COLOSSIANS (28) Greetings and Fellowship of Christians

(Col 4:7) Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord
(Col 4:8) I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts.
(Col 4:9) He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.
(Col 4:10) 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.)
(Col 4:11) Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me
(Col 4:12) 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.
(Col 4:13) I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.
(Col 4:14) Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.
(Col 4:15) Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.
(Col 4:16) 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.
(Col 4:17) Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.”
(Col 4:18) I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

​The Book of Colossians
For the past 7 months, we’ve been talking about the book of Colossians, and today we come to the conclusion of this letter. Before we discuss it, let’s first briefly remind ourselves what we’ve learned about the book of Colossians.
 
One characteristic of the book is that the church in Colossae to which Paul wrote the letter wasn’t built by him. Paul wrote a total of 13 letters—9 letters to churches and 4 to individuals. Most of the churches were directly related to Paul. They were built as a result of his ministry in Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia, and Asia Minor.
 
But 2 letters were sent to two churches that Paul had never been to—the first one was Romans and the other one was Colossians, which we’ve been talking about. So, there must have been specific reasons Paul wrote letters to those two churches.
 
Before talking about why he wrote to the Colossians, it’s beneficial to remember that the church in Colossae was likely built by one of Paul’s disciples.
 
During his third mission trip, Paul spent most of his time in Ephesus in Asia Minor. There, he taught his disciples God’s word and the gospel of Jesus Christ every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
 
From there, Paul’s disciples went to different regions in Asia Minor and proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ and built churches, including the church in Colossae. It was built by one of Paul’s disciples named Epaphras.
 
Paul reveals in the introduction of the letter, “You learned [the gospel] from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf” (Col 1:7).
 
Paul was under house arrest in Rome when he wrote this letter. It wasn’t like prison because even though Paul wasn’t allowed to go outside, he could still host visitors.
 
Acts 28:30-31 says, “For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ - with all boldness and without hindrance!” (Ac 28:30-31)
 
It’s likely that Epaphras visited Paul during this period and told him about how the Colossian Christians had heard the gospel and borne good fruits of faith. As Paul said in Colossians chapter 1,
 
“We have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people… [Epaphras] told us of your love in the Spirit.” (Col 1:4, 8)
 
However, Epaphras didn’t only report good aspects of the church in Colossae, but also serious problems that were happening in the church, which prompted Paul to write a letter to them. In chapter 2, Paul reveals his purpose in writing the letter to the Colossian Christians:
 
“My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ… I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.” (Col 2:2-4)
 
This is Paul’s purpose in writing the letter to the church in Colossae. He really wanted them to know the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ so that they wouldn’t be deceived by any false teachers who were infiltrating the church.
 
The church at Colossae was facing several developing heresies. Paul’s desire was to combat these false teachings and encourage the Colossian believers to continue to grow in their faith and walk with Christ.
 
Colossians 1-2: Christ, Christians, and False Teachings
So, in the first two chapters of Colossians, Paul mainly focuses on who Jesus is. “The Son is the image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15). “All things have been created through him and for him” (Col 1:16) “All [God’s] fullness dwell[s] in him” (Col 1:19).
 
Christ is “the glorious riches of this mystery” (Col 1:27) “that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people” (Col 1:26).
 
Not only that, Paul also emphasizes what kind of beings those who believe in Jesus become in Him, along with the spiritual blessings and the fullness He has brought to them.
 
“Once [we] were alienated from God and were enemies in [our] minds because of [our] evil behavior. But now [God] has reconciled [us] by Christ’s physical body through death to  present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Col 1:21-22)
 
“[We] were circumcised by Christ having been buried with him in baptism, in which [we] were also raised with him through [our] faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. When [we] were dead in [our] sins… God made [us] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins” (Col 2:11-13).
 
Through these verses, Paul wants to remind the Colossian Christians of who Jesus really is and who they are in Him so that they can continue to stand on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ based on the gospel and stand against “hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ” (Col 2:8).
 
Paul said that was the purpose of God calling him to be an apostle for Christ. He encourages the Colossian believers, “Continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard… and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.” (Col 1:23)
 
Then, how should Christians live according to the gospel of Jesus Christ in order not to be deceived by false teachings but live out their faith in Jesus? Paul said,
 
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” (Col 2:6-7).
 
Colossians 3-4: Christ-Centered Life 
That’s what the first part of the book of Colossians is about. After that, in the last two chapters of the book, Paul gives the Colossians Christians some important practical instructions on how they should live out their faith in Jesus Christ in their actual lives, especially through five types of relationships.
 
1. Relationship with Christ (3:1-8)
2. Relationship with the Church Community (3:9-17)
3. Relationship with Family (3:18-21)
4. Relationship between Masters and Servants (3:22-4:1)
5. Relationship with Outsiders (4:2-6)
 
The principle he continues to emphasize in these different relationships is the same. It is to put Christ at the center of every relationship we have. We call this kind of life a Christ-centered life.
 
In our relationships with fellow believers in the church community, we are to “bear with each other and forgive one another… as the Lord forgave [us].” (Col 3:13) We’re to “let the peace of Christ rule in [our] hearts…” (Col 3:15), and “let the message of Christ dwell among [us] richly” (Col 3:16) by encouraging one another with all wisdom from the Holy Spirit. In other words, “whatever [we] do, whether in word or deed, [we should] do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col 3:17).
 
This is how we live Christ-centered lives in our relationships within the church community. It means that we put the name of Jesus over everything we do. It means that we do what Jesus would do in every circumstance and make every effort to carry out His will in all areas of our lives.
 
Christ-centered life should also be shown in our relationships with our family members. Wives are to submit themselves to their husbands as they do to the Lord because it “is fitting in the Lord” (Col 3:18). Husbands are to love their wives in the Lord as Jesus loves them. Children should obey their parents because “this pleases the Lord” (Col 3:20).
 
These statutes remind us of the importance of inviting Christ into all our relationships, regardless of whom we interact with. We’re to try to have good relationships with our families not because that itself is the goal, but because that’s how we serve Christ.
 
Even though it’s important to have good relationships with our family members, we’re to keep in mind that we actually have a higher purpose than that—it is to glorify Christ and make Him known through our lives.
 
We also find Christ-centered life in relationships between masters and slaves. Christian slaves must “obey [their] earthly masters in everything” (Col 3:22) not because slavery itself is right but because that’s how they serve the Lord in their relationships with their masters.
 
I want to clarify one more time that Paul saying this doesn’t mean that he supported slavery. His interest here is not whether slavery is right or not. What Paul really wanted to teach Christian slaves here is that they need to learn to serve Christ—their true master in heaven—in their relationships with their earthly masters. That’s why Paul goes on to remind them that their true master is Christ by saying,
 
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters… It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Col 3:23-24)
 
This same principle is also applied to Christian masters. Paul urges them to provide their slaves with what is right and fair, “[knowing] that [they] also have a Master in heaven.” (Col 4:1)
 
Lastly, we must also put Christ at the center of our relationships with non-believers. We need to “be wise in the way [we] act toward outsiders” (Col 4:5), keeping in mind that we can help them know and experience who Jesus is through our Christ-centered lives, or lead them to misunderstand Him and thus alienate them from Him.
 
So, in our relationships with non-believers, we should “make the most of every opportunity” (Col 4:5), meaning that we make all the moments we spend with them ‘decisive moments’ in which we let them experience Jesus’ love.
 
Through all this, we see Paul emphasize putting Christ at the center of every relationship we have—with our family members, with fellow believers in the church, with bosses or subordinates in our workplaces, and with non-believers around us.
 
But before he discusses our relationships with the people around us, Paul focuses on our relationship with Christ. I think Paul addresses this relationship first because it’s the foremost relationship that shapes all of our other relationships.
 
In order to live Christ-centered lives, we should continue to try to “set [our] hearts on things above, where Christ is…” (Col 3:1) and “set [our] minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Col 3:2) until His love and truth completely transform our lives to the point that we naturally reflect who He is through our facial expressions, words, deeds, and all other aspects of our lives.
 
In other words, we should “[take] off [our] old self with its practices” (Col 3:9), and “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” (Col 3:10) through Jesus Christ.
 
Greetings and Fellowship of Christians
All right. That’s what we’ve talked about so far. To sum up, Colossians is a book that testifies about who Jesus is and what the gospel truly is and instructs Christians on how to live out their faith in Jesus in practical ways by actively and intentionally putting Christ first over everything, especially in their relationships.
 
Now, I want to talk about the final passage of Colossians and wrap up the book. In the last part of Colossians, Paul mentions some of his co-workers in Christ.
 
First, Paul introduces two people whom he sent to the church in Colossae—Tychicus and Onesimus. Paul calls Tychicus “a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord” (Col 4:7) and Onesimus “our faithful and dear brother” (Col 4:9).
 
Paul sent them to the Colossian church to tell the believers there about his circumstances and thus encourage them. What we see from this is the importance of working together with other Christians whom God has put around us and having fellowship with them in Christ.
 
There are a lot of things we must do in order to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God. And we can’t do this alone. God knows this. So He gives us a family under the name of Jesus Christ so that we can encourage and help one another to keep standing strong in our faith, and so that we can continue to work together for the gospel and the kingdom of God as one body of Jesus Christ.
 
God works in believers’ fellowship and uses each of us to build the body of Christ in the world. That’s why we should cherish the church community God allows us to have not only because the church is important, but because it’s how God builds each of us up in Christ.
 
Some of us will leave Dayton soon. And I don’t know where we will all be in 10 years. But what I know is that regardless of where we are, we’ll still be dear brothers and sisters and fellow servants in the Lord if we continue to remain in Jesus Christ.
 
So I want to strongly encourage you to find a good church community and make some faithful Christian friends wherever you are. They are important channels through which God talks to you and takes care of you. Please never think that you can maintain your faith alone. That will never work and it goes against God’s will.
 
I think that’s the reason Paul tells the Colossian believers about who sends them greetings in the last part of the letter.
 
He specifically mentions 6 people who send greetings in verses 10 through 14.
 
“My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas… Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. 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… Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.” (Col 4:10-14)
 
Even though it would be beneficial to talk about who each person in this passage was to Paul, I think it’s enough for now to focus on the meaning of greetings in Christianity. Paul reminds the Colossian Christians that there are many other faithful servants in the Lord who want to send greetings to them other than Paul himself.
 
Even though they are far from each other, the physical distance can’t prevent them from having close fellowship with each other in Jesus Christ. And that’s what I want us to continue to be like. No matter where we go, I want us to remain faithful servants in the Lord who work together for the kingdom of God.
 
And I’ll do my best to remain the person who can encourage you to keep your faith and whom you can always talk to about your faith.
 
When I look closely at the list of Paul’s co-workers, it makes me realize how wonderful the fellowship we have with one another in God is.
 
Out of the 8 people Paul mentions, only three of them—Aristarchus, Mark, and Justus—are identified as Jews, which means that Paul, even though he was a Jew, had many Gentile co-workers in his life.
 
Considering the Jewish culture at that time, it was unusual for a Jewish person to work alongside Gentiles. We see this from the fact that even the apostle Peter separated himself from the Gentiles instead of eating with them because he was afraid of the Jews who were visiting from Jerusalem. Having fellowship with Gentiles was considered extremely taboo in Jewish culture.
 
But we see Christ’s power to break social and cultural barriers in the fact that Paul had Gentile co-workers whom he called faithful and dear brothers. And that’s what I’ve often experienced in my own life. I’ve been to many countries for mission trips.
 
Even though the people I met spoke different languages and came from different cultures, I really felt no different from them in God. I’m so grateful that I have Christian friends all over the world who work for the kingdom of God. I believe that’s one of the huge blessings we have in Christ. His love allows us to love all those around us no matter their background.
 
The list of Paul’s co-workers included Onesimus, a slave, and Luke, a doctor. So, we also see a very wide range of educational backgrounds in this group. It is truly amazing to see how God gathers all kinds of people, regardless of their abilities or knowledge, and uses all of them to build His Kingdom on earth together.
 
All right. Today we talked about the importance of having fellowship with other believers. God’s purpose in making us one body in Christ and allowing us to have the joy of fellowship with other members in the body is to remind us of the greater purpose of building the Kingdom of God and to encourage and strengthen us to keep working on it together.
 
I believe that’s the reason God has called us here today. I hope and pray that we can be filled with God’s love so that we can be truly united in Jesus Christ, and so that we can live a life worthy of the calling we receive from God, pleasing Him, bearing good fruits of faith, and being conformed to the image of Jesus together in every way. Let’s pray.
 
[Closing Prayer]
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us this precious opportunity to learn about who Your Son Jesus Christ is, who we are in Him, and how to live as Your children in the world by studying the book of Colossians.
 
Oh Lord, we want to know who Jesus is more deeply so that we won’t be deceived by anything in the world. Please continue to be with us and speak to us so that we can keep standing firmly on the foundation of the truth of Jesus Christ.
 
Please continue to remind us of who we became in Christ so that we can live as Your children in the world who please You in every way. We profess that Jesus Christ Your Son is both our Savior and Lord. We want Him to be at the center of every aspect of our lives and every relationship we have.
 
Please renew us and transform us to be more conformed to the image of Your Son, Jesus Christ, so that we can reflect who He is and glorify Him in everything we do.
 
We also thank You for this community You allow us to have. We thank You for the fellowship and relationships we have in the body of Jesus Christ. Let us remember the purpose for which You unite us so that we can continue to build Your kingdom together wherever we are by encouraging and strengthening one another with Your word of truth.
 
We thank You for everything You’ve done in our lives and in this community.
 
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
 
[Reflection Questions]
1. Have you felt God encouraging and strengthening you through your Christian friends? If you have, please share. What did God tell you through them?
 
2. Do you have people whom you can call ‘dear brothers and sisters and faithful co-workers in the Lord’ in your life? How do they help you keep your faith and serve the Lord well?