Col 4:16-17 ESV
“And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.””
Have you ever thought about Paul and his time in prison? What if Paul was not in prison, would we have his letters to the established churches of that day? Or would Paul have just travelled to Corinth, Colossae, Ephesus, Philippi instead of writing letters. We know he sent others as messengers and missionaries, but would he have travelled himself if not for his imprisonment. I am sure Mark or other would have written about those travels, but we would not have that first-person perspective of his teachings and reproof.
In the passage above, Paul admonished the church of Colossae to share their letter with the church of Laodicea as well as to read the letter from that church.
What happened to the letter to the other church?
Was or is the letter lost to this day?
Was the letter just not shared, but kept to themselves?
We cannot determine which question is true, but we do know that the Laodicean church is mentioned later in Revelations. (Ref: Rev 3:14-22) They are the “lukewarm Church”. These are a few of the many other questions to ponder but the question I want to ask today is, “What would Paul write to your church?”
Paul was supported by these churches and he thanked them for it every time he wrote. In fact, he thanked them for sending even when he didn’t ask for assistance. (REF: Philippians 4:10-18) Paul was the first missionary and some would say the Greatest Missionary. Our missionaries today are no different than Paul in their need for support. They not only need our financial support, but they need our prayer support, our care support and our time. What was the last letter you received from a missionary? How did you respond?
If Paul wrote your church a letter today, what would it say?
If Paul wrote your church a letter today, would you share it?
Wayne Pierce
Operations Lead