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Colossians 4:17
17 And [kai] say [epo] to Archippus, [Archippos] Take heed [blepo] to the ministry [diakonia] which [hos] thou hast received [paralambano] in [en] the Lord, [kurios] that [hina] thou fulfil [pleroo] it. [autos] KJV-Interlinear
17 And say to Archippus, "Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it." NASB
Archippus means ruler of horses. He is mentioned only one other time, in Philemon 2, with favorable language, and other than that we know little or nothing about him.
This comment from Paul to Archippus seems to be more of a warning to be alert, ‘Take heed,’ given the times in which they lived. It is a general statement and cannot be linked to any specific church even to the Colossians or to the church in Laodicea, although his name is mentioned in the same context with Laodicea. Nor can it be linked to the comments of John, in Revelation 3:14-22, because John would not have written his words for yet another thirty years.
So, what was on Pauls mind is the present, for Paul. He was in prison, and his trial was approaching with uncertainty. There was a great deal of unrest in Judah, and throughout the region. Even the folks in Crete could not be trusted. Review our study in Titus.
And although there was a great deal of history unfolding before them, Paul wants everyone, even you and me in our present day, to be certain that we demonstrate an alertness to the events unfolding around us, and keep our faith and daily study before us.
In the last few days, I suggested that there is a movement in our current day, with regard to global currency, with regard to global government, and so forth. This observation originated from comments made by folks in the media, politicians, celebrities and so forth, just in the last few days.
And although we can speculate as to what events will unfold before us in the next days, months, and years, our first priority is to stick with our daily Bible study, and let Gods plan run its course. He knows what He is doing, and we for certain can only guess.
In order for the world to jump on board for a world currency, people would have to lose faith in the current currencies, and find something that everyone would accept, such as gold. Perhaps there is going to be a huge gold discovery in the future, such that there would be sufficient quantities available to back a world economy? Better go out and check your back yard!!
In any event, you recall how long it took Europe to accept the Euro. A very long time. So something greater than that won’t happen overnight, if at all.
In any event, our focus needs to be on our spiritual life, even as we might play the mental games with a Chrystal ball.
So, ‘take heed’ applies to us as well. Our priority is not the who’s and when’s of the future, but of our spiritual life now.
