#316 Colossians Series# 9, Collaboration

#316 Colossians Series# 9, Collaboration
By: Pastor D. Karl Thomas

Epaphras work in Colosse. Gospel of Jesus Christ at risk.
Paul sends a letter that asserts the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ. Jesus is Lord! Therefore He is fully able qualify us as saints.

Colossians 1:28-29  “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”
Perfect (teleios):— brought to its end, finished wanting nothing necessary to completeness, perfect, full grown, adult, of full age, mature.

Colossians 2:9-10 “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”
Complete:— (pleROo) to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure, render perfect in every particular.

The Commission Of Paul: Acts 26:17b-18  “I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.”

Romans 16:3-4 “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me.”
Acts 19:10 “And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.”

Colossians 4:7-18
“Tychicus, a beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. 8 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that he[a] may know your circumstances and comfort your hearts, 9 with Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you all things which are happening here. 10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision; they have proved to be a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete[b] in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has a great zeal[c] for you, and those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis. 14 Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you. 15 Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and Nymphas and the church that is in his[d] house. 16 Now when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. 17 And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.” 18 This salutation by my own hand—Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Amen.”

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” Michael Jordan

“Playing for yourself wins trophies, playing for your team wins championships.”  Tommy Lasorda

“Cooperation is working together agreeably… Collaboration is working together aggressively; and there’s a world of difference between those two.”  John C. Maxwell

The Movie The Great Escape … Based on a true story!

When soldiers found themselves locked away in German prison camps during World War II, they easily could have waited out the end of the war. One or two may have tried to make escapes.

One camp set much higher goals. Their story became the basis for the 1963 movie, “The Great Escape.” These prisoners organized themselves around the collective goal of freeing 250 soldiers in one night. Great teamwork was required for such an ambitious goal. They had to engineer and dig tunnels, build supports from wooden slats, dispose of dirt, create bellows to pump air into the tunnels, and light the tunnels.

According to one list, the supplies included 4,000 bed slats, 1,370 battens, 1,699 blankets, 52 long tables, 1,219 knives, 30 shovels, 600 feet of rope and 1,000 feet of electric wire.
In addition to finding materials for the tunnels, each of them would need civilian clothes, German papers, identity cards, maps, homemade compasses and emergency rations.
Everyone had a job … tailors to pickpockets to forgers. There were even teams that specialized in distracting the German soldiers.

John Sturges, who directed the movie account, once said: “It demanded the concentrated devotion and vigilance of more than 600 men – every single one of them, every minute, every hour, every day and every night for more than one year, Never has the human capacity been stretched to such incredible lengths or shown such determination and such courage.”

To pull this mission off the soldiers moved beyond cooperation and into collaboration. There’s a difference between cooperation and collaboration.

Horse Sense:

A single draft horse can pull a load up to 8,000 pounds.  The strength involved in this is hard to imagine.  So then we can speculate what would happen if we hooked up two draft horses to a load.
If you instantly thought two draft horses could pull 16,000 pounds if one draft horse can pull 8,000 pounds, you would be wrong.  Two draft horses pulling together cannot pull twice as much as one.  They can actually pull three times as much.  The two draft horses that can each pull 8,000 pounds alone can pull 24,000 pounds working together.

The horses are teaching us a very clear lesson in teamwork, but they still have more to teach us.  If the two horses that are pulling together have trained with one another and have worked together before, they can’t just pull three times as much working together as they can by themselves.  The two trained horses in tandem can actually pull 32,000 pounds, which is a load four times as heavy as either of the horses could pull by themselves.  (World record of team in Belgium — 50,000 pounds)

The powerful lessons that these magnificent draft horses can teach us involves not only teamwork but coordinated and trained collaboration.  No one lives or works alone as the proverbial island unto themselves.

The Apostle Paul was able bring together collaborators.
Several places in his writings he lists groups of people who worked together with him.
Collaborators produce incredible results.

“Tychicus ”
Named six times in the Bible … He is most often serving by being sent somewhere to encourage someone. Everyone needs encouragement!

“Onesimus”
He was a run away slave … His past has been resolved … he is redeemed. Now he is serving the purpose of God for his life.
Philemon 15-16 “…that you might receive him forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave—a beloved brother, …”

“Aristarchus”
Named 5 times in the bible. He was a Macedonian of Thessalonica.
He attached himself to Paul. He was a very close friend who committed himself to be a fellow prisoner.

“Mark”
A guy who deserted Paul on his 1st missionary journey. Paul refused to use him again.
Acts 15:39 “Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another.”
Later we see Paul had a change of heart and was restored to Mark.

2 Timothy 4:11 “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry.”

“Justus”
One of the brothers from the Jewish group who has identified himself with the great teacher of GRACE. Willing to embrace a great deal of misunderstanding on principle.  People have party spirit … Groups

“Epaphras”
Church Planter and Pastor in Colosse.  Serious about prayer!!!
vs. 12b “…always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.”

“Luke”
Luke the beloved physician. A Doctor who used his calling for the Kingdom.
Full time child of God who used his skills as a seed bag for ministry.

“Demas”
2 Timothy 4:10 “…for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world…”
Even in the best of ministry teams you have defection. This was a person who could not detach from temporal stuff himself.

“Nymphas”
A wealthy single woman who wanted everything she had to be used for the Kingdom.
Started a church in her home!  What a gift to be a woman and to be single.

“Archippus”
Vs.17 (The Message) “And, oh, yes, tell Archippus, ‘Do your best in the job you received from the Master. Do your very best.ʼ”
You donʼt choose ministry you receive it. Too many choose ministry and try to do it.

Grace will do it!  vs.18“Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Amen.”
This is not a duty or a burden to fulfill my role…it is engaging a flow of Divine favour from heaven.

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