Four Marks of a Faithful Minister

Colossians 1 ESV

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which 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, 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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, 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.

Pastors and church leaders have a gotten a bad reputation in recent years - and their bad reputation is largely deserved. It’s common for these pastors and leaders to have bad character, bad motives, and bad theology.

It’s not unusual hear about a pastor being caught in an affair or some scandal - These pastors do not have good character.

It’s all too common to find pastors in the ministry who are driven by the dream of want popularity, power and the praise of men. - These pastors do not have good motives.

And it is far from unusual to go into a church, only to hear the pastor give a speech that is the furthest thing from a Christian sermon. He might use Christian language terms, and he might use Scriptures in his sermon. But Christ is not preached. These pastors have do not have good theology.

Whether it’s due to poor theology, poor motives, or poor character… there are plenty of reasons to be sceptical about various ministers. And it’s not just experience that informs our skepticism. Even the Scriptures warn us to watch out for such people. The Scriptures describe these ministers as being like wolves in sheep’s clothes. They are said to have the appearance of godliness, but they actually deny its power, and they disguise themselves as apostles, when they are not.. Such ministers are like their master, who though being evil, comes as an angel of light.

Like many of this letters, Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians in order to warn them about the false teachers that have crept in among them. But in addition to calling out false teachers, Paul also commends the the faithful teacher who taught the Colossians the gospel. Listen to how Paul describes this minister named Epaphras.

Look at Colossians 1:7. After talking about the Colossians reception of the gospel, he wrote

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.

While we ought to watch out for false teachers and avoid them, we should also identify and adhere to faithful teachers who will teach us about Christ and build up the church. While we might be sceptical about many ministers, we ought to not try to go on without them because they were given to us for our God. Paul says that various types of ministers were given to us for this purpose;

Ephesians 4:12–14 ESV

12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

A few years ago, I left my previous church because I believed my pastor was a very poor pastor. He was driven largely by selfish ambition more than by a love for Christ and his church. But it wasn’t enough for me to simply leave that church. I needed to be a part of another church that had faithful ministers who were going to guard me and instruct me in the faith.

I say this, because there are some here who are sceptical about ministers… perhaps even leaders here at LWC. Here is the thing… if the ministers here are not faithful, you ought to get far away from us. But if we are faithful, the way Epaphras was faithful, then you ought ought to draw near to the ministers here. What I’m saying is this; if you love the doctrine of this church, and you find that the leaders are faithful and trustworthy, you ought to consider not just attending LWC, but you should consider becoming members of this fellowship.

Today, we are going to look closely at Epaphras and consider what it was that made him a faithful minister. And I see four distinct marks that make him a faithful minister.

But before we get into those marks, I want to point out three ways that we should apply this sermon.

Measure the elders and deacons to Epaphras - consider, are the ministers here at LWC faithful? If the answer is no - you ought to start by going to your brother or sister correcting them in love so that they can repent and so remain faithful. But you measure the ministers here and find them to be faithful, give praise to the Lord! Draw near to us, and learn to imitate our ways.

Measure the elder and deacon candidates next to Epaphras - today the elders and deacons will begin interviewing the sixteen upcoming elder and deacon candidates that the congregation nominated at the last member meeting. As we interview those candidates, we want to know if they are faithful ministers like Epaphras was. And as we prepare to put those candidates in front of you, you ought to consider the same thing.

And finally, we all ought to measure ourselves next to Epaphras. There are some who are really good at spotting the speck in our brother’s eye, while all the while there is a plank in our own eye. And while you may not be an elder or deacon we should all strive to be like Epaphras, because we should all long to be servants of Christ our are found to be faithful when he returns.

So the three applications to consider is this: Are the current ministers faithful? Are the upcoming minister candidates faithful? And am I a faithful Servant?

With these applications in our mind, let’s consider the first mark of a faithful minister:

Colossians 1:7–8 (ESV)

7 He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

The first mark of a faithful minister that

1. He is a servant of Christ

I chose the word servant, rather than minister here, because the word minister literally means servant.

Typically when we hear the word minister - we likely have in mind a pastor, or the preacher in a church. But that’s not what this word means in Greek. The word minister is the same word that is translated as a deacon (like in 1 tim 3) and it most often translated as servant.

So in our application - this applies to pastors, deacons, as well as all who desire to be faithful servants

Let’s consider for a moment what it means to be servant of Christ - by contrasting this to three things that it is not

For starters, The faithful minister is not a servant of any deity, be it the god of any other religion, or a distortion of the one true God that takes on the form human imagination. Rather, the faithful minister is a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is not the acknowledgment that there is a god that is the mark of a faithful minister (as if what man needs is any mere religion). Rather the faithful servant declares plainly that there is only one god who is able to save us from sin and death, and that is the only god who is worthy of all worship.

John 14:6 ESV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Like Epaphras, every faithful minister is not a servant of any god. Rather is a servant of the one God, the Lord Jesus Christ. And as his servant, the minister makes Jesus Christ known.

Furthermore, faithful minister is a servant of Christ, rather than a servant of man.

Paul put it this way; Gal 1:10

Galatians 1:10 ESV

10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

The faithful minister’s devotion is entirely given to Christ. He doesn’t change the gospel in order to appease the appetites of sinful men. Rather, he calls all men to repentance without apology. He preaches the Word in season and out of season. And when the Word is offensive to the world that is perishing, he continues to make the gospel known all the more, because that is the work that his master has called him to do.

Jesus said it plainly;

Matthew 6:24 ESV

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

The faithful minister does not seek the approval of men, for they are not his master. Rather the faithful minister is a servant of Christ.

And finally, the faithful minister does not serve his flesh, but instead he serves Christ.

Romans 6:16 ESV

16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

So it is, the faithful minister is a servant of Christ and not the flesh. He crucifies the desires of the flesh, and he sows to the Spirit. His flesh may long for revenge, but his Lord has called him to forgive his enemies. His flesh may have the appetite to lust, but his Lord has called him to purity. His flesh may desire riches, comfort, and leisure. But his Lord has called him to pick up his cross and follow him.

Look for this mark of faithfulness among the ministers at LWC… and look for this mark in your own life. The faithful minister isn’t a servant of any religion, nor of man, nor of his flesh. The faithful minister is a servant or Christ.

This brings us to the second mark of the faithful minister.

As Christ’s servant, the faithful minister will strive for Christ.

2. He strives for Christ

To strive, means that we work hard towards something…

Kids, if you want to learn a new instrument, or pick up a new sport… you will need to work hard, or strive in order to make progress in your new interest. This is what it means to strive - you are going to work hard.

So we see implicit throughout these verses that Epaphras strived to make the gospel known.

Colossians 1:7–8 (ESV)

7 He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

If someone is faithful it is owing to the fact that they are responsible and reliable. A faithful employee is one that you can depend on because they work hard. The person who serves in the church regularly and is reliable is said to be faithful.

If you don’t recognize the striving of Epaphras in this description, maybe the parable of the talents will help you see it.

The servants who worked hard to multiply what his master gave him commended by his master:

Matthew 25:21 ESV

21 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.’

But the servant who did not strive was not called faithful but instead the his master answered him;

Matthew 25:26 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?

Here in these verses, we see the opposite of the good and faithful servants is the wicked and slothful servant.

The faithful minister is not just a servant of Christ, but the faithful minister who strives in his service for Christ.

Listen to all the ways in which Epaphras strived for his master. Throughout this entire paragraph, we hear of Epaphras working in the backdrop of the Colossians reception of the gospel as well as his continued efforts for them to remain in the faith.

Listen for hints of

Colossians 1:3–4 (ESV)

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,

How did Paul and Timothy hear of the Colossians faith?

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.

Do you see Epaphras’ labor on behalf of the saints?

And not only is he laboring in communicating with the apostle on their behalf, but Epaphras even went to the Colossians and labored among them so that they would know the gospel.

Colossians 1:3–8 (ESV)

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which 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, 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.

from reading this paragraph, we should get the sense that Epaphras has worked hard to make the gospel known among the Colossians… and he has continued to work for them by telling the apostle about the Colossians so that he might pray for them, and exhort them through the writing of this letter.

Epaphras’ striving is implicit in these verses, but Paul makes Epaphras’ striving explicit later in this letter.

Colossians 4:12–13 ESV

12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.

Some of us get a bit uncomfortable by talking about a Christian work ethic because you see it as a contradiction to grace. Paul didn’t have this problem, for he saw grace as the very source of his ability to work hard.

1 Corinthians 15:10–11 ESV

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Colossians 1:28–29 ESV

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.

Paul often talks about his hard work on behalf of the saints. This is because Paul saw this hard work as being a mark of his own faithfulness as an apostle who can be trusted. In 2 Corinthians, Paul uses his own hard work as a proof of his authority that should cause the Corinthians to trust him over those who were leading them away from Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:23 ESV

23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death.

Oh that we would all long to be faithful like Paul, and like Epaphras. So measure the ministers here at LWC to that of the faithful Epaphras. Are we among those who will be commended for being good and faithful, or are we like the wicked and slothful servant who buried what the Lord entrusted to him?

Oh that we would all be found faithful, and hard at work as we strive for the sake of Christ.

But what is the aim of a faithful minister’s striving? Business men work hard too. They do it so that they can rise in the ranks of among their colleges. They do it so that they can receive better pay, and better hours or work. There is honor for their labor. Is this why the faithful minister strives?

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.

The third mark of a faithful minister is that he is a servant - or in other words - he is a slave

3. He is a suffering slave for Christ

We’ve already talked about how he is a servant of Christ - in that point we focused on who it is that the faithful minister is serving. But now I want us to focus on the position of that servant.

Too many ministers go into ministry thinking that through their ministry, they will be remembered. They see other men in ministry with great followings, and they want that kind of following. Today, we see all kinds of oddities through celebrity pastors who elevate themselves so that their brand might reach far and wide. The things is, they are more about their name and brand then they are about Jesus Christ being known and glorified in the world. I am nauseated when I hear of pastors talking about leaving a legacy for their namesake.

Here’s a questions for us all… before today, and perhaps before this year, how many of you would have known who Epaphras was? I wouldn’t have had the slightest clue! He is only named three times in the Bible, twice here in Colossians and once more in Philemon. We have already seen the two texts about him here in Colossians, and in Philemon we learn that he is a fellow prisoner with Paul.

Philemon 23 ESV

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you,

Hardly the picture of a celebrity that many pastors strive for. How many ministers are willing to strive, not for celebrity, but simply to be a slave of Christ? How many ministers would persist in their work if they knew that doing so would lead to their imprisonment? Ahh I think the numbers of ministers would significantly decrease. But Christ said it would come for his disciples

John 16:33 ESV

33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Now, as a faithful minister works hard, he may grow in his influence. But the faithful ministry will not elevate himself as his influence grows. Instead, he will get out of the way, because he didn’t become a minister so that he could receive the glory of man. Rather, he became a minister so that he glorify God through his life. He became a minister, which simply means, became a slave for Christ’s sake.

When Peter instructs elders, he told them not to shepherd for shameful gain (1 Pet 5.2).

Similarly, Paul said that deacons must not be greedy for dishonest gain (1 Tim 3.8).

So every faithful minister ought to recognize that they are but a slaves of Christ.

The attitude of every save of Christ should be this:

John 3:30 ESV

30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Listen to the Zizendorf’s life goals

Preach the gospel. Kill sin relentlessly. Be faithful to my wife. Love my children. Serve the church. Die. Be forgotten. Reign with Christ.

Those are my ambitions. I pray they are yours as well.

Do the ministers of LWC measure up to the status of Epaphras as a fellow slave?

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.

4. He serves the saints

While the faithful minister is a servant of Christ, he serves him by serving his body, the church.

It’s no wonder why Epaphras is beloved… he selflessly serves the saints

He brought the Colossians the gospel

He brought Paul and Timothy news of the Colossians’ faith in Christ.

It’s not hard to feel affection for a faithful servant like Epaphras. I certainly have the same affection for many of the faithful ministers here at LWC.

For example… I love the team of youth leaders that I get to serve with. They give up every Wednesday to serve our youth

And I feel the same way about the many who are serving the saints this morning.... everyone shows appreciation to the preacher… but I feel great appreciation to all the ministers who are working behind the scenes. If those who ran sound and slides didn’t show today and throughout the week to work on the audio and AV issues we have, we would have a hard time hearing the word preached and following along with the Scriptures that are being opened!

Every minister ought to make sure that the saints benefit from his ministry. Do you want to test if a minister is faithful? Then consider who benefits from their ministry. If the only one who benefits is the minister, then they probably not faithful!

Ezekiel 34:1–6 ESV

1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; 6 they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.

May the shepherds here far from being like the shepherds of Israel. Instead may it be said, that we like Paul would gladly spend and be spent for your souls (2 Cor 12:15).

If the minister benefits from his so called ministry, and the saints do not, then his minister and his ministry is nothing more than an act, and he is not a faithful minister.

But when the minister serves the saints, he serves the Lord himself.

Matthew 25:35–40 ESV

35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Epaphras was a faithful minister, because he was a striving slave of Christ who served the saints. Epaphras was a faithful minister, because he imitated his master, who took on the form of a servant, and suffered for the sake of the saints. Christ did this so that his work would be credited to us.