“And say to Archippus, ‘See to it that you fulfill [carefully the duties of] the ministry which you have received in the Lord.’” - Colossians 4:17 (Amplified)
Every Child of God is called to full time ministry. We saw that last week as we considered Ephesians 2:10:
“For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].” - Ephesians 2:10 (Amplified)
1) Who does God call to the work of ministry? Every believer.
2) When? The moment they are saved.
3) Why? To bring Him glory and us fulfillment.
4) What? Minister as God made us and matures us.
A) We need to discover our SHAPE (Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experiences).
B) We need to discover the Scriptures.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” - 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT)
5) Where? Where He has placed us (1 Peter 5:2; Acts 17:26 - “He determined the exact places where they should live.”).
“Father, where shall I work today?” And my love flowed warm and free. Then he pointed out a tiny spot And said, “Tend that for me.” I answered quickly, “Oh no, not that! Why, no one would ever see, No matter how well my work was done. Not that little place for me.” And the word he spoke, it was not stern; … “Art thou working for them or for me? Nazareth was a little place, And so was Galilee.”
6) How? That brings us to our text for today.
It is right for us to look to Paul’s example for two reasons:
1) Because we share the same calling.
There is no such thing as Christians who are called to “ministry” verses those who aren’t. All are called to ministry. The minister’s calling just differs from everyone else in what they are called to do and where they are called to do it. Otherwise, we have no different calling from Paul.
2) Because Paul sought to follow Christ.
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” - 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV)
Let’s see what we can learn from Paul’s example about how to make the most of our ministry.
1. Paul’s determination - 1:28-29
A. Paul’s purpose in ministry - v. 28
Paul’s used proclamation. The focus here would be telling the lost about Christ. He used warning. He no doubt warned unbelievers of God’s judgment and believers against having a saved soul, but living a wasted life. And he used teaching. He shared with others out of what he was learning as he followed Jesus. And he did all this with the wisdom provided by God. Paul’s stated purpose is to use everything necessary to reach people for Christ and grow them up in Christ.
“I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.” - 1 Corinthians 9:19b; 22b (ESV)
It’s been said there are those who enter a room saying “Here I am” and those who enter a room saying “there you are.” Paul was the latter kind of person. His attitude was one of service not “serve us.”
“A question often asked of veterans on a job application is: “Did you receive training in the military that’s relevant to what you’re applying for?” One applicant answered, “To wake up and go to work.” It’s no accident that we refer to those in the military as being in the “service.” The first lesson learned is that you’re not there to be pleased, petted or served. It doesn’t matter if you like the food, the bed, the drill sergeant, or the time you have to get up. You learn to submit to authority, obey orders, work with others, and that it’s not all about you.
At this moment, 100’s of 1000’s in our military are waking up and going to work. They’re sacrificing things from comfort to convenience to close proximity to family and loved ones. And yes, some are making the supreme sacrifice made by many before them. Many Christians need to learn from those in the service: wake up and go to work.” - Pastor Dan Gulley
B. Paul’s power for ministry - v. 29
Paul mentions his person labor and struggle, but notice what was the focus of his labor and struggle - to depend on God’s energy, allowing His power to work through him.
When I attended seminary, we went to Southwayside Baptist Church. The pastor was Bill Warren. One of the sermons he preached that I have remembered was entitled, “Be Determined to be Surrendered.” Brother Bill spoke of the conflict between the flesh and the Spirit and how we need to daily be determined to be surrendered to the Holy Spirit if we are to be effective in ministry.
Unbeliever - no “want to” + no “can do” = hopelessness
Unsurrendered Believer - a “want to” + no “can do” = helplessness
Surrendered Believer - a “want to” + a “can do” = holiness
2. Paul’s desire - 2:1-5
A. To improve their spiritual perception - vs. 1-3
1) Through involvement with the family of God - v. 2a
A man hadn’t been to church in a while and his pastor went to see him. It was a cold, wintery day and the man welcomed the pastor to join him as he sat in front of his fireplace. The pastor expressed concern and asked the man how he was doing, to which he replied that he thought he was doing OK. Then without another word, the pastor took the fireplace tongs and selected a red-hot ember within the fire, and placed it on the hearth of the fireplace. After a bit, the coal turned from being red-hot to black and cold. The man watched as the coal went to being on fire to becoming cold. Then he said, “I’ll be there next Sunday.”
One sure-fire way to grow cold in you Christian life is to turn your back on fellowship with God’s family. Unless, of course, the church is full of cold-hearted Christians. How can we avoid that?
2) Through maintaining our focus on Christ - v. 2b-3
If any individual Christian or congregation of Christians are going to maintain their spiritual fervor and grow in a godly perspective on the truth by which they are to live, it will only be as they, as an individual and as a congregation maintain their focus on Christ.
“In Christ we have a love that can never be fathomed; a life that can never die; a righteousness that can never be tarnished; a peace that can never be understood; a rest that can never be disturbed; a joy that can never be diminished; a hope that can never be disappointed; a glory that can never be clouded; a light that can never be darkened; a happiness that can never be interrupted; a strength that can never be enfeebled; a purity that can never be defiled; a beauty that can never be marred; a wisdom that can never be baffled; and resources that can never be exhausted.” - Anonymous
“I have a great need for Christ; I have a great Christ for my need.” - Charles Spurgeon
As we learn from Peter’s experience of walking on the water (Matthew 14:22-33), when we take our eyes off Jesus we will flounder and sink. But if we keep our eyes on Jesus, will be empowered to walk in victory just like He walked in victory over the water that day!
B. To prevent their spiritual deception - vs. 4-5
Paul wanted to prevent the same thing in happening to them that he never wanted to happen to himself.
“But [like a boxer] I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached [the gospel] to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified [as unfit for service].” - 1 Corinthians 9:27 (Amplified)
Conclusion: How did Paul make sure he made the most of his ministry? How did he make sure he would not be disqualified to serve God? From bringing Him glory and bring himself fulfillment? By not being deceived into thinking that he should live to please himself; live depending on himself; or live focusing on himself. Instead, he was determined to serve others rather than seeking to serve himself; he was determined depend upon the power of the Holy Spirit rather than depend upon himself; and he was determined, alongside like-minded brother and sisters in Christ, to never, never, never take his eyes off Jesus.
