Colossians: Closing Credits - May 24, 2026
Colossians Closing Credits
Happy Memorial Day weekend to everyone. We should always be thankful for those that have paid the ultimate cost with their lives as they protect our country. If that has been someone in your family, I want to say thank you and pray that you feel our gratitude and can feel some pride in what your loved one did.
If you’re new with us, we’ve been walking through Paul’s letter to the Colossian church as he encourages them to Discover their new life in Christ and to know that following him is all that they need to be right with God. Today, I will be closing out that series out this week as we look at Colossians 4:7-18. Next week, we will begin a series like we often do for the summer walking through the Psalms. Taking a look at beautiful songs of praise to God that are emotional and honest about the difficulties of life but also the immense goodness of God.
But for today we will see that Paul, as he does in essentially all of his letters, gives us a list of people who were vital to his ministry and to the church that he is encouraging. You can think of this passage as the closing credits to the book of Colossians.
For a long time, the end credits to a movie were just something that played while we gathered our things and walked out of the movie theater. But movies such as the Marvel cinematic universe changed that for a while when they started leaning into stingers or post-credit scenes. They would introduce what the next character or installment would be, so you began to feel like you needed to wait all the way to the end.
If you pay attention during the credits, you’re struck by the sheer number of people and organizations mentioned. Of course, you get the headliners like the main cast, director, and producer. But then you get to countless people like the Key grip, gaffer, sound mixers, drivers, assistants, caterers….etc. It takes tons of people, and most of those are people you have never heard of, to make a movie like that happen. Paul demonstrates to us here that that is how the church works as well. So, whether you are a long-time believer or a skeptic this morning, I hope to show you that there is a place and role for everyone in the church, not just pastors or people that seem to know everything. Today’s big idea is…
Big Idea: The extraordinary work of the church comes from ordinary people. If you feel like just a normal person, be encouraged that that is exactly who God accomplishes most of his work for his church through.
Paul is writing to a church in Colossae in the Lychus Valley of Turkey, then called Asia Minor. It is a church planted only 7-10 years before this letter that Paul has never visited. But he is writing to them to encourage them to avoid syncretism, the mixing of Jewish or Roman practices into the practice of the church. He’s been drilling down at the sufficiency of Jesus and his sacrificial life and death for their salvation and Christian living. We’re going to walk through some brief biographies of the people that he mentions here and then breakdown what they teach us about the nature of the Gospel and the Church.
7 Tychicus, our dearly loved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know how we are and so that he may encourage your hearts. 9 He is coming with Onesimus, a faithful and dearly loved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.
The Message Bearers, the ones sent by Paul
Tychicus is one of Paul’s most trusted and reliable members of his ministry team. Paul sends him all over the place. Here he is going from Rome to Turkey, he gets dispatched to Ephesus again during Paul’s second imprisonment that led to his execution, and Paul send him to Crete in the book of Titus to relieve Titus and let him come visit Paul. Tychicus is well traveled, he’s the guy you want when you’re on a trip abroad. And his primary role was as a messenger. On this trip he carried the letter to Colossae and the book of Philemon, and most likely the book of Ephesians that he dropped off with that church on the way to Colossae. Notice he is also tasked with speaking to the church directly about how Paul is doing and what is going on in Rome. He gives us a beautiful picture of how to use an ordinary skill (being reliable and being able to tell stories) for the great benefit of the church. No need to limit yourself to things that seem “churchy” to be of great use to the church.
Along with Tychicus is a man named Onesimus. His story is incredible. At one point Onesimus was a bond servant or slave (probably more like being a contracted employee) of Colossian church member named Philemon. He ran away and left Philemon, though. But sometime after that he met Paul and was led to Christ and is now described as a faithful and beloved brother in the church. Like I said, Philemon also received his personal letter from Paul encouraging him to accept Philemon back now as a brother in Christ. Both his news of Paul and his salvation are to be an encouragement to the church. Shows us that our past doesn’t need to be a source of shame when it is redeemed by the Gospel, it can help grow and encourage others in the church.
Transition: Those staying with Paul that send their own greetings and encouragement
10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you greetings, as does Mark, Barnabas’s cousin (concerning whom you have received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and so does Jesus who is called Justus. These alone of the circumcised are my coworkers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.
Paul starts with the Jewish Christians that are with him. This demonstrates that the church transcends the racial tensions that existed between Jews and Gentiles at the time. In fact it was a source of frustration and pain for Paul in his ministry that the Gospel of Jesus had become a stumbling block for many Jews. He writes about this a bunch in Romans. But here he shows that the Gospel can reach Jews despite this difficulty and that is a comfort to him, the labor is not in vain.
Aristarchus is another true ride or die for Paul. In Acts 19 he gets grabbed and beat up along with Paul when a religious riot breaks out in Ephesus. And we learn later in Acts 27 that he accompanies Paul during his arrest, beatings, and trip to Rome for trial, which means he was shipwrecked and almost died. The word Paul uses for him here most directly translates as prisoner or war. So whether he volunteered to accompany Paul during this arrest and imprisonment or was forced into, he was with him through thick and thin.
Mark is an interesting contrast with this. He starts out as something of an early church nepo-baby. His mother was very prominent member in the Jerusalem church and her home was used as one of their earliest meeting places (possibly even for the Last Supper) and he’s the cousin of Barnabas, the chief encourager of the early church and mentor to Paul himself. But in Acts 14-15 he accompanies Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey only to abandon them. Later Barnabas tries to bring him back for another mission trip and Paul refuses (Paul was hardcore and didn’t play around quitters). This leads Paul and Barnabas to split up over the dispute. But here we see that the two have been reconciled so that Mark is now part of Paul’s friends and ministry team. Mark would then go on to write his Gospel likely as a friend and scribe of Peter in Rome. More on him later.
We don’t know anything more about Justus other than he didn’t think going by Jesus was a good idea for him. But his inclusion encourages us that the goal isn’t to be known by all people but to be faithful enough to be known and commended by those you are around. If we all did that the church and the world would be greatly impacted.
Now we move to the Gentiles sending their greetings and prayers
12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. He is always wrestling for you in his prayers, so that you can stand mature and fully assured in everything God wills. 13 For I testify about him that he works hard for you, for those in Laodicea, and for those in Hierapolis. 14 Luke, the dearly loved physician, and Demas send you greetings.
We talked about Epaphras some in chapter 1. He is likely the church planter and early pastor of the Colossian church as well as the churches in neighboring Laodicea and Hierapolis. Paul writes this letter because Epaphras sought him out to tell him about the issues facing the church in Colossae. We see here that he is still tirelessly working for the church in prayer and discussions with Paul. The Greek word for wrestling here is where we get the word agony or agonize from and the word for “worked hard” is a unique word that refers to painful labor like war or extreme physical activity. He is living out what Paul just spoke about earlier in chapter 4 that we are to be devoted to prayer. I pray that we can find the same passion to be willing to agonize in prayer and do hard labor for the advance of the Gospel.
Luke is also with Paul here. It’s this passage that tells us that he was a physician. Luke traveled with Paul often (look for verses in Acts that use we and us) and wrote the Gospel of Luke and Acts for the sake of leading his friend Theophilus to faith and discipling him in it. Two of the largest New Testament books that have blessed the church came out of a really smart guy trying to evangelize his friend.
Then Demas here and in the book of Philemon gets a shoutout as a faithful friend of Paul, but sadly in 2 Timothy Paul tells us that he eventually abandoned Paul due to his “love for the world.” He’s a sobering reminder for us that we are always living in this tension of following our heavenly father while also being tempted by the comforts of the world.
Paul closes this out by giving some personal shout outs to those being faithful there in Colossae and the neighboring cities.
15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her home. 16 After this letter has been read at your gathering, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17 And tell Archippus, “Pay attention to the ministry you have received in the Lord, so that you can accomplish it.”
18 I, Paul, am writing this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
We see Paul encouraging cooperation between the churches in the neighboring cities and specifically encourages/challenges a couple specific people.
He mentions Nympha and thanks her for hosting the church in her home. Nympha follows the pattern of Lydia in the church at Philippi, Mark’s mother, and Priscilla the wife of Aquilla as women who used their gifts and resources to greatly bless and lead in the early church. These passages show us that while we hold to a complimentary view of the sexes, that God has given different roles and focuses for men and women in the church and home, this doesn’t diminish at all the role that faithful women serve in the church.
Last guy mentioned Archippus, and he gets a specific message “Pay attention and accomplish the ministry you have received.” Imagine his eyes getting really wide when this specific challenge was read out. He was likely a pastor that had taken on more leadership when Epaphras has left to get Paul’s counsel and he just needs a little nudge here. But recognize that the call to fulfill the ministry given to you by the Lord is a call to all of us as well. You don’t just get a ministry when you become a pastor or missionary. All saints in the church have a ministry. If it was your name here instead of Archippus, what ministry would come up in your mind and heart? Who is one more person in your family, neighborhood, job, or other connections that needs to be ministered to with the Gospel?
What a great picture of the church and how the Gospel is spread and deepened by it. Let’s summarize three truths that are clear from this list and from the of Colossians as a whole. We’ll look at the Joy of the Church, the Goal of the church, and the Miracle of the Church.
The Joy of the Church: Gospel Fellowship
Fellowship is all over this passage. Paul is surrounded by a team of people that help and comfort him. He sends people with the letter to love and encourage the Colossians. He gives them doctrine in the letter but also encouragement and love in the stories and news of Tychicus and Onesimus. The church is encouraged to bless and share letters with the church in Laodicea and Nympha is commended for opening up her home as a place where the people of the church can gather and have fellowship.
If you have ever felt flat or shallow in your faith, I would venture to say that in 99% of cases you can solve it by being in more fellowship with the church. Not to say that everything will be easier, people have problems and the closer you are to them the more likely you are to get a call when those problems start to hit the fan. But you also get to be one of the first calls when things are going great and need to be celebrated, and you’ll have more people to be around when your life feels like it’s falling apart.
I want to gently challenge you today, if you attend this church or watch us online. If you come here on Sunday mornings, but haven’t taken the step to serve on a team or be part of an MCG during the week, you are doing yourself and the church as a whole a disservice. It’s great if you have a relationship with a person or family here, but if you limit your fellowship to just those 1 or 2 groups, you are limiting your and our impact. Be all in, take the celebrations and tears that come with it, and you will find that God has so much more to show and teach you. And that will help you with the Goal of the church.
The Goal of the Church: Mature Disciples
We talked about the wrestling and painful labor of Epaphras on behalf of the Colossian church. Take a look back at verse 12 to see what all that labor was for.
12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. He is always wrestling for you in his prayers, so that you can stand mature and fully assured in everything God wills.
He isn’t praying that they will have an easier life or that they would be free from persecution (all good things to hope for, but not the goal) but that the church would stand mature and assured in their faith. That’s what they needed to be rooted and established in. That’s what they needed to get rid of these Roman religious practices for, that they would grow in maturity in their faith.
I know in our church we have people all over the spectrum of how life is going right now. Some people are doing really well, family is living faithfully, jobs are great, and God is blessing your finances in a great way. And I know that many feel exactly the opposite. Home life is more chaos than comfort, the job has gone away and it doesn’t look another one is on the horizon, and finances are constant stress you feel in your chest. God’s will for everyone in the church along that spectrum is that you would grow closer to Him.
I Thess. 4:3 3 For this is God’s will, your sanctification
Phil 1:6, 9 6 I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus… 9 And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment
Sometimes this maturity and sanctification looks like clinging to the Lord with all your might and leaning on and crying with the people of the church because everything else feels like it’s falling part. Afterward you get to look back and see how good God and his people can be at getting you through something that would have killed you on your own. And sometimes it looks like living a life of immense gratitude and generosity because you know only God could bring about such blessing. Either way we are called to mature in our faith and love of Christ through our time in the church.
The Miracle of the Church: Gospel Redemption
Onesimus and Mark both being in this list is so cool when it comes to Redemption. In Philemon, Paul encourages Philemon to accept Onesimus back to him as someone who was “formerly useless to you but now indeed useful to you and especially me.” That he was a bondservant but is now a beloved brother to both of them. Paul once regarded Mark as useless because he had abandoned him. But in 2 Timothy as Paul is in prison again and likely only days from death he says in 4:11 “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.”
The church is nothing more than a group of ordinary people that the Gospel has taken from useless to useful. People who are sinful and struggling but are redeemed by the sacrifice of Jesus and empowered to now be of use to encourage and grow each other and to make that good news known to people that do not yet follow Jesus.
If you are a skeptic, that can be your story as well. If you’re hearing this message, it is because God wants you to hear it and respond to it. There is nothing that you have done that cannot be redeemed in Christ. Paul himself was a murderer and persecutor of the church early in his life and referred to himself as the chief of sinners, he then became the greatest church planter and theologian the church has ever seen. You’re story can be similar today.
Big Idea: The extraordinary work of the church comes from ordinary people.