Jesus-Centered Partnerships (Jesus-Centered Relationships #4)

Let’s start with something simple. Sit up for a second. Take a deep breath in. Now let it out.

And listen.

You hear that? That’s the calm before the storm.

What storm? The political storm. You do realize that next year is a presidential election year. Politicians are already posturing, getting their names out, positioning themselves to declare candidacy and drum up as much support as possible.

I don’t think I’m ready for this. You’re probably going to need to pray for me.

Because one of the tactics so many politicians use is painting their opponent as basically the spawn of Satan. Vote for that person and you may as well hand Satan a foothold in the White House. DC will fall apart. The very fabric of America will rip. So we cannot let that donkey — or that elephant — into office, or we may as well set off an atomic bomb.

I remember years ago hearing about politicians on opposite sides of the aisle going golfing together. Or having dinner together. I even heard of two families who vacationed together despite being political opposites — they still had friendship and respect.

I don’t think we see that anymore. Because you cannot risk your constituents back home discovering that you consorted with the enemy. God forbid you play cards with them, or go bowling, or walk into the same grocery store. They’re evil. They’re the enemy. We must have nothing to do with them.

And this isn’t confined to the halls of Congress or the streets around the golden dome in Des Moines. It’s been pushed out to the general population. We see and hear it on podcasts, on cable news, on social media. It’s reached the point where you can no longer have a civil conversation with someone on the other side — because civility would lend their message a respect it doesn’t deserve. So we shame them. We yell at them. We treat them like trash. Because after all, they are the problem.

It Isn’t Just Politics

The trouble is that this kind of discourse has spread into every other arena.

We can’t have a respectful conversation with someone of a different faith, or from a different church. We can’t possibly have a civil exchange with her because of the stickers on her water bottle, or with him because of the bumper sticker on his truck.

And as a pastor who’s vaguely aware of what’s happening in Christendom, I watch this happen inside the church. I hear it on social media. I hear it in the podcasts.

If someone so much as says something — oh my goodness, you cannot say that. It’s reached the point where if your church doesn’t sing the right songs, wear the right clothes, vote the right way, hold my exact position on race, hold my exact view on women in ministry, believe exactly as I do about speaking in tongues — if they differ at all, they’re heretics. They’re the enemy. And therefore it’s my responsibility to declare prophetically how wrong they are, and everyone needs to stay far away from them.

Now, I’m not saying we should shed every belief and conviction, gather around a global campfire, hold hands, and sing “Kumbaya.” I was going to say it only takes a spark, but then that song would be stuck in your head all day.

What I am saying is that we should hold our convictions and recognize this: the mission God has given His church is far too big for one church, or one denomination, or one tribe of Christianity to accomplish alone.

For the gospel to cover this globe — for everyone to have the opportunity to hear the life-changing message of Jesus — it is going to take an enormous, wide swath of Christianity.

And today, as we get into Colossians 4, we’re going to see an enormous, wide swath of people. A remarkable variety. And we’re going to see how they come together because of Jesus, and how the gospel lets them partner to spread this beautiful, powerful, life-changing message to the world.

Open your Bible to Colossians 4 — one last time in this book.

Heavenly Father, as we conclude Colossians, thank You for the powerful truths we’ve seen in this book over the past year. I pray the things we’ve heard would become a real part of us, and that we truly would be Jesus-centered people. Today, as we look at this last section and hear all these names, help us see the way You use a wide variety of people — and what an honor it is to be part of that. Help us not to demand everything be done our way, but to seek to understand Your way and what You’re calling people to. Help us walk that fine line of grace and truth: holding the convictions we believe Your Bible teaches, while living with the grace and humility to recognize we might be wrong. We want to follow You — not our own way, our own systems, our own preferences. Let You be God. Let You be in control of Your church, leading and guiding her to be who You call her to be, with us as part of that. So help me teach today with accuracy and clarity, in line with Your Word, and let each of us walk out thankful for what You’re doing globally through our brothers and sisters in Christ — even those from very different churches than ours. In Jesus’s name we pray, amen.

If you’re a first-time guest, you may be thinking, “Great, I’m catching the very end of a series.” First, you won’t feel lost — there’s plenty here for you. Second, that’s actually good news, because you can join us next week when we start something brand new: the book of Acts. And today is great preparation for it, because in Acts we’re going to meet a lot of people. Consider today a warm-up, because Paul is about to introduce us to a wide variety of them.

Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.

Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions — if he comes to you, welcome him), and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”

I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. (Colossians 4:7–18)

Written With His Own Hand

That last verse might look like Paul simply signing off — the way we write “sincerely” and add our name.

But in Paul’s day, most people weren’t accustomed to writing and didn’t feel comfortable doing it. To send a letter like this, you would often go down to the market and hire a professional scribe. You’d dictate aloud while the scribe wrote it down. Many of Paul’s letters were produced this way — and occasionally the scribe would even slip in his own greeting.

Paul wants them to know this genuinely came from him. So at the very end he takes the pen, dips it in the ink, and writes in his own hand: I, Paul, write this greeting. Grace be with you.

He’s verifying everything that came before it. This really is from me. Hear it. Believe it. Now live it out.

The Template: Neither Jew nor Greek

One of the things we heard him say back in chapter 3, verse 11 — we covered this last November — was that here, in the gospel, in the church of Christ, “there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.”

In other words: it doesn’t matter whether you’re a circumcised Jew or an uncircumcised Greek. God loves you. Jesus died for you. You matter to Him. It doesn’t matter whether you’re free or enslaved. You matter to God. He even says it doesn’t matter if you’re a barbarian — someone who doesn’t speak the beautiful Greek language. God loves them. He’s for them. Jesus died for their sins.

He says something very similar in Galatians, adding one more category — gender:

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

To Paul, this isn’t just a theological concept. It isn’t a Christian utopia he hopes to see someday. It’s something he was actively experiencing and living out — and we see the evidence right here in the conclusion of Colossians.

So let’s use Galatians 3:28 as our template, and watch every one of those categories appear in the people Paul names.

Jew

Paul mentions three Jews in verses 10 and 11: Aristarchus, Mark the cousin of Barnabas, and Jesus who is called Justus. We know they were Jews because verse 11 tells us plainly: “These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers.”

Paul, as a good Jew, had been circumcised on day eight and raised in Judaism, where circumcision marked a male’s covenant with God. But when Jesus died on the cross for our sins, it raised a question: do you simply put your faith in Jesus, or must you also be circumcised?

This was a huge battle in Paul’s day. Paul concluded — because of what God had put on his heart — that circumcision was not required to enter this relationship with God. It comes only through Christ. And some people were so opposed to that idea that they believed he was wrecking Judaism. Which is part of why he’s now in prison in Rome. They had him arrested, tried to put him on trial, and eventually he appealed to Caesar and ended up here, writing this letter.

But not everyone in the circumcision party opposed Paul. At least three of them agreed with him.

Aristarchus

Paul calls him “my fellow prisoner.” That may be literally true — perhaps he really was jailed for similar reasons. But more likely, Paul is under house arrest rather than locked in a cell. He’s not in a cage; people are allowed to come and go. We see this at the end of Acts.

So as Paul is able to receive visitors, perhaps Aristarchus believes so deeply in Paul’s ministry that he chooses to stay there with him — making sure he’s fed, maybe managing his schedule and his visitors, maybe helping find scribes, maybe serving as one himself. We don’t know. But it seems likely he chose to be with Paul, and is a “fellow prisoner” by choice.

Jesus Called Justus

You might find it odd that a man was named Jesus. Isn’t there only one?

Jesus was actually a very common name — simply the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua. Plenty of parents wanted to name their son after the great leader who followed Moses, so they’d use the Greek version.

Perhaps out of reverence for Jesus of Nazareth, this man chose not to go by the Greek version of his name and instead used the Latin: Justus.

Mark

I saved Mark for last, because I love his story.

We meet him in Acts as John Mark. When Paul and Barnabas were preparing for one of their missionary journeys, Barnabas said, “Let’s take my cousin.” So Mark came along.

But on the trip Mark decided this was too hard. He didn’t like it. He missed home. He missed his food. He probably missed his girlfriend. So he bailed and headed back, abandoning them.

Eventually Paul and Barnabas end up back in Jerusalem, reconnect with Mark, and start preparing for another journey. Barnabas says, “Let’s take Mark again.”

Paul says, “No way. The guy is completely unreliable. We can’t trust him.”

Barnabas says, “But Paul — God forgives us of our sins and our mistakes. We need to forgive him. After all, I’m Barnabas, the son of encouragement. Let’s include him.”

Paul says no. And Acts tells us it became so contentious that the two of them split. Barnabas took Mark and set off on their own missionary journey, while Paul partnered with Silas to keep spreading the gospel and planting churches.

Which is exactly why I love that Mark shows up here at the very end of Colossians. It means Paul forgave him. Elsewhere Paul says Mark is helpful to him. Here he’s counted as a comfort.

Mark matured. He grew. He became a genuine partner in the gospel to Paul — so much so that he eventually wrote the Gospel that bears his name.

Greek

Before I point out one of the Greeks here, understand that when Paul uses “Greek” in Colossians 3:11 and Galatians 3:28, he simply means Gentile. Non-Jew. Not just someone from the country of Greece.

Years ago I worked at an English-speaking camp in the Czech Republic. The church I was on staff with ran this camp every year, primarily for business leaders, and the leaders wanted more young adults to participate. So as the young adult pastor, I was invited along so I could see it and recruit others.

They didn’t trust me to teach English to the lower-level speakers, so they gave me the advanced class. At first I felt honored — until I learned that the people weakest in English get assigned to teach the highest classes.

One of my students was telling a story about an argument she’d had with her boyfriend, and she said, “Well, that’s because we’re Italian.”

She kept going, and I’m sitting there thinking, I had no idea she was Italian. I guess my face gave it away, because she stopped and said, “Oh no, no — I’m Czech. It’s just that if anyone in the Czech Republic has a loud personality and argues about everything, we call them Italian.”

Likewise here: if you weren’t Jewish, to many Jews you were simply “Greek,” because Greek was the universal language of the day. Even living under the Roman Empire, Greek was what people spoke. So if you weren’t a Jew, you were a Gentile — or you could be called a Greek.

Tychicus

One of the most prominent Greeks here appears in verse 7. We meet Tychicus in Acts 20, where we learn he’s from Asia. Before you picture someone from China — in Paul’s day, “Asia” meant roughly modern-day Turkey. He would not have been a Jew.

And look at how Paul describes him: a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant.

That word for servant is the same one we studied last week — doulos. It can mean servant, but more likely bondservant: someone who willingly signed something like a seven-year contract to serve as a slave.

Tychicus isn’t the slave of any earthly master. Paul is saying he’s a slave of Jesus Christ. And Paul attaches a prefix meaning fellow servant — in other words, “I’m a slave too.”

My master wants me in prison in Rome right now, because it’s from here that I can write these letters to encourage the church — many of which will be collected and become our New Testament. It’s also where people can come and visit, so they know exactly where to find me, and I can disciple them and share the gospel with them.

Where most people would say, “How horrible that you’re imprisoned,” Paul says, “No. This is where my master wants me.”

And just as the master wants Paul in prison, the master wants Tychicus in a particular role: carrying this letter to the church in Colossae.

I actually believe Tychicus is carrying four letters. Not just Colossians, but almost certainly one to the church in Ephesus — the two letters are strikingly similar. Paul mentions here a letter written to the Laodiceans, so I think that’s a third. Some believe the Laodicean letter is Ephesians, but other scholars disagree, and I think there’s another one. And I believe the letter to Philemon was written at almost exactly the same time — I’ll explain why in a moment — so I believe he’s carrying that as well.

If Paul were racist the way many of his fellow Jews were toward Greeks, there is no chance he’d entrust this critical role — carrying the letters that share the gospel and remind these churches how to follow Jesus — to a Gentile.

But to Paul, he isn’t a lowly Greek. He’s a beloved brother. A faithful minister. A fellow servant.

Slave

Speaking of servants and slaves, the next person is in verse 9: Onesimus. Paul describes him as a faithful and beloved brother, much like Tychicus.

But notice what’s missing. “Fellow servant.” “Slave.”

That’s because Onesimus is a slave — or at least a runaway slave.

Remember those four letters Tychicus is carrying? One is to a man named Philemon. And when we read the letter to Philemon, we discover the carriers aren’t only Tychicus — Onesimus is traveling with him.

Onesimus had been a slave to Philemon and ran away. He’d probably signed one of those seven- or fourteen-year contracts, reached a point where he couldn’t do it anymore, and fled. Somehow he made his way to Rome, met some Christians — possibly Paul himself — heard the gospel, gave his life to Christ, and began being discipled.

And now, as part of that discipleship, as part of owning his life and its consequences, Paul is sending him back to Philemon with Tychicus.

But in the letter, Paul essentially says: Philemon, you owe me your life. I shared the gospel with you. You came to know Christ, and now you host a church in your home. So I need you not to treat Onesimus like a runaway slave.

One of the punishments could have been death. Usually, though, they wanted more work out of the person, so they’d force them to sign another contract and treat them harshly.

Paul says: don’t kill him. In fact, don’t even simply welcome him back as a slave. Welcome him back as your brother in Christ.

Free

We’ve met a Jew, a Greek, and a slave. What about the free?

As far as I can tell, most everyone else here is free. Let me point out a couple.

Epaphras

We actually met him back in chapter 1, where we learned it was Epaphras who brought the gospel to Colossae.

Many scholars believe Epaphras was originally from Colossae, traveled to Ephesus about a hundred miles away, lived and worked there, and heard the gospel through the church Paul planted. After several years of being discipled and growing, Paul left on a missionary journey, and Epaphras sensed he was supposed to go home. So he traveled back to Colossae, shared the gospel, and a church was planted. He may have pastored it for a while.

Then he got an opportunity to travel to Rome, where he told Paul all about this church in Colossae — which is part of why Paul got so excited and wrote this letter, sending it with Tychicus since Epaphras was already there with him.

And notice: Paul also calls Epaphras “a servant of Christ Jesus.” A slave.

An Interesting Reversal

Here’s what I find fascinating. With the free men — Paul himself, Tychicus, Epaphras — he calls them slaves. But with the actual slave, he says nothing about it.

It’s as if Paul is saying to the free: Yes, you’re free in this world. You have no earthly master. But if you’ve given your life to Christ, you have a heavenly Master. Yes, you’re a son or daughter of the Most High God — and you’re also a bondservant, willingly giving your life to follow Him wherever He calls.

And to the slaves he drops the label entirely. They already know. What he wants them to hear is: you are free. You’re freed from your sin. You’re free from these things. Yes, you may have an earthly master to serve — but that’s okay. God does not look down on you. You are free.

He seems to take real delight in showing how God flips the whole economy upside down. We think wealth is the most wonderful thing, and Scripture says no — sometimes wealth makes it harder, because you miss what God wants to do. Sometimes being poor in this life is actually better, because you’re far more open to receiving from God and depending on Him. What better place to be?

Luke

Another free man is Luke, in verse 14 — “Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas.”

I want to highlight Luke for a couple of reasons. First, he not only wrote the Gospel bearing his name, he also wrote Acts — the very book we’re about to study.

Second, he’s identified as a physician. Like physicians today, he would have been very well educated. Apparently there was a significant medical school in Hierapolis or Laodicea, near Colossae, so it’s possible some of the people in the Colossian church knew Luke personally. That’s likely why he’s sending greetings.

But while he was highly educated, he wasn’t at the top of the social ladder. Physicians were often hired essentially as slaves — retained by a wealthy family to care for the whole household and all their servants. So Luke most likely served at least one seven-year term as a slave to a wealthy family.

We don’t believe he remained there, because in Acts we see him joining Paul and traveling widely. A slave couldn’t do that. So he must have completed his term and become a free man.

Male and Female

We’ve met Jew and Greek, slave and free. What about male and female?

The male part is obvious — nearly everyone mentioned is a man. But there is one woman, in verse 15: “Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.”

Note this isn’t someone in Rome sending greetings to Colossae. This is Paul and the people with him saying, “And while you’re at it, pass our greetings along to these others — the brothers in Laodicea, and to Nympha.”

To be fair, I need to point out that some Bible translations don’t treat Nympha as female. They render the name as male.

Here’s why. In Greek — and I am not a Greek scholar, so I’m relying on other tools here — there’s an accent mark that, placed in one position, makes the name female, and placed earlier in the name, makes it male. Some biblical manuscripts have the accent in the first position, making it male. Others have it in the later position.

Why the difference? Most of the more reliable manuscripts place it in the second position, making the name female. Which is why the majority of Bibles in this room read “her.”

So why do some read “his”? It’s very likely that some scribes reasoned this way: elsewhere Paul discusses the role of women in ministry and indicates the role of elder or pastor is reserved for men. So if it says “greet Nympha and the church in her house,” and it’s her house, that would make her the pastor of that church. And since we know women can’t be pastors, it must be a man.

I’m thankful there are translations that say, “These are the more reliable manuscripts, so we’re going with them” — even though it creates something of a quandary.

Because if Nympha is female, it means her gender didn’t matter to Paul. He knew women had spiritual gifts and that God could use them to help people find and follow Jesus.

Where I Land, and Why It Doesn’t Divide Us

In a moment I want to talk about complementarianism — the idea that men and women complement one another and therefore serve each other in ministry — and egalitarianism, the view that all levels of ministry leadership are equally open to everyone.

But first: if Nympha is female, the fact that Paul sends her greetings says women have a role in the kingdom of God, and God can use them to help others find and follow Jesus.

So we’ve seen Paul greeting Jews and Gentiles, slave and free, male and female. They all matter. They’re all used by God for the spread of the gospel and the kingdom.

Which means that because Paul knew Jews and Gentiles could work together to advance the gospel, we as a church need to be a place willing to partner with other Christians of different tribes, different languages, different viewpoints.

Because Paul was willing to work with slave and free, we need to believe God loves all people and can use them regardless of age, education level, income, marital status, or any other demographic category you can construct.

And just as Paul sends greetings to both men and women partnering in the gospel, we need to be a church that can partner with others in advancing the gospel regardless of their view on gender.

Which Doesn’t Mean Abandoning Convictions

Back in 2019, when we were preparing to establish elders, I did a three-week series on what it means to be an elder. We walked through several passages, and I showed that my conviction is that the Bible teaches the role of pastor and elder is for men.

And I shared then what I’ll share again now: if I had my way, it would be completely open. It wouldn’t matter whether you’re a man or a woman — spiritual maturity, calling, and gifting would be all that mattered.

So in my heart, I want to be an egalitarian. Culturally, that’s where I’d like to be. But I have yet to be one hundred percent convinced from Scripture.

I think the argument here in Colossians is a pretty good one. But we still have to wrestle with other passages, and I’m still in that wrestling. So because of that conviction, we remain what would be called a complementarian church.

And here’s what I tell people: we may be a complementarian church, but we’re going to do everything we possibly can to look like an egalitarian one — because God has created women and gifted women, and we want God to use them however He’s called them.

And we recognize we might be wrong. If God can show me from Scripture that we ought to be egalitarian, I’ll change in a heartbeat. Because it’s not about my way. It’s about God’s way. If God convinces me from Scripture, I’ll do it.

But this is not a salvific issue. God is not going to give you an entrance exam at heaven’s gate — were you complementarian or egalitarian? Answer correctly or you’re out. It’s Jesus.

And because it’s all about Jesus, we’re going to be as open-handed as we possibly can. Which is why we’re able to partner with churches that differ from us on this. We don’t look down on them. We don’t think they’re worse than us, or the enemy, because they have a female pastor. If they’re seeking to spread the gospel and they understand the work of Jesus on the cross, they’re our brothers and sisters, and we want to work with them.

We have to stop imitating the culture around us by shaming and mocking those who see things differently. Instead we need to see that God can use them just as much as He can use us.

After all — in Genesis, God speaks to a prophet through a donkey. If God can speak through a donkey, He can speak through me. He can speak through you. He can use any of us.

So let’s walk in humility. Let’s search the Scriptures. Let’s hold our convictions. Let’s do what we believe God is calling us to do — but let’s do it from our knees, not from a posture of position and authority and absolutely my way.

What This Looks Like Here

Which means if there’s a church that only sings hymns written before 1600, and yet they love the gospel, love Jesus, love people, and are willing to work with us — we’ll partner with them.

This is what’s allowed us to partner in the Waverly VBS every summer. There are usually three or four churches that say, “Let’s come together and do this for our community.” We originally joined because we were far too small to pull something like that off alone, and it was a huge win. Now that we’ve grown, could we do it ourselves? Possibly. And would we do some things differently? Probably.

And yet what a win to work alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ to help kids hear about this Jesus who loved them so much He left His throne in heaven, came to earth, took on human flesh, lived a fully human life, and died in the sinner’s place. It’s worth it — even working with people whose convictions differ from ours.

It’s why we participate in the Waverly food pantry, even though other churches there do things differently than us. It’s okay. They’re doing it because of Jesus.

It’s why we participate in the Waverly benevolence fund that a number of churches contribute to. It’s why last year we took part in the citywide Good Friday service. Yes, a number of us have different ideas about how ministry should be done and how things ought to work. But we all have Jesus in common.

Jesus is far bigger than just us.

If Jesus is for the Jew and the Greek, if He is for the slave and the free, if He is for male and female — then who are we to insist it all has to be done exactly our way?

Let’s walk in humility. Let’s seek after Jesus. Let’s point people to Him. And as He works in us, maybe some of us will end up realizing we had something wrong. So let’s walk humbly.

Hold your convictions. Seek truth. But walk in grace. Be like Christ. Seek after Him, and help people see that it’s about Christ.

Because as we’re about to see in Acts, Jesus and God the Father are absolutely passionate about this gospel spreading around the globe. And if we’re going to see that happen, it means working with a wide swath of Christians — and I think we may actually find some joy in it.

A Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for this concluding passage from Paul — a passage so many of us skim, because we just see a pile of names we can’t pronounce, whose stories we don’t know, so we ignore it. I believe You’ve embedded truths here that help us live Jesus-centered lives and enter into Jesus-centered partnerships.

And God, as I so often pray: if there was anything I said today that was not of You, would You lovingly correct my mind and my thinking so I can be who You call me to be as a pastor — and let all of us forget those things and pursue You through Your Word. It isn’t about what one person says. It’s about what You have said.

But the things that were of You — may they stick with us. May we walk out of here fully convinced not only of Your heart for us, but of Your heart for the world, and of how You are working through others who see things differently and practice things differently, and yet who want You and long for You.

Father, this leads into so many sticky situations. We have so many questions. So thank You even for the confusion, for a bit of the fog — because it forces us to seek after You, the light. You are what matters.

So may that be what we walk out with most of all: that You, Jesus, are for all. You’re for the Jew and the Greek. You’re for the slave and the free. You’re for the men and the women. You love us. You died for us. And You can use us.

Help us put our full heart and attention on You, even as we keep seeking to understand how You work through our differences — which ones matter and which ones don’t. But God, help us be the kind of people who don’t treat others as some sort of enemy. Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and spirits of darkness. Help us see that the people on this earth matter to You. May we value them the way You do. In Jesus’s name we pray, amen.