1 Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and
equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.
In Christ there is no male or female, bond (slave) or free,
rich or poor. God looks at each of us
the same way with the same love and respect.
The poor have an easier time approaching God because they KNOW they
aren’t particularly special and don’t expect special treatment. Wealthy and famous people have become used to
special treatment. How often have we seen
the media turn to these ‘beautiful people’ and solicit their opinions of
everything from science to social to economics?
If you are one of the elite then God expects you to provide
a safe and secure place for your employees or servants to work. You have a God given responsibility to make
their lives better while they serve you.
I would go so far as to say that this responsibility goes beyond mere
profit and loss statements. This country
is struggling to stand because our business and political leaders have no
higher sense of responsibility and have moved our manufacturing plants to
countries known to be virtual enemies of this country.
One day soon those countries will demand higher wages and
they will have surpassed us economically.
It will be too late to return businesses to where they began. We who once provided products and almost
miraculous ideas to the rest of the world are now just trying to keep the
lights on. We have been sold out by the
greed and shortsightedness of business and political leaders who believed they
held no special responsibility to those who worked for them.
In most of these cases it wasn’t that the business in this
country weren’t making a profit, it was just that the profits from outsourcing
were so much higher that greed overcame wisdom.
It wasn’t long before the profits disappeared to social programs created
to carry those who had lost their jobs to that very outsourcing; and this is
just in one country.
I am not an economist and even I can see the folly in this type
of business practice. It is far better
to maintain steady employment and moderate success then to have extraordinary
wealth for a few and poverty for the rest.
The poor cannot afford goods and services and eventually the government
will have to find the money to pay for them somewhere.
One absolute certainty is that God will judge those who have
liquidated prosperous businesses and laid off entire workforces for a few
additional dollars. He will require that
debt to be paid and will get it from those most to blame. Doing the right thing may not be flashy or
exciting but it will make you a hero to thousands of happily employed servants
who just want to live in peace and have a roof over their heads.
This is just one aspect of this scripture. It also speaks to governments who fail to
protect their citizens from murdering religious tyrants because they didn’t
really like those people anyway.
Governments have a responsibility to ALL their citizens and God will
hold those men and women accountable. In
the mean time we who name the Name of Jesus have a responsibility too…
2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with
thanksgiving;
1 Timothy 2 says, “1 I
exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in
authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and
honesty. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; 4
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the
truth.”
The weapons of our warfare are not carnal and do not require
great military strength on our part.
Currently in this country we are experiencing a struggle between those
who wish to own weapons to protect themselves and those who wish to take those
weapons away in the name of peace.
Truthfully, the ones with weapons often scare me but the ones who cry
‘peace, peace,’ at any cost terrify me.
They will sell their souls for what they believe and change those
beliefs in an instant.
It isn’t weapons that are killing thousands of people a year
in this and other countries. Men kill,
machines don’t. We build and maintain
those machines and without our hands on the triggers there is no threat at
all. We in the body of Christ must pray
for leadership and for the spiritual atmosphere in our nations. We must pray for the failure of those who
would try to destroy us and success for those who help. God has made it our responsibility to create
an atmosphere of peace in this and other nations. We have the true weapons of spirit and
faith. Next to an interconnected and
faithful church the other side is unarmed.
It’s up to the church to bind demonic works and hate and to
release the love of God in all its glory.
3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us
a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in
bonds:
Evangelism is alive and well on the Earth and it is not
being led by those who serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; it is not being
led by those who believe Jesus is the Son of God. In other words … it is not led by us. We carry the anointing and power of the
creator of the universe. There is no
excuse for us to be shut out of countries or cities or states. The prayers of the saints will open doors
that no man can shut if we will but use them.
While everyone is supposed to share their faith, not
everyone has a God given ministry of the Evangelist. If you are more of a prayer warrior, then
pray that God will open up the way for evangelism here and abroad. Perhaps it doesn’t touch your heart to
minister next door. Maybe you are the
one to go to Germany or France. You
might have the funds that the evangelist needs to function. Some of you have great business and financial
skills and can build a fortune out of a pile of trash. Great.
If that is you then take a portion of that wealth and send others out to
do the work of God.
Scripture said that God gave every man a talent. Whatever your talent, do not be afraid. Trust in Him and it will be well with
you. Use your talent for His
glory. Raise money, lead ministries, and
knock on doors. If you see a need and
your talents don’t seem to be helping, pray the Lord of the harvest to send in
more laborers. There is always something
you can do to further the kingdom of God.
We do not want to be outdone by false religions.
4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
When you have done everything you can to get the gospel
where it needs to go, pray that God will open the hearts of the speaker and the
hearer so those who speak will be the oracles of God and those who hear will be
open and receptive vessels. We wage a
spiritual war and we need to spend less time in natural combat and more in an
arena where we can really make a difference…the arena of prayer.
5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming
the time.
Unsaved people are in enemy territory and don’t even know
it. They follow the dictates of an
unsaved and unchanged heart. Emotionally
and intellectually they may be friendly and kind but spiritually they are
dead. God desires a relationship with
them and when we go around offending them for their sin rather than presenting
a God who came that they might have more abundant life we anger them. That is not our job. Our calling is to speak life in Christ, faith
in Christ and peace in Christ and let Jesus change the way they think.
There is only so much time available to us. Even businessmen and women recognize this
basic fact, there are only so many hours in a day. We must be about our Father’s business and
win souls at all times. Night is coming
and when it does no man may be saved.
6 Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with
salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
I am reminded of that church that goes from house to house
cursing the parents of dead homosexual children for not raising them in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord. Is
that really the love of God to go attack someone when they are grieving a lost
loved one? They may even know their
child was living in sin. Couldn’t you
speak with just a little grace and mercy to them?
I have known those who struggle with homosexual
feelings. They knew the scripture but in
spite of that seemed powerless to live it.
In some cases they led double lives of tremendous ministry on one hand
and depravity on the other. One man was
eventually killed by his lover while his wife waited for him at home. This is a terrible thing and must be
addressed with prayer, grace, love and understanding. You are not going to make a change in a life
like this by cursing them. They are
already cursed by their actions. We need
to pray and encourage them in the truth which will make them free.
The only way to make a change in this person is to have a
relationship with them. You must be someone they respect and will listen
to. Even that will not be enough if your
prayer life and the church’s prayer life are not up to the task. This is a spiritual warfare and requires
spiritual weapons. Peter cut the ear off
the High Priest’s servant to defend his Lord.
Jesus turned around and healed the man before they took our Lord and
killed him. God is a God of grace and
mercy and we must live as if we are His disciples.
7 All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a
beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord:
We can’t always go to a need and minister. In this case Paul was in prison and that made
it just a bit difficult to get out.
Whatever your reasons for being stuck at home you may be able to find
someone who is faithful in the Lord who can go.
Just remember, if you are going to go and represent someone to another,
make sure you represent them and not yourself.
Don’t have an Absalom spirit. He
eventually died for attempting to take away his father’s kingdom.
For all his flaws, that is not something David would have
done. David wouldn’t even go against
Saul after God had ordained him king.
It’s not your responsibility to put out the trash. God will do that; just make sure you aren’t
the trash. This does not mean you ought
to fellowship with those who cause trouble.
The Lord said to mark those who cause division and have nothing to do
with them. Don’t even take them to
dinner to counsel them. You know they are
tricksters and so do they. Let God work
on them for a while on the outside and maybe then they will be grown up enough
to rejoin the family.
8 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he
might know your estate, and comfort your hearts;
I say this again, if you are sent to minister by your pastor
or apostle, make sure you are ministering their heart and not your own. There is a reason God sends us to work in
another man’s field before He will give us our own. In our immaturity we often miss the tender
tug of the Holy Spirit. As long as we
are following the dictates of our leader and represent him faithfully, we
continue to grow and mature while leaning on his or her spiritual insight.
In this case Paul wanted to make sure they were comforted. He was sending his beloved assistants to
speak on his behalf. How terrible would
it have been had they chosen to start their own ministry rather than do what
they were entrusted to do? These men
served Paul as he served God and the wisdom they gained following him would one
day grant them a ministry of their own. That
is what happened in Philip the Deacon’s case when he became Philip the
Evangelist.
9 With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is
one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here.
We understand from
Paul’s letter to Philemon that Onesimus was a slave who had run away. Paul entreated Philemon to allow Onesimus to
continue to work with him. When Paul met
Onesimus he taught him about Jesus and the man was saved. Had Philemon been unwilling to part with his
slave Paul would have sent him back and even offered to pay for him. Most scholars believe that Philemon was
touched by the letter from Paul and freed Onesimus on the spot. Paul offered a play on his name when he said
that after this Onesimus might be useful to Philemon since Onesimus means
useful or helpful.
Consider what this man brought to the ministry in
Colosse? How often do we ignore the
trials and privations we have suffered and try to forget they ever happened
when God expects us to tell of His wonderful acts setting us free? You are an epistle written in blood and read
of all men. Your suffering and salvation
are examples that money cannot buy. If
you know God’s Word and don’t have a degree it doesn’t matter much. Few of Jesus’ disciples were what you would
call ‘educated’ men. What matters is who
and what you are in Christ and what you have endured to succeed. Once you have learned to walk in freedom you
can bring the example of victory to others.
10 Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and
Marcus, sister's son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if
he come unto you, receive him;)
No man is an island.
Do you hog all the glory of working for the Lord or do you point out all
the help you have? My late apostle used
to drag us young folks up to pray and minister. He wanted to make sure all of
us were equipped for the work God had assigned us. I am often amused by Paul’s sense of
humor. The word Aristarchus means the
“Best Ruler” and Paul calls him his fellow prisoner. When Paul sent these men out, they went in
his authority and not theirs. After a
time God bestowed an anointing of their own over their lives and would send
them out on their own.
11 And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the
circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which
have been a comfort unto me.
Even now there is a certain double mindedness in the church
toward Jews. Some believe that God
stripped the Jews of His promises and put us in their place. I disagree because God’s covenant with
Abraham was not dependent on Abraham doing anything; in fact, Abraham was
asleep when the covenant was made. Others
go out of their way to do and be all things Jewish but still Christian. This too has problems. I have always found it interesting that some
cultures will call their children Jesus.
I would not be comfortable using the name of God for my child. Here we see a born again Jew who chose to go
from Jesus (Jehovah is salvation) to Justus (Just). I’d be with him.
I find it comfortable that God has a chosen people, a tame
olive branch if you will, and that people are the Jews. I am not blind and I can see how often they
failed God. That only lets me know that there
is hope for me. He also has a body for
His son Jesus and that is the church. I
don’t know what exactly the Jews will be doing in the Kingdom of God or even
what we, the body of Christ will be doing, but I believe God has a work and a
place for both of us. We know that we
who obey His Word and use His gifts and talents wisely will rule with Him. Who we will rule and for how long I don’t
know but it suffices me to know God has a plan for us and it is motivated by
love.
12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ,
saluteth you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand
perfect and complete in all the will of God.
Epaphras means “lovely.”
Words in scripture are never random or without purpose. Lovely who is one of you, a servant of
Christ, sends greetings and as always labors fervently and effectually for you
in prayer so you may stand mature and complete in all the will of God. A servant of God is a beautiful thing. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous
man avails much.
13 For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for
you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis.
For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up (Psalm 69:9,
John 2:17). He has prayed for you and
waged a powerful warfare on your behalf and for those in Laodicea and
Hierapolis. It bears witness that the
church in Laodicea was the lukewarm church (Revelation 3:14-19). Apparently they did not heed the unction of
the zealous prayer warrior. I wonder how
often they felt the tug and thought to themselves, “It doesn’t take all that.”
14 Luke (Light giving), the beloved physician, and Demas
(Governor of the People), greet you.
Remember, names matter.
We need light givers and governors in the body. Paul’s name was changed from Saul (desired)
to Paul (little). I think of that song
we sin, “Ordinary people.” One of the
refrains is: “Little becomes much when
we place it in the Master’s hand.”
Everything Paul was, God made him.
He who wasted the church threw it all down to be used in any way
possible by God. He became little and
was used to pen three quarters of the New Testament.
Luke brought understand and clarity everywhere he went. Many believe he was a slave as well as a
physician. He brought understanding to
us about the early church as well as the life of Jesus and it is thought that
those two documents were used as the court documents presented to Caesar. You could say he brought light to the ruler
of the known world. Demas, true to his
name sadly, left Paul to pursue a life in the world.
15 Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and
Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.
Notice how Paul admonishes us to be a community? We are one in Christ, one in faith and one in
our future. If we spend more time
fellowshipping with those in the world is it any wonder that so many in the
body are fractured and broken. No man
can serve two masters. We must encourage
one another in the Lord. Nymphas was a
wealthy man who nonetheless managed to be saved and be zealous about it.
Queen Elizabeth once said she was saved by an M. Scripture says that not many rich or
noble will be saved. It doesn’t say that
not any will. When God puts the
rich, famous and powerful before us it is for His purpose and we need to know
that purpose. Pray for understanding so
you do not miss an opportunity to advance His cause.
16 And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it
be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the
epistle from Laodicea.
This is one area of ministry that occasionally gets a bit
skewed from time to time. God gives us
revelation and we publish that revelation in a lesson and then get angry if
someone is blessed by it and sends it out.
I understand that we have copyright laws these days and know that
intellectual property can be licensed and protected just like a car or a home
but if we’re being honest, just whose intellectual property are we talking
about here? If God gave it to you, isn’t
it really His?
I have no problem receiving gifts and compensation for
ministering what God has given me.
Scripture says not to muzzle the ox while he treads on the corn. It also says that the workman is worthy of
his hire. In case you don’t consider
teaching or preaching work, you must have never had the after message crash
when the anointing leaves and it’s just you and your exhaustion. It is extremely tiring to preach or teach or
minister under the anointing. Our little
bodies were not really designed to carry the power of Almighty God in
them.
Some still believe it isn’t work, in fact the ancient rabbis
believed that every sage and every rabbi should have a secular job. This allowed a rabbi to know how to earn a
living and they could understand the struggles of their congregants. I have worked in the secular world myself and
loved it but God had other ideas. In
case you still wonder if those who bring you God’s word are worthy of their
hire, God told you to study to show yourself approved unto God a workman who
need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. That means that teachers and preachers of
God’s Word are worthy of their hire.
Now that I’ve made that distinction (at least I hope it’s
distinct), we ought to spread the gist of what we’ve learned in the Gospel and
in the Spirit far and wide. If I write a
lesson and it blesses you then why wouldn’t you want to send it to someone else
to be blessed? If they enjoy it then why
shouldn’t the process continue? Perhaps
one day someone will offer me my own lesson back after it has traveled around
the world. I can see it now, “Hey
Bishop, here’s a lesson from another bishop I got from a guy in Nepal. It’s great, you should read it.” I’ve read some of my lessons from years ago
and they blessed me. What I’m saying is,
“Get the word out.”
17 And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which
thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.
Archippus means, “Master of the horse.” Scripturally I can only think of Deuteronomy
17:16. God told the kings of Israel not
to multiply horses or wives lest they be tempted to return to Egypt where all
the best horses were. He had admonished
them not to return to the way they had lived and not to multiply wives lest
they be turned out of the way. Solomon
did both and was led away from God in his old age.
The very way verse 17 is worded leads me to believe that
Archippus was a bit double minded about his life and future in Christ. Paul is admonishing him to put his hand back
on the plow and work the field God gave him, stop looking back. I have known many who have been given
ministries and went another direction. The
temptation to be an electrician again used to be strong in me. I know how to do that. Well I used to anyway. Now my daughter is becoming one.
This Bishop thing is often a bewildering work for me. I know enough scripture and enough of the way
it is written to know that I know next to nothing. God is so complex and full of wonders and we
are expected to open up this whole Christian walk to the entire world. Next to this I long for a simple light switch
replacement (done 3 since I moved into my house), or install lights or run new
wires.
Serving God is a daily life and death experience. It requires me to die every day and to live
only in Him every day. I must love those
I have every reason to hate and help that … saint … that stumbled yet
again. It is easier to wire an entire
house than to lead one crying immature saint to the altar to pray yet
again. Ministry is not simple but it is
often rewarding and you live for those miracle moments. Still, I adjure you; make full use of your
ministry.
18 The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my
bonds. Grace be with you. Amen.
Paul signed all his letters, which leads some to believe that
he always had a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan troubling him. Some believe his eyes were weak after being
blinded by Jesus. Either way, he often
had someone take dictation for him. It
is rather humbling to see this concern by someone who would soon be beheaded in
Rome. Grace be with you.
Written from Rome to Colossians by Tychicus and Onesimus
Bishop J
No comments:
Post a Comment