Characterizations of a godly church, 1Thessalonians 1:1-10

After finishing up our study of the book of Colossians last week, we are beginning a new study in the first letter to the church at Thessalonica.  I felt led to look at this book primarily because of it’s heavy emphasis on eschatology.  As we finished up our study of Daniel in our bonfire Bible studies on Wednesday nights, I have referred to 1 Thessalonians a number of times. And so I wanted to study this book to get a more in depth look at Paul’s perspective on the second coming of Christ as some of our people expressed a desire for further study on that subject.

But since I don’t do topical preaching here at the Beach Fellowship, we are going to look at the whole letter by way of exposition, and not just the eschatological part.  Because it’s important to look at scripture in context, and not just cherry pick texts that would seem to support a particular topic that a pastor might want to deal with.

That being said, let’s first consider the deeper background of this book as a means of understanding the context before we get into some of the opening remarks Paul makes. The historical background of this church in Thessalonica is found in Acts 17.  In that account, Luke gives the details of how Paul and Silas and Timothy came to the city on Paul’s second missionary journey.

Thessalonica was a large, major city in Greece that had a large port on the Aegean sea. At that time it had a Jewish community which had a synagogue there.  As was customary with the apostles, they began their missionary work at the synagogue.  A few of the Jews were converted as a result of Paul’s preaching for three consecutive weeks, as well as a large number of prominent Greeks who had been regular attendees at the synagogue.

But the Jews weren’t happy over the fact that Paul and his fellow workers had converted many of the people there, and so they started a riot, and arrested one of the converts, and basically were trying to shut down the spread of Christianity in that city.  And so it seemed best for Paul and his fellow workers to leave town.  Paul ended up eventually in Corinth which is where he wrote this letter from.  

In the time between his visit and his letter, Paul had sent Timothy back to the church, to see how they were doing and to encourage them and strengthen them.  Timothy returned to Paul and gave a good report about the church, and perhaps conveyed some concerns and questions that they had, and thus we have the basis for this letter.  And by the way, this letter is thought by many scholars to be the first of the Pauline epistles.  Though it’s possible that Galatians may be.  But in any respect, it’s fairly certain that the date of the letter is around 51AD.  So it’s a very early letter to a fledgling church in Greece.

Notice the authors of this letter.  Paul, Silvanus and Timothy.  Paul of course we know.  He is more than likely the actual author inspired by the Holy Spirit.  Silvanus or Timothy might have taken dictation from him and did the actual writing.  This missionary team was the result of a breakup that Paul had earlier with Barnabas and John Mark.  Barnabas went his way with John Mark, and Paul took Silas, who was also known by  the Latin version of his name which is Silvanus.  And then somewhere along the way Paul took along Timothy, his young apprentice.  It’s also apparent from Acts that Luke the physician is part of the group as well.

So as is typical of such letters, it begins by stating who it’s from and then who it’s addressed to.  It says, to the church of the Thessalonians.  The word church there in the Greek is eklesia. It means a gathering of people called out from their homes to a public assembly. It’s clear from the account in Acts 17 that these are people that have been converted.  Paul is addressing the congregation of converted people who make up the church.  It’s not a reference to a building, nor an denomination, nor a particular race, but a people called out of the world by God to be the people of God.  Notice he says, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. That speaks of the equal divinity of Christ to the Father, and their belonging to God.

Now in this first chapter, Paul reveals several godly characteristics of the church which I think should be an example for us today.  This church Paul says in vs 7 that they were an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.  They were an exemplary church.  We will find out as we go along that doesn’t mean that they were perfect.  There were some areas of sin in the lives of some of them that needed to be done away with.  But for the most part, I believe we can learn from these characteristics in which they were exemplary, as a template for what constitutes a godly, healthy church.

The first characteristic that is fundamental to a church is it’s made up of the saved, the converted.  These people are the church, a called out, converted assembly of believers.  Notice in vs 10 Paul says that they had “turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God.” That’s a characteristic of a person who is saved.  They are converted, turned, changed.  It’s a change from worshipping the idols of the world to worshipping the true God.

Also notice that Paul says they were called, and chosen. Vs 4, “knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you.”  The scripture says that salvation is of the Lord.  It should not be a surprise that salvation is initiated by the Lord.  That is the doctrine of election.  God sovereignly chooses people to be saved.  That doesn’t mean that you don’t have a choice, that you don’t have to believe, to have faith in Christ, but it means that God has given spiritual sight to your eyes, God has convicted your heart of your need for salvation, and He has loved you with an effectual love, called you to Himself, and He has provided all the means by which you are saved.

Furthermore, a distinction of this church is that they were recipients of God’s grace and peace. In Paul’s greeting in vs 1 he says, “Grace to you and peace.”  Notice that peace comes after grace. God reaches out to us in grace, that we might have peace with God. We who were formerly enemies have been brought near to God, have been given peace with God, which results in the peace of God which guards our hearts and minds.  Many people seek the peace of God as a antidote for tribulation.  But you will never have the peace of God until you make peace with God, and you cannot have peace with God until you have known the grace of God which is the atonement provided through Jesus Christ on your behalf.

For those who have been converted, who are the living church of God, Paul gives thanks in vs 2. “We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention [of you] in our prayers.”  Notice Paul gives thanks for all of them.  That takes a pretty special pastor to be able to do that.  It’s easy to give thanks for those who are strong in the faith, who are pillars of the church, who are faithful and true.  It’s another thing to give thanks for everyone else.  But that is the ministry of the pastor, to pray constantly for the church.  And prayer must always be accompanied by thankfulness.  We can be thankful that they have believed unto salvation.  We can be thankful that they have been delivered from captivity to the dominion of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of Jesus Christ.  They may not be the most faithful of His servants, but they belong to Christ, and we should be thankful for that.

When the apostles sought to establish deacons in the first church in Jerusalem, they said as for themselves, they would devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word.  If you take that literally, then half of the pastor’s job description is being devoted to prayer.  That’s a pretty convicting statement for me to consider.

Paul continues on that subject of praying for the church in vs 3, “constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father.”  In this verse we find three other characteristics of a godly church. Faith, love and hope.  These attributes are common to all believers.  They should be common for all churches.

Paul gives thanks for their work of faith.  This reminds us of what we read in James.  That faith without works is dead. Faith is not a feeling. I don’t think that Paul is talking about their faith so much as he is the works that come as a result of faith.  Saving faith produces action.  It’s not just an intellectual assent to the truth, but deeds that are in keeping with a new nature, a new heart, a desire to serve the Lord. It’s a new way of living, working for the kingdom of God.

Paul said in Eph. 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” The faith of the church in Thessalonica produced good works, a work of faith.

Then he is thankful for their labor of love.  Once again, Paul takes a concept that implies on the surface a feeling, an attraction, and puts work to it.  It’s a labor of love.  It doesn’t mean that you don’t have feelings about the church, about the Lord, but it means that you realize that you aren’t always going to feel it.  I think of my mother who loved her family, and worked very hard to keep us fed and clothed and clean, day after day, year after year.  She didn’t always feel like it.  She might not have always acted all lovey dovey.  But she did what she did because she loved us.  And if the truth is known, my brother and I made her life miserable more than she deserved. But she still did her best for us, whether we always deserved it or not.  That’s a labor of love.  When we love one another in the church, it’s not always going to be because we feel like it, or because they deserve it.  But because Christ loved us when we were sinners. So sacrificial love that worked was another characteristic of the church.

And then Paul is thankful for their steadfastness of hope.  The word hope on it’s own has a transitory sense to it, doesn’t it?  Hope rises and falls on a whim sometimes.  But Paul is thankful for their steadfastness of hope.  That means that their hope doesn’t waver from day to day.  Their hope doesn’t wane when things don’t happen when they wanted it to happen.  

What is that hope, by the way?  What are they supposed to be hoping for?  I’ll tell you what it is in Paul’s own words found in Titus 2:13 “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.”  Hope is speaking of the second coming of Jesus Christ.  And as we learned in the prophesies of Daniel, there are a number of corresponding elements that are tied to the second coming of Christ.  Not the least of which is the resurrection.  Paul is going to speak considerably about the resurrection  towards the end of this letter, but for now he is alluding to it, by the phrase steadfastness of hope.

Peter speaks of this hope in the resurrection as a living hope, in 1Peter 1:3-5 saying, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  to [obtain] an inheritance [which is] imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” So hope is not nebulous, wishful thinking, but a firm expectation of something that has not yet been realized, but which you firmly expect to happen.

Listen, our hope is rooted in the second coming of Jesus Christ.  Our hope is not found in the things of this world.  Our hope is not in politics, or in science, or in financial freedom, or in finding true love.  Our hope is in Christ and that hope will be fulfilled when He appears for the second time to claim His church, His bride.

Paul said in 1Cor. 15:19 “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”  And then he goes on in that passage to talk about the resurrection and the promise of Christ’s return being a certain hope that gives us assurance and takes away fear of death.

The next important characteristic of this godly church is that they are a church that preached the gospel. There are a lot of churches today that have all the outward trappings of a church, they have a building that looks like a church, they have people who claim to belong to the church, but they don’t preach the gospel.  

But the church at Thessalonica was a true church because they preached the gospel. Notice three things about the gospel they preached.  First it is a gospel that is powerful. Secondly it is a gospel that was imitated by the church.  And thirdly it is a gospel that they have proclaimed throughout the region.

First a gospel that is powerful.  Paul says in vs 5, “for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.”  Paul would say later in Romans what that power of the gospel does.  He said, in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”  The gospel is powerful unto salvation.  It’s not a social gospel which we preach.  It’s not a feel good gospel that tells you what you want to hear.  It’s not a prosperity gospel that promises you heath, wealth and prosperity. It’s the good news that Jesus Christ the Son of God came to earth to die on the cross as a sacrifice for sinners, and as their substitute to satisfy the wrath of God, so that they might be saved from eternal death, and by His power be given new life, even everlasting life. That is the gospel.  Paul preached it, and the apostles lived it. He says you know what manner of men we proved to be.  That means they lived what they preached. 

And then notice Paul says the church imitated them.  “You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit.”  Listen, that’s discipleship.  It’s living in such a way that you can say, imitate me.  Because I am imitating the Lord Jesus. And so we imitate Jesus.  That is growing in faith.  That’s spiritual maturity.  LIke the child that walks in his father’s footsteps imitates his father and grows up to become like his father.  So we imitate Jesus Christ and we grow up to be like Jesus. Peter speaking  about imitation, 1Peter 2:21 “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.”  

And Paul says that this church in Thessalonica also suffered tribulation as a result of the gospel.  A hallmark of genuine Christianity is tribulation.  The world is not going to love you.  You will be persecuted for the sake of the gospel.  In the case of this church, persecution came from the resident Jewish community who were angry that the church was making converts from among them.  If you never proclaim the gospel to anyone, then you probably won’t face much persecution.  But the world finds the gospel offensive, and so if you proclaim it, then you should expect them to attack you and try to shut you down.

But the result of their imitation of Christ and their suffering was an example to other Christians throughout the region.  Paul says in vs  7 “so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.”  Listen, the most effective sermon you will ever preach is not necessarily one that is heard, but that is seen.  How you live out the gospel, how your life reveals that it is different, it’s changed, is the best testimony to the power of the gospel.  A life that doesn’t look any different than what it was before salvation is likely not saved at all.

So the church was a living testimony to the power of the gospel. They lived what they believed. That’s the work of faith, to live in a manner in keeping with what you profess.  But not only did they imitate Jesus Christ, and live as an example of Christ followers, they also acted in love to bring the gospel to the world around them.  They were evangelistic.  Having been the beneficiary of missionaries, they became missionaries.   Notice Paul commends them in vs 8 “For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.”

In other words, they took the great commission seriously.  But I also love the way Paul puts it.  He says the word of the Lord sounded forth from you.  They preached the word.  Not a social gospel.  They weren’t solely focused on doing good deeds for neighboring communities without presenting the gospel to them.  A lot of churches are all about having soup kitchens but delinquent in preaching the word of God.  They are professionals at producing Christian entertainment, but absent when it comes to presenting the cross of Christ.  Once again, as Paul said, we should not be ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation, to the Jew first and also the Greek.  The word of God which is able to convert souls must be the priority of the church’s ministry.

And the testimony of those people in foreign lands that had heard their gospel, who had received their message, got back to Paul and Silas and Timothy.  And that report was that those people in Thessalonica really been changed.  It was evident that they were truly saved, truly living out the gospel.  The contrast between their old ways of worshipping idols, and the way that they now lived as ambassadors of the gospel was evidence of their conversion.  Once again, an essential characteristic of the church is that they are changed, converted.  They turned from idol worship to serving God.  A dramatic change that was evident to a watching world.  

Listen, your life should be a living billboard to the power of the gospel to convert, to change.  Unfortunately, the only thing a lot of neighbors see different about most people who claim to be Christians is that they go to church occasionally.  Their life isn’t much different otherwise.  I’m not suggesting that we be different just to be different.  To be weird, so that we cut our hair differently, or wear clothing that is different from the rest of the world.  Not those type of external things, but a change inwardly will be evident on the outside by what you do, what you say, and how you live.

Finally, as I mentioned earlier, the last characteristic of a godly church is that they have a living hope, looking for and hastening the day of the Lord, when Christ will return for His bride.  Paul said about the Thessalonians in vs 10 that they were waiting  “for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, [that is] Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.”  When we have an expectancy of Christ’s return, then we will live differently.  When we are looking forward to the life to come then we will not be enamored with the lusts of this world. When we are looking forward to Christ’s return, then we will be working that we might be found faithful when He comes.  

And also notice in the gospel of hope, there is a warning of judgment.  The gospel that is preached that does not include the wrath of God against sin is not the full gospel.  The gospel that doesn’t warn that when Christ returns He will come in judgment is not the full gospel.  The word of God that doesn’t preach about sin is not the full gospel.  But the good news is God has offered Jesus Christ as the atonement for our sin, that we might escape the wrath of God.  And that is our blessed hope by which we look forward to the day when Christ will come again to claim His church and to live with us forever.  

As the apostle John said, 1John 2:28 “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.” Let us be found faithful when He comes.  Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.

The ministry of the church, Colossians 4:7-18

Last week I remarked about how Paul in his imprisonment is believed to have had a Roman guard chained to him at all times.  And I made note of the fact that the scripture says that as a result of being in close proximity to Paul for many hours every day, every day of the week, for two years, many of the Roman Praetorian guard became believers in Christ.  And I posed the question to you, that those who are in close proximity to you in work or in some endeavor that you are a part of, would they end up becoming a Christian on the basis of your life and testimony to them because of all those hours you spend together?

Well, in this passage, we see more people that were a part of the Apostle’s daily life while he was in prison.  Now this was a prison, yet not like what we might think of today.  It was Paul’s own rented quarters, a private house, but in which he was imprisoned and unable to leave.  But it’s evident that he was able to receive visitors there, and perhaps some of them were even able to stay in the house.

So Paul actually had a church in his prison.  And that should serve to be a reminder to us, that the church is not a building, it’s not an organization.  The church does not consist of a lot of programs or special events.  You know, we sometimes see people leave our church because they want more of what they think the church is supposed to be.  And a lot of times it’s something like a church that has a large youth group program, or children’s ministry.  Or they claim they are looking for a way to be involved in a church that has resources like financial or marriage counseling that are better suited to their talents. But at least on a subconscious level, they find a church in a building that supports their idea of what a church should look like.

But here in Paul’s prison church we see that the church is just people that are committed to Christ, that are committed to one another, that are committed to the ministry of the Word, and are committed to the spread of the gospel.  Now if you remember in this epistle back in chapter 3, Paul made an appeal to the Colossians to be the church, saying “since you have been raised up with Christ,” or since they had received new life in Christ, keep your focus on things above and not things on earth.  And then Paul gives a series of practical admonitions of how we are to live now as the church.  

The church is people, made up of Christians.  We are the church.  And so though this section might easily be dismissed as just a series of personal greetings and so forth, I think Paul might also be displaying a group of people from his church, who were living illustrations of what it means to be the church of Christ, whose focus are on things above, and not the things of this earth.  

So I want to try to take each person that Paul mentions here, and provide each a vignette of sorts which I hope will show their ministry to the church, which should serve as a model for the church today.

Paul’s first mention is a man named Tychicus. He was a man with a servant’s heart. Paul says in vs 7, “As to all my affairs, Tychicus, [our] beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information.”

The name Tychicus means fortunate.  And he was certainly fortunate because of the time that he spent with the  apostle Paul. He’s mentioned in five different places in scripture, and each time only very briefly.  But from these references we can determine that Tychicus was a faithful servant of Paul throughout his ministry.

We hear initially about Tychicus in Acts 20.  Paul is collecting offerings from the churches in Macedonia for the saints in Jerusalem.  And he is joined by Tychicus in his journey.  In those days trips such as this were often quite difficult and dangerous.  You couldn’t just book a ticket on an airline.  Such journeys often took months.  But Tychicus left his home and family to travel with Paul, perhaps to provide security for Paul.  I have the feeling that Tychicus was a very capable man, physically speaking as well as spiritually.  We see Tychicus making many such trips in which he safeguarded something valuable and important for the churches. He had to travel through all kinds of terrain, over the sea, in all kinds of weather, sleeping often out in the open at night, on guard against all kinds of robbers and thieves who preyed upon the traveler.

We see him again in Titus 3:12. Paul sends him to Titus, possibly to relieve Titus as a substitute pastor while Titus visits Paul in Nicopolis. That shows that not only was Tychicus very capable physically, but he was capable spiritually as well.  He was able to sub for the pastor, Titus. 

And in 2 Timothy 4:12, we see a similar situation with Timothy. Paul wants Timothy to come to him and bring his cloak and parchments, and he sends Tychicus to hold down the fort for Timothy.  This is probably near the end of Paul’s life, and we can see that Tychicus has obviously matured as a Christian, from just a capable man with a servant’s heart, to a man that could take over the pulpit so to speak from a pastor such as Timothy. 

The first time that Paul was in prison in Rome was when he wrote this letter to the Colossians.  And Tychicus had been with Paul at that point about 4 years.  And Paul indicates in this epistle that he is going to send this letter by Tychicus.  But it wasn’t just this letter, but it’s also believed that he carried the letter to the Ephesians as well as the epistle to Philemon.  Just imagine the importance of that trip.  Three of the New Testament epistles were under the care and guardianship of Tychicus.  Not only does that indicate a servant’s heart, but a faithful man.   A man that would not let anything stop him or deter him.  I can’t help but think of this guy as possibly a former soldier who had been converted and discipled by Paul.  I cannot prove that of course.  But I look forward to meeting him one day in heaven.  He was a tough, very capable, disciplined, determined and faithful soldier of Christ who Paul leaned on quite heavily.  Thank God for men like Tychicus. 

Paul calls him a beloved brother, a faithful servant and a fellow bond servant in the Lord.  That’s a pretty high commendation.  In 1Cor. 4:2  Paul speaks of a servant of Christ being a steward, one to whom is entrusted something, and he says in that passage, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”  There is no higher commendation that a man is found to be faithful. And a bond servant is someone who has committed to serve the Lord for the rest of their life.

The second man mentioned here is Onesimus.  Paul says he that accompanying Tychicus on this journey is Onesimus, vs. 9, “and with him Onesimus, [our] faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your [number.] They will inform you about the whole situation here.” Onesimus is a man with a sinful past. Now all of us have sinful pasts.  But if we have been raised up with Christ, then our old life should be in the past, and all things have become new.  Onesimus had a past, but he became  a new creation who God could use in His kingdom.

Now if we know who Onesimus is, then we can understand why Tychicus is bringing a letter to Philemon as well as to the church at Ephesus and Colossae.  If you have read the letter to Philemon, then you know the story.  Onesimus was the slave of Philemon who it would seem had stolen something and ran away from Philemon.  That was an offense that in those days was punishable by death.  But as providence would have it, Onesimus ended up in Rome, and somehow or another ended up being led to Christ by the apostle Paul.  

Now when Paul learned of Onesimus’s background, he realized the connection, because Paul had also led Philemon to the Lord.  And furthermore the church at Colossae met at Philemon’s house. That indicates that he was a wealthy man as he would have the biggest house suitable for holding church.  Somehow in his journey’s Paul had  led Philemon to the Lord because he says in the letter, “you owe to me even your own self as well.”  So in the letter, which Onesimus and Tychicus are delivering, are instructions for Philemon to forgive Onesimus, and whatever he owed Philemon from the theft, to charge it to Paul’s account.

What is also very interesting is that there is a letter that has been found which was written by Ignatius, one of the early church fathers who lived just after the death of the apostles, and Ignatius is writing to the church at Colossae, in which he mentions the pastor of their church, who is none other than Onesimus.  Imagine that.  A former runaway slave, who was also a criminal, who repents and is restored to his master, and eventually ends up becoming the pastor of the church there at Colossae.  What a wonderful testimony of the grace of God upon sinners, that He is able to make all things new, and use even the least of us as examples of His grace.

Next, Paul mentions a man named Aristarchus, who he describes as my fellow prisoner.  We might say about Aristarchus that he’s a man with a sympathetic heart.  Now Aristarchus’ name appears elsewhere in the New Testament in association with the town of Thessalonica. Aristarchus is mentioned about 5 times in scripture.  You might remember on one occasion he was with Paul in Ephesus, and he and Gaius were arrested.  It seems quite likely that Aristarchus continued with Paul in his ministry because the next time we see him he is boarding the ship with Paul on his way to Rome.  If so, that could be the reason Paul calls him his fellow prisoner.  It would seem that he continued with Paul throughout his imprisonment, and he did so because he was sympathetic towards Paul, and wanted to share his burden.  He was willing to forego his own liberty to help Paul spread the gospel.  

The fourth man Paul mentions is a man whom we might also say is given a second chance. Really that is true about all Christians, but we see it illustrated here particularly in the case of Mark. He describes him as “Barnabas’s cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him).” 

You may remember Mark who as a young man went with Paul and Barnabas on missionary journey and somewhere along the way he decided he wanted to go back home.  We don’t know the reason but it may have been loneliness or just missing home.  Later, when Barnabas wanted to take Mark along on another missionary trip, Paul wouldn’t hear of it, because he considered Mark a deserter.  Paul and Barnabus ended up getting in such a disagreement about him, that they split up, with Barnabas taking along Mark on a missions trip, and Paul taking Silas on another.

Well, by the time of this letter some time has passed, and it’s obvious that Mark has matured as a Christian and is now reconciled to Paul.  In fact, later on Paul will say in 2 Timothy 4:11, “Take Mark and bring him with you, for he is profitable to me for the ministry.”  That was near the end of Paul’s life.  But what is also very interesting is that somewhere along the way Mark became a prodigy of Peter.  And after years of spending time under Peter’s tutelage God used Mark through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to write the Gospel of Mark.   

So it should be very encouraging for us to see that God is the God of second chances.  Even when we are faithless, He remains faithful.  God is a God of reconciliation, and He has chosen to use us, the weak things, to do mighty things for Him.  

Another man is mentioned here in this closing passage by Paul.  One that I’m sure you have never heard of.  In vs 11, speaking of the coming of Mark Paul adds, “and [also] Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me.” 

I suppose that they called him Justus rather than Jesus because he did not consider himself fit to be called Jesus.  Even though in Hebrew Jesus was Joshua and it was a fairly common name.  But interestingly, the name Justus means righteous.  So we have some indication from his name that this was a man who was committed in his faith.  And that is what we might say concerning Justus, he was a man with a strong commitment. 

Now what gives us that idea is that Paul says Justus and Mark and Aristarchus are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision.  What that indicates is that they were the only Jewish men who were working with Paul. Whenever Paul went into a new area he always began by ministering first to the Jewish community.  And it took a lot  of commitment for a Jewish man to leave his people and all the heritage and traditions of the Jewish religion and follow someone like Paul. It would seem that only these three men were all that had come out from among the Jews.  And Paul says that they were a source of encouragement to him.

Let’s look at the next person, Epaphras. Vs. 12 “Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.  For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis.”  We might say that Epaphras was a man of single purpose. 

Epaphras was the pastor of the church at Colossae.  He had come to Rome to tell Paul the trouble that the  false teachers were teaching to the Colossians. And Paul is writing this letter to the Colossians in answer to what Epaphras has told him.  Epaphras is going to stay awhile longer and spend more time with Paul. So Paul says he sends his greeting.

Notice that Paul says this pastor is always laboring for them in his prayers.  A pastor should be a man of prayer and always be lifting up his people before the Lord.  Furthermore, this pastor is concerned that they become mature in their faith.  He is not just interested in filling an auditorium or even with just making converts.  But he is concerned that they know the will of God and are completed in their faith.  Not remaining infants, but mature. That’s the hallmark of a godly pastor. To disciple and shepherd his church.

He says in vs 13, “For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis.”  That word translated as a deep concern is more literally translated as much toil or great pain.  His concern over his church is such that it causes him pain, he suffers because of his deep concern for the church.  And that’s why he labors so intensely in prayer. He contends with God in prayer for his church.  That’s the kind of leadership we see in a man like Moses who regularly went to bat for his people before the Lord, even to the point of wishing that he might be accursed in their place.  Paul said the same thing about his countrymen.  That’s the purpose of a pastor, to see His people come to maturity in Christ.

The next one Paul mentions is Luke.  Now he should be a familiar person to most of you.  Paul says in vs 14, “Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings.”  Luke was a physician.  He attended to Paul.  Paul, we believe, had problems with his eyes.  Some say that it was the result of the Damascus road experience. Some say that the situation with his eyes might have been the thorn in the flesh that he asked God to take from him three times, and yet God did not heal him.  But God did give Dr. Luke to be a companion of Paul, to minister to him.  God gave Paul his own personal physician. 

Luke is a great illustration of a man who had a talent to offer to God.  And he gave his talent to God, and God took his talent and gave him back a gift that was much greater.  He gave up his practice in medicine, but he gained the privilege of being used by the Holy Spirit to write two of the books of the New Testament; the gospel of Luke, and the book of Acts.  The gift that this man gave to the church, not just of that period, but for over 2000 years is something that cannot be compared to whatever earthly fortune that he might have given up for the sake of following Christ. 

The last guy that Paul mentions is Demas.  Demas was a man that seemed to be in good standing at that time, but in fact he had a sad future.  In 2 Timothy 4:9, Paul says to Timothy, “Make every effort to come to me soon; for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.”  Demas abandoned Paul because he fell in love with the world.  Demas is like a lot of people in the church today.  They hang in for a while, they are around for a while, but they end up loving this present world more than they love God.  It’s a life in contrast to chapter 3 vs 1, “since you have been raised up with Christ, then keep seeking the things above.  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”  But for so many people like Demas, the things of this earth have a greater allure and they end up turning back to this present world and forsake the things of God. Perhaps Demas never was saved, we don’t know.  But he certainly made a bad trade, giving up the eternal rewards of heaven for the temporary pleasures of this world.

Paul closes the letter in vs 15 saying, “Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her/her house.  When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter [that is coming] from Laodicea.  Say to Archippus, ‘Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.’  I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with you.

Notice that the church at Laodicea met at the house of Nympha. Laodicea was a neighboring town, sort of like Bethany is to Rehoboth.  So there was a house church in Laodicea that met int he house of Nympha.  We saw earlier that same situation in  Colossae, where they met at the house of Philemon.  Now neither Nympha nor Philemon are pastors, but they probably were wealthy enough to have a large house which served as the meeting place for the church.  But even with a large house, it’s doubtful that these churches had more than 50 people or so in their congregation.  Probably a lot less than that.  

I think that Christianity today has gotten the wrong idea of what a church should look like.  It’s evident from biblical history that those churches were small, intimate groups of people meeting together and serving one another in house churches.  Today the church in America for the most part is the polar opposite.  Pastors don’t even know the majority of their congregations names.  Paul indicates an intimate knowledge of the people in his church and those churches that he had visited.  And I think that kind of relationship is important if you are going to make diisciples, and fulfill the completion of their spiritual maturity as  Epaphras was praying for his church.

The last person we should mention is Archippus  in vs17.  Paul says to him, “Take heed of the ministry which you have received in the Lord that you may fulfill it.”   In Philemon we read, “To the beloved Apphia, Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house.”  Commentators believe that Apphia was Philemon’s wife and Archippus was Philemon’s son.  Now Paul calls him a fellow soldier, but that may not be a reference to the military, but to a calling of God on his life to go into the ministry.  And that seems to agree with the context of Colossians where Paul says take heed of the ministry which you have received in the Lord that you may fulfill it.  Paul is encouraging him to continue to follow the Lord’s leading in his life. To continue to fulfill the ministry which God has given him to do.  And in a prophetic sense, he is encouraging you and I to fulfill our ministry which we have been given in the Lord.

All of the people here mentioned at the close of this letter have a ministry.  Most of them seem to be fulfilling it.  Demas did not.  He deserted.  Mark deserted for a while as well, but he came back and accomplished great things for God.  Archippus is just starting out it would seem.  And Paul is encouraging him to complete his ministry, to fulfill it.  

We are the church.  We are the people God has chosen for ministry in this community. I can’t help but imagine if scripture was being written today about our church, what Paul might say about me, and about you. How would he characterize us?  I hope you know what ministry you have been called to fulfill. We have all been called to be ministers of the kingdom of God, ambassadors of Christ. I urge you by the Spirit of God to be found faithful in completing your ministry.  And if you are found faithful in the little things, then God will entrust you with greater things.  I pray for each of you today, take heed of the ministry which you have received in the Lord that you may fulfill it.