Colossians 4 - Making the Most of the Opportunity

1 Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.

Masters -- Now Paul speaks to the other side of the Master-slave relationship. We reflect the image of God as we participate in relationships - "male and female He created them." We are all in relationships where we are subservient, whether as wives or children or citizens. We are also all in relationships where we are dominant, whether as husbands or parents or governing authorities. In each relationship we can either express the kindness of the Father while in the dominant role or the humility of the Son in the submissive role.

justice and fairness -- Justice conveys the idea of treating the slave as his behavior demands. There should be no cruel and unusual punishment. Fairness means that there should be no favoritism in the master's treatment of different slaves. Both of these concepts reflect God's kindness and lack of partiality in His dealing with mankind.

knowing that you too have a Master in heaven -- As the masters on earth focus on how they are treated by their heavenly Master their treatment of their slaves will reflect God's love.

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;

Devote yourselves to prayer -- Paul follows his message on relationships with a talk on prayer. The reason for this is that prayer is the key to being able to have loving relationships.

We are to devote ourselves to prayer in order to be able to demonstrate love in each of the relationships just mentioned. If we focus on God's provision for our needs then we don't need to be dependent on our earthly relationships to meet our needs. As we rest in God's provision for us we can be loving toward others when they fail to meet our needs. If we focus on our earthy relationships to meet our needs we become bitter and resentful as people let us down. If we can look beyond our earthly partners and, through prayer, rely on our relationship with our heavenly Father then we can take our eyes off of ourselves and focus on meeting the needs of others.

keeping alert in it -- This echoes the Lord's admonition to His disciples at Gethsemane.

Matthew 26:41

"Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

In the Greek, "Keep watching" is the same phrase as "keeping alert" in Colossians 4:2. If we are not alert we will be tempted to be put to sleep by the world around us. The temptation is to lose our focus on the constant providence of God and see only the fleshly world around us. Every relationship we have is a spiritual battle. We are in the Colosseum being watched by those around us and even by the angels. Through prayer we focus our attention on this spiritual battle and are able to withstand the temptation to live in our relationships under our own power.

1 Peter 5:8

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Here, also, Peter brings to mind the image of the Colosseum where the Christians did battle with the roaring lions. Satan's goal is to separate us from God's provision for us and if we are not alert in constantly coming to God in prayer, Satan will succeed in getting us to look to ourselves to meet our needs.

with an attitude of thanksgiving -- Once again, the act of thanksgiving is a way of focusing our attention on the God who provides for all of our needs.

3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;

praying at the same time for us as well -- Prayer connects us to one another. Paul asks that the Colossians pray, not only for their own needs, but also for the needs of Paul.

that God will open up to us a door for the word -- Paul knows that only God can open doors. Here is an example of Paul relying on God's provision instead of relying on himself.

so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ -- This mystery or secret, which has been hidden and is now being revealed by Paul, is the gospel, the reality behind all of the types and shadows of the Old Covenant.

Colossians 2:2,3

that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

for which I have also been imprisoned -- This is a great example of looking beyond our earthly circumstances to the heavenly reality behind them. Paul doesn't see his imprisonment as evidence of God's unfaithfulness, but rather he sees his imprisonment as God providing him with an opportunity to extend his ministry. Would that we would all see our every circumstance and every relationship as the hand of God moving on our behalf!

4 that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.

that I may make it clear -- "Clear" is the word translated "manifest" in

Colossians 1:26

that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints

Paul wants the Colossians to pray that he will be able to explain clearly the reality behind the types and shadows of the Old Covenant.

in the way I ought to speak -- Even the apostle Paul, a Pharisee of Pharisees, who is well trained in clearly expositing the scriptures, does not rely on his flesh when speaking the word of God. The word of God is not conveyed or comprehended by the flesh and only God can open hearts to receive His words.

In addition to being humble in his abilities before God, he humbles himself before the Colossians by asking them to pray for him.

5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders -- All of our dealings with unbelievers should be in the name of the Lord. All of our words and deeds should reflect the image of God to them. We are the new temple where people can see what God is like. The wisdom of God is Christ Himself.

Colossians 2:2,3

that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

making the most of the opportunity -- We should view every contact with unbelievers to be an opportunity to present to them God's graciousness as demonstrated on the cross by Jesus on their behalf.

6 Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

Let your speech always be with grace -- No matter the provocation, we should always respond with grace, just as God responds to our sinfulness with grace.

as though seasoned with salt -- Grace is what makes our message tasty. Without grace the gospel is bland. How much of the modern gospel is about us performing to please God and not about Christ pleasing God on our behalf?

so that you will know how you should respond to each person -- If we respond with grace we will be reflecting God's image to our hearers.

Ephesians 4:32

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

7 As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information.

In this final section of Colossians Paul presents a beautiful picture of the joints and sinews of the church working together to present the image of the body of Christ to the world. As we read of Paul's travels around the world he is always accompanied by a group of believers who work together with him to express God's love. Also, he is always a part of a community of believers who support him from a distance whether in prayer or financially. Paul is not a lone Christian and neither are we. We should always be connected to other believers just as Paul was. We should be involved with one another through joint participation in reflecting the image of God through whatever means we have available.

Tychicus -- In Tychicus we have a perfect model of a servant of the Lord. The first mention of Tychicus in the Bible is in

Acts 20:4

And he was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.

Here, Tychicus is one of the brethren chosen by Paul to carry a contribution on the behalf of the churches in Asia to help the Jerusalem church survive their famine.

our beloved brother -- Paul begins his description of Tychicus with the phrase "our beloved brother". He is, first of all, a member of the family of those called to express God's love to one another and to the world.

faithful servant -- Next he is described as a "faithful servant". This is the Greek word which gives us our word deacon. A deacon is one who takes care of the common tasks that need to be done. Tychicus was a companion and messenger for Paul who aided him in whatever way was necessary.

fellow bond-servant in the Lord -- Like Paul, Tychicus was a bond-servant in the Lord. Though freed from slavery to sin by the blood of Christ, Tychicus chose to enslave himself voluntarily to the service of Christ and His church. Tychicus' service to Paul is a perfect example of the submission spoken of earlier in Colossians. Tychicus chose to humble himself and serve the Lord through serving Paul in whatever way was necessary to advance the gospel.

will bring you information -- Paul entrusted Tychicus to bring information concerning Paul to the Colossians. Tychicus probably delivered the letters to the Colossians and the Ephesians as well as Philemon to the churches in Asia.

8 For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts;

for this very purpose -- Paul sends his companion who has been with him for four years of ministry on journey of about 1,200 miles half on foot and half by sea, from Rome to Colossae with three letters, so important that eventually end up in the New Testament, (Colossians, Ephesians, and Philemon) and his very purpose is that they may be encouraged. What an amazing value Paul placed on the attitude of the Colossian church!

that you may know about our circumstances -- The Colossians were so involved with Paul's ministry to the Romans that Paul sends his faithful friend Tychicus on this dreadful journey to let them know how he is doing. This is, again, a beautiful picture of the loving connections of the body of Christ caring for one another.

that he may encourage your hearts -- The Greek word for "encourage" is the verbal form of the word translated "Helper" in

John 14:26

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Just as Paul sent Tychicus to encourage the Colossians by telling them about his circumstances in Rome, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to encourage the Church by telling them about his circumstances in heaven.

9 and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your number. They will inform you about the whole situation here.

Onesimus -- Paul's letter to Philemon gives us much of the story of Onesimus. The letter is an appeal by Paul to Philemon to accept Onesimus back after he had run away from his position as household slave. The story of Onesimus gives us a rich picture of the loving relationship between a slave and his master.

our faithful and beloved brother -- Onesimus ran away from his master, Philemon, and met Paul during his imprisonment in Rome. Paul led Onesimus to believe in Christ and now he is a faithful and beloved brother. In his letter to Philemon Paul encourages him to accept Philemon back into his household. Obviously Paul also has encouraged Onesimus to return to Philemon. Now as a believer in Christ Onesimus will indeed be "useful" to Philemon as a submissive and loving household slave with Philemon as his gracious and loving master. In Greek, Onesimus means "useful".

Philemon 1:10

I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment

who is one of your number -- The church at Colossae is said to have met in Philemon's house.

Philemon 1,2

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker, and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:

10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Barnabas's cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him);

Philemon 1:23,24

Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers.

Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner -- Aristarchus had been Paul's faithful companion in ministry, along with Tychicus, for a number of years and was now imprisoned with him in Rome.

Mark -- This is the John Mark who ministered with Paul in his early ministry and then deserted him. Here we have a picture of God's forgiveness as Paul has now forgiven John Mark and recommends him to the church at Colossae.

11 and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me.

Jesus who is called Justus -- Justus is not mentioned anywhere else but he is given high praise here by being mentioned as one of only five Jewish believers who stood by Paul in his imprisonment.

the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision -- Paul considered his ministry to be working for the kingdom of God. As more and more came to believe they became part of the kingdom of God on earth.

Colossians 1:13

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son

they have proved to be an encouragement to me -- These five Jewish believers encouraged Paul in his imprisonment as they continued to faithfully preach the gospel to those in Rome in spite of persecution.

12 Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.

Epaphras -- As we learned in Colossians 1:7, Epaphras brought the gospel to Colossae.

who is one of your number -- These are the same words Paul used to described Onesimus. Epaphras, who started the Colossian church, and Onesimus, the runaway slave are of the same importance in the eyes of Paul.

a bondslave of Jesus Christ -- Epaphras is as much a slave as Onesimus.

always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers -- Epaphras worked hard at his prayers. He worked hard to teach the Colossians but he worked just as hard at asking God to teach them.

that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God -- What is it that Epaphras labors so earnestly for in his prayers? His prayer is that they may know that they are complete (perfect) in Christ, that they understand that there is nothing they must do to add to God's approval of them. Also Epaphras wants them to be fully assured in the knowledge of God's wonderful intention toward them.

13 For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis.

Laodicea and Hierapolis -- These are two smaller cities near Colossae. They are as close to Colossae as suburbs of large cities are today.

14 Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas.

Luke -- Luke who went on to write his gospel and the book of Acts is mentioned as one of the Gentiles with Paul.

Demas -- As well as Demas who went on to desert Paul as John Mark had done earlier.

2 Timothy 4:10

for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.

15 Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house.

Nympha -- One of many prominent females in the New Testament who gave much to further the work of the kingdom of God.

the church that is in her house -- Just as the church at Colossae met in Philemon's house, Nympha opened her home for the church in Laodicea.

16 When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea.

When this letter is read among you -- The early church didn't have the completed New Testament, but they did have the letters of the apostles which were circulated among the different cities.

my letter that is coming from Laodicea -- This is probably referring to Paul's letter to the Ephesians which was probably delivered at the same time as Colossians and Philemon, but came to Colossians after traveling through Ephesus and then Laodicea.

17 Say to Archippus, "Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it."

Archippus -- We don't know much about Archippus. His name means "ruler of horses".

Philemon 1:1,2

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker, and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house

Notice that Paul calls Archippus "our fellow soldier". Perhaps Archippus was a "ruler of horses" in the military. In Colossians 4, Paul uses the phrases fellow bond servant, fellow prisoner, and fellow workers. Each of these phrases speak of the fellowship of believers as they work together to build God's kingdom on earth.

Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord -- Archippus must have been a minister of some sort in Colossae. Whatever his ministry was, he was to take heed and not be like John Mark and Demas who deserted their ministries. The word for "take heed" means to keep your eyes open. We must always keep our focus on the heavenly reality and not be distracted by the world around us.

that you may fulfill it -- Archippus must carry his ministry through to the end. The goal of all ministry is to increase the knowledge of the love of God which is beyond all that we can ask or think.

18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with you.

write this greeting with my own hand -- Paul had someone write his letters for him. Perhaps this was because he had failing eyesight. Some think that this was his thorn in the flesh which also made him difficult to look at because of some disfiguring.

Remember my imprisonment -- Paul's hope in prison was in God through the prayers of His people and not in his flesh.

Grace be with you -- Paul began Colossians with "Grace to you" and ends with "Grace be with you". As is everything with God, it is grace from beginning to end.