SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 6/20/2017
10:21 PM
My Worship Time Focus: Concluding
Remarks
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Colossians
4:15-18
Message of the
verses: “15 Greet the brethren who
are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house. 16 When
this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the
Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea.
17 Say to Archippus, "Take heed to the ministry which you have received in
the Lord, that you may fulfill it." 18 I, Paul, write this greeting with
my own hand. Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with you.”
John MacArthur writes “Paul closes by asking the
Colossians to ‘greet the brethren’ in nearby ‘Laodicea’ for him. The manuscripts vary between ‘Nympha’
(feminine) and Nymphas (masculine), and in the corresponding pronoun (‘her,’ or
‘his’). ‘The church that is in her house’
may have been the church at Laodicea, or that of Hierapolis, which would
otherwise go unnamed. ‘The church of
Laodiceans’ was to read the letter to the Colossians, and they were to read the
‘letter that is coming from Laodicea.’
There has been much debate over the identity of Laodicean letter. It has been variously identified as a letter
from the Laodiceans to Paul, a letter written by Paul from Laodicea, the
apocryphal Epistle to the Laodiceans, and a genuine letter of Paul to the
Laodiceans that is now lost. In all
likelihood, however, Paul here refers to the book of Ephesians. The oldest manuscripts of Ephesians do not
contain the words ‘in Ephesus’ in Ephesians 1:1, indicating that it was a
circular letter intended for several churches.
Tychicus probably delivered Ephesians to the Laodiceans, so Paul
commands the Colossians and Laodiceans to exchange letters.” I have to say that a few years ago when I was
thinking about studying the book of Ephesians and while listening to John
MacArthur’s sermons on that letter I heard him say the same thing about
Ephesians, in that it was probably a circuit letter that was to be passed
around to all the churches in that part of Asia Minor.
The man named “Archippus” is named here and also in the
letter to Philemon and he was commanded to “take heed” to his “ministry” that
he might fulfill that ministry.
It was Paul’s custom to use a “amanuensis” or recording secretary
who would write his letters and then at or near the end of his letter Paul
would write in his own handwriting so that the ones who got the letter knew
that it was Paul who wrote it. It seems
that Paul had troubles with his eyesight and therefore would make larger
letters which was his distinguishing way of writing.
MacArthur concludes his commentary with the following
paragraph “That sums up the message of Colossians: salvation is by grace through faith in the
all-sufficient Christ, not through human works advocated by false teachers.” 6/20/2017
10:42 PM
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