Scripture

And say to Archippus, “Be sure to carry out the ministry the Lord gave you.”

Observation

The letter concludes with personal greetings.

Paul is sending to Tychicus and Onesimus with the letter to give reports on what the Lord is doing.

Aristarchus and Mark send greetings, along with Justus. Epaphras and Luke also send greetings.

Paul tells the church to encourage Archippus to be sure to carry out the ministry that the Lord had given him.

Application

We don’t know who this Archippus was or what the ministry was that God had called him to do. But Paul thought it was important enough to mention.

I often wonder how many people get an idea about ministry, perhaps a conviction, but they failed to follow through. I know of some people who would definitely called by the Lord to be pastors,but they chose to say”No” to God. Perhaps others have been called to be missionaries, or to be evangelists, or simply to oversee the church’s children’s ministry, and they fail to say “Yes”.

Some people feel overwhelmed by the idea of serving the Lord. They might feel unworthy or unable. But God knows our limitations, and He equips us for the tasks to which He calls us.

Some people lead very complicated lives and struggle with drugs, alcohol, and juggling children from multiple relationships. Life can be messy, but again God uses all of this.

Whatever reason there is for avoiding doing the ministry, we need to remember that God is bigger.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the knowledge that you can enable me and equip me for the tasks you are calling me to do. Amen

Scripture

Live wisely among those who are not believers and make the most of every opportunity.

Observation

Masters must be fair to their slaves, remembering that they also have a master in heaven.

We must devote ourselves to prayer with an attentive mind and a thankful heart. Paul also seeks prayer for opportunities to speak about Christ.

We are to live wisely in the world, making the most of every opportunity. Our conversation should be gracious so that we can influence others for Christ.

Application

To live wisely among unbelievers means that we live in God’s ways all the time. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom .

When we live according to God’s ways, then our lives are prosperous in the sense that we are fulfilled and successful at life.

When people see Christians who enjoy their lives, no matter how ordinary they are, then they take notice. A life lived joyfully and with purpose is a sign of hope for our unsaved friends and neighbours.

We should make the most of every opportunity. This means that when we have an opportunity to speak for Jesus that is natural, we should take it. It does not mean that every conversation is hijacked for preaching purposes.

We show that we care and the opportunities emerge naturally to point people to Jesus.

Prayer

Lord, please help me to live wisely in all that I do. Please let me be a faithful witness for you. Amen

Scripture

Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Observation

We must let the message of Christ fill every part of our lives. We should sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. Everything we say and do should be done as representatives of Christ.

Wives must submit to their husbands. Husbands must love their wives. Children should obey their parents, and slaves obey their masters.

Application

Our whole life should be lived as representatives of Christ. I need to live with that awareness in my mind and heart that people see me as a picture of what a Christian is, and therefore of what Jesus is.

Some people referred Christians as the “Fifth Gospel.” Since most people never read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, then my life is the only gospel that they will ever see .

Part of this is cultivating an attitude of thanksgiving. If I walk through the day with the joy that comes from a thankful heart, then those around me will recognise that my faith is real and that Christ is real.

Prayer

Lord, please help me to live up to this high calling of being a representative of Christ in all that I say and do. Amen.

Scripture

Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and be like him.

Observation

We must put to death the sinful nature that works within us. We must have nothing to do with sexual impurity, greed, anger, lies and so on.

We must put on the new nature and let God renew us. God chose us to be His holy people, so we must clothe ourselves with the attitudes that are from Him. We must let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts

Application

God raises us to life in Christ. But then this gift of grace has to be activated in our lives. We have to put on the new nature.

God doesn’t force us to love our Christian brothers and sisters. That would not be love at all. He does give us love for others, and he encourages us to walk in that love.

He does not make us totally perfect. But he does give us the grace to turn away from sin and to overcome temptation. The choice then is up to us to live righteously or according to the ways of our old nature.

Every time we choose the new nature, a roar of praise is heard in heaven. And every time we choose God’s way, it becomes easier the next time we are tempted.

Prayer

Thank you, Father, for the knowledge that you are at work in me. Please help me to put on the new nature, to draw closer to you, and to be more like you. Amen

Scripture

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honour at God’s right hand.

Observation

We have been raised to new life with Christ, so therefore we should keep our eyes on Him, in heaven next to God. We should concern ourselves with the things of heaven not of earth.

We have died to this life, and our real life is with Christ. When Christ is revealed to the world we will share in His glory.

Application

Migrants to a new country can find it hard to fit in at first. They may have to learn a new language. They have to learn new customs and navigate a culture that seems alien, and yet everyone around seems to accept it as the only reality.

Even a relatively small change like moving from England to Australia is fraught with a big learning curve of different road rules, different names for everyday objects and different world views

We have been called to a much bigger leap. As followers of Jesus, we have been raised to a new life in heaven with him. This means we have a new citizenship, a new culture, new values.

Unlike a migrant to a new nation, we are surrounded by people living in the worldly culture. We can be tempted to cut ourselves off from the world to stay clean, or to give in to the temptations of the world and live like everyone else.

Jesus wants us to follow Him, to live for Him, and to focus on heaven, all while living in this world with all of its responsibilities and distractions.

The key is to keep our focus on heaven even while we live in the world. We remain as ambassadors of God’s Kingdom, representing Jesus to our friends and co-workers.

Prayer

Lord please help me to keep my focus on the things of heaven , even while I live in the world. Amen.

Scripture

For you were buried with Christ when you were baptised. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.

Observation

When we came to Christ, we were spiritually circumcised. We were buried with Christ in baptism and raised to new life through the mighty power of God.

We were dead in our sins, but God cancelled our sins and brought us to life. In doing this, God disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities.

So now we are free from condemnation. People try to impose rules on what we can eat or touch and rules about religion. This comes from sinful minds of people who are not connected to Christ.

We have died with Christ, and He has set us free from spiritual powers. Do not go back to the rules of this world which do not help us to overcome our evil desires.

Application

When we were baptised into Christ, we were baptised into his death and resurrection. We are new creations in Christ, born again by the mighty power of God.

A new life means a new body that is not subject to the rules and regulations of the old life.

We are conquerors, which means that Satan no longer has any hold over us. He could trick us into sinning in the old flesh, but in this new life, his only recourse is to make us forget our position in Christ.

I am baptised into the death and resurrection of Christ. The old life of death of death and sin no longer controls me.

Prayer

Lord, I praise you! You have given me a new life in Christ. Hallelujah! Amen.

Scripture

Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Observation

Paul agonises for those believers he has never met personally. He wants them to understand God’s mysterious plan, that is, Christ.

Just as we accepted Christ as Lord, we must continue to grow in Him, putting deep roots into Him so that our faith is strong.

Empty philosophies and high sanding nonsense come from demonic powers, not from Christ. We should ignore these because Christ is the one who completes us.

Application

How can I put my roots down into Christ?

Firstly, I need to talk with Him regularly. Prayer and listening, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide me deepen my relationship with Him.

Secondly, I must read the Scriptures. The Bible is God’s word, my daily bread.

Thirdly, in fellowship with other Christians, I can worship, pray, and share in faith.

Fourthly, obedience to Christ is essential. I must continually turn away from sin and towards Christ. I must learn to love my neighbour as myself, and to love God with all my heart, with all my mind, and with all my strength.

There are many ways to draw near to Christ. The cares of this world and its distractions can lead me to neglect these things, so I need to build them into my daily life and monitor my spiritual temperature.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, please help me to build my life on you alone. Amen.

Scripture

You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

Observation

We were once far away from God, separated by our sins. He has reconciled us to Himself through the death of Christ. Now we are in His glorious presence – holy and blameless.

But we must continue to believe that truth. We must not drift away from the assurance we received in Christ.

Paul has the responsibility to proclaim the whole gospel. He works and struggles, depending on Christ’s mighty power within him.

Application

I was once an enemy of God, separated from Him by my evil thoughts and deeds. I have been redeemed by Christ’s death on the cross.

Christ’s death was real and it was physical. We must never down play this or spiritualise it. It is the death of Christ in his physical body which atoned, or paid the price, for our sins.

Christ died physically on the cross and He rose from the dead physically three days later. It was a real event.

My salvation is not about how I feel or how good I am on any day. It is not on a theoretical or spiritual process in heaven. No, it is a physical act that happened at a specific place and at a specific time.

I can’t change that. I can’t add to it or take away from it.

All I can do is receive this most awesome gift of grace from God.

I was separated from God by my sins. He brought me close by paying for my sins. His love is limitless.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the amazing gift of salvation. Please help me to always stand in the truth of the Good News. Amen.

Scripture

Christ is the head of the church, which is His body. He is the beginning, supreme overall who rise from the dead.

Observation

Christ the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before everything and reigns over everything. He made everything, whether visible or invisible, including the demonic principalities and rulers.

Christ is the head of the church, which is His body. He is supreme over those who will rise from the dead. In Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, making peace with everything.

Application

Christ is the head of the church, not the human hierarchy that dominate its earthly form.

In all things, Christ is in control.

There are times when the church, at least part of it, seems week, unspiritual, and even ungodly. People use and abuse the church for their own ends.

Regardless of all this, the Lord Jesus Christ is in control. He reigns over all of creation, but especially the church.

How can this be, when there is so much evil in both the world and the church? God is able to use even gross sins for His glory and for our good. This does not justify anybody’s evil deeds, but it does give us hope that our suffering will carry some redemptive value.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that you are the head of the church. You are the king over all things, blessed be your name. Amen.