8 Oct. Colossians 4:7-18

8 Oct. Paul sends greetings from the believers in Rome 

"Tychicus is my dear brother in Christ and a faithful minister and servant with me in the Lord. He will tell you all the things that are happening to me. That is why I am sending him: so you may know how we are and he may encourage you."

"I send with him Onesimus, a faithful and dear brother in Christ, and one of your group. They will tell you all that has happened here."

"Aristarchus, a prisoner with me, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, greet you. (I have already told you what to do about Mark. If he comes, welcome him.) Jesus, who is called Justus, also greets you. These are the only Jewish believers who work with me for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me."

"Epaphras, a servant of Jesus Christ, from your group, also greets you. He always prays for you that you will grow to be spiritually mature and have everything God wants for you. I know he has worked hard for you and the people in Laodicea and in Hierapolis."

"Demas and our dear friend Luke, the doctor, greet you."

"Greet the brothers in Laodicea. And greet Nympha and the church that meets in her house."

"After this letter is read to you, be sure it is also read to the church in Laodicea. And you read the letter that I wrote to Laodicea. Tell Archipus, 'Be sure to finish the work the Lord gave you'."

"I, Paul, greet you and write this with my own hand. Remember me in prison [imprisoned under house arrest]. Grace be with you."

          (Colossians 4:7-18)

 

 

Paul ends his letter by commending Tychicus who is bringing this letter to Colossae.

Paul is also sending Onesimus, about whom we will learn more shortly when we look at Paul's Letter to Philemon. Onesimus is a Christian slave from Colossae who has been helping Paul in Rome, and on whose behalf Paul has written a personal letter to Philemon, another member of the church in Colossae (see Philemon 1:10).

Paul then sends greetings from three fellow Jewish believers: Aristarchus (who is also under house arrest with Paul in Rome), Joshua Justus, and John Mark, the nephew of Barnabas (who wrote Mark’s Gospel – see Acts 12:12, 25, 13:5,13).

He also sends good wishes from three of the Gentile believers: Epaphras (who established the churches in Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis), Luke (the author of Luke’s Gospel who accompanied Paul during the later stages of his third missionary journey and on his voyage to Rome (see Acts 20:6 & 27:1), and Demas.

Paul's letter records that Mark (the author of Mark's Gospel) and Luke (the author of Luke's Gospel) were both with Paul in Rome at the same time (in c.61AD), so it is hardly surprising that the accounts of Jesus's life found in the two gospels are very similar as they must have discussed these events before writing about them.

Paul sends greetings to the believers in Laodicea and to those meeting in Nympha’s house. He asks them to read this letter to the believers at Laodicea, and to read for themselves the letter he has sent to the church at Laodicea. (This refers either to a letter written by Paul that has not survived or to the letter that we now call the Letter to the Ephesians). They are to encourage Archippus in the missionary task he has been given (see Philemon 1:2).

Paul then ends the letter with a personal greeting: “I, Paul, greet you and write this with my own hand. Remember me in prison [i.e. imprisoned under house arrest awaiting trial before Emperor Nero]. Grace be with you” (Colossians 4:18).

The photo shows the excavated remains of the main street in Roman Laodicea, close to Colossae and Hierapolis.

You can read the whole of Paul's Letter to the Colossians starting @ https://www.thebiblejourney.org/…/15-pauls-letter-to-ephesu…

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