Colossians 4
4
1Employers, treat your workers with equality and justice as you know that you also have a Lord and Master in heaven who is watching you.
A Life of Prayer
2Be faithful to pray as intercessors who are fully alert and giving thanks to God. 3And please pray for me, that God will open a door of opportunity for us to preach the revelation of the mystery of Christ, for whose sake I am imprisoned. 4Pray that I would unfold and reveal fully this mystery, for that is my delightful assignment. # 4:4 Or “as I should.”
5Walk in the wisdom of God as you live before the unbelievers, # 4:5 The Aramaic could be translated “as you live in the wilderness.” and make it your duty # 4:5 The Aramaic can be translated “sell your last crust of bread,” which is a metaphor for making a full commitment (i.e., giving all you’ve got). to make him known. 6Let every word you speak be drenched with grace # 4:6 The Aramaic word could also be translated “compassion.” and tempered with truth and clarity. # 4:6 Literally “seasoned with salt.” This is an idiom that means “friendly, clear, and making people thirsty for truth.” For then you will be prepared to give a respectful answer to anyone who asks about your faith.
Paul’s Coworkers
7-8Tychicus will tell you about what is happening with me. I have sent him to you so that he could find out how you are doing in your journey of faith, # 4:7–8 Or “that I may know your affairs.” and bring comfort and encouragement to your hearts. For he is a beloved brother in Christ, a faithful servant of the gospel and my ministry partner in our Master Yahweh’s # 4:7–8 Again, the Aramaic title for Jesus is Lord (Master) Yahweh; this is the clearest title that could be stated to prove the deity of Jesus Christ. work.
9I have also sent Onesimus, # 4:9 This was the slave who ran away from his master, Philemon, who was a friend to the apostle Paul. See Philem. 10–12. who is from your city, # 4:9 Or “he is one of you.” and is also a beloved and faithful brother who will inform you of all that we’re enduring.
10-11Aristarchus, a fellow prisoner here with me, sends you his love. And Joshua (who is also called Justus) along with Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, also send you their loving greetings. You have already been informed that if Mark comes to you, receive him warmly. These three men are the only ones of the circumcision who have aided me here in the work of the kingdom of God, and they have been a great blessing to me.
12-13Epaphras, who is also from Colossae, sends his loving greetings. I can tell you that he is a true servant of Christ, who always labors and intercedes for you. His prayers are filled with requests to God that you would grow and mature, standing complete and perfect in the beauty of God’s plan for your lives. Epaphras has such great zeal and passion for you and for those who are from Laodicea and from Hierapolis.
14And Luke, the beloved physician, sends his warm greetings to you, and Demas also. 15Give my greetings to all the believers in Laodicea. And pray for dear Nymphas and the church that gathers in her # 4:15 There is some debate about the gender of Nymphas. It may be that many of those who translated this in the early church had difficulty with a church being led by a woman. There are some manuscripts in Greek that have “the church that meets in her house.” home.
16Once you’ve read this letter publicly to the church, please send it on to the church of the Laodiceans, # 4:16 As stated in the introduction to Ephesians, it is most likely that this missing letter to the Laodiceans is, in fact, the letter to the Ephesian church. However, the tradition of the Eastern Church is that the letter to the Laodiceans was actually 1 and 2 Thessalonians. and make sure you read the letter that I wrote to them. 17Be sure you give Archippus this message: “Be faithful to complete the ministry you received from our Lord Jesus!” # 4:17 It is believed that Archippus was a spiritual leader in the region of Colossae, perhaps the bishop of Laodicea; he is also mentioned in Philem. 2. We can only speculate why Paul wanted this exhortation to be made to him. Some believe he was a minister of Christ who was discouraged and needed to be exhorted to not abandon his calling.
18Now finally, I, Paul, write this with my own handwriting, and I send my loving greetings to you! Remember me in my imprisonment. May the blessings of God’s grace overwhelm you!
Love in Christ,
Paul
Currently Selected:
Colossians 4: TPT
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Passion Translation® is a registered trademark of Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
Copyright © 2020 Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
Learn More About The Passion Translation