We live in a celebrity crazed culture! America is obsessed with the lives of famous people! People want to know everything from who Jennifer Aniston is dating and who Charlie Sheen is divorcing to when Lil’ Wayne is getting out of prison and who got voted off “Dancing with the Stars” this week. This is why television shows like “Entertainment Tonight”, “Access Hollywood”, and “TMZ” are so popular. This is also why so many people read “People Magazine” and “Sports Illustrated.”

“Time” film critic Richard Schickel says celebrities have become “the chief agents of moral change in America.” Why? Because celebrities are so moral? No! Simply because they are big names, and we listen to them! This is why political candidates want “big name” endorsements! And just in case you haven’t heard, this week both Nancy Pelosi and Sarah Palin endorsed me to continue as pastor of this church!

Unfortunately, many Christians fall into this same trap. We have the tendency to make super saints of biblical characters and believe that God’s work is only accomplished through the “big names” with highly visible gifts. But God uses this final section of the book of Colossians to remind us that “no names” are just as important as “big names.”

Obviously, the Apostle Paul is one of the biggest names in the Bible. God used him to expand the church in incredible ways, but he could not have accomplished what he did by himself. He knew that he would need a lot of help. He was not some egotistical self-sufficient Lone Ranger missionary who thought he could do everything by himself, but he relied on a diverse network of friends. Without the support of these ministry partners, he never would have succeeded in advancing the gospel across national barriers.

Paul concludes his letter to the Colossians by offering praise and final instructions to ten different people—most of these names you have never heard of before. These “no names” compose a diverse cast of characters. They came from different ethnic, social, economic, educational, religious, and geographical backgrounds, but they all played significant roles in the early church. They were just ordinary Christians who were willing to use their gifts to partner with Paul and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let me introduce you to these “no names.”

1.) Tychicus- The Trustworthy Assistant (7-8)
Tychicus was what we might call Paul’s “trusted assistant.” He was a native of the province of Asia and probably joined Paul when he was returning to Jerusalem from his third missionary journey. Paul bestows upon him the highest praise that a Christian could receive with the adjectives “a dear brother, a faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord.” He was a loyal and trustworthy friend who was willing to do whatever Paul asked him to do.

Paul gave him the important task of delivering this very letter from Rome all the way to Colosse and report Paul’s condition to church. It is very probable that he delivered Paul’s letter to Ephesians and Philemon at the same time. What an incredible responsibility to carry three of the original books of the Bible across hostile terrain? While Paul was in prison, he needed a trustworthy assistant to accomplish God’s work on the outside.

Most of you have never heard the name Tychicus before! He is certainly not a “big name” in biblical history, but God used him to accomplish an extremely important mission. God isn’t impressed by big names, he is impressed with trustworthiness! How trustworthy are you?

2.) Onesimus- A Redeemed Fugitive (9)
Onesimus was a slave who, after robbing his master, Philemon, at Colosse, he fled to Rome, where he was converted by the apostle Paul. Now Paul was sending him back to Philemon with the epistle which bears his name. In it he beseeches Philemon to receive his slave as a “faithful and beloved brother.”

Paul offered to pay Philemon anything his slave had taken, and to bear the wrong he had done him. He was accompanied on his return by Tychicus, the bearer of the Epistle to the Colossians. The story of this fugitive Colossian slave is a remarkable evidence of the freedom of access to the prisoner which was granted to all, and “a beautiful illustration both of the character of Paul and the transfiguring power and righteous principles of the gospel.”

Again, Onesimus isn’t a household Christian name, but God did amazing things in and through his life. Onesimus is evidence that if God can redeem a runaway fugitive, he can redeem anyone. How many of us have ever committed a crime before? That is right, all of us! Many of us just never got caught. God takes hardened criminals and turns them into “faithful and dear brothers and sisters.”

3.) Aristarchus- A Devoted Companion (10)
Aristarchus was a Macedonian from the city of Thessalonica and was one of Paul’s traveling companions. When Paul was in Ephesus, Aristarchus was arrested with him when the riot broke out because of Paul’s preaching of Jesus (Acts 19:29). The two were also together on Paul’s voyage to Rome (Acts 27:1-2) and he was still suffering with Paul in prison. Paul conveyed greetings from Aristarchus in the Epistle to the Colossians (Col 4:10) and in his letter to Philemon (Philem. 24). Both the Acts and the Epistles show Aristarchus as a devoted and valued associate of Paul. Tradition has it that he was martyred in Rome in the time of the Emperor Nero.

How many of you have ever heard of Aristarchus before? Most of us can’t even pronounce it! God is not interested in celebrity status; he is interested in true devotion. How many of us would be willing to do what Aristarchus did?

4.) Mark- A Reconciled Deserter (10)
Mark is more familiar to us because he wrote one of the four gospels about Jesus. He was the son of Mary, a woman apparently of some means and influence, and was probably born in Jerusalem, where his mother resided. He was cousin of Barnabas. He went with Paul and Barnabas on their first journey (about A.D. 47) as their “minister,” but from some cause turned back when they reached Perga in Pamphylia. Three years later, a “sharp contention” arose between Paul and Barnabas because Paul would not take Mark with him. Sometime later, however, he was reconciled to Paul and was with him in his imprisonment at Rome.

Mark is another example of God’s grace to sinners. He used this former dropout from the ministry to write one of the four gospels. God is indeed a God of second chances!

5.) Justus- A Comforting Friend (11)
Justus, who also bore the Jewish name Jesus, was a Christian and one of Paul’s only fellow-laborers and comforters at Rome. This is the only time he is mentioned in Scripture and the only information we have about him, but we know he was there for Paul.

Justus is an important model for us today. We don’t have to be rich, famous, or even talented to be a comforting friend. All we need to do is be there! Do you have friend who is always there when you need him or her? Are you the kind of friend who is there when someone needs you?

6.) Epaphras- A Prayer Warrior (12-13)
Paul calls Epaphras “his dear fellow-servant,” and “a faithful minister of Christ.” He was with him at Rome when he wrote to the Colossians. He was a distinguished disciple, and probably the founder of the Colossian church. He is also mentioned in the Epistle to Philemon (Philem. 1:23) where he is called by Paul his “fellow-prisoner.” Paul mentions that Epaphras “is always wrestling in prayer for you,” making him what we might call a prayer warrior.

The name Epaphras is seemingly insignificant in the New Testament, but do you think there would have been a church in Colosse, Laodicea, or Heirapolis if it hadn’t been for Epaphras’ prayers? I don’t think so either! Again you don’t have to be talented to be a prayer warrior. All it takes is faith and diligence! Prayer warriors seldom make celebrity status, but they sure do change the world!

7.) Luke- A Good Doctor (14)
Luke, along with Mark, is the other person in this whose name you may recognize because he also wrote one of the four gospels about Jesus and also the book of Acts. The date and circumstances of his conversion are unknown. It is probable that he was a physician in Troas, and was there converted by Paul, to whom he attached himself. He accompanied him to Philippi, but did not there share his imprisonment.

On Paul’s third visit to Philippi we again meet with Luke, who probably had spent all the intervening time in that city, a period of seven or eight years. From this time Luke was Paul’s constant companion during his journey to Jerusalem. He again disappears from view during Paul’s imprisonment at Jerusalem and Caesarea, and only reappears when Paul sets out for Rome and where he remains with him through his imprisonment. The last notice of the “beloved physician” is in II Tim. 4:11. There are many passages in Paul’s epistles, as well as in the writings of Luke, which show the extent and accuracy of his medical knowledge.

Luke is an example of an educated, talented, upper-class individual who was willing to give up worldly prestige to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. And in so doing, God used him to write more of the New Testament than any other individual author. This shows that God uses people from all different backgrounds!

8.) Demus- A Hidden Traitor (14)
Demus was a companion and fellow-laborer of Paul during his imprisonment at Rome, II Timothy 4:10 reveals that sometime after this, his love of the world mastered him, and he deserted the apostle. Demus was to Paul what Judas Iscariot was to Jesus.

Demus reveals the dark side of discipleship. Unfortunately, there will always be people who abandon the faith because they love the things of the world more. I have been disappointed by many Demus’ in my life and ministry—men and women who started out so well in the faith and showed so much promise in the church, but some other passion got in the way.

How about you? Do you know any Demus’? I hope and pray that none of us will have the same fate as him!

9.) Nympha- A Hospitable Hostess (15)
Nympha was a Christian hostess of a house church, likely in Laodicea. There is considerable scholarly debate over the gender of this individual because the name occurs only in the accusative case, and it is not possible to determine whether it is masculine or feminine. Modern translations follow the best Greek manuscripts in reading “her house” and using the feminine name Nympha. She was perhaps a wealthy widow who used her home and resources to support the church. This is the only place in the Bible where she is mentioned and the reason why Paul singles her out here is impossible to know.

Nympha is the epitome of God’s love for “no names!” There is great divine humor in the fact that we are not even sure of this person’s gender. The only thing we know for sure is that she was a hospitable hostess. She just opened her home to other Christians and used her resources in whatever way she could to advance the kingdom of God.

How hospitable are you? Are you willing to open your home and uses your resources to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ?

10.) Archippus- A Discouraged Pastor (17)
Archippus was one of the three persons to whom Paul addressed the letter to Philemon. Paul calls Archippus “our fellow soldier” and indicates that the Christians met in his house and he had some sort of leadership role in the church, possibly the pastor. Many scholars believe that he was Philemon’s son.

In verse 17, Paul admonishes him to “complete the work that had been given him.” Paul didn’t spell out what he meant by this, but Archippus would obviously have known. Apparently, he was discouraged in his ministry and Paul used these words to spur him on to faithfulness.

The lesson here is that even faithful Christian workers can become frustrated and discouraged in their work. Paul took the time to encourage this “no name” pastor who was struggling to complete the work that God had given him. Do you know of anyone who is discouraged in their faith or ministry? Will you come along side of them? Also, if you are the one who is feeling discouraged today, God will still use you in the midst of your discouragement!

One afternoon author Patsy Clairmont found herself on an airplane, sitting next to a young man. She had already observed something about this young man when she was being seated. He called her “Ma’am.” At the time she thought, “Either he thinks I’m ancient or he’s in the military.”

She decided the latter was the most likely, so I asked, “You in the service?” “Yes, Ma’am, I am.” “What branch?” “Marines.” “Hey, Marine, where are you coming from?” “Operation desert Storm, Ma’am.” “No kidding? Desert Storm! How long were you there?” I asked. “A year and a half. I’m on my way home. My family will be at the airport.”

She then commented that he must have thought about returning to his family and home many times while he was in the Middle East. “Oh, no, Ma’am,” he replied. “We were taught never to think of what might never be, but to be fully available right where we are.”

All Christians are in God’s service and that is exactly what he wants us to do: be fully available for him wherever we are. We have all received our marching orders from Jesus, our commanding officer, to make disciples of all nations. He expects us to be good soldiers and fulfill the mission of the church!

We have all heard this before! We know that we are supposed to make disciples, but many of us still struggle to do it. Why? I suspect that many of us lack confidence because of a lack of training. Colossians 4:2-6 provides us with the knowledge and encouragement we need to fulfill the church’s mission. It is like basic training for discipleship!

In this passage Paul continues to challenge the Colossian Christians to live out their faith in Jesus Christ by fulfilling the outward mission of the church. He has already told them that the new life in Christ is marked by a change in their internal character and relationships. Remember, he told them to put to death the vices of the old nature and to clothe themselves in the character of Christ: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, forgiveness, love, etc. (3:5-17) He also told them that their marital, parental, and workplace relationships ought to be characterized by mutual submission, love, obedience, encouragement, hard work, and fairness.

Now that he has dealt with the more internal aspects of the new life, he focuses on the external mission of the church—that is, leading others to this same new life in Christ. He specifically mentions two practices that drive the mission of the church: prayer and wisdom. Both of these practices were vital not only for the success of the church, but also for its survival. Prayer and wisdom would protect the church from the attacks of the false teachers that were roaming wild in Colosse and would help them make disciples of all nations.

Paul’s commands are just as relevant for us today as they were for the church 2000 years ago. If the church is to survive the onslaught of attacks from our anti-Christian culture and help people experience the new life that Jesus offers, we must be devoted to prayer and be very wise in the way we deal with non-believers. In these short six verses, Paul gives us the directions and encouragement we need to advance the mission of the church. So, let’s lace up our boots, strap on our helmets, and do some basic discipleship training!

1.) Prayer for the Mission of the Church (1-4)
As Paul leads the Colossians through basic discipleship training, he introduces them to four different types of prayer: diligent prayer, watchful prayer, thankful prayer, and intercessory prayer.

Diligent Prayer (1)He begins with a straight forward imperative command to the church “devote yourselves to prayer.” This does not mean some type of increased intensity in prayer; rather, it means to pray with greater consistency and diligence. Paul didn’t want them to pray occasionally, but he wanted them to devote their whole hearts to frequent prayer.

If we expect our prayers to have any effect in our lives and on the world, it cannot be haphazard and sporadic. We shouldn’t just pray when we experience difficulty, we must devote ourselves to prayer all of the time. Sure, it is easy to pray when we are hurting or a loved one is suffering. We are naturally drawn to prayer when we have a big decision to make or our lives are falling apart, but what about when life is relatively normal? How often do we pray when nothing major is going on? How devoted are we to prayer?

Watchful Prayer (1)
Paul also describes the way the Colossians should pray as “watchful.” This refers to the unknown hour of the Lord’s return and the end of the world. While they pray they should always be alert and ready for Jesus to come back at any moment. This should create a sense of urgency in their prayer lives.

We should also have this sense of watchfulness and urgency when we pray. It seems like many Christians today have forgotten that Jesus is coming back. The past 2000 years of history have lulled us to sleep, but we must always be on guard and ready. We will not be here forever and our time grows shorter every day. The imminent return of Christ should create a sense of urgency when we pray for ourselves, families, church, and community. How watchful are your prayers?

Thankful Prayer (1)
Another attitude that Paul wanted the Colossians to exhibit in their prayer lives was thankfulness. It is not surprising to find thankfulness here because it is a major theme that Paul weaves throughout the book of Colossians. He wanted them to use their prayers to thank God for all he had done for them, namely giving up his own Son so that they could experience this new life. Like watchful prayer, thankful prayer would propel them to fulfill the mission of the church.

When we think about all God has done for us, prayers of thanksgiving should be pouring from our lips. He has forgiven our sins, delivered us from hell, and blessed us with meaning and purpose in life. He has blessed us with a mind, body, health, family, a job, a home, food, and a million other things. What are you thankful for? Do you take time to thank God in your prayers?

Intercessory Prayer (3-4)
In verse 3 Paul moves from the general prayer life to intercessory prayer. He asks the Colossians to pray for him. (That is what intercessory prayer is: praying for people.)

A 20-year-old daughter earnestly prayed before climbing into bed: “Dear God, I don’t ask anything for myself, but I do pray for my mother. Please give mother a handsome son-in-law.”

Paul was sitting in prison awaiting trial. His opportunities for ministry were severely limited so he gives a specific prayer request: “that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Through prayer, he knew that God could open a door to advance the gospel message. It could be presented clearly.

Dolores Cummins of Lindale, TX, describes a time before she met her husband: “The air was cold that December night. Church bells reminded us to pray for boys trapped in the Battle of the Bulge. I was 15, but I remember hearing a voice saying, ‘Your future husband is in that battle–PRAY!’

“A year later, I met Robert. We started dating, and later we married. To my amazement, he related his experience of lying facedown in a beet field during that battle. The Germans bayoneted nearly all of his fellow soldiers, but they simply stepped over him, sparing his life. We are now celebrating our 52nd wedding anniversary.”

Have you ever wondered about others’ prayers for you? I mean, do you ever wonder who prays for you? What do they pray for? What effect have their prayers had? We will most likely never know the answers to those questions, but isn’t it interesting to ponder? Who do you pray for?

2.) Wisdom for the Mission of the Church (5-6)
Just as Paul knew that prayer was essential for advancing the mission of the church, he knew that wisdom was just as important. How once acts toward outsiders directly impacts how they receive the gospel message. As a minority in a hostile environment, Christians were concerned about the impressions they made on outsiders.

Paul didn’t want the Colossians to be fearful, threatened, or isolated. He wanted them to “make the most of every opportunity” they had to make disciples. Notice that he does not say “force opportunities”. Paul wanted the Colossians to recognize the opportunities that God had given them to share Christ.

Gracious Speech
After the Colossians recognized these opportunities, Paul wanted them to pay special attention to their speech. First, their speech is to be gracious. Civility and graciousness can overcome the misgivings and preconceived notions of non-believers and make them more receptive to the message. Gracious speech stands in stark contrast to cocky arrogance and judgmental words.

Our experience of God’s grace should guide our speech. We must be bold and uncompromising when we share our faith, but it should be tempered with gentleness, kindness, and humility. Before we can make disciples, we need to make friends and build rapport.

We do well to remember what it was like before we knew Christ. What was it that we needed to hear? What was it that touched our hearts? We should respect others and speak to them the way Jesus would. Is your speech filled with grace?

Salty Speech
Second, the Colossians’ speech is to be salty. In our modern idiom, salty speech refers to language that is laced with profanities. This is obviously not what Paul means here. “Seasoned with salt” was used to refer to clever, witty, and amusing speech. As salt adds flavor to food and makes it taste better, so clever words add flavor to the gospel and make it more palatable. A person’s saltiness will prevent them from being boring.

British comedian John Cleese said: “If I can get you to laugh with me, you like me better, which makes you more open to my ideas. And if I can [make you] laugh at a particular point I make, by laughing at it you acknowledge it as true.” Mark Twain once said, “When the mouth is opened with laughter, pop in the pill of truth!”

Many people believe that being a Christian means to be “tedious, boring, and dull.” Unfortunately, many Christians do their part to confirm this attitude by being “tedious, boring, and dull.” A wearisome, dreary, and lackluster presentation of the gospel can do immeasurable harm. Godliness is not be equated with stodginess! Now some of us are naturally more charming and charismatic than others, but there is no excuse for being irrelevant, especially when it comes to the gospel. We can all add a little flavor to our speech.

Intelligent Speech
Third, the Christian’s speech is to be grounded in the faith. They need to be ready for those who are curious about the faith or who challenge it. This does not imply that a Christian needs to know everything about the faith to be able to effectively share the gospel, but they should be able to clearly articulate the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection and answer the fundamental questions of the faith. Gracious, salty, and intelligent speech are all ways of employing wisdom in sharing the gospel with outsiders and advancing the mission of the church.

Again, you don’t have to be a pastor or theologian to share the gospel with a non-believer, but you should be able to give someone a basic understanding of what it means to follow Jesus. This should be an incentive for all of us to grow in our knowledge of the Bible and be grounded in the faith. We should be able to engage someone in a conversation about faith.

All too often Christians arm themselves with pat answers and canned clichés, but can’t think any deeper. For instance, if someone asked you, “Why are you a Christian?” what would you say?

Paul commands us to live out our new life in Christ by fulfilling the mission of the church. We fulfill the mission of the church by making disciples, and we make disciples by being devote to prayer and being wise with the opportunities God gives us. Now that we have received our marching orders, let us do our part to fulfill the mission!

As Paul continues to paint a picture of the new life in Christ, he wants us to know that true Christianity always affects the way we live. Unlike the false teachers in Colosse who promoted ideas that spirituality was found in knowledge, spiritual experiences, and legalistic rules, Paul says that true spirituality is found by submitting to the supremacy of Christ, and how he transforms our character and revolutionizes our relationships.

In the previous section, he told us to get rid of the vices of the old nature and put on the character of Christ: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, thankfulness, peace, etc. In this section, he shows us how our relationship with Christ should affect our relationships with people, especially our families. He knew that our family relationships are the best testing ground for authentic spirituality. The new life begins in the home. The Christian life is expressed in the day-to-day, routine experiences of life. Therefore, he shows how a relationship with Christ should affect the marital relationship, the parental relationship, and the workplace relationship.

1.) The Marital Relationship (18-19)

Paul begins his exhortation of the Christian life with the most foundational of all relationships: the marital relationship. He gives specific instructions to guide the attitudes and actions of both husbands and wives. These commands set forth God’s expectation for a proper Christian marriage relationship.

Wives, submit to your husbands (18)

Wives are commanded to submit to their husbands. The verb “submit” has been widely misunderstood today. It does not convey some innate inferiority but is used for a modest, cooperative demeanor that puts others first. It was something expected of all Christians regardless of their gender or rank. The command therefore promotes conduct that was believed to help elicit kindness from the husband.

Paul qualifies this submission with the phrase, “as is fitting to the Lord.” Just as any Christian woman would submit to the Lord, the Christian wife is to submit to her husband. This does not diminish the equality or destroy the dignity of the wife. The Trinity is the model for this submission. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all co-equal and exhibit mutual submission. Submission is God’s desire and design for wives in the Christian marriage relationship.

Husbands, love your wives (19)

Before you wives get upset with this command or conclude that Paul is some kind of male-chauvinist, look at the parallel command he gives to husbands in verse 19. They are told to love their wives. This command reveals that Paul is not writing to prop up the authority and rights of husbands, which everyone took for granted in the patriarchal Greco-Roman society. (Husbands were the only fully legal persons in the family and had power over all property and almost absolute authority over every member of the family.) Instead, he reminds husbands of their Christian obligation to love their wives—that is, to treat them with kindness and compassion and put their needs before their own.

This command would have been somewhat surprising to the Colossians because most in the ancient world did not expect marriage to be grounded in love. The purpose of marriage at this time was to produce legitimate heirs. Soranus contended, “Since women are married for the sake of bearing children and heirs, and not for pleasure and enjoyment, it is totally absurd to inquire about the quality or rank of the family line or about the abundance of their wealth, but not to inquire about their ability to conceive children.”

In Christian marriage, the husband knows himself to be dearly loved by God and is commanded to love his wife in the same way. This command is accompanied by a prohibition against being harsh toward their wives, which was often the case in the Roman world. There is never an excuse for domestic violence, verbal abuse, or critical spirits in a Christian marriage.

How many of you remember the television show “All in the Family?” Archie Bunker epitomized a husbandly critical spirit. In one episode, Edith decided that she would experiment with fancier cuisine and fixed her husband a soufflé instead of his regular bacon and eggs. Needless to say, Archie turned up his nose at something he couldn’t pronounce and demanded his bacon and eggs. Daughter Gloria watched with disbelief as her mother dumped the soufflé in the garbage and tried to appease her husband’s wrath. Gloria snarled indignantly, “Submitting to him…that’s what she’s doing—submitting to her ruler…her lord and master!” Archie responds, “Ain’t that a nice way of putting it?” (Garland 262)

Most fairy tales end with the prince marrying the princess, and the store ends with the words, “And they lived happily ever after.” But this is not the Christian view of marriage. The wedding day with the bells and the bubbles is not the end of the story; it is only the beginning. It is the beginning of a lifelong adventure and it is filled with many joys and jubilations, but is also filled with many perils and problems. It is a journey through uncharted seas, which explains why there are so many shipwrecks. (Garland 262)

The problem is that so many people get caught up thinking, “My needs must be met first.” We have become too devoted to the ideas of self-assertion and self-fulfillment and personal “happiness”. I have actually heard people justify divorce by saying, “Well, God wouldn’t want me to be unhappy.” The love that Paul is talking about here has nothing to do with self-fulfillment; it has everything to do with self-sacrifice. Therefore, wives, submit to your husbands! Husbands, love your wives! (Garland 263)

2.) The Parental Relationship (20-21)

Children, obey your parents (20)

After Paul sets forth proper Christian conduct in the marital relationship, he turns to the second most important family relationship: the parental relationship. He begins with a command for children to obey their parents. Obedience is the simple process of listening, understanding, and responding accordingly. The force of this command is seen in the use of the active imperative which denotes absolute obedience and the qualifying phrase “in all things”.

This command is accompanied by the motivational injunction “for this pleases the Lord”. This phrase was rooted in Jewish law and was most clearly expressed in the fourth commandment, “Honor your father and mother.” This command assumes that parents will not demand anything unseemly for their children. The command also takes for granted that the parents have the best interest of the children at heart.

We live in a culture today where it seems like obedient children are the exception rather than the norm. Tantrums in the terrible two’s turn into complete disrespect and disregard in the teen years. This disrespect for parents soon transitions to disrespect for teachers, laws, and any other type of authority figure. Many go on to cause larger problems in society in general.

Young people, if you want to obey the Lord, obey your parents. Show the authenticity of your faith, by listening and responding to them. When they ask you to clean your room, don’t procrastinate and don’t make excuses. When they ask you to be home before curfew, don’t blow them off. When they give you advice, don’t give them attitude or backtalk. Obey your parents; it pleases the Lord!

Fathers, do not embitter your children (21)

On the flip side of this command, Paul implores fathers to not embitter their children. One may wonder why the command is exclusive to fathers and not mothers or the inclusive “parents”. Again, in the Roman world, fathers had absolute control over the lives of their children. If this power was abused, there wasn’t anything anyone could do about it. There were no family protective services or family court to intervene. So, Paul focuses on the fathers.

The command to not “embitter” his children literally means to not “irritate” them. In the context it refers to fathers who overcorrect, over-criticize, harass, or physically or verbally abuse their children. The reason for this is so they don’t become “discouraged”, which refers to a broken spirit. To be discouraged as a child means to think things like “I’ll never get it right”, “All he does is criticize”, or “He’ll never love me.” The famous hymnwriter John Newton is reported to have said, “I know that my father loved me—but he did not seem to wish me to see it.”

The Bible certainly advocates parental discipline for rebellious attitudes and wayward behavior, but it clearly warns against being too harsh with children. Constant criticism and reprimand can be as destructive as none at all and can destroy the child’s sense of self-worth. Fathers, live out your faith by avoiding embittering your children.

3.) The Workplace Relationship (3:22-4:1)

After Paul deals with the marital and parental relationships, he turns to the relationship between slaves and masters. These commands may be jarring on a couple of levels. For one, it may seem surprising that the Bible doesn’t outright condemn slavery. In the first century, however, it was an entrenched reality that the early Christians could neither change nor ignore. Paul certainly doesn’t sanctify slavery, but during this historical period a society without slavery was simply inconceivable. The fact that Paul even addresses slaves shows that he believes all humans are created in the image of God and are morally responsible individuals. He has already made the point that Christ breaks down social barriers – “in Christ there is no slave or free”. (3:11)

Second, it may seem surprising that Paul mentions slaves and masters in the context of family, but this was part of the fabric of Graeco-Roman society. Households not only included children, but he also included domestic slaves.

Since slavery is outlawed in our society today, the closest equivalent would be the modern employee-employer relationship. Therefore, I will treat this section as workplace relationships. Slaves were to obey their earthly masters. Paul reminds those under authority that they have a master in heaven who observes their internal attitudes and external performance. Christian employees are to work hard and render sincere service. The employee is not to work only when the boss is looking and then slack off when their back is turned. Christians are to work for their boss as they would for the Lord Jesus Christ. They are to do whatever they do with all their hearts. Good service to a boss will be rewarded by the Lord.

For one summer while I was in seminary I took a landscaping job. The first day I showed up to work, my crew had to load a few hundred 75lb. bags of fertilizer onto a trailer bed. Once I knew what we had to do, I got right to work. Since it was a hot summer day, I took off my tee-shirt (back then I still had abs), and began tossing the bags. After I threw fifteen or twenty bags, I noticed that I was the only one working. The other guys were sitting in the garage, watching me. When I inquired as to why they weren’t doing anything, they laughed and said, “Oh, we’ll get to work when we see the boss coming.”

Likewise, masters (or employees) are to live out their faith by treating their slaves (employees) fairly and with justice. Paul grounds this command in a relationship with the Lord as well. He reminds them that they have a master too and should therefore practice the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

The application of this section is very clear. As Christian employees, we live out our faith in the workplace by working hard and being honest. We don’t try to take advantage of our boss or cheat our way to the top. Some of you have wonderful bosses and obeying is a joy. Others have terrible bosses and this is very difficult. Regardless, we prove the authenticity of our faith by how well we work and how we treat our boss.

If you happen to be an employer, you prove the authenticity of your faith by how well you treat your employees. Be fair, be just, be honest, be gracious, and be generous—isn’t this the way you would want to be treated?

This is how our relationship with Jesus Christ affects our relationship with others! Wives, be submissive to your husbands! Husbands, love your wives! Children, obey your parents! Parents, don’t embitter your children! Employees, work hard for your boss! Employers, treat your employees well!

Have you ever heard the old cliché “Off with the old, on with the new?” My methodical search for the origin of this idiom has proved unsuccessful. I have only been able to trace it back to a traditional Scotch folk song that was first printed in 1835. It goes like this:

It is good to be merry and wise,
It is good to be honest and true,
it is best to be off with the old love
before you are on with the new.

That is pretty good advice! I have heard this phrase used to describe everything from fashion designs and decorating schemes to political climates and sports trades (like last week when the New England Patriots traded away Randy Moss and this week they brought in Dion Branch). Perhaps, my favorite explanation of this cliché comes from the Urban Dictionary, which says it refers to eating while sitting on the toilet. Regardless of the context in which it is used, we all know that it means to exchange something that is old or worn out for something that is new or novel.

The rest of the book of Colossians is really about taking off the old and putting on the new. The first two chapters focus on doctrine—that is, who Jesus Christ is and what he has done for us. The second two chapters focus on duty—that is, how we are to live as Christians.

Today’s passage shows how a relationship with Christ leads to a new way of life—hence, off with the old life, on with the new life. The whole section is grounded in verse 1—“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ…” The Colossians had been spiritually dead because of their sins, but Jesus gave them new spiritual life through his death and resurrection. Their new identity in Christ required a new way of living that would affect their character and thinking. Verses 1-4 provide the motivation for the new life and verses 5-17 show the contrast of the old life to the new life.

Off with the Old Life, On with the New Life (1-4)

How was this new way of living supposed to happen? Paul commands them to set their “hearts” and “minds” on things above. In contrast to the false teachers who were demoting Jesus, Paul reminds them that Jesus is seated in a position of honor, majesty, and authority. Since Jesus is above, their minds should be focused on things above.

The “things above” are contrasted with “earthly things” or things below. What Paul means by this is that Christians are supposed to focus on spiritual things instead of physical things and eternal things instead of temporal things. It does not mean that believers are to live in some mystical fog or neglect the affairs of the earth. He is not saying that we should be so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly good! He is saying that believers are to possess heavenly values that are expressed in everyday life.

What are your values? Do they reflect your identity as a follower of Jesus Christ? Are your values more spiritual or physical? Are they more eternal or more temporal? Are they more heavenly or more earthly? Let us set our hearts and minds on things above!

1.) The Old Life (5-11)

After Paul lays the groundwork for the new life and challenges the Colossians to set their hearts and minds on things above, he paints a picture of the contrast of the old and new life. He describes the old life in verses 5-11. In verse 5 he launches into the description with another imperative command. When he say “put to death whatever belongs to the earthly nature,” he doesn’t mean to carefully regulate sin; he means complete extermination. Christians are to focus on ridding themselves these things because they belong to the old life, not the new life in Christ.

The old nature includes a lengthy list of sins. They can be broken into three categories: perverted passions, hot tempers, and sharp tongues.

Perverted Passions (5-7)

The perverted passions are all found in verse 5. “Sexual immorality” comes from the Greek word “pornea” from which we get our English word pornography. It is a catchall term that includes any sexual activity outside the bonds of marriage. “Impurity” and “lust” refer more to sexual sins of the mind than they do sexual sins of the body. The “evil desires” and “greed” also carry sexual overtones in this context. God placed sexual desire into the human psyche and is not evil in itself. But he is talking about uncontrolled passion, misdirected erotic desire, and sexual excesses. Greed refers to the belief that everything, including other persons, exists for one’s own amusement and pleasure. (Garland 204)

Richard Exley comments on sexual sin:

Lust is not the result of an overactive sex drive; it is not a biological phenomenon or the by-product of our glands. If it were, then it could be satisfied with a sexual experience, like a glass of water quenches thirst or a good meal satisfies appetite. But the more we attempt to appease our lust, the more demanding it becomes. There is simply not enough erotica in the world to satisfy lust’s insatiable appetite. When we deny our lustful obsessions, we are not repressing a legitimate drive. We are putting to death an aberration. Lust is to the gift of sex what cancer is to a normal cell. Therefore, we deny it, not in order to become sexless saints, but in order to be fully alive to God, which includes the full and uninhibited expression of our sexual being within the God-given context of marriage.

Paul rounds off this first list with two more reasons why Christians must rid themselves of these behaviors. In verse 6, he says that these sins contribute to the coming wrath of God. In verse 7, he says that this type of behavior belongs to the old life. The warning of judgment heightens the seriousness of this type of conduct. Paul isn’t nearly as interested in moral improvement as he is in people avoiding God’s wrath.

God’s wrath has been a controversial topic in modern times. Many people think that the concept is out of step with God’s love. A survey on faith maturity in Christians discovered the following beliefs: God is forgiving (97%), God is loving (96%), God is judging (37%), God punishes those who do wrong (19%).

Don’t be deceived! God’s wrath is real! He does punish sin! His wrath is rooted in his holiness. His justice demands punishment for sin. If God did not punish sin, he could not be God. So, how can he be a God of wrath and love? This is where the miracle of Jesus Christ comes in. To remain holy, God has to punish sin. To show his love, God became human in the person of Jesus Christ and took the punishment that we deserve upon himself. Do you believe in God’s wrath? Do you believe in God’s love? I hope you do!

Hot Tempers and Sharp Tongues (8-11)

In verse 8 Paul introduces a second list of behaviors that belong to the old life. He begins with another imperative command “rid yourselves of all such things,” and then he mentions hot tempers which include anger, rage, malice, and sharp tongues which includes slander, filthy language, and lying. “Anger” is a smoldering feeling of opposition that slowly boils to the surface. “Rage” is a quick, sudden outburst that flares up and burns with intensity. “Malice” is the deliberate and vicious intention to harm someone.

You can easily see the logic in Paul’s order; hot tempers often lead to sharp tongues. “Slander” is defamation of another person’s character. “Filthy language” doesn’t just mean curse words; it refers to abusive language that people use to hurt each other. “Lying” is the attempt to gain the advantage over someone else by manipulating the truth.

There is a little poem that describes the destruction of a lying tongue:

First, somebody told it,
Then the room couldn’t hold it,
So the busy tongues rolled it
Till they got it outside.

Then the crowd came across it,
And never once lost it,
But tossed it and tossed it,
Till it grew long and wide.

This lie brought forth others,
Dark sisters and brothers,
And fathers and mothers–
A terrible crew.

And while headlong they hurried,
The people they flurried,
And troubled and worried,
As lies always do.

And so evil-bloated,
This monster lay goaded,
Till at last it exploded
In smoke and in shame.

Then from mud and from mire
The pieces flew higher,
And hit the sad victim
And killed a good name.

Perverted passions, hot tempers, and sharp tongues are part of the old life. They have no place in the new life with Christ. God wants us to get rid of these practices. He wants us to do whatever we can to put them to death. Which of these do you struggle with? What are you doing to get rid of them?

2.) The New Life (12-17)

Well, after Paul challenges the Colossians to rid themselves of the practices of the old life, in verses 12-17 he commands them to actively pursue a virtuous life that is worthy of Jesus Christ. In verse 12, he says “as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves…” After you take off the sin stained garments of the old life, put on the clean and virtuous clothes of the new life.

A couple of weeks ago I went through some old clothes in my closet and realized that some of them didn’t fit me anymore. I put them in a bag and donated them to the Salvation Army. As I was walking out, I noticed a rack of men’s clothing. I wasn’t in a huge hurry, so I browsed for a few minutes. I came across a pair of L.L. Bean khaki dress pants. They were virtually brand new, my exact size, and they were only six dollars. I have them on today. What do you think?

It was off with the old and on with the new. Just as my old clothes didn’t fit me and I needed new ones, Paul says that the practices of the old life don’t fit us anymore. It is time to be clothed with the character of Christ.

So, what exactly is in Jesus’ wardrobe? The list in verses 12-17 includes compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patients, forgiveness, love, unity, peace, thankfulness, and gratitude. These are the traits that should fill Christian minds and guide Christian hearts.

Paul concludes this section with an overarching summary command of the new Christian life “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ…” The life transformation process is to include any and all activities of life. In all places, in all ways, the believer is to honor the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jimmy Sanchez, one of the 33 Chilean miners who had been trapped for over two months in the San Jose copper-gold mine, wore the character of Christ. He testified, “There are actually 34 of us,” the nineteen-year-old miner wrote, “because God has never left us down here.”

Whatever happens in the aftermath of their rescue, Jimmy Sanchez wants to hold on to the lessons he’s learned in the past few months. “God wanted me to be here, I don’t know, maybe so I will change from now on,” Sanchez wrote.”

Yes, God uses all sorts of things so that we will change from now on!

Today is the day to take off the old and put on the new! It is time to put the old life to death and clothe ourselves with the character of Christ. If there is sexual immorality in your life, get rid of it! If you have a hot temper, take a chill pill. If you have a sharp tongue, tie it in a knot. Put on the character of Christ! Whatever you do, in word or deed, do it for Jesus!

In the early 1970’s Marshall Applewhite was recovering from a heart attack, during which he claimed to have had a near-death experience. He came to believe that he and his nurse, Bonnie Nettles, were “the Two”, that is, the two witnesses spoken of in the Book of Revelation (11:3) in the Bible. After a brief and unsuccessful attempt to run an inspirational bookstore, they began traveling around the country giving talks about their belief system. As with some other New Age faiths, they combined Christian doctrine (particularly the ideas of salvation and apocalypse) with elements of science fiction, particularly travel to other worlds and dimensions.

Applewhite and Nettles used a variety of aliases over the years, notably “Bo and Peep” and “Do and Ti”, and for a number of years they called their group HIM (Human Individual Metamorphosis). The group re-invented and re-named itself several times and had a variety of recruitment methods. Marshall himself believed he was directly related to Jesus Christ, meaning he was an “Evolutionary Kingdom Level Above Human”.

Group members gave up their material possessions and lived a highly ascetic life devoid of many indulgences. The group was tightly knit and everything was shared communally. Seven of the male members of the group, including Applewhite, voluntarily underwent castration as an extreme means of maintaining the ascetic lifestyle. They believed that the planet Earth was about to be recycled (wiped clean, renewed, refurbished and rejuvenated), and that the only chance to survive was to leave it immediately.

On March 19, 1997, Marshall Applewhite taped himself speaking of mass suicide and asserted “it was the only way to evacuate this Earth”. The group was against suicide but they believed they had no choice but to leave Earth as quickly as possible. After claiming that a space craft was trailing the comet Hale-Bopp, Applewhite convinced 38 followers to commit suicide so that their souls could board the supposed craft. Applewhite believed that after their deaths, a UFO would take their souls to another “level of existence above human”, which Applewhite described as being both physical and spiritual. This and other UFO-related beliefs held by the group have led some observers to characterize the group as a type of UFO religion. A year earlier, the group purchased alien abduction insurance to cover up to 50 members at a cost of $10,000.

The thirty-eight members of the Heaven’s Gate cult, plus group leader Applewhite, were found dead in their home on March 26, 1997. The suicide was accomplished by ingestion of cyanide and arsenic mixed with applesauce or pudding, washed down with vodka. Plastic bags were secured around their heads after ingesting the mix. Authorities found the dead lying neatly in their own bunk beds, faces and torsos covered by a square, purple cloth. Each member carried a five dollar bill and three quarters in their pockets. All 39 were dressed in identical black shirts and sweat pants, brand new black-and-white Nike Windrunner athletic shoes, and armband patches reading “Heaven’s Gate Away Team.”

I suspect that most of us remember this tragic event. I know I do! The night after I heard this story on the news, I went out to my backyard and looked at that comet with a pair of binoculars. Unfortunately for the Heaven’s Gate cult, I didn’t see any spaceship.

I think stories like this cause most people to ask, “Who in the world would be dumb enough to be deceived by one of these groups?” You might be surprised to learn that there are between 3,000-5,000 cults in America. A cult can be defined as a religious group that has departed from the historic orthodox teachings of Christianity and uses authoritarian leadership to manipulate and control the lives of its adherents. With the rapid growth and destructive power of cult groups, it is clear that the church is facing a pervasive cult problem on an international scale.

So, what should we do about this problem? How should the church respond? How can we ensure that we don’t fall into one of these cults? How can we avoid spiritual deception?

Well, the apostle Paul answers these questions for us in today’s text. The Colossian church was facing the same problem—a cult group of false teachers rose up in the town of Colosse and was trying to lead the church astray. Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians to teach them what to do about this problem. His words also ring true for the church today. In this passage, he advocates 3 strategies for avoiding spiritual deception and the kingdom of the cults. Let’s take a closer look!

1.) Continual Growth in Christ (6-7)

There is an old cliché in football that says, “The best defense is a good offense.” It means that if your offense is good enough to hold onto the ball for long periods of time or score a lot of points, the defense doesn’t have to do a lot of work. Well, Paul employs this same strategy here. In verse 6, he tells the Colossians that the best defense against false teachers and the kingdom of the cults is to continue to grow in Christ. Just as they had received the message of Jesus Christ from Epaphras, so Paul wanted them to continue to grow in that faith. The more they grew in the truth, the better they would be able to recognize and repel false teaching.

He uses 4 metaphors to describe the manner in which he wanted them to grow in Christ. The first one is “rooted”—a horticultural term that denotes depth of faith. The second one is “built up”—an architectural term which stresses formation of the faith. The third one is “strengthened”—which emphasizes continual strengthening of the faith as braces might be added to a building after it is constructed for extra durability. The forth one is “overflowing”—which pictures a cup of water running over. Growth in Christ includes an overflow of thankfulness. When these metaphors are taken together, they form a picture of a person whose faith is so strong and secure.

If we continually live and grow in our relationship with Christ, we won’t be susceptible to false teachers, cult heresies, or deceptive philosophies. Are you growing in your relationship with Christ? Are you being rooted in the truth of the gospel? Is your faith being built up and strengthened? Is your heart overflowing with thanksgiving for what Jesus has done for us?

2.) Awareness of Deceptive Philosophies (8, 16-23)

Another defense against spiritual deception is to be aware of deceptive philosophies. The phrase in verse 8 “see to it” can actually be translated “beware,” which introduces a warning. Paul wanted the Colossian church to guard itself against the deceptive philosophies. These philosophies were hollow and deceptive at their core—that is, they were empty and lacked substance to make sense of the world and would lead them away from the truth. They were rooted in human tradition rather than divine revelation—human-centered rather than God-centered. They originated from the sinful world rather than the sinless Christ. In verses 16-23, Paul identifies at least two of these hollow and deceptive philosophies—legalistic living and mystical experience.

Living in Legalism (16-17, 20-23)

The false teachers were propagating a form of legalism that measured spirituality by how strictly the people observed codes of behavior. As is indicated in verse 16, the particular codes of behavior here surrounded diets (what you eat and drink) and days (religious festivals, New Moon celebrations, and Sabbath days). The false teacher proclaimed that the truly spiritual people were the ones who most strict in their observance of these things. Paul calls this legalism and says that it is a direct contradiction of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Just like the Colossian church 2000 years ago, the deceptive philosophy of legalism plagues the church today. Max Anders says, “Legalism—measuring your own or someone else’s man-made rules—is a rigid, confining, and lifeless way to live. It is always easy because all it requires is a list of rules coupled with dutiful compliance. Wisdom or the skillful application of biblical principles to life’s situations is unnecessary. Just comply! Legalism is not only rigid and lifeless, but it also fosters hypocritical pride. A focus on conformity to a code can cause one to forget things like arrogant pride, smug judgmentalism, anger, and a host of other dark sins that never seem to make the list.” (Anders 308)

I love the church I attended when I first became a Christian, but unfortunately, it had some legalistic tendencies. For instance, your spirituality was judged by how you looked. Women had to wear dresses and keep their hair pinned up. Shorts were immodest and body piercings were considered cardinal sins. All alcoholic beverages were called “the devil’s brew.” (Because we all know that shorts, tee-shirts, pony-tales, earrings, and a bottle of beer in your right hand is the dress code in hell.

The dear woman who led the children’s sermon taught the kids a little song called “Touch not! Taste not! Handle not!” The words of the song were pasted to a six-foot high cardboard cutout of a beer bottle. She used to say, “The Bible says about alcohol, don’t handle, taste, or touch.”

While she was technically correct by saying these words came from the Bible, she completely misapplied them. Paul wasn’t advocating this philosophy, he was liberating us from it. He says that these legalistic philosophies will perish because they are based on human commands and teachings. These regulations have an appearance of wisdom and humility, but they lack any value in restraining sensual desire.

This is why, in verse 20, Paul emphasizes our freedom in Christ. Since we died with Christ to these principles of the world, we do not have to submit to legalism. Paul warns us against falling into this trap.

Mystical Experience (18-19)

Paul also wanted the Colossians to be aware of the false teachers’ deceptive philosophy of mystical experience. They were engaging in angel worship and bragging about their visions and spiritual experiences, but Paul says that their experiences were actually unspiritual and their minds were puffed up with idol notions and false pride. They were so consumed with these esoteric experiences that they could not see Jesus for who he really was. They separated the Head of the church from the Body of the church. I call this decapitated theology.

Unfortunately, this is another deceptive philosophy that has infiltrated the church today. Some churches focus so much on the emotion of the worship experience that they actually forget about the object of worship. They are so confounded by all the dreams and visions they supposedly receive that they forget all about the revealed Word of God. True spirituality is not measured by the height of the experience, but by the depth of the commitment to Jesus Christ.

3.) Focus on the Fullness of Christ (9-15)

The third and climactic strategy for avoiding deceptive philosophies is to focus on the fullness of Christ. In verse 9 Paul launches into a beautiful exposition of Jesus Christ. He emphasizes who he is and what he has done. He begins with one of the clearest affirmations of the deity of Christ in the whole New Testament—“For in him all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” Jesus who is God stepped out of eternity and into time through his incarnation. Joan Osborn sings, “What if God was one of us?”—God is one of us. Jesus lives in bodily form!

Jesus is also supreme over every power and authority. We don’t worship false gods because Jesus is the Second Person of the one true God. We don’t worship angels because Jesus is above the angels. We don’t worship saints because Jesus is above the saints. We don’t worship any human being because Jesus is above everyone. Our fullness is found in him and him alone.

Why? Because Jesus gives us total salvation! The Jews taught that physical circumcision was necessary for salvation, but Paul says that spiritual circumcision by Jesus is the only way to put off the sinful nature. This is what happens when we respond to Christ in faith. Baptism signifies being buried with Christ and rising with him.

In verse 14, Paul speaks of a written code with regulations, which stands against us and is opposed to us. The word Paul used here refers to a signed certificate of guilt. We are all guilty of breaking God’s law, but he has canceled our debt by nailing our guilt to the cross. Jesus died in our place and took the punishment that we deserved.

Being fully God, Jesus is the only one who lived a sinless life and could atone for our sins. Being fully man, Jesus was an appropriate representative to die for the sins of the human race. He is the only one who offers us full atonement for our sins. He is the only one who offers us freedom from the law. He is the only one who offers us complete salvation.

Listen to this stanza from John Donne’s beautiful little poem “Hymn to God, My God, in My Sickness”:

We think that Paradise and Calvary,
Christ’s cross and Adam’s tree, stood in one place ;
Look, Lord, and find both Adams met in me ;
As the first Adam’s sweat surrounds my face,
May the last Adam’s blood my soul embrace.

When we reflect on who Jesus really is and what he has done for us, our souls are satisfied. When we realize that Jesus is the only way to God because he is God, we don’t need to look any further. When we focus on the fullness we have in Christ, we won’t be susceptible to the deceptive philosophies of the world.

So, how do we avoid spiritual deception? We avoid it by continual growth in Christ, awareness of deceptive philosophies, and focusing on the fullness of Christ. And just remember, there isn’t really a dress code in hell!

This past Thursday morning I went to my favorite café in Frelighsburg, QC, to work on today’s sermon. I was sitting there quietly with my books spread all over the table, sipping on a cup of coffee while I was deep in thought about Paul’s work of ministry and his letter to the Colossians. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed an elderly gentleman at the next table watching me. For some reason, what I was doing was more interesting to him than the newspaper that he was pretending to read.

After a little while he got up from his chair, walked over to me, and inquired, “Are you a professor?” I replied, “No, I’m a pastor.” Immediately, his demeanor changed from warm hospitality to cold hostility. A little wry smile crossed his face and he said, “A pastor, huh,” and he quickly turned around, sat down, faced the other direction, and never spoke another word. All of the sudden his newspaper was more interesting than what I was doing. Even though he didn’t say it, I knew what he was thinking, “A pastor, what a waste!”

Isn’t that fascinating? The work of a professor was considered worthwhile, but the work of a minister was regarded as worthless. That interaction reminded me of a similar conversation I had with one of our youth group members a few years ago. The young man was excited when he told me, “When I grow up, I want to be a pastor.” I said, “Really, why do you want to be a pastor?” He said, “Because I only have to work one day a week!” That is when I realized that the whole conversation was a set-up.

There does seem to be a lot of confusion about what is actually involved in the work of ministry. Not only for professional clergy like me, but for all of us who are followers and servants of Jesus Christ. Well, Paul clears up the confusion for us in today’s text. As he tells the Colossians what was involved in his own ministry, he describes what should be involved in our ministry today. Let’s see what it is!

1.) The work of ministry involves suffering for Christ. (1:24; 2:1)

Anyone who has ever dared to do the work of ministry has experienced suffering. Paul knew this better than most people. He had been falsely accused, beaten, persecuted, and imprisoned for his commitment to the ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He wrote this letter to the Colossians while he was imprisoned in Rome. He wasn’t there because prison was a great place to overcome writer’s block. He wasn’t there because he found it such a pleasant place. (Anders 285) He was there because he was being persecuted for his faith and ministry.

Even though Paul suffered greatly, he was able to rejoice. This sounds absurd! How can anyone rejoice in their sufferings? He gives two reasons. First, he could rejoice in his sufferings because he was doing it for others. In verse 24, when he says, “I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s affliction, he is not inferring that Jesus’ suffering on the cross was somehow insufficient; rather, he is saying that he is suffering on behalf of Christ and his church. When Jesus was in the world, the world hated him. Now that Jesus was gone, the world made Jesus’ followers suffer. Paul suffered so that the Word of God could be presented to the Colossians and the church universal.

This idea of suffering for the benefit of others makes me think about my trip to the dentist this past week. I am embarrassed to admit that my appointment was long overdue. So, when the hygienist took that little metal instrument and started scraping away the plaque from under my gums, I felt the pain. But my gums were willing to suffer for the benefit of my teeth; for that reason I could rejoice. Paul could rejoice in his sufferings because he knew that the church would benefit.

Second, Paul could rejoice in his sufferings because they helped him identify with the sufferings of Christ. Paul’s attitude was “Jesus took the blows meant for me; I’ll take the blows meant for him.” (Anders 285) When he suffered it reminded him of Jesus’ suffering. When he was falsely accused, it reminded him that Jesus was falsely accused. When he was unjustly beaten, he was reminded that Jesus was unjustly beaten. When he could not walk, he was reminded that Jesus could not walk and bear his own cross. He could rejoice in his suffering because it helped him identify with the suffering of Christ.

Menno Simons was a man who rejoiced in his sufferings. How many of you have ever heard of Menno Simons? How many of you have ever heard of Britney Spears? That’s what I thought. That just goes to show that we need to watch less TV and read more history.

Menno Simons was born in 1496 in Holland. As a young man he began studying for the priesthood. What is interesting about this is that during all his years of preparation, he was never allowed to read the Bible. He could read any of the church fathers or great philosophical works, but the church officials forbid their priests from reading the Bible so that it wouldn’t “corrupt their views of the church.”

After Simons became a priest, he acquired a Bible and read it for himself. Sure enough, he discovered that many of the church’s practices were inconsistent with biblical teaching. Among other things, he observed that there was not a single example of infant baptism in the Bible. He eventually broke off from the Roman Catholic Church and joined the growing Anabaptist movement that was sweeping across Europe in the mid-fifteen-hundreds. They were called Anabaptists, or “re-baptizers”, because they insisted that baptism should follow repentance and a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ.

For the next 25 years, Menno Simons, along with his wife and three children, ran from the religious authorities who sought to take their lives. Many Anabaptists were persecuted and martyred. Ironically, most of them were drowned. The authorities said, “So, you want to be immersed; we will immerse you!”

Simons avoided martyrdom but suffered greatly. The last few years of his life he was crippled. He suffered with so much joy that many among the Anabaptist movement took on his name. You may not have heard the name Menno Simons before, but you have probably heard of the Mennonites, a branch of the Christian church that is still flourishing today. Menno Simons penned these powerful words: “If the head had to suffer such torture, anguish, misery, and pain, how shall his servants, children, and members expect peace and freedom as to our flesh?”

As modern Americans it sounds strange to rejoice in our sufferings. We don’t even think we should have to suffer! When we are diagnosed with a disease, incur a financial shortfall, experience marital conflict, or lose a loved one, many people actually get mad at God. We ask selfish questions like, “Why me, God?” or “Where were you?” Our sense of entitlement runs so deep that we believe that we deserve freedom and the pursuit of happiness without any obstacles.

Paul reminds us that we are Christians! He reminds us that it is a privilege to suffer for Christ and his church! He reminds us that our suffering helps us to identify with the suffering of our Lord! He reminds us that we can rejoice in our sufferings.

How are you suffering today? How is it helping you identify with Christ’s suffering for you? Are you rejoicing?

2.) The work of ministry involves proclaiming Christ. (25-28a)

Well, the work of ministry certainly involves suffering, but what else does it involve? In verses 25-29 he reveals that the work of ministry involves the message of Christ. Paul became a servant of the church when God called him into the ministry. Do you remember the story of Paul being blinded by the light on the road to Damascus? God turned the persecutor of Christ into a preacher of Christ. From that day forward, Paul’s ministry included presenting the Word of God in its fullness. This meant that he would proclaim the mystery of God that had been kept hidden for ages and ages, but now is disclosed to the saints.

What is the mystery revealed? In verse 27 he tells us: it is Christ in us, the hope of glory.

In past ages, God’s plan to redeem humanity from its sins was only revealed to the Jews, but now the message of forgiveness through Christ would be revealed to everyone. By trusting Christ as our Lord and Savior, salvation is available for everyone. This was especially good news for the Colossians, who were mostly Gentiles. Christ was in them and their hope of eternal life forever. This is why, in verse 28, Paul says, “We proclaim him…”

Like Paul, our ministry today should include the work of proclaiming Jesus Christ. This sounds so simple. It should be a “no-brainer”, but you would be surprised by how many churches abandon the gospel of Christ for the competing messages of the day. For instance, some churches and ministries have become so politically motivated that the message of Christ has taken a backseat. I deeply appreciate the ministry of “Focus on the Family” radio, but I wonder if their push for political activism in recent years has sidetracked them from the gospel of Jesus Christ? Yes, Jesus wants us to vote according to our Christian values, but our primary message should be the death and resurrection of Christ.

Other churches and ministries become so consumed with the message of morality that they forget that it is Jesus’ blood that cleanses us from sin. Don’t get me wrong; I’m all for living moral and godly lives, but this should never take precedence over the message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Still, other churches and ministries sacrifice the message of Christ in their pursuit of social justice. Now, as Christians we certainly have a responsibility to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless, help the poor, and liberate the oppressed, but our primary message should be the glorious riches of the mystery of Christ. It is good to have food for the body; it is better to have food for the soul! It is good to have a house to live in here; it is better to have a home in heaven! It is good to be liberated from oppression; it is better to be liberated from bondage to sin! Our ministry should always proclaim the message of Christ.

3.) The work of ministry involves helping people become spiritually mature. (1:28b; 2:2-4)

Paul reveals the ultimate goal of his ministry in the purpose clauses of verses 1:28 and 2:2. In verse 28 he says that the reason he proclaims, admonishes, and teaches is to present everyone perfect in Christ. Our modern understanding of the word “perfect” has tainted what Paul meant by it. Today, we typically think of “perfect” as something without flaw, but for the Hebrew, something was “perfect” if it fulfilled its purpose. (Garland 124) It was Paul’s goal to help believers fulfill their purpose in Christ. This means spiritual maturity.

In verse 2:2, Paul says that his immediate purpose is for Christians to “be encouraged in heart and united in love, to fulfill the intermediate purpose of providing “the full riches of complete understanding, to fulfill the ultimate purpose of revealing the “mystery of God”. This verse is like a stairway to spiritual maturity.

In verse 4, Paul reveals the reason why the ultimate goal of his ministry was to present all believers mature in Christ: “so that they would not be deceived by fine-sounding arguments.” This was particularly important for the Colossian church which was being confused by a group of false teachers. Even though Paul could not be with them in body, he was with them in spirit and desired them to hold firm to their faith in Christ.

Just as Paul’s goal in ministry was to present the Colossians and everyone else mature in Christ, it should be the goal of our ministry to help others mature in Christ. How do we do this? Just like Paul did! He “proclaimed, admonished, taught, and encouraged.” We do the same thing when we bring people to church, teach Sunday School, meet with our discipleship groups, attend youth group, and counsel and encourage other Christians through difficult times.

How are you maturing in your relationship with Christ? How are you helping others grow in their relationship with Christ?

Our ministry today involves suffering, proclaiming Christ, and helping other grow toward spiritual maturity. Now that you know what it involves, will you do it!

An inquisitive Sunday school student asked the question, “If Jesus came back today, would he be able to understand computers?”That also begs the question—would Jesus know how to use an Ipod, Ipad, or Iphone? Some people today wonder whether Jesus, who walked the dusty roads of Palestine years ago, has any relevance for a world filled with the technological wonders of computers, instantaneous communication, nuclear power, and space stations. Most people doubt it!

It seems as if Jesus has fallen on hard times here in America. All of the scientific discoveries, technological advances, and new spiritualities leave little room for Jesus today. They have even caused people to ask the questions, “Who is Jesus?” and more importantly “What does it matter?” Have you ever asked these questions? We live in an age and place where Jesus’ supremacy is seriously undermined!

This is exactly the same problem the Colossian church was experiencing. There was a group of false teachers that arose and were advocating heresies that undermined the supremacy of Christ. It was causing so much confusion in the church that it compelled Epaphras, the church’s pastor, to travel to Rome and seek Paul’s advice. We can tell by Paul’s response, the heresies bore a resemblance to the secularism, legalism, and pluralism we see today.

Paul responds to these heresies by employing a hymn or creed. Scholars debate whether Paul composed this hymn himself, borrowed it from someone else, or adapted it. Regardless of its origin, it is clear that Paul used it to challenge the heresies in the Colossian church and reestablish the supremacy of Christ.

This hymn tells us who Jesus is and why it matters! Let’s take a look!

1.) Christology & Cosmology: Jesus Christ is supreme over creation. (15-17)

The hymn opens by asserting the deity of Christ. It gives Jesus the title “image of God.” He is in fact fully God! He is the perfect revelation of the nature and character of God. Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. Both the Old and New testaments make it clear that “no one has seen God” except for those who saw Jesus Christ in human flesh. He is the full embodiment and exact representation of God.

Paul first establishes Jesus’ relation to God so that he can affirm his supremacy over creation. If I asked you which part of the Holy Trinity created the world—Father, Son, or Holy Spirit—what would you say? Many Christians think that only the Father created the world, but the correct answer is all three persons of the Trinity played a role in creation. This is what Paul is getting at with his second title for Jesus—“firstborn over all creation.” This term is not meant to be understood in the temporal sense of the first child to come out of the womb, but it is used to highlight his preeminent status. In ancient Jewish culture the firstborn child was always regarded as the most exalted one. Jesus is the greatest and most exalted human being of all time because of his divine nature.

Verse 16 explains that the reason Jesus is preeminent is because he is pre-existent—that is, he existed before the world was created. Before anything was, Jesus was! And since he created the world, he has supremacy over it. The universality of “all things” is explained with three sets of examples. They all express the totality of creation by distinguishing its physical and spiritual realities—whether it is in heaven or on earth, visible or invisible, a human or spiritual power or authority, Jesus created it and is supreme over it.

He is not only the source of everything in the world, but he is also the goal of everything. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. The world was created by him and for him, and he is the one who holds it all together. Contrary to popular belief, the world is not held together by an idea, virtue, or scientific law, but it is held together by a person; the resurrected Christ!

The world-famous physicist Stephen Hawking, in a new book ironically titled “The Grand Design” aims to banish a divine creator from physics. He argues that, given the existence of gravity, “the universe can and will create itself from nothing,” according to an excerpt published in The Times of London. “Spontaneous creation is the reason why there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist,” he writes in the excerpt. “It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going,” he writes.

Well, I’m no scientist, but I got some news for Professor Hawking. There is a God and his Son Jesus is the spitting image of him. As a matter of fact, they are exactly alike and together with the Holy Spirit, they created everything in the heavens and the earth. The world was indeed created, but it wasn’t created spontaneously. It was created purposefully by him and for him, and that is why there is something rather than nothing! Jesus is the reason the universe exists! Jesus is the reason we exist!

I do agree with Hawking’s last comment though. It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue tough paper and set the universe going—because he already has! Not only did he set the universe going, but he keeps it going. If Jesus was not actively sustaining the universe, gravity would lose its grip, electrons would cease to circle nuclei, the planets would spin out of orbit, we would all be dead, and the universe would be completely out of control. Jesus is the cosmic glue that holds everything together! Jesus is supreme over his creation!

2.) Christology & Ecclesiology: Jesus Christ is supreme over the church. (18a)

Just as Paul combats the heresy of secularism by asserting Jesus’ supremacy over creation, he goes on to combat the heresy of legalism by asserting Jesus’ supremacy over the church. He employs the common metaphor of a human body (as he does in his other letters) to describe the church. The people compose the body of the church, but he teaches the Colossians that Christ is the head of the church. In the ancient world, the head was conceived to be the governing member of the body, that which both controlled and provided for its life and sustenance. Paul highlights Jesus’ supremacy as the antidote to any legalistic tendencies in the church—that is, when human authorities or traditions become more important than Christ himself.

There are still many legalistic tendencies in the church today! Some churches hold their pope, priest, or pastor in higher regard than Christ. Others hold their denominational affiliations, theological traditions, and worship practices in higher esteem than Jesus. And many churches fall into the old trap of legalistic moralism where they are more concerned about how you look, how you talk, or how you act than they are about your faith in Jesus Christ. They say, “As long as you don’t drink, smoke, chew, or go with girls who do…you are welcome at our church!”

Always remember that Jesus is supreme over his church. He is more important than any human authority, tradition, rule, or regulation!

3.) Christology & Soteriology: Jesus Christ is supreme over redemption. (18b-23)

Paul orchestrates this hymn to a beautiful crescendo by finally showcasing Christ’s supremacy over redemption. Christ’s redemption is rooted in his resurrection from the dead. He was the first person in history to be resurrected (that is received a glorified body), thus exercising his supremacy.

By shedding his blood on the cross he makes peace with God and reconciles all things to him. Paul applies this redemption directly to the Colossians. They were once alienated from God because of their evil deeds; in fact, they were actually God’s enemies. But Jesus sacrificed his physical body and endured all the pain of the cross to reconcile people and all of creation to his Father. Jesus’ blood cleansed them from their sins and presented them holy in God’s sight, without blemish and free from accusation. Jesus’ death and resurrection show his supremacy over redemption!

Jesus was supreme over redemption for the Colossians two-thousand years ago, and he is supreme over redemption for us today. We are in the exact same boat as they were. We are alienated from God because of our sin. We are in fact his enemies because of our evil minds and behavior. How many times have we sinned against God? How many times have we lied, gossiped, or looked at another person with lust in our hearts? If our lives were laid open and bare for what they really are, we would see so many blemishes that we would automatically conclude that we are beyond redemption.

But the gospel of Jesus Christ is good news for sinners like us. Jesus is supreme over redemption! He suffered and died on the cross; his blood atones for all of our sins, even the ones that no one else knows about. His resurrection from the dead offers us reconciliation with God right now and the hope and joy of heaven forever. Even though we are God’s enemies, he offers us peace and a restored relationship with God. Jesus offers us all of this because he is the only one supreme over redemption.

The American church is facing the same heresies that the Colossian church faced. Jesus’ supremacy is undermined all the time. I most often hear it articulated in two popular phrases: “I’m not religious, but I’m a spiritual person!” and “All religions are basically the same!”

Let me take on false spirituality first! When people say, “I’m spiritual but not religious!” they usually mean that they acknowledge spiritual reality and may even be favorable to it, but they are not and usually don’t want to be part of any institutional religion or church. This is one of the biggest cop-outs in our culture today. It means that they can pick and choose aspects of various religions and philosophies without being accountable to any of them. So many people are on an endless search for some esoteric spirituality, but they neglect the supremacy of Jesus Christ. Outside of Jesus Christ, there is no true spirituality!

And now to “all religions are basically the same.” I have a word for that, but I’d better not say it in church! Instead, let me use the word, “Hogwash!” All religions are not basically the same and there are not many roads to heaven! There is only one Jesus Christ who created the world, is the head of his church, and died and rose again for the redemption of his people.

Buddha may be able to enlighten your mind, but only Jesus shed his blood for your sins! Confucius may be able to make you wise, but only Jesus rose on the third day! Mohammed may help you live morally, but only Jesus can reconcile your broken relationship with God and present you to him without blemish and free from accusation. There is only one gospel whereby we can escape hell and overcome death. There is only one Christ who is supreme over all!

Are you continuing in this faith? Are you established and firm? Are you holding on to the hope held out for you in the gospel?

Allow me to conclude with Alice Meynell’s (1847-1922) wonderful little poem “Christ in the Universe.”

With this ambiguous earth
His dealings have been told us. These abide:
The signal to a maid, the human birth,
The lesson, and the young Man crucified.

But not a star of all
The innumerable host of stars has heard
How He administered this terrestrial ball.
Our race have kept their Lord’s entrusted Word.

Of His earth-visiting feet
None knows the secret, cherished, perilous,
The terrible, shamefast, frightened, whispered, sweet,
Heart-shattering secret of His way with us.

No planet knows that this
Our wayside planet, carrying land and wave,
Love and life multiplied, and pain and bliss,
Bears, as chief treasure, one forsaken grave.

Nor, in our little day,
May His devices with the heavens be guessed,
His pilgrimage to thread the Milky Way
Or His bestowals there be manifest.

But in the eternities,
Doubtless we shall compare together, hear
A million alien Gospels, in what guise
He trod the Pleiades, the Lyre, the Bear.

O, be prepared, my soul!
To read the inconceivable, to scan
The myriad forms of God those stars unroll
When, in our turn, we show to them a Man.

I haven’t been to church since I don’t remember when
Things were going great til they fell apart again
So I listened to the preacher as he told me what to do
He said you can’t go hatin’ others who have done wrong to you

Sometimes we get angry but we must not condemn
Let the good Lord do his job, you just pray for them
I pray your brakes go out runnin’ down a hill
I pray a flower pot falls from a window sill
And knocks you in the head like I’d like to

I pray your birthday comes and nobody calls
I pray you’re flyin’ high when your engine stalls
I pray all your dreams never come true
Just know wherever you are, honey, I pray for you

I’m really glad I found my way to church
Cause I’m already feelin’ better and I thank God for the words
Yeah, I’m gonna take the high road and do what the preacher told me to do
You keep messin’ up, and I’ll keep prayin’ for you

This song entitled “Pray for You” was written by the country artist Jaron and the Long Road to Love. From the way he prays for people, I’m not surprised that he is on the long road to love! Now we all know that this isn’t the way we should pray for people, but have you ever wondered how we should pray for people?

Who do you pray for? What types of things do you pray for? How are we to pray for other people? Well, these questions are answered in today’s text.

Paul continues the introduction of his letter by informing the Colossians how he and Timothy prayed for them. As is often the case with Paul, his prayers proceeded directly from his thanksgiving for them. The initial success of the gospel in Colosse did not make them drift in their prayer efforts for the Colossians; instead it impassioned them!

This passage gives us a glimpse into Paul’s prayer life for this church. It provides an example for how we can pray for people today. Let’s observe how Paul prayed for people!

1.) Pray for People Regularly (9a)

As Paul begins this section, he portrays a wonderful example of persistence in prayer. Since the very day Epaphras arrived at Rome and told Paul and Timothy about how the Colossians received the gospel message and were continually being transformed by it, they “had not stopped praying for them.” In addition to his constant thanksgiving, he added regular intercession for them. Even though this young church was doing well, Paul knew that it needed consistent prayer. Persistent prayer is necessary in times of blessing and success in addition to periods of trial and difficulty!

Paul’s persistent prayer for the Colossians provides a wonderful example for us today. God doesn’t want us to just pray for someone one time and quit. He doesn’t want us to only pray for people when they are experiencing problems; he wants us to regularly pray for people when they are doing well.

Robert E. Lee, the famous Confederate general, once said, “Knowing that intercessory prayer is our mightiest weapon and the supreme call for all Christians today, I pleadingly urge our people everywhere to pray. Believing that prayer is the greatest contribution that our people can make in this critical hour, I humbly urge that we take time to pray–to really pray. Let there be prayer at sunup, at noonday, at sundown, at midnight–all through the day. Let us all pray for our children, our youth, our aged, our pastors, our homes. Let us pray for our churches. Let us pray for ourselves, that we may not lose the word ‘concern’ out of our Christian vocabulary. Let us pray for our nation. Let us pray for those who have never known Jesus Christ and redeeming love, for moral forces everywhere, for our national leaders. Let prayer be our passion. Let prayer be our practice.”

Who do you pray for? Why do you pray for them? How often do you pray for them? Do you pray with persistence?

2.) Pray for People’s Spiritual Development (9b-12)

After Paul tells the Colossians that he is praying for them regularly, he reveals the content of his prayer for them. His primary petition is that they would continue in their spiritual development. He emphasizes the two means by which spiritual development happens: knowing God’s will and doing God’s will.

Knowing God’s Will (9b)

In the second half of verse 9 Paul says that he is asking God to “fill them with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” What Paul has in mind here is not some particular or special direction for one’s life (as we often use the phrase “God’s will”), but a deep and abiding understanding of the revelation of Christ and all that he means for the universe and for the Colossians. This encompasses knowledge of God’s character and how he works in the lives of his people. It suggests the ability to discern truth and to make good decisions based on that truth. (Moo 93) The more someone knows God’s will the more they will develop spiritually.

Likewise, if we want to develop spiritually, we must pray for God’s spirit to give us knowledge of his will and do our part to acquire it. Spiritual wisdom and understanding are gained by reading and studying the Bible, prayer, worshiping and fellowshipping with other believers, etc. These activities assist our knowledge of God’s character and help us make decisions based on God’s truth. All of this facilitates spiritual development!

Saint Thomas Aquinas, one of the greatest theologians in the history of the church used to pray, “Bestow upon me, O Lord my God, understanding to know thee, diligence to seek thee, wisdom to find thee, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace thee.”

How is your spiritual development going? How well do you know God’s will? How well do you know God’s character? What percentage of your decisions is based on God’s truth? Are you praying for your own spiritual development? Are you praying for the spiritual development of others?

Doing God’s Will (10-12)

Knowing God’s will is only half of the battle in spiritual development. Doing God’s will is the other half. Knowledge in and of itself is not enough; spiritual development involves a mental, attitudinal, ethical, and behavioral transformation. A proper knowledge of God’s will should always lead into doing God’s will. This is what Paul is getting at in verse 10. The purpose of his prayer is that the Colossians “may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way”—that is that they would be spiritually developed by doing God’s will.

He goes on to list four traits to describe this spiritual development—fruitfulness in ministry, growth in the knowledge of God, strength in endurance and patients, and thankfulness to the Father. Spiritual development is evidenced by a commitment to doing good works and ministering to other people on behalf of Jesus Christ, continued growth in the knowledge of God’s character, strength to patiently endure hardship and persecution, and thankfulness to the Father for the future inheritance of eternal life in heaven. These are four marks of a life that is worthy of the Lord and are ways to please him

In Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Ivan endures all the horrors of a Soviet prison camp. One day he is praying with his eyes closed when a fellow prisoner notices him and says with ridicule, “Prayers won’t help you get out of here any faster.”

Opening his eyes, Ivan answers, “I do not pray to get out of prison but to do the will of God.” Are you doing God’s will? Are you living a life worthy of the Lord and pleasing him in every way? How are you being fruitful in your ministry for Christ? How are you growing in your knowledge of God? Are you using the strength God has given you to patiently endure your hardships? How often do you thank the Father for your inheritance in heaven?

Paul prayed for the Colossians spiritual development! Do you pray for your own spiritual development? Do you pray for the spiritual development of others?

3.) Pray for People as a Response to our Redemption (13-14)

Paul concludes the introduction to his letter by anchoring it in the cross of Jesus Christ. The only reason he could even offer thanksgiving and prayer for the Colossians was because of the redemption they had received from Christ. Just as God rescued and redeemed the Israelites from the darkness of Egypt and gave them their inheritance in the Promised Land, God rescued and redeemed the Colossians from the darkness of their sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and gave them their inheritance in the Kingdom of God.

Like the Colossians, God rescues and redeems us from the dominion of darkness through a faith commitment to Jesus Christ. When Jesus stretched out his hands and feet on the cross, his blood atoned for our sins and paid our spiritual debt. We enjoy some of the benefits of belonging to the kingdom of God now while we wait for our full inheritance in heaven. Christ has liberated us from sin, and we do not have to bear its guilt anymore.

Diane Komp, a pediatric oncologist, tells the story of Arthur, who developed cancer when he was just three years old. He had multiple relapses over a five-year period and was often close to death. His parents were wonderful, she says, patient with his treatment, never losing hope.

One day Arthur’s mother called the doctor to ask something that had been weighing on her for years. She said that in the early years of her marriage, she had an affair and left her husband for another man. She became pregnant by him. When he learned of her pregnancy, he gave her something to swallow in hopes of inducing an abortion. It did not work and he abandoned her.

She returned to her husband, pregnant with Arthur. She asked for and received his forgiveness. He knew the truth but always loved and treated Arthur as his own son. Her question to the oncologist was this: “Do you think the concoction I drank to abort the pregnancy caused the cancer?” Dr. Komp wisely responded that we will never know what caused the cancer. But doctors cannot heal guilt, and the mother suffered for many years with her terrible burden. Deep within her soul she must have felt that her sin caused the suffering of her son.

Arthur’s mother later wrote the doctor that she had grown up in a church that preached forgiveness through Christ’s sacrifice, but despite her religious tradition, she had never been able to forgive herself and had rejected the forgiveness that God offered in Jesus. There was no one in her church with whom she felt she could share her burden. When she finally forgave herself, she underlined every passage in her Bible that referred to God’s forgiveness and was amazed that her burden finally lifted. The healing of memories and guilt can sometimes be more difficult than healing cancer.

Can you imagine the guilt that mother carried? Some of us here today carry similar guilt. If you have truly trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior, your sins are completely forgiven and you don’t have to carry the guilt anymore. Jesus has rescued and redeemed you from the dominion of darkness! Live in the kingdom of light! The reason we can pray for people is because we have been redeemed!

How should we pray for people? We should pray for them regularly, we should pray for their spiritual development, and we should pray for them as a response to our redemption in Christ! Now that you know how to pray for people, I pray that you will do it!

It’s a crisp late autumn morning! Yellow rays of sunrise peak through the pine trees! The only sound you hear is a chipmunk scurrying across the fallen leaves making its preparations for winter. The ice cold steel of your rifle wears through your wool gloves and begins to numb your fingers as your eyes continuously scan three directions while you wait for a white tail to emerge from the brush.

By noon, you walk through the back door. As you hang your camouflaged coat on the hook, your senses are immediately aroused by the familiar aromas of moist oven roasted turkey, seasoned cornbread stuffing, creamy garlic mashed potatoes drizzled with golden gravy, and crunchy pecan crusted sweet potato casserole! And as you bend down to untie your boots, you hear a gentle rumble from somewhere in your mid-section as you think about how chilled whipped cream perfectly complements the warm spiciness of pumpkin pie!

As your skin is refreshed by the steam of a hot shower and a soft flannel shirt, your mind turns to the precise angles of comfort you experience when you raise the footrest on your leather recliner. Even though you hate the Dallas Cowboys and could care less about the Detroit Lions, you still whisper a quiet prayer to God thanking him for football. And as the ladies in the other room argue about what ungodly hour they are going to begin their shopping spree the next morning, you don’t even care; because the turkey is beginning to take effect, your eyes slowly close, and just before your mind drifts off into a wonderful dream about…well, I better not say; you say to yourself, “What a day!”

What day is it? Thanksgiving, of course! Isn’t it wonderful that we have a whole day set aside to give thanks? Whether your family formally takes turns sharing what they are thankful for at the dinner table, or you just a few minutes and privately think about the history of Thanksgiving or reflect on the blessings in your life, there are many reasons to be thankful: We have a God who has given us life, health, family, friends, a free country, a place to live, a job, food to eat, and the list could go on and on. What are you thankful for today?

Well, the first thing Paul does in his letter to the Colossians is offer thanksgiving. He was suffering in a prison cell in Rome awaiting his day in court before Caesar. His freedom was stripped away from him and he faced an uncertain future. Most of the churches that he planted were struggling and needed his help. Even though his personal circumstances looked bleak, he was thankful! In this opening section of Colossians, Paul lists three reasons why he was thankful and they all rooted in the gospel of Jesus.

1.) Thanksgiving for Transformation through the Gospel (3-6a)

Paul begins his letter by offering thanksgiving for the transformation that the Colossians had experienced through the gospel. He expresses his thanks to God for how the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection filled them with the three cardinal virtues of faith, hope, and love. The presence of these virtues was evidence that the Colossians had undergone a complete spiritual transformation. It profoundly affected their character and conduct.

The “hope” mentioned here is the hope of eternal life. Since Christ rescued them from bondage to their sins, they could now look forward to a glorious existence in heaven after they passed away from this earth. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead has made this possible

From Parade magazine comes the story of self-made millionaire Eugene Land, who greatly changed the lives of a sixth-grade class in East Harlem. Mr. Lang had been asked to speak to a class of 59 sixth-graders. What could he say to inspire these students, most of whom would drop out of school? He wondered how he could get these predominantly black and Puerto Rican children even to look at him.

Scrapping his notes, he decided to speak to them from his heart. “Stay in school,” he admonished, “and I’ll help pay the college tuition for every one of you.” At that moment the lives of these students changed. For the first time they had hope. Said one student, “I had something to look forward to, something waiting for me. It was a golden feeling.” Nearly 90 percent of that class went on to graduate from high school.

The faith that Paul commends in verse 5 is not faith in general but faith in Jesus Christ. It refers to the belief that Jesus died on the cross to atone for their sins and that God raised Jesus from the dead and that he secures this same promise of life for all who put their trust in him. It is not a static faith that is simply reproduced in a creed or ritual; it is an active faith that is expressed in the way Christians live.

The “love” that Paul refers to here is a supernatural God-given love. In verse 8 he calls it a love “from the Spirit.” It is a selfless and sacrificial love that honestly seeks the benefit of others over personal interest. The Colossians were exhibiting their hope and faith in the way that they loved each other.

Just as Paul thanked God for the way he had already transformed and was currently transforming the Colossians, we can be thankful for the way God has transformed and is transforming us through the gospel. Through the gospel, God has given us faith, hope, and love. He has enabled us to believe that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. He has given us hope, that no matter how bad life gets here, we know that he will one day liberate us from all emotional pain and physical suffering. He has given us the supernatural ability to love each other—even our enemies!

This transformation doesn’t just happen once. It continues through our Christian lives. As the gospel continues to work in our lives, our faith grows stronger, our hope gets brighter, and our love gets deeper. If you are not a Christian today, would you like to experience this transformation? Embrace the good news of Jesus Christ and you can! If you are a Christian today, are you thankful for the transformation you have experienced and are experiencing now?

2.) Thanksgiving for the Spreading of the Gospel (6b)

The second reason why Paul offers thanksgiving is because the spreading of the gospel. He is thankful for how the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection reached the town of Colosse and was expanding all over the earth. He wanted the Colossians to know that this gospel was not just another local mystery religion isolated in the Lychus River Valley, but it was a worldwide movement that crossed over geographical and racial barriers and was having universal impact.

By most accounts, however, the world had not yet recognized the spreading of the gospel. First century historian’s barley used any ink on the Christian church, but Paul could see what they could not see. Like a plant that takes over the whole garden, the Christian church started small with only 12 disciples, but it was quickly expanding to the major metropolitan centers like Rome, Corinth, and Ephesus, and was even reaching rural towns like Colosse—this caused Paul to be thankful!

Like Paul, we should be thankful for how the gospel continues to spread throughout the world today. The message of God’s love for all mankind and Jesus’ sacrificial death to redeem us from our sins speaks in any language or culture. It speaks to the universal conditions facing every human being regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, or location.

Like the Colossians, it doesn’t appear that the Christian church is expanding today, but it is! Even though the church is declining in the Middle East, Europe, and North America, it is literally exploding in South America, South East Asia, and Africa.

Listen to what Philip Jenkins, Distinguished Professor of Religion at Penn State University says in his book The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity: “The figures are startling. Between 1900 and 2000, the number of Christians in Africa grew from 10 million to over 360 million, from 10% of the population to 46%. If that is not, quantitatively, the largest religious change in human history in such a short period, I am at a loss to think of a rival…we can predict that by 2050, there should be around 3 billion Christians in the world, of whom only around 1/5 or fewer will be non-Hispanic whites.” (p. 9)

Even though we live in the least religious state in the least religious region of our country, I am still thankful for how the gospel is spreading here in Vermont. Sure, the numbers are nowhere near what they are in Africa, but I see the gospel going forth from our church and it is transforming many lives. Every time someone makes a commitment to Jesus Christ or becomes a member of our church or even walks through the doors of our church, the gospel of Jesus Christ spreads.

Think about how the gospel has spread to you! Are you spreading it to others? Are you thankful for what God is doing all around the world and right here in our own community?

3.) Thanksgiving for Faithful Ministers of the Gospel (1, 7-8)

The third reason why Paul expresses thanksgiving is for faithful ministers of the gospel. Paul was himself a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but he was now suffering in prison. He was unable to start any new churches or even visit the ones he already started, but he was thankful for others who were faithfully ministering on his behalf. In verse 1 he mentions that Timothy was there with him. He was one of Paul’s converts from the town of Lystra and was one of Paul’s most faithful missionary companions.

In verses 7-8 Paul gives thanks for Epaphras, the man who planted the church in Colosse and continued to teach them about the Lord Jesus Christ. When a number strange philosophies and heresies began to infiltrate the church, Epaphras went to Rome to seek Paul’s advice on the matter. While he was in Rome, he somehow became imprisoned with Paul and was unable to return to Colosse. Instead, Paul sent this letter back to the church with a man named Tychicus (4:7) Paul calls Epaphras “a dear fellow servant” and “a faithful minister of Christ.” He was willing to stand for the truth and continue to minister the gospel in spite of adversity.

Just as Paul was thankful for these faithful ministers, we should be thankful for faithful ministers of the gospel today. We should be thankful for those ministers that stand for the truth of God’s Word, preach the true gospel, and who minister the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Can you think of a minister that has had a profound effect on your life? It may be a pastor or a lay person that either introduced you to Jesus Christ, helped you grow in your faith, or who ministered to you in a time of need. Are you thankful for that person? Can someone else be thankful for your faithful ministry to them?

Thankfulness seems to be a lost art today! Warren Wiersbe tells the story of a ministerial student in Evanston, Illinois, who was part of a life-saving squad. In 1860, a ship went aground on the shore of Lake Michigan near Evanston, and Edward Spencer waded again and again into the frigid waters to rescue 17 passengers. In the process, his health was permanently damaged. Some years later at his funeral, it was noted that not one of the people he rescued ever thanked him.

A woman named Erma Bombeck says, “An estimated 1.5 million people are living today after bouts with breast cancer. Every time I forget to feel grateful to be among them, I hear the voice of an eight-year-old named Christina, who had cancer of the nervous system. When asked what she wanted for her birthday, she thought long and hard and finally said, “I don’t know. I have two sticker books and a Cabbage Patch doll. I have everything!” The kid is right.”

We don’t want to be like any of those 17 passengers. We want to be like this 8 year old girl. As we go through life, we want to be thankful for all of God’s blessings to us, especially for transformation through the gospel, the spreading of the gospel, and for faithful ministers of the gospel! Go ahead and save your turkey and trimmings for late November, but let’s make every day a day of Thanksgiving!