Paul closes this letter with some final greetings, or "shout-outs," from himself and some of his associates. In these shout-outs we see the close connection between ministry and community. Christian community operates in ways that help further and support true Christian ministry. Here are some of the lessons worth noting in this regard from this final part of Colossians.
1. In Christian community we commit to one another (Col 4:7-18)
Tychicus was a behind-the-scenes kind of guy. But he was absolutely committed to supporting Paul's ministry and thus indispensable to Paul's continued ministry. True commitment, to God and to others, involves seeing yourself primarily in relation to other people (i.e. I am primarily a brother of someone, a faithful minister to others, a fellow servant of others).
2. In Christian community we reconcile with one another (Col 4:9)
Onesimus, a runaway slave, was sent back to Colossae with Tychicus in order to reconcile with his master Philemon. Paul himself also practiced reconciliation as shown by his mention of John Mark in Colossians 4:10, a man whom he did not want to continue doing ministry with because of how Mark had left him during his first missionary trip. Yet at some point Paul was able to reconcile with Mark and now see him as a fellow worker.
True Christian community means always being always to take steps towards reconciliation, as much as we are able. Conflict will come within the church. But the church that is truly Christ's church is one where people are quick to identify conflict, deal with it head on, and encourage one another to take the necessary steps towards healing and unity, so that ministry can continue unhindered.
3. Christian community functions as an encouragement for each member (Col 4:10-11)
Aristarchus, Mark, and Jesus called Justus seem to have been the only Jewish Christians working alongside Paul at this point. This had to have been a discouragement to Paul since he desperately yearned to see Jews come to faith in Christ. But having at least these Jewish guys with him was a means by which God encouraged Paul in his ministry. In fact, these verses suggest that Aristarchus willingly gave up his freedom so that he could more personally be with Paul and encourage him. Similarly, in v.8, Paul writes how he expects the arrival of Tychicus in Colossae will be an occassion to encourage the church. True Christian community should be a place where people are quick to encourage one another in our growth inChrist and our ministry on behalf of Christ.
4. In Christian community we pray hard for one another (Col 4:12-13)
Epaphras is noted for how hard he prays for the Colossian Christians. Prayer is hard work. So we must be committed to praying for one another - regularly and consistently.
5. In Christian community we sometimes let each other down (Col 4:14)
Demas is mentioned here, a man whom we later discover, from Paul's last letter, will abandon Paul. This is a reminder that people will disappoint us, let us down, and even desert us within the church. This means we must have a realistic and eternal perspective on Christian community. A realistic perspective means that we don't idealize the church to the point that we put it in the place of God. Christian community is not perfect. At the same time, an eternal perspective means that we live within community always aware of and thanking God for how he is steadily making his imperfect church into his pure and spotless bride. Thus, Christian ministry can still be accomplished even when Christian community falters, for our God's plans are bigger than all our failings and sins.
6. In Christian community we learn with one other (Col 4:15-16)
Paul's letter was to be publicly read among the churches. There was already the understanding that what Paul wrote had authority behind it and was applicable to several churches. Soon the Lord had his letter become part of the Scriptures where it could be read and learned from all the Christian communities to come, such as ours today. Always then, at the core of church community, must be the reading of God's word together in public and learning from what he tells us in this word together as a community. This is the essential foundation for any true ministry.
7. In Christian community we urge one another to do the Lord's work (Col 4:17)
True Christian community doesn't let people sit on their butts. Archippus had been given a commission to fulfill and Paul urges him to fulfill it. A church should be a community where we are diligent to stir one another up to love and good works (Heb 10:24-25).
Paul concludes the letter in Colossians 4:18 with a final request that the Colossian Christians remember where he's at (the implication being that they will regularly pray for him) and a final blessing of grace for them. This repeats how he began the letter in Colossians 1:2. And it's an appropriate bookend to this letter. Christian community needs the grace of God in order to exist and depends on the grace of God in order to be all the things we noted in this chapter, so that it can be an effective minister of the gospel of God's grace in Christ. For it was God's grace to us in Christ that led to us being rescued from the rule of sin and Satan and death and now brings us under the rule of Christ, where we experience life and redemption and have been empowered to represent him in our world.
How have you seen this chapter highlight the importance of community, as opposed to individualism? What "lessons" on community particularly stood out to you in this chapter? And what stood out to you the most in this entire letter? What did God impress upon your heart the most? How can you make the truths you learned part of the regular rhythm of your life?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
"How to Have Right Relationships in Our Society" Colossians 3:22-4:1
All of us regularly participate in hierarchical relationships, that is to say, relationships that involve one person being above another person. The most obvious example of this is the work relationship of boss and employee. Other examples include the professor/student relationship or the coach/athlete relationship. These hierarchical relationships play a big role in how we are defined within our society. We almost always ask people what they do shortly after meeting them. We are constantly aware of where we fall on the social scale compared to those we interact with.
The ancient world was also governed by hierarchies, and certainly one of the most severe hierarchical relationships back then was the master/slave relationship. Slavery in the ancient world was a complicated situation. It was different for instance from the system of slavery practiced in America in that it was not tied to race or ethnicity. In addition, people did not always become slaves through being captured. Sometimes a person might voluntarily sell themselves into slavery in order to pay off debts. Some slaves also had the option to buy themselves out of the slavery. On the other hand, however, ancient slavery was fundamentally similar to American slavery in that at its heart it involved treating people as property.
Scripture does not come out in direct rejection of slavery (and I must personally admit, I've often wished it did). What we do get from Scripture, however, is immensely powerful, and it was powerful enough to lay the foundation for the eventual dismantling of the slavery system all around the world. For what happens in Scripture is that the gospel gets applied to this social system. For the truths of the gospel demand that we apply them to every social system we find ourselves and always be asking, "What does it mean to follow the Lord Jesus in this situation?" When Christians began to consistently do this with slavery, it became clear that such a system could not remain in place. And so, with Christians leading the way, slavery became eliminated as a mainstream social system.
This however is what eventually happened with slavery. Back when the letter to the Colossians was written, slavery was still very much a part of life and widely accepted. So then, how does a Christian rightly act within a hierarchical relationship, which back then for many in the church involved being in a literal master/slave relationship and today for many involves being in a more symbolic master/slave relationship in a workplace or a school setting? How do we handle it when we are not treated so well in the work we are doing or when we don't like the work that we might have to do? How do we handle it when we are in situations that become demeaning and dehumanizing? While today many of us may not be legally considered living tools like you would have been in the slavery system, for many people they might just as well be a tool based on how they're treated by the "master" that's over them.
Paul's counsel on this begins in Colossians 3:22 by telling us that slaves are to fully obey and sincerely obey their masters. They should not obey selfishly, only obeying in order to promote themselves. They should not obey in order to get attention, or obey superficially, doing just enough to get by. They should instead do their work with passion and full hearted dedication.
How can a slave do this? The key is to do all work "fearing the Lord."All work that we do should be done as an act of reverence and honor to the Lord Jesus Christ.
These concepts get explored some more in Colossians 3:23-24. Full and sincere obedience to masters can happen when you realize that everything you do in your work is for and to the Lord ultimately, and NOT to the ones for whom you directly work. It is Jesus that all Christian workers ultimately serve. You must think and work as if you were doing a job for Jesus himself.
This does at least three things for us. First, it serves as a warning to us, because it reminds us that ultimately we are responsible to God for how we work (Col 3:25). We are ultimately responsible to the Lord for what we do or don't do. Laziness, procrastination, poor sloppy work, fake sick days - all of these things may not be noticed by the master who's directly over you, but it is noticed by the Lord. It's the Lord that we are actually cheating and wronging when we work poorly. The warning here then is that the Lord will not show favoritism. He will not play favorities in how he rewards or punishes based on how we work.
But secondly, the command to serve the Lord Jesus is freeing to us, because it means that our motivation to work well is not tied to getting approval or an award or a paycheck. Our motivation comes from serving Jesus and knowing that when we serve Jesus well by working well, he will recognize it, even if it might not be recognized right now by other people. We can serve with freedom and confidence, knowing for sure that we will receive the eternal inheritance from the Lord as our reward for how we served.
This has within it a bit of a paradox. We may be in hierarchical relationships where we feel degraded, dehumanized, or humiliated. We may be in hierarchical relationships where we feel we are doing pointless and meaning tasks. But we need not be defined by those relationships! In Christ, we become new men and new women. We now have eternal value and do work with eternal value with the promise of an eternal reward (Col 3:24).
Thirdly, the command to serve the Lord Jesus is an equalizer for us. We can better appreciate this point in light of Colossians 4:1. Paul tells masters that they have duty to treat those under them with justice and fairness. Indeed, their primary identity is not in relation to their slaves but in relation to the Lord. Thus, they should take heed to how they treat their slaves, for they will answer to him for how they treat them.
All of us then, no matter where we are on the hierarchical social scale, are really at the same level. We all are responsible to the same Lord. In every relationship we are in, no matter the position, we must remember that there really is only one Lord and Master, and it's Jesus.
Work is not primarily about us. Work is about him. We serve the Lord! Our work then can never be mundane or ordinary. Our work, no matter what it is, no matter who it is for, has heavenly significance.
So then, it very much matters how we work! We should treat all our work as worship to the Lord. The Lord uses it as part of his work in building his kingdom in our world. So, will we work in such a way that builds a kingdom based on committment and integrity, or a kingdom based on laziness, complaining, and hypocrisy? Christians should be the best employees and the best bosses, the best students and the best professors, the best coaches and the best athletes.
Knowing that the Lord Jesus is over all that we do and that it's to the Lord Jesus that we direct all of our efforts in all our relationships is what will bring us the hope and confidence we need to live and work well in our society. For we have a Lord who will never shut down his offices, never declare bankruptcy, never oppress us, never betray us, never overlook us, never take advantage of us. Instead we have a Lord who will establish his kingdom of righteousness and justice and peace and who even now is using every of part of the lives of his peoples to help establish this kingdom. So let us serve the Lord - knowing that our labor will never be in vain.
Are you involved in any relationships that are comparable to the master/slave relationship? What are some things you think you should consider if you are in the slave part of the relationship? What are some things you think you should consider if you are in the master part of the relationship? How does the fact that we all ultimately have the same Lord and Master influence how you view yourself and the work you do?
The ancient world was also governed by hierarchies, and certainly one of the most severe hierarchical relationships back then was the master/slave relationship. Slavery in the ancient world was a complicated situation. It was different for instance from the system of slavery practiced in America in that it was not tied to race or ethnicity. In addition, people did not always become slaves through being captured. Sometimes a person might voluntarily sell themselves into slavery in order to pay off debts. Some slaves also had the option to buy themselves out of the slavery. On the other hand, however, ancient slavery was fundamentally similar to American slavery in that at its heart it involved treating people as property.
Scripture does not come out in direct rejection of slavery (and I must personally admit, I've often wished it did). What we do get from Scripture, however, is immensely powerful, and it was powerful enough to lay the foundation for the eventual dismantling of the slavery system all around the world. For what happens in Scripture is that the gospel gets applied to this social system. For the truths of the gospel demand that we apply them to every social system we find ourselves and always be asking, "What does it mean to follow the Lord Jesus in this situation?" When Christians began to consistently do this with slavery, it became clear that such a system could not remain in place. And so, with Christians leading the way, slavery became eliminated as a mainstream social system.
This however is what eventually happened with slavery. Back when the letter to the Colossians was written, slavery was still very much a part of life and widely accepted. So then, how does a Christian rightly act within a hierarchical relationship, which back then for many in the church involved being in a literal master/slave relationship and today for many involves being in a more symbolic master/slave relationship in a workplace or a school setting? How do we handle it when we are not treated so well in the work we are doing or when we don't like the work that we might have to do? How do we handle it when we are in situations that become demeaning and dehumanizing? While today many of us may not be legally considered living tools like you would have been in the slavery system, for many people they might just as well be a tool based on how they're treated by the "master" that's over them.
Paul's counsel on this begins in Colossians 3:22 by telling us that slaves are to fully obey and sincerely obey their masters. They should not obey selfishly, only obeying in order to promote themselves. They should not obey in order to get attention, or obey superficially, doing just enough to get by. They should instead do their work with passion and full hearted dedication.
How can a slave do this? The key is to do all work "fearing the Lord."All work that we do should be done as an act of reverence and honor to the Lord Jesus Christ.
These concepts get explored some more in Colossians 3:23-24. Full and sincere obedience to masters can happen when you realize that everything you do in your work is for and to the Lord ultimately, and NOT to the ones for whom you directly work. It is Jesus that all Christian workers ultimately serve. You must think and work as if you were doing a job for Jesus himself.
This does at least three things for us. First, it serves as a warning to us, because it reminds us that ultimately we are responsible to God for how we work (Col 3:25). We are ultimately responsible to the Lord for what we do or don't do. Laziness, procrastination, poor sloppy work, fake sick days - all of these things may not be noticed by the master who's directly over you, but it is noticed by the Lord. It's the Lord that we are actually cheating and wronging when we work poorly. The warning here then is that the Lord will not show favoritism. He will not play favorities in how he rewards or punishes based on how we work.
But secondly, the command to serve the Lord Jesus is freeing to us, because it means that our motivation to work well is not tied to getting approval or an award or a paycheck. Our motivation comes from serving Jesus and knowing that when we serve Jesus well by working well, he will recognize it, even if it might not be recognized right now by other people. We can serve with freedom and confidence, knowing for sure that we will receive the eternal inheritance from the Lord as our reward for how we served.
This has within it a bit of a paradox. We may be in hierarchical relationships where we feel degraded, dehumanized, or humiliated. We may be in hierarchical relationships where we feel we are doing pointless and meaning tasks. But we need not be defined by those relationships! In Christ, we become new men and new women. We now have eternal value and do work with eternal value with the promise of an eternal reward (Col 3:24).
Thirdly, the command to serve the Lord Jesus is an equalizer for us. We can better appreciate this point in light of Colossians 4:1. Paul tells masters that they have duty to treat those under them with justice and fairness. Indeed, their primary identity is not in relation to their slaves but in relation to the Lord. Thus, they should take heed to how they treat their slaves, for they will answer to him for how they treat them.
All of us then, no matter where we are on the hierarchical social scale, are really at the same level. We all are responsible to the same Lord. In every relationship we are in, no matter the position, we must remember that there really is only one Lord and Master, and it's Jesus.
Work is not primarily about us. Work is about him. We serve the Lord! Our work then can never be mundane or ordinary. Our work, no matter what it is, no matter who it is for, has heavenly significance.
So then, it very much matters how we work! We should treat all our work as worship to the Lord. The Lord uses it as part of his work in building his kingdom in our world. So, will we work in such a way that builds a kingdom based on committment and integrity, or a kingdom based on laziness, complaining, and hypocrisy? Christians should be the best employees and the best bosses, the best students and the best professors, the best coaches and the best athletes.
Knowing that the Lord Jesus is over all that we do and that it's to the Lord Jesus that we direct all of our efforts in all our relationships is what will bring us the hope and confidence we need to live and work well in our society. For we have a Lord who will never shut down his offices, never declare bankruptcy, never oppress us, never betray us, never overlook us, never take advantage of us. Instead we have a Lord who will establish his kingdom of righteousness and justice and peace and who even now is using every of part of the lives of his peoples to help establish this kingdom. So let us serve the Lord - knowing that our labor will never be in vain.
Are you involved in any relationships that are comparable to the master/slave relationship? What are some things you think you should consider if you are in the slave part of the relationship? What are some things you think you should consider if you are in the master part of the relationship? How does the fact that we all ultimately have the same Lord and Master influence how you view yourself and the work you do?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)