Tag: history

COLOSSIANS #38: JUNK TIME?

On By Pastor TomIn Bible, Colossians, Podcast, Religion, Sermon, UncategorizedLeave a comment
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If we move over them quickly, many of the verses like these today seem to be “junk verses,” or “junk time.” They contain greetings and suggestions for people who have been dead for many centuries. What is the point of having them in the Bible? But when we listen to the Holy Spirit, even such verses as these can be used to encourage us, and strengthen our faith.

To listen to the sermon, click the play button: To download, right click on the link (or do whatever you do on a Mac) and save it to your computer: Download Colossians Part 38

COLOSSIANS #38  COLOSSIANS 4:7-18

We have come to the end of the book of Colossians. Paul closes this letter, as he does many of his other letters, with greetings from specific people, to specific people. He also adds a few personal instructions.

7 Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, 9 and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.
10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14 Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. 16 And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17 And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”
18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. (Colossians 4:7-18, ESV)

I like to watch American Football, both college and the NFL. Sometimes, one team completely dominates in a game, so much so, that the outcome of the game is already decided several minutes before it technically ends. The losing team may score, and other types of things might happen, but it won’t change who wins or loses. Football people sometimes call those meaningless minutes “junk time.”

It might be easy to think of our verses today as “junk time,” (or maybe, “junk text”). There are greetings passed back and forth among people who have been dead for almost two thousand years. Many of the New Testament letters include these sorts of things.  There’s another “junk time” text at the end of 2 Timothy, where Paul tells Timothy to travel and join him, and when he does, to bring the cloak he left behind, and also some scrolls and parchments:

9 Do your best to come to me soon. 10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 12 Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. (2 Timothy 4:9-13, ESV)

At first, those sorts of verses seem a bit difficult to apply to our lives in the 21st Century. What do we do with “bring my cloak?” And yet, I think that the Holy Spirit wants to speak to us even through such texts as these today.

One thing we can get out of these verses is that the New Testament is exactly what it appears to be, and it is historically valid. The things we read about in “junk time” ring true for people who lived in the First Century Greco-Roman world. Think about Paul’s concern for scrolls, and a cloak. This is exactly the sort of thing real people at that time in history would have been concerned about – books and scrolls were not mass produced, nor was clothing. They would have been valuable, and hard to replace. These “junk time” verses show us that the books of the New Testament are clearly not made-up stories, but rather, real letters, written by real people to real people in a real time and place. We can also be encouraged (or warned) by learning about some of the people mentioned in our text today.

Let me start with the very end, where Paul says: “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.” Paul typically used an amanuensis (like a secretary) to write his letters. He would dictate, and the secretary would write down his words as a rough draft in wax (because paper and ink were expensive). The two of them would discuss the text, and when they had it the way they wanted, the secretary would carefully copy it down on paper/parchment and ink. At the end of several of his letters, Paul personally signed his own name in ink. That’s the meaning of “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand.” In the original letter, you would have seen a difference in the handwriting. “Remember my chains” is about the fact that Paul was a prisoner at the time, chained to a guard during the daytime, and in a house at night. He is reminding them that he so thoroughly believes in Jesus that he is willing to be a prisoner, and even, perhaps, to be executed, for his faith. He wants them to be strengthened and encouraged by his example, and he also wants their prayers for his situation.

Next, let’s consider some of the people involved in this “junk time.”

TYCHICUS

A trusted traveling companion of Paul, mentioned a few times in the book of Acts. He was from the province of Asia. Paul wrote the letters to the Ephesians, the Colossians, and to Philemon all at the same time, and Tychicus was entrusted with task of delivering each one of them. If he hadn’t done his job as a messenger, we would not have those parts of the Bible today. It is also possible that Tychicus was the “secretary” to whom Paul dictated the three letters I just mentioned. If so, he would have been the one to write down the words. Tychicus shows us that even mundane jobs like “secretary” or “delivery person” can be very valuable and important.

ONESIMUS

A slave from Colossae. Though slaves were in a much better position in the ancient world than in ante-bellum America, a slave was not free to leave without permission from his master. Much like someone in the Army going AWOL, a slave leaving without permission was a big deal. Unfortunately, Onesimus went AWOL. He ended up with Paul in Rome, where he became a Christian. Since his master, Philemon, was also a Christian in the city of Colossae, Paul sent Onesimus back, along with the letter to Philemon, which instructs Philemon to remember that Onesimus’ new status as a brother Christian cancels out his status of slave. Philemon was one of the parts of the Bible used by abolitionists to bring about the end of slavery. Onesimus, by prompting Paul’s letter to his master Philemon, helped bring about the eventual downfall of worldwide slavery.

ARISTARCHUS

Another of Paul’s traveling companions and fellow-ministers. He was from Macedonia (Possibly Philippi, Berea, or Thessalonica). He was among those who suffered at the hands of a mob in Ephesus. He is mentioned several times in Acts, and in Paul’s letters. We don’t know exactly what he did, but he encouraged and assisted the work of the Lord through Paul.

MARK

Mark (John-Mark), the cousin of Barnabas, has one of the great redemptions stories of the Bible. He started out with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, and then chickened out, and deserted them to go back home. Later, Paul and Barnabas quarreled about it, because Paul judged Mark to be weak and useless, but Barnabas wanted to give him another chance. It turned out Barnabas was right. Mark repented, learned from his mistakes, and matured in faith. Now, several years later, Paul says that Mark has been a comfort to him. Even later (about 3 years after Colossians), in 2 Timothy, Paul asks Timothy to send Mark to him as soon as possible, because he feels he can rely on him. So he went from being a burden to Paul to becoming one of Paul’s most trusted companions. Finally, Mark is also the same man who wrote “the gospel of Mark.”

JESUS/JUSTUS

Though there are several people with the name “Justus” in the New Testament, this appears to be someone in Rome, and not one of the others of the same name elsewhere.

EPAPHRAS

Apparently from Colossae. He was probably the person who brought the gospel of Jesus to the Colossians. After doing so, these verses tell us that he continued to pray for them diligently, and to represent the Colossians in the ongoing work of God with Paul in Rome.

LUKE

Luke is the author of the gospel of Luke, and the book of Acts. He was also a doctor, and a frequent companion of Paul.

DEMAS

Probably from Thessalonica, a traveling companion of Paul. A few years after the writing of Colossians, he deserted Paul, seduced away by loving the things of the world more than Jesus. Perhaps, however, like Mark, he too, may have ended up as a redemption story, though we don’t know that.

ARCHIPPUS

We only know his name because it is mentioned here, and in the letter to Philemon. He was apparently married to a Christian woman named Apphia. Together, they hosted one of the Colossian house-churches in their home. Apparently, from this brief text, he was called to some sort of ministry. Even this brief statement that he should fulfill the ministry given to him might apply today to someone else who reads this text. Perhaps the Lord is calling you to do something more, (or different) than you are yet doing. See to it that you fulfill his calling!

NYMPHA

Hostess of a house church. Possibly there were only two or three house-churches in Colossae at the time, and Paul’s letter was sent to the group at Apphia & Aristarchus’ house, so he also greets the church at Nympha’s home.

CHURCH AT LAODICEA

Apparently there was another letter from Paul, written to the church at Laodicea. It was lost very early on, and only this mention of it remains. That gives me a great deal of confidence in the New Testament. Paul was not infallible. The Holy Spirit is the ultimate author of the scriptures. I assume that there were things in the letter to the Laodiceans that ought not to be in the Bible, so the Holy Spirit allowed it to be lost. It appears that Paul also wrote two additional letters to the Corinthians which have been lost, as well.

Another one of the companions of Paul who is mentioned in the book of Romans “junk time” section is Clement. Clement also wrote his own letter to the Corinthians. Though Clement’s letter has been preserved, it has never (even since the earliest days of the church) been considered to be part of inspired scripture. Clement wrote many good things. He also wrote some things that we know are wrong. For instance, he wrote about the legend of the phoenix, which he apparently believed to be true, which today we know to be false.

I find it very helpful to see that even though one of Paul’s companions (Clement) held this belief which has been proven false, no such misplaced belief or false legend ever made it into the pages of the New Testament. Perhaps in his letter to the Laodiceans, Paul also wrote about the Phoenix. But the Holy Spirit made sure no such thing entered the Bible. So, even the mention of a lost letter can be used to encourage us and strengthen our faith.

Also, we can see how the New Testament was preserved and spread throughout all Christian communities. Paul tells them to pass the letter on to Laodicea. No doubt, they would have copied the original “letter to the Colossians” and sent that copy to Laodicea. Probably they sent a copy to Ephesus as well, and received from Ephesus a copy of the letter to the Ephesians. Apparently, churches all over began to do this while the apostles were still alive: copying their writings and teachings, and sharing them with other churches. In some of the other ancient documents, like letters between early church leaders, the people who copied them wrote down the history of the document. For instance, the Apostle John trained a leader named Polycarp. Polycarp trained Irenaeus, who wrote down an account of how Polycarp was martyred (that is, murdered for being a Christian). At the end of that written account, we find this in the ancient text:

These things Caius transcribed from the copy of Irenaeus (who was a disciple of Polycarp), having himself been intimate with Irenaeus.

And I Socrates transcribed them at Corinth from the copy of Caius. Grace be with you all.

And I again, Pionius, wrote them from the previously written copy…

So we see that that they were first written down by Irenaeus, then copied by a Christian named Caius. Next, a Christian named Socrates (not the famous philosopher) copied the text that was transcribed by Caius. Then Pionius copied out what Socrates had passed own.

This sort of the thing was also down with the things written by the apostles, but even more frequently, which is why we have almost six-thousand ancient copies of New Testament writings.

Suddenly “junk time” turns out to be a treasure trove. We have an example (as a warning) of one person was faithful and then turned away (Demas). We have another example (as an gracious encouragement) of a believer who failed, and then repented, and was used by God to do wonderful things (Mark). We have others who started faithful, and remained so (Aristarchus, Timothy, Luke and several others). Luke & Mark were used by God as writers. Tychicus was used by the Lord as a secretary, and a specialist in travel and delivery. Epaphras came to Jesus, and then went home and told others about him. Onesimus made a big mistake. But God called him to Himself, and then used his mistake to ultimately dismantle slavery.  Archippus & Apphia, as well as Nympha, allowed their homes to be used for church. We have believers who are encouraged to step deeper into the calling that God has for them (Archippus). Even the mention of a lost letter can encourage us to trust the writings that were never lost, and reminds us how the New Testament was passed on to us by faithful Christians making copies of the writings of the apostles.

Once again we are reassured that all scripture is inspired by God, and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and equipping us for service to Jesus and love for one another (2 Timothy 3:17). Every bit of the Bible is written to teach us, so that through endurance and through the encouragement of  the scriptures, we will have hope (Romans 15:4)

  • What did you find most surprising in these “junk verses?”
  • Of all the people mentioned, who do you identify with the most?
  • Whose “back-story” gives you the most encouragement?
  • What is the Lord saying to you through these verse today?

THE SHOCK-WAVES OF A SINGLE CHILD

On By Pastor TomIn Bible, Bible Teaching, Christmas, Churches in Lebanon, Jesus, Podcast, Religion, Sermon, UncategorizedLeave a comment

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If God really came into the world, we would expect that to create some changes. The event would reverberate through history. In fact, that is exactly what we find.

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CHRISTMAS 2019: THE SHOCK-WAVES OF A SINGLE CHILD

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).

24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-25, ESV)

The central claim of Christmas is that at a certain point in time, at a certain place in history, God himself came to earth as a baby. Matthew said that this God-child will be called Immanuel, which means: God with us. It is a stunning claim; if it is true, there are huge implications for every area of existence. Think about it this way: if God came to earth, it would be like dropping a boulder into a still, calm pond. The ripples would go out in every direction and disturb and change the surface of the pond. If God came to earth, it would change everything, and the changes would continue to be felt, long after the event.

So, what do we find? The God-child went around with the name Jesus. Jesus grew into a man who gathered followers, and he taught them God’s truth. Part of the truth that he taught them was about his own identity as God-in-the-flesh. Part of his mission was not just teaching, but also to die on our behalf, and he fulfilled that mission. What effect did all this have on the course of human history? Can we see any ripples in the course of human history?

I’m going to start with something that is frivolous, but actually somewhat remarkable, if you think about it. It is now roughly 2,000 years since Jesus was born. Even today, even in 2019, when we enter the season of remembering the birth of Jesus, millions of people behave better than at other times of the year. Throughout late November and December, people in the Western world are typically much more generous to each other, and to those less fortunate. We do little favors for strangers. We feed the poor. We give to charities. We overlook little offenses because we are influenced by the “season.” I think that the power of that original event can still be scene in how millions of people are a little bit more kind, caring and loving when we remember the birth of Jesus. That little child entered the world twenty centuries ago, and we still feel the shock-waves of it at the end of every year.

There are bigger things, also. One of the central truths that Jesus imparted to his followers was that all human beings are equal in value. Nowadays, we in the Western world take this for granted. But in the history of human cultures, this is a unique idea that came from one source: the teachings of Jesus Christ. Before Jesus, people in every culture, all over the world, took it for granted that human beings were NOT equal. Generally speaking, women were considered second-class. Noblemen were more valuable than peasants. Slaves existed to serve their betters. Adults were better than children. No one questioned this view of the world.

In recent years, as our culture has grown less Christian, some academics have tried to suggest that modern democracy arose only from ancient Greece, and Rome. They don’t want to credit Christianity with anything positive. It is true that the creators of modern democracy found inspiration in some of the writings of those ancients. But even the most enlightened of the ancient Greeks and Romans approved of killing unwanted babies (especially girls); of pederasty (that is men, sexually abusing boys); of slavery; and of the second-class status of peasants and women. They believed in a ruling class that was intrinsically better than anyone else. If there was a country today that practiced democracy in the same way as ancient Athens, that country would be condemned by the Western world for abuse of human rights.

No, the idea that all human beings are equally valuable came from Jesus Christ alone. That one idea has created innumerable ripples throughout human history. The teachings of Jesus on this issue elevated the status of women. His teachings are the source of the idea that children are precious and should be protected.

During the 1700s in the American colonies a revival of Christianity occurred. This was known as the first Great Awakening. It was the power of Christianity, bolstered by the first Great Awakening, that led the founding fathers to create modern democracy. Author Dinesh D’Souza writes:

The first great awakening, a Christian revival that swept the country in the mid eighteenth century, created the moral foundation of the American revolution.

…Historian Paul Johnson writes that the American revolution is “inconceivable… Without this religious background.”

Even before the Great Awakening, the political philosophers who inspired the American revolution (people like John Locke) were applying their devout Christian faith to political systems. The very idea of limited government, with rights to individual people, is a result of the teaching of Jesus. To put it simply: one of the ripples of the Christ-child is modern democracy. Millions of people live in freedom today because of that child born in Bethlehem.

In 1785, a British politician became a true follower of Jesus. The influence of Jesus on his life led him to believe that slavery was morally wrong, because, in the sight of God, all people are equally valuable. The name of the politician was William Wilberforce, and his Christian faith led him and sustained him as he created a movement that ended slavery in the British empire.

The abolition of slavery in the United States was largely a result of the second Great Awakening. Again, D’Souza writes:

The second Great Awakening, which started in the early nineteenth century and coursed through new England and New York and then through the interior of the country, left in its wake the temperance movement, the movement for women’s suffrage, and most important, the abolitionist movement.

Another one of the great ripples of this child coming to earth, was literal freedom for slaves. Slaves were freed only in countries where there was a significant Christian presence. Elsewhere in the world, slavery was ended only when Christian nations used their power and wealth to pressure other nations into freeing slaves.

Before Jesus, the Greeks and Romans had a few small facilities to take care of wounded soldiers. However, nothing like hospitals existed anywhere in the world. It was people who were trying to apply the teachings of Jesus who created the first hospitals; hospitals that were open for anyone in need. Even today, there are hospitals that exist for profit, and those that are run as charities (that is, they are not trying to make a profit, but rather simply to serve the community). Christian charitable hospitals outnumber all other charitable hospitals by a crushing majority. The compassion to help the sick, merely for the sake of helping them, is just one more ripple of this God-child.

In fact, there are so many significant ripples, that there really is not time to tell about all of them, nor to go into how they all came about. Universities would not be in this world if it were not for this God-child. Modern science would not have been possible without him. The whole idea of nuclear family, which is the only solid building block for stable, free societies, arose from this God-child. Our economic system, which recognizes human selfishness and manipulates it for human good, and has led to best standard of living the world has ever known, was made possible only by a Christian view of the world, which was only possible because of the child in the stable. Without that child, most of us would not be able to afford the presents under the tree.

Many of us don’t know a lot about history, or about other cultures. We may not have realized just how brutal and unfair life was before Jesus Christ came into the world. But his entry into history has profoundly changed the entire course of human culture. That is what we would expect to find if the claim is true.

Part of the power of this Child is that he not only entered history: he also enters the hearts and lives of all who will receive him. Just as his entry into the world caused profound changes, so also, his entry into our lives, personally, creates deep changes in us. When we invite him in, he brings love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. He changes our eternal future. He brings internal freedom, and wisdom, and compassion for others.

My prayer for you this Christmas is that he will indeed enter your hearts, and that you will continually receive, and rejoice in, the power of God with us. If you allow him to, you will find that it is the best Christmas present you have ever received.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!