Colossians 14: Fellow Prisoner, Restored Rebel, Just There

Scripture Text: Colossians 4:10-18

Introductory Comments

Last week we focused on the first two names Paul mentions in this concluding section of his letter, Tychicus and Onesimus. Tychicus was a trusted confidant and friend whom Paul entrusted with the important task of personally delivering his correspondence to the churches. Onesimus, the slave of Philemon, a Colossian, is mentioned as well, as is commended to the Colossians using the same gracious terms as Tychicus and Epaphras, as a “faithful and beloved brother.” Onesimus shows us how the gospel brings liberty from slavery to sin for all who hear the good news, no matter what their background or social standing.

This week, we’ll begin looking at the last six individuals Paul mentions by name. These six people can be broken down into two groups. The first three are all Jews, whom Paul refers to as “men of the circumcision.” The three following are all gentiles. And if the tradition of the church has been accurately reported, it is likely that there are two gospel writers in this list of six, one from each group.

Aristarchus – Fellow Prisoner and Man for All Seasons

Let’s begin with the first of the three Jewish Christians:

[10] Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you

Aristarchus is described as a fellow prisoner, literally translated “my fellow prisoner of war,”¹ and is likely intended to be read as a term of honor. This reference to Aristarchus as a fellow prisoner may viewed in a figurative way, as in “a prisoner of Christ” or, as one commentator put it, “one who has been taken captive by Christ to become a Christian and a fellow worker of Paul.”² Some also believe that Aristarchus may have voluntarily shared in Paul’s imprisonment in Rome. I think this reference to Aristarchus may be taken both ways. The latter view is certainly possible if you look at his life as shown in other places in the Scriptures.

So who was Aristarchus? He’s mentioned three times in Acts and once at the conclusion of Paul’s letter to Philemon. In Acts 19:24 and 20:4 we learn that he was a native of Thessalonica and one of Paul’s traveling companions. What we learn in Acts 19:24 is particularly interesting. You may remember that one of the big stories in Acts was a riot that occurred in Ephesus. The reason for the riot was pretty straightforward. Paul had come to Ephesus to preach the gospel. After a brief visit to a small group of disciples who had not yet been baptized in the name of Jesus, Paul went to preach to the Jews in the Synagogue. He did this for three months. Luke records in Acts “when they [the Jews] became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew and took the disciples with him.” Paul’s preaching continued for two more years in that place. As it turns out, Paul’s preaching was having a huge impact on the city. We read that many people who “had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver” (Acts 19:19). The big tourist attraction in Ephesus was its famed temple of Artemis. There was a man there named Demetrius who made silver shines of the temple for sale, and he noticed over time that sale were plummeting because of the Paul’s preaching. Demetrius called a meeting of the silversmiths and told them what was up. Here’s what Luke records in Acts:

[28] When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” [29] So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's companions in travel.

So there are poor Gaius and Aristarchus, dragged unwillingly by an angry mob into the theatre, and in great danger. Only the intervention of the town clerk prevented the situation from getting worse.

The next time we see Aristarchus is with Tychicus and others as Paul travels to the church in Jerusalem. His next appearance is in Acts 27:2 during Paul’s famous trip to Rome, a trip plagued by violent storms and shipwreck, where we read: “And embarking on a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica.”

Who is Aristarchus? I like the way another Pastor, Alistair Begg, put it. He called Aristarchus “a man for all seasons,” and so he was. He was with Paul in thick and thin, he was with him during the riot in Ephesus, and he was with him in the stormy waters and shipwrecks as Paul was traveling to Rome for an appeal before the Emperor. The church desperately needs Aristarchus types in this day and age - men and women who will travel unswervingly with the faithful amid the culture’s riots against the faith. Men and women who will dare to travel with others amid the incredible storms and shipwrecks of dissolving families, deep depression, desperation, political divisiveness, and denial. Men and Women like Jesus, who suffered death for us so that we might receive forgiveness and eternal life amid life’s storms.

John Mark – A Restored Rebel

[10] Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him)

Paul's reference to Mark as "the cousin of Barnabas" tells us without question that this Mark is the same person called John Mark whom we first encounter in Acts 12. Paul and Barnabas, having just dropped off the collection for the saints in Jerusalem, depart from that place, bringing with them "John, whose other name was Mark." John Mark was a child of the Jerusalem church, which met in the home of his mother, Mary. This was the same house the to which the apostle Peter went after his miraculous liberation from prison. Mark, therefore, was on the inside of some big events in the early church.

Later, however, there was trouble. Paul, still traveling with Barnabas, wanted to visit the churches where they had proclaimed the gospel. Here’s what we read in Acts 15:37-39:

[37] Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. [38] But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. [39] And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, [40] but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. [41] And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

It seems, then, that John Mark bailed out on the mission, and Paul, understandably I think, is greatly reluctant to take John Mark with them. John Mark’s cousin, Barnabas, wanted him to come along. There was a “sharp disagreement” and Paul and Barnabas separated. [Incidentally, this means that it is possible for there to be sharp disagreements in the life of the church.] So John Mark is on the outs with one of the most important leaders of the early church.

But something happened, because now here in Colossians John Mark is spoken of quote favorably (“if he comes to you, welcome him”). It seems as if John Mark has had a change of heart and has come back into the good graces of the Apostle. The instructions about John Mark are a mystery, but it is easy to imagine that word might have gotten out about John Mark’s previous behavior, and the instructions were regarding his restoration. Latter letters make it clear that John Mark was totally restored in his service to Christ. Peter, who certainly knew about bailing out on Christ, concludes his first letter with greetings from “Mark, my son.” Finally, Paul, in one of his final letter prior to his execution in Rome, says this about John Mark in 2 Timothy 4:11:

[11] Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.

What does John Mark teach us? Have any of you, in your own lives, ever experienced a time where you were away from the church? Perhaps the departure was due to a conflict, or a death, or an attack by Satan on your faith. In any case, you left the church, but desire to be restored. The lesson of John Mark is that restoration to useful ministry is always possible. John Mark’s story is in some ways close to the story of Israel. They rebelled against the God who showed them such grace by liberating them from Israel. Even so, God always promises to restore them if they repent and turn to him.

There was a time in my own life when I was absent from ministry, having become consumed with sleeping in, or play, or school, or career or some other selfish enterprise. A convenient excuse was always readily available. And then, years later, God moved in such a way that I was brought back in. First, I was called to be a deacon. Then I was called to read the scriptures in worship, then I was called to distribute food on Saturday mornings to the poor. Then I was called to seminary. Then to marriage. Then to ordained ministry in Jackson, Minnesota. That’s my journey thus far. If you have been on the outs with Jesus, know that he’s always waiting for your repentance and return with loving arms of grace and comfort. Oh how great is our God, that those who fall away for a time can be fully restored and valuable in ministry! That is only possible because of grace, and our understand of grace is found in the mystery of the Cross of Christ, who restored us to God’s favor by giving himself for us.

Jesus Justus – Present

The last person Paul mentions is known only in this place in the bible:

[11] and Jesus who is called Justus.

The only thing we know about him is that he was simply there. He was present with Paul and it must have meant much to him because Paul thought it worthy to mention him. He was likely unfamiliar to the Colossians because Paul has to tell them that this Jesus is the one “who is called Justus.”

So Jesus Justice stands alone at the conclusion of the letter. He is just there. Many, many people think that “just being there” is insufficient in some way. It isn’t. In fact, I know of a person in this church who shared with me a profound story. This person experienced a very discouraging season in life, and in a moment of deep darkness reached out for someone who would listen. It turns out that such a person was provided by God. This person, a deacon, exercised the ministry of “just being there” and listened as the person who is now in our church poured out all of the grief, worries, and miseries of the heart. In that act of “just being there,” this person was brought back into the church and deeper into faith and fellowship with Jesus. We need such people in the church, men and women who are like Jesus Justus, who are willing to be present with others and share their burdens, who will listen and pray on behalf of those in need. Perhaps God is calling you to such ministry now.

All three of these men were, like Paul, Jews. Paul must have been happy to have them, as he was so often frustrated by the resistance to the message demonstrated by his very own people. About these men, Aristarchus, Mark, and Jesus Justice, Paul says, “they have been a comfort to me.” The word translated “comfort” is paregoria, from which we get the English word paregoric. Do you know what a paregoric is? When I was a child, on occasion I would suffer tremendous stomachaches, probably a result of my sweet tooth. If they were particular painful, my mother could go to the cupboard to get a brown prescription bottle which she called “paregoric.” After taking some, my pain would go way. A paregoric is something that alleviates pain, and Paul refers to these men this way – they are a comfort to me, that is, they relieve my pain.

Do we not all need such people in the church? Are we not all called by Christ to be such people, to tend to those in need, to be present with the sick, with those who are in trouble, with those who are experiencing pain? Is this not what Jesus did for those whom he served in ministry on earth? And does he not also alleviate the pain of our guilt and sin by so graciously shedding his own blood for our sakes? Did he not become incarnate among us to be our paregoric? Oh beloved in Christ, may we be known as those whose presence relieves the pain of other, just like Aristarchus, the man for all seasons, John Mark, the restored rebel, and Jesus Justice, who was simply present, did for Paul. Amen.

¹ So O’Brien in his commentary Colossians, Philemon, 249.
² Ibid., 250.

Given at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Minnesota
June 26, 2011
13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Copyright © 2011 by Christopher Donald Drew

Colossians 13: Together for the Gospel - Tychicus and Onesimus

Scripture Text: Colossians 4:7-9

Introductory Comments

Last time, we reviewed Paul’s concluding exhortations or appeals to the whole church at Colossae. We remember that they were encouraged to engage in prayer steadfastly, with alertness and thanksgiving. We also learned that prayer is an essential component of the evangelical mission of the church to spread the gospel to those who have not yet heard or grasped it. Finally, Paul gave instructions on how Christians are to walk with outsiders, those who are not in the faith. We are to walk in wisdom with them, “making the best use of the time.” Our speech is to always be “gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know now your ought to answer each person.” (4:5-6).

The body of the letter’s text has now been considered, and here we are at verse 7, where Paul sends forth a series of greetings and commendations on behalf of those who are with him in prison and in the ministry. It is not unusual in studies of this sort to overlook introductions and conclusions, but there is much to be learned from what at first glance might seem to be nothing more than some straightforward list of personal greetings.

What can we say about this closing section? In summary, this concluding section of the letter gives us some practical wisdom on how we, you and me and everyone else in the church, are involved in the ministry of Christ together. What I’d like to do with these individuals is give a brief overview of what we know about them from the scriptures, along with a brief summary of what we can learn by how Paul describes each individual.

Tychicus – A Beloved Brother and Faithful Minister

The first person mentioned in this final section is Tychicus. Here’s what Paul says about him:

[7] Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.

Who is this Tychicus? We know some things about him because he is mentioned in two other places in the scriptures. He was one of two individuals from the province of Asia who were in the traveling team that accompanied Paul on his journey to Jerusalem in Acts 20. Tychicus is also mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:12, where Paul tells Timothy he has sent Tychicus to Ephesus on an unspecified mission.  Given how Paul refers to him, Tychicus is the likely bearer of this letter. Tychicus was also likely the courier of two other letters, Paul’s letter to the Ephesians and as well as the private letter Paul wrote to Philemon about Philemon’s runaway slave Onesimus (a name we’ll return to shortly).

What can we say about Tychicus with just these biographical bits from Colossians and elsewhere? I think we can say three things at least. First, Tychicus was a trusted friend and co-worker. We know he was highly trusted because Paul assigned him the critical task of personally transporting important apostolic letters to multiple churches. Second, Tychicus was very close to Paul and knew much about Paul’s personal circumstances. This is why Paul tells the Colossians “Tychicus will tell you all about my activities.” The major doctrinal teachings and exhortations where delivered in writing by Paul to the whole church via a letter that was to be read publicly to the entire congregation. But there certainly were personal details about Paul’s life and experience that were better reserved for direct oral transmission through a trusted confident. That trusted person was Tychicus. I keep thinking how wonderful it would have been to be present in that community as Tychicus related Paul’s state of mind, his faith, his hope for the future and for the churches under his apostolic care. Before the era of modern postal service, the telephone, e-mail, and now internet video chat, people longed for a personal word about the welfare of those they loved and cared for. Even with all of this new technology, things like Twitter and Facebook, we still long for this kind of news from loved ones.

Don’t we all long to be in acquaintance with individuals like Tychicus, someone who is trustworthy and faithful, who can be entrusted with important tasks and personal information? Someone who can give an accurate account of our circumstances because they are close to us? What would this church family be like if it were filled with men and women such as this?

Finally, Tychicus is described as “a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.” What warms words Paul uses to describe Tychicus! He also uses these words to describe the Colossian church’s native son, Epaphras, back in chapter 1 of the letter. Tychicus is a man of deep faith who is faithful in his work of ministering to the churches. Paul gives the Colossians, and us, a way of assessing Tychicus’ level of total dedication. Paul says that Tychicus is a “fellow servant in the Lord.” The word that is translated “servant” in many English translations is doulos, which is more accurately rendered “slave.” Tychicus is, like Paul, totally devoted to his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

May these words devoted to the beloved Tychicus be true also for us. May we all have such devotion for such a beloved savior as Jesus, who even gave up his life even for those who are untrustworthy, unfaithful, who prefer to be masters over others.

Isn’t this what we all desire from ministers in the church: Trustworthiness and friendship; a deep and abiding companionship with others; and deep, steadfast commitment to the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ? When I use the word “ministers,” I am not just referring to people like me who have specific callings in pulpit ministry. Presbyterians and other Christians who are creatures of the Reformation believe in something called “the priesthood of all believers.” We are all called by our Lord from death to life by Christ in order to love the Lord our God and our neighbors as ourselves. We are called into spiritual battle with each other and are fellow soldiers under the command of a gracious and loving Lord. And that calling is not just the responsibility of the preacher, but of every Christian. As you think of your lives of faith, certainly you can think of men and women, pastors and elders and deacons who were like this man Tychicus. Saints who took an interest in your life, who demonstrated genuinely concern for you, knew what you were about, who, like Tichycus, encouraged your hearts, and in their lives and their words exemplified a deep faithfulness to the Lord. The church has and always needs people like this! People with dedication, courage, commitment, faithfulness, and love. I hope all of you can think of people like this, like Tychicus, people who are worthy of honor for the sake of their faith, and who were and are influences in our own lives of faith as fellow-slaves of our Lord Jesus Christ. Tychicus is the first in this list of names who teach us that the ministry of the church is shared.

Onesimus – Faithful and Beloved Brother of Low Worldly Status

Onesimus is mentioned next by Paul:

[9] and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.

The name “Onesimus” can be translated “useful” and, as it turns out, the name would have been fairly common among those who were slaves at this time. But given the context of the letter, it is almost certain that the Onesimus mentioned here is the same one who is the runaway slave mentioned in that other letter the beloved Tychicus was carrying, the one addressed personally to Onesimus’ master, Philemon.

Notice a few things about Onesimus: He was a slave, the property of another human being. Slaves had virtually no rights, and therefore had no social status. But although he was a slave, look at how Paul refers to him. It is interesting that Paul would mention a slave at all, but it is extremely interesting that he would be described using exactly the same terms as were used to commend Tychicus and Epaphras, as “our faithful and beloved brother”! Like Epaphras, Onesimus was a native of Colossae, and so Paul adds the phrase, “who is one of you.”

To me, this verse is yet another example of how the gospel placed what one writer called, “an axe to the root of the corrupt human institution of slavery.” It is because of the gospel that proclaims Jesus as Savior and Lord that Onesimus, the slave, the one without any legal rights, is nevertheless commended as “our faithful and beloved brother” in Jesus Christ. Paul commends Epaphras, the freeborn evangelist from Colossae who first brought the gospel to his own people, and Tychicus, a freeborn confident of Paul, using the exact same terms.

What we learn from Onesimus is critically important because it tells us what the gospel does when people believe by faith through grace in the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. Beloved, in the final analysis, this letter implicates one form of slavery, the ownership of one human being by another. But that institution, as evil as it was and, tragically, still is in many places around the globe, by far the worst slavery of all is the slavery to sin into which all are born, and until someone accepts Jesus as savior they remain under the old master, the one who accuses them day and night of their sin, the one who exults by engulfing sinners with guilt, who loves painting a picture of hopelessness and rejoices when eyes are made blind and ears are stopped up in deliberate rebellion to God’s gracious commands. It is by faith in Christ that the chains and fetters of sin are dashed away. It is by faith in Christ that we, regardless of where we come from, are swept out of the kingdom of sin and death and transferred into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son Jesus. It is by faith in Christ that the pain and the guilt and the horrors of the past are wiped out and forgotten by God. It is the gospel that utterly destroys the worldly concepts of class and race, removing barriers to fellowship between those who together acknowledge one Lord and Savior. That is why Onesimus is referred to in the same way as his free brothers in Christ. He, and they, have been liberated from the worst slave driver imaginable – Sin.

In the person of Onesimus we see clearly that the gospel is for every creature on the earth. It matters not what your economic background is, or what sin or sins you have committed, or whatever else you might presume to think places you outside the grasp of Jesus’ loving arms.

Onesimus also teaches the church a lesson by implication – there is no one in the city of Jackson, the State of Minnesota, the United States, or anywhere else on the planet, who can be disqualified from hearing and the gospel, repenting, and receiving Jesus as their Savior.

Before Sara and I moved to Jackson, we naturally began examining listens of homes for sale. One of them still stands out in my mind: A nice home on the west end of town. I remember this home distinctly because before anyone could look at it, you had to be “pre-qualified,” meaning, the party selling the home had to know you could pony up the money before you could even look.

Examine your hearts, beloved. See if there is any hidden thing there that might cause you to believe that a certain worldly class of person needs to be pre-qualified before they can receive the good news of liberation from sin in Christ Jesus. I can tell you that everyone in the room will have such a tendency because we still sin. Think back on your own life and your own pass sins, those so graciously forgiven by the blood of Christ even through you didn’t deserve forgiveness. How can any saved sinner who proclaims Christ as Lord try to preemptively disqualify anyone else from hearing and believing the good news? The grace of God is a radical, dangerous thing for those in the world, because God’s forgiveness and love ultimately cannot be defeated by human beings and their petty prejudices. And thank God! If that were the case, not one of us would be saved.

So this is what the slave Paul’s mention of Onesimus teaches us. May there be no church-constructed barriers to God’s grace, and above all may everyone in the Christian fellowship of believers be viewed first as a brother or sister in Christ, as Onesimus the slave was commended in exactly the same way as his free brothers. Amen.

Given at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Minnesota
June 19, 2011
Trinity Sunday
Copyright © 2011 by Christopher Donald Drew

QOTD: Preachers, "Be afraid to be afraid"

You have to deliver your Lord's errand as he enables you, and if this be done, you are responsible to no one but your heavenly Master, who is no harsh judge. You do not enter the pulpit to shine as an orator, or to gratify the predilections of your audience; you are the messenger of heaven and not the servant of men. Remember the words of the Lord to Jeremiah, and be afraid to be afraid. 'Thou therefore gird up thy loins and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them' (Jer. 1:17). Trust in the Holy Spirit's present help, and the fear of man which bringeth a snare will depart from you.

-- Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, 175.

It seems appropriate to recount here that Jeremiah suffered many significant hardships as a prophet of the Most High God.

What Do You Think? Interested?

The cultural subtext runs thick in this story about an over-the-top home in New York City:

Colossians 12: Prayer Is Mission

Scripture Text: Colossians 4:2-6

Introductory Comments

The last time we were together we examined some specific exhortations to three different groups of people in the Colossian church. They were, in order, wives and husbands, children and fathers, and slaves and masters. We concluded by saying that the acknowledgement of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord fundamentally changed the way folks in each of those groups were to behave. What we learned by these exhortations is that Christ is glorified through acts of deliberate sacrifice, service, submission, kindness, and love after the life of sacrifice, service, submission, kindness, and love revealed perfectly to the universe through the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Last week’s exhortations were targeted to specific individuals in the church. This week’s concluding exhortations are different in that they are intended for every member in the church of Colossae. And as we shall see they are still applicable today, and I hope all of us will be exhorted helpfully by these words from Scripture this morning.

Here is the basic structure of Paul’s’ three concluding appeals to the church. He will exhort us regarding (1) the conduct of our prayer lives, (2) prayer as missionary activity, and (3) our conduct toward those who are outside in terms of their faith and belief in Jesus.

Our Conduct in Prayer – It’s About the Glory of God, Not Us

[2] Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

Randy Alcorn sums up Christian prayer this way: “Prayer isn’t passive, it’s active. It’s really doing something. Prayer isn’t the least we can do. It’s the most.”¹

The first encouragement Paul gives the Colossians is a threefold message about their prayer lives. Those who have been so graciously transferred into the Kingdom of God’s only Son will desire to be in prayerful communion with Him. And so Paul encourages them to pray (1) steadfastly, (2) watchfully, and (3) thankfully.

What does it mean to pray steadfastly? This is an appeal to be in constant prayer, to doggedly stick with it, to persist in it, taking every opportunity, however brief and fleeting, to grab hold of the throne of grace to present our petitions to our sovereign Lord.

Prayer is to be a priority for the Christian. The usual response to this is: Fine, when will we get the time? But I think if we were honest we would be amazed at the time we let pass without praying. Time spent in front of the computer or television screen, time spent staring off in the distance without applying our minds to anything in particular. Many fear they will be giving up something precious if they devote more time to prayer, but what can be more precious then applying oneself to the blessed communication between saved sinner and savior? One of our Wednesday event Lenten worship services was all about prayer. We said at the time that the church generally suffers from not just a lack of prayer but from an abundance of prayerless praying, where our hearts are not in it. Just this week, in my morning devotions, I came across a prayer that reminded me of my own faults in this regard. The prayer begins this way: “Oh Lord, no day of my life has passed that has not proved me guilty in thy sight.” How have I been proved guilty? The very next line begins list with, “Prayers have been uttered from a prayerless heart.”

Father, let our hearts not be prayerless when we come to you in prayer. Fill us with your Holy Spirit so that the overabundance of your love will be spoken out to you with passion and persistence.

In addition to being steadfast in our prayers, we are also to be watchful. To be watchful in the sense Paul is using this term mean to be in a state of readiness and on the alert. What are the Colossians to be looking for? It could be that Paul is simply giving them instruction about being alert in their prayers, but I think it is more likely that Paul is pressing the urgency of prayer upon them and telling them to be alert in the expectation of the Lord’s coming. They are to be in prayer as if the Lord might arrive any minute.

What kind of prayers is being encouraged here? I think they are likely prayers of petition to God that he will consummate the kingdom soon. One of the ancient prayers of the church, which is the concluding prayer in Revelation, is Maranatha, or, “Our Lord, come!” Christians long for the arrival of our Lord and Savior. They long to be with him, to worship him, and to find their fullest joy in him by being with him. That is why we pray, each week, “Thy kingdom come.”

If it was a matter of urgency for the Colossians to pray this way, then certainly the urgency is much greater for us some 2,000+ years later.

Finally, their prayers are to be given with thanksgiving. They have great reason to give thanks, as we do, for their gracious delivery from slavery to sin and death thanks to the cross of Jesus.

How often can your prayers be characterized as persistent, watchful, and thankful? For me, the answer is not as often as I would like. So often our prayers are simply a laundry list of to-dos that we desire God to accomplish on our behalf and for our sake. Prayers that are focused exclusively on our own needs end up making much of ourselves and little of God’s glory and power. I think it’s very interesting that Paul would encourage the Colossians, and us, to pray this way. His instructions are all about praying to God for the sake of God and his glory. This is a picture of selfless prayer. Prayers that are persistent require effort on our part, we might have to reorganize our schedules for this, people! Prayers that are watchful require us to move our eyes from the kingdom of the self to the coming glory of the kingdom of God. The same holds true for prayers that are thankful. Prayers that are thankful glorify God for what he has already done in Christ, rather than what we hope he will do for us, like get us that neat new iPod.

Prayer Is Mission

[3] At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—[4] that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

Paul next admonished the Colossians to pray for him and his associates, that God might open to declare the gospel. Here Paul makes his imprisonment explicit, and so to ask God to open a door might be to literally open the door to the prison so that they might be freed to proclaim Christ. But it also might mean that a door of opportunity might be open, even if he stays in prison, that the Gospel would be preached clearly.

Paul is very concerned that his missionary work be supported by the prayers of the churches. The first thing we learn here, then, is that prayer is an essential missionary activity. By “missionary” I mean, the mission of proclaiming the gospel throughout the nations in fulfillment of Christ command in Matthew 28. The mission is to proclaim the message clearly, so that the mystery of Christ might be made plain to those who don’t know Jesus.

Many in the church are uncertain about how to evangelize. They would rather have a root canal than tell anyone anything about Jesus at all. Some have a desire, but wonder where their gifts might be. Here is the answer to that question. Prayer is an evangelistic weapon in the arsenal of God’s church. When employed persistently, watchfully, and with thanksgiving, it can have astonishing effects. Sometimes prayer is answered quickly, but other times it can take years. That’s why we are to be persistent with our prayer, especially our evangelical prayers.

John Piper, in his excellent book Don’t Waste Your Life, tells a story about his father, a long-time evangelistic preacher, using an illustration of a man who was converted in his old age.

The church had prayed for his man for decades. He was hard and resistant. But this time, for some reason, he showed up when my father was preaching. At the end of the service, during a hymn, to everyone’s amazement he came and took my father’s hand. They sat down together on the front pew of the church as the people were dismissed. God opened his heart to the Gospel of Christ, and he was saved from his sins and given eternal life.²

The prayers of the church in question were devoted to the salvation of this man. Their prayers were that God would open the eyes of this man so that he could see the way to Jesus. Their prayers were in obedience to the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus.

Is this how we pray? Is this how you pray? Is there someone in your life who, like this man in his old age, is deeply in need of Jesus? Whose lives are a mess in the pursuit of self-glory and worldly lusts? Do you have family members who don’t know Jesus? Close friends who don’t know Jesus? Pray for them, beloved! Ask others in the Church to pray for them as well. If we truly love them, we will pray that they will know the saving mercies of Christ and the supreme joy he offers them in eternal life. Prayer is mission, loved ones, and we best be about it all the time, because the time grows short. Piper’s book is entitled Don’t Waste Your Life. This story is about not wasting our lives by employing them in the useful and powerful service of prayer. But the story is also about praying so that the lives others might not be wasted by sin.

Living with Outsiders

And that brings us quite naturally to the final exhortation, which is about making the most of our time, especially with those outside the faith:

[5] Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. [6] Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Paul begins with an understanding that the Christians in Colossae were actively involved in the commercial and social affairs of their community. They were not some isolated enclave, but were involved with the common things of life. In that capacity, they were highly likely to encounter those who were not believers. Those are the “outsiders” Paul refers to here. We are to act wisely in their presence. Our speech should be “gracious” and “seasoned with salt.” Meaning, we should be zesty conversation partners. We are not to be passively bland, but active in our engagements. To be wise means to know what someone is about, to be more than just passing acquaintances. I’m convicted here whenever I think of the utter passive way in which I usually conduct business with the person behind the counter at Casey’s or SA or any number of other public establishments. Sometimes I fear I don’t even make eye contact. That, I would suggest, isn’t wise. We want to be this way, Paul says, so that we may know how we ought to answer each person. To answer a person means they need to ask us about something. And the thing we are going to be asked about, if we really are salt and light, is about Jesus.

Just as we ought to pray for others in their evangelistic work, so we should pray for ourselves in our own work. We have the advantage here because when you were saved you received an indwelling of nothing less than the Holy Spirit, who is our comforter and the means by which we gain the superior knowledge of Christ, so that we might be able to interact with outsiders in our day to day lives in such a way that (1) Christ is glorified, and (2) other can see Jesus and be drawn to him in a saving way.

There are not many words I can use to encourage you in a way that is better than what God’s Word says here in this letter. But I want you to understand how important our prayers to God are. First, here is what Jesus says of you: “You are the salt of the earth.” You are the salt of the earth. You are that because of what Jesus did for you on the cross. You are, in Him, a means of seasoning the lives of others by showing forth the glorious body of our Lord.

The final thing I’ll share with you is this quote by George Smeaton: "To convert one sinner from his way is an event of greater importance than the deliverance of an entire kingdom from temporal evil." Conversion is an act of God in which he uses his people to proclaim His saving truth. A very significant portion of our prayers should be devoted to the salvation of others, characterized by their persistence, watchfulness, thankfulness, lifting up others whom may God may use gather in His elect, and lastly for us, for our own interactions with those who a strangers to such a wonderful and loving Savior. Amen.

¹O’Brien. Colossians. 238.
²Piper. Don’t Waste Your Life. 12.

Given at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Minnesota
June 12, 2011
Pentecost
Copyright © 2011 by Christopher Donald Drew

Wickedness and Injustice Can Be "Legal"

Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute? They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.

-- Psalm 94:20-21

The Afterlife

Paul Simon, at 69, is still producing beautiful and original music:



This song and Rewrite got me to spring for the entire album.