Please take your Bibles, and we are going today, by the grace of God, to conclude with the book of Colossians, chapter 4. And I want to read the concluding verses of this chapter. I'm reading Colossians, chapter 4, verses 10 to 18. And the Apostle Paul, Shaul, is concluding the letter to the Colossians with those remarks. Verse 10, "Aristarchos, my fellow prisoner, salute you. And Marcos, sister's son, to Barnabas, touching whom ye received commandments, if he come unto you, receive him. And Jesus, or in Hebrew Yeshua, which is called Justice, who are of the circumcision, these only are my fellow prisoners." These only are my fellow workers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me." Apaphras, who is one of you, a servant of the Messiah, salutes you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis, Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you. And when this epistle is read among you, call that it be read also in the assembly of Laodiceans, that ye likewise read the epistles from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it. The salutation by the hand of me, Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen. Amazing conclusion to the book of Colossians, to the letter to the Colossians. When you and I read such a passage as this, immediately you ask the question, "What is it so important, those names that are mentioned there?

Why is it so important, some of the things that have been written by Shaul, by Paul, to the believers at Colossae?" And oftentimes, because we do not take the time and the willingness to go underneath, as we read such a portion of the scripture, we don't really enjoy what is actually being there for our benefit. But I would like to, today, by the grace of God, to kind of uncover some of the things that are mentioned here at the end, at the conclusion of this book, the book of Colossians. Remember, once again, beloved, Paul is writing to believers at Colossae. He had, as we have already covered, and allow me to repeat this for a few minutes, he had already written to them doctrinal truth in the first two chapters.

He is now writing, in the second two chapters, some practical truths that are necessary for the believers at Colossae. But he is coming to a climax, he is going to send this letter now to the believers at Colossae. And Paul is mentioning, as it is actually something that he always have done, mentioning at the end of his letters, some names of people that were very important for him. Now remember, Paul, Shaul, a Hebrew believer in Yeshua the Messiah, got gloriously saved on the way to Damascus, and he became an apostle, a messenger to the Gentile world. Yeshua the Messiah said to him that he will be a testimony for him around the world, that he will be the apostle to the uncircumcised ones, to the nations of this world.

So he is writing, he is laboring, he is writing to them to instruct them and to help them as they became believers in Jesus the Messiah, in the Lord Jesus the Messiah. And so, he always ended his letters with mentioning some of his friends. You know, I am quite confident that Paul had many enemies, many enemies because of his faith in the Messiah. But here and there, Paul finds himself having some friends, some co-laborers, some individuals that served with him in the gospel, in the work of the Lord. And Paul mentioning them in his letters. You notice if you read the book of Romans, how he had a whole list of names at the end of the book of Romans.

He mentioned so many names, if you notice that the whole chapter, chapter 16 of the book of Romans devotes to mention name, after name, after name, after name, of people that we will never know about them, unless Paul mentioned that in his letters. And here we find out some individuals that were very important to Shaul, to the Apostle Paul in his ministry. Now, I am going to kind of go verse by verse, and I just want you to notice first of all, in verse 10 and 11, he mentioned three Hebrew Christians who were his friends and co-laborers. And it is interesting, you notice he mentioned, and I read those verses, verses 10 and 11, "My fellow prisoners, salute you, Malchus, sister son of Barnabas, touching whom ye receive commandments, if he come unto you to receive him, and Jesus, or Yeshua, which is called justus, who are of the circumcision, these only are my fellow workers, unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me." Now again, beloved, listen, he mentioning three names here.

Number one is Aristarchos. Number two, Marcos. Number three, Yeshua or Jesus, who is also called justus. Three Hebrew believers in Yeshua the Messiah, he is mentioning them here in this letter, as he is writing to the Colossians. Now you notice that he also says, "Who are of the circumcision, these only are my fellow workers, unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me." Now do you know how it must have been difficult for Paul? As he said in other passages, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, an Israeli in Romans chapter 11, a Jew mentioned in the book of Acts chapter 21 and chapter 22. It must have been extremely difficult for him to be constantly opposed by his own nation, by his own brethren, to the proclamation that Yeshua truly was the promised Lord and Messiah of Israel and Savior of this world.

And he must have had so much opposition to the proclamation of the gospel by his own brethren. And how it must have been so precious to his own heart when there were some Hebrew believers in Jesus the Messiah serving with him in the proclamation of the gospel. And notice, he's mentioning them, those three, by name. And I want you to kind of get a glimpse about those three individuals. The first one, in verse 10, A, his name is Aristarchus. He says, you notice he said about him, he said, "My fellow prisoner." This man, by the name of Aristarchus, was a fellow prisoner with the apostle Paul.

If you will look at the history of the journey of Shaul, of Paul from Jerusalem all the way to Rome in the book of Acts, you will notice how this man by the name of Aristarchus was so used by the apostle Paul. He was always with him. He was traveling along with him, and he must have given him such a joy, as he says here, he was his fellow prisoner. He ended up with the apostle Paul in Rome, and ultimately became a prisoner with Paul for the sake of Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah. Now do you know, beloved, you and I don't even know what an experience it is to be a prisoner of the Roman Empire.

A prisoner by the Roman soldiers, being locked, being in chain in Rome, and can you visualize and imagine what kind of a life was to live, being in prison by the Romans. And here come a man by the name of Aristarchus, who was willing to go along with Paul, and he became a fellow prisoner with the apostle Paul. Identifying with him wherever he is going, identifying with the challenges that Paul was facing, and it must have been such a comfort to the apostle Paul when you have such a man traveling with him and willing to be a servant for Jesus' sake, for Yeshua's sake. Now, turn with me please to the book of Acts for a moment.

In Acts chapter 19, you will notice what the Bible tells us about this man. He was a Hebrew, and you notice that his name is a diaspora name. Every Hebrew individual, just like Paul, his diaspora name is Paul, his Hebrew name is Shaul. And all the Jewish people who were living in the diaspora actually had more than one name. One was a Hebraic name, another one was a diaspora or non-Hebrew name. In this case, his Hebrew name is not mentioned, but in Acts chapter 19, it says in verse 29, look what it mentioned about this man. They were together in Ephesus. And in Ephesus, Paul had been exposed to much opposition to the proclamation of Yeshua the Messiah.

And it says here in verse 29, and the whole city was filled with confusion. And having caught Gaios and Aristarchus, notice that his name is mentioned here, a man of Macedonia, Paul's companion in trouble, they rushed with one accord into the theater. And when Paul would have entered into it, and entreat the people and so on, the disciples suffered him not. And a certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure himself to go into the theater. You know why? Because the whole assembly there, and when we use the word assembly, the whole group of people there, who assembled together, you notice what they were shouting at the end of verse 34.

Great is Diana of the Ephesians. They were led to worship Diana of the Ephesians, and they would not worship Yeshua the Messiah. And Paul was in danger there, but guess who is with him? In verse 29, we read that they caught Aristarchus and Gaios, who were Paul's companion in trouble. They were traveling with the Apostle Paul wherever he went. And so you can see that he was very close to the Apostle Paul. Wherever he had gone, Aristarchus was there with him. If you move to chapter 20 of Acts, and you notice his name mentioned again. In chapter 20, Paul was going from Macedonia to Greece. And in verse 4, it says, these, verse 4 of chapter 20, Acts 24, and they accompanied him unto Asia, a Sopater of Berea, and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus, and Sesundus, and Gaios of Derbe, and Timothy, and of Asia, Tychicus, and Trophimus.

They all traveled with him. They were companions of Shaul, of Paul, all the way from Macedonia into Greece. They were moving along with him. And this man, by the name of Aristarchus, was traveling together with the Apostle Paul. chapter 27, chapter 27, please, of the book of Acts, just to show you where he arrived with Paul. Acts chapter 27, and verses 1 and 2. It says in Acts 27, verses 1 and 2, again, the name of Aristarchus is mentioned here. When it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners into one by the name of Julius, a centurion of Augustus Ben. And he entering into the ship of Adramitium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coast of Asia, one Aristarchus of Macedonian of Thessalonica being with us.

You notice that? This man was traveling along with the Apostle Paul wherever he went. He was always along with the Apostle Paul, ministering to him, helping him. I don't know what he was actually doing, but he was always there with the Apostle Paul as he was traveling along from one side to the other. And eventually, by the way, he arrived to the location which is called Rome. There, of course, beloved, he has been a prisoner with the Apostle Paul. Now, look at this man. You and I would have never known about this man. We never read of him ever preaching a message. We never read of him ever writing any big books or something large.

All what we know that this man served the Lord. And if you and I would not read the Gospels and the Epistles or the letters or the Book of Acts, we would never know about this man. But Paul was the kind of a person that always wanted to bring into light those who really served the Lord. You know, beloved, he tells us a lot. He tells us that to be a person like this man by the name of Aristarchus, a man has to be a humble man. A man has to be willing, or woman in this case, a servant of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

And God uses that person. And he brings him to light. And he calls him in Colossians chapter 4, and in the verses that we have read, verse 10a, "He was my fellow prisoner, and he is the one that had been a comfort unto me." I can just imagine Paul having so much opposition, so many enemies, wherever he has gone. And it's a wonderful thing to know that there was somebody there that was beside him, a faithful servant who was a comfort unto the Apostle Paul. Now you know, that's what tells us about ourselves, you and I also. God has given us a little ministry, a little service to do, to just do it faithfully.

Just to do it unto the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. In due time, God will bring it to light, and God will use you, or I, in his service, for his glory and honor. And you know, let's assume that his name was never mentioned in the Bible. Do you think God did not know what he did? Do you think God did not know how this man was faithful? Oh yes, he sure does know everything about us. And God will, in due time, will reward those that are faithfully serving him in the work of the Lord. We are talking about three Hebrew friends. He was a Hebrew, he was a Jewish individual that had been a blessing to the Apostle Paul from the circumcision, and he was actually following the Apostle Paul and serving him in the work of the Lord.

Now notice another Hebrew name, another Hebrew person, in verse 10b. We are in Colossians 4, verse 10b. Here's a second person. Now this name, it says here, Marcos, he was the child or the son of Barnabas' sister. He said, I told you, touching whom you receive commandments, and if he come unto you, receive him. Now here's an interesting man. This man, by the way, Marcos, is the one that have given us the New Testament second gospel, Matthew, Mark. The one we have in the New Testament, the gospel according to Marcos. But it is interesting story about this man by the name of Marcos. Apparently he was a young man, that at certain period of time in his life, he did not continue with the Apostle Paul, to follow him in the service, in the ministry of the gospel.

He was the kind of a person that perhaps something happened to him in his life, that caused him to kind of shrink from following the Lord. He has kind of been the kind of a person that at a certain time, he decided to turn back to go home. When the going got rough, when situation become very difficult, when opposition came along, and then he shrunk back from continuing on, and he turned around, and he went back to spend time at home in Jerusalem. I want you to turn to Acts chapter 12, to listen to a few verses about Marcos. Acts chapter 12. Apparently he was Barnabas' sister's son.

We got it from this verse. But in Acts chapter 12, we read a little bit about him. Apparently in his home, there was a meeting place. In Acts 12, verses 12, it says, And when he had considered the things, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, this is his Hebrew name, John Mark, Yohanan Marcos, John Mark. So, they have entered into the house of Mary, or Miriam, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together for prayer. You see, John Mark's home was a place where the saints gathered together to pray. It was, by the way, in the city of Jerusalem.

Believers came at the home of John Mark, at his mother's house, and they used the home for a prayer meeting, in Jerusalem, in Jerusalem. So, John Mark had been there under the sound of the word. His mother was a believer in Yeshua the Messiah. He was a believer in Yeshua the Messiah. So, we learn from this, in Acts chapter 12, and verse 12, that the home of Mark's mother, Miriam, was a place of prayer, where the saints gathered together to pray. But then notice, turn to chapter 13. And in chapter 13, he began to serve in the Gospel with the Apostle Paul. Chapter 13 of Acts, verse 1. Now there was in the church which is in Antioch, they have gone to Antioch by that time, certain prophets and teachers, as Barnabas and Simon, who was called Nigar, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manain, which had been brought up with Herod the Tetrach, and Saul.

As they ministered unto the Lord, and they fasted, the Holy Spirit said, separate unto me Barnabas and Saul, for the work where unto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on them, and they sent them away. And you notice what happened, verses 4 and 5. And so they being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, they departed unto Seleucia, and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogue of the Jews, and listen, and they had also John to their minister. Paul and Barnabas took with them John Mark, John Markos, to minister to them.

We do not know exactly what he did. He may have been maybe helping them to carry things. Maybe he was serving them. Whatever they had for him to do, he have done. So he was a believer. He grew up with his mother, and his mother in Jerusalem, where they had the meeting place, the prayer time together with the disciples. Paul and Barnabas took him with them, and they began in their first missionary journey, and he was used by the Lord with Paul and Barnabas. But something happened. You know how things happen in a life of believers. It happened historically to Jonah, for example. God called Jonah.

Jonah, you go and preach the message somewhere, and Jonah did not want to go and preach the message somewhere. And God had to speak to Jonah, and to work in his heart, and to restore Jonah the second time, so he can go and be used by the God of Israel to present to the Ninevite the message that God had in mind for him. Well, look at this. Chapter 15 of the Book of Acts, something happened to John Mark. Could you go back to chapter 13, and I want to read the verse 13. Chapter 13 and verse 13. In verse 13 it says this: Now when Paul and his company loosed from Pappos, they came to Pelga and Pimpilia.

And listen, it says: John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. You notice that? John Mark did not continue with Apostle Paul and with Barnabas to continue in the ministry. What did he do? He depart back, and he went from them, and he returned back to Jerusalem, to Jerusalem, I guess back to his home, to his mother, to his family. Now, we do not know the reason why John Mark here returned home. But it could be, beloved, that maybe he was kind of discouraged. Maybe he was afraid. Maybe he had some things that didn't give him liberty to continue on. We do not know the reason, but he didn't continue.

He didn't continue with Apostle Paul. He didn't continue with Barnabas. He went back home to the city of Jerusalem to be in a place with his family. Now, easy to blame, right? Easy to say, to point the finger. You know, sometimes we ourselves feel very much afraid because of the consequences that the proclamation of the Gospel may bring upon us. And especially in the time when the Apostle Paul was first opening the foundation, if you will, beginning with the proclamation of God to the pagan world about the Messiahship of Yeshua. So, he went back home. Now, turn to chapter 15, and you will see what we learned there.

In verse 36 of chapter 15, they were going to continue with the proclamation of the Gospel and another visitation, another missionary journey. And so, it says in verse 36 of Acts chapter 15, Some days after, Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go again and visit the brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they do." Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. Again, Yohanan Marcus. Barnabas wanted to take him along. And notice what we read in verse 38, "But Paul thought it not good to take with him Mark, who departed from them, from Pampilia, and went not with them to the work." You see, Paul did not want to take Mark with them, because Mark had left them and went back away home.

So, you know what he did, what the situation with Mark, Mark, Yohanan Marcus, because he did not want to go with them. In the beginning, it produced some kind of lack of confidence that the Apostle Paul had at that time in Marcus. And so it says here in verse 39, "And the contention was so sharp between them that they departed asunder one from the other. Barnabas took Marcus, and he sailed unto Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas, and he departed, being commended by the brethren unto the grace of God." And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches, the local assembly. So what happened? Barnabas and Paul now, because of the situation with Mark, with Yohanan Marcus, that they separated from each other.

John, Mark went with Barnabas, and Paul took with him another man by the name of Silas. There was a separation there. Now you ask yourself the question, Look, even in the early assembly, early church, there was already a division with those two brothers. But there were two godly men. Two men that loved and served the Lord. We never read that Barnabas did anything wrong. But Paul did not see at that time fit for John to come with them, because he had already turned back once. And he was concerned that he might do so again. So Paul went in one way, in one direction with Silas, and Barnabas went with Mark, John Mark, to another direction.

And we read that there was a contention between them. And they separated from each other. But they both went to continue to minister the Gospel, and to watch how the churches, how the assemblies are growing. Now, again, just to see, to show you, that here we find out that a man like John Mark have made a mistake in his life. Here, perhaps, chickened out, like you and I may do so as believers. Sometimes we get discouraged. Sometimes we get fearful. And we may turn and not be as we should be, bold and proclaiming the message. Sometimes we are shrinking back because of the fear of consequences.

But thank God, God will never leave us. Thank God that God is the God of the second chance. God is the God who would not leave us nor forsake us. And we can see that by the time we arrive to the Colossians, Mark finds himself again with the apostle Paul. Wonderful to see that. And once Paul, historically, before that, said, "No, Mark, it's not the time for you to come with us." Later on, perhaps, something did happen. And beloved, apparently, there was a change and Mark realized that he shouldn't have done what he had done. And apparently, now we find him in the time. We're reading the book of Colossians that Paul now is writing about Marcus, about Yohanan Marcus, who was a person that had brought much joy and much comfort to the apostle Paul in that time.

Now, one more verse I want you to read with me in 2 Timothy, chapter 4. 2 Timothy, chapter 4, in connection with Marcos, John Mark. 2 Timothy, chapter 4, and the verses that we read there is verse 11. 2 Timothy, 4:11. Here, he's writing about Marcos. He's writing a letter to Timothy. And in verse 11b, notice what he says now? 2 Timothy, verse 11b, it says, "Take Mark and bring him with you." Why? Because he is profitable to me for the ministry. You see now, Paul, see? Here is the time he didn't see him fit for the ministry to go with him in Barnabas. But at the time he's writing now to Timothy, he's saying to Timothy, Timothy, Timothy, take Mark with you.

Because Mark is profitable for the ministry. Bring him with you. Take him with you. And you know, thank God for this. Because, you see, there was a time, perhaps the wisdom that God had given Paul. A time, listen Mark. At the time, this time he will not come with us on this journey. But at the next time, when there was a restoration, God works in his heart. There is a time now for Mark to come because he is profitable for the ministry. Again, Mark, a Hebrew. One of the circumcision, a Jewish believer in Yeshua, the Messiah. A young man. God used him to write the Gospel according to Mark.

Concerning Jesus the Messiah. And by the way, when Mark wrote about the Lord Jesus, do you know the Gospel of Mark is a characteristic of the person of the Lord Jesus as a real, true servant of Jehovah. Every time you read the Gospel of Mark, you read the words, "And immediately, and immediately." You find here the Lord Jesus as a servant, serving God the Father in a constant motion. Serving and serving. The true servant of Jehovah. And who wrote it? This John Mark. Who perhaps had failed in servanthood in the first, in the beginning. And then later on was restored and being used by God for the ministry.

Amazing to see it. And you and I can learn from that because maybe we have failed a time in some service that we have done. Maybe we haven't been faithful in a service, in a call that God had given us. And we have gone away or we have gone astray and we have failed. There is always room for restoration. There is always room for repentance, confession, and restoration. And God is the God who would use us again. That's the beauty that we learn from the name of Marcus. This man who gave us the second Gospel, of course, guided by the Holy Spirit of God who used him to write.

And so we have Aristarchus, fellow prisoner, whose name is only mentioned as a fellow prisoner, fellow servant, with the Apostle Paul. And then we have Marcus, Yohanan Marcus, who was Barnabas' sister's son, and who in the beginning began following the Lord, then gone back home, and then again became useful at the hand of the Apostle Paul for the ministry. And now notice here's another Jewish man. Go back to Colossians chapter 4. Here's the third person. His name was Jesus. A Hebrew name Yeshua. A Hebrew name Yeshua. Or Yehoshua. Or, you know, in Hebrew, the name Jesus is a Greek name for the Hebrew Yeshua. In the scripture we have many names that are connected with that root word, salvation.

You have Yehoshua. You have Yeshayahu. You have Hoshea. You have Yehoshua. All those words, all these names are names of individuals. And here we have another person by the name of Yeshua, which is called Justus. Again, Hebrew name Yeshua. Diaspora name Justus. Jesus, who is of the circumcision, these only are my fellow workers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me. You know, again, if we wouldn't read, I don't think we have any other place in the Bible that this man is mentioned. Yeshua. Oh, we know. We have Yeshua, the Messiah. But I don't think we have another place in the Bible where this man is mentioned.

One time. One time, a man that has given such a comfort and joy to the apostle Paul in his ministry. And I can just imagine, beloved, you know, the apostle Paul, even though he was the apostle to the uncircumcision, to the Gentile nation, to the nations of the world, he always had a burden for his own brethren. And can you imagine there are three Jewish men, three Israeli men, who were serving with the apostle Paul as he was going out to the nations of the world. It must have given him a joy in his heart. Oh, yes, I am not the only one from among the Hebrews who believe that Jesus is the Messiah.

There are many more. And here are some of those that are coming along with me, like Aristarchus, like John Mark, like Yeshua, like Jesus, Jesus. They are following and they are serving along with me in the message of the gospel. And it must have been a joy to the heart of the apostle Paul, who said in the book of Romans, if you remember concerning his brethren, the Jewish people, you remember what he says in Romans 9? He says that, "I say the truth in the Messiah, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me a witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have a great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.

For I could wish that I myself were a curse from the Messiah for my brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh, who are Israelis." Paul had a burden for his Jewish brethren, who were lost without the Messiah, who did not come to faith as a nation, but here he saw those three, who were his Jewish brethren, who he enjoyed to serve the Messiah, presenting the message of the gospel to the nations of the world and telling them that the Messiah has come and that Jesus is truly that promise. And so, three Hebrew friends who stayed with Paul and served with him in the proclamation of the gospel.

And so, three Hebrew friends who stayed with Paul and served with him in the proclamation of the gospel. Aristarchus, John Mark, and Justus, Justus. Three Hebrew friends. Now go back to Colossians chapter 4 and after we finish in verses 10 and 11. We have another individual who is not a Hebrew here, who is not a Jewish person, but a non-Hebrew individual who was a man that was a man of prayer. This man, by the name of Apaphras, is mentioned in verses 12 and 13. It says here in verse 12, "Apaphras, who is one of you, the servant of the Messiah, salute you always, laboring fervently for you in prayers that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

For I bear him record that he hath a great zeal for you and them that are in Laodicea and them in Hierapolis." Now here's a man by the name of Apaphras. Apparently Apaphras, we have read about him already early in the book of Colossians, in the earlier chapter. Apaphras was perhaps one of those individuals that God had used to begin the assembly at Colossae. Now you know, Apaphras' name is mentioned a few times in the Bible, but here specifically it's mentioned about his labor in prayer. Here's a man that has spent much time in prayer. Paul saw him, Paul knew him, he visited Paul, Paul could see the heartbeat of this man.

He was, as it says here in these verses, he was first of all his fellow servant. Apaphras, one of you, a servant of the Messiah. He was a fellow servant with Paul of the Messiah, of Christ. He was serving with Paul and he was actually one of the Colossians. Some suggest that he probably came to Paul, because Paul had never been in Colossae, and he gave to him the report about the situation in Colossae. People getting saved, the assembly is growing, the local church is growing and developing, but there is a danger, Paul, I don't know what to do. There is a danger of things creeping in, philosophy, vain deceit, all kinds of things, human opinion, all kinds of things creeping into the local church.

What can we do? And Paul writing this letter. And as he spent the time with Paul, Paul discovered this man is a man of prayer. This man really means business with the Lord. And so, he doesn't pray for himself. Paul is not talking about himself praying, that Apaphras praying for himself. It says he is a servant of Christ, of the Messiah. He salutes you and notices always laboring fervently for you in prayers. Always? Yes. Fervently? Laboring? Yes. For who? Not for himself. Now, mind you, he probably did pray for himself, but he always was praying for the Colossian local assembly. Now, brothers and sisters, you know, if we have one individual like that in every local church.

Only one. We don't want only one. We want everybody. But only one! That will take the time from week to week, from day to day, to spend the time in praying for the local assembly. Can you imagine? And you notice he doesn't say he was praying, but he was laboring. That word here, where it says here, laboring is agonizing. Years ago, I think I mentioned it to you. I went to a meeting while I was speaking. And before the meeting started, I went to the basement to take a drink. And there was a man in the room praying. And I heard him praying. I was impressed with the agonizing with the Lord.

He said, "Lord, pray for..." He was praying for the meeting. Praying for the believers. He was like wrestling with God and saying, "God, I pray for my brother. And I pray for the ministry. I pray for the gospel. I pray for those believers." He was talking to God about the needs of the people of God. Wow! I tell you, beloved, don't you think that that will change, make an effect upon the believers, the spiritual growth, when God is hearing the heartbeat of that particular believer, and God is in the business of helping and changing lives. Can you imagine to have this in our midst? So, Paul writing.

See, the Colossians probably didn't know about what Apathos was doing. They probably came to the meeting room whenever he was meeting with them, and they saw, "Here's Apathos. He's in the meeting room. Thank God, he's there." But he was not only there when he was not with them. He was laboring with God and praying on behalf of the people of God. That's something to commend. Oh, how we need that. And the expression laboring, number one. But he also mentioned fervently. It's amazing of the fervent prayer that these men have had. And you notice, by the way, that earlier Apostle Paul actually did mention the necessity of praying and spending in labor, to be always praying, constantly spending the time in prayer on behalf of the people of God.

Beloved, I'm telling you, that will make a change in the life of others if you will pray for them. And I encourage you to do, for us all, to have this type of attitude, to labor, as it says here in verse 12, to labor in prayer on behalf of the believers. By the way, his name is mentioned earlier in chapter 1 and verse 7. "As ye also learned of Apaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of the Messiah." This is chapter 1 and verse 7. "He was a faithful servant who was laboring on behalf of the people of God." Notice it says in verse 13 now, that he had such a great zeal.

It's mentioned about him, it says in verse 13, "For I bear him record that he has a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodosia, and them that are in Hierapolis." He has a great zeal. What was the zeal that he had for the believers? What was the fervent prayer and the labor in prayer that he had? What did he want that God will do for the people of God, for the Colossians? Notice what it says at the end of verse 12, "That ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God." That's what he wanted. That's why he was praying that the believers of Colossians will stand mature, will stand complete in all the will of God for them.

That's what he wanted. He wanted mature believers because mature believers, with the grace of God can withstand the attack of the enemy, can be a help for the people of God, can honor the Lord. That's what a mature believer does. And that's what he was praying for. And so we see in Epaphras, we see a prayer warrior on behalf of the people of God. And by the way, he only mentioned here, when it comes to prayer, Epaphras. He doesn't mention the others. But do you think the others did not labor in prayer as well? I mean, he's mentioning Aristarchus. He's mentioning John Mark. He's mentioning Justus or Jesus.

Those men were men of God who also prayed. But it seemed to be that he had a special practice. This man by the name of Epaphras, who was a man of prayer, a man who prayed on behalf of the people of God. And so that's wonderful. Now, let's go down back to Luke chapter 4. And we are moving now to verse 14. Here's another interesting contrast here this time. Three Hebrew friends, verses 10 and 11. One prayer warrior, verses 12 and 13. But in verse 14, we have two other men who are really in contrast. One faithful and one not. One has been always with the Apostle Paul and one ends up actually forsaking the Apostle Paul.

It says here in verse 14, it says, "Look, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you." It doesn't say much here. It's only said two men, one of them by the name of Lucas, the other one by the name of Demas. Both of them were greeting the brethren in Colossae. But there was a difference between these two men. The first man, Lucas, actually a physician, a great physician. He was a doctor. Some suggest that he may have had Hebrew background by virtue of the fact that some of, if you read the book of Luke, he wrote the book of Luke and he wrote the book of Acts.

This man has a lot of Hebraic communication when he was writing the book of Luke and the book of Acts. Some also suggest about Luke because of the very fact that he was a doctor, a physician, that he may have also been a Hebrew. But we don't know. We cannot be sure about that. But Scripture says in the book of Romans, And to them were committed the oracles of God, speaking about the nation of Israel. And since Luke wrote Luke and Acts, perhaps very well, he may have been a Hebrew as well. But the point that we want to say here, here is Luke, a faithful individual, a beloved physician, a man who wrote the two books, Luke and Acts.

He was also a companion of the Apostle Paul in his journeys. And he also stayed faithful to the Apostle Paul all the way through. Now I'm not going to read all the verses, but I want you to just turn with me to the book of 2 Timothy one more time. 2 Timothy chapter 4. 2 Timothy verse 11a. We'll read the first part of verse 11. Remember we read about Mark, but then notice Paul says to Timothy, "Only Luke is with me." Just this expression. "Only Luke is with me." Notice that Luke, he remained with Paul. He's the one who wrote the book of Acts. In the book of Acts, you'll find him using the word, "We." "We." "We." "A few times, we have sailed from here to there." And then there was a time, perhaps he was not sailing with them, and he writes, "They have continued this way." And then he rejoined Apostle Paul, and he said, "Us." "We." You find it in the book of Acts, a few times, in Acts 16, in Acts 20, in Acts 21, we, and us, is mentioned a few times that the writer of the book of Acts were joining the Apostle Paul on his journey.

But, by the time we get to 2 Timothy, chapter 4, and verse 11, we find that only Luke was with the Apostle Paul. Luke was faithful to be there with the Apostle Paul all the time, as often as he could, of course, and then we find him at the end of the book of Timothy, mentioned in this verse 11, "Only Luke was with me." But then we have the second man, in contrast, by the name of Demas. Demas is mentioned three times in the Bible, in the New Testament. He is mentioned in verse 24, in the book of Philemon. He is mentioned in Colossians, chapter 4, and verse 14, where we are right now.

But he is also mentioned in 2 Timothy, chapter 4, and look what it says in verse 10. Just a verse before we are reading about Luke. We are reading about Luke. Look what we read. 2 Timothy 4, in verse 10. "For Demas had forsaken me, having loved this present world, and he departed unto Thessalonica." Notice that Paul writing about Demas. Well, look at the contrast. In verse 11 of 2 Timothy 4, he says, "Only Luke is with me." But in verse 10 he says, "You know what happened to Demas? Demas forsook me." Demas loved the present, and he departed unto Thessalonica. You see, apparently, Demas had chosen the world over following the Lord Jesus and going ahead with the Apostle Paul.

Do you think the Apostle Paul have been happy? When the actions of Demas have happened at the time when he was serving and ministering and moving on in his ministry, Demas decided, "Paul, I'm not going to continue with you." And he, as it says here, "He forsaken him, he loved this present world, and he departed away from the Apostle Paul." Look at the contrast. One Luke continued all the way with the Apostle Paul, and one Demas loving this present world. You know what the Apostle John wrote to the believers in the book of 1 John 2? "Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world, for all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life." And you know, that's what happened.

The world is attractive to the believer. When John was writing, he was not writing to unbelievers, he was writing to Christians, to believers, in the Messiah. And he said, "The world has so much influence upon the believer." In fact, the world is one of the enemies of the believer in Yeshua the Messiah. He is not talking about having a house, or having a car, or having a clothes, or anything, but the world system, the world system that denied the Messiahship of Jesus, of Yeshua. Demas forsaken me, having loved this present world. What a sad testimony about a person that once walked with the Lord, and then loving this world.

And you know, when a person, a Christian, I'm talking about a believer, when a believer decide, "You know what? I'm saved. I know I'm going to heaven, but I don't need to spend time with the Lord. I do not need to spend time to read the Bible. I don't need to spend time to pray. I don't need to spend time to go to be with believers. I prefer to have my friends, and the world around me, attracting me." And then what happened, it's like, remember, like the prodigal son, leaving the father's house, finding himself ultimately away from the father, from the family, from the people of God, and finding himself spending a lot of time at the pig pen when the unregenerated world who reject the Messiah is influencing them.

That's what happened to Demas. Demas, he was greeting, he was telling to them that Demas is greeting them, but later on, what we find out about Demas, Demas had made a decision that he would not continue with Paul. He forsook Paul. he loved this present evil world. That's hard to speak to us, beloved brothers and sisters. You know, the world eventually will never give us what we sometime try to find from this world. The world, the world, at the end, you will see that the world rejects the one who saved us, the one who loves us, the one who gave his life for us. And to end up spending the rest of our life as believers, influenced by the world, is a sad commentary upon a believer that should have been serving and living for Jesus the Messiah.

Well, three Hebrew friends, verses 10 and 11, one of them was restored. Then we have a prayer warrior by the name of Apathos in verses 12 and 13. And then we have this contrast between Luke and Demas, a faithful physician who remained with the apostle Paul all the way through and a person such a Demas has forsaken the apostle Paul because he loved this present world. And just a note on that, one more note on that. You know, sometime we think that we'll manage, you know, we can do a little bit less Bible reading, a little bit less prayer time, a little bit less meeting going. We can wing it.

And you find out after a while that you and I are no match for this world. Satan and the world are having great influence upon believers. And we allow the world to creep into our lives. And then we find ourselves without no spiritual power, without no spiritual energy. We have no power to testify to live for the Lord and to be a testimony, a witness for him. It's okay when a boat is in the sea, but it is a problem when the sea come into the world, into the boat. When the water comes into the boat, the boat began to sink. So spiritually, it's okay for us to be in this world, but we are out of this world.

While we are in this world, we are like a boat that is on the water, just need to be careful not to let the water come into the boat, because when the water come into the boat, then the boat began to sink. And so we are to be a light in this world, a testimony in this world, but not to let the world dictate and draw us away from the things of the Lord. And now finally, in conclusion, the final greetings that we have here in Colossians 4, verses 15 to 18. This is the final greetings that Apostle Paul gives. He says in verse 15, "Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea and Nymphos, and the church which is in his house." You see, there is a salutation to brethren which are in Laodicea and Nymphos, and the church which is in his house.

Apparently, there was a man by the name of Nymphos whose local assembly was in his house. Verse 16, "The letter was commended to be read in all the churches of Laodicea, when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of Laodiceans, and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea." Apparently, there was a letter that was written to Laodicea, and they were to read that epistle in their local assembly, and the letter was to be read by the church of the Laodicean. And then verse 17, here he is talking about another young man by the name of Archippus. "And said to Archippus, take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it." Archippus was a young, perhaps a son of Philemon.

We find his name mentioned in the book of Philemon. So he must have been a young man that was the son of Philemon. And Paul is writing to him. He says, "Archippus, take heed to the ministry which God had given to you." Don't neglect the ministry that God had given to you. You make sure to fulfill the ministry that God had given to you. And you know, brothers and sisters, God had given us a ministry. God had given us a service to do. Just do it. Fulfill it. Don't wait for somebody else to do it. Do it. Whatever the Lord laid on your heart. Do it.

We cannot all preach publicly. We cannot all teach publicly. But we can serve the Lord in one area or another. Do it. Do the work of the ministry. Do the ministry. Don't stop from fulfilling what the Lord has given you to do. Do the ministry that the Lord had given you. Archippus. That's what he's telling to the son of Philemon. And finally, and that's the concluding verse, in verse 18, Paul's signature upon this letter, the letter to the Colossians. The salutation. The salutation. By the hand of me, Paul, he says, remember my bonds, my chains. Grace be with you. Amen. And that's how he closed. You know, apparently, Paul had a problem.

And some suggested that perhaps he had a problem with his eyesight. And so many times when he was writing a letter, he had somebody that apparently wrote for him and he dictated to him. You find it in the book of Romans, at the end of the book of Romans, Romans 16. And elsewhere, Paul let somebody write for him. But you know what he does at the end? He's putting his signature. As it says here, the salutation by the hands of me, Paul. He put a signature upon this salutation and he himself wrote and kind of put a stamp, a signature upon this letter and saying, listen, this is really my letter.

It was not written by anybody else. I am the one who dictated this letter to be written unto you. Now, in closing, beloved, this book of Colossians, what we have learned from this book. Why was it so important for us to study the book of Colossians? It was a letter, just a letter, that was written by a brother, Paul, to believers in Colossians. A letter of warning. A letter of encouragement. A letter of giving direction to believers. A letter like for you and I, as if it had been written towards you and I. Number one, he gave them the doctrine. Number two, he gave them the practice.

In the doctrine portion, he gave them the fact that they are to realize that when they have the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, they are complete in him. In him, lacking nothing. Lacking nothing, for in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in him. Colossians 2 verses 9 and 10. None of us in this room supposed to feel, if he is a believer, he or she, if you are a believer, to feel that we lack anything. Jewish believer or non-Jewish believer. Because in the Messiah dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead. And you and I have accepted him as our Lord and our Savior.

There is nothing lacking. You are not a second-hand Christian, a believer. You are not in a second class. All came together on a basis of the work of the Messiah, who had saved us and redeemed us and forgave our sins. And you are complete in the person of the Messiah. We don't need philosophy. We don't need vain deceit. We don't need all kinds of things that he is warning them here. We don't need the tradition of man. We don't need the rudiments of this world. We don't need anything to be complete in the Messiah. Nothing! All what we need is namely the person of the Lord, Jesus, the Messiah.

Can you say Amen with me on that? That's all what we need. And we are complete in Him.