SUNDAY February 6, 2022
The Church of Colosse
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse....
Colossians 1:1-2
At this point in time, Paul the Apostle endured his first imprisonment in Rome. Prison was the place where Paul wrote four prison epistles: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. Again, Paul wrote to the church of the Colossians, but he never, ever visited the city of Colosse.
How did the church of Colosse begin? It is believed that it was an outgrowth from Paul’s third missionary journey, where he preached for two years in Ephesus, while other believers and Epaphras ministered the gospel to the Colossians (Acts 19:10). Epaphras preached the gospel and became their well-known pastor. The Word of God took effect:
...since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, who also declared to us your love in the Spirit (Colossians 1:6-8).
Paul had heard of the great witness and testimony of the believers in the city of Colosse, which was located about hundred miles inland, east of Ephesus in the Lycus River Valley in ancient Phrygia, at the base of Mount Cadmus. It was a part of the Roman territory of Asia Minor. Colosse was one city of what is known as a tri-city area; the two other cities were Laodicea and Hierapolis (Colossians 4:13-16).
Hierapolis was known as “the sacred city,” as it was thought that Apollo was the city’s divine founder. The people worshipped Apollo, Pluto––the god of the underworld, and the goddess Leto––a Greek form of the Mother goddess. It was famous for its sacred hot springs. Also it is believed that this is the place where the Apostle Philip was martyred.
The history of missions is the history of answered prayer. It is the key to the whole mission problem. All human means are secondary.
~Samuel Marinas Zwemer~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
