Don’t Forget

Colossians 4:18

We can try to imagine the scene as Paul dictated his final note to the congregation at Colossae, that cryptic directive about encouraging Archippus to finish the task the Lord had given him.  Perhaps the sun was setting and the room was growing darker.  Tychicus and Onesimus may have been waiting nearby, their bags packed for the long journey to Asia Minor, to Colossae.  As soon as this letter was finished they would put it away safely with the others they would carry—a letter to Ephesus, a letter to the Philippians, a note to Philemon, and, very possibly, a now lost letter to Laodicea.  Once  Paul had given them the last letter, they could make the final preparations to leave with the light of the next day.  Just think what would have been lost if their ship had sunk or that courier bag had been mislaid.  

Finally, Paul took the pen from the hand of his amanuenses or secretary and wrote the a few words.

I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my

chains. Grace be with you.

With that the letter to the Colossians is complete.

The commentaries are agreed that Paul added the final note in his own hand to reduce the danger of false letters purporting to be from him making their way into the churches.  Some have also suggested that his signature was an affirmation of his concern for his readers.  It wasn’t unusual for the “writer” of a letter to do this:  copies of ancient letters have been found which have the salutations written in a different hand.

Back before most doctors carried i-pads, I heard of a hospital that had some serious problems because the wrong drugs had been dispensed to patients, all because the pharmacists couldn’t properly decipher the doctor’s handwriting.  As a corrective measure the hospital is going to require all doctors writing confusing prescriptions to take a course in penmanship.

I’d like to see one of Paul’s original letters just to discover what his penmanship was like.  When Paul himself wrote the final words of Galatians he said, “See with what large letters I am writing with my own hand.” 

Paul’s large letters may have been an attempt to stress what he had been saying, they may have been the byproduct of an eye disease he may have had, or big bold letters may have just been his way of writing.  In any case, when Paul took up the pen he had a final opportunity to say something to the Colossian church, that church facing a crisis of confidence.

What did he say?  He said, “Remember my chains.”  Unless you were writing with a manacled hand I suppose those might seem to be strange words to write. Some might wonder if the apostle was lonely and discouraged as he wrote the words.  I don’t think so. 

Notice this: Paul does not say, “Don’t forget I’m in prison,” he says, “Remember my chains.”  What does this mean?

Let’s take a few moments to explore the implications of Paul’s words.  As we do so, we’ll discover that how a Christian faces tough times is part of behaving wisely before outsiders.

1)      As we consider Paul’s chains don’t forget that some matters are worth our suffering.

What made the false teachings so appealing to some of the Colossians?  Part of the appeal may have been found in the fact that there would be an outward compliance with the Jewish customs and rituals.  Some of the early Christians, especially those from a Jewish background, were feeling pressure to abandon Christianity and return to full-fledged Judaism.  Doing that would make life a lot easier.

Paul’s chains were a reminder that some things are worth the suffering.  age which seems to value comfort so highly, Paul might seem out of his mind.  Although September 11, 2001,  inspired a new wave of patriotism, but there were still those who insisted that there was nothing which would make them willing to die for their country.  And there are those who will insist there is no element of their faith for which they are willing to suffer.

We see this attitude work itself out in a variety of ways:

--- We see it demonstrated by the young woman who will abandon the moral teachings of her faith rather than suffer the loss of her boyfriend.

--- We see it demonstrated by the young man who will not speak up for Christ because he does not want to suffer the ridicule of his friends.

--- We see it demonstrated by the Christian business man who will surrender his ethics before he will suffer the loss of a client.

Paul’s chains remind us that some things are important enough to hold on to even if doing so brings suffering our way.

While there are some who will try to escape the troubles associated with being a Christian, there are also those willing to suffer for the faith.  Historians tell us that during the past one-hundred years, more men and women have died for the Faith than died in the all previous centuries combined.  There are men and women who take their faith seriously.

2)  As we consider Paul’s chains don’t forget that there are those who will follow Christ wholeheartedly.

Some commentators suggest that Paul mentions his chains, which they claim represents all the labor and suffering Paul underwent on behalf of other, as a means of proving his right to be heard.  Perhaps, but I would rather suggest that his chains are a token of his integrity and faithful service.  That integrity and faithful service, in any Christian, ought to merit our respect and our willingness to hear their counsel.

More than that, those who live for Christ with integrity ought to inspire us.

In our age we hear a lot about the demise of Christianity.  I have friends who are given to a touch of pessimism.  One of them has even suggested that Christianity will be largely gone in the next one-hundred years.  I usually try to inject a note of reality.

Study after study has demonstrated that Christianity is growing—perhaps not in the West—but elsewhere in the world.  It is growing in South America and Asia.  In fact, some of the world’s largest churches are found in Seoul, Korea.  Christianity is the fastest growing religion in Africa.  There is even an increasing number of converts in the Middle East, in Muslim nations. 

All around the world, there are those who are willing to follow Christ wholeheartedly. 

Not everyone is willing to settle for a nominal faith.

3)  As we consider Paul’s chains don’t forget that such suffering could be in our future as well.

I have no doubt that Paul could see suffering on the horizon for the Colossians.  The truth is Asia Minor—the province in which Colossae was located—would be a center of much persecution in the years to come.  The larger truth is, in every generation Christians somewhere have been suffering.  While Christians in the West were building the magnificent cathedrals which we still can tour their spiritual brothers and sisters in the Middle East and Asia were continuing to suffer. 

Our era is no exception. 

Just about the time Paul was writing the Colossians Peter wrote his first letter in which he told his readers not to be surprised at the suffering they were enduring or to regard it as an unusual occurrence.   It might even be correct to say that persecution is the norm and peace is an exception. 

So, if we Christians know peace, we ought to thank God and determine to make the best used of our time, “redeem the time,” as Paul tells the Colossians earlier in this chapter.  And, if persecution should come our way, we Christians ought trust God and keep in mind another truth implicit in Paul’s words.

4)  As we consider Paul’s chains don’t forget that it is possible to speak a word of grace in the midst of difficulty.

The man whose chains clinked with every word he wrote wanted to give the Colossians the best he could give:  Grace. 

This was a conventional way to end a letter in the first century but you can be sure that Paul was not using a mere convention.  He packed the little word grace with so much meaning.  The Amplified Bible tries to capture what he is saying, “May grace (God’s unmerited favor and blessing) be with you!”  At a time when he could have been feeling sorry for himself, at a time when no one would have blamed him for feeling sorry for himself, Paul wishes God’s best for others.

McDonald relates this to the content of the letter Paul is concluding.  He writes:

“The word grace is as significant at the end of Paul’s letter as it is at the beginning (cf. 1:2), for from first to last Paul’s theme was grace.  In neither place has the term a mere conventional use, for at every mention of this word the apostle is summarizing the essential message of the gospel given to him by the revelation of God.  The word grace gathers into itself all that Christ is for Christian belief and Christian behavior.” (McDonald, p. 146-47.)

Remember back in Colossians 2 when Paul was outlining some of the practical results of the salvation we have in Christ?  Among other things Paul told the Colossians they didn’t need to submit to restrictive dietary regulations.  He wasn’t legitimizing gluttony but he was telling them to enjoy their meals with a free conscience.  Now, those words came from a man whose daily menu might have been fairly limited.  Despite this he told his friends to enjoy the bounty God had given them.

Whatever else he had in mind, Paul is reminding his readers of the power of gospel to sustain in the midst of difficulty.  He had proven the promises of Christ again and again.  There was no need for resentment toward those whose lot was easier.  There was no need to vent his anger because of his circumstances.  No need because even in his tough circumstances he knew Christ’s presence.

Sometimes when we face trouble or sickness we turn inward, we begin to think only of ourselves.  We become so self-centered that we are oblivious to the needs of others.  If you sense that happening to you, remember Paul’s chains.  Though they might have chafed his wrists and limited his movements, he still was able to wish God’s best for others.

5)  As we consider Paul’s chains don’t forget that no Christian, no matter how capable and prominent, is ever beyond the need for prayer.

Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase captures this idea, “Remember to pray for me in this jail.”

Paul the apostle, theologian, missionary, teacher needed the prayers of ordinary people. 

He has already spelled out some of the matters about which he wants them to pray:  New opportunities to share the gospel and the capacity to share it with clarity.  What else would he want them to pray about?  I’m sure Paul would have wanted them to pray for the same matters all of us would have those who pray for us recall as they mention our name to God.

I would want those praying for me to pray for what some might call mundane matters:  My health, a good night’s sleep, my safety.

I would want those praying for me to pray for the family I love:  My wife, my sons and my daughters-in-law, my grandson.

I would want those praying for me to pray about my relationship with God, that I would remain faithful, listen to his word, be committed to prayer, that my faith might grow stronger.

I would want those praying for me to pray about my work:  to pray that my work might bring glory to God—a prayer which applies to pastors but equally to those who may flip burgers for a living.

I would want those praying for me to pray to for my witness:  to pray that I might live with integrity, that I might seize the opportunities which come my way, that I might know how to personally present the gospel to the individuals I might meet.

That’s how I would want people to pray for me and I suspect that’s how Paul would have wanted his readers to pray for him.

No one is beyond the need for prayer.  No one is so spiritually mature that they may discount the prayers of others on their behalf.  Certainly no preacher is so skilled or competent that the prayers of others are superfluous. 

CONCLUSION

We have devoted some seven months to Paul’s counsel to Christians facing a crisis of confidence.  As we finish, we are facing a significant anniversary:  The anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001. 

Since that Tuesday morning we have seen young men and women sent to far off lands and placed in harm’s way to protect our liberties. Certainly we can appreciate their willingness to serve whatever our opinion of the wars may be.

 Since that Tuesday morning ten years ago we have seen church attendance swell and then go back to normal.  In fact, according to a USA Today article from August 22, church attendance has continued to decline as it had been during the decade before the attacks.  George Barna found that the number of people who are “unchurched” increased from 24% in 1991 to 37% in 2011.  Yes, there was an increase in church attendance after 9/11 but “the rush to the pews was a mere blip in a long-standing trend away from traditional religious practice.”  We need an infusion of the confidence Paul felt about the Gospel if we wish to be more attractive to the drifting and indifferent.

.  Since that Tuesday morning we have heard many voices, some learned and some merely parroting a politically correct line say that we should all realize that we all believe in the same God.

.

I can just imagine how Paul, the author of this profound argument for the singular character of Christ, would respond.

He would respond, “Did your God, the creator of heaven and earth, become a man so he might rescue us from the quagmire of our sin?  If not, we don’t serve the same God.”

He would respond, “Does your God provide you with a salvation which makes you complete in him, which frees you from the drudgery of a multitude of rules and taboos by which you hope to win his favor, a salvation which provides you with the power to live for him freely and joyously?  If not, we don’t serve the same God.”

He would respond, “Does your God fill you with loving respect for all others regardless of their race or nationality, whether they are men or women, whether they agree with you are not?  If not, we don’t serve the same God.”

He would respond, “Does your God inspire you to share the good news of what he has done on our behalf, to share it through a life of integrity and words spoken with an attractive graciousness?  If not, we don’t serve the same God.”

Then, from prison, He would respond, “Does the salvation your God provides fill you with such peace that your spirit may soar even though your body is in prison, does it allow you to endure mistreatment and injustice without being filled with rancor and bitterness, to respond to mistreatment with acts of love not of revenge, to prompt you to pray, not for the destruction of your enemies, but for their salvation?  If not, we don’t serve the same God.”

As we complete this study, may we be prompted to make Paul’s goal our own, may we say with him:

“We proclaim Christ,

warning every person,

teaching every person,

so we may present each person

complete in Christ.”

THAT OLD GANG OF MINE

Colossians 4:7-17

Text Introduction:  Paul expected the early Christians to communicate with each other, to encourage each other, and to treasure each other.  Passages like this one remind us of that.

*****

Introduction:  Do you remember the little game we used to play with our folded hands?  You know how it went:  Here is the church, here is the steeple, open the door, and see all the people.  It was fun in its way but it missed an important point.  That ornate building with its steeple is not the church.  Those fingers—some stubby, some grubby, some with hangnails, some with warts—represent the church:  the people.

Paul spends several verses naming some people who were part of the church of Jesus Christ.  Some were with him, some were in Colossae.  Some have names we know—or at least have seen on hospitals and churches.  Some are completely unknown to us. 

History has given some of them the title, “Saint;” history has given some less noble titles.  Yet, when he wrote his letter to the Colossians, Paul seems to have been saying, “Here are several folks who are living examples of the principles I’ve been writing about—and at least one you shouldn’t copy.”

Some of these folks were in the forefront of the action, some were in the background.  Paul seemed to treasure both.

There’s a variety of people on this list.  There are young people and older people on this list.   Some of these people were well-educated, some may have had little education at all.  There are Jews, Gentiles, and one woman listed here.  Paul, the Jew who once would have despised the Gentiles and belittled the woman, honored the contributions of each.

With all this in mind, let’s take a closer look at this band of people.

We see Tychicus, the messenger of encouragement.

Tychicus may have been from Ephesus.  In any case we first meet him as part of the party accompanying Paul to Jerusalem as the apostle takes the collection to that church which was suffering from famine.  This may suggest he was a man known for his integrity. 

He stayed by Paul even when he was sent to Rome in chains.  He stood ready to do whatever task he could to help

In an age without telegraph, telephone, fax, or even a reliable mail service, Tychicus was performing a valuable service.  Still, a minister in the first century church, he could have argued that being a messenger boy was too menial a task, but he was willing to be used however he might be used.  He would not simply deliver information; he would encourage the Colossians as well. 

It was understandable if the Colossians were concerned about Paul, there were probably many rumors about him and his situation.   Some may have even heard he had been executed.  They needed to know the truth and they needed encouragement.  Tychicus was the one to bring both.

We need people willing to do the “small” jobs with grace and efficiency.  Above all, we need people who will be encouragers.

We see Onesimus, the slave who was Paul’s brother. 

You’ve already heard the story of the runaway slave who met Paul and was converted.  Paul doesn’t mention his being a slave, but he does call him “brother.”  That reflects part of the impact Christianity would have on class, economic, and even racial distinctions.  Paul values his faithfulness and says so.

At the same time, remember that Onesimus was a new convert.  Paul’s testimony about him ought to prompt us to challenge new believers to open their lives to God, to let him shape them for his service. 

We see Aristarchus, no stranger to trouble.

Aristarchus, a Jew from Thessalonica, shows up for the first time in Acts 19:29, when he was seized by the angry mob in Ephesus, the mob protesting the impact of the gospel on the idol-making trade.  Were not told all that happened, but we can be sure the frenzied crowd did not treat Aristarchus or his fellow-hostage Gaius with great tenderness.

Once everything settled down, no one would have blamed Aristarchus if he had asked for some “R&R,” time to get over his ordeal.  He might have even said, “You know, I’ve done my bit, it’s time for someone else to step up.”  Instead, he went with Paul to Jerusalem and then on to Rome.  He’s described here as Paul’s “fellow prisoner” so he was enduring the same things Paul was enduring. 

Someone has said that Jesus promised his followers that they would have great power, know incredible joy, and be in constant trouble.  Aristarchus seems to have proven at least part of that promise to be correct. 

In an age when many people are concerned only if a church will meet their needs, or if a church will help them have a more comfortable life, we need the kind of commitment which is open to taking the tough times along with the blessed times, the kind of commitment which understands that those times may be the same.

We see Jesus Justus, the man named in hope.

He was a Jewish Christian in Rome who was known to the Colossians. What had been the origin of his name?  “Jesus” was a common name, a form of “Joshua” which meant “savior.”  Did his Jewish parents give that name to him because they hoped for a “savior” who would make a difference?  We don’t know, but in Jesus Christ he found the One for whom all true Jews had been hoping.

Was he also a prisoner?  Probably not since Paul doesn't mention it as he did with Aristarchus.  He was involved in the work of the kingdom, perhaps preaching and teaching.  Of special importance to Paul was his ability to bring comfort to the imprisoned apostle.  In fact, Paul mentions that several of his friends performed this ministry of comfort.

We need comforters, people who stand with us in the hard times so we may stand.  The wonderful thing is, these comforters may be young or old.

We see Epaphras, the man who was too  busy not to pray.

Epaphras was known to the Colossians because he came from the region.  However, the path of following Christ took him away, but he did not forget his roots.  He maintained a constant ministry of prayer for the Colossians.  He prayed especially for their spiritual maturity with regard to obedience to God's will.

Paul describes Epaphras as “always wrestling in prayer for you.”  This was no casual, “Lord, please bless the Colossians.”  This was prayer born out of the recognition that the Colossian Christians were in real jeopardy.  They were in danger from those on the outside who would destroy the church and in danger from those who claimed to be on the inside who would distort its message.

McDonald writes,

“Paul knew too well, and Christian experience confirms too sadly, that it is not easy to keep on praying.  It needs grit as well as grace.  All too soon do knees weaken and minds wander.  All too easily, in the thick of the battle, can we lose sight of God and stupidly imagine that our success depends on the skill of our swordplay, and our ease of movement.  But the battle is the Lord’s, and it is prayer that nerves the arm for fight; to fail in this regard is to beat the air and miss the adversary.”

But Epaphras was also a hard worker once he rose from his knees.  He had helped to found the Colossian church and may have been instrumental in founding other congregations in the area.  In Philemon Paul calls him “my fellow prisoner.” This may be a figure of speech, suggesting that Epaphras voluntarily stayed with the imprisoned Paul or it may mean that Epaphras had been arrested since arriving in Rome.

Every church needs those who will do the hard work of prayer.  Earlier in this chapter (4:2-4) Paul had encouraged the Colossians to pray for the spread of the gospel.  Now, he seems to point to Epaphras as an example of that kind of praying and seems to be saying, “If your church is growing, part of the reason may be the efforts of this man on his knees here in Rome.”

We see Luke, the Christian Renaissance Man.

Did you know that if you simply count page numbers, Luke wrote slightly more of the New Testament than Paul?  But what do we know of this man?

Paul tells us he was a Gentile.  He had committed his life to a Jewish carpenter Jesus of Nazareth and to work alongside a Jewish rabbi who was determined to tell as many as possible about this Jesus.

He was a physician.  That claim has been challenged but never disproven.  Some believe he used his skills to help care for Paul who was often sick or injured.

He was a historian and scholar.  Sir William Ramsey, like many in the nineteenth century, assumed the New Testament was full of errors.  To prove this he began to study the Book of Acts in detail.  The more he studied, comparing Luke’s observations to what was known and being discovered about the Roman world, the more he became convinced that Luke was a careful historian.  At the same time, the Greek of Luke’s gospel and Acts is the most polished in the New Testament.

Luke was what we sometimes call a Renaissance man, one who is skilled in many areas of knowledge.  Yet, he was a man of faith.  Too often those who have good minds are persuaded to join the skeptics and scoffers; too often they believe their own genius will give them all the answers.  Luke is a reminder that real genius is willing to open itself to mystery, to trust the God who cannot be seen.

At the same time and, perhaps more important, he was Paul’s friend.  This man who could have settled down and enjoyed a peaceful life, could have slept comfortably in his own bed at night, chose to go join Paul as he traveled tirelessly for the gospel.  Luke was shipwrecked with Paul, threatened by the same mobs who threatened Paul, endured the same bad food Paul endured.  He was almost certainly with Paul until the very end when the executioner ended the apostle’s life but not his influence.  Foxe says he was hanged by angry pagan priests.  Whether or not that’s true, an ancient writer says, “He served the Lord without distraction… and at the age of 84 he fell asleep in Boeatia, full of the Holy Spirit.”

The church always needs those who will commit their talents to God’s service and who will commit themselves to being there for God’s people.

At this point Paul stops sending greetings from special people and begins to send greetings to special people. 

He greets Nympha, the saint with the pagan name.

What were her parents thinking?  Perhaps they were attracted to the stories of the beautiful goddesslike maidens known as the forest and sea nymphs.  In any case, her name reminds us that she came from a home enamored with the pagan world-view.  Yet, somehow she became a Christian; she broke with the past and embraced the biblical world-view for herself.

We don’t know if she was a widow or if she was always a single person but, in any case, she opened her home as a place for the church to meet.  Her home became a center of Christian activity in Laodicea.

Although she certainly reminds us that, because of the grace of God, our past need not dictate our future, she also  reminds us of a couple other things.  She reminds us that by no means was the church intended to be an “old boys’ club.” Women played a key role.  And she reminds us that the church is ever dependent upon volunteers.

He sends a message—indirectly—to Archippus, the man who needed a push.

Archippus is usually thought to have been a member of Philemon's household, possibly his son (2).  He may have been the minister of the church in Laodicea. 

Just what occasioned this word of challenge, which would be read to the whole congregation (in Colossae and Laodicea), isn’t clear.

Perhaps, like young Timothy, he just needed a nudge to keep going, especially in the face of those who would have disrespected him because of his youth.  It’s funny, surveys show that today’s congregations often discount ideas because they come from folks who are older yet, at one time, the church seems to have discounted ideas because they came from folks who were young.

Paul reminds us that both positions are unwise.

*****

If you’ve been paying attention, you know I’ve left out two names.  I want to spend some extra time looking at them.

One of these men was in the thick of the action in Rome, Paul calls him a “fellow worker.”  We recall him as…

Demas, the deserter.

We don’t know much about Demas.  Like Luke, he was a Gentile but that’s not really significant.  He worked alongside Paul, Luke, Epaphras, and some of the other heroes of the faith.  He himself would have probably been numbered with those heroes if it weren’t for Paul’s remark in 2 Timothy 4:10:  “…Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.”

Some have pointed out that Demas is simply said to have deserted Paul, not deserted Christ.  If that’s true, it casts Paul in a bad light.  It portrays him as vindictive and self-centered.  Demas had the right to pursue ministry elsewhere if he felt so led.  Yet, Paul’s comment seems to suggest that something more was at work.  His comment suggests that Demas’s priorities were out of alignment.  He deserted “because he loved this world.”

We’re not told the specific motivation for his desertion.  Maybe he got tired of the solitude which was sometimes part of serving Christ.  Maybe he didn’t like the suffering which was part of serving Christ.  Maybe he chafed under the stigma which came from suffering Christ.  We can make too much of this, but I think it’s interesting that the name Demas means “popular.”  Maybe he found that people who preached against sin and held up only one way to salvation weren’t popular—just like they’re not popular now.

This is all just speculation.  What’s clear is, Demas will forever be known as the deserter.

In 1945 three young evangelists were capturing the attention of the American church.  One was Billy Graham.  It was still a couple of years before the famous Los Angeles Crusade would catapult him to national attention but he had already spoken to crowds as large as thirty thousand. 

While Graham’s gifts were undeniable, in 1945, many people expected even greater things from the other two evangelists, Chuck Templeton and Bron Clifford. 

In fact, in 1946, the National Association of Evangelicals published an article on the men who were “best used of God” during the first five years of its existence.  Templeton was mentioned, Graham wasn’t.  Templeton had potential.

In 1945, Bron Clifford, was only twenty-five but he was already thought to be one of the most gifted preachers to have graced the church in centuries.  When Clifford spoke at Baylor University the president ordered the bells silenced so the students could remain in chapel to hear him.  The students remained attentive for his two and a quarter hour sermon.  Compare this to Ken Chafin’s experience.  When he spoke in the Baylor chapel in the late 1960s, President Honeycutt told him, “You really had their attention; I saw some of them put down their newspapers.”

Clifford set more attendance records than any other clergyman his age in America.  National leaders sought his attention and Hollywood even offered him a role in “The Robe.”

You know about Billy Graham.

In 1950, Chuck Templeton left the ministry to become a radio and TV commentator.  He renounced his faith, deciding he could no longer believe the claims of Christ.  He died a couple years ago, after sadly remarking that he “missed Jesus.”  He never regained his faith.

In 1954, less than a decade after he had held the Baylor students spellbound, Bron Clifford was selling used cars in the Texas Panhandle.  He had abandoned his wife and their two Down’s syndrome children.  Suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, he died that year in a cheap motel on Amarillo’s sleazy west side.  Some pastors in Amarillo took up a collection to buy him a casket and send his body back East where it was buried in a cemetery for the poor.

You know about Billy Graham.  In his ministry you see something of the power of faithfulness.  Now, you know something about Chuck Templeton and Bron Clifford.  You know they have joined the ranks of Demas.

At the time he wrote the Colossians Paul may not have known what would happen to his young co-worker.  There may have been those who would have never believed what eventually happened.

Demas reminds us that success in the Christian life is not measured by how well you begin the race; it’s whether or not you’re there at the finish. Demas stands as a warning that any of us can fail if we take our eyes off Christ.

By no means do I want to end on a down note.  So we’re going to look at one more member of Paul’s “gang.”  This is …

Mark, the man who proved Paul wrong.

Mark was the cousin of Barnabus, a prominent evangelist in the early church.  Mark even accompanied Barnabus and Paul on their first missionary journey.  He was not invited to join them because of nepotism; both Barnabus and Paul thought they saw great potential in the young man.

Then, when the team reached Pamphylia, Mark ran back home.  We don’t know why he left.  Maybe the threats of the crowds frightened him.  Perhaps the prospect of disease worried him.  Perhaps he missed the comforts of his affluent home.  We don’t know why he bolted just that he did.

Later, when Paul and Barnabus were back in Jerusalem making up the roster for the second missionary journey, Barnabus wanted to include Mark.  Paul wouldn’t have it.  And who could blame him, if Mark ran once, he might run again.  In fact, Paul may have learned that Mark had a habit of running.

In the Gospel of Mark an incident is recorded which isn’t found in any of the other gospels.  It takes place in the Garden of Gethsemane at the time of Jesus’ arrest.  Here’s the note:

MK 14:51 A young man, wearing nothing but an [expensive, imported] linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, [52] he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.

Most commentators believe that young man was Mark.  After that streaking incident, Mark found faith but faith doesn’t necessarily make us fearless.  Marl, as we’ve seen, would flee at least one more time.

The conflict over Mark was so intense that Paul and Barnabus parted ways.  Paul went one direction; Barnabus went another, with Mark.

Years passed.  Something happened.  We don’t know what but happen it did.  Now Mark and Paul were together again, working for the Kingdom of God.  In fact, Paul was apparently planning to send Mark to Asia Minor on an errand for him.  He would still be there when Paul wrote 2 Timothy.  Paul, in the verse following his sad comment about Demos, asked Timothy to bring Mark with him to Rome because, in Paul’s words, “he is helpful to me in my ministry.”  Time and the grace of God had changed Mark and Paul’s opinion.

In fact, Mark worked closely with both Paul and Peter.  He may have been the only person in the New Testament church who did that.

Like Luke, Mark also wrote a gospel.  Some say he had already written it at this time, some say he would write it later.   It doesn’t matter.  Mark, according to tradition, eventually ministered in Egypt where he died a martyr in Alexandria.

Mark is a reminder of the power of encouragement.  Mark is a reminder of the danger of rushing to judgment. Mark is a reminder that success in  Christian service is not measured by how often you fall in the race but whether or not you pick yourself up and start again. 

CONCLUSION

 I want to end by reminding you of all those faithful Christian men and women who have helped to build the church, who have ministered in the name of Christ through the centuries.

Among those men and women there have been failures but, more important, there have been comebacks.  Among those men and women there have been rich and poor, educated and uneducated, the flamboyant and the quiet.  Each has been a valued part of the team.

If you wish everyone in the church was just like you, you haven’t grasped God’s vision for his people.

If you’ve failed on your pilgrimage, you can make a comeback.

If you think you’ve nothing to contribute, you haven’t begun to discover what God can do with you.

On Not Leaving a Bad Taste

Colossians 4:5-6

Not long ago Pat and I went to a restaurant for lunch.  It wasn’t one of those places where your met by a tuxedoed matre’d but there wasn’t a picture of a pig-tailed redheaded girl on the cups either.  We’d eaten there before and we enjoyed it.

We ordered lunch and the server brought us a basket of rolls and a bit of butter.  I put some butter on a roll and took a bite.  Something was wrong.  I mentioned it to Pat and she had a bite.  She said the butter was probably left uncovered in the refrigerator and had picked up the flavor of something.   We ate the rest of the rolls without butter.

When something leaves a bad taste in your mouth, you remember it.  We’ll probably go back to that restaurant but will be just a little cautious when we try a buttered roll.

All too often non-Christians are lefts with a bad taste after they’ve encountered Christians.  Maybe it’s a Christian who is judgmental. One who is arrogant.  Or one who is simply a hypocrite.

A deacon was trying to impress upon a class of boys the importance of living the Christian life. "Why do people call me a Christian?" the man asked. After a moment's pause, one youngster said, "Maybe it's because they don't know you."

We can laugh at that but we know that hypocrisy is a serious matter.  Alister McGraf has written:  “Paradoxically, what propels people toward atheism is above all a sense of revulsion against the excesses and failures of organized religion.”

Paul knows that we need to be consistent as Christians if we will make an impact in our world.   Our words and our life must be integrated.

An integration of life and word will be seen in

A CONSISTENT WITNESS

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders…”

Up to this point Paul, for the most part, has been speaking of Christian behavior within our closest circles—the marriage, the family, and the church.  Now he is primarily addressing our responsibility toward outsiders. 

By “outsiders” Paul means those who are not believers in Christ.  By using the term he reminds his readers that there is a great division between those who are believers and those who are not.  While some might have used such terms to promote pride and a sense of superiority, Paul doesn’t.  We are not to be satisfied with our being on the “inside” while the majority of humankind is on the “outside.”  Since we’re only on the inside because of God’s grace can we ever justify not inviting outsiders to become insiders, to become true believers?

 But consider this.

Experts tell us that lots of so-called church growth simply involves movement from one church to another.  It’s called “transfer growth.”  In other words, insiders are looking for new places and new faces, outsiders are not becoming insiders.

That ought to be disturbing, disturbing enough to make us try to discover the key to reaching non-believers.

Paul understood that not everyone was willing to hear the spoken witness of a Christian.  His own experience had taught him that some responded to that witness with open hostility.  It’s still the same today.  But is does that justify our failing to seek those outsiders?  Hardly.  Some of you may have ethnic roots in Ireland.  What if Patrick had given up because the Irish were such hard people?  Some of you have roots in Germany?  What if Boniface had give up because the Germans were so wild and unruly?  What if Gregory had decided not to try again to Christianize Britain since the Britons had killed the first wave of Christian ministers?  Just because it’s a tough job, just because the outsiders don’t like us, doesn’t mean we have a right to give up, sit back and enjoy ourselves while the world goes to hell—literally.

But once we resolve to do that hard work, how do we reach those who will not hear?  Paul told the Colossians that they had to rely upon the witness of a changed life. 

Wisdom, in the Bible, involves an integration of life and word.  Christians who would make an impact on outsiders understand this;  they know that unless our behavior and lifestyle is different than that of the larger world, our message of a changed life will not be believed.  To use a popular phrase, Christians must “walk the walk, if they are going to talk the talk.”

William Hendriksen paraphrases the verse this way, “Behave wisely toward outsiders, always bearing in mind that though few men read the sacred scrolls, all men read you!”

The result of Christians living with integrity would be twofold.

First, it would effectively refute the wild accusations which are sometimes leveled against Christians.  In the first centuries of the church Christians were sometimes accused of atheism because they did not worship the gods of Rome, of treason because they refused to offer incense to the image of the emperor, of cannibalism because they spoke of eating the body of Christ, of immorality because they spoke of loving one another.   How did the Christians answer these unfair accusations. 

While some did the important work of writing defenses of the church, most responded by simply living out their faith.  This is why historian T. R. Glover could write that the early Christians defeated their opponents by “outliving” them.

A second result of more Christians living with integrity would be a more effective witness for Christ. 

In 1969 Dr. Bernard Nathanson was operating the largest abortion clinic in the world.  His New York City clinic was involved in more than 75,000 abortions—including one for his own child.  Then in the late 1970s this supporter of Roe vs. Wade concluded that he had been killing human beings.  As a result he became a key pro-life advocate. 

His new work brought him into contact with Christian pro-life workers.  Of their commitment he wrote:

“They prayed, they supported and encouraged each other, they sang hymns of joy….  They prayed for the unborn babies, for the confused and pregnant women, and for the doctors and nurses in the clinic….  And I wondered:  How can these people give of themselves for a constituency that is (and always will be) mute, invisible, and unable to thank them?”

Due in part to their consistent witness and the testimony of a former teacher, Karl Stern, Nathanson became a Christian in the 1990s. 

Those Christians Nathanson observed were simply integrating their words and their lives.

An integration of life and word will also be seen in…

A TACTFUL WITNESS

“Let your conversation always be full of grace…”

Most of us know that inconsistency in living out our faith, not to mention outright hypocrisy, can nullify our witness.  But, have we given much thought to the impact of sheer tactlessness?

Paul’s instructions to the Colossians could be interpreted in two ways.  He could be saying, “Speak graciously to outsiders,” or he could be saying, “Speak about grace to outsiders.”  While it’s possible he had both meanings in mind, I think he certainly had in mind the first meaning:  Speak graciously.  In other words, speak tactfully.

William Hendriksen gives special attention to the call to tactfulness in this verse.  Using this verse and others he describes tactfulness in this way:

“Its parents are Love and Wisdom.  It is that skill which, without any sacrifice of honesty or candor, enables a person to speak the right work at the right time, and to do the proper thing in a given situation.  It is premeditated prudence, sanctified mother wit, consecrated savoir faire.  The tactful person does not shirk his duty even when he is convinced that he must admonish are rebuke.  But he has learned the art of doing this without being rude.”

John Stott recently died.  In case the name isn’t familiar, Stott was an English evangelist, theologian, and pastor; he was instrumental in breathing new life into Anglican Evangelicalism.  At the same time, he became a widely respected leader of evangelicals of all stripes around the world.  Since his ordination in 1945, he wrote some fifty books on theology, preaching, evangelism, ethics, and Bible study.  He was well-respected even by those who didn’t necessarily share his views.

After a story about Stott appeared in the New York Times, singer Paul Simon was a friend David Brooks, the author and asked for an introduction to Stott.  They met in Stott’s small, bachelor apartment in London.  Simon began to complain about various well-known fundamentalist leaders.  Stott said nothing for a while, then stopped Simon and said, “But, I want to know what you think of Jesus Christ.”

You and I, in such a circumstance, might have either joined Simon in his condemnation or tried to defend those leaders.  We might have berated him for being part of the immoral world of show business.  We might have even tried to use our superior knowledge to trump the upstart.  Stott didn’t and if anyone had superior knowledge, he did.  Simon later expressed his gratitude to Brooks for the introduction.  His gracious demeanor opened a door for witness.

It’s always easier to be tactless than to be tactful.  But if we want to reach the outsiders, it’s a quality we will have to cultivate.  We should cultivate treating others graciously because we have been treated graciously.

Tactful witness is natural when our life and word is integrated.

An integration of life and word will also be seen in…

AN APPEALING WITNESS

“Let your conversation always be…seasoned with salt…”

Other writers in the New Testament period wrote of words being salty.  By this, they usually meant speech which was witty and even sarcastic.  Paul didn’t have that in mind.  He probably used “salt” in a more natural sense, meaning that our speech should be flavorful, appealing.

Ralph Martin comments on the phrase:

“Our glad task is to speak with [Christ]like attractiveness, avoiding any manner of speaking in public discourse or private conversation which would leave the impression that the gospel message is dull and flat and uninteresting.”

F. F. Bruce is more direct:  “Those who are the salt of the earth may reasonably be expected to have some savor about their language.”

What is this salty talk?  What makes a witness appealing?

An appealing witness reflects a commitment which is authentic.  It calls for us to be real.  I doubt if anyone responds to the witness of a Christian who is a Christian just because his or her parents were Christians.

Someone has said that those now in their late teens and early twenties have built in “hype detectors.”  They can spot a phony at a hundred yards.  They know when someone isn’t being genuine, isn’t telling it like it is.  We won’t reach them with canned testimonies or pious platitudes.

An appealing witness reflects a commitment which is enthusiastic.  A story in USA Today  reported that some 29.4 million Americans claim to have no religion and only 32% of us regularly go to church.  One reason cited is that church seems repressive and boring.

We’re not likely to get people who think that to visit our churches.  But they can’t avoid rubbing shoulders with Christians.  That’s our real hope of reaching them—if they encounter the right kind of Christians.

There’s just something appealing about a person who is enthusiastically committed to Christ.  I don’t mean they are always sounding off about their faith, but that it’s clear their commitment is more than an “only on Sunday” kind of thing.   They have a commitment which is evident every day of the week.  It’s a fresh commitment;  it hasn’t grown stale or insipid.

Although John Wesley was a trained minister he possessed no personal commitment to Christ.  After a disastrous attempt to minister in colonial Georgia he returned to England in disgrace.  On his way to England, Wesley had encountered several Moravian Christians, members of a small band of committed men and women who had known severe persecution for their faith.  Wesley watched them and was particularly fascinated by their calmness in the midst of a severe storm.  Back in England after his flight from Georgia, Wesley became acquainted with their leader Peter Bohler and sought his counsel. His quest for that kind of faith he had seen displayed in that storm led to his own conversion.

Their appealing witness touched a man who would touch thousands.

An integration of life and word will also be seen in…

A THOUGHTFUL WITNESS

Sometimes effective witness is amazingly spontaneous but more often it is the product of forethought.  Such forethought is demonstrated in two ways.

Being a thoughtful witness is demonstrated in our determination to “make the most of every opportunity.”  The language Paul uses comes from the market, he literally says “buy up every opportunity.”  White suggests it involves “cornering the market in opportunity.”

What Paul says should remind us of a couple truths, first, that there are opportunities all around us for sharing the gospel and, second, that we may very easily miss them.  It’s a lesson which has to be learned by every generation of Christians.

We know that witness may take place in church, but we have to rediscover that witness may take place at the workplace, over the backyard fence, in a hospital room, in a classroom, at a school board meeting, anywhere we Christians may go.  We’re not always invited to preach a sermon but we always have an opportunity to make what we do say “full of grace, seasoned with salt.”

With fewer and fewer people coming to our churches can’t allow any opportunity to go by.  If we don’t seize an opportunity it may forever be too late.

As Michael F. Springer, a Philadelphia mechanic, rounded a corner on October 7, 1995, he heard whimpering. Glancing up, he saw a small child dangling from the third-floor window of a row house. Springer rushed over and stood directly beneath the child. "From the time I looked up to the time I got to him, I'd say it was about ten seconds," he said later. "I called up, 'Baby, what are you doing?' and I prayed to God that I wouldn't miss him if he let go. It was all marble steps beneath the window."

Just then, the toddler lost his hold-and Springer caught him. At Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, doctors examined the toddler and found no injuries. "God had a reason for me to be there, and I'm just glad I was," Springer said.

You and I will occasionally encounter people who, spiritually speaking, are just barely holding on, who are in danger.  May we seize the opportunity to be witnesses.

Being a thoughtful witness involves making the gospel personal.  The New English Bible rendering of this verse points this out, “Let your words always be gracious, never insipid; learn how best to respond to each person you meet.”

Paul reminds us to be wise as in our relations with outsiders.  We need such wisdom if we don’t want to make mistakes in our timing and approach.

 We need to know how to speak to non-believers on behalf of Christ.

Several years ago I taught a class for Boyce on the doctrine of salvation.  I began the course by putting some of the key words of our faith on the blackboard.  I wrote words like redemption, adoption, propitiation, regeneration, justification, and several other such terms.  I then asked the class to write a paragraph or two on the subject of what Christ had done for them.  As the students reached for pen and paper, I added one requirement:  They could not use any of the words I had written on the board.  Some of them weren’t up to the challenge;  they couldn’t find a way to express their personal faith without using the language which most outsiders would find incomprehensible.

At one time many of the unchurched would have been familiar enough with the story of Jesus and with the teachings of the church for us to refer to them with confidence.  That’s no longer true.

Many who think they know about the Bible simply believe it to be a book of outdated rules and impossible stories.

All of this suggests we must be thoughtful as we approach each outsider.  Some will be prepared for a more complicated witness, some will require a simpler approach.

All will be looking for someone who will treat them as individuals who merit the time it takes to get to know them.

Let the Spirit help you craft the best approach to that person.  And we had better be willing to rely on the Spirit if we are going to know what to say and when to say it.  That is the essence of a thoughtful witness.

CONCLUSION

Real witness has always involved the integration of life and word but that is probably true now more than ever.

Not long after I came to Worthington, some of us went to hear Jack Riggs, long-time associate of Billy Graham.  He was helping prepare church members for the upcoming Graham Crusade at Cooper Stadium.  A few years after we heard him, Riggs began saying that most of those Americans who would be reached by the big crusades had been reached. 

If that’s so, it’s more important than ever that we Christians determine to witness through word and life.