While the message is directed specifically at Archippus, the emphasis is clearly upon the ministry to which he was called. All we know is that, like you and me, he was a believer in Jesus Christ, and was called to serve the Lord through the use of the gifts God had given him. We do not know if he was a pastor or a layman. Get with it and see to it that you finish your God appointed task."Īrchippus is mentioned only two times in the New Testament, here and once in Philemon 1:2 where Paul calls him a fellow soldier. In contemporary language we could say, "Archippus, pay attention and be sensitive to see what God is doing and wants to do in the ministry He has given you. What Paul is saying is that Archippus is to be intentional about seeing what God is doing and where God is leading in reference to the ministry God has given him. It is the same word employed in Hebrews 11:1 where the scripture says faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The word carries with it the understanding of having insight into spiritual things, to perceive what God is doing and where He is leading in the Spiritual realm. It means be intent upon something, in other words, in this context it communicates a command to be intentional about your ministry, to look to it and look after it.īut the word is much richer. When the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew into Greek, this word was employed to convey the meaning of turning and facing something. Take Heed - The Greek word means to see, to be aware of, look towards, be perceptive of. Remembering that each verse must always be interpreted in light of every verse, there are four things we can say with respect to this admonition, four things which speak about fulfilling our ministry. Colossians 4:17, nestled in the midst of these. Here at the end of this rich epistle we find a passage which, because of its seemingly obscure placement, at the very end of the book, where Paul is making somewhat personal remarks, it is often overlooked and rarely preached.Īnd yet, we are reminded that every word of scripture is God breathed, and this verse is no different. I invite your attention this morning to a seemingly obscure passage, almost an appendage at the end of the book of Colossians.Īfter all of the wonderful truths Paul has explained to the Colossians, truths about the nature of Christ, warnings against false doctrines, and truths about our salvation. While there are those who certainly have found a balance in their work, all of us need to be reminded of why we work, or to what end God would have us work. Others love to be at the office because their family life is miserable and they cannot bear to be at home. Others view work as a way to climb the ladder of self-esteem and are ever seeking to find meaning in their life through their work. Some are addicted to work because they are materialistic and they are greedy for all the money they can accumulate. There are many different things which feed this need in the lives of so many Americans. They say, "We work to live but Americans live to work." How true it sometimes seem that people in our culture are workaholics. The Europeans have a saying they use to compare themselves to Americans.
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