Colossians 4:15-18

Colossians 4:15-18

Greet the brothers in Laodicea and Nympha and the church according to his house.  And whenever the letter should be read among you all, do also in order that it should be read in the church of Laodicea.  And the one out of Laodicea in order that you all should also read it.  Also say to Archippus: watch the ministry that you received in the Lord in order that it should be completed.  The greeting by my own hand is of Paul.  Remember my chains.  The grace is with you all.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Now Paul turns to his audience.  We hear about the church that meets in the home of Nympha.  Just to be clear, Nympha is a masculine name, so Nympha would be a man.  There was a church meeting in his house.  This would be really typical of those days.  There were no church buildings.  There were no street corners upon which people could “show up” for church on Sundays.  People had to be invited into the community.  People needed to be told about the fellowship of believers.  Ministry, worship, and fellowship was done in the homes of people.  Being a part of the faith was an intimate experience where people knew one another, depended upon one another, and trusted one another.

How do you think church would feel different if you met in someone’s home?  How would that change things like duties, responsibilities, and even evangelism?  What would be some of the drawbacks of this type of situation?

Second Thought:

Paul tells the people of Colossae to give this letter to the people in Laodicea so that they can read it.  He also reminds them to take the letter from Laodicea so that they can read that one as well.  Unfortunately, we do not have the letter to Laodicea in our record.  But what we can say about this part of Paul’s letter is that we should share with one another.  Christianity is not a faith in which we keep secrets.  Rather, we invite people into what we know.  Of course, we don’t necessarily just blithely share with anyone and everyone, either.  We share with those with whom we have relationship to speak truth.  In them, we share freely.  {Note: there are some scholars who think that the letter to Philemon is the letter Paul mentions.  Other people think that the letter to the Laodiceans is actually the letter we call Ephesians in our Bible.  I don’t know that either of these scenarios contains enough evidence to assert either of them as correct.}

With whom do you share faith and understanding of God at work in the world?  With whom do you look forward sharing?  From whom do you look forward to learning?

Third Thought:

Finally we meet Archippus.  Paul sends Archippus a special message.  Some even call this a warning.  Whatever the case, Paul wants Archippus to remember his commitment.  Paul wants Archippus to fulfill what he was drawn to by the Lord.  Paul wants him to stay the course, not give up.  Warning or not, this is certainly also meant as encouragement.

Do you keep your commitments to God?  To what have you been drawn by God?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-3