Ministry fueled by God’s Power
by His power working in me
In the last century, Alexander Whyte of Edinburgh wrote to a discouraged pastor, “The angels around the throne envy you your great work.… Go on and grow in grace and power as a gospel preacher.” In our own day, W. E. Sangster of the Westminster Central Hall in London said:
Called to preach! … commissioned of God to teach the word! A herald of the great King! A witness of the Eternal Gospel! Could any work be more high and holy! To this supreme task God sent his only begotten Son. In all the frustration and confusion of the times, is it possible to imagine a work comparable in importance with that of proclaiming the will of God to wayward men?
Attitude
God’s servants benefit, and everyone benefits. For Paul, this is cause for rejoicing. This is why very often the suffering of a brother or sister in Christ is a great source of blessing to the Church, for their elevated character is transferred to fellow believers.
one thing is clear: Paul knew his sufferings were good for the Church and that they brought to him a special closeness with Christ. Every blow that fell on him fell on his Master, and thus bound them even closer together in mutual suffering. Paul’s experience was like that of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who in the fiery furnace were joined by a fourth person: the Lord (Daniel 3:25). That is why Paul could pray from a Roman jail:
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. (Philippians 3:10)
Ministry Charge
This charge has preaching as its main function, and specifically Biblical exposition. The phrase “to present to you the word of God” literally reads, “that I might complete the Word of God.” The idea is to lay out the Word of God fully. People cannot know Christ better without knowing the Scriptures. Preaching (exposition) was the heart of God’s call to Paul.
Preaching must open the Word of God. Paul affirms here such preaching is primary to an authentic ministry. There is no shortcut—it takes work
Paul’s preaching set forth a “mystery”—namely, that in some way God’s saving purpose was going to be extended to the Gentiles (Isaiah 49:6; Romans 15:9–12). From the ancient Jewish perspective, this seemed impossible because of the mutual disdain which Gentiles and especially Jews had for one another. It was a mystery indeed!
The prophesied reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles was truly a mystery. Then Christ came, and the middle wall was broken down, and Jews and Gentiles became together a new man establishing shalom, peace (Ephesians 2:13–18).
… the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 3:4–6)
Jews and Gentiles all sat down at one table and counted themselves one in Christ. It was a miracle! This had come about only because of “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (v. 27b). The indwelling of the Lord Jesus Christ is what made the miracle possible.
This happened in Colosse, and it can happen today. One of the greatest glories of the gospel is that it brings people who are different from each other together.
God called the nation of Israel to be His people, He gave them His Law (including the priesthood and sacrifices), and He gave them a wonderful land. He promised them a King who would one day establish a glorious kingdom and fulfill the many promises made to Abraham and David. The Old Testament prophets wrote about a Messiah who would suffer, and a Messiah who would reign. They could not explain the seeming contradiction (see 1 Peter 1:9–12). They did not understand that the Messiah first had to suffer before He could enter into glory (Luke 24:13–27).
Jesus Christ came to earth, was rejected by His people, and was crucified. He arose again and returned to heaven. Did this mean that God’s promised kingdom for Israel was now abandoned? No, because God had initiated a new program—His mystery—that was not explained by the Old Testament prophets. The mystery is that today God is uniting Jews and Gentiles in the church (Eph. 2:11–22). When the church is completed, then Jesus Christ will return and take His people to heaven (1 Thes. 4:13–18). Then He will again deal with Israel as a nation and establish the promised kingdom (Acts 15:12–18).
Imagine what this message meant to the Gentiles. They were no longer excluded from the glory and riches of God’s grace! During the Old Testament dispensation, a Gentile had to become a Jewish proselyte in order to share in the blessings of Israel. But in the new dispensation, Jews and Gentiles alike are saved by faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:12–13). No wonder the Jewish false teachers opposed Paul. He dared to say, “There is no difference!”
Ministry Purpose
Paul’s goal is nothing short of presenting to Christ complete, mature, full-grown Christians. He was not into the “I’ll save ‘em, you raise ‘em!” type of thinking. Rather, his great joy was to present to Christ believers who have reached their maximum earthly potential.
For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy. (l Thessalonians 2:19, 20)
Listen to Paul’s benediction in 1 Thessalonians 5:23:
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul’s instruction (v. 28a). Whom refers, of course, to Jesus Christ. “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord” (2 Cor. 4:5). The false teachers exalted themselves and their great “spiritual” attainments. They preached a system of teaching, but Paul preached a Person. The gnostics preached philosophy and the empty traditions of men (Col. 2:8), but Paul proclaimed Jesus Christ. The false teachers had lists of rules and regulations (Col. 2:16, 20–21), but Paul presented Christ. What a difference in ministries!
Paul not only preached (the word means “to announce with authority as a herald”), but he also warned. While it is good to proclaim positive truth, it is also necessary to warn God’s people against the lies of the enemy (Acts 20:31). In fact, God’s people should be alert to warn one another (admonish in Col. 3:16, NIV). Paul considered himself a spiritual father to the local churches, and it was his duty to warn his children (1 Cor. 4:14).
But Paul was also a teacher of the truth. It is not enough to warn people; we must also teach them the positive truths of the Word of God. How far would we get in our travels if the highway signs told us where the roads were not going? Not very far! It is good to win a man to Christ, and then to warn him about the dangers ahead; but it is also important to teach that convert the basic truths of the Christian life.
Paul not only preached Christ, but he also “taught Christ,” for in Christ are “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). It was not necessary to introduce any new teaching, for all that a believer needs to know is related to Jesus Christ. “Teaching every man in all wisdom” was Paul’s concern (Col. 1:28). Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. The false teachers promised to give people a “hidden wisdom” that would make them “spiritually elite.” But all true spiritual wisdom is found only in Jesus Christ.
Paul’s intent (v. 28b; 2:2–3). He wanted to present every believer “perfect in Christ Jesus.” The word perfect was a favorite word with the gnostic teachers. It described the disciple who was no longer a novice, but who had matured and was fully instructed in the secrets of the religion. Paul used it to mean “complete, mature in Christ.” This is the goal of all preaching, warning, and teaching.
The Energy
The truth is, no one can hope to have a Biblically authentic ministry without hard work. Paul’s language in this verse is brutally compelling. The Greek word translated “labor” was used for work which left one so weary it was as if the person had taken a beating. It denotes labor to exhaustion. “Struggling,” a stronger term than “labor,” was the Greek word from which we derive the English word agony and was used for agonizing in an athletic event or in a fight. The words together describe the tremendous energy of Paul’s apostolic ministry. He strained every physical and moral sinew to present every man complete in Christ. First Thessalonians 2:9 pictures this:
Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God.
Paul’s ministerial drive is a model for us all. We will never have an authentic, apostolic ministry unless we are willing to work to the point of exhaustion.
R. C. Sproul is right: the ministry of the gospel is a glorious thing. But we do not have to be an apostle or a reformer or a preacher to do it. Some years ago a woman in Africa became a Christian. Being filled with gratitude, she decided to do something for Christ. She was blind, uneducated, and seventy years of age. She came to her missionary with her French Bible and asked her to underline John 3:16 in red ink. Mystified, the missionary watched her as she took her Bible and sat in front of a boys’ school in the afternoon. When school dismissed, she would call a boy or two and ask them if they knew French. When they proudly responded that they did, she would say, “Please read the passage underlined in red.” When they did, she would ask, “Do you know what this means?” And she would tell them about Christ. The missionary says that over the years twenty-four young men became pastors due to her work. She had it all:
• a ministerial attitude.
• a ministerial charge.
• a ministerial purpose.
• a ministerial energy.
This call is for all of us!