Author: David

The Why, What and How of Ministry

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HIGHLIGHT

Colossians 1:25–29 (ESV): 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

EXPLAIN

Paul never visited Colossae. The church in this city was started after one of their own, Epaphras, had traveled to Ephesus, was converted under Paul’s ministry there, and then returned home.

The introduction of Paul’s letter, then, served to build bridges so that he could challenge the people in their faith and correct a concerning doctrinal fallacy. Paul began by expressing thanksgiving and prayer for the church, demonstrating his keen interest in their welfare. Paul followed that with the overarching theme of this letter which, if accepted, would correct the doctrinal fallacy being spread in their midst: Christ is preeminent and must occupy that place in our personal lives and in our church. Paul then explained his apostleship, suffering, and ministry to the church.

Why Paul was a Minister

25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.

Why did Paul become a minister? He became a minister because he was called by God. His ministry was a “stewardship from God.” The Greek for “stewardship” is oikonomia which refers to the “administration (of a household or estate); specifically a (religious) “economy”: – dispensation, stewardship” (Strong’s).

To serve as a minister of the Gospel is to be given a huge responsibility before God. As James 3:1 notes, the teacher of God’s Word bears greater responsibility before God. Of course, a minister of the gospel may serve in a variety of ways including but not necessarily limited to, missionary, evangelist, pastor, and teacher.

The greater point is that such a person receives both authority to minister and is accountable for ministry… to God. Dangerous things happen when the minister either 1) forgets or neglects his stewardship responsibility before God, or 2) succumbs to the whims and dictates of the local flock of God, the wider church, or surrounding community.

It must be noted also that one receives this stewardship of God by accepting it, actively choosing to serve God as a minister. 1 Timothy 3:1 (ESV) says: 1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. There is a degree of aspiration on the part of the person who becomes a minister… to serve God in this noble occupation. Indeed, some looking on could fault such a person for their ambition, but such sanctified desire should be commended. I am reminded of the evangelist who stated that he had never received a “call” to ministry like so many have, yet he felt compelled to share the Gospel. God validated his ministry with great fruit.

Why did God call Paul to serve him in ministry?

to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.

As we consider what it means to make the word of God fully known, we remember Paul’s defense of his ministry: he preached the full counsel of God. Acts 20:27 (ESV): 27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Paul preached till God’s Word was spread fully in the region where he was.

Paul preached God’s Word – both the parts of scripture that were easy for people to receive and those elements that were not acceptable to his audience. Is it no wonder that Paul was often received initially with fanfare, only to be cast out, beaten and persecuted later on?

Paul later charged his mentee, Timothy, to…

2 Timothy 4:2–5 (ESV): 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Often the phrase in verse 2 “in season and out of season” is interpreted to mean that a preacher needs to be ready to preach the gospel both for planned and unplanned preaching opportunities. In other words, an unreasonable burden is placed on the preacher if he or she is expected to have a sermon at all times whether the person adequately studied God’s Word and prayed… or not.

This is not to say that a preacher should not take advantage of such opportunities. Rather, it is to question if any other profession or calling would be held to a similar standard. Good exposition of God’s Word is the result of careful, faithful study.

Furthermore, the idea of “in season and out of season” may refer more accurately to “convenience” and “inconvenience”… NOT of the disposition of the preacher, but rather of the content of God’s Word.

Notice again the context of Paul’s instruction: 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

In other words, Paul was not telling Timothy to be ready to enter the pulpit whether he had three days of study prep or three minutes. No, Paul was Timothy to preach God’s Word regardless of how his audience would react to the Truth!

What Paul Sought to Accomplish as a Minister

26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

Paul described God’s plan of salvation – the gospel – as a mystery that had been hidden for ages and generations. Indeed, as we study the Old Testament we find God’s plan of salvation was revealed incrementally.

In Genesis 3 when God cursed the serpent, we find the first prophecy of Christ. In Genesis 3:15 (ESV) God said: “15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” At the time, the meaning of God’s word must have seemed vague. The prophecy is clear now only because of Christ’s fulfillment.

Throughout the Old Testament, we find images, types and figures that point to Christ – the serpent hung on the tree that provided healing for the Israelites’ sin when they looked upon it, the presence of God symbolized by the Ark, the Tabernacle and later the Temple.

We also see the priests who were the go-between God and the people, mediating God’s forgiveness and direction. Yet the priests demonstrated a woeful inability to be holy as God is.

We observe kings who were supposed to serve as delegates of God the king, but who repeatedly failed to administer justice and righteousness in the land.

Numerous prophecies gave great detail about the coming Messiah, but when the wise men from the east came searching, the religious leaders rightly indicated the place of the Savior’s birth (Bethlehem), but showed no interest in going there. Then, when Jesus made his claim to be God clear, most rejected him.

The idea of God’s plan of salvation being a mystery finally revealed is important for yet another reason. In the Greek and Roman world, mystery cults flourished. Indeed, from what we understand about the Colossians situation, Paul was trying to head off the false teaching of an influential person who was using a mix a Jewish traditions and mystery cultic ideas to mislead the people.

To those who sought to know the mystery of spirituality, Paul wrote here that God’s mystery had been revealed! God’s mystery was revealed to his saints. The object of God’s revelation could be glossed over, yet it is key. While God’s plan of salvation had been spread throughout the world, the mystery of God’s salvation was known truly by those who received his salvation. There is a difference between hearing the basic elements of the salvation message and actually comprehending and enjoying salvation; this is explicitly stated at the end of verse 27.

At the risk of being redundant, however, let us consider this again. You can explain to someone that…

  1. All have sinned and are separated from God,
  2. God is holy and just and will not tolerate sin, but also is loving and merciful and wants to provide us a way of redemption,
  3. God sent his son Jesus to become flesh and live a holy life among us and then to suffer, die for our sins, but be raised to life on the third day,
  4. Through Jesus’ death and life, we can now receive forgiveness of our sins as we place our faith in him.

These basic truths of the Gospel may be explained academically to one unbelieving person, but to their unenlightened heart, the words will seem like gibberish.

Yet, by the power of the Holy Spirit’s conviction, another sinner accepts the truth, repents of their sin and trusts in Christ. This latter person thus comprehends the mystery of the gospel, which is revealed to God’s saints – those made holy by the blood of Jesus.

Paul, apostle to the Gentiles, makes an even more explicit application of the revelation of the gospel mystery in Colossians 1:27. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

A huge factor in the mystery of the gospel is that Gentiles were included in God’s plan of salvation, along with Jews, the chosen people of God. Gentiles are not second class citizens in God’s kingdom, but rather share in the riches of the glory of this mystery.

As the Church has become predominantly Gentile for hundreds and thousands of years now, this factor may seem less important, yet it truly should amaze us, and cause us to bow our knees in gratitude to God. How wonderful it is that God has grafted Gentiles into the Vine of Jesus Christ.

Yet, as Paul wrote in Romans, this is not something we should boast about or take for granted, for if God would graft Gentiles into the Vine, how much more does God care for his chosen people, the Jews?

The way Colossians 1:27 is written, it would first suggest that the mystery of the gospel is that Christ is in the believer. However, when we compare this text with Ephesians 3:6 (ESV), the mystery, per se, is that Gentiles are fellow heirs with Jews, God’s chosen people.

This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Looking at Colossians 1:27 again, it would appear that Christ in you, the hope of glory is the riches of the glory of this mystery This phrase, I believe, is the key to the whole letter of Colossians.

Recall that Paul wrote this letter to address the false teaching of an individual(s) who apparently mixed Jewish mysticism and pagan beliefs to say that faith in Jesus Christ was not sufficient for salvation. Rather, there were days, rules, and regulations that must be observed.

Paul began his letter with a prayer for the Christians to be filled with the knowledge of God’s wisdom so that they could walk worthy of the Lord, being fruitful in everything they did and being strengthened with all power.

Paul then began the content proper of the letter by exalting the supremacy of Christ. After talking about his ministry to the church in Colossians 1:24-2:5, Paul challenged the people saying that as they had received Christ, they should walk in him, rooted, built up, and established in the faith (2:6-7). They had received the circumcision of Christ, buried with Christ in baptism and raised with him to new life, thus removing all guilt of the past life of sin (2:11-14).

Therefore, they must put off anything that remained of the old life of sin and put on the new life of Christ which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creators (Colossians 3:10), by which they could experience the peace of Christ [ruling] in your hearts (Colossians 1:14). They were to let the word of Christ dwell in them and do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Simply put, the glory of the gospel is not merely that God has chosen all to be saved from sin who will turn in repentance to him, that God would love and forgive us despite our transgressions, that Christ would not merely abide with us, but that Christ has chosen to live in us!

Looking at Ephesians again, we find this breathtaking prayer:

Ephesians 3:14–19 (ESV): 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

God wants to fully dwell in us!

No, this is not the same as the Near Eastern or New Age concepts that all is God or we are part of God. No, this is not to suggest the believer is or can be or should be some super spiritual person because they have “God running in their veins.”

Rather, this truth is mind-blowing because it presumes that God can take sinners who are lost without hope and so change them that they become His vessels, filled fully by God.

This truth is startling because we find that God does not merely want to clean us up and have us live a better, even a good, moral life. Rather, God desires to inhabit us.

This truth is humbling because we so often live below the level the riches of the gospel afford us, dabbling with temptation, fearful of full commitment.

Paul not only sought to make the word of God fully known, but also… Colossians 1:28 (ESV): 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

The purpose of preaching in the Church often seems to be misunderstood today. There is a massive drive for entertainment and motivation as the end result of gospel presentations.

That a sermon would entertain and motivate the congregation is not necessarily bad. I personally love to tell stories, whether illustrations to highlight the truth of God’s Word, or to tell the story of Scripture itself. Furthermore, if one finishes a gospel message and the people wonder, “What’s the point?”, one must wonder if they have missed the point of preaching!

However, entertainment and motivation are easily taken too far. A huge, necessary part of preaching is acting in the two roles Paul noted above: prophet and teacher. The prophet role of preaching is not so much about foretelling the future as it is forth-telling God’s Word, and the consequences of either accepting or rejecting God’s Truth. The teacher role of preaching is necessary also to adequately equip people for life and ministry as God’s servants.

As Ephesians 4:11-16 note, Christ gave the functions of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher to the church in order to equip believer for ministry so that the church would be built up in unity and maturity.

Thus, Paul’s role and purpose as a minister was not merely to get people saved or even to start churches. He sought the spiritual maturity of all those who chose to serve Christ.

How Paul Served as a Minister

Colossians 1:29 (ESV): 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

The grace of God is gloriously free, and could never be earned or repaid by our works. Yet God is not opposed to our good works, done out of gratitude and a desire to glorify his name. Indeed, as Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:10 (ESV): 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Paul provides a powerful example of how a responsible, dedicated follower of Jesus should engage oneself in God’s work. Some might suggest his example is extreme. Paul recounted some of what he experienced in ministry in 2 Corinthians 11:24–28 (ESV):

24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.

Yet Paul’s point was not that he was a super-spiritual Christian. Rather, he pointed to his weaknesses. 2 Corinthians 11:30 (ESV): 30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

Note, then, that Paul toiled in ministry for God, but notice also that he was Colossians 1:29 (ESV): struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

The effectiveness of the Christian who serves for God’s glory is accomplished through Christ’s power. Yes, we must be disciplined, obedient, determined, and dedicated in service. Even so, we rely on the power of Christ surging in our veins to accomplish the tasks set out before us by the Holy Spirit.

Thus, we should at once strive to be laborer who works hard for Christ while also resting fully in the grace and power of God.

APPLY

Paul presents the gospel minister as one who has been called by God. Our responsibility is to fulfill the charge God has given us, regardless of how people respond.

Our charge as ministers to reveal the mystery of the Gospel, which is that God has chosen each and every person to be saved from sin, who will turn in repentance and faith to him. The riches of this glorious mystery is that God takes up residence in us. This mystery we proclaim fully so that all those who receive Christ might become mature in the faith.

Our task as ministers is laborious. No one should enter ministry believing this calling is an easy job. But our confidence in the difficult labor of calling people to repentance and discipling them in the fight is that God works powerfully in and through us, changing lives by his amazing grace!

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, thank you for the calling to ministry. Help me to fulfill your charge, revealing your mystery to those who are confused and blinded by sin and Satan. Give me your strength to perform your task. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Completing Christ’s Sufferings

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HIGHLIGHT

Colossians 1:24 (ESV): 24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,

EXPLAIN

Paul’s assertions about suffering in this verse are shocking, for at least two reasons. First, Paul wrote that he rejoiced in his suffering. Second, Paul suggested that his sufferings completed Christ’s afflictions. While the idea of rejoicing in suffering startles us, the idea that Christ’s suffering was incomplete, and especially that any human being could “complete” Jesus’ suffering, is mind-melting.

What did Paul mean when he wrote that he was “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions”? One, we can be certain that he was NOT saying that Christ’s suffering for sin was insufficient. To suggest that Christ’s death was not a complete sacrifice for our sins would have contradicted Paul’s gospel that he preached repeatedly, as well as the teachings of the New Testament, in general.

Paul’s letter to Corinth Church may help us understand his thinking and reasoning in this letter to Colossae Church:

2 Corinthians 1:3–5 (ESV): 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

Notice what Paul said in verse 5. When we suffer in Christ’s name, we share in Christ’s sufferings. A glorious principle of suffering for Jesus’ sake is that we do not suffer alone.

We must hurriedly give the caveat of Peter: if we suffer for wrongdoing, we gain no credit for it – that is just bearing the consequences of our actions, our sins. But if we suffer because we have chosen to serve Jesus instead of the world, we share in the suffering of Christ!

This idea is revolutionary. Suffering for Jesus is not an individual activity, but even more amazing, when we suffer for Jesus, we enter in his suffering!

Suffering for Christ vitally identifies us with Christ. 1 Peter 4:1–2 (ESV) states: 1 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.

Is Peter saying that a person who suffers in Jesus’ name is incapable of sinning any more? No! Rather, Peter is expressing this same thought of identity with Christ. The person who suffers because they live for Jesus has forsaken the world and sin and has become so identified with Christ that they now share the sufferings of Christ.

We naturally recoil from the prospect of suffering. We do not want to be harmed. Being shamed and disgraced is not the road to success… according to the world.

But we have chosen the way of the Cross. We are citizens of the Kingdom of God and serve the Lord of lords. Thus, when we realize that suffering for Jesus vitally identifies us with Jesus, our perception of suffering changes.

Like Paul, we rejoice in suffering! No, we do not rejoice in suffering for the sake of suffering. Rather…

Colossians 1:24 (ESV): 24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,

Paul rejoiced in his sufferings which he endured for the sake of other believers, understanding that in his body he was vitally sharing with the suffering Christ endured for the sake of the Church of God.

Remember. Christ suffered and died for the world, to save us from our sins. But in doing so, Christ also died for the Church.

Ephesians 5:25–27 (ESV): 25 … Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

Christ’s purpose in death was not only to redeem from sin, but to purify from sin. Again, neither Paul’s suffering for Christ nor our suffering for Jesus can atone or purify of sin. Yet our suffering with Christ for the sake of the church may be used by God to help the church become more like Jesus.

There is a great danger with this concept, however. We must not overlook or excuse the pain of suffering because of how God is able to gain glory for himself through that suffering. If we do this, we become insensitive to those who are suffering greatly. If we are the one suffering, our perspective of God can become twisted. Yet we can also rejoice, despite the difficulties that we experience, that our suffering for Jesus can bring good to His Church.

APPLY

One of the great problems of suffering today is that we too easily label any difficulty as a trial we must suffer for Christ. Difficulties and setbacks in life are not necessarily suffering for Jesus’ name.

The early church was physically beaten, imprisoned, had their lands and other assets confiscated, and were killed for the specific offense of claiming Jesus as their Messiah, their Lord and Savior.

Taxation, being taken advantage of, and even being physically harmed or imprisoned is not necessarily persecution, at least for the sake of Christ. We must not downplay such evil or the pain felt by those who suffer. But we must recognize that sharing the sufferings of Christ occurs when we suffer for Christ.

Physical hardships, disease, and sickness are also not necessarily suffering for Christ. Yet we should recognize that physical illness could be part of suffering for Jesus. Furthermore, we should be aware of demonic activity that may lead to physical suffering. Therefore, any time I feel sick or have a headache, I should not attribute that as suffering for Christ, but we should also not overlook the physical suffering many do experience for Christ.

Maybe the better approach is that as we live and serve Christ faithfully and then begin to face opposition, whether it be people who mock and malign us, even physically threaten or harm us, or difficulties – physical, spiritual and more, while not labeling every difficulty as “from the devil”, we should aware that serving Jesus does result in opposition. Thus, we should rejoice that when we experience suffering, we share in Christ’s sufferings!

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, I do not want to carelessly suggest any difficulty I experience in life is a “suffering for Jesus”. Yet I do know that Satan is quite active and hates it when we serve you wholeheartedly and sacrificially, and engineers difficulty and suffering to discourage us and destroy our efforts to serve you. Thank you for the privilege of sharing suffering with Christ! May I imitate Christ’s example of humility, perseverance and sacrificial love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Called unto Holiness

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HIGHLIGHT

Colossians 1:21–23 (ESV): 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

EXPLAIN

Paul was writing a church that was struggling with certain influential people who were trying to draw them away from following Christ and the pure gospel. Therefore, Paul emphasized the preeminence of Christ first and then tied that to reminder of the grace of God had changed the people from being lost in sin to having a magnificent purpose in God’s plan for the world, providing that they lived faithfully for Christ.

21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,

Paul first described the unbeliever’s past. Before we accept Christ as Lord and Savior, we are alienated from God. The bridge illustration is useful in depicting this reality. The unbeliever stands on one side of a chasm; God is on the other. There is no way for us to cross the gulf to reach God. All our righteous deeds and other acts fall short of bridging the gap.

While we might not like to recognize this, in sin we are also hostile in mind to God. Our sin is a terrible affront to God. The sinner, in his self-righteous refusal to believe God and admit his sin, opposes God. Yes, in a sense, the sinner is the victim of sin and Satan, trapped by guilt. Yet in a very real sense, the sinner is also an agent – a solider – for sin and Satan, warring against God and His Church.

Thirdly, the sinner is busy doing evil deeds. We must not sugar-coat this reality. The sinner does wickedness. Unbelief is sin. Sin is sin. Even our attempts to be good, apart from God’s grace and power, are unclean. Isaiah 64:6 says (ESV): 6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Truly, we were in need of a Savior!

22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, There is an important truth here that we could overlook. The reconciliation that Christ undertook for us is glorious. But how has Christ reconciled us? In the body of his flesh. The intent of Paul’s statement seems to be more than an emphasis on Christ’s humanity, although that was surely intended. Rather, Christ’s reconciliation of sinners was accomplished in his body of flesh. Typically, the flesh is regarded as evil; we struggle often with our flesh to do what is right. But Christ shows us as the God-man that our physical bodies are not evil; the problem is our carnal nature. Consider then the great triumph of Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, who accomplished our reconciliation to God in his body, by living a holy, sinless life and then offering his body – his life – as the only sacrifice acceptable to take away the sins of the world!

Having described our past as unbelievers, Paul then wrote about our purpose as God’s people. 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, God has reconciled us to himself through His Son’s death so that He might present us to himself holy. This scripture echoes Ephesians 5:25–27 (ESV): 25 … Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

Holy… blameless… above reproach. These three words are synonyms, and looking at the original Greek words of the text find little difference between their meanings.

The Greek rendered into “holy” is hagios and means, according to Strong’s: “sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially consecrated).”

The Greek behind “blameless” is amomos. Strong’s definition is: “unblemished (literally or figuratively): – without blame (blemish, fault, spot), faultless, unblameable.”

The Greek for “above reproach” is anegkletos. Strong’s says: “unaccused, that is, (by implication) irreproachable: – blameless.”

Hagios is used 229 times in the New Testament. It is the word for “holy” with which we are most familiar. This word seems to describe the character or nature of that which is holy, for example, the Holy Spirit, or saints (holy ones). Therefore, Paul was writing that Christ’s reconciliation in his body by his death is to make our nature – our character – holy.

Amomos is used 7 times in the New Testament and seems to refer more to our actual condition – that we might be without blemish morally, ethically, etc. before God.

For example, in Ephesians 5:26–27 (ESV) we read: 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. The words “without blemish” are amomos.

Also, in Hebrews 9:14 (ESV) we read of Christ’s sacrifice: 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Again, “without blemish” is amomos.

Therefore, the intention of Paul in Colossians 1:22 was to say that Christ’s purpose is to present us to himself without flaw. Wow!

Such a thought is amazing… and intimidating. It is one thing to be declared holy, even made holy. When we are “saved” – regenerated, redeemed, and adopted into God’s family, there is an initial sanctification that God performs in us. We are declared righteous – made holy in God’s sight.

However, while we are forgiven and cleansed of sin as new Christians, our carnal nature – the bent toward sinning – remains. We need a deeper, second work of grace called entire sanctification, in which we recognize our bent toward sinning remains, consecrate ourselves fully to God, and experience our own Pentecost in which we receive cleansing of inbred sin and are filled fully with the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:8-9).

A great example of this need for entire sanctification was the Church of Corinth. Paul addressed this problem church as … 1 Corinthians 1:2 (ESV): 2 … the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints… . Yet he also charged these saints as carnal. 1 Corinthians 3:1–3 (ESV): 3 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. Despite all the wonderful spiritual gifts these believers had received and practiced, they needed to be entirely sanctified, for they had forgotten that love is the greatest gift of all from God.

John Wesley described the sanctified life as one of “perfect love.” In saying this, he did not intend to suggest that the sanctified Christian experienced absolute perfection. Rather, one’s heart is purified and therefore the intentions are holy, even though one’s actions may still not always be perfect and require God’s continuing grace.

Some are afraid to believe that such an experience of grace is possible. Yet, why would God’s will and plan be to present us blameless – without flaw, if he did not have the ability to do so?

Continuing on, anegkletos is used five times in the New Testament; three of those instances are found in 1 Timothy 3:10, Titus 1:6 and Titus 1:7. 1 Timothy 3:10 regards the qualifications for deacons; Titus 1:6-7 talks about qualifications for elders (pastors).

The use of the word anegkletos is italicized in the verses following.

1 Timothy 3:10 (ESV): 10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.

Titus 1:5–6 (ESV): 6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.

Titus 1:7 (ESV): 7 For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,

“Blameless” as anegkletos describes a person as seen by others. We are blameless, above reproach, in the eyes of others.

In our litigious, quick-to-find-fault world in which we live, it might seem impossible to live blameless before the eyes of others. It would seem that someone will find fault with anyone. Living above reproach does not mean one will escape the gossip and slander of everyone around them. Even righteous Daniel was accused by jealous peers in government. Rather, Paul is saying that Christ enables us to live in such a way that we do not wrongly offend others. Peter described such a life in his first epistle:

1 Peter 3:15–16 (ESV): 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

Living a blameless life that is above reproach does not exclude slander and gossip, but proves such hateful speech to be a lie to those who are honest, equitable, and investigate the matter carefully.

Thirdly, Paul wrote about the believer’s position in Christ. There is a condition to our salvation and the holiness God provides for us.

Colossians 1:23 (ESV): 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

The Greek for stable is themelioō, meaning to be “to lay a basis for, that is, (literally) erect, or (figuratively) consolidate: – (lay the) found (-ation), ground, settle.”

The Greek for steadfast is hedraios, with a similar meaning: “(to sit); sedentary, that is, (by implication) immovable: – settled, stedfast.”

The Greek for not shifting is composed of a negative for “not” and metakineō, “to stir to a place elsewhere, that is, remove (figuratively): – move away.“

The picture I get in my mind here is of an established oak tree with huge, strong roots that cannot be easily moved away. Its leaves may swirl in the wind, but that tree is stable, steadfast, and does not shift with the winds and storms of life.

We must tackle, however, the condition Paul gives the believer in verse 23. if indeed you continue in the faith This condition does not suggest that God’s saving powers are imperfect, nor does it mean that one’s salvation is suspect, easily lost, untrustworthy.

Rather, these words mean what they clearly say: we have a responsibility to live in the grace Christ has provided us. If we refuse to walk in Christ’s light, if we intentionally stray by neglect, by sin, by disobedience and rebellion, then obviously we no longer are continuing in the faith. Then, we are not living a stable, steadfast life for God. We have shifted from the hope of the gospel.

But if we continue to live in obedience to God and His word, if we avail ourselves of His grace, we can know God will continue his work of purifying and molding us in holiness as we live faithfully for Christ.

APPLY

It is important for us to remember our past before Christ, but not to wallow in guilt for sins covered by the blood of Jesus, nor to glorify a life lived without Christ. Rather, it is important to remember our life before Christ in order that we might never take his grace for granted, but redouble our efforts to live in his holiness.

In this vein of thought, we should also recognize Christ’s purpose for our lives. He has redeemed and sanctified us of sin so that we might live holy before him. As the wonderful hymn says…

“Called unto holiness,” Church of our God,
Purchase of Jesus, redeemed by His blood,
Called from the world and its idols to flee,
Called from the bondage of sin to be free.

“Holiness unto the Lord” is our watchword and song;
“Holiness unto the Lord” as we’re marching along.
Sing it, shout it, loud and long:
“Holiness unto the Lord” now and forever.

He makes us holy, cleansing us of committed sin and purifying us of inbred sin, but we also bear a great responsibility: to live in his holiness pure of willful sin so that there is no basis behind the reproaches of a scoffing, jealous, insincere world.

Therefore, the conditional aspect of our salvation again takes center stage. While we need not fear that our salvation may slip away, we must stay grounded in God and His Word so that we might remain stable and steadfast in the grace of Jesus.

The first readers of this letter were being challenged by false teachers to leave… or to add on… to the gospel of Jesus. The specifics and angles of attack may differ from then to what we experience today, but the essence of the temptations we face is the same: to abandon the grace of God for something “more shiny”.

Our challenge is continue in the faith.

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, thank you for your amazing grace that saved a wretch like me. Thank you for changing my life so dramatically. Thank you for holiness; continue your work of making me more like Christ. I desire to reflect Jesus more purely and completely in every aspect of my life. Help me, then, to live faithfully for you, for in you only is the stability and security we need in this world roiling from the consequences of sin. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Christ Above All

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HIGHLIGHT

Colossians 1:15–20 (ESV):

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

EXPLAIN

In the Old Testament, a key truth was that no one could see God and live. At Mt. Sinai where God’s presence came near, the Israelites were warned not even to touch the mountain or they would die. Moses, who enjoyed God’s presence more closely than any other Old Testament hero, was only allowed to see God’s glory fading, after God passed him by. And then, Moses was so affected that his face literally shone from being in the presence of God.

Along with this key truth was the principle and command that no images should be made to picture God. The Israelites came under severe discipline for worshipping the two golden calves, which Aaron presented as the gods who brought them up from Egypt. In other words, Aaron tried to keep the Israelites from totally abandoning Yahweh during Moses’ absence by proclaiming physical objects as the image of God. God was not amused.

One of the amazing, even startling, realizations about who Jesus, the Son of God, is that he is the image of invisible God (Ephesians 4:15)! For the Jews, no doubt this concept may have been troubling in that for centuries they had been taught not to make an image of God, and that they could not see God and survive. These objections, of course, would be in addition to other objections such as who Jesus’ father was, where Jesus came from and more. An objection that must still be handled even today is the question of how Jesus can be fully God and fully man.

Accepting this wonderful truth and reality, however, results in a religion like no other. When we realize that God came to humanity by taking on flesh, it astounds us. We are astounded by the lengths to which God would go to demonstrate his love to us, and we are amazed that God could take on so much of humanity without tarnishing his holiness.

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

All that God is, Jesus is. Jesus is not a lesser form of God. Even though he is the Son of God, he is not inferior to the Father. Yes, we believe in a Trinitarian view of God – that God is Three in One – three Persons in one Godhead. Yet we must also be careful not to compartmentalize our understanding of God such that the activity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are somehow separated in our minds. In Genesis 1:26 (ESV), we read

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.

All members of the Trinity were active in the creation of the world. Pre-incarnate Christ created our universe! Isn’t it mind-boggling that the Creator of the world would be born a human baby and placed into a cattle trough? During his ministry on earth, Christ Jesus sought to glorify the Father, but he freely acknowledged that the Father would glorify him. In our text, Paul emphasized the preeminence of Christ to combat those who were teaching rules and regulations and their mysterious knowledge as essential to salvation. Jesus is God; we can rest assured in this assertion, for it is fact.

Paul’s assertion that Christ created the world makes sense, when we remember the Trinitarian implications of Genesis 1:26. But the following truth of Colossians 1:17 is still startling.

17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

First, we must emphasize that Christ is eternal – he has no beginning and no end. He did not begin to exist when he was conceived in Mary’s womb. Second, and more startling is the concept that if Christ did not exist, this world would fall apart at the seams. If Christ did not actively assert power to keep this world intact, our universe would spiral into chaos. Thus, the creative power of God, and especially of the Son, is seen not only in the moment of Creation, but also the maintenance of the world.

Genesis 1:1–2 (ESV): 1 In the beginning, … 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.

Paul’s words in Colossians 1:17 suggests that without Christ’s ongoing creative powers, the world would return to that chaos.

Returning to verse 16, Paul wrote: all things were created through him and for him. The purpose of Creation is found in Christ – in pleasing Christ, in fulfilling Christ’s purpose, in glorifying Christ.

This thought is explained more in verse 18:

18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

The church is that great assembly of called out people, called to be holy in the midst of an unholy world, called to share the good news to a world full of desperation. But this verse contains an important reminder: the purpose of the church is NOT the church; the church of the church is to glorify Christ and fulfill his purposes. Jesus is the head of the church, not any person, local church, or group of local churches. While we should be part of a local church, which may be part of an association of churches, our loyalty should always be to Christ. We look to Him for our direction for life and ministry. We find satisfaction in accomplishing His objectives. We glorify Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords.

To do this is only right and logical,

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.

Jesus is fully God and fully human. Jesus is not some lesser God than the Father. Rather, in Jesus the Father is fully manifested. This does not mean that Jesus and the Father are the same; Jesus is not the Father. But Jesus is fully God. Our Trinitarian concept of God is not fully explainable to the human mind, but the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three different Persons, yet one God.

The important application for Paul’s thought here is that Jesus is fully God; therefore, He is worthy of our praise and obedience. In the Old Testament, we read of King Saul and his son Jonathan who both commanded armies for Israel. But Saul was king. And while Jonathan’s solo charge up the cliff against the Philistines was the right thing to do and necessary to break the awful stalemate and malaise of the war, Jonathan’s subservient role was displayed later as he came under judgment for disobeying the king’s orders (even though those orders were foolish). In contrast, the Christian does not need to worry that by following Christ’s example, he will be led away from the Father’s will. Jesus assured his disciples, John 10:30 (ESV): “I and the Father are one.”

Even more specifically, Paul asserted Jesus is fully God in order to explain Christ’s ministry of reconciliation.

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

As has often been pictured in methods of sharing the Good News, Jesus is our bridge to God. Our sin created a chasm over which we could not cross to the Father, but by Jesus’ incarnation, suffering, death, and resurrection, there is a Way – the only Way – back to God.

APPLY

We stated this earlier, and the point is plainly obvious from the text, but the point of our passage is that Christ must be, should be, and would be preeminent in our lives and church. Anything that would usurp Jesus’ authority or our attention from serving Him and giving Him glory is an imposter.

This is a potent warning in our celebrity culture today. So often, we go to church or serve or worship because of the pastor, a worship leader, a comfortable setting or something else. How ridiculous is this! Any honor and glory we might receive in service to King Jesus comes only because of the grace of God! How dare we usurp his praise and authority?!

In the past few years, a shocking number of high-profile – and even lesser known – leaders in various churches have fallen from grace, have been exposed for hypocrisy and more. Can we connect these tumbles from grace to an unhealthy, even idolatrous, preoccupation of people – and God’s refusal to allow man to have the preeminence over Christ’s Church?

Whether this conclusion is warranted or not, it is wisdom – and only right – that we acknowledge Christ is Lord of His Church, as well as the rightful Ruler of the Universe. We must resist the worldly way of exalting people, denominations (or even organizational affiliations), local churches, … or anything in competition to Christ.

He only is Lord!

How do we keep Christ preeminent in our church and our lives?

  1. We worship only to glorify Christ, not to celebrate others, be with friends, make connections, etc.
  2. We seek God’s direction for our lives and our church’s ministry, rather than merely making decisions on what we think is best.
  3. We recognize Christ’s creative and sustaining power and seek to fulfill our role in His purposes as the Body of Christ, the Church of God.

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, may I make Christ preeminent in my day, my family, my worship, and my Christ. May I follow His leading and serve as a visible extension of Christ in my world. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Image by Germán R from Pixabay

A New Kingdom

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HIGHLIGHT

Colossians 1:13–14 (ESV): 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

EXPLAIN

A problem with our theology today is that we have made the Gospel all about us. While we may decry those who teach a salvation that is similar to fire insurance, we may also present a picture of the Good News that is much smaller and less encompassing than it truly is.

When John the Baptist began his ministry, he preached, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” Matthew 3:2 (ESV). Likewise, when Jesus began his ministry he preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” Matthew 4:17 (ESV).

Notice the different emphasis than what is often preached today. Did Jesus say, “Repent, because your life has no eternal purpose”? Did he teach “Confess your sins because you are going to Hell”? Yes, both of these statements are true for the unbeliever. But do these statements accurately represent the focus of Jesus’ preaching and teaching ministry?

Yes, oftentimes we will preach about getting ready because we are in the last days. We encourage people to turn from sin so they will not be left behind to suffer during the Great Tribulation when God brings judgment on the world and Satan rules over earth with few limitations. This is a valid reason for people to consider their ways and turn to God, but does this represent the meaning of Jesus’ challenge to repent for the kingdom of heaven was at hand?

When Jesus said that the kingdom of God was at hand, he was telling the people that the rule of God was near, and that they needed to surrender themselves fully to God’s plan for the world. You see, beginning with Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden, the world has been in rebellion against God and part of the kingdom of Satan. Christ came to rescue us from that dark domain of sin and slavery and give us freedom and hope.

Paul painted a vivid word picture in Colossians 1:12-14 as he reflected the Gospel. In verse 12, he pictured the saints – the people of God – as living in light. Then he wrote: 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son Colossians 1:13 (ESV). In our sin, we were like soldiers of an evil kingdom, blinded in our hearts and minds as to the wickedness of our ruler and our own actions.

Jesus Christ came to rescue us, even though we were actively his enemies, revealing to us our sinfulness and slavery to sin, enabling us to defect from the kingdom of the world to the kingdom of heaven. The result of that defection, along with our recognition and repentance of sins, is redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Jesus’ blood, shed on our behalf, purchases our freedom from the domain of darkness and gives us an inheritance with the saints in light!

APPLY

The Gospel, understood in this way, is not merely about “getting saved so you don’t go to Hell”, even though this is a major benefit of the Good News. Rather, the Gospel is about the kingdom of God coming into this world. The Gospel releases us from captivity to sin and Satan, and restores us, making us new creations in Christ Jesus who share hope, life, freedom, and restoration to others.

What amazing good news this is! In sin we were trapped. We had no goodness within us that could make us fit to be near God. We had no way of escape, no hope. But God came to us. He took the the first step! And because he did, life will never be the same for us.

We no longer belong to sin, Satan, or this world. Our citizenship has been transferred. Our allegiances have changed. We wear robes of white instead of the garb of darkness.

Is this clarification of the Gospel a splitting of hairs?

I don’t think so. When we teach a salvation that is all about “us” – be saved so you don’t go to Hell – I am afraid we do a disservice to both God and the unbeliever. God’s salvation is for the person who is ready to forsake their sin and become his obedient follower. The person who only wants assurance of not going to Hell is truly focused only on their own needs and concerns. Yes, the sinner praying to accept Christ is not making as deep a commitment as what we see the believer making when he or she is entirely sanctified. But the divorce of Christ’s lordship from Christ’s salvation is unbiblical.

In fact, this kind of cheap grace seems to dominate the understanding of too many about the Gospel. As long as they have said a prayer or have been baptized with water at some point in their life, some feel they are saved and alright with God – even if their life does not show consistent evidence of salvation. I am reminded of the “half Christians” of early American history. Such belief and lifestyle is dangerous – it gives false hope to those who are deluded by it and it creates disillusionment in those looking on, who see hypocrisy instead of holiness.

And so I would argue that we desperately need an understanding of a Gospel in which the rule of God breaks into our world, redeeming us from sin and dramatically changing us from being captive soldiers of darkness to free soldiers of the Light.

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, thank you for your great grace that rescues us from the domain of darkness, transferring us to your kingdom. Thank you for saving us from sin. Help us to live as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, even while we physically abide in this world. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Qualified

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HIGHLIGHT

Colossians 1:12 (ESV): 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

EXPLAIN

This simple, beautiful clause states several assumptive truths that are expanded in other scriptures. First, while we should not try to separate or compartmentalize the three Persons of the Godhead (for God is one), scripture makes clear that the Father gave His Son to redeem humanity. John 3:16 (ESV): 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Compare this truth with 1 John 4:9–10 (ESV):

9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Simply, the assumption reflection in Colossians 1:12 is that God took the initiative to redeem humanity from sin. We gain no brownie points for somehow realizing our desperate condition apart from God. For God, in his prevenient (going before) grace, sought us out, hemmed us in, convicted us of sin, and rescued us like the Good Shepherd reached down the side of the cliff to rescue the wandering sheep, stuck on a narrow ledge, only a step away from certain death.

Another assumption in this verse is that God’s redeeming grace completely restores us as the children of God. The Father has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

As 1 Peter 2:9–10 (ESV) so beautifully states:

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

The follower of Jesus gains an inheritance in heaven. We are not half-Christians. We do not merely hope for our salvation. There are no second-class Christians. If you have been redeemed from sin, regenerated, you possess an inheritance that is stored away for you by God.

But the third assumption in this verse is the one that most captivates my attention at this time. The Father has qualified you. In the world of sales, qualification is very important. The product or service a salesman offers may not be a match or be available for every potential client. I am reminded of the story of a salesman who spent a lengthy amount of time selling a product to a prospective buyer, only to be told by the buyer as they filled out the forms that he had been calling this potential client by the wrong name for the entire sales call!

What is worse is when due to various factors, a buyer may be ineligible for a product or service. They may want to buy the item. They may have the means to buy it. But they are not qualified.

Salvation, obviously, cannot be purchased. We cannot do enough good works to be qualified for salvation. Yet at the same time, if God had not qualified us, salvation would never have become a possibility. If God did not love us so much to sacrifice His Son, if the Son had been unwilling to go along with the Father’s plan, we would be without hope.

But the wonderful truth of scripture is that the Father has qualified us. Therefore, you may partake of God’s salvation freely. You may claim your stake in heaven. This is the reality provided for all those who repent of their sin and accept Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior.

It bears repeating again that you do not need to nor can you qualify yourself for salvation. Grace is the free gift of God through faith in Christ Jesus. At the same time, we also remember that God has called everyone to repentance. As Peter wrote: 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance 2 Peter 3:9 (ESV). God qualifies us for salvation through no effort or initiative of our own, but in order to receive this grace, we must accept it by faith.

APPLY

We truly are privileged to have been qualified to become the children of God, redeemed from sin, born again spiritually, adopted into God’s family, sanctified for God’s purpose and glory.

As the great line from the Spiderman movie goes, “With great privileges come great responsibilities.” So we should live with gratitude to God: 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you Colossians 1:12 (ESV). This gratitude should be displayed in multiple ways, not limited to but including the following:

• we should live every moment as “worship” to God – Romans 12:1 (ESV): 12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

• we should seek to become more like Christ in our character, our mindset, our speech, and our actions – 1 Peter 1:14–15 (ESV): 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.

• we should share the good news of salvation to everyone we can – 2 Corinthians 5:18–20 (ESV): 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

That God would qualify us, who truly had no reason nor hope to be qualified, is amazing grace. Let us live in that grace with gratitude!

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, thank you for making me acceptable by the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the Cross. I thank you for your amazing grace. Help me to live in every way as an expression of my gratitude to you – in worship, in holiness, as an ambassador of Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

A Prayer for the Church

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HIGHLIGHT

Colossians 1:9–12 (ESV): 9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

EXPLAIN

Pastor Epaphras had brought greetings form Colossae Church to Apostle Paul. This faithful minister had told Paul all about this church’s love in the Holy Spirit. The purpose of Epaphras’ visit was also to gain Paul’s advice concerning a certain personality in the church that had arisen, teaching the people doctrines and practices that were unbiblical. It has been noted that Paul’s prayers at the beginning of his letters typically highlight his concerns for his readers. And so this prayer shows Paul’s great desire for this wonderful church.

APPLY

Paul states that from the day he heard of their love in the Spirit until the time in which he wrote this letter, he had not failed to pray for the believers. We cannot know how long that time period was, but it would seem that Paul did not write this letter immediately, opting instead to spend a good season of prayer for the church first.

Paul’s practice provides us a great example of how to respond to problems and needs in the church. Instead of rushing to “fix” issues, we should spend time in prayer – much time in prayer – asking God for his wisdom and intervention in the situation.

Furthermore, Paul’s dedication to prayer speaks volumes to us. He did not cease to pray for the church. Are we as committed to prayer as Paul was? Do we merely say a good prayer for a need and then move on? Or do we continue to wrestle with God in prayer, seeking his grace and favor? Do we pray “through” on issues, gaining assurance from the Holy Spirit that God will answer our prayers? Or do we merely pray a hopeful prayer, asking for God’s blessing?

The method of Paul’s prayer is important to notice and worthy of our imitation, but we should also spend some time examining the content of Paul’s prayer and incorporate it into our prayers for ourselves, our local church, and the Church universal.

There are three big prayer requests Paul makes of God. First, Paul asked in Colossians 1:9 (ESV): that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. As followers of Christ, it might seem obvious that we should seek to know and understand God’s will. Yet we should not dismiss this prayer request quickly.

Even in Christians, especially those who are less mature spiritually or not entirely sanctified, we may see a mindset that revolves about pleasing Self. As Paul will later write in Colossians 3, we must actively choose to seek things that are above (Colossians 3:1-4), putting to death what is earthly in us, the old Self (Colossians 3:5-11), and put on the new Self, the new life that Christ has created for us (Colossians 3:12-17).

We must know God’s will! But we need this knowledge to be coupled with spiritual wisdom and understanding. Probably all of us have seen how knowledge in the wrong hands can cause great trouble.

This might not be the best illustration, but take, for example, a five year old with the knowledge to drive a car. Such a child at the wheel could be quite dangerous, because five year olds typically don’t have the wisdom and understanding that is necessary to drive an automobile!

We need knowledge of God’s will, coupled with spiritual wisdom and understanding to know how to apply that knowledge and act upon it.

We are reminded of Paul’s challenge in Romans 12 (ESV), to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Not only must we have knowledge of God and his Word, but we must have understanding and wisdom to apply it. As our minds are renewed by the Word of God, we can better understand God’s will and live by it.

It is only then that we will be prepared to live holy in a unholy world. Only then can we have the tools we need to navigate the thorny decisions of life where black and white are smudged and the way ahead seems unclear.

Paul’s first prayer request for the church flowed into his second: 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God Colossians 1:10 (ESV).

Sometimes, it seems like we have substituted a greater knowledge about God for a life more closely lived according to God’s plan. We go to church to learn more about God (and I love to learn more about God, please don’t misunderstand!). The problem comes when the means is confused for the ends. God’s desire for us to know more of him is so that we can live worthy of him, not so we can merely know more about him! Does our increasing and continuing knowledge of God result in application?

Consider the promise implied by this prayer request! We can live in a manner worthy of the Lord fully pleasing to him! Think about it! We were once dead in trespasses and sins. Our sin separated us from God. We had no hope in this world. Nothing we could do might bridge the divide between us and God. All our righteousnesses were as filthy rags in God’s sight! But now, redeemed by the Lamb’s blood, filled with the knowledge of God’s will, we can actually live in such a way that meets God’s approval!?

Notice also the results of living a pleasing life to God. First, we [bear] fruit in every good work. We understand, of course, that while our good works cannot gain us salvation, God’s intention and expectation is that we do good works as his followers. Ephesians 2:10 (ESV) tells us: 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Now, Colossians 1:10 assures us that these good works will bear fruit. We recognize, of course, that like any effort in life, we may not see that fruit immediately. The salesman may make a hundred calls to make one sale. The athlete exercises for days and weeks to shave a few seconds of his mile run. The point is, as we live pleasingly before Jesus in the center of God’s will, our efforts to conform more closely to God and our attempts to minister and bless others will pay off. There will be great results!

As I picture the faithful servants of Jesus’ parables of the Talents and the Minas, I wonder how many setbacks those servants had as they invested the master’s money. Yet in the end, they had multiplied the principal!

A second result of living pleasing before God is that we [increase] in the knowledge of God. This seems to reflect that law that those who are faithful in whatever study, task, exercise or enterprise they have before them will increase in their understanding of that field. In both of those parables mentioned above, the master rewarded the faithful servants by entrusting them with more responsibility. Furthermore, the unworthy servant’s money was given to the one who had gained ten talents or ten minas. In Matthew 25:29 (ESV) Jesus said: 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. In Luke 19’s story, the bystanders argued with the master, saying the servant had ten minas. The master’s response was: Luke 19:26 (ESV): 26 ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. The colloquial saying comes to mind: “Use it or you’ll lose it!”

This increase in our knowledge of God seems to be a practical knowledge, or a knowledge that comes through practice. In whatever field or sport you may pursue, you can learn much by studying textbooks, interviewing those who have had success in that field and more. But there is a knowledge that one gains only by through practice and a growing mastery of the subject area. You may know the various elements of the Lord’s model prayer, understand the conditions of prayer, and know all the promises of prayer. But there is an understanding of prayer that only comes by actually praying and struggling in prayer.

Paul prayed that Colossae Church would walk worthy of the Lord, bearing increasing fruit and increasing in this practical knowledge of God.

Paul’s second prayer request, like the first, flowed into his third request: Colossians 1:11–12 (ESV): 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

The unregenerate person is dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1), but also powerless to change, powerless to save ourselves. Instead, Ephesians 2:3 (ESV) pictures us as captives of our flesh: 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) adamantly states we cannot save ourselves from sin: 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

It is in Romans 7 that Paul best explains powerlessness due to our carnal nature, however.

Romans 7:15–19 (ESV): 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.

Later in this Colossians, Paul wrote that in Christ, we have died to the old life of sin and have been raised to new life in Christ. Therefore, we must, as Colossians 3:2 (ESV), says: 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Indeed, Paul exhorted in Colossians 3:5 (ESV): 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Instead, we must, as Colossians 3:12–13 (ESV) says, 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

On our own, through our own strength, we cannot put off the old life and take on the new, even as born-again believers. Rather, we must be strengthened with power by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians mirrors many of the same concerns and desires for God’s people that are seen in Colossians. In Ephesians 3, Paul expressed his prayer for those believers, asking

Ephesians 3:16–19 (ESV): 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Simply put, this is a prayer for entire sanctification, that second experience of grace in the believer’s life when, having already been born again by the Spirit and having the abiding presence of the Spirit, one is cleansed of carnality or inbred sin, and filled fully by God.

As Paul wrote in Romans, the carnal nature is so powerful that we cannot master it by ourselves. That power is broken by regeneration, or what we typically call “being saved”. But our hope and our promise is that not only may the power of carnality be broken, but that it may be done away with. Romans 6:6 (ESV): 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

It is this cleansing of inbred sin and filling of the Holy Spirit that answers the dilemma of James – a double-minded man unstable in all his ways (James 1:8), the tongue that cannot be tamed (James 3:1-12), the earthly, unspiritual, demonic wisdom that creates quarrels and fights among the brethren, the passions at war within (James 3:13-4:6). But our hope is not merely than our hands can be cleansed, but that our double-minded hearts may be punished (James 4:8). This cleansing and filling gives us the power to tame our tongue, not because we have control over it so much as the Holy Spirit has control. This cleansing and filling enables us to be steadfast through trials and tribulations, resulting in “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” – not because we are so righteous or good, but because we have been filled and are controlled by the Holy Spirit.

The cleansing and filling comes in an instant, but the living out of this holy life is ongoing. We are still very human and prone to mistakes, especially if we neglect the renewing of our minds by the word (Romans 12:2) and begin to be conformed back to the world’s standards instead of continuing to be transformed into Christ’s image.

And so Paul did not cease to pray for Colossae Church that they might be Colossians 1:11–12 (ESV): strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

As we have noted above, the strengthening that comes through the Spirit’s filling gives us power to endure and to be patient. But notice the emphasis of Paul in this conclusion of his prayer: 11 …patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father…. The Christian life is not meant to be a grim, rigorous exercise devoid of laughter, happiness and joy. Rather, God’s abiding presence in us and promises for us give us hope and joy beyond our circumstances.

In this world of sin, suffering, and death, people respond to difficulty and tragedy in various ways. Some soldier through, admirably choosing to maintain a positive attitude that will not cave to one’s circumstances. There is much to be said for this fighting spirit. Truly, we should encourage a mindset that refuses to be cowed by difficulty. Yet, divorced from the hope we have in Christ, such an attitude is ultimately lacking, for such hope may enable the person to cope better in this life, but does not offer much purpose beyond, except for the legacy one leaves.

A much worse response to trial and tribulation is a defeatist surrender to one’s circumstances. This reaction may be defended as realistic and reasonable, but is uninspiring and unworthy of imitation. Such a person may curl into the fetus position, crying woe and unwilling to face the world. This reaction is ultimately selfish, drawing everyone’s attention to the unfair situation the individual is in, sucking the energy and attention of well meaning caregivers who, despite their best efforts, can never do enough to change this person’s fatalistic perspective on life.

The Christian understanding of trials and suffering is both positive and realistic. Our hope is based on a biblical worldview which God created a perfect world that has been marred and deformed by sin. Pain, suffering, and death are ever-present in this world of sin.

Romans 8:22–23 (ESV): 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Christ’s death and resurrection not only purchased our redemption from sin but promises us life beyond this life. In Christ, we are made new creations. 2 Corinthians 5:16–17 (ESV): 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. Though we physically will perish some day, our spirits will live eternally. And then in great culmination of history, 1 Corinthians 15:49, 51-52 (ESV):

49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. … 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

This is our hope as followers of Jesus that grounds us in reality but gives us a supremely positive outlook on life! This world of sin, pain, suffering, and death is not end. One day we will enter eternity to live in the presence of almighty God in an existence without sin, without pain or death, with joy, peace, hope, and love.

1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV): 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, thank you for Paul’s prayer for Colossae Church. As he prayed for those believers, I now pray for my local church, myself, and even the Church worldwide. May you fill us with knowledge of your will with complete spiritual wisdom and understanding so that we can walk worthy of you, pleasing you in how we live, speak, think, and act, bearing spiritual fruit and increasing in our knowledge of you, so that we might be strengthened with power as your Holy Spirit cleanses and fully abides within us, giving us the endurance and patience to live faithfully till you welcome us into eternity. For this hope and promise, we give you thanks! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Faithful Servant

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HIGHLIGHT

Colossians 1:7–8 (ESV): 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

EXPLAIN

It is believed that Epaphras, a native of Colossae (Colossians 4:14) traveled to Ephesus while Paul ministered there, was converted, and then returned home, starting the church in Colossae.

Epaphras now had traveled to Rome to report the faith, love and hope of Colossae Church, but also the presence of some who were teaching false doctrines.

In Colossians 4:12, Epaphras is described as a prayer warrior, struggling in prayer for his church. In Philemon, a personal letter sent to an individual who lived near Colossae and may have been delivered at the same time as Colossians, Paul described Epaphras as a fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus (v. 23). Thus, Epaphras’ efforts to minister to Paul may have led to his own arrest.

APPLY

Of all the descriptions Paul could have used for this fellow minister of the Gospel, it is interesting to note what Paul called Epaphras: faithful. Epaphras was a successful church planter. Epaphras was a prayer warrior, which Paul did note at the end of his letter. But how did Paul describe this fellow preacher and pastor?

Faithful.

In a world driven by the search for success, followers of Jesus must take note of God’s values.

Even in the church world today, we tend to highlight those who can grow a church to large numbers, or at least pastor a large church, who make a name in their community for various reasons, are published authors, etc, etc. We often rate a preacher by how dynamic his sermon delivery is, how polished and energizing the worship service feels, among other factors.

God values faithfulness.

Notice also of whom Epaphras was a servant: “a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf” (Colossians 1:7). The minister of the Gospel serves Christ… on the behalf of people.

The pastor is not a politician, seeking to please a constituency. The pastor is a servant of King Jesus. The pastor shares the Good News to his community.

The message of the Good News is God’s love and grace, but the gospel is also a warning of God’s judgment upon those who will not repent. Therefore, the pastor’s work is not merely of being a messenger, but also a prophet.

The pastor’s faithfulness is seen in his ministry to his congregation, but the gauge of his faithfulness is Christ Jesus.

As an aside: it is interesting to consider that the people-gifts Christ gave the church (Ephesians 4:11) are more about roles of gospel ministers than titles of offices. If so, we would then see that apostles are those who bring the message of the Gospel to people, prophets proclaim God’s grace and judgment, evangelists passionately seek to convince people of Gospel truth through the work of the Spirit, and pastor-teachers expound the truth of the Gospel for the growth in grace of God’s people.

The ESV margin notes that in some Greek manuscripts “your behalf” (v. 7) is “our behalf.” If this rendering were preferable, the stress of the accountability of the gospel minister would be even less to the local congregation, as Paul would appear to note Epaphras as a missionary sent from his apostolic team to Colossae Church. Or, Paul could have been seeking to emphasize Epaphras’ pastoral authority by appealing to his own apostolic authority.

Regardless, Epaphras was a faithful minister of Christ on the behalf of Colossae Church. Epaphras reported to Christ, but he did serve the local church. Therefore, he was responsible to minister well to the people.

The significance of all this is the tendency of many local churches today to regard the pastor from a secular, business-like mindset. The pastor is hired as “CEO” and is expected to produce for and please the local congregation.

If the pastor’s messages are not deemed encouraging or exciting enough, if attendance does not grow, if the worship services are not polished and riveting, if the people do not feel “cared for” enough, the pastor is called on the carpet by the board of directors, and expected to turn around the “trajectory of the church” or be subject to threats of pay cuts or dismissal.

In adopting this model of the church, a local church robs itself of the blessing that Christ gives to it. God calls “gospel ministers” in order to share the Good News… in light of the menacing reality of sin. God forgives, redeems, and pardons the repentant, but those who persist in rebellion against him are doomed to an eternity of separation from God and terrible punishment for their sin! Thus, a pastor who acquiesces to spoken or unspoken demands to only preach a positive message, never challenging people for error, is truly an unfaithful minister of Christ!

Furthermore, the pastor is called by God to this ministry. If he begins to answer to people, rather than God, he takes orders from the wrong entity. The pastor cannot lead people in the will of God by following the will of man, whose heart is deceitful, and desperately wicked.

We must also remember the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9). In a real and vital way, God has called every single follower of Jesus to be a minister of the gospel. God has given us different gifts, according to Christ’s grace, but he has given us all the responsibility to serve. As Ephesians 2:10, we are his worksmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.

As Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:11-13, God gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor-teachers (whether one understands that as roles or functions of “gospel ministers”) to equip the saints to do the work of ministry, whereby the church will be built up and mature in the unity of the faith and knowledge of the Son of God.

Does this mean the pastor has no responsibility to grow the local church? Should he be excused if week after week his messages do not sound “inspiring” to the congregation or seem disconnected from God’s Word? If the pastor is a minister of Christ Jesus, what is his responsibility to the local church?

These are only a few of the possible responsibility/accountability questions for the pastor. But firstly, Jesus himself said, “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). Thus, the church’s growth ultimately is due to the work of Christ, but we must also note that the pastor and congregation are responsible to cooperate with and follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit in this endeavor. A pastor who refuses to act in faith or to follow God’s will may be a leading factor in a local church’s failure to grow, but the same is true of a congregation unwilling to act and serve in faith or to follow God’s leading.

Jesus told two parables that, on the face of it, are very similar, yet upon great reflection have different implications and applications. In Matthew 25, Jesus told the story of a master giving three servants different amounts of money – the Parable of the Talents. Two invested their money and doubled the principal. The third hid away the money, unwilling to work for his master. In this parable, application is clear: a faithful servant will work hard, taking risks by faith, and will experience both a return on his endeavor and the commendation of his master.

The Parable of the Ten Minas, recorded in Luke 19:11-27, is deceivingly similar, but has different, important implications. In this parable, the master calls ten servants and gives them each one mina. Whereas in the other parable, some might argue the first two servants had an advantage over the third, in this parable each servant is given the same amount of money.

Furthermore, in this parable of the ten minas, the first servant does not merely double his master’s money. Instead, he greets his master with ten times the original amount! The second servant also does not merely double the money entrusted to him, but returns with five times the original amount! Also, unique to this parable is the fact that the earnings of seven servants are never reported.

Consider this application to faithful ministry in the church: some pastors are enabled by God to have a ministry with exponential results. They see their church grow to thousands, and oversee multiple ministries as they seek to make disciples who make disciples. Other pastors are blessed by God, but their results are somewhat muted, as they pastor a church in the hundreds, and have less ministries, even though these ministries are a powerful expression of God’s love to a lost and dying world.

But the vast majority of pastors labor in churches where the growth is not spectacular, where possible ministries are limited, and they often receive little widespread notoriety.

The 2020 Faith Communities Today (FACT) study of more than 15,000 U.S. religious congregations revealed that 7 in 10 U.S. churches have 100 or fewer weekly worship service attendees, while 7 in 10 U.S. churchgoers attend a church with more than 250 each week. (https://research.lifeway.com/2021/10/20/small-churches-continue-growing-but-in-number-not-size/)

70% of U.S. churches have less than 100 in their weekly worship. Does this mean that the pastor or congregation are unfaithful? No! Rather, it means the norm of churches is a small congregation! Huge churches are the outliers.

The issue is not the size of the church. The master’s overriding concern in the servants’ report was not how much they had gained him; he was pleased that they were faithful!

Matthew 25:23 (ESV): 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

Matthew 25:26–27 (ESV): 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.

Luke 19:17 (ESV): 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’

Luke 19:22–23 (ESV): He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’

What does it mean to be a faithful minister, a faithful pastor? Both 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 give the qualifications for the elders – the pastors of the church. For the sake of brevity, I will only include 1 Timothy 3 below:

1 Timothy 3:1–7 (ESV): 1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

If you were to boil down all of these qualifications to one, what would it be?

Faithfulness.

Do you see it? The pastor must be above reproach – faithful in everything. The pastor must be the husband of one wife – faithful in marriage. The pastor must be sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable – faithful personally. The pastor must be hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money – faithful in his dealings with others. The pastor must with all dignity keep his children submissive – faithful in his home.

Sometimes, churches hold ridiculous expectations for their pastors. Consider 25 Unbelievable Things Search Committees Said to Pastoral Candidates as a few examples.

God’s expectation is faithfulness. Jesus expects his undershepherds to be faithful in every area of their lives. Jesus commands us to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), to preach the word both when it is a good time to share and when it is not (2 Timothy 4:2). Epaphras is a great example of the pastor’s care for his congregation, and of intercesory prayer (Colossians 4:12-13). The pastor’s role is to equip God’s people to do ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12).

Each pastor will have different strengths and emphases in ministry, but each face a key expectation: to be faithful to God, others, and oneself.

Some might be afraid that such a standard of faithfulness for the pastor would mean that their church would never grow, that they would be “condemned” to bad sermons or uninspiring services … etc. But such thinking misunderstands God’s expectation of faithfulness. God does not call or require any pastor to be “successful”, but he does call us to be faithful!

We tend to judge, examine, and critique ministry by worldly standards. We must not be mistaken. God requires faithfulness. Speaking of his own ministry, Paul wrote, 1 Corinthians 4:2 (ESV): 2Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. James also cautioned, James 3:1 (ESV): 3Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

We tend to measure faithfulness and spiritual success by the wrong standards!

I was saddened to read yet another article recently of a pastor who, it has been revealed, over several years has acted unfaithfully a couple of times. There were some contributing factors, medicine and alcohol, yet that should not be an excuse for his dishonoring of his marriage and his call to ministry.

My understanding is that these two incidents were not recent, but happened somewhat isolated over a period of time. The reason why these indiscreet moments have come to light, it seems, is due to more than one other pastor in his church who have also been disgraced due to infidelity, and the accusation that this pastor had failed to disclose sexual abuse by a close family member.

Why didn’t all of these issues result in correction by the church much sooner? The two incidents referred to before were known by the church board some time ago, and they even took steps to address these issues. Why is it only now that the board has asked for the pastor’s resignation? It could be argued that all of the various factors have finally reached a critical point in which change had to occur.

Yet we should not overlook the fact that the church this man pastored is a huge megachurch, and has been a great “success” with huge attendance numbers, incredible expansion, powerful influence on the worldwide Church through its worship ministry, and more.

By the factors most eagerly sought by many in the church world today – magnificent buildings, healthy budgets, and large attendances, this pastor was a success. But Christ calls his pastors to be faithful, and this man appears to have had a significant slip-up in that calling. May God grant grace to this pastor to find healing and restoration and continue to be used as a faithful servant of Jesus! Truly, we should hope for God’s grace to forgive, change and restore this man spiritually and even for his ministry calling.

But the point is obvious: we must be careful not to judge by the wrong standard of “success” for the ministry: God calls us to be faithful.

I write these words, however, with some trepidation. It is my fear that someone reading this might think I am giving an excuse for the pastor to be mediocre: sloppy in sermon preparation, half-hearted in pastoral care, uncommitted in outreach to the lost, failing to equip believers for the work of ministry. This is not my intention, at all.

Rather, the pastor must committed to excellence in all these areas. Surely God desires his pastors to have a holy ambition. Both of the parables mentioned above should attest to that. Selfish ambition is not of God; but a holy ambition to spread the Good News, equip the saints for ministry and glorify the King of kings is desperately needed in Christ’s Church.

Yet we should also recognize that every pastor will have certain strengths and weaknesses in their ministry. One may be an excellent expositor, yet not the greatest in delivery. One may deliver dynamic messages, but truly need to focus more on the scripture. One may be excellent in visiting the sick and bereaved, another may be better in teaching. One may have a great prayer ministry; another may excel in outreach.

We must not expect a pastor to “be the best” in every aspect of ministry; we must require him to be faithful in ministry, remembering that his job is truly to equip the rest of the church to serve alongside him in ministry. The pastor himself (or herself) must always strive to grow their skills.

Colossians 1:7–8 (ESV) again say: … Epaphras our beloved fellow servant … is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

Paul described Epaphras as a fellow servant. The Greek for “servant” here is doulos. Epaphras was a bond servant, a slave of Jesus. He belonged to Christ, not to man. He faithfully served Christ on the behalf of Colossae Church. In doing this, Epaphras expressed this church’s love for Apostle Paul. Epaphras traveled some distance to talk to Paul about an issue that threatened the church. He was faithful to guard the church he served from those who would harm it. Epaphras served faithfully, even though it apparently meant imprisonment (see Philemon).

Epaphras was a faithful pastor of Jesus Christ. May each one of us who are called to this ministry follow his great example!

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, thank you for the life and example of Epaphras. Thank you for the call to ministry. May I serve you faithfully on behalf of others, wherever you send me, in whatever capacity you have for me. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Celebrating the Gospel

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HIGHLIGHT

Colossians 1:5–6 (ESV): Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,

EXPLAIN

It has now been roughly 30 years since Christ’s death and resurrection and Pentecost (see Introduction: Timeline). The gospel has indeed spread from Jerusalem into Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, and likely into Egypt, North Africa, and Persia as well.

(Colossians 1:6, ESV Study Bible)

The gospel arrived to the Colossians through Epaphras, not Paul, who never visited that city. Thus, this church is evidence of Paul’s strategy of reaching key cities, from whom the gospel then spread to the surrounding countryside and smaller cities, towns, and villages.

APPLY

As Paul celebrated the growth of the Gospel, so we should also celebrate the spread and power of the Good News in our world. Our text suggests three reasons Paul celebrated the Good News in regard to Colossae Church.

First, Paul celebrated the fact that “the gospel … has come to you.” As the apostle to the Gentiles, Paul was keenly aware of the fact that the Gospel first came to the Jews, then the Gentiles. The Gentile believers were grafted into God’s chosen people. The Gentile Christians were once not a people, but now had become a holy nation, a “peculiar” people, saints of God.

This truth may seem less important to the 21st century believer as the Church for many generations has been made up more by Gentiles than Jews, who as a whole rejected Christ as their Messiah. But this should not be so. Rather, we should be astounded by the fact that God’s grace reached us. Yes, even those of us who grew up in the church and joke about attending church before we were born should recognize the great privilege – the great grace – we have been afforded that the Gospel came to us.

Especially when we see a world darkened by sin where the Gospel has not yet come with its liberating light of freedom like it has for us, or has been rejected and the people suffer under increasingly oppressive darkness, we should rejoice that the Good News has come to us – we who were truly unworthy, but favored by God’s grace.

Furthermore, we should remember Paul’s warning in Romans 11:

18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. … 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness.

Second, Paul celebrated that “the gospel… in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing” (Colossians 1:5–6). A danger we face is having a narrow perspective of God’s work in our world. Even in our postmodern world in which information gushes out like water from a fire hose, a world that is glocal, having nearly immediate awareness of events halfway around the world, yet approaching such a world from one’s local concerns, sometimes we may not recognize the onward advance of the Good News. Or, we may despair the darkness of sin that we experience so keenly in some areas of the world that we forget or discount the power of God’s Truth.

Yes, we are discouraged when fellow believers fail us through hypocrisy, when high-profile leaders reject their faith or are found to have fallen from grace, and when our own struggle against sin becomes extra difficult. But we must not discount the truth of Christ’s words, “… I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

The Gospel is increasing in the world and bearing fruit. The Church is expanding. Sinners are being saved, believers are being sanctified, God is not dead, and Jesus is coming soon!

Third, Paul celebrated that “the gospel, … is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth” (Colossians 1:5–6). God is at work in you and me!

The children’s song, “He’s Still Working on Me”, comes to mind. Yes, God created the universe in six days, but God’s process of making saints out of sinners like you and me is an ongoing process. We are saved by grace through faith when we commit to trust in Jesus and God redeems us from sin, regenerates us – making us a new creation, adopts us into his family, and sanctifies us – making us righteous in his sight.

But there is much growth in grace that remains. We need cleansing from inbred sin and to be fully filled by the Holy Spirit. And… even after that second work of grace, there is still much growth in grace needed as the Holy Spirit sanctifies us, conforming us to the will of God, producing in us his fruit. We truly must, as Paul wrote Philippi Church, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).

Thus, we should celebrate the fact, the hope, and the promise that the Gospel is still at work in us, bearing fruit and increasing our faith in Jesus, our love for all the saints, and our hope in heaven. Our struggle against the enemy of our souls may be stiff, but God is at work in us. God’s grace still provides, and we can live confident of victory in Jesus!

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, I celebrate your Good News that came to me, is still expanding across this globe, and is at work in me. Thank you for the Gospel and its power to change lives. Continue to mold and make me according to your will. Amen.

What Makes a Christian?

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HIGHLIGHT

Colossians 1:3–5 (ESV): 3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,

EXPLAIN

Paul had never gone to Colossae. While he had met (and presumably converted) Epaphras and may have also met some others from this city and church, Paul had never personally visited the church. Yet Paul prayed for them regularly, thanking God for the great reports he had heard of these believers.

APPLY

What makes a believer of Jesus? How can you know when you have met a Christian?

The answer to this could vary greatly, depending on whether the person answering wanted to focus on lifestyle, outward appearance, attitude and more. Some may even answer this question sarcastically, listing characteristics that should not be true of Christians.

Paul in this passage identifies three key marks of a follower of God: this person has faith in Christ Jesus, a love for all the saints, and assurance of hope laid up for him or her in heaven. The good news – the Gospel – speaks to these three identifying marks of a Christian.

The Christian has faith in Christ Jesus. Our faith is more than about Jesus. It is faith in Jesus. It is a trust, a reliance, in Christ. This faith is much more than head knowledge or belief that Jesus exists or even is the Son of God. It is a reliance, a commitment of oneself, to him as Lord and Savior. Notice that Paul wrote “Christ Jesus”. Christ – Messiah, King, Lord. Jesus – Savior, Rescuer. Paul emphasizes the lordship of Christ to whom the believer has surrendered one’s life in the title he gives our Lord.

The Christian loves all the saints. Our belonging to the family of God is marked by our love for the family of God. Love does not mean agreement with others on all their beliefs, opinions, or ideas, but love does mean a commitment to them because of our love for God.

Indeed, our love for all the saints, the family of God, is given to us by God who changes our heart from one of self-love and even hatred for others to one of sacrificial love. We love because he loved us, and take as our example Christ’s sacrificial death on the Cross.

In both our natural and spiritual families, there is sometimes hurt, disagreement, misunderstanding, and much imperfection. But Christians are family, and so our growing love for one another should be evident.

The Christian has an assurance of the hope laid up for him or her in heaven. This world is not all there is for the believer. In fact, our main identity should not be found in the things of this world, but in the Kingdom of God, which is here now in the hearts of all believers of Jesus but will be fully realized in the future when Christ returns.

And so the Christian should be noted for their joy despite current circumstances, their peace in the midst of trouble and suffering, their hope in the world beyond this world. The Christian lives with confidence and perseveres. The Christian lives free of worldly entanglements. The Christian lives to please the eternal King.

Sometimes, there is a tendency to emphasize certain scriptures, which support rules and regulations, as a method to identify the “true” believer in Jesus. Unfortunately, this reliance on certain scriptures, while often ignoring others, is used to force others into one’s mold of “Christianity.” The result can easily become legalistic hypocrisy.

God expects holy living of his people, but true holiness is the result of radical trust in Christ, a life filled with love for God and others, anchored in the sure hope of living for eternity in the very presence of God.

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, thank you for your grace that changes us dramatically from sinners to saints. May I live as a person with faith in Jesus, love for all, and a settled hope in heaven. May I always welcome and join others of like faith, love, and hope and together may we witness to a lost and dying world the change they may experience through the amazing grace of Christ Jesus. Amen.