“I long to do great things for God.” Have you ever had this thought, this longing? I know I have, and it seems it comes to my mind most often in the midst of changing my umpteenth diaper, or fixing one of the three meals I know my whole family will eat, or completing some mindless housecleaning task. Perhaps for you it happens when you show up at for work, again, and think, “Wasn’t I just here? Did I ever leave?” When days run together it becomes easy to think there must be more to life than…well, this.
A few weeks ago we were on a mountain-top, spiritually speaking, where our view of Jesus Christ was enlarged and enriched, and we saw things about Him we never knew before, and perhaps we worshipped Him as never before. Oh, to stay on that mountain, to never lose the wonder of the supremacy of Christ. Yet life is lived in the valley. It is there that we show forth our high view of Christ in daily living. If you want to do great things for God, the place He has put you right now is the best place to start. As we close our study on Colossians, I want to leave you with four thoughts on doing great things for God.
1. Dress for success. (Last week’s lesson: 3:1-17)
I say this tongue-in-cheek; of course I don’t mean a literal, worldly form of success. Here I’m referring back to the character traits Paul told us to put on last week in 3:12-17, the adornment of our inner lives. More important than the situation and circumstances we face in each day is the person we take into it. Are you living out the righteousness Christ has won for you? Sloppy inward character will mean sloppy living. Beautiful inward character will result in a life beautifully lived for Christ, no matter what your circumstances may be.
2. Bring the sacred into the secular. (3:18-4:1)
There has been a lot of good teaching that has already covered the commands of 3:18-4:1, in other Bible studies, books, and in the pulpit, so I won’t spend time on these specifically. However, I do want to point out that what Paul was teaching about family and work roles was revolutionary for this time and culture. If you think about Middle Eastern families today, you get a glimpse of how radical his words were. Men were dominating forces in the family, and had full reign on everything that took place. Women and children did the bidding of the husband/father. The fact that wives were addressed equally with husbands was radically elevating. Both were given responsibilities, not just wives. The same was true for children and fathers, with both having roles to play in the family dynamics.
The idea of slavery in Biblical times was somewhat different from what we call to mind with American slavery. It was different in the fact that slavery was not a based on a race, and therefore not the racial issue we have today. But unfortunately, slaves in Biblical times were treated in much the same way as American slaves. They were nothing more than a piece of property, to be treated as the owner saw fit. With around half of the Roman population engaged as slaves, there was a great amount of tension over these relationships. So you see again, the way Paul addresses both slaves and masters elevated the dignity of the slave-master relationship.
In today’s world, these verses are no less revolutionary. If we are following God’s commands regarding family and work relationships, we are elevating the secular to God’s sacred design for relationships. With the family crumbling around us, and lines being blurred about what a family truly is, isn’t it a “great thing” to be raising children who understand, recognize, and uphold the sanctity of marriage, or to be an example of godly marriage to others? With corporate ethics plunging to new lows, isn’t it a “great thing” to be an example of God-honoring integrity in the workplace?
3. Be a witness. (Col. 4:2-6)
Again, much has been taught on evangelism and there isn’t enough room to carefully unpack these verses. But as we consider how to be used greatly by God where He has placed us, there are a couple of things to note. First, Paul urges steadfast prayer, not that his prison doors will be opened, but that a door will be opened to the word. God often means to use us right where we are, in our neighborhood, our daily routines and relationships, to be messengers of His truth to others. The idea here is that we pray to become spiritually alert and ready to make use of every opportunity God gives to point a soul to Christ. In verses 5 and 6, the believer’s example and conversation are highlighted. We are to be wise in our conduct as well as our speech. We use salt, directing conversations to spiritual matters. “Making best use of the time” is literally “buying up the opportunity.“ What choices can you make about your actions and speech that will lead to opportunities to present Christ to others?
4. Be faithful in the little things: it sets the stage for ministry. (Col. 4:7-18)
Paul was a great apostle, but he would not have accomplished nearly so much if it hadn’t been for his ministry team. These are the people behind the scenes, whose names we skim when we come to the end of one of Paul’s letters. Yet the people named in Col. 4:7-18 were precious to Paul, to the Colossian church, and to God. What can we learn from each of them?
Tychicus was called a faithful minister, or servant. Some commentators speculate he may have been the minister of the church in Ephesus, others that he was simply a humble servant, who was Paul’s errand boy among other things. He carried this letter to the Colossian church. What point was there in Paul writing a letter if it did not get delivered? From Tychicus we learn there is greatness in the smallest thing done for Christ. He risked his life at times, and other times he did the ordinary. Yet he played a crucial part in the work of the gospel.
Onesimus was the slave who apparently robbed his master, Philemon, and ran away. Somewhere in his flight, he was won to Christ and met Paul, who sent him back to his master with great commendation. Onesimus teaches us the transforming power of the gospel and the equipping and usefulness of God’s servants for His work, no matter their background. (A good follow up to the study of Colossians would be a study on the book of Philemon since these men were both Colossians. )
Aristarchus was described as Paul’s fellow prisoner, which either means he was a prisoner with Paul or his attendant while in prison. This man knew what it was to risk his life for the gospel! If there was drama involved, Aristarchus was a part of it—he was there for the riot in Ephesus and was also shipwrecked with Paul. If there was something hard that needed to be done, he was ready to take the risk. He didn’t leave when things got difficult. We can learn a lot from his faithfulness, and appreciate and pray for those who are willing to take risks to spread the message of the gospel .
John Mark had a rocky history with Paul, deserting Paul and Barnabas on a mission and then causing dissention between them when Barnabas wished to give John Mark a second chance. Yet we see that eventually he became indispensible to Paul, a trusted worker. From his life we learn we sometimes need to allow for maturity in God’s workers. John Mark went on to write the gospel of Mark, which continues to reach lives for the sake of Christ! What a role he grew into! Aren’t you glad both Barnabas and eventually Paul gave him another chance?
Jesus Justus is only referred to here in Colossians. We don’t have any background, and even his name was a very common one for his time. Common or not, he was an asset to Paul’s ministry and precious to those who knew him. You don’t have to be well known to serve God faithfully in His work.
Epaphras is our model of intercessory prayer. He probably came to Christ during Paul’s trip to Ephasus, then returned to the Colossians to share the gospel and start the church. He never quit praying for his converts to reach maturity. When it says he struggled with the Colossians in prayer, this word means agonize. Do you pray with this intensity for those you disciple, or for those you have seen won to Christ? He should inspire us to pray as we have never prayed before.
Luke is the beloved doctor who wrote both the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. Though Paul himself had the gift of healing and even raised people from the dead, he was glad to be accompanied by a doctor. Luke’s professional and people skills were essential to the work of the gospel. Do you have such skills to offer the Lord for His use?
Demas is a sad story. First referred to as a fellow worker in Philemon, it seems that by the time Paul wrote Colossians he was trying to make up his mind about him, as he was given no word of commendation nor correction. In 2 Tim. we see the sad end to his story, as it seems he abandoned Paul for the things of the world. We don’t know that he was completely away from the Lord, but his priorities were misplaced. Be on guard, for even when we are fruitful in the work of the gospel, we are all liable to Satan’s schemes to lure us away from eternal work.
The last person Paul mentions in this letter is Archippus. He is also mentioned in Philemon 2, and is suspected to be Philemon’s son. Perhaps he was a budding pastor, overseeing the church that met in Philemon’s home. If so, it makes sense the last word would be one of encouragement for him. Was he discouraged by the Gnostic teachers? Paul’s words would have meant a great deal to him. He told him to fulfill the ministry he had received in the Lord. A letter whose theme was the fullness of Christ ends with an encouragement to minister in that fullness. If you have received a ministry from the Lord, be encouraged to stay faithful, develop that ministry in spite of obstacles, and use your gifts for the building of God’s church as you serve in the fullness of Christ.
Paul finishes his letter with a reminder of his chains. Never has there been a man with a ministry quite like Paul’s, but it was far from glamorous. Being used greatly by God rarely is. There was only one Paul, yet over 100 people are mentioned in Acts and in his letters as ministry partners, each playing a vital though far less recognized part in the spread of the gospel. Wherever God has you for this time and place, you can show forth the greatness of Christ in all you do, whether you serve up front or behind the scenes. It amazes me that God is pleased to use transformed lives to transform lives. To God be the glory, great things HE has done. To borrow a thought from John Piper, may each of us leave this study with a greater desire to see and savor the supremacy of Christ in all things.
