Colossians 4:7-18

Colossians 4:7-18

For the supposed good, if there is any, that has come from the mega-church, non denominational, highly independent churches, the greatest loss may be the isolation of congregations. An attitude of “us alone” and “focus on our ministry" has crept from mega-churches into even the smallest of congregations. In a bygone era, churches cooperated on camps, youth programs, Bible colleges, and church planting, just to name a few co-op efforts. Today many mega churches will not participate in co-op efforts; rather, they have their own camps, etc., or contract with vendors in what were once co-op programs. Whatever advantage is gained in terms of economy or perceived quality control, the negative of the loss of cooperation has made this trend a net loss of massive proportion.

At the conclusion of this letter, we see a series of greetings and personal references. These are not superfluous verses but a picture into how the church shared life. Some of these people were well known to the church at Colossia, and some were strangers. Some were beloved and honored servants; at least one was an awkward relational challenge. These close relations were Jews and Gentiles, men and women, a prisoner and those who volunteered to help the prisoner; they were a radically diverse group. But this radical diversity was not the goal; it was a by-product of unity born of a common faith, goal, and effort. 

 Perhaps this is one of the reasons why our churches are weak, why we are fractured into a multitude of isolated towers of petty control rather than united in the kingdom of God. We have focused on what will make our congregation, our dynasty, and our serfdom grow rather than the big picture of kingdom advantage and advance. This idea, this approach to ministry, would have been completely foreign to the people mentioned in and to whom this final passage was addressed. This is not a mega church problem, nor is it a little church problem. It is a problem with our hearts. In the same way I believe in One God the Father Almighty, and in One Son Jesus Christ, and in One Holy Spirit, I also believe in One Church. And as my belief in the One Triune God requires certain behavior, so my belief in One Church demands I think, live, and work in certain ways. 

“Lord, bring holy unity to the church on earth. AMEN”

Colossians 4:2-6

Colossians 4:2-6

The short passage addresses what may be the most difficult part of being a disciple, the initial contact and leading a person to become a new believer. Verses 2 and 3 address the issue of prayer. Verses 5 and 6 talked about social interaction. But verse 4 serves as the heart of this passage. In short, this passage sums up this way: “Pray so that we can make clear the gospel and that our social behavior will support that message.”

Prayer is hard; it may be the hardest aspect of the Christian life. Devotion to prayer or steadfastness in prayer is no accident. Our tendency is to slip into heartless or mindless repetitions or to be distracted and have our mind wandering off. We can parrot the words without engaging the mind or the soul. Focused prayer is not easy. Like long-distance running, we accomplish it by doing it for an intense, if short, time every day and by adding to it each day. It never happens by chance; it is always by choice. The focus of this prayer is almost completely absent in the prayers of the modern church: the opportunity to proclaim the gospel. Look at any church’s prayer list, and it is almost exclusively a litany of prayer requests for blessings, particularly related to health. Certainly we should pray for the sick, but what about the lost? Paul wanted the church to pray for opportunities to speak the gospel, this message that is so compelling. Perhaps we don't pray for those opportunities because we fail to find the gospel message particularly compelling.

Paul, in verse 4, wants to know how to speak. The words “make it clear” come from the Greek word from which we get the English word phantom. It meant ‘the shining manifestation of something that was there all along.’ This is a passionate desire to know how to speak the gospel. If Paul needed guidance in this, we ought not find it unusual that we also struggle. If Paul requested prayer for this, we ought to also pray for this.

At a very practical level, we need to be ‘winsome people.’ Most people do not understand even in the slightest way the gospel message. Their opinions of Christians are frequently negative. While we can't hide our faith, we must not express it in a bad-mannered way. Politeness, the art of constantly showing people that they are important, is, or ought to be, our baseline for interaction with people. Being harsh, superior, or judgmental will not accomplish very much. We need to operate with three base assumptions: number one, intentional engagement; number two, the apex of courtesy; and number three, a faithful presentation.

“Lord, forgive me for the weakness of my prayers.  AMEN”