What Does Fellowship in the Harvest Look Like? | Colossians 4:7-18
Series: Colossians: Supreme!
Title: “ What does fellowship in the harvest look like?”
Scripture: Colossians 4:7-18 (main); 1:3-14-20; 2:9-10; 3:1-4
(Commentary helps listed at the end)
Last week’s Bottom line: We devote ourselves to prayer by being watchful in, grateful for, and helpful to the mission God has called us to.
Bottom line: Fullness in Christ leads to fellowship with God’s people in the harvest where we’re meant to be.
Opening story:
Whenever I have gone to a new country on a mission trip, meeting the believers there who are active in the harvest is like meeting family. There’s a hard-to-explain bond with them that I believe is the fellowship which is a fruit of the fullness of Christ in us.
Context revisited:
Paul’s under house arrest—chained to a Praetorian guard 24/7.
1,000 miles away, Epaphras, founding pastor of Church of Colossae and disciple of Paul, is burdened for his church due to false teachers infiltrating with heretical teachings.
His growing church is under attack from sinister, heretical movement of lies that say Christ could not be creator nor God in the flesh.
Between secret passwords and ascetic disciplines rooted in platonic philosophy, the gnostics teachings were robbing the Colossians of their joy. Epaphras has do to something.
He travels to Rome to find Paul.
Paul’s heart aligns with E’s immediately. He begins praying and then starts dictating a letter to them. Colossians is the result.
Paul’s argument for full-hearted faith:
He celebrates the miracle of Colossae. (1:3-8)
He prays for them. (1:9-14)
He presents the heart of his full-hearted argument. (1:15-18)
Colossians 1:19-20
Colossians 2:9-10
Colossians 3:1-4
Christ is supreme is 4 ways:
He’s first in rank and honor. (15) Visually and personally displayed God to humanity.
He’s supreme as Creator. (16a)
Einstein estimated that there are 10 octillian stars in the universe.
1,000 thousands = one million
1,000 millions = one billion…
1,000 septillions = one octillion…10 octillian stars
Stars he created with a word ex nihlio
Stars he named
He’s supreme as sustainer of the universe he created. (17) He is holding all things together.
He’s the goal of creation. (16b) “for him” or “toward him”
Transition: In a world that seems doomed and hopeless to change, we can be part of true and lasting change as we devote ourselves to God and his mission through prayer.
“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”
1 John 1:3 NIV
https://1john.bible/1-john-1-3
Crosses racial and religious barriers:
3 Jews and 3 Gentiles working together
Different languages, national pride, cultures, traditions = still unified in Christ
Transcends grievances
produces wholeheartedness
Tychicus (8) came with Paul from Ephesus and to Jerusalem; faithful servant and roadie. He likely came to the Lord under Paul’s missionary work in Ephesus. Paul sent him to Colossae to
Deliver the letter to the Colossians
Give an update
Encourage them with 1 & 2
Help Onesimus get back
He was a Gentile. He would have been around during the riots in Ephesus most likely.
Onesimus (9) was Philemon’s runaway slave transformed by the gospel and found Paul in Rome. The book of Philemon describes this story. He’s a Gentile who would travel back with Tychicus.
(John) Mark, (10) another Jew, the cousin of Barnabus is the same Mark that started the first missionary journey with Paul and Barnabus. He greatly disappointed Paul when he bailed on the expedition early-on. For this reason, Paul didn’t want him to join them on their second missionary journey. Barnabus disagreed and they eventually split up as a result. Here we see the Paul has warmed back up to Mark 12 years later. Wrote gospel of Mark. (Peter’s account)
Aristarchus (10) was a fellow prisoner and Jew who’d been with Paul in Ephesus when the riots happened. He also traveled with Paul to Jerusalem to deliver the special offering to the poor there. He would have seen Paul caught up in the mob there and traveled with him after his arrest to Caesaria and later Rome where they were when Paul wrote Colossians. Seen during Ephesians riot (Acts 19:29); singled out; stuck by Paul
All three Jews were a comfort to Paul in his imprisonment surrounded by Gentiles.
Jesus who is called Justus (11) (his Roman name) means the Lord saves. Justus means one who obeys the law. He’s also a Jew.
Epaphras (12-13) was a Gentile from Colossae and maybe the founding pastor. He’s the one who traveled 1,000 miles to see Paul about how false teachers were infiltrating the church there and undermining what was becoming a beautiful local church network. (Including Laodicea and Hieropolis.
Epaphras prayer had 5 characteristics:
He prayed constantly “always” (12)
He prayed fervently “agonizingly” (12)
He prayed personally “for you” (12)
He prayed definitely (specifically)
He prayed sacrificially (13) “great zeal” “much distress”
And traveling 1,000 miles to see Paul gave him plenty of time to pray.
“Praying that costs me nothing accomplishes nothing.” -John H Jowett
Luke, (14) the doctor and historian so faithful to Paul over the years. He wrote Luke and Acts. Only Gentile writer that we know of in the Bible. Joined Paul at Troy’s on missionary journey
Demas (14) is mentioned 3 times in scripture by Paul: 1) He’s a “fellow worker” in Philemon 24; 2) He’s just here with Luke; and 3) He’s deserted Paul in 2 Tim 4:10. Gentile who enjoyed the fellowship of this team but in the end deserted.
“For Demas, because he loved the world, has deserted me and has gone” 2 Tim 4:10
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
1 John 2:15-17 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/1jn.2.15-17.NIV
Conclusion/Applications
Bottom line: Fullness in Christ leads to fellowship with God’s people in the harvest where we’re meant to be.
Complete the ministry God gave you.
Embrace the fullness of Christ in your life. Believe it’s there and live as if you believe it’s there. (Like Clark Kent believing he’s really Superman underneath that business suit.
Remember…
Paul’s chains—he’s suffering but he knows he’s far from home.
Your chains—you may be suffering but your homecoming is not far either.
Pray
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MAIN COMMENTARY HELP:
Exalting Jesus in Colossians by Scott Pace
Preaching the Word: Philippians, Colossians and Philemon commentary by R. Kent Hughes
ESV Global Study Bible
Bible in One Year by Nicky Gumbel
Bible Knowledge Commentary
The Outline Bible, Wilmington
Paul for Everyone, The Prison Letters, NT Wright’s commentary on Philippians and Colossians
Gospel Transformation Bible
NIV Study Bible
The Bible Exposition Commentary, Warren Wiersbe