1. How does verse 5 link in with what has gone before?

2. Why do you think we should speak with grace?

3. What do you think it means to be seasoned with salt?

C. Comment:

Paul had just asked his readers to pray for him so that he might proclaim the Gospel. That immediately takes him to think of people who don't know Christ - outsiders, people outside the church. He's got it in mind that he wants all of us to be able to communicate with non-Christians so he gives some ‘helps'.

First he says be wise in the way you deal with other people. To be wise means we first have to think about how we relate to them. We are to give careful thought to it, for how we approach people will determine how open to us they will be, how open they will be to hear the Gospel.

Second he says make the most of every opportunity. He doesn't say make opportunities but make use of the opportunities that come you way - for they will! Our problem so often isn't that we don't know how to open up conversations, but simply that we don't take the opportunities that arise when people ask questions. That is why he goes on at the end of verse 6 to say about “answering” people. When they ask will we answer? That is the crucial question?

Third he gives guidelines on how to speak. First with grace, i.e. with love, gentleness, respect, acceptance. Second, with salt, with truth, honesty, integrity. These things will open up ways for us.

D. Application:

1. Am I ready to be a witness when people question me?

2. Have I given thought about how to answer people?

Chapter: Colossians 4

Passage: Col 4:7-9

A. Find Out:

1. Who will tell what to whom? v.7a

2. What threefold description is given of him? v.7b

3. Why was Paul sending him? v.8a

4. With what intended outcome? v.8b

5. Who was coming with him? v.9a

6. How was he described? v.9b

B. Think:

1. What was the task given to these two men?

2. What sort of men were they?

3. Why do you think character was necessary for the task?

C. Comment:

As Paul comes to the end of the teaching part of his letter and starts his final greetings and explanations, he is aware that he hasn't told them much about what had been happening so he simply says, the two brothers coming with this letter will update you - and oh, you can completely trust them with what they tell you.

The leader of the two was Tychicus who is not only a Christian but one Paul feels close two. When Paul speaks of him as a brother that is not the casual way some Christians refer to other Christians. He is a “ dear brother ” - an indication of warmth and endearment, i.e. close relationship. He is a faithful minister - that refers to the enduring ministry he has in his own right - and a fellow servant - that refers to his ability to work within Paul's ‘team'.

Then there is Onesimus (see Paul's letter to Philemon) who is also called faithful (enduring testimony) and dear brother , again indicating the feeling Paul has for him. What a testimony!

Their task? To faithfully convey what has been happening to Paul so that the readers of this letter would be encouraged.

D. Application:

1. Would Paul be able to describe you as “faithful”? How about “minister”?

How about “servant”?

2. When we have news or information to pass on, do we do it faithfully

without exaggeration?

Chapter: Colossians 4

Passage: Col 4:10-14

A. Find Out:

1. Who also wanted to send greetings? v.10,11a

2. What were these three men? v.11b

3. Who also sent greetings? v.12a

4. What are we told about him? v.12b,c

5. What was Paul able to say about him? v.13

6. Who also sent greetings? v.14

B. Think:

1. What are we told about the variety of men with Paul?

2. What are we told about their activities?

3. What does it say about the world wide church?

C. Comment:

Having just spoken about the two men who will be coming with this letter, Paul now goes on to pass on greetings to the readers from some of the other men who are there with him and who will not be coming with the letter.

In prison with him there is Aristarchus, a Jew and fellow worker with Paul. There is also Mark and Justus, again Jews and fellow workers with Paul. Being Jews with Paul, a Jew, they had been a special comfort to him.

Then there were the Gentile men with him. First there was Epaphras, a gentile from Colosse. Because that was his home he had been especially prayerful for the readers of this letter. There is also Luke, a doctor, and Demas of whom nothing more is said.

So we have Jew and Gentile Christian working together for Christ. Paul is not alone in his ministry. He shares it with these men and is comforted by them. What a picture of team ministry and its benefits we have here.

Finally note the objective of this letter as put as prayer goals of Epaphras: to help the readers stand firm in the will of God, to be mature and fully assured of their position in Christ.

D. Application:

1. Do we see ourselves as workers, part of the body of Christ?

2. Do we have a heat for other people in different places?

Chapter: Colossians 4

Passage: Col 4 1:15-18

A. Find Out:

1. Where else is this letter to be read? v.15a,16

2. Who is mentioned and in what connection? v.15b

3. Who is to be instructed to do what? v.17

4. How does Paul add a personal touch? v.18

5. What does he ask them to remember?

B. Think:

1. What do these verses tell us about the location of the church?

2. What does it tell us about the interaction of local churches?

3. Check Philemon 2. Who does Archippus seem to be?

C. Comment:

As he finalises his greetings he extends them beyond the church in the town of Colosse to the nearby one of Laodicea to whom Paul has apparently already written. So, we first of all see Paul identifying two local churches. Now the one at Laodicea seems to have met in the home of a woman by the name of Nympha. We learnt from v.9 that Onesimus was returning to Colosse so linking this with the letter to Philemon, we see that the church in Colosse met in the home of Philemon, hence the reminder to Archippus who may possibly have been Philemon's son.

We are given, therefore, a beautiful little picture of the church as it was in this area - meeting in people's homes and maintaining communication between towns. How refreshing, no denominations, no particular groupings, just believers in that locality meeting together holding no allegiance except to Christ, believers receiving guidance from these apostolic ministries that travelled far and wide establishing and building up the church in local groups. Again, remember many of these believers had never met Paul because he had never been there yet, yet he clearly has a heart for them, having heard much about them from various of the travellers he had met from Colosse.

D. Application:

1. Can we get a fresh view of the church, not as a building but as the

gathered believers in the locality?

2. Can we lay down our barriers and come together as one, the church?

RECAP: "Final Greetings " Colossians 4:5-18

SUMMARY :

In this final group of 4 studies we have seen Paul :

- Speaking about those coming with the letter

  - Tychicus, a colleague who will tell more

  - Onesimus, returning home who will also tell

     more

- Sending greetings from the men with him

  - the Jews, Aristarchus, Mark & Justus

  - the Gentiles, Epaphras, Luke & Demas

- Sending greetings to:

  - the Christian men at Laodicea

  - Nympha and the church in her house

- Giving final instructions:

  - for the letter to be read at Laodicea as well

  - to Archippus to finish his God-given work

- Give a final greeting

COMMENT :

At first sight these verses seem tedious, but when we examine them carefully we learn about some (at least) of the apostolic team with Paul which is a mix of Jew and Gentile believers, and of the latter two who actually come from Colosse. There is a strong personal, intimate and close relationship between these men with such words as, ‘dear brother', ‘faithful minister', ‘fellow prisoner' and ‘dear friend', being used. It also indicates the amount of travel that went on, and the close working between churches in different but nearby towns.

LESSONS?

1. Would I be a good messenger, faithfully conveying news of friends?.

2. Am I able to work in a team context?

3. Do I open my heart to those working with me, as Paul did?

4. Am I concerned for the wider church and how they are doing?

5. Do I have a closeness with others serving in Christ?

PRAY :

Ask the Lord to help you examine your service in Christ, to show you how you may be a ‘team player', a member of the body who can serve alongside and with others.

SUMMARY

In these studies we have seen Paul:

1:1-2

- announcing himself and greeting his readers

1:3-8

- saying how he was thankful in prayer for them

1:9-14

- saying how he prayed for them to be filled with the knowledge of God's

will & to become a fruit bearing people

1:15-23

- describing Jesus as the one who had rescued them from darkness, is

the image of the invisible God, had made all things, holds all things

together, is the head of the church, has reconciled us to God

1:24-29

- explaining how he is sharing Christ's suffering in his ministry, having

being called by God to be His servant to share the word, the Gospel

being a mystery that had been hidden for ages, the now revelation is

that Christ now lives in us

2:1-6

- saying how he was struggling for them, his purpose being to: strengthen

& encourage the church, unite it in love, & overcome philosophical

deceivers

2:7-23

- warn against being overtaken by wrong thinking (v.6-8), relying upon

externalism - circumcision (v.9-15), relying on right food or drink

(v.16), holding to special days (v.16,17), holding to special experiences

(v.18,19), holding to particular rules and regulations (v.20-23)

3:1-4

3:5-17

3:18 -4:1

4:2-6

- giving reasons for following certain rules - because we're seated with

Christ & because we've put on a new self

- giving guidance as to what to put off and put on, to put to death things

of our old nature & to put on the things that are of Christ

- giving specific guidance to husbands and wives, parents and children &

employers and employees

- encouraging them to be prayerfully alert

4:7-9

4:10-14

4:15

4:16

4:17

4:18

- speaking about the men coming with the letter

- sending greetings from those Christians with him

- sending greetings to people in Colosse

- instructing the letter to also be read in Loadicea

- a final instruction to a leader

- his final greeting

CONCLUSION

As we conclude our studies in this letter, the following are perhaps some of the things we might wish to follow up on:

1. The Place of Prayer in our lives

Paul challenges us with his prayer life that is concerned for people, some of whom he has never actually met. His heart is obviously a heart moved by concern and compassion. Is ours?

2. Our Understanding of Christ

Paul understands the supremacy of Christ and his role as head of the church, his physical body today. Do we exalt and submit to Jesus in a similar way?

3. Service by Revelation

Paul understood that he was what he was because he had been called by Christ, to declare a revelation that was being made known to him. He was sold out to now do this. Are we?

4. Grace = Freedom from Rules

Paul warned against submitting again to shallow deceptive ways of thinking, seeing Christ as less that he was, the glorious Son of God who has come to set us free from rule keeping which is just unhelpful! Are we living in this grace and getting our sense of identity and fulfilment through Christ alone, or do we try to add to it by our won good (but self-centred) works?

5. Holiness

Paul knew that grace meant that lives changed, raised with Christ into newness of life, so things of the old nature had no place today. Do we allow the Holy Spirit to convict us of such things if they still remain?

6. Practical Living

Holiness is a very practical thing so Paul had practical instructions for families and those in work situations. Do we heed those instructions? Finally it works out in the life of the church, in team service. Have we caught that flavour at the end of this letter?