Preaching Boldly without Hindrance.
When Paul writes this personal letter to his dear friend Philemon, we find him in jail in Rome. Paul was doing a four-and-a-half-year imprisonment “mission journey”. The first two years came in the Caesarea prison after he was arrested in Jerusalem (Acts 21:33). Then for about a half year he was in route from Caesarea to Rome as a ship prisoner. Part of that journey was shipwrecked at Malta (Acts 28.1) The remaining two years of this imprisonment time came at Rome with his two years under house arrest and guard.
For two whole years he stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance! (Acts 28:30-31)
It was why as a prisoner in Rome the work he started throughout Asia could continue. He had great partners and leadership teams. We see the quality of his leadership teams here as we look at his personal letter to Philemon. We see two of his many leadership teams. We find out about his Colossian partners and his Rome team.
Let’s look first at his Colossian team.
Philemon- The letter is to this dear brother that Paul considered a partner in the ministry. He said, I hear about your love for all believers in Christ. (Philemon 1:4) This local leader at Colossae had a love that gave Paul encouragement. Partnership in faith with Paul. Paul always remembered this Colossae leader in his prayers. The church that meets in your house. Philemon had a house that was used as the church at Colossae.
He had a guest room that would be utilized if Paul was released from prison and visited the church. Philemon was the slave owner of Onesimus. If you put all these together, house owner, guest room and slave owner we can assume that Philemon was financially well off. Paul specifically says that he considers Philemon a partner in the gospel. (Philemon 1:6) There is much Paul and Philemon share for the sake of the gospel. Paul was greatly encouraged and refreshed for the way Philemon ministered in Colossae. (Philemon 1:7)
Apphia the sister in the Lord. (Philemon 1:2) It would make sense that Apphia is the wife of Philemon, but it is not explicitly mentioned. This is a personal letter to Philemon so that would add weight to the assumption that Apphia and Archapas are family members of Philemon. The Colossian letter was to be read to the church and shared with the nearby Laodicea church, but this letter was not a public letter to be shared with the other churches. It is public now since we are reading it.
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker— also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your home (Philemon 1:1-2)
Archapas He was the local minister in Colossae (Colossians 4:17). He was a soldier in the kingdom work at Colossae (Philemon 1:2). What we know of Archapas from these two verses we could conclude he was the local hero. It was because of the local heroes like Archapas that Paul could go to a new area that had not heard the gospel, proclaim the gospel widely, disciple the believers, organize them into a church and then exit to the next place to start the pattern all over again. Archapas was there to keep the church healthy and growing.
It was the local leader who would lead the local church to reach their Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and outermost parts of the world. When the gospel reaches a new place, we need the local leaders to own and expand the ministry there. There are only two verses about Archapas, but they are enough to tell us that he was a local hero at Colossae.
Tell Archippus, "Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you fulfill it. (Colossians 4:17)
to Archippus, our fellow soldier. (Philemon 1:2)
Paul’s Rome Prison Ministry dream team
Timothy- Timothy had a been a faithful partner with Paul for about ten years. He joined Paul in his second journey and worked together since Paul joined the Paul and Silas team. Timothy was alongside them through the second journey, third journey and now well into his Paul’s imprisonment. Paul’s partnership with Timothy has become synonymous with the discipleship relationship. We often ask, “who your Timothy?” when what we are asking is, who is the disciple you are pouring into?
Mark- Paul had Mark with him in Rome. Paul had famously fallen out with Barnabas over Mark (Acts 12:12; 15:37). Mark went with Barnabas for his second journey because Paul did not want him along. We read in Colossians 4:10 that Mark was the cousin of Barnabas. Mark worked closely with Paul, Barnabas, and Peter. The first church ever started at Pentecost met at Marks house (Acts 12:12).
We know that Mark and Paul worked together for many more years to come (2 Timothy 4:11). Mark wrote one of the four Gospels and was one of the great heroes of the first century church. Paul made it clear that Mark was an important part of the Rome ministry team, and the Colossian church was to welcome Mark when he comes.
Luke- Luke was a traveling companion of Paul and was able to write his up close and personal record of what happened in Acts. He also wrote the gospel of Luke. Half the gospels flowed out of Paul’s imprisonment team (Mark and Luke) while they were in Rome.
Tychicus – He would carry the letter back to Colossians and take Onesimus back to Colossae. The Colossian letter was to be read in all the churches in the area. (Colossians 4:7-9)
Onesimus - He was the Colossian slave who came to faith in Christ. The runaway slave. In Rome he heard the gospel and was saved. Accept him as a brother Paul said. Paul was sending him back to Philemon to forgive him. Now he is your brother in Christ. Not condemned but received and forgiven. It was hard for Paul to send back Onesimus because he was such servant to Paul in prison in Rome.
Demas - During Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome, Demas was also a fellow worker in Rome (Philemon 1:24) (Colossians 4:14). Demas was the weak link in the Rome team chain. Later Demas left the team for worldly pursuits. “Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica” (2 Timothy 4:10).
Aristarchus- He is mentioned as our fellow soldier. (Philemon 1:23-24), He had been serving faithfully with Paul. He was there for the in riot in Ephesus and traveled with Paul, (Acts 19:29), (Acts 27:2, Acts 20:1-3, Acts 20:4, Acts 27:1-2). He was in Rome when Paul wrote the letter to Philemon, and he was a fellow prisoner in Rome when the Colossians letter was written. (Colossians 4:10)
Epaphras – Epaphras was part of the Colossae team, but now he is serving with Paul in Rome as a fellow prisoner. Epaphras was the ideal disciple/church planter to carry the gospel and start the church in Colossae. He was a local son of the soil, a Colossian. When Paul spent two years at Ephesus at teaching and training at the Hall of Tyrannus it was Epaphras who most likely made the one-hundred-mile journey back and forth from Ephesus to Colossae with relative ease. His fellow Colossians were also making that same journey all the time. They would be going from the smaller city of Colossae to the big port city of Ephesus for trade and supplies.
Paul had Epaphras with him. Paul mentions (Colossians 1:17) that it was his close associate Epaphras who preached the gospel in Colossae. At Ephesus at the Hall of Tyrannus Paul could pour into disciples and they could go out and cover all the places Paul would never have the time or health to reach. With this strategy Paul could even be in prison and the work would carry on.
Just how Paul set up this school is recorded by Luke (who is with Paul when he writes Colossians) in Acts 19. “He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. Now this happened for two years, with the result that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.” (Acts 19:9b-10)
Epaphras would learn from Paul how to proclaim the gospel and start churches and raise up leaders. Paul uses the 2 Timothy 2:2 strategy at the hall of Tyrannus. “And the things you have heard me say in
And so, it is commonly accepted that one of the disciples at the hall of Tyrannus who was instrumental in all of Asia hearing the gospel and starting churches in cities Paul never reached was Epaphras. Paul said, you learned the gospel from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf (Colossae 1:7-8).
Epaphras was the key man for the Asian tri-city area of Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis. Paul said “I vouch for Epaphras that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. Colossians 4:13. Epaphras probably started the Laodicea church that met at Nympha’s house (Colossians 4:15) and the Philemon church that met at either Philemon’s or Archippus’s house (Philemon 2).
Epaphras would learn from Paul how to proclaim the gospel and start churches and raise up leaders. Paul uses the 2 Timothy 2:2 strategy at the hall of Tyrannus. “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others”. Paul rises up Epaphras at the Hall of Tyrannus.
After spending some time at the Tyrannus School Epaphras would head up river or along one of the Roman Roads to Colossae and put what he learned into practice. When he reached Colossae he would teach what he learned to Archippus. Epaphras learned from Paul and he in turn raised up Archippus to lead the Colossian church (probably it happened this way at Colossae). Paul is raising up multi-generational leaders.
The hall of Tyrannus strategy worked brilliantly because both Paul and Epaphras are together in prison in Rome and the work is carrying on. Of course the churches at Colossae and Laodicea certainly do face threats from prevalent outside harmful philosophies. Paul is trying to steer the churches clear of their harmful influence in writing the Colossian letter. The church at Colossae has a powerful prayer warrior in Epaphras who regularly intercedes for them too.
The distance and trip from Ephesus and Colossae are very practical. On the other hand, the meeting up in a Roman prison of Paul and two Colossians of Epaphras and Onesimus is striking. What were Epaphras and Onesimus these two Colossians doing with Paul in Rome? No one can answer for sure, but it seems that Onesimus the escaped slave of Philemon was “free” to travel back to Colossae with Tychicus and Epaphras was not.
Whatever reason Epaphras came to Rome is uncertain but that he brought news to Paul of the growing spiritual fruit and love in the Spirit is certain (Colossians 1:6). Epaphras also brought news of the threats of heresy facing the church in Colossae.
Conclusion
A challenge to having partners. Paul already declared that there was no place left for him for ministry from Jerusalem to Illyricum (Romans 15:19-23). Because Paul had built up local leaders in significantly geographic locations the work could be carried on without him. He could move on to Spain (Romans 15:24). It was the way he worked, his pattern, preaching the gospel, establishing churches, and building up local leaders who carried on the kingdom work when he left.
