A WORD TO MASTERS AND EXHORTATION TO PRAY

Col. 4:1-4

Morning Meditation 11/8/2013

Verse 1-4 says, “Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.. Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.”

A WORD TO MASTERS

Chapter four begins with instruction to saved slave owners and gives them instructions as to how to treat their slaves. The word “masters” translates “kurios” and is a word used of, “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord the owner; one who has control of the person.”

John Gill comments: “This verse properly belongs to the preceding chapter, with which it should have been concluded. It is indeed strange, that those who made the division of chapters and verses should separate this from the former chapter, to which it so manifestly belongs, and begin a new one with it, when it has no connection with what follows; for the apostle having observed the duty of servants to their masters, proceeds to direct masters to the discharge of their duty to their servants.”

Slavery is repulsive to me. But in all fairness to the Scriptures we must take this exactly like it was originally given. Slavery existed and the Word of God had instructions for both saved slaves and saved masters. You have this being dealt with in Colossians. And there are good lessons to be learned. One, those Christians who are trying to change the world and use the Bible to say that God wants Christians to take over the world need to read their Bible again. The only thing that will change this world is the direct judgment of God at the Second Coming. We need to preach the gospel and it will change individuals and that will certainly help. Again let me say that the present phase of God’s kingdom is not to change society but to call out the Bride. Amen!!!

Paul says, “Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal.” The word “give” translates “parecho” and means, “to render or afford from one's own resources or by one's own power.” The word “servants” identify the ones to whom to give. The word “just” translates “dikaios” and means, “righteous, observing divine laws.” The word “equal” translates “isotes” and means, “equality, equity, fairness..” There were no unions in those days and the government took the master’s side. A master could do with the slave what he wanted to. Joseph was a slave in Egypt. He had no control of his life. He wound up in prison for doing right. While the government did not tell the masters how to behave with reference to their slaves, God did. A saved slave owner must treat his slave right and pay him equal to his labor.

Paul reminded the master that he had a Master in heaven. The word for knowing translates “eido” and is a perfect active participle. These were saved masters who had come under the Lordship of Christ and were open to instruction. So Paul reminds them of knowledge they ALREADY POSSESSED (perfect tense) and called on them to do right by their slaves. Next Paul says,

CONTINUE IN PRAYER

The word “continue” translates “proskartereo” and means, “to be steadfastly attentive unto, to give unremitting care to a thing.” It is a present active imperative verb. This is a strong statement. The etymology of the word stresses to be unremitting and steadfastly attentive to prayer. The present tense means to keep on doing something that is going on.” Paul is not saying, “you need to pray.” They already knew that and it was their practice. What was needed and is needed in every Christians life is to be exhorted to continue steadfastly in prayer because there is such a temptation to quit. Or, at least, not put time in prayer. Jesus taught perseverance in prayer. Do you ever consider the difficulty to continue in prayer? It is not easy for a Christian in our day to find time. Much less, to spend time waiting before God over what you have just explained to Him that you need. Now that He knows it, why continue to wait before Him? Well, to begin with, why pray at all? He knows what we need before we pray. We continue to wait before Him and remain steadfast for the same reason that we pray at all. Because He teaches us to do it and assures us of answers if we do. If we are going to do more that we can do, He must do it in answer to prayer. If our lives can be explained outside of the supernatural, God isn’t in it.

The words “and watch in the same” indicate prolonged prayer and waiting before Him. The word “watch” translates “gregoreuo” and means, “to take heed lest through remission and indolence some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one.” Paul does not teach the kind of faith in prayer where you get down a make a simple request and get up and go on about your business and never think of it again. It is true when you pray, you should believe God concerning the answer at the time of prayer (Matt. 21:22). But prayer is to continue until we see the actual fulfilment of it. Otherwise, what Paul is saying here would have no meaning.

The words, “and watch in the same with thanksgiving..” probably set forth the key to perseverance. If we watch in the same with thanksgiving, it may be that the continual thanksgiving is the true expression of faith in what God is GOING TO DO as we wait for His timing to work it out. Then next,

PAUL MAKES A PERSONAL APPEAL FOR PRAYER

He says, “Withal praying also for us.” Paul believed that prayer was an essential part in the Christians life. He believed that prayer was essential to the Christian who lives constantly in enemy territory. Not to pray is to take God for granted. It is to take His work in our hands and operate for Him in our own strength. Paul knew that the Colossians were facing the enemy in the person of the Gnostic heresy. So he tells them to pray. He also has confidence in their prayers so he asks them to pray for him. The word “withal” means “at the same time.” In other words, Paul says while you are praying for yourselves and the work there, pray for me. Include me in your prayers.

Then he makes two specific requests. First, “that God would open unto us a door of utterance. When we talk about open doors for service we are using the language of Scripture. God must open doors to us. Paul needed an open door for utterance. This means that the door was shut at the time of the request. Now who do you suppose closed that door? We have three basic enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil. I am sure in my mind that Satan had shut the door. Paul was a danger to the kingdom of Satan.

We have a good illustration of this in Acts 19. We have the story of how certain vagabond Jews tried to mimic the ministry of Paul in casting out demons. In verses 13-22 we are told, “Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.”

Paul said in substance, “Pray for us also that God will open unto us a door of utterance.” He knew that God had to give the opportunity to speak.

Then Paul gets specific concerning the message he wants God to give him the opportunity to preach. He says, “to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds.” The mystery of Christ is defined in Colossians 1:27. It is not a hidden mystery, it is a revealed mystery. It is revealed in the gospel. This was and is a hated message. Satan will help you preach a perverted gospel because it only sets his children more firmly in their unsaved condition. But when the pure gospel is preached, Satan’s kingdom loses population! So Satan attacks the gospelizer through the world and the flesh. In Paul’s case, he was in prison for preaching the gospel. The answer to his situation was prayer.

Paul’s second request is, “That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.” This second request is for clarity of presentation. The words “make manifest” translates “phaneroo” and means, “to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown, to manifest,” This is an aorist active subjunctive verb. The aorist tense is a potential (subjunctive mood) point of time. It means that Paul wanted in the future to have an opportunity to do this. He is doing it in prison through his inspired pen as he writes to them. He is speaking here about publicly declaring the mystery of the gospel to those who have not heard.

The word “ought” translates “dei” and means, “it is necessary, there is need of, it behooves, is right and proper.” It is a present indicative verb. This means that Paul recognized his present obligation. The words to speak” translates “laleo” and means, “to speak with the mouth.” Paul wanted to preach the gospel by word of mouth. Could it be that Paul was not doing what he wanted most to do when he was writing epistles to churches? Could it be that the way God orchestrated the ministry of Paul to help the future Gentile Church was to allow him to be put in prison so that writing was his only alternative? Paul was willing to serve the Lord in prison. But that certainly was not a choice! But the Word of God and his burden to help defend the gospel in the churches against heresy, motivated him to do what was next best to his coming in person, i.e., write them instructions. Therefore we have fourteen books in the New Testament written by Him some of which were written from prison. Paul was a great success from the Lord’s standpoint. But probably his greatest success was his inspired epistles. Amen.

Paul saw the need of prayer. He was not too proud to ask the local assembly in Colosse to pray for him. He believed they could pray and get their prayers answered. Prayer is a major key to the success of the Lord’s work in this world. We are operating in enemy territory and we are no match in our own strength for Satan. Prayer protects, delivers, and makes us a strong weapon against Satan. It makes the gospel effectual.

May the Lord help us to see the importance of prayer and do more of it.

God bless you.

In Christ

Bro. White