“Aristarchus, who is in prison with me, sends you his greetings, and so does Mark, Barnabas’s cousin. As you were instructed before, make Mark welcome if he comes your way. Jesus (the one we call Justus) also sends his greetings. These are the only Jewish believers among my co-workers; they are working with me here for the Kingdom of God. And what a comfort they have been! Epaphras, a member of your own fellowship and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. He always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident that you are following the whole will of God. I can assure you that he prays hard for you and also for the believers in Laodicea and Hierapolis. Luke, the beloved doctor, sends his greetings, and so does Demas. Please give my greetings to our brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church that meets in her house. After you have read this letter, pass it on to the church at Laodicea so they can read it, too. And you should read the letter I wrote to them. And say to Archippus, “Be sure to carry out the ministry the Lord gave you.” Here is my greeting in my own handwriting—Paul. Remember my chains. May God’s grace be with you.”
Colossians 4:10-18 NLT
Paul concludes his letter by taking it out of the realm of the grand scale ethereal, to the realm of the detailed and intimate. This is a picture of the breadth of our Christian experience. Yes, Christ is visible image of the invisible God who is first in all of creation and preeminently universal in scope. He is also the God of a few people living in a big city in Colossi during the first century. Their actions are not insignificant. Peter may note that Paul’s writings are to be taken as scripture, but Paul notes that the prayers of your local fellowship member, like Epaphras, were an encouragement to him and should be to others. Paul made it a point to know the details of the ministry and he made it a point for others to know the details as well. This is a stark contrast to the closeted work of ministry in the west in the present day. Ministry has become about managing the secret details and providing a buffer for intimacy. We should learn from Paul’s example of an open ministry. In this type of ministry, people’s seemingly mundane and insignificant acts of true service become rightfully elevated to important efforts in advancing the kingdom of Christ. In this way, the image of God is better fulfilled and love for God, self and others only grows.
JOSH McGARY. COM 