Fellow Servants of Christ: Partnership in the Kingdom (Col 4:2-18)
Introduction and Main Point
This morning we are going to close up the book of Colossians, where Paul gives some final instructions and final greetings to the church of Colossae.
This text stirred me this week. I know that in Christ I am a commissioned servant in God’s mission. But there are many days that my perception of how much I’m in the fight is off. I think, yeah, I’m following Jesus. I’m a laborer in the kingdom. But my perception is off because I’m often comparing myself to others, which I can say that in this entertainment and tech consumed culture is not great.
But when I read God’s Word, I’m challenged. The Lord is inviting me and you into more. Into a greater role in his kingdom.
His kingdom will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea. The question is how much do you want to be part of it?
Here’s my main point for today.
The Kingdom of God is expanding in the whole world through Christ. And by grace we have become fellow servants of Christ, commissioned for partnership in his mission. So, “fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”
As we speak, the kingdom of God is expanding in the whole world through Christ.
Paul opened this letter thanking God for this reality, especially thankful for that kingdom expansion in Colossae.
English Standard Version Chapter 1
the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant.
The Gospel of Jesus – which declares that the king has come, he lived the righteous life we were called to live, he died in our place but rose again and is seated on his throne in heaven inviting all mankind to come to him and receive eternal life – that Gospel is going out into the world through real people like Epaphras and Paul and a big list of people we’ll see today. As it is preached and believed, the Kingdom of God is expanding in the hearts of mankind. One by one, family by family, city by city, people are being delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of his beloved Son.”
There are clashing kingdoms here. This is a spiritual war led by King Jesus who is alive in his people by the Spirit, calling others on behalf of God to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.
Jesus said in Matthew 24:14 before he ascended:
English Standard Version Chapter 16
And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Mt 24:14)
History shows us that Christ has not failed. His Gospel is spreading throughout the earth and bearing fruit!
And what’s truly incredible is that Jesus is expanding his kingdom through the people that were once his enemies.
By grace, we have become fellow servants of Christ, commissioned for partnership in his mission.
Jesus said:
English Standard Version Chapter 16
…on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you [that is the church] the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Jesus is building his church, but he is building his church through the church, through servants like you and me. We have the keys of the kingdom, which means we were given a God-given authority to advance his mission through the Gospel.
What an amazing gift that we would be given such an important role on earth. We must never forget that we have received this ministry and position by grace. We don’t deserve to be here. We handed over our authority to the devil when we sinned. We don’t deserve to be called servants of Christ, let alone sons! But we are! We are redeemed and brought back into the work of being fruitful and multiplying and filling the earth with his glory.
Christian, you and I are partners in the mission of God. Today’s text highlights that its not just the apostles, but you and I, that were commissioned by Christ to go in his authority and make and mature disciples of all peoples of the earth in his power.
Therefore, the call I have for you this morning is from our text in verse 17: “fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”
This texts highlights three primary areas of ministry we have received that participate in the advance of the kingdom:
Any guesses on what those are from the text?
1) Prayer 2) Evangelism 3) Missions
Let’s look at each one.
Prayer
Look at verse 2 of chapter 4.
English Standard Version Chapter 3
2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 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 calls the church to the ministry of prayer.
Overflow: First of all, remember that all of these instructions are secondary, or an overflow, of what we have become in Christ. 2:6 says, Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him…
3:1 says, since you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above.
So, what we do is always an overflow of what Christ has already done for us.
Steadfast: The call to prayer is a call to steadfast prayer. Ongoing prayer. Without ceasing. We must never stop praying. Not individually or as a community.
Communion: Prayer is our communion with God. God spoke to us first in his Word, and we respond to him in prayer. Get this, God tells us that we have his ear. He listens to us. This open door, father-son communication was purchased by the blood of his Son. We pray to the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Spirit.
Intercession: Even more, God has ordained to work in the world when we pray. There is a real partnership, even friendship, with God when we call on him for our needs and the needs of others on earth. I love how John Piper compares prayer to a war-time walkie talkie. We have access to the General at all times through prayer! We never have to be disconnected from the one who has all the power!
We see in Paul’s instructions both 1) the power of prayer for keeping our faith, and also 2) the power of prayer for the advance of the kingdom.
It is both defensive and offensive.
How is prayer powerful for keeping our faith?
Paul says we must pray watchfully. Why watchful prayer? Thinking of the Lord’s prayer: we pray “Forgive us of our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” We must keep a close watch on our own souls because of the sins we commit and that are committed against us, and because of the many temptations towards evil that come at us daily.
Additionally, Paul calls us to pray with thanksgiving. Thinking again of the Lord’s prayer, we should be in awe that we can call God “our Father”. That is worth giving thanks for. Paul says in 1:3 “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you”.
Even more, as we come to God for our present and future needs, we remember his past grace and provision and thank him for it. Think of how he has provided our daily bread up until now. Think of how he has kept us up to this point. Give him thanks for all he has done even as you bring your present needs to him. He is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving in all of our prayers.
Our consistent watchful and thankful prayer keeps us in the fight. It keeps us connected to God and protected by his power.
Intercession For Others: But prayer is not just for me. Jesus taught us to pray for “us”.
Look at two more communal ministries of prayer this text highlights.
Verse 12:
English Standard Version Chapter 4
12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.
Like Epaphras models here, we also should pray that this local church and others may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. You and I can pray for one another and for the body of Christ in our city to grow and stand mature and to walk confidently and surrendered to the will of God.
It’s important to note that when Jesus taught us to pray, he taught us to pray not for “me” but for “us”. Yes, God cares about me and we should pray for me, but this plural pronoun constantly reminds us that we are not in the fight alone, but are one with our brothers and sisters, the body of Christ. So when you pray for your faith and maturity, keep one another specifically in mind also. Bring one another before the Father. But also keep the broader body of Christ in mind throughout the earth.
Finally in verse 18, Paul invites the church to one more unique form of prayer.
“Remember my chains”. I think this could be another practice of prayer. When we remember and bring before God the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Christ in prayer, God works. Remember how the church “earnestly” prayed for Peter all night when he was imprisoned. Their prayers literally paved the way for his miraculous rescue from jail in Acts 12.
But let’s look back at verse 3 to see how prayer also has power for the advance of the Gospel. It is not only defensive. It is offensive.
English Standard Version Chapter 3
3 At the same time [when you pray], 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.
Connecting this again to the Lord’s prayer, Jesus’s instructed us to pray for God’s name to be revered and loved and that his kingdom would advance on earth like it is in heaven.
Paul asks for this church to pray for his missionary team because he believed that it would be effective for the advance of the Gospel.
Do you believe that? Do you believe that there is a move in the Spirit when we pray. In Acts, every move of the Spirit unto Gospel advance is preceded by united prayer of the church. The appeal is before God that he might bring breakthrough in the Spirit for open doors in particular places and with particular people. There are real barriers in the war. Real forces that oppose the kingdom of God. And prayer, though it often feels powerless, is actually one of the primary means God uses to bring breakthrough and advance of his kingdom.
Think of Daniel’s prayers and the revelation of their power for God’s dispatching of angel forces. Daniel 10:12
Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.”
When we pray, the Bible teaches that you participate in the move of God on earth.
Clearly: Verse 4 also tells us that we should pray that those workers might preach the Gospel clearly. Another barrier to Gospel advance is people’s weakness, both the speaker and the hearer. But we should pray that God can overcome those barriers for the sake of his name.
We ought to pray for real workers in the kingdom who are preaching in particular places. If we believed that God actually worked when we prayed, I promise we would pray far more often. Lord, we believe. Help our unbelief.
Summary of Prayer: Church, there is power in prayer. Power for keeping the faith, power for maturing the church, and power for the advance of the kingdom of God. We must never give up on prayer. Continue steadfastly in prayer, church.
If you don’t have a daily time for personal and intercessory prayer as part of your devotional time, I want to urge you to do it. Whether prayer journaling, prayer cards, or some other means, this is meaningful and powerful labor in the kingdom that we must never neglect. This week I’ve been amazed at how much everything our culture feeds us is distracting me from prayer. We must be diligent. Watchful. Steadfast in prayer.
Now, let’s look at the second way we participate in advancing the kingdom.
Evangelism
English Standard Version Chapter 3
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.
By outsiders, Paul means unbelievers.
He gives several important instructions for our interactions with the unbelieving world.
And I love that he gets into our role in evangelism just after talking about our role in prayer. The two are linked more tightly then I think we realize. You’ll find it hard to keep quiet regarding the Gospel when you have been diligently praying for Gospel doors to open! When we pray God births a passion for his name in us, making sharing with others not a burden but a joy.
Paul gives some important instructions for how we share.
First, Paul says we should walk in wisdom towards them. I think walking in wisdom is a good summarizing statement for all that he says after.
In other words, wisdom with unbelievers looks like “making the best use of the time.” What does the wise use of our time have to do with unbelievers? Very much.
Time is short. Jesus is coming. People are dying. Hebrews 9:27 tells us that God appointed one life and one death for mankind and then comes judgment. There aren’t second chances after death. They have one brief life to live and we often only have a brief time with people. So, in light of this, we ought to be wise and thoughtful with our time. We should have a sense of urgency with the lost we interact with. Christ was compassionate towards us. He moved towards us before it was too late. We too should be strategic and thoughtful with our time, making use of it to win the lost with the brief time we have on earth. With our neighbors, with our co-workers, with our unbelieving family, make the best use of the time for the sake of their eternal life. Position your family rhythms around interactions with the lost. Consider a hospitality rhythm with neighbors or unbelieving friends, etc. Or put one person down on your prayer list that you want to know Christ and begin investing in them through prayer and ministry.
Verse 6 gives another way to walk in wisdom with unbelievers.
English Standard Version Chapter 3
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
How you communicate with unbelievers matters. First, it should “always be gracious, seasoned with salt.” I think this means two things: we speak the truth, but we do it in love.
Speak the truth. Jesus puts salt and light together as he talks about our witness in the earth. Seasoning food with salt is to enhance flavor. It brings a new depth to the flavor. Likewise, in conversation with unbelievers, we should be always ready to bring depth and meaning to conversation, even the most simple things in life like food, family, work. Like Jesus modeled for us, be wise in your interactions with unbelievers and don’t be afraid to enter spiritual conversations and bring depth and Gospel truth into them.
Speak the truth in love. Paul calls us to grace filled speech. I think this is tied to knowing “how you ought to answer each person.” Not everyone needs a rebuke or reminder of their wickedness. But some do. Some need answers to serious questions about the faith. But others just need a call to surrender. All of this requires wise intentional interaction with unbelievers.
If you want to grow in this, study Jesus’s interactions with the proud and religious versus the needy and humble. Or study Paul’s interactions with the people of Athens versus the Jews in Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13).
Three practical applications for us. 1) Know your Bible and this Gospel. Otherwise, you will struggle to bring the Gospel into everyday situations and conversations. 2) Know your hearer. You need to see the person in front of you if you are going to give an answer as you ought. 3) Know the time is short and make the best use of the time we have hear on earth to reach the lost.
As we walk in wisdom towards the lost and open our mouths with the Gospel, speaking the truth in love, we enter the frontlines of the spiritual war. The Gospel is our primary weapon of warfare. It both cuts and heals human hearts. There is no other saving message. So we must be ready and willing to share it. And what a privilege it is. I can tell you that some of the greatest experiences of joy I’ve had in the faith has been in sharing the Gospel and seeing the lost saved. There may be no greater joy!
Jesus commissioned us in his authority to make disciples of all peoples. This includes the important work of evangelism.
Finally, we’re going to see that we participate in missions, that is sending and going where the Gospel isn’t or where the Gospel community needs strengthening.
So, let me show you how we participate in missions, whether in sending or going.
Missions
Look at verse 7.
English Standard Version Chapter 3
7 Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, 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 church has been called to enter the fight through prayer and evangelism. And they are also welcomed to participate in the global spread of the Gospel through sending, going, and Gospel partnership.
Sending: Paul has sent two men to Colossae to deliver his letter and encourage the church. These are missionaries, sent on mission. Tychicus:
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised Tychicus
Christian mentioned five times in the NT (Acts 20:4; Eph. 6:21; Col. 4:7; 2 Tim. 4:12; Tit. 3:12)
He delivered several of Paul’s letters and provided important care to different Christian workers.
Paul also sent Onesimus who is from Colossae. You may remember his name because he is Philemon’s runaway slave written about in the letter to Philemon.
But notice how both of these men are described here by Paul. “Fellow servant in the Lord.” “Our faithful and beloved brother.” These men are not of the twelve. They are not appointed by Christ like Paul. But they are every day Christians under the same commission of Christ who are sent on mission to encourage the church.
Support: We know from other letters that it was the support of other local churches that made this work possible. Support includes “welcoming or receiving” them and their ministry, as well as financial and encouragement support.
Other workers with Paul send their greetings.
Vs 10: Aristarchus was from Thessalonica and on mission with Paul.
Mark, who was a close companion of Peter and Paul and the author of the Gospel of Mark, seems to be traveling on mission as well. Paul tells the church to “welcome him”.
Jesus who is called Justus. He along with some other Jews are named “fellow workers for the kingdom of God.”
Again, Epaphras is named – a Colossian brother, whom Paul calls a “hard-working” traveling missionary, especially to these tri-cities. He is called a “servant of Christ Jesus.”
Luke, who wrote one of the Gospel of Luke sends greetings from Paul and Demas.
Finally, Paul greets the church family in Laodicea as well as another house church who meets in Nympha’s house.
This is the first mention of a woman in this section and significant because she is the host of a house church. She is likely a wealthy Christian who had the means to host a church in her home. Again, this is encouraging to me because both the low and high classes of society, the rich and the poor are fellow servants of Christ, seeking the advance of his kingdom.
Let’s Stick Together. Partnership in the body of Christ
One more thing to point out here is the partnership of the churches. If you look at verse 15 and on you see the local churches are called to work together, to stick together to advance the cause. Laodicea, Hierapolis, and Colossae were a grouping of cities about 10-15 miles apart, not much different to our experience here in the Twin Cities.
Paul charges the church of Colossae to give his greetings to the church of Laodicea and to the church in Nympha’s house. He also charged them to make sure his letter was read in the other churches and beyond because they were under the authority of his Apostleship. They were called to use their resources to help advance the kingdom.
All this to say, this little local church is part of a larger kingdom work. Our church can also be part of the broader city kingdom movement. Our households can be part of it, hosting churches in your home. Individuals can be sent. We can finacially support. Whether through hospitality, finances, our going or our sending, our prayer or our evangelism, we can be fellow servants of Christ in the advance of his kingdom.
As I read this list this week I was struck by the fact that we are not unlike these men and women. When we step into the fight in these ways, we are truly fellow servant in the Lord along with the heroes of the faith like Peter, James, and John, like Paul and Epaphras, like Phoebe and Lydia and Nympha.
In Christ, we have linked arms not only with one another in this local body, but with every Christian in all places and at all times to diligently serve this one cause: the advance of the Gospel of Jesus and his kingdom through it.
Challenging Question: Are you in the fight, through faithful prayer, evangelism, and in sending and going on mission?
Notice this charge to Archippus in verse 17:
English Standard Version Chapter 4
17 And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”
History doesn’t tell much about this man, but I’m grateful for this personal word because I see in it a fitting call to every Christian in all places and times.
Fulfill the ministry you have received in the Lord. Follow Christ. Obey his commands to make and mature disciples. May we be named with these brothers and sisters as co-laborers, fellow servants of Christ. I believe many of you are in this fight. Would you commit with me to take a step forward in greater participation in this work.
His kingdom will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea. The question is how much do you want to be part of it?
In prayer, in evangelism, and in missions, let’s give our best. Give our all. Position yourselves and your families in your daily and weekly rhythms to sacrificially serve as the hands and feet of Jesus on earth. The time is short, family. Let’s make the best use of the time. We will not regret how we pour out our lives. There is a lottiemoon Christmas missions offering that I want to encourage your giving to.
Jesus is all. He is our life. Our lives are hidden with Christ in God. We have been filled in him. When he appears, we shall appear with him in glory. We will be rewarded in him! So let’s devote our hearts, our households, and our church wholly to him. As you do, you are not alone. This letter closes with “Grace be with you.” How fitting. Jesus promised that he is with us always to the end of the age in this work. Paul reminds the church that this is true.
What’s landing on you today? What stands out in this text or sermon and what do you feel that Jesus is calling you to do?
Close with the main point: The Kingdom of God is expanding in the whole world through Christ. And by grace we have become fellow servants of Christ, commissioned for partnership in his mission. Therefore, “fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”