1)

It is clear from the structure of chapter three that this verse belongs with the previous chapter.  It is an improper chapter division.  Paul speaks to slaves and then turns and speaks to the masters.

It may appear that Paul was harder on the slaves because he spent four verses speaking to them, and now only one verse to masters.  However, we should not read this as him being hard on slaves and easy on masters.  Instead, he spends more time trying to help the slave see God’s wisdom because of their typical hardship.  Yet, with the master, there is a short command that is much like what they would give to their slaves.

So, what did the Holy Spirit move Paul to tell slave owners?  He tells them to give their slaves justice and fairness.  “Give” here has the sense of granting something.  This might hide the fact that this is a command to masters.  The Master of masters gives them a command to grant justice and fairness to their slaves. 

Justice refers to what is upright, virtuous and right.  It isn’t twisted and perverted for selfish reasons in any way.  A society may define this word poorly, but a Christian who had slaves should not be looking to society to define for them what justice is.  Jesus is the definition of justice and righteousness for the Christian.

Fairness has a sense of equality in it.  Paul doesn’t define what this equality would be, but it would definitely include the equality of being human, i.e., made in God’s image and loved by Him.

Equality, or fairness, is not about being equal in abilities and status.  Rather, it is about giving them what any human should receive in the light of their equal position before God.

Evolution completely undermined this issue.  Suddenly there was an intellectual reason why someone could treat a person of another race, not with equality of humanity, but something far less.  News flash: when you treat another human as less than human, it is you who is the subhuman and not them.

Paul then ends the command with a clear shot across their bow.  Do this “knowing that you have a Master in heaven.”  Their granting of justice and fairness is to be done simultaneously with the knowledge in mind that your Heavenly Master (Lord) is watching.

This short command and the accompanying warning are proper.  This is exactly how their position would be executed toward their own slaves.

Let me end with a few more things about the Bible and slavery.  Does the Bible (God) condone or even promote slavery?  No. In fact, it was Christian men and women who fought for the abolition of slavery.

When you analyze the Bible, you find that the Old Testament prohibited kidnapping, particularly for the purposes of pressing them into slavery.  Did every Scripture-quoting master in the South make sure that none of their slaves had been kidnapped?  Quoting Scripture improperly does not reflect God and His Word.  It reflects the heart of the person.

The Bible did allow economic slavery, i.e., indentured slavery, but it called for better treatment than was common among the nations.  This is connected to the permitting of divorce.

The abolitionists saw the fact that all humans are made in the image of God, the message of the Exodus and God’s heart for those under hard bondage, God’s moral laws and condemnation of oppression.  They saw that the message of Jesus and His Apostles called for a different treatment of one another.  They worked to change the system.

Praise God that we do not have open slavery anymore.  However, there is still oppression and black-market slavery.  Yet, even if we could free every single person within our boundaries, or on the planet, it still begs the question of what is going on in your heart and mind.  Are you truly free?  My body may be free while my heart, mind and soul are in bondage to sin and selfishness.

May God help us to hear His heart in these passages.

A New Home II audio