2-Miracles at Colossae
Miracles at Colossae
(Colossians 1:3–8)
The famous Scottish preacher Alexander Whyte was known as an appreciator. He loved to write postcards to people, thanking them for some kindness or blessing they had brought to his life. Those messages often brought a touch of encouragement to a heart just when it was needed most. Appreciation is great medicine for the soul.
The apostle Paul was a great encourager, and this epistle is a good example of the grace of thanksgiving. In this section (which is one long sentence in the original Greek), he gave thanks for what Christ had done in the lives of the Colossian Christians. But he also mentioned thanksgiving in five other places in this letter: Colossians 1:12; 2:7; 3:15, 17; and 4:2. When you recall that Paul wrote this letter in prison, his attitude of thanksgiving is even more wonderful.
Like Paul, we should be grateful for what God is doing in the lives of others. As Christians, we are all members of one body (1 Cor. 12:12–13). If one member of the body is strengthened, this helps to strengthen the entire body. If one church experiences a revival touch from God, it will help all the churches. In this expression of thanksgiving, Paul traced the stages in the spiritual experience of the Colossian believers.
THEY HEARD THE GOSPEL (1:5b–7)
The good news of the gospel was not native to their city. It had to be brought to them, and in their case, Epaphras was the messenger. He was himself a citizen of Colossae (Col. 4:12–13), but he had come in contact with Paul and had been converted to Jesus Christ. This was probably during Paul’s great three-year ministry in Ephesus (Acts 19:10).
Once Epaphras had been saved, he shared this thrilling news with his relatives and friends back home. Perhaps it would have been exciting for Epaphras to stay with Paul in Ephesus, where so many wonderful things were taking place. But his first responsibility was to take the gospel to his own home city (see Mark 5:19).
The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ has solved the problem of sin through His death, burial, and resurrection. The word gospel means “good news.” Unfortunately, some people witness as though the gospel is the bad news of condemnation.
I recall one church officer who was more of a prosecuting attorney than a Christian witness. Though he constantly reproved people for their sins, he failed to share the good news of forgiveness through faith in Christ.
But we can learn a lesson from him. In our witnessing, we should remember to emphasize the good news of the gospel (see 1 Cor. 15:1–8). In this section in his letter to the Colossians, Paul reviews the characteristics of this exciting gospel message.
It centers in a person—Jesus Christ. The theme of this epistle is the preeminence of Jesus Christ, and He is certainly preeminent in the gospel. The false teachers who had invaded the fellowship in Colossae were trying to remove Jesus Christ from His place of preeminence; but to do this was to destroy the gospel. It is Christ who died for us and who arose again. The gospel message does not center in a philosophy, a doctrine, or a religious system. It centers in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
It is the “word of truth” (v. 5 NIV). This means that it came from God and can be trusted. “Thy word is truth” (John 17:17). There are many messages and ideas that can be called true, but only God’s Word can be called truth. Satan is the liar; to believe his lies is to be led astray into death (John 8:44). Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6); when we trust Him, we experience life. Men have tried to destroy God’s truth, but they have failed. The Word of truth still stands!
Everybody has faith in something. But faith is only as good as the object in which a person puts his trust. The jungle pagan worships a god of stone; the educated city pagan worships money or possessions or status. In both cases, faith is empty. The true Christian believer has faith in Jesus Christ, and that faith is based on the Word of truth. Any other kind of faith is but superstition—it cannot save.
It is the message of God’s grace (v. 6b). Two words in the Christian vocabulary are often confused: grace and mercy. God in His grace gives me what I do not deserve. Yet God in His mercy does not give me what I do deserve. Grace is God’s favor shown to undeserving sinners. The reason the gospel is good news is because of grace: God is willing and able to save all who will trust Jesus Christ.
John Selden (1584–1654) was a leading historian and legal authority in England. He had a library of eight thousand volumes and was recognized for his learning. When he was dying, he said to Archbishop Ussher, “I have surveyed most of the learning that is among the sons of men, and my study is filled with books and manuscripts on various subjects. But at present, I cannot recollect any passage out of all my books and papers whereon I can rest my soul, save this from the sacred Scriptures: ‘The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men’ (Titus 2:11).”
It is for the whole world (v. 6). When I was a young pastor, one of my favorite preachers was Dr. Walter Wilson of Kansas City. He had a unique way of making old truths seem new and exciting. I once heard him quote John 3:16 and ask, “If you were to give a gift that would be suitable for the whole world, what would you give?”
He then listed several possibilities and showed how those gifts could not suit everybody: books (many people cannot read); foods (people eat different things in different parts of the world); clothing (climates are different); money (not every culture makes use of money). He came to the logical conclusion that only the gospel, with its gift of eternal life, was suitable for the whole world, and he was right.
Paul said that the gospel was bearing fruit in all the world. The Word of God is the only seed that can be planted anywhere in the world and bear fruit. The gospel can be preached “to every creature which is under heaven” (Col. 1:23). Paul’s emphasis was on “every man” (Col. 1:28). False teachers do not take their message to all the world. They go where the gospel has already gone and try to lead believers astray. They have no good news for lost sinners!
If people are to be saved, they must hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. And if they are to hear, we who are saved must carry the message. Are you doing your part?
THEY BELIEVED IN JESUS CHRIST (1:4)
It is possible to hear and not believe, even though the Word of God has the power to generate faith in those who hear (Rom. 10:17). Millions of people have heard the good news of salvation and yet not believed. But those who believe in Jesus Christ receive from God the gift of eternal life (John 3:14–18).
We are not saved by faith in faith. There is a cult of “believism” today that promotes faith but has little to do with Jesus Christ. Even some popular songs carry the message of “faith in faith.” The modern attitude is “If you believe, you are safe.” But the obvious question is, “Believe in what?” Their answer: “Just believe!”
Nor are we saved by faith in a set of doctrines. I have often told the story about the famous evangelist George Whitefield, who was witnessing to a man. “What do you believe?” Whitefield asked. The man replied, “I believe what my church believes.”
“And what does your church believe?” asked the evangelist.
“What I believe,” replied the man.
Undaunted, Whitefield tried again and asked, “And what do you both believe?”
“Why, we both believe the same thing!” was the man’s evasive reply.
Saving faith involves the mind, the emotions, and the will. With the mind we understand the truth of the gospel, and with the heart we feel conviction and the need to be saved. But it is only when we exercise the will and commit ourselves to Christ that the process is complete. Faith is not mental assent to a body of doctrines, no matter how true those doctrines may be. Faith is not emotional concern. Faith is commitment to Jesus Christ.
When missionary John G. Paton was translating the Bible in the Outer Hebrides, he searched for the exact word to translate believe. Finally, he discovered it: The word meant “lean your whole weight upon.” That is what saving faith is—leaning your whole weight upon Jesus Christ.
Saving faith is grounded in the gospel (Col. 1:23). It is the Word of God that gives us assurance. As we grow in the Lord, our faith becomes steadfast (Col. 2:5) and established (Col. 2:7).
The false teachers who had come to Colossae tried to undermine the saints’ faith in Christ and the Word. This same kind of undermining goes on today. Any religious teaching that dethrones Jesus Christ, or that makes salvation other than an experience of God’s grace through faith, is either confused or anti-Christian and born of Satan.
One final thought: The experience of the believers in Colossae was so wonderful that people talked about it! Paul heard about it from Epaphras; the false teachers heard about it and decided to visit the Colossian assembly to see the remarkable change for themselves.
You cannot keep silent once you have experienced salvation in Jesus Christ. Is your Christian life the kind that encourages others and makes it easy for them to witness? Is your church fellowship so exciting that even the unsaved are taking notice?
THEY WERE DISCIPLED (1:7)
Epaphras did not simply lead the Colossians to Christ and then abandon them. He taught them the Word and sought to establish their faith. The word translated “learned” in Colossians 1:7 is related to the word disciple in the Greek language. It is the same word Jesus used: “Learn of me” (Matt. 11:29) or, in effect, “Become My disciple.”
These new believers were in danger of turning from the truth and following the false teachers. Paul reminded them that it was Epaphras who led them to Christ, discipled them, and taught them the Word. The word before (Col. 1:5) probably means “before these false teachers appeared on the scene.” Like the Colossians, we should beware of any religious leader who does not seek to win lost souls, but who devotes himself to “stealing sheep” from the flocks of others.
We should never forget that new Christians must be discipled. Just as the newborn baby needs loving care and protection till he can care for himself, so the new Christian needs discipling. The Great Commission does not stop with the salvation of the lost, for in that commission Jesus commanded us to teach converts the Word as well (Matt. 28:19–20). That is what the fellowship of the local church is all about. The New Testament does not teach the kind of “individual Christianity” that is so prevalent today—people who ignore the local church and who find all their spiritual food in books, radio, TV, or the Internet.
Epaphras was a faithful minister. He not only won people to Christ, but he taught them the Word and helped them to grow. He also prayed for them (Col. 4:12–13) that they might become mature in Jesus Christ. When danger threatened the members of the church, Epaphras went to Rome to get counsel from Paul. He loved his people and wanted to protect them from false doctrines that would destroy the fellowship and hinder their spiritual development.
The word disciple is found more than 260 times in the Gospels and Acts, and the verb translated “to learn as a disciple” is found twenty-five times in the New Testament. In that day, a disciple was not simply a person who sat and listened to a teacher. He was someone who lived with the teacher and who learned by listening, looking, and living. Discipleship involved more than enrolling in a school and attending lectures. It meant total surrender to the teacher. It meant learning by living. Perhaps our modern-day medical students or trade apprentices come close to illustrating the meaning of discipleship.
But we who disciple other believers must be careful not to get in the way. We are not to make disciples for ourselves, but for Jesus Christ. We must relate people to Him so that they love and obey Him. Epaphras faithfully taught his people and related them to Jesus Christ, but the false teachers came in and tried to “draw away disciples.” (For Paul’s warning about this problem, see Acts 20:28–30.) Human nature has the tendency to want to follow men instead of God—to want “something new” instead of the basic foundational truths of the gospel.
Now we come to the results of Epaphras’s efforts.
THEY BECAME FAITHFUL IN CHRIST (1:6, 8)
The Word of God is seed (Luke 8:11). This means the Word has life in it (Heb. 4:12). When it is planted in the heart, it can produce fruit. “All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing” (Col. 1:6 NIV).
Near King’s Cross station in London, England, there is a cemetery containing a unique grave, that of the agnostic Lady Ann Grimston. She is buried in a marble tomb, marked by a marble slab. Before she died, she said sarcastically to a friend, “I shall live again as surely as a tree will grow from my body.”
An unbeliever, Lady Ann Grimston did not believe that there was life after death. However, a tree did grow from her grave! A tiny seed took root, and as it grew, it cracked the marble and even tore the metal railing out of the ground! There is life and power in a seed, and there is life and power in the Word of God.
When God’s Word is planted and cultivated, it produces fruit. Faith, hope, and love are among the firstfruits in the spiritual harvest. These spiritual graces are among the evidences that a person has truly been born again (see Rom. 5:1–4; Eph. 1:13–15; 1 Thess. 1:3; Heb. 6:9–12; 1 Peter 1:3–9).
Faith comes through the hearing of God’s Word (Rom. 10:17). Our Christian lives start with saving faith; but this is only the beginning. We learn to walk by faith (2 Cor. 5:7) and work by faith (1 Thess. 1:3). It is faith that gives power to prayer (Luke 17:5–6). Faith is a shield that protects us from Satan’s fiery darts (Eph. 6:16).
Love is another evidence of true salvation, for the unsaved person is wrapped up mainly in himself (Eph. 2:1–3). The fact that these people loved all the saints was proof that God had changed them and given them eternal life. Christian love is not a shallow feeling that we manufacture; it is the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts (Rom. 5:5; Col. 1:8). It is worth noting that Colossians 1:8 is the only verse in the letter that mentions the Holy Spirit, and it is in connection with love.
This Spirit-given love was for “all the saints” (Col. 1:4) and not only for the people of their own fellowship. As Christians, we also need to realize the vastness of God’s love and share it with all the saints (Eph. 3:17–19). Believers should be “knit together in love” (Col. 2:2) so that there will be a true spiritual unity to the glory of God. The bond that unites us is love (Col. 3:14). Uniformity is the result of compulsion from the outside; unity is the result of compassion on the inside.
Hope is also a characteristic of the believer. Unsaved people are without hope because they are without God (Eph. 2:11–12). Those outside of Christ have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13). In the Bible, hope does not mean “hope so.” Our hope in Christ is as definite and assured as our faith in Christ. Because Christ is in us, we have the “hope of glory” (Col. 1:27).
The false teachers tried to unsettle the Colossian believers and move them away from the hope of the gospel (Col. 1:23). But Paul made it clear that this hope is “laid up” for believers in heaven (Col. 1:5). The word translated “laid up” carries the meaning of “to be reserved, to be set aside for someone.” It was used to refer to money laid up or hidden. The tense of the verb indicates that this hope has once and for all been reserved so that nothing can take it from us. Not only has this hope (our glorious inheritance in glory) been reserved for us, but we are being kept by God’s power so that we can be sure of enjoying heaven one day (1 Peter 1:1–5). We are being guarded for glory!
What is the relationship between faith, hope, and love? Certainly the more we love someone, the more we will trust him. We do not trust a casual acquaintance to the same degree that we trust a confidential friend. As we come to know God better, we trust Him more and we love Him more. Love and faith encourage each other.
But hope also has a valuable contribution to make. Wherever there is a relationship of faith and love, there will be a growing hope. When a man and woman fall in love and learn to trust each other in that love, their future always becomes brighter. In fact, Paul taught that hope is a motivating power for love and for faith: “the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven” (Col. 1:5 NIV).
The blessed hope of seeing Jesus Christ and going to heaven to be with Him is a powerful force in the Christian’s life. When we realize the joy we shall have in heaven, it makes us love Him more. The fact that we know we shall be with Him in glory encourages us to trust Him more. Even the problems and trials here on earth do not move us away from that hope.
I have noticed that the prospect of a future happiness has a way of making people love one another more. Have you ever watched children just before Christmas or a family vacation? The bright promise of heaven encourages our faith and expands our love. Then faith and love work together to make the present more enjoyable and the future more exciting.
Divisions and dissensions among Christians are tragic. I am not suggesting that we all get together in a “super church,” but I do feel that there could be more love and understanding among God’s people. The fact that we are going to be together in heaven ought to encourage us to love each other on earth. This is one reason why Christ has already given us His glory within. “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one” (John 17:22).
The hope of seeing Christ and going to heaven is not only a motivation for faith and love, but it is also a motivation for holy living. “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3). When I was a young Christian, an older friend warned me, “Don’t be caught doing anything that would embarrass you if Jesus returned!” That is a rather negative view of the promise of heaven, even though it does have some merit. In fact, John warned us that if we do not abide in Christ (keep in fellowship with Him in obedience), we may be ashamed when He returns (1 John 2:28).
But there is a positive side to this truth. We should keep our lives clean so that when Jesus Christ does return, nothing will cloud our first meeting with Him. We will enter into the joy and glory of His presence with confidence and love! Peter called this a “rich welcome” into the everlasting kingdom (2 Peter 1:11 NIV).
The hope of heaven is also an encouragement in times of suffering (1 Peter 1:4–9). As believers, we have our share of suffering, but in the midst of trials, we can rejoice “with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8). When unbelievers suffer, they get discouraged and they want to give up. But when Christians suffer, their faith can become stronger and their love can deepen because their hope shines brighter.
How do we know that we have this hope? The promise is given in “the word of the truth of the gospel” (Col. 1:5). We believers do not have to “work up” a good feeling of hope. God’s unchanging Word assures us that our hope is secure in Christ. In fact, this hope is compared to an anchor (Heb. 6:19) that can never break or drift.
No wonder Paul was thankful for the believers in Colossae! God had given Paul “special miracles” at Ephesus (Acts 19:11). But no miracle is greater than the salvation of the lost sinner. Through the faithful witness of Epaphras, God performed miracles of grace in Colossae.
Have you experienced the miracle of salvation?
If you have, then keep growing and being fruitful for the Lord. The same Word that gave you life when you trusted Christ will continue to nourish that life and make you a faithful, fruitful Christian.
Are there any “gospel miracles” of grace taking place where you live?
QUESTIONS FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION
OR GROUP DISCUSSION
1. What are you most thankful for today? Take some time right now to thank God for these things.
2. Read Colossians 1:3–8. For what was Paul thankful? Why?
3. What are the components of saving faith?
4. How did the Colossians demonstrate their faith in Christ?
5. How did Epaphras disciple the Colossians? Who has been an important spiritual encourager in your own life?
6. How can we fulfill these same discipleship functions today?
7. What kind of spiritual harvest did the Colossians produce, and what does each quality look like in real life?
8. How are faith, love, and hope related? How do these things work together in your own life?
9. What are some tangible ways we can express our gratitude to Christ? To others?