Letter to the Colossian Church- 16
Pastor Marty Monday, November 17, 2025 at 8:14PM Subtitle: Partners in Ministry II
Colossians 4:12-18. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, November 9, 2025.
Today, we will finish this letter. Paul continues listing various ones who are with him and send their greetings to the church in Colossae.
Let’s look at our passage.
Epaphras (v. 12-13)
Paul recognizes that Epaphras is one of their number. This is a way of saying that he is a believer from the church in Colossae. In fact, we should remind ourselves of Colossians 1:7. There we are told that Epaphras is the one who brought the Gospel to Colossae. Apparently, he became a believer in Messiah Jesus while away, and then he went back to his hometown to share the Gospel with them.
Paul refers to Epaphras as a slave of Jesus Christ. Epaphras was technically a freeman, but he lived his life like Paul, as a slave to the will and purpose of Jesus Christ.
It may be more powerful for a free person speaks of themselves as being a slave of Christ. However, even slaves could embrace being a slave of Christ. Though an earthly master may have claim over their body, the Lord Jesus has claim over our body and soul.
As Americans, we are all about our freedoms and rights. There is a place for that, but we are not to use our freedom as a license for sin (Jude 1:4). Which is more important, the freedom to do whatever you want, or being free from the things you have done and their consequences? You can’t have both. There is not one of us who does not have stupid and even sinful choices in our past. We are accountable to God, and yet, He is gracious.
Epaphras serves Christ. What a world this would be if more people would choose to be slaves of Christ.
Paul describes him as always laboring earnestly for the Colossian church in prayer. The word for laboring earnestly comes from a root that refers to agony. It pictures someone in a wrestling match exerting power to the extent of pain. Anyone who has had children can identify with this image. Epaphras had an intense concern for them and labored for them in prayer. In light of chapter two of this letter, we can imagine it had to do with a prayer that they would not be deceived by charlatans.
Next, we have some of the general goals of his prayers. First, he prays that they would stand. This idea of being set, or fixed, in a place is a reference to their salvation and being set within Christ. Yet, closely attendant to this desire are the descriptors, complete and fully assured. It is not enough to join the people of God. There is a lifetime of tests and trials ahead of us. One of the ways that the enemy pulls us out of Christ is by tempting us with something we are missing (see Genesis 3). Paul has made the point in this letter that we have everything we need in Christ. When spiritual scammers come calling, we need to be careful that we are not hungry for something else. Thus, we need to be fully assured that we have all that we need in Christ. This only comes through prayerful relationship with Jesus as we read the Word of God and face life in its light.
He adds the phrase, “in all the will of God.” The Scriptures lay out all of God’s will for us. Of course, the Holy Spirit may lead you in specifics, but they will always be within the general will of God laid out for all the saints.
In verse 13, Paul reiterates the deep concern that Epaphras has for them. This word is different but also has a root that means pain. Notice that Paul also mentions the towns of Laodicea and Hierapolis. Laodicea was west of Colossae about 12 miles. Hierapolis was north of Laodicea about 5 miles. It may be that Epaphras had a role in the Gospel going to those towns as well.
Luke & Demas (v. 14)
This is the same Luke that accompanied Paul on many of his journeys. Just as he is footing the bill for his house-prison so he would be footing the bill for any medical assistance. From his letters, we see that Paul had issues with maladies on the road. Luke seems to have sensed the call of the Holy Spirit to assist Paul with his medical expertise. Of course, he is filled with the Holy Spirit and a capable minister as well.
Luke describes himself as being with Paul during the voyage to Rome under arrest. It is most likely that he too is a prisoner with Paul. Or at least, he has been allowed to accompany Paul due to frequent issues.
Paul shortly mentions a man named Demas who sends his greetings along with Luke’s. Demas is also mentioned in the letter to Philemon in a similar fashion. There is one other place where Demas is mentioned and that is 2 Timothy 4:10.
Paul tells Timothy that Demas had left him and gone to Thessalonica. Of course, the ability of people to help out in ministry can have its own seasons. However, it is the phrase that follows that tells a tragic story. Demas left Paul “having loved this present world.” It is not clear if Demas has left the faith. Yet, it is clear that Paul is describing his leaving as a spiritual problem.
Of course, ask yourself this. How long would you be able to hang in with Paul before you were ready to hang in the towel? Demas is doing more than going back home to minister there. His heart is longing for the things of this present world, and it is drawing him away from ministry. Perhaps, he feared never having this or missing out on that. There is nothing wrong with having things in this life. God made them all to be enjoyed with thanksgiving, but the desire for the things of this world must never come between us and our Lord. You cannot lean upon the things of this world. God’s work in you is not dependent upon these things either. It is not built on finances, wealth, family, connections etc. Rather, it is built upon Christ who is our everything.
Did Demas apostatize, leave the faith? We simply do not know the rest of the story. Let his brief mention be a cautionary tale.
Nympha or Nymphas (v. 15)
Paul now switches to specific people on their end that he wants to greet. At this point, we have a textual issue about whether Paul is addressing a woman or a man. Your version of the Bible will be very clear on its translation either way, but there are some issues. Let’s look at them.
First, the Greeks would change the ending of a name depending on how it was being used in the sentence. We do not do this in English. How is this a problem? The name has a clear male form, Nymphas, and a clear female form, Nympha. However, this name is not the subject of the sentence but the object. Paul says, “[implied subject “you”] Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha/Nymphas [one of the objects of the verb “greet”]. Because it is an object, the ending is changed to “Nymphan” in order to make clear how it is functioning in the sentence. The problem is that both Nympha (f) and Nymphas (m) have the same form when used as an object. So, the name cannot tell us whether this is a male or female.
This then brings us to the recognition that a pronoun is used following the name, “and the church that is in [is it “her” or is it “his”] house. Normally, the pronoun would have made it clear. However, there are some manuscripts that have “her” and some that have “his.”
The manuscripts that have “her” tend to be older manuscripts. However, there are far fewer of them than those that say “his.” The challenge is to determine which manuscripts are more reliable, the ones that are older or the ones that are more numerous.
There is another issue. If this represents a change- perhaps thinking it is in error for some reason, we have to ask which change makes the most sense. Does it make more sense that the pronoun was originally “his” and was changed to “her?” Or does it make more sense that the pronoun was originally “her” and was changed to “his?” Many believe that it is unthinkable that someone would have changed “his” to “her” and believe that it must be the other way around, “her” was changed to “his.”
This represents the difficult world of determining what the original letter said. The evidence appears to lean towards “her,” but not heavily so. There is still doubt. Some of the case for “her” is speculation, even though that speculation may make the most sense. The problem is this. We do not know what we do not know.
I take time to go through this so we can see that this debate is not about liberals trying to change the Word of God versus conservatives trying to protect it. This verse has become one of the go-to passages for those who promote women fulfilling ministry roles in the church. However, those who reject women in ministry offices will also reject the “her” translation.
Notice that this is a house church within the Laodicean community. It was very common for churches to meet in someone’s house. In fact, a city could have multiple house churches depending on the size of the Christian community there. Nympha/s is clearly a leader in that church.
I believe that this verse is an important part of the debate, but we should not lean upon it too heavily. Time may bring forth more manuscripts and older ones that will push the needle of certainty one way or the other. We need to hold this lightly.
Yet, on the matter of women in ministry roles, the New Testament is far from putting women down and keeping them out of ministry. We have mentioned Priscilla and Aquila in the past. However, the Gospel is not pushing for women to take over ministry either. We should stop listening to the world and our society, and we should not let the traditions of men get in the way of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.
Have you ever been in a church where there was a woman who was powerfully used by the Holy Spirit and the people of the church looked up to her as a leader? If you haven’t, it is not as rare as you think.
Pentecostal churches had to come to grips with the fact that some women who were filled with the Holy Spirit were used powerfully in ministry. Many churches were founded by women, whether through preaching or starting Sunday School classes. Women were powerfully called and used on the mission field. If you have a default setting that says God cannot use women in that way, then you will miss out on some of what the Holy Spirit is doing. Yet, we are not to make the mistake of trying to make women leadership happen, as if there must be a 50/50 representation. This is how the world thinks. In Christ, we are more concerned with what he thinks.
In 1 Corinthians 4:19, Paul references some teachers who were causing problems in the church. He says that he will “find out, not the words of those who are arrogant but their power.” The true measure of the teacher is the presence of the Holy Spirit, not the outward presentation, whether words or gender. The Church needs the power of the Holy Spirit in this hour more than it needs gender equity or patriarchal headship. It also needs humility in the face of the hurts of people and the will of a holy God.
Paul’s final words (v. 16-18)
In verse 16, Paul refers to a letter that he has sent to the church in Laodicea. This letter was most likely delivered by Tychicus and Onesimus on their way to Colossae. It became common for churches who received letters from apostles to retain them and share them with others in their locality. These would then be copied so that churches could have their own copy for reference. This is how the New Testament took form. Local and regional communities could vouch that these letters were authentically from one of the Apostles. This can help us understand how churches quickly recognized false writings that would surface purporting to be from one of the apostles, particularly after the period in which they lived. They could look to the style, the things taught, and whether it had a verifiable history of being written to a church or individual.
Paul also singles out a minister named Archippus. He tells him to “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.” Take heed is an exhortation to watch and to focus upon a duty. Archippus is also mentioned in the letter to Philemon so he may have bee a part of the church that met in Philemon’s home. Paul refers to him as a fellow-soldier in Philemon 1:2.
Either Paul has reason to think that Archippus may be growing weary in ministry, or he may be simply encouraging him to fulfill the ministry in the sense of finishing well. Both issues are important for our attention. Doing our duty in ministry and in life is important. Of course, if you fail, God will not fail the people in the church. Yet, you will be accountable to him. Similarly, we all need encouragement in life to “run through the tape,” as runners are told. The weariness of the race creates an instinctual letting up as you approach the end. We can also recognize that the ups and downs of ministry itself can create times of growing lax and losing our edge in ministry. We all need encouragement to pay attention to the ministry that God has given us in the midst of the spiritual battle of life and ministry.
Paul tells them to remember his bonds. I don’t get the feeling that he is fishing for pity. Rather, Paul wants them to know that just as he was greatly empowered by the Holy Spirit and yet had great tribulation, so they could expect difficulties as well. These are not signs that we are on the wrong path. Rather, they are part of what it takes to follow Jesus who also suffered great persecution, even execution. In all of these things, Paul has testified that Christ is worthy of any sacrifice. He wasn’t in Rome without having chosen a path of suffering. He wasn’t regretting his stand upon Christ, and neither should they.
He ends with the common sign-off, grace be with you!
As we finish, I want to encourage us with a summary of the letter to the Colossians. I like to memorize at least one thing that is important about each chapter.
In chapter one, we are given a powerful Hymn to the Son of God’s Love. It is an anthem regarding Jesus, the Exalted Messiah.
In chapter two, we have the influencers who were trying to pull the Colossians away from Jesus. These were Jews who tried to make Gentiles follow the Laws of Moses, and Gentiles who tried to pull them into philosophies and mystical polytheism. Paul then follows this up with a powerful tribute to the victory of Jesus over every spiritual power and the completeness of our salvation in him!
Chapter three calls us to do everything we do in the name of the Lord Jesus. This leads to a series of exhortations that seek to recreate the relationships of the Christian home. Husbands, wives, children, parents, slaves and masters, are all to use their position for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel. Jesus is the Lord of all our relationships.
This last chapter reminds us to walk in wisdom towards the outsiders, those who do not know Jesus. It ends by honoring the relationships that had been formed among those who were working together for the ministry of Jesus.
I pray that this study has encouraged you to put your trust fully in Jesus the Messiah!