PEACE BE WITH YOU!
By Pastor Paulus Budiono
Lemah Putro, Sunday, June 30, 2019
Shalom,
We must be sure that the power of God is so great that He can make all things work together to bring good to us as revealed by the Apostle Paul in his writing in Romans 8:28. Obviously, the Apostle Paul had experienced God's work in his life 2000 years ago. What about us, reading his writing now? Do we also experience God's work and His power in our lives? Or do we consider the writings of the Apostle Paul old-fashioned and no longer valid now?
What is the message of the Apostle Paul to end his writing on Colossians? Colossians 4:18 comprises all of his writings for the Colossians, “I, Paul, write this greeting by my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.”
Are we able to write letters and give greetings of peace when we ourselves are in suffering? We believe God's promise never comes late in helping us, but do we still firmly hold on our faith if our prayers are not granted like Paul who suffered for Christ's sake until the end of his life as if God did not 'help him' (2 Corinthians 12: 7-9)?
The word 'shalom' looks easy and simple to say but we are reluctant and not willing to use it; in fact the Bible is full of the words 'shalom'. The word 'shalom' may only be used by the Jews while 'peace' is used generally in giving greetings to anyone. Please note the word 'greetings' in the Bible is used without knowing time, situations and conditions; that is why the Apostle Paul can still deliver greetings even though he is shackled in prison.
In his letter, the Apostle Paul was not alone in giving greetings but he included fellow ministers such as Aristarkhus, Mark, Justus, Epaphras, physician Luke, Demas (Collosians 4: 10-14).
Because he was imprisoned in Rome, the Apostle Paul could not go to Colosse; therefore, he sent Aristarkhus and other friends to deliver letters and greetings from him with a distance of ± 1,600 km. Their service became a consolation for the Apostle Paul. The problem is, how can the Apostle Paul make them his messengers because the conditions in ancient prisons are not as comfortable as they are today? Apparently Aristarkhus was also imprisoned not because of a criminal act but because of the truth of God's Word. Surprisingly, in suffering they can still convey their best wishes. We who now live in a world of ease, freedom, comfort, do we like giving peace to others especially when we experience difficulties? In fact, we focused on and so worried about our own difficulties that the shalom and greetings get vanished.
The Apostle Paul did not hide but openly mentioned his name as the author of Colossians. What is his motivation? Does he want freedom? He begged for prayer so that he would have courage to speak about the secret of Christ for which he was imprisoned (Colossians 4: 2-3).
Introspection: does our prayer contain a request for one's own needs or the courage to preach the gospel of salvation? We live freely not shackled but the enthusiasm for preaching the gospel is often cold. The Apostle Paul wrote "Remember my bondage" with the aim that we who read his writings pray for the servants of God so that they do not forget to preach the gospel. Honestly, today many churches are busy with physical needs instead of the needs of souls who crave for salvation. Thus, the true peace of greetings is lost.
Where did the Apostle Paul and his fellow workers share sincere greetings without further ado? Of course they communicated well with each other eventhough it was easier to communicate with Aristarkhus who was in prison than with other friends (Mark, Justus, Epaphras, physician Luke and Demas).
Introspection: in the congregation, have we communicated with one another so that we can get to know each other more closely? The Apostle Paul was not only adept at preaching but he remembered his friends’ names and included them when sending greetings (Romans 16).
What did the Apostle Paul write at the beginning of Colossians? ”From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the saints, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you from God our Father!” (Colossians 1:1-2)
The Apostle Paul begins and ends his letter with the same words, "greetings and peace and grace," meaning: we will have peace if God the Trinity is with us. In other words, peace/ shalom comes from God.
Apparently, in other letters the Apostle Paul also begins and ends with the same words regarding to "the grace and peace of God with him" (Romans 1: 7, 16:20; 1 Corinthians 1: 3, 16:23; 2 Corinthians 1: 2, 13:13; Galatians 1: 3, 6:18; Ephesians 1: 2, 6: 23-24 etc.). It is very clear that the letters of the Apostle Paul are the Word of God and in the Name of God. They are not just human writings. Likewise with all the letters in the New Testament (Romans - Revelation) they always begin and end with "grace and peace" and tell us of the events that have occurred, are and will happen. Therefore the church of God cannot discriminate Paul's doctrine, Luke's doctrine, Peter's doctrine etc. with the intention of alleviating and elevating others.
When does shalom / peace begin to appear? Before Jesus was about to suffer until he died on the cross, He promised to His disciples, “I will not abandon you as orphans…But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and will cause you to remember everything I said to you. Peace (eirene) I leave with you; my peace I give to you; I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage.” (John 14:18,26-27)
The promise of Jesus was fulfilled when He rose from the dead and returned to His Father's house, the Holy Spirit came down to fill in His disciples (Acts 2: 2,6). It is evident that between the promise and fulfillment of promises, it had to pass through the cross which resulted in peace because of accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior.
The Apostle Paul mentions Mark in his writings and says, “… Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him.” Who is this Mark? It turned out that he had a poor track record while serving with Paul and his uncle, Barnabas. In the middle of ministry Mark left them in Pamphylia and did not want to work with them. When Barnabas invited Mark to serve together again, Paul refused. This caused a sharp dispute so they separated, Barnabas took Mark to sail to Cyprus while Paul chose Silas and went around Syria and Cilicia (Acts 15: 38-39).
Do years of separation make Paul and Mark's distance even further? Apparently not. People who love God have the Holy Spirit and long to unite even though unpleasant problems have occurred. That is why when Paul was in prison, he told Timothy to pick up Mark and take him to prison because Mark's ministry was important to Paul (2 Timothy 4:11).
Learning: don't get caught up in someone's past (pseudo goodness or ugliness) to be remembered and can't be forgotten. Apostle Paul’s act became a breakthrough in our paradigm change. Everything happens because of the power of the Word of God that enables people who are full of shortcomings to be able to accept one another.
What about Epaphras? He was in the area of Rome but struggled in prayer for the church at Colossae which was ± 1,600 km away. Paul witnessed how Epaphras had struggled in prayer to pray for the Colossians as well as the churches in Laodicea and Hierapolis so that they would stand firm and believe in all that God wanted (Colossians 4: 12-13).
Introspection: are we passionate to pray for pastors, elders, assembly and fellow congregations so that we all stand firm in our following God? Note, prayer is like a breath of life that cannot stop for a moment. Is our breath of prayer panting so that we are unable to pray properly? At the end of this age the Lord's church faces many winds of false teachings from all directions. The church needs a prayer team that can communicate well with other churches without causing competition or harassment.
The Apostle Paul also referred to Demas who was included in greeting the Colossians; Demas is known in Colossae. But what happened to Demas next? At the end of Paul's life before being executed, Demas, who was initially so loyal, at last left the ministry because he loved the world more (2 Timothy 4:10). Demas should have realized that the world is passing away with all its desires, but the person who does the will of God remains forever (1 John 2:17).
We can give good greetings and even preaching the Word of God wonderfully at the pulpit but can we do it up to the last point of our lives?
The Apostle Paul did not act a one-man show because he also invited other partners and ended his letter with greetings written by his own hand.
Application: we must not focus solely on a servant of God whom people consider as the greatest minister because such act could cause a downfall to the person.
We should join hands and accept the weaknesses and shortcomings of one another and don't forget to greet others in peace which is the work of redemption by Jesus Christ. Thus we can dwell together as citizens of the Kingdom of God living together with the Owner forever in the New Jerusalem. Amen.
Video ibadah ini dapat Anda lihat di sini Ibadah Persekutuan GKGA - 30 Juni 2019 - Pdt. Paulus Budiono