Taking Our Relationships Captive For Christ

The Great Commission is built on relationships. Both the construction and purpose are found in the context of relationships by utilizing human relationships to direct people toward a relationship with God. However, not every relationship is created equal. They are differentiated by the people involved, which determines the condition, character, and even the purpose of the relationship.

Paul was a man of relationships. We see this at the introduction and conclusion of each of his writings as he singles out a variety of people to whom he is either sending greetings or who join him in sending those greetings. Within the closing of Colossians is an obscure verse where Paul writes: Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas (Colossians 4:14). This is an obscure verse, offering little content for readers. Upon examining the two men mentioned, though, we are given the presentation of two very different people resulting in two very different relationships with Paul.

The Law of Luke
Though details are limited, this verse is critical to our knowledge of Luke. Here, we learn of Luke's gentile background and occupation as a physician. Acts reveals more about Luke’s participation in ministry, but by name, he is only mentioned three times in Scripture (Colossians 4:16; Philemon 24; 2 Timothy 4:11). Looking at the course of the relationship between Paul and Luke over the years shows us three characteristics:

• Labor: At the start of the second missionary journey, Luke suddenly appears as part of Paul’s ministry team, no doubt using his skills (both his physician skills and any other God-given gifts) in order to serve the Lord with the others. This is a reality of the Christian life: Christians serve Christ together.
• Loyalty: Paul’s final recorded greetings come in anticipation of his death. After writing his own epitaph in 2 Timothy, Paul is put to death shortly thereafter. However, he notes that at his side is Luke (2 Timothy 4:11). Despite the difficulty and trials, about 15 years later, Luke remains, showing his loyalty, not just to Paul, but to Christ by serving with Paul.
• Love: Finally, those characteristics, labor and loyalty, are born out of love, but we see more importantly that Luke himself is beloved. It's a term used by Paul to frequently note not that just someone is loved by others but loved explicitly by God. Yet, because God loves him, he is also loved by others.

It's hard to know the exact nature of the relationship between Paul and Luke based on our limited information, but these three characteristics offer a good summary. They also tell us something about the quality of the relationship enjoyed between the two men: that they were connected to each other because they are connected in Christ. If it were not for their relationship with Christ, they would not have been able to experience the same type of relationship, one of labor, loyalty, and love, if he were not their common bond.

The Diagram of Demas
In the same verse to the Colossians, Paul notes that Demas is also present and sends his greetings. The two, Luke and Demas, could not be more opposite. Like Luke, Demas is mentioned by name only three times in Scripture as well, and always in the same context as Luke (Colossians 4:16; Philemon 24; 2 Timothy 4:10). It's notable that Paul offers no description of Demas like he does about nearly everyone else, making some commentators wonder if Paul already had suspicions about the direction of Demas’ life. Information about Demas is even more limited than it is about Luke, yet it still tells us something about their relationship:

• Desertion: Most notably, Demas is known as a defector, having left Paul and the ministry for the world (2 Timothy 4:10). It appears that he was never really committed to Christ at all, and so, in the process leaves Christians for the culture.
• Disappointment: Paul writes, "Demas, in love with the present world, has deserted me." You can almost read the disappointment from Paul in writing those words. That's a simple reality when someone defects for the world: it's hard not to be disappointed, not just because of the loss of a relationship with them, but because of their loss of a relationship with Christ.
• Devotion: In light of the first two descriptors, describing the relationship by the concept of devotion is unexpected. Yet, there are two things to note. First, Paul says that Demas deserted him. Even if he had suspected that Demas was already turning towards the world, it was not Paul who left the relationship. More importantly, we know something about Paul’s character. He is forgiving and receptive. We see this in his relationship with John Mark, noting that despite their separation, they were eventually reconciled and continued to serve together (Colossians 4:10; Acts 15:39; 2 Timothy 4:11). I suspect then, that had Demas repented and returned, he would have been receive by Paul as well. Despite knowing little about Demas, his defection is an important example of relationships.

The Context of Relationships in Discipleship & Evangelism
Luke and Demas are unlike, representing two different types of relationships, but one shared truth is found in both: the context of our relationships with others is Christ. There are two parts, then, that determine how that truth is lived out in our relationships, which can be summed up in the following ways:

• The condition of OUR relationship with Christ determines our relationship with others.
• The condition of THEIR relationship with Christ determines our relationship with others.

Notice that in either case, the relationship is centered upon the Lord Jesus Christ, meaning that all aspects of our relationships are taken captive for His glory. First, notice that the condition of the relationship is determined by OUR relationship with Christ, which never changes. Thus, it defines the character of those relationships. Whether believer or unbeliever, the relationship will always be characterized by the love of Christ, loyalty to Christ, and labor for Christ.

What does change, though, is the purpose of the relationship, which is defined by THEIR relationship with Christ. We may treat believers and unbelievers the same, but the goal of the relationship is different depending on their condition in Christ. For those who have not already met Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the purpose of the relationship is salvation, while our relationships with fellow believers are defined by sanctification. In either case, the relationships are meant for the glory of God and the good of God's people by directing them to God through Christ.

In this way, when Christ proclaimed the Great Commission as the agenda of His followers, He defined our relationships for us. And so, the Great Commission calls us to take our relationships captive for Christ, stewarding those relationships for His glory by fulfilling His purposes in them. Who we are in Christ determines the character of the relationship, and who they are in Christ determines the purpose of our relationship.

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