Good Advice For Fulfilling Your Ministry
Colossians 1:24-29
24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
1. You must have an attitude of ministry (vv. 24-25a)
- Having the right attitude is all about how you see
- Vs. 25 - Paul saw himself as a
We must not only see ourselves as servants, but we must see Jesus Christ as our MASTER.
To fulfil your ministry, the first thing you must have is the right attitude, that of a servant. Fulfilling your own ministry doesn’t make your problems and frustrations disappear, but it does make them take on purpose, excitement, and joy.
- Paul knew that what he suffered had a purpose.
- Paul said that his suffering was “filling up what is lacking in Christ afflictions.” (v. 24)
- He sees his suffering as fulfilling the purpose of filling up the fixed measure of suffering that the church must endure until the second coming of Jesus when all persecution and suffering will end.
- Authentic ministry is characterized by those who are willing to suffer for the sake of Christ, for the church, and for the proclamation of the gospel. Our willingness is indicated in our attitude.
2. You must have the right area of ministry (v. 25b)
- Paul says that the area of his ministry is according to the dispensation of God which is given to me.
- The Greek word translated dispensation (OIKONOMIA) means “stewardship” or “administration.” It carries with it the idea of the
Paul thought of himself as one with the responsibility of a servant, or an administrator of someone else’s property or affairs. In other words, God had given him a certain area in which to be a steward, or minister, for Him.
Where is our area of ministry? Every part of life is our stewardship, our
3. We must know the assignment of the ministry (vv. 26-27)
- Paul says that his assignment in the ministry is to proclaim the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.
- In verse 25 Paul spoke of his assignment in the ministry as to fulfil the word of God, which is a general phrase that sums up the preaching and teaching of the apostles. However, in verse 26-27 Paul defines the message God called him to proclaim as a
- The word mystery in the New Testament doesn’t mean something difficult to understand. Instead, it is something that once was a
- Paul says that mystery has been hidden from ages and from generations. The mystery had been concealed from people living in the Old Testament times, but has now been manifest to his saints.
- What is the mystery? That God’s grace is for both the Jew and Gentile. The gospel is for all men. (cf. Eph. 3:4-6)
This mystery that has been revealed is that now Christ dwells among and within the Gentiles – “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Charles Swindoll: “God’s saving mercy, once…proclaimed only among the Jews…was now being proclaimed far and wide among Jew and Gentile alike through the person and work of Jesus!”
Our assignment as ministers of the gospel is not to tell people that they should live a better life or turn over a new leaf, but that the God Who spoke the universe into being wants to come and live in us.
4. We must realize the aim of our ministry (v. 28)
- There is an aim or objective to all our ministries which is that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
Paul says he works toward this aim in at least two ways.
1) Preach, warning every man.
The word preach translates a Greek word that suggests a public
Warning (Admonishing) represents what we might call the
- The word warning translates a Greek word (noutheteo) which means “to counsel about avoidance or cessation of an improper course of conduct.”
- We need to warn people, preach to people the things they need to turn from: sin, self, rebellion, man righteousness, works, etc.
2) Teaching every man in all wisdom.
- Teaching is the
- The word teaching stresses the importance of instruction to believers. We should never be concerned only with our spiritual maturity. We should want every believer to mature in the Lord.
There should be balance in warning and teaching and balance between us and others so we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
- The word perfect means “complete” or “having reached its end,” that is, mature.
5. We must know how to accomplish our ministry (v. 29)
- How is it possible to accomplish all that is involved in the ministry?
- Paul tells us in vs. 29, whereunto I labor, striving…”
- The word labor (KOPOS) means “toil resulting in weariness.”
The word translated striving is a Greek word (AGONIZO), from which the English word “agonize” is a transliteration. It is an athletic term signifying intense exertion. The truth is no one can have a fulfilled ministry without
The accomplishment of ministry, however, does not come solely through hard work and agonizing efforts, but according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
- The key to laboring effectively in the agonizing struggles of ministry is dependence on the power of Christ.
- We are able to do what we do for the Lord because of the Lord’s grace to equip us and His strength to enable us.