Masters (or in today’s society, employers) are to be fair to their slaves (or employees.) They should pay fair wages and treat their employees justly. Leaders should take care of their workers and not abuse them. If you have responsibility over others, you are accountable to your Master who sits on the throne at the right hand of God.
2Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
There are times when we grow weary of praying, feeling our prayers are not being heard. Paul tells us we should devote ourselves to prayer and be watchful and thankful. When the answers come more slowly than we desire, continuing to pray is an expression of faith, our faith that God answers prayer. God may be working in ways not yet revealed to us, so we shouldn’t get discouraged, but be strong in our faith in Him, knowing He will take care of our needs in His way and in His time. God is present, always listening, always answering in ways He knows are best.
3And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
“The mystery of Christ” is Christ’s good news of salvation, the gospel.
This was Paul’s entire focus for his life, to reveal to others this wonderful mystery.
4Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.
Paul asked others to pray for him, that he would be able to proclaim the gospel clearly so his hearers would understand. We should do the same, for as Christians, we should always be proclaiming the gospel to others. We don’t need to be standing on street corners with a Bible in our hand, but we can show others the way by living Christ-like lives. Teach by example. When others see your strength and joy in spite of difficulties you encounter, they will want that kind of peace also. If you’re a Christian, others are watching you to see how you handle life. Are you a good example, or do you dishonor the gospel?
5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
We need to be extremely careful when talking to non-Christians. Consider your words prudently before speaking, weighing how your words will affect your testimony for Christ. To me, “seasoned with salt” means consulting with the Holy Spirit in preparation just as we season our food before eating it. By preparing and choosing our words carefully, we won’t have to eat them later.
“Seasoned with salt” also means that our conversation should be “tasty” and encourage more discussion. No matter how much sense we make when trying to get a point across, it loses effectiveness if we are not courteous in our delivery. We all want to be respected; therefore, we must always show respect to others if we want them to listen to what we have to say.
7Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.
Tychicus was one of Paul’s personal representatives who was the bearer of the letter to the Ephesians as told in Ephesians 6:21-22. We are also told in Acts 20:4 that he accompanied Paul to Jerusalem with the collection for the church.
8I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. 9He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.
10My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.)
Aristarchus accompanied Paul on his third missionary journey. He was with Paul in the riot at Ephesus (Acts 19:29). He and Tychicus were with Paul in Greece (Acts 20:4). And in Acts 27:2, we learn that Aristarchus went to Rome with Paul.
Mark, a relative of Barnabas, started out with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Acts 12:25), but left in the middle of the trip. This upset Paul, so he refused to take the younger Mark along on another journey. Mark and Barnabas went on their own journey together to preach the Good News leaving Paul to journey without them (Acts 15:37-41). Mark also worked with Peter (Acts 12:12-13; 1 Peter 5:13). Later, Mark and Paul reconciled their differences (Philemon 24). In fact, in another letter (2 Timothy 4:11) written about 5 years after this one, Paul remarks that Mark “is very helpful to me in my ministry.” Mark was the writer of the Gospel of Mark. You may read more about him in Acts 12.
11Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. 12Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.
Epaphras was the founder of the Colossian church as we learned in our chapter 1 study. It was his report to Paul in Rome that caused Paul to write this letter.
13I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.
Laodicea was a few miles northwest of Colosse, and Hierapolis (a town in Asia Minor - in present day Turkey) was about 5 miles north of Laodicea.
14Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.
Luke accompanied Paul on a lot of his third missionary journey and was with him in the prison in Rome where he wrote this letter. Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. You can read more about him in Acts 17.
Demas was faithful for a while, but later deserted Paul for the things of the world (2 Timothy 4:10).
The fact that Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark, Epaphras, Luke, Demas, and Archippus are also mentioned in Philemon suggests that the letter written to Philemon and this letter may have been written at the same time and place.
15Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.
Paul is writing his letters to the “churches”. We might imagine buildings such as we have today where these letters were delivered; but in reality, their churches were groups of people meeting in private homes. Many of these are mentioned throughout the scripture: Nympha in Laodicea (Colossians 4:15); Philemon in Colossae (Philemon 2); Gaius in Corinth (Romans 17:23); Aquila and Priscilla in Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:19); and later in Rome (Romans 16:5), and Mary, the mother of John (Acts 12:12). Actual church buildings did not become common until the third century.
16After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.
Whenever the church received a letter from another Christian leader, it was the custom to read it aloud to the assembled believers. Some letters, which were meant to be circulated among the churches, would be forwarded to other churches to help encourage and teach them.
Some believe the letter referred to as the letter from Laodicea could have been what we know as the book of Ephesians, but it is possible, in fact probable, that there were many letters written by Paul that have been lost.
17Tell Archippus: "See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord."
Paul’s letter to Philemon was also addressed to Archippus (see Philemon 2). Paul called him a “fellow soldier”, so some believe he may have been a Roman soldier who became a member of the church in Colosse. Others believe him to be Philemon’s son.
Paul encourages Archippus to complete the work God has given him to do. We must be careful not to let our obligations to the Lord slide by the wayside. It is all too easy to get sidetracked or become tired and quit, or get mad or discouraged and leave things to others to complete for us. If God has given us a job to do, we must be sure to complete it.
18I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
Paul often dictated his letters to a scribe, but by ending them with a short note in his own handwriting, the recipients were assured that false teachers were not writing the letters in Paul’s name.
Paul asks that Christians “put to death” these sins: evil desires, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and greed. These sins are particularly destructive because of what they do to destroy any person, group, or church.
He tells us to “rid ourselves” of anger, malice, slander, filthy language, and lying. These are sins of speech, which are relationship-breakers.
Paul encourages us to practice compassion, kindness, humility, patience, gentleness, and forgiveness. These are signs of love and relationship-builders, which we are to practice as members of the body of Christ.
NOTE: When preparing these studies, I refer to several versions of the Bible including the New International Version (NIV), New American Standard (NAS), and the King James (KJ). I also borrow from their footnotes and study guides. I use several Bible handbooks and reference guides to gather facts about the time period or other details.
Please log on again at the beginning of February for a study on ANGELS.
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