⛪ Lesson 1: Persecuted but Not Forsaken
📘 1.4 Paul and Colossae
✨ The Gospel Beyond Paul’s Footsteps
🟦 Introduction
Colossae – a city off the beaten path, scarcely researched historically, not a major congregation like Ephesus or Corinth. And yet: Paul addressed it with one of the most theologically profound letters in the New Testament.
Astonishing: Paul likely never went there, yet his influence was felt – through Epaphras, one of his faithful co-workers.
What does that tell us? – That God’s work is not limited to places we can reach ourselves. And that transformation often happens through people who are willing to be sent, even if they were “just” listeners.
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📖 Bible Study
🔍 1. Colossae – Evangelism through Multiplication
“Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you…” – Colossians 4:12
Epaphras was no apostle, no Paul. And yet: He was the man who reached Colossae.
How?
Most likely, he heard Paul in Ephesus (Acts 19:10), was converted, trained – and returned home to share the gospel.
➡️ Paul worked through Epaphras – a strategy of multiplication.
It wasn’t necessary to go everywhere in person when the gospel could spread through faithful coworkers.
✍️ “Every true disciple is a missionary.” – EGW
🔍 2. Philemon, Onesimus, and the Gospel of Equality
Philemon 15–16:
“For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while, so that you would have him back forever, no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother…”
Onesimus was a runaway slave who came to Paul – perhaps by chance, perhaps intentionally.
Paul converted him – and sent him back to his former master, not as property, but as a brother in Christ.
🧾 Roman Law vs. The Gospel
According to Roman law, Onesimus should have been punished.
But Paul placed the gospel above the law.
He didn’t force Philemon, but appealed to his love.
“If you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.” – Philemon 17
What Paul demonstrates here is revolutionary:
Not politically, but spiritually and socially.
Not through force, but through heart transformation.
🧭 What does Ellen White say about slavery?
In the time of American slavery, Ellen White wrote very clearly:
“If a human law requires a man to return a slave, the Christian is to obey God rather than man.” – EGW, 2T 69
➡️ She highlights: Justice and mercy stand above human regulations when they conflict with the gospel.
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🗣️ Answers to the Questions
Question 1: What approach does Paul urge Philemon to take, and how can we understand his restraint regarding slavery?
Paul does not call for revolution, but for spiritual transformation.
He does not command Philemon legally, but leads him to a spiritual decision: to no longer see Onesimus as a slave, but as a brother in Christ.
Why the restraint?
Because the gospel is not primarily a political movement, but a change that starts within the person.
➡️ Paul planted a seed that would contribute to the abolition of slavery centuries later.
🔁 Application:
Even today, we often face unjust systems. We can:
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Act with love and truth
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Raise our voice without condemning
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Inspire change through the heart, not just protest
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💎 Spiritual Principles
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The gospel spreads through faithful disciples – not only apostles.
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Spiritual responsibility begins where you live – just like Epaphras.
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True change starts in the heart, not in the system.
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The gospel means: no one is a “slave” anymore – everyone is a brother or sister.
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Love is stronger than law.
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🛠️ Practical Application
Be willing to share the gospel where you are – in your family, school, or workplace.
Let Paul inspire you to see people not by their past, but by their new identity in Christ.
When you witness social injustice, act with heart and truth – just as Paul did.
Ask yourself:
Who can I bring hope to like Epaphras?
Whom can I learn to “see anew” like Philemon?
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✅ Conclusion
Colossae wasn’t reached by Paul – but by one of his students.
A runaway slave wasn’t condemned – but welcomed as a brother.
➡️ That is the power of the gospel:
It transforms people, relationships, and entire cities – through love, truth, and spiritual authority.
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💭 Thought of the Day
“The gospel doesn’t just change a person’s standing before God – it also changes how they see others.”
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✍️ Illustration
“The Call to the Andes”
Freedom that comes from the heart – A Story from Bolivia
🟩 PART 1: The Boy on the Edge of the City
Mateo Morales, 17 years old, lives on the outskirts of El Alto, a city over 4,000 meters high near La Paz, Bolivia. The air is thin, the streets dusty. Mateo grew up in hardship:
His father disappeared, his mother struggles to survive, his older brother is in prison.
Mateo starts stealing. He joins a youth gang – not out of malice, but because it feels like “family.”
One day he steals a phone from an American missionary, Joshua Bell, who runs a youth center in La Paz.
🟩 PART 2: Night Encounter
Joshua discovers the theft, but instead of going to the police, he looks for Mateo.
He finds him in a side alley – scared, aggressive, but empty inside.
Joshua simply says:
“What you took can be replaced. What you’re looking for can’t.”
He invites Mateo to the center: “Come tomorrow. No pressure. Just breakfast. And respect.”
Mateo comes. Hesitantly. But hungry – not just for food.
🟩 PART 3: The School of Change
At the center, Mateo experiences something completely new:
No judgment.
No pressure.
Just people who believe he’s more than his past.
He hears the gospel for the first time – about Jesus, who turns slaves into brothers.
Joshua reads him the letter to Philemon. Mateo asks:
“So Onesimus was like me?”
“Yes. And Paul didn’t condemn him. He embraced him.”
Mateo stays. Helps in the kitchen. Laughs again for the first time. Learns to read. And finally, he prays – cautiously, quietly – but sincerely.
🟩 PART 4: The Voice of Calling
A year later: Mateo is 18. Baptized. Hopeful.
He asks Joshua:
“Can I go back? I want to tell the boys what I’ve experienced.”
Joshua looks at him – for a long time – then says:
“Like Epaphras – you’re one of them. You don’t have to run anymore. Now you’re a messenger.”
Mateo returns to his neighborhood. He starts an open Bible group. No big church – just a living room, a table, and hearts that listen.
🟩 PART 5: The Lost Brother
One day Rafa, Mateo’s brother, shows up – on parole from prison.
He’s cynical. Angry. Suspicious.
But Mateo receives him – like Philemon did with Onesimus.
He says:
“You’re not my enemy. You’re my brother.”
Rafa slowly softens. He joins the Bible group. Asks questions. Argues. Stays.
🟩 PART 6: The Transformation
One year later, the small group has grown into 25 youth – many fatherless, directionless, but hungry for truth.
They call themselves “La Familia Libre” – The Free Family.
Joshua writes to a friend in the U.S.:
“I never visited Colossae – but the gospel lives there now.”
🟩 PART 7: The Return
After four years of training at an Adventist school, Mateo returns to his neighborhood – not as the thief he once was, but as a teacher, mentor, evangelist.
His brother Rafa helps him start new groups.
The “Free Family” is now active in four districts – with meals, prayer, discipleship, and hope.
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📌 Final Thoughts on the Story
Like Epaphras, Mateo wasn’t called to be famous, but faithful.
Like Onesimus, he wasn’t discarded, but accepted.
Like Paul, Joshua stood between law and grace – and chose the way of love.
This story shows:
The gospel doesn’t happen in halls, but in hearts.
Change doesn’t begin with demands, but with acceptance.
And: South America is full of young “Epaphrases” – just waiting to be sent.
