Paul's Ministry & Motivations
So far, as we have studied Paul's introduction to his letter to the Colossians we have looked at what Paul says that he, and how he prays for them. This evening we will look at what Paul says that he does for them. In Colossians 1:24-2:5 Paul describes his ministry and motivations.
Colossians 1:23 (ESV)
"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."
Paul's desire for the Christians in the small local church in Colossians is that they would "continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel." Here we hear the depth of Paul's connection with the God that he serves. God's intention for us is that we complete the journey of the Christian life successfully. He does not want us to get mixed up or lost along the way. There is an aspect of the faith that is solid and immovable, but there is also an aspect of faith that is dynamic. As we walk along the journey, it is important that we obey the things that God reveals to us along the way.
In his book about the spiritual journey of A.D. Urshan, Daniel Segraves tells about the way Urshan was born into a family of Orthodox Christians in Persia. He was baptized as an infant by missionaries and later had an encounter with God as a young man in another church-sponsored school. When he came to the US, eventually his cousin, who was a member of another church, convinced him that the Bible taught that baptism by immersion. Urshan was then rebaptized in the characteristic way of that group. He was immersed three times face-forward in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Still later as he read the Bible and prayed, God revealed to him that the NT church baptized by immersion in the name of Jesus. And so once more, he was baptized. This time as the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ was called over his life. If he saw it in the Bible, he wanted to do it!
In Acts 19:1-5, when Paul found disciples at Ephesus who had not received the Holy Spirit when they believed, he inquired about their baptism. They had been baptized under John the Baptist's ministry. Paul had them re-baptized in the Name of Jesus and laid hands on them so that they might receive the Spirit.
Paul wants them to continue in what they have, but also to move on to the things that God wants them to have. There is stability in the Gospel. Jesus is the Way; without Him, there is no going. Jesus is the Truth; without Him, there is no knowing. Jesus is the Life; without Him, there is no growing.
After declaring that he is a servant of the gospel, Paul makes a statement that has been difficult for commentators.
Colossians 1:24 (ESV)
"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 is glad to experience suffering for the church at Colossae. There is work that we can do in which the pain is a delight because we know that the end result will be joy. We never lose when laboring for the gospel. We never lose when laboring for love. Suffering is a part of the human experience, even for the people of God. In fact, Paul seems to indicate that one of the reasons why he is suffering is because he is a part of the church. It is his connection to Christ that causes the type of suffering he is experiencing.
The Jewish eschatology of Paul's day broke the history of the world into two ages: the present evil age and the age to come. Paul took this understanding and did not teach that the people of his day were on the edge of the fulfillment of the coming age, but that the coming age had begun while the old age was ongoing. There was an overlap. This is why Christians can experience the wonderful things of the Spirit and the world to come, while at the same time experiencing the brokenness of the present world.
First-century Jewish eschatology also taught that leading up to the coming of the wonderous age, there would be what has been called the Messianic Woes. The people of God would suffer. Jesus is the Messiah and He suffered and died on the cross for our sins, to destroy the works of satan, and as an example to us. He was the first to suffer. When Paul says that he "fills up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ" he is not saying that his sufferings somehow add to the finished work of Christ on the Cross. He is saying that just as Christ suffered for others, so does he. He is acknowledging that the world is up against the return of Christ. When things get bad, it is the world groaning in birth pangs, ready to give birth (Romans 8)! As Jesus died only to raise from the grave, Paul rejoices because he knows that troubles don't last always! Weeping may endure for a night, it is just a temporary guest, but joy some in the morning. Joy is not a passing guest, but a permanent resident in the Christian's life! Paul rejoices in his sufferings.
These sufferings may also be related to him standing in the gap and making up the hedge for the Colossians. He is saying that the enemy is not going to get to you except through me. I am fighting for you. There are some things that are worth fighting for and the person sitting next to you is one.
All Christians suffer for their faith in one way or another. I was talking to someone this morning who was reading the Gospel of Matthew who said, "Man, it's hard to be a Christian!" I asked what they were reading and they said it was Jesus's admonition that when someone slaps you on one cheek you were to turn the other." Christians suffer because they wrestle with their own sinfulness. We suffer the anxieties of raising our family in the fear of God. We suffer because they live a life of faith where they do not always know what is next. We suffer because we are misunderstood by the world around us. We suffer when they love in spite of the hatred that surrounds them. We suffer the attack of the enemy. But, our suffering will be rewarded. Jesus endured the cross because of the joy that was set before Him!
When you care for the church, you are caring for the Body of Christ and God will reward you. You can write that down. Jesus said that you cannot give a cup of cold water to one of those who believe in Him that God forgets! He sees your suffering! And we do not suffer alone, He is with us!
25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—
Paul mentions being a servant again this time balancing that he is a servant of the church but also a servant of the gospel. He is a steward of the Word of God. One thing that has been in my prayer lately is, "God help me to ensure that I give Springs of Life the whole counsel of God." As a servant, Paul was like a hospitable host of a great house making sure that his guests had everything that they needed. All that you need is in God's Word. This Word is:
26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
There is nothing more glorious than this mystery. We live on this side of Calvary, on this side of the resurrection, on this side of Pentecost. God does not have a group of people distinguished by ethnicity, but a people distinguished by the reality that they are filled with His Spirit. Christ is in us, male and female, Jew and Gentile, rich and poor... none of the binaries that keeps oppression and exclusion in force among those who are controlled by the present evil age controls those who have God's Glorious Riches! Christ is in all and fills us with the hope of glory! This means that one day we will be with Him in glory.
On the Mount of Transfiguration, as Jesus prayed, He began to glow gloriously. His garments became white as snow. His face shined like light. Moses and Elijah appeared with Him. When Isaiah saw His Glory there were seraphim crying out holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is filled with His Glory. Glory has to do with weightiness and splendor. All the things that the world is looking for already live on the inside of every person who is filled with Christ's Spirit and one of these days the suffering is going to be over and the inner nature of Christ is going to shine forth. The Messianic Woes that we experience now, the groaning that we share with the Spirit and all creation are like the wiggling of a former caterpillar inside her gooey chrysalis. We emerge we are not going to be a caterpillar with wings and antennae, we are coming out a glorious heavenly creature. We have the hope of glory! Christ is in us by His Spirit working until we are complete and mature. The old song says, "I've got Jesus on the inside working on the outside, Oh what a change in my life!"
28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
Our preaching is about Jesus! Jesus is our example. Paul says that because Christ is in us, we proclaim all that He is and that He is God's All in All in such a way that it changes the way we live in the here and now. God wants us to grow up. He wants us to be emotional and spiritual adults. Paul says that he does this with wisdom. There is a way we can present Christ that no one will ever grow. Our efforts should be tempered with love. Our efforts should be tempered with an understanding of what an individual is ready to receive. Discipleship is a lifelong process. Sometimes we try to present things that people are not ready to receive. The Lord Jesus did not do this with His disciples. He gave them what they were ready for. "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth" (John 16:12-14) and everything that Spirit speaks will lead us to Christ as our model, our key, our example. In Him is where all the Fulness of God dwells bodily. In other places, Paul and the writer of Hebrews mention how he feeds some with milk and others with meat. That takes wisdom.
Paul does not preach in the energy of his own intellect or ability, but his hard work is the work of Christ in him. God does not mean for us to do it on our own. He wants us to allow him to work in and through us. There is no telling what we can endure when we are straining through His Power!
Paul continues to tell the Colossians what he is doing for them. He is living for others. Mike and Leona Talley were mentors to my wife and me. One thing that she used to say was the secret to joy is that your priorities are Jesus, others, and you. Paul rejoiced as Christ worked through him. When we are willingly spent for the cause of Christ and follow His wisdom, He will pour into us all that we need at the right moments. Some things are not accomplished because we aren't working with God on them. Paul says:
I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.
He says, even though all of you do not know me, I am praying for you. Have you ever taken an interest in someone and did not know why? They wound up in your prayer life. You lived them. And then eventually they were an intrinsic part of your life. That is how God works. We should care about others. We should pray for those in other nations.
2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Paul's goal is encouragement. He wants there to be a community where there is unity. That can only happen where there is grace and forgiveness. When we can love one another everything is easier. It is when we are filled with grudges that we stagnate spiritually. But where there is love there is unity and there is a growing fulness of riches of complete understanding.
Paul points the Colossians again to the central theme of his letter, Christ. Just as he has said that it is in Christ that the Fulness of God has chosen to dwell, now He says that in order for us to be full of understanding we need to know Christ. There are various levels of understanding. We may understand something enough to recognize it. That's good but the next level of understanding is to imitate it. That's good, but the next level is to be able to teach it to someone else. This is good too, but the highest level of understanding is to become. Paul wants the Colossians, and us, to be so full of an intimate knowledge of Christ that we are changed!
In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. The old song says, "Its all in Him!" Jesus is not a key to the mystery of God or a road map to wisdom. He is the Wisdom of God! If you know Jesus, you know enough. If you have Jesus, you have enough. The biggest problems you face are simple for Him. He is the Image of the Invisible God! He said, If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father! Look to Him for your answers!
4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.
Paul ends this introductory section assuring the Colossians that they have his heart. He is there with them. There is something that happens when we find ourselves thanking God for someone, praying for them, and doing for them. We get knit to them and we do not want anyone to hurt or harm them. We are only seeking their benefit. Whose benefit are you seeking?
