Sunday's Message - Rooted in Witness (Colossians 4:2-18)

In the series, Rooted in Christ: A Journey through Colossians, we're journeying through Paul's letter to the Colossians, discovering how to plant our lives firmly in Christ—the one who holds all things together. In seven services, we’ll explore how we might become rooted in his grace and love as we live our lives. We’ll cover the following:

• Rooted in Prayer (Colossians 1:1-14) - June 15
• Rooted in Peace (Colossians 1:15-23) - June 22
• Rooted in Service (Colossians 1:24–2:5) - July 6
• Rooted in Faith (Colossians 2:6-19) - July 13
• Rooted in Freedom (Colossians 2:20 – 3:11) - July 20
• Rooted in Fellowship (Colossians 3:12 – 4:1) - July 27
• Rooted in Witness (Colossians 4:2-18) - August 3

On Sunday, August 3, we concluded the series by looking at Colossians 4:2-18 and discussed how we can be rooted in witness. Below is a video and the text of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.

You know, it’s interesting, a lot of things can change in the space of seven days. As y’all may remember, last week, I was whining about how it felt like summer was never going to end. But now, well, I can sort of see a light at the end of the tunnel. I mean, I actually wore a jacket walking Coco Chanel this morning. And they played the Hall of Fame game last Thursday. And I see, the Dollar General has started to put out Halloween stuff. And all of this reminds me that, PTL, soon and very soon, we’ll be waving good-bye to summer 2025.

And I’ll tell you something else, we’ll be doing the same thing this morning with the sermon series we started back in June entitled Rooted in Christ: A Journey through Colossians. Now, to this point, we’ve read about what the Apostle Paul had to say about prayer and peace, service and faith, freedom and fellowship. And this morning, we’re going to bring this series to a close by talking about how we might become rooted in witness, in other words, how we might become better witnesses of Jesus Christ to all the communities in which we’re involved. 

Of course, when you think about it, it really shouldn’t be a surprise that Paul ended this letter by talking about bearing witness. I mean, even though we might not put it as our highest Christian priority, in three of the four Gospels, doing this kind of thing was the focus of the very last command Jesus gave his followers. For example, according to the Evangelist John, when he was with the disciples by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus told Peter to “Feed my sheep.” [John 21:17b, CEV] And according to the Evangelist Matthew, after the resurrection, when they’d gathered on that mountain in Galilee, “Jesus came to them and said: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” [Matthew 28:18-20, CEV] And then, according to what the Evangelist Luke wrote in the first chapter of Acts, right before his ascension, “Jesus said to them, ‘You don’t need to know the time of those events that only the Father controls. But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.’” [Acts 1:7-8, CEV] You see, in his last words, Jesus didn’t tell his disciples to confess or to believe or to hope. Instead, he told them the same thing Paul told the Colossians. He told them to bear witness.

And that’s what we’re going to talk about this morning. You see, using these final words, we’re going to consider three ways we might be more effective in sharing the good news with others. In other words, for the next ten minutes or so, we’re going to look at how we might become rooted in witness.

For example, as I read what Paul wrote, to be effective, our witness should be humble. I mean, instead of being full of arrogance and pride, we should be modest as we share the good news through either the words we use or the works we do. You see, first, we should be humble, and I’ll tell you, I think that’s what Paul was getting at when he wrote this to the Colossians:

Never give up praying. And when you pray, keep alert and be thankful. Be sure to pray that God will make a way for us to spread his message and explain the mystery about Christ, even though I am in jail for doing this. Please pray that I will make the message as clear as possible. [Colossians 4:2-4, CEV]

Now, that’s what Paul wrote. And as I read it, it seems as though the kind of humility he was talking about, on one hand, involves recognizing God’s power, recognizing his authority, you know, recognizing his ability to “...make a way for us to spread his message and to explain the mystery of Christ” [Colossians 4:3b, CEV] and to “...make the message as clear as possible.” [Colossians 4:4b, CEV] I mean, that should be the content of our prayers, right; because this is something that God can do. That’s one hand. On the other hand, though, this humility also involves accepting our own weakness. And, of course, that’s why he told them and us to “never give up praying, and when [we] pray, [to] keep alert and be thankful.” [Colossian 4:2a, CEV] You see, when you get right down to it, it doesn’t matter how articulate or how clever or how dedicated we might think we are, we still need God. We still need God to clarify our thoughts so that we might understand the message we’re supposed to be sharing. And we still need God to shape what we say and do, so that it reflects the truth of the gospel. And we still need God to prepare the field, you know, to work the soil so that what we communicate actually takes root and grows. It’s like Paul told the Corinthians, when they were debating which preacher was most effective: 

Apollos and I are merely servants who helped you to have faith. It was the Lord who made it all happen. I planted the seeds, Apollos watered them, but God made them sprout and grow. What matters isn’t those who planted or watered, but God who made the plants grow. [1 Corinthians 3:5-7, CEV] 

I’m telling you, regardless of how I see myself and my talent and my insight and my faith, more likely than not, I’m not nearly as talented or as insightful or as faithful as I think I am. But I’ll tell you what, God is. And you know, I think realizing that is the kind of humility that can and will make our witness more effective. And for me, that’s the first attitude we should claim. 

And second, I think our witness should also be focused. I mean, it should be focused on the exact message we’re trying to communicate, and it should be focused like a laser beam on the very best way we might share it with others. In other words, being as clear and understandable as we can be, man, that’s got to be a top priority. And you know, that just makes sense, because, if we’re all over the place no one’s going to get what we’re trying to give. And I think this was something Paul understood, and that’s why, after challenging them to be humble, he wrote this about focus:

When you are with unbelievers, always make good use of the time. Be pleasant and hold their interest when you speak the message. Choose your words carefully and be ready to give answers to anyone who asks questions. [Colossians 4:5-6, CEV]

Now that’s what the apostle said. And I’ve got to tell you, it just makes sense. I mean, what we’re sharing, and I’m talking about the message, man, that’s got to be important, and I’m talking about important enough for us to take the time and to make the effort to learn it. Good night nurse, how are we ever going to be able to “choose [our] words carefully” [Colossians 4:5a, CEV], if we don’t know what the words mean. And how in heaven’s name are we going to “be ready to give answers to anyone who asks questions” [Colossians 4:5a, CEV], if all we know is what we’ve been told to say. We’ve got to know what we’re sharing. But I’ll tell you, that’s only half of it; we also better know how to do it, how to share it in a way that invites others to believe. And you know, I think it’s right here where a lot of very knowledgeable people drop the ball. It’s like what Paul wrote, also to the Corinthians:

What if I could speak

all languages of humans

    and even of angels?

If I did not love others,

    I would be nothing more

than a noisy gong

    or a clanging cymbal.

What if I could prophesy

and understand all mysteries

    and all knowledge?

And what if I had faith

    that moved mountains?

I would be nothing,

    unless I loved others.

What if I gave away all

    that I owned

and let myself

    be burned alive?

I would gain nothing,

    unless I loved others. [1 Corinthians 13:1-3, CEV]

Frankly, I don’t think there’s any two ways about it. Regardless of how much I actually know, I’m only going to be successful as a witness when I’m ready to make good use of my time and when I’m willing to be pleasant and when I’m able to hold their interest in some way. You see, in my book, we’ve got to be clear about both the what and the how, and that’s why focus is necessary if we want to be effective witnesses. And I think that’s the second attitude we should claim. 

And third, to be effective, I believe our witness should also be personal. It should involve a genuine sense of empathy for others as well as a real openness as we share with them. And you know, this desire to connect with individuals, I think that moved Paul to end his letter in this way:

Tychicus is the dear friend, who faithfully works and serves the Lord with us, and he will give you the news about me. I am sending him to cheer you up by telling you how we are getting along. Onesimus, the dear and faithful follower from your own group, is coming with him. The two of them will tell you everything that has happened here.

Aristarchus is in jail with me. He sends greetings to you, and so does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. You have already been told to welcome Mark, if he visits you. Jesus, who is known as Justus, sends his greetings. These three men are the only Jewish followers who have worked with me for the kingdom of God. They have given me much comfort.

Your own Epaphras, who serves Christ Jesus, sends his greetings. He always prays hard that you may fully know what the Lord wants you to do and that you may do it completely. I have seen how much trouble he has gone through for you and for the followers in Laodicea and Hierapolis.

Our dear doctor Luke sends you his greetings, and so does Demas.

Give my greetings to the followers at Laodicea, especially to Nympha and the church that meets in her home.

After this letter has been read to your people, be sure to have it read in the church at Laodicea. And you should read the letter that I have sent to them.

Remind Archippus to do the work that the Lord has given him to do.

I am signing this letter myself: PAUL.

Don’t forget that I am in jail.

I pray that God will be kind to you. [Colossians 4:7-18, CEV]

Now I understand that what I just read, man, it was a lot of detaily stuff, but I think it was important to hear, because it points to how important it was for Paul to empathize with the people he knew. My gosh, not only did he know them by name, he also was willing to recognize what they were doing for the gospel and to identify with what they were feeling as they were doing it. And you know, isn’t that what empathy is all about, putting yourself in the shoes of others so that you can see the world through their eyes and you can feel their joys and their pain, their hopes and their dreams, their fears and their frustrations. Now that’s empathy. But I think even more is going on in this conclusion. You see, Paul is also opening himself to them, revealing a little of his own humanity, something that invited the Colossians also to empathize with him. And you know, I think we can do the same. And that willingness to connect with others, with who they are and where they are, this is what it means to be personal. And I believe that’s going to make our witness more effective, and that’s the third attitude we should claim. 

And with that, we can close the book on Paul’s letter to the Colossians. And frankly, I don’t think it’s an accident that he finished up by talking about bearing witness. Just like it was for Christ, sharing the good news and living the gospel is what being a Christian is all about. You see, it’s when our sharing and living is humble, recognizing both God’s power and our weakness; and when it’s focused on both what we share and how we share it; and when it’s personal, being ready to empathize with others while also being willing to open up ourselves to them; it’s right there when prayer and peace, service and faith, freedom and fellowship have genuine meaning. And at that point, I think we’ll find ourselves firmly rooted in Christ.