Fulfill Your Ministry

Speaker: Pastor Justin Wheeler

Series: Colossians 

Scripture: Colossians 4:7-18

Manuscript PDF

Manuscript

When the night has come and the land is dark and the moon is the only light we’ll see. No, I won’t be afraid; no I won’t be afraid, just as long as you stand by me.

If the sky that we look upon should tumble and fall or the mountains should crumble to the sea. I won’t cry, I won’t cry; no I won’t shed a tear, just as long as you stand by me.[1]

Stand by Me was originally released in 1961 and it peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard chart in June of that year. In 1986 it was re-released to coincide with the movie by the same name and that year it reached to No. 9 on the chart. In 2012 it was estimated that the song’s royalties over the years made it the 6th highest earning song ever and 50% percent of those royalties were paid to Ben E. King.

The second verse is taken from Psalm 46:2, which refers to the fact that even when the world falls apart God’s people can find refuge in Him. That’s not the point of the song though, the point of the song is to celebrate companionship and it taps into a universal human longing. We all long for friendship. We want people that we can count on, that we can run to, that we can lean on when the nights get dark and it feels like the sky is falling in around us.

And God not only wants us to have these types of relationships but through Christ He has created a community where these types of relationships thrive. The church is not an after-thought. The family of God is not simply a by-product of our justification, it was God’s plan to save us and bring us into fellowship with one another; and not just in this life but forever.

But here and now, God has surrounded us with friendships, gospel friendships. He has placed us in one another’s lives to help us stay faithful to Christ, to help us grow in faith and love and every grace, to help us find comfort on dark nights and to give us someone to laugh with when the sun is shining. I’m so thankful for my friends here at Cornerstone; Aren’t you?

Transition…

The Apostle Paul had friends and he was thankful for them as well. Here at the end of the letter to the Colossian church, Paul lists out some of his friends and he talks about how much they mean to him. There are 10 names that he mentions and some of them are pretty significant. These people fall into 4 different categories but all of them have 1 overarching purpose. They are working together to fulfill their ministry to the church on behalf of Christ.

Read Colossians 4:7-18…

Sermon Focus…

I. 12 Names, 4 Categories…

At the end of Paul’s letters, it is not uncommon to find simple statements acknowledging some of his missionary companions; but for the most part, these acknowledgments are simple. For instance:

2 Cor 13:13 All the Saints greet you.

Phil 4:21 The brothers who are with me greet you.

But here at the end of this letter, we see a long list of names and Paul takes the time to comment on every one of them. He wants the church to know more about his list of companions so he gives them a brief but important explanation of the men who labor alongside him to fulfill the ministry.

First up are the couriers, those men entrusted to carry Paul’s letter to the church.

Tychicus – was a faithful companion to Paul and was a trusted courier for Paul who delivered this letter as well as the letter to Philemon, Ephesians, and most likely the two letters to Timothy. In that day there wasn’t a trusted mail service and that meant that letters were hand delivered. Tychicus was the man Paul turned to often, but he was more than just a delivery boy.

Paul describes him as a beloved brother, faithful minister and fellow servant of Christ. He has been at Paul’s side since Acts 20 which would make him part of Paul’s third missionary journey. He stayed at Paul’s side through the arrest and multiple trials and during that time he was the man Paul trusted to take the letters he had written from prison to the various churches in the area.

When Tychicus would arrive at the church with a new letter in hand he would also give the church an update on Paul’s status. As a fellow minister Tychicus not only delivered the letters but was also in a position to elaborate on them to teach and explain what Paul had written. In other words, he was a missionary, and a teacher and a devoted friend. His name is only mentioned 5 times in the NT but his faithfulness impacted the world.

Onesimus – is the slave written about in the letter to Philemon. He ran away from his master and landed in Ephesus where he met Paul, heard the gospel and was saved, then he began to serve at Paul’s side in gospel ministry. The church in Colossae knows this man but their questions about what happened to him will be addressed in the letters and by Tychicus and Onesimus upon their arrival.

The second list of names makes up a group of Paul’s Jewish brothers and colleagues in gospel ministry.

Aristarchus – stands out from all the other men as a “fellow-prisoner” with Paul and I don’t think this is a metaphor. This man was on the ship with Paul in Acts 27 and he survived the shipwreck that landed them on Malta. He was more than a casual companion but was a faithful missionary that didn’t leave Paul’s side. He greets the church.

Mark (cousin of Barnabas) – is a well-known name among Paul’s fellow missionaries. Barnabas was Paul’s first Christian friend and the two were set apart by the Holy Spirit in Acts 13:2  to take the gospel to Gentile cities and plant churches. Mark joined them on their first missionary journey but he abandoned them in the city of Pamphylia and they completed the trip without him.

Then when Paul and Barnabas were getting ready to take their second missionary journey, Barnabas wanted to take Mark along but Paul didn’t think it was a good idea. Maybe he didn’t trust him. Maybe he thought someone else was a better fit for the work. Either way, this argument was enough to make even Paul and Barnabas split up.

Now it appears that this information had been communicated to the church in Colossae…

V. 10…Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him)

Somewhere along the way these two men were able to work out their differences and were able to serve the church together. Mark is also mentioned in 1 Peter and since Peter was writing from Rome that probably means that Mark had a significant ministry in the city of Rome. And it was probably from Rome that Mark wrote the gospel that bears his name.

Justus – We don’t know anything else about this man except what Paul tells us here. He was one of Paul’s companions and was one a group of Jewish Christians who were a comfort to Paul because they were fellow-workers who shared the burden of preaching the gospel and planting churches.

This third group of names makes up a list of Contacts for Paul, starting with…

Epaphras – was the man who originally preached the gospel in Colosse and planted the church that this letter has been written to. Epaphras is their pastor but he is also a servant of Jesus Christ and this season of his life is devoted to being by Paul’s side. But he hasn’t forgotten this church nor has he lost his love for them. He prays for them always, in fact, Paul says he agonizes in prayer over them asking God to help them stand mature and to have the full assurance of God’s will for them.

Luke – joined Paul in Macedonia on his second missionary journey and along the way, he was hard at work writing the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. But he didn’t start out as an author. It’s here in Colossians that we learn that Luke’ profession was medicine. He was a medical doctor but he heard the gospel and was saved and God gave him a burden to compile an accurate eyewitness account of the life of Jesus and the life of the church. Luke’s name only appears a handful of times in Paul’s letters but his ministry has changed the world.

Demas – Not all of Paul’s companions have a happy story. Demas was one of Paul’s companions but there came a point when he walked away from the ministry…and maybe worse. While Paul was in prison in Rome Demas deserted him and went to Thessalonica and the only explanation that was given is that Demas was in love with the world. It’s a cryptic mention but it gives the impression that Demas was not just walking away from the ministry but perhaps even from Christ as well.

Nympha – is not known outside of this letter but she has been a generous supporter of the gospel, to the point of opening her home in Laodicea for the church to meet there. She offered what she had to the service of the gospel and for that Paul commands and greets her.

Archippus – is only mentioned here and in the letter to Philemon but Paul does single him out is a specific way when he writes this message to him:

17 And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”

We don’t know what Paul means by this but we do know that he is calling this man out and urging him to fulfill his ministry that he received from the Lord. It may have something to do with Philemon and Onesimus, or it may be something else entirely. But Paul doesn’t want to let him forget that he has been given a task, a responsibility, and he needs to complete it. So Paul is giving him some pastoral encouragement.

The last category contains one name and it is the man himself.

Paul – at the end of the letter, Paul took the quill from the scribe and wrote the final words with his own hand.

Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

This is the same Paul who once persecuted the Christians in Jerusalem. The same Paul who was confronted by Christ on the road to Damascus. The same Paul who frightened the early church even after he got saved because they didn’t know if they could trust him. The same Paul who was welcomed by the church in Jerusalem when Barnabas took him in and vouched for him. The same Paul who spent his life on 4 lengthy missionary journeys to see the gospel of Jesus Christ spread to the ends of the earth.

This is the same Paul who confronted kings, who withstood angry pagan business owners, who had to be smuggled out of the city so that they wouldn’t kill him. The same Paul who preached the gospel in Athens to all the philosophers of his day calling them to repentance and faith in the resurrected Jesus. The same man who was nearly killed by his own countrymen, arrested and kept in prison for 3 years awaiting trial in Rome.

This is the same Paul who wrote of his sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11:

24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.

This is the same Paul who wrote 2/3rds of our NT and then died by the command of Nero. There are few men who have shaped the world like Paul. His intellect amazes scholars, his theological understanding is unsurpassed, his bravery is legendary and his care for the people of God is a model that church leaders have sought to imitate for millennia. And his final words to these dear brothers and sisters in Colossae are, “Remember my chains. Grace be with you.”

12 names, some of which we have never heard before, but all of these names represent people who had a ministry to do. They weren’t all gifted in the same way. They didn’t all serve in the same way but they refused to sit on the sidelines, they got in the game and did what they had to do to see the gospel spread and the church grow. Their ministry is still in effect 2000 years later.

You don’t have to be a celebrity pastor to make an impact for the Kingdom. You don’t have to be a leading figure in the evangelical world to serve Christ faithfully. You can deliver the mail. You can explain the Scriptures. You can support pastors, teachers, missionaries, and others. All you need is to be willing to serve where there are needs. Be faithful, fulfill your calling.

12 names, 4 categories, One Purpose.

II. 1 Purpose…

All of these men came to Christ and at some point in the course of their Christian life, they said yes to the needs around them. They knew the risk of what serving Christ would bring them and they chose it gladly. I’m sure that they were just like you and me. They came to Christ and got involved in the church with no real expectation to do anything incredible for the Lord. Some of them may have been very ambitious but I’m guessing most of them were simply happy to be saved and excited to be learning and growing in their faith.

But something came up and it forced them to reconsider their level of commitment. The church was growing and the gospel was spreading but so was false teaching. Paul was writing letters but he needed someone to transport those letters to the churches…and Tychicus stood up and said, “I’ll go.”

Epaphras traveled to Ephesus for business but while there he heard Paul preach the gospel and not only was his heart set free but his mind began to soar at the thought of this same message being preached in his hometown. I’m sure he felt unqualified and immature, but the need was so great that he couldn’t ignore it. So he went home and began to tell others about Jesus.

Luke was doing fine in his role as a physician but when he heard the gospel and was born-again something changed. He wanted to help the church and this man named Paul was fearlessly risking his own life so that people he didn’t even know could hear and be saved. Something changed in Luke’s heart and he decided that he would risk his life along with Paul to make sure the story of Jesus and the church would be documented and passed to the next generation.

And then you have Archippus, a fellow-soldier who had received from the Lord a ministry. God laid a burden on this man. God made it clear that he had a task to do. Paul knew about it and he doesn’t hold back when he tells Archippus point blank, “fulfill your ministry.”

Conclusion…

So here’s my closing thought for you today, “What is your ministry?” How has God called you, gifted you, burdened you to serve the church on behalf of Christ?” Do you have a heart for missions? Do you have a desire to serve in church leadership? Do you want to teach? Or lead a Community Group? Or be a part of the worship team? Or work behind the scenes? Has God laid on your heart a specific ministry that you need to fulfill?

We don’t all have the same gifts and we will not all serve in the same way, but we are one body in Christ and each of us has been given a gift to serve Christ and one another. And whatever our gifts may be we need to use them.

Maybe you would be interested in going to Haiti and working with young kids…we need some adult women who are willing to take on that role? Maybe you and your spouse would be willing to step up and teach a Sunday school class this year, which would allow some of our regular teachers to have a break. Maybe you’re interested in starting a Community group to help all these new families get plugged into Cornerstone. Maybe there is something else that you are longing to do to serve Christ and His church and you just don’t know how to get started.

I want to talk with you, the elders want to talk with you to dream up, plan out, prepare for and take the next step in you fulfilling your ministry. Let’s work together to make the grace of Jesus non-ignorable here at Cornerstone and in the community of Wylie. There are a lot more than 12 names in this room today and I’m sure we can be broken up into more than 4 categories, but if you are a born-again follower of Christ then you and everyone else has 1 purpose.

That purpose is to bring glory to God by making disciples of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit to the ends of the earth. Brothers and sisters fulfill your ministry.

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[1] SONGWRITERS - BEN KING, JERRY LEIBER, MIKE STOLLER

The Fruits of Gospel Ministry

Speaker: Pastor Justin Wheeler

Series: Colossians 

Scripture: Colossians 2:1-5

Manuscript PDF

Manuscript

How hard are we willing to work in order to help one another grow in the faith? How much time and energy are you willing to give to see your brothers and sisters bear fruit for Christ? How far are we willing to go to safeguard the gospel in our generation? How far will you go to ensure that you and your family aren’t led away by false teaching? How hard will we work to ensure that sound doctrine is established and upheld in the church? These aren’t questions that we often ask ourselves, but we should.

The church exists to glorify God by making disciples of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s why we are here, to see people come to faith and to teach them to be faithful and mature Christians. The goal of the Christian life is not a lifetime of church attendance; it is to be faithful to Jesus, to grow to be more like Him and to engage in the mission He called us to.

In a parable, Jesus taught that the church is a like a field where good seed was sown. That seed has sprouted, taken root, and is now growing up and one day it will be mature, ready for harvest. But in the night an enemy came and sowed weeds in among the wheat.

The church and her message is always under attack by what appear to be well-meaning and sensible people. Their stated goal is to help a new generation of seekers find peace with God. They don’t really want to redefine the faith so much as they want to restate it in terms their generation can understand. They adopt new language, they might ask new questions, they want to help us see things in new ways and this approach isn’t always a bad thing.

Every generation needs to wrestle with the deep questions of faith. We need to study hard, pray faithfully and think deeply about the nature of the gospel and its implications for our lives today. But at the same time we need to put just as much energy into guarding our hearts against false teaching.

We need to adopt two postures when it comes to gospel ministry: we want to help nurture genuine faith in others while also guarding against false doctrine in those same people. We are like gardeners in one sense and guardians in another. We sow the seed of the gospel, we water the seed, seek to nourish it with good food and we trust God for growth and fruit. But we must also weed the garden, pull rocks out of the soil, fence out the animals that want to devour those fresh new shoots and we protect the garden from outside threats.

Transition…

This dual posture of gardener and guardian is what Paul is after in Colossians 2. The bulk of this chapter is about Paul addressing the false teaching that is affecting the church. He wants to make sure these believers aren’t led in the wrong direction but he also wants to see the church grow in the right ways. He is striking a balance between nurturing them and protecting them.

Col 2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

Sermon Focus…

Here in this passage we see Five Specific Fruits of Gospel Ministry.

I. Gospel Ministers set an example for others to follow (V. 1)

Col 2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you…

The word Paul uses here is one of his favorite metaphors for Christian ministry and he takes it from the Roman athletic arena. It is often translated as striving or contending but it is the Greek word ἀγών and from it we get our terms agony or agonize. The Greeks would use this term to refer to athletes who were entering into a contest and it draws our attention to the hard work, the intense struggle that is necessary for an athlete to be able to compete in the games.

An athlete strives, agonizes and competes with all of his might and he does this in front of a watching crowd. The Greeks and Romans loved their athletes. They showered them with praise, erected statues to them; much like today those athletes and their accomplishments spurred on a whole generation of young people with dreams of athletic glory. When Roman athletes would enter the arena they were willing to put it all on the line to win and the watching crowd was focused on every move they made.

And notice here that Paul wants his readers, he wants us, to be aware of his struggle. He wants to draw the church’s attention to his agony. He wants them to see his labor and to understand what he is going through. But why? For two reasons: he wants them to see the seriousness of his instruction and he wants them to follow his example.

This is a church wrestling with what to believe about how the gospel compares with other religious teaching. Some hybrid ideas from Roman paganism and Jewish mysticism have crept in to this church and it has begun to challenge the teaching of Christ. So, this church is struggling to know what to believe. They are not sure if the Christian message is true, they are not sure if Christ is enough and here is Paul saying, “Let my confidence in Christ encourage you.”

Paul is saying, “I’ve stepped into the arena, not as an athlete struggling for a prize, but as a minister struggling to make the gospel known and I am willing to lay my life on the line for this gospel and for you” As Paul writes this letter he is sitting in a Roman prison for preaching the gospel and he wants this knowledge to help strengthen their faith in Christ.

How does his suffering strengthen their faith in Christ? Let’s ask a few questions…

Why would a man put his life on the line day in and day out for something unless he was convinced it was true? Why would Paul, a genius of a man, allow himself to suffer imprisonment on account of his obedience to Jesus unless he was convinced that obedience to Jesus was worth dying for? Why, would he write a letter from prison to the people of Colossae and Laodicea encouraging them to trust in the sufficiency of Christ unless he himself trusted his own life to the sufficiency of Christ?

Paul wanted the people of Colossae to know about his suffering because he wants his example to strengthen their trust in Jesus and the gospel. Brothers and sisters, one of the fruits of the gospel in our lives, one of the fruits of our gospel ministry, is the impact that our example of faithfulness will have on other believers.

The primary example that we are to follow is the example of Jesus:

John 13:15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

I Peter 2:21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

Christ is the prime example for us to follow. But also, within the church God has also left us faithful examples in the men and women who have gone before us. This is the nature of discipleship, that those who follow Christ leave an example for the next generation to follow.

Phil 3:17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.

There is great benefit to our struggle in the faith. Our labor for the sake of the gospel bears a unique kind of fruit in the lives of others. Our labor is a testimony of the truth of the gospel fleshed out in our lives. Paul wants the church to see his struggle and to be encouraged by it to trust in Christ all the more.

But how does he want them to be encouraged?

II. Gospel Ministry Encourages the Hearts of Believers (v. 2)

2 that their hearts may be encouraged…

Paul wants the knowledge of his struggling to have an effect upon our hearts or more accurately upon the core of our being. We have to be careful not to assume that when the bible mentions the heart that it is simply referring to our emotions. When the Bible uses the term Heart it means to refer to our emotions but not exclusively and certainly not on a superficial level.

The heart refers to the core of our being, the seat of our emotions, and at our core there is emotion as well as conviction. Our core/heart is the foundation of what we believe to be true, what we believe to be right; and this is what Paul wants to encourage in us.

Paul is not saying, “I really want you guys to feel good about everything.” But rather he is saying, “I want you to be strengthened and encouraged in your faith in God, your trust in Jesus alone, your confidence in the Apostles teaching.”

He wants us to have resolve in our hearts about what is right, and good and true. This is what Paul is aiming to encourage. He wants the core of our faith in Christ to be established and fortified.

But how is this going to work?  

III. Gospel Ministry Promotes Unity (v. 2)

being knit together in love…

Our faith in Christ will be encouraged to grow by the example of Paul’s struggle and by the unity that we have with other believers. Solo Christianity is not just a lonely walk but it is also not the way God intended us to live and grow. The gospel draws us into community with other believers where we can learn, grow, and be discipled by other more mature believers.

Notice that Paul uses the phrase being knit together and what he means is that the church is to be so united that we are like one big quilt or scarf. Our lives, our faith, our hearts are to be so intertwined with one another that you can’t pull us apart.

(Illus…Have you ever seen a Giant Sequoia? Giant Sequoia trees are the largest in the world and are among the most massive living things on our planet. The Giant Sequoia named The General Sherman Tree reigns supreme as the largest of the living things on earth. This tree is so large that it’s growth in a single year yields enough new wood to equal that of all the wood found in a 50 foot tree.

But these massive trees don’t grow on their own, they are interdepent. Giant Sequoias can survive in less than 3 feet (1 meter) of soil and they do this by spreading their roots out instead of down. They send their roots away from the tree, up to 300 feet (100 meters). That such mammoth trees have such shallow root depth is astonishing.

How do such trees remain upright without a deep anchoring system? Sequoias don’t grow alone, they grow together and help each other. Giant Sequoias do not compete with each other for resources, rather their huge root systems fuse together and they share resources. The complex intertwining of roots helps support these huge trees.[1]

Paul wants us as a church to benefit from one another in a similar way. He wants our unity in the faith to help us grow and mature. He wants us to be so knit together that we support one another, encourage one another, and enable one another to grow.

Now, don’t forget the context here. This young church is under attack, not from Roman officials, but from false teachers who are attacking their faith in the gospel. And the result is that this church has grown unsure about the what they believe. They want security but this new teaching has shaken the foundation of their hope. In terms of sheer emotion this is a terrible state to be in.

But Paul wants them to abandon every hope but their hope in Christ and he wants them to do this together. Their good works can’t save their soul. Their devotion to religious rituals, whether they be pagan or Jewish, can’t save their soul. Their only hope is to trust in the work of Christ to save them. Their only hope is to accept God’s grace by faith in Christ.

False teaching effects the church by small divisions that grow into church splits. One person shifts from a position of orthodoxy and they start talking to the guys in their small group. Or a person reads an article on Facebook and they start sharing it with their friends before Sunday school. Then before long there is a small group of people who have gotten off track and they start to feel themselves separated from the rest of the church or they seek to actively separate themselves from the rest of the church.

False doctrine is a ploy of Satan that seeks to tear apart the people of God. But the gospel, the pure unadulterated truth of Christ, as our only hope of salvation brings unity. Christ is the substance of our unity. If we begin to shift from our trust in Christ as the foundation of our faith, then our unity will be no more.

Christ is our tuning fork and when our hearts and lives are tuned to Him we will all be in harmony with one another.

IV. Gospel Ministry Helps Us Grow in Assurance (V. 2-3)

to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge…

Humility is a virtue of the Christian life but humility and assurance are not the same thing. Humility is a posture of the heart that says, “It’s not all about me.” Assurance is the settled trust that when it comes to salvation, “It’s all about Jesus.”

We need to be people who exercise humility in our interactions with others. We need to be patient with others, able to listen to people and eager to learn from others. But at the same time we need to be resolved on the foundations of the faith. There is no greater mystery in this world than the mystery of Christ. There is no higher knowledge to ponder than the truths of the gospel. There is no greater purpose in the universe than that, “Every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

Our assurance is rooted in Christ. Not our performance, not our worldly wisdom, not even our worldly success; but our settled faith in Christ. Our unity as a church doesn’t center around a method, a model, or even a tradition, it centers around Jesus.

Now why is all of this important? Because someone is trying to deceive this church with false doctrine and Paul wants the church to be able to defend itself. He trusts that if the church is healthy in the ways that he has described then it will be able to defend itself against the deception.

So let’s summarize what we have seen thus far…Paul wants the church to be made bold by his example (first). He wants their hearts, the deepest part of our soul, to be settled on the gospel (second). He wants them to be knit together in Christian love (third) and he wants them to have assurance that Jesus is Lord (fourth). He wants the church to be strong in all of these ways so that it can withstand the efforts of false teachers.

V. Gospel Ministry Strengthens us Against False Teaching (V. 4-5)

4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

False teaching doesn’t come in the front door and present itself as false, it comes in a window and presents itself as plausible (reasonable). If someone came into the church and sat down in your Sunday school class or your community group and claimed that Jesus was really a transgendered man who learned how to do miracles through inner eye power he picked up as a teenager in Egypt; you wouldn’t entertain them at all. You would simply say, “That’s ridiculous…” and you would move on.

But plausible arguments come across as reasonable. When you hear a plausible argument you come away saying, “I’m not sure if that’s true but it sounds reasonable.” Let me give you an example of how this is happening right now in our backyard.

(Illus…This past week I heard an example of how false teaching is finding its way into the church here in Dallas. It came in the form of a prayer request where a woman who found out that she was pregnant with triplets, via in-vitro fertilization, was asking her ladies group to pray for her to know God’s will. She and her husband were prayerfully considering whether to do selective elimination of one of the babies. They were considering whether or not it was God’s will for them to abort one of their babies because they didn’t feel that God was calling them to raise triplets, so she was calling for prayer and seeking God’s will about what to do. (15:33)

This mom was using the language of Christianity, she was asking people to pray for her, she didn’t feel God was calling her to something; but all of this was divorced from the teaching of Scripture. In other words, she wasn’t leaning on her understanding of Christian ethics or even sound Biblical logic; instead she was leaning on feelings alone. She used the language of sentimental piety to try and get the others to sympathize with her situation even though what she was considering amounts to moral horror.

This is how false teaching is creeping into the church today. It doesn’t focus on doctrine it focuses on feeling and experience. Doctrine doesn’t matter or at the very least it shouldn’t matter that much. What matters is how people feel. What matters is how tolerant we are. What matters is how sensitive we are to other people’s experience.

What we are facing in the culture around us is a complete rejection of objective truth and moral absolutes and what matters is how things make us feel. This means that we not only need to know sound doctrine but we also need to be on guard against the spirit of our age. And Paul wants us to do this together.

False teaching seeks to redefine the foundation of our Biblical worldview. It wants us to trust in Jesus + ____________. It wants us to redefine the nature of God’s love and grace? It doesn’t want us to think about who Jesus is and what Jesus came to do, it wants us to feel who Jesus is and what Jesus came to do.

It wants to say that sin against God is not the problem we need to solve, what we really need to do is to discover our true self and that happens when we embrace people for who they are.

But notice what Paul says about this kind of plausible argument in Colossians 2:8:

8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ…10 who is the head of all rule and authority.

Paul is saying that doctrine matters. The teaching of Christ matters because he is God and is the source of all that is true and right and good. False teachers want to take us captive with philosophy, empty deceit and human tradition but we need to have our hearts filled with the truth.

Conclusion…

Our task in gospel ministry is to nurture and protect. We want genuine faith to grow and to produce fruit, so like Paul we labor to set an example for others to follow. We stand firm in the truth. We stand up and teach what accords with sound doctrine and when opposition comes we endure. We want encourage the hearts of believers and labor to see them resolved to trust in Christ no matter what.

But our task also involves protecting the church against the plausible arguments of false teachers. We pull weeds. We confront wolves, we expose lies and liars. We do this so that faith can grow. We labor on two fronts so that the church can be strong, and healthy and protected.

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The Character of Gospel Ministry (2 of 2)

Series: Colossians

Speaker: Pastor Justin Wheeler

Scripture: Colossians 1:24-29

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“It’s time to grow up!” This is a phrase I heard many times as a boy and it typically came on the heels of a mistake I had made. It wasn’t a phrase I enjoyed hearing because it almost always implied that I wasn’t grown up. It was both a rebuke and an exhortation. It made me face the fact that I wasn’t mature while spurring me on to pursue maturity, and maturity is one of those things that if you ever begin to seek it out you might just come to realize that you will never fully attain it.

Today, I find myself still seeking to grow and be a mature man. There are so many things I don’t know and so many things I have still yet to learn. There are experiences that I haven’t had, trials that I’ve never been tested against, and so the journey toward maturity that began when I realized just how immature I was, that journey continues and I don’t think I will ever fully arrive; at least not on my own.

Growth and maturity are natural aspects of human life. In fact, it’s when growth is not occurring that we often realize that something is wrong. Some dear friends of ours have a young son who was born as their fourth child and things appeared to be quite normal early on for him. He was a happy, playful, and energetic little boy, but when his age kept increasing and his abilities didn’t match his age, there was cause for concern because growth and maturity are a natural part of healthy human life.

Growth and maturity are natural signs of health in of all forms of life. Now that Spring is officially upon us I will be spending quite a bit of time working in my vegetable garden. One of the things I will be looking for as I tend the garden is whether or not my plants are growing the way they should. The goal of a garden is the fruit and if plants are growing in a healthy way then I will need to address the problems, tend to the specific needs in order to help them grow up to maturity so that they can produce fruit.

Growth and maturity are natural signs of health in every facet of life including the life of God’s people. New Testament authors use the common stages of human development to describe how Christians are to grow from infancy, to childhood, and on to mature adulthood. As Christians, we are called to press on to maturity in the faith. We are encouraged to grow up in every way to be more like Jesus. When growth is not seen in the life of a Christian there is cause for concern because growth is a sign of life.

But what are the means to such growth? How can we put ourselves in a position to promote growth in our own Christian life? How can we serve to promote growth in the lives of others? Well, these are questions that Paul is seeking to help us answer here in Colossians 1:24-29. This passage is about the character of gospel ministry and today in verses 28-29 we are going to see three aspects of ministry that pertain to maturity in the Christian life.

Transition…

Over the last 2 weeks we have been learning about the character of gospel ministry. We learned that the spirit of gospel ministry is joy and that suffering in gospel ministry comes with the territory. Last week we learned that God is the source of gospel ministry, that making the Word of God fully known is the scope, and Christ is the substance of gospel ministry. This morning we are going to look at three more characteristics that are found in verses 28-29: style, sum and strength.

Col 1:24 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.

Sermon Focus…

I. The Style/Method of Gospel Ministry (V. 28a)

28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom

There are three verbs in this verse that describe the style of gospel ministry. They outline how we go about our task. We are to proclaim, warn and teach. And the way we should read this verse is that we are to proclaim Christ, and in our proclamation we do two things: we warn and we teach. Our proclamation involves both warning and teaching. So what does all of this mean?

What are we to proclaim? Him! We proclaim Christ. The One described in verses 15-20 is the One that we are to tell others about. We are to proclaim or announce the truth about Jesus Christ. The verb carries with it the idea of a public announcement, which would include preaching but would also include sharing or dissemination ideas in a bold, clear and public way. This proclamation happens in normal everyday conversation as well as in the pulpit on Sunday morning.

The gospel of Jesus is good news and good news is meant to be shared in formal as well as informal ways. This news doesn’t need to be embellished or polished up in any way. It can stand on its own and it will accomplish the purpose of God (2 Cor 4:1-7).

We need to have complete confidence in the simple yet bold proclamation of Christ as the means by which God would save sinners, build His church and accomplish His purpose in the world. Listen to Paul describe the power of God at work through the clear and faithful proclamation of Christ Crucified.

I Corinthians 2:1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Paul is saying, “Listen, all I did was come to you and tell you about Jesus. I told you who He is and what He died to accomplish. I told you all about His life and miracles. I told you about how He fulfills the OT prophecies regarding the Messiah. I told you about His resurrection…I just told you the truth of the Gospel and that is enough.”

(Illus…This past week I read about an encounter that Tim Challies had with a Worship Leader and Creative Arts Director for a church in Toronto. Here’s how he explained the encounter…

Her main task is to put together and then lead her church’s worship services. Early in the week, the senior pastor tells her his focus for that Sunday and she gets to work. She thinks of stage props that will complement the message, she considers assembling the dance team, she combs through YouTube and popular movies to look for clips—especially funny clips. Some Sundays she removes the sermon altogether so the church can watch a painter produce a work of art or a drama team lead a performance. These “visual sermons” are often more effective than preaching, she said.

At one point she began to tell about her pastor. He is a good communicator and loves to preach, but there is a problem: while the church is getting younger, he is getting older. She isn’t sure he can be effective at his age and is kind of hoping he will move on. I took the opportunity to ask what qualifications the church might value in a new pastor. She thought for a few moments and replied, “He’d need to have good rapport with young people and a great sense of humor.”

This is a sad state of affairs but it is more common than we care to admit. For many “churches” there is no confidence in the simple proclamation of the gospel. For pragmatic churches like this the goal is to inspire people. The worship service has to be engaging, inspirational, uplifting and dramatic; if it doesn’t meet this criterion then it has no place in their service. This is a far cry from the scope of gospel ministry outlined in Scripture.

Again, listen to Paul address the style of gospel ministry in 2 Cor 4:

2 Cor 4:1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

For Paul, the gospel of Jesus has a power and wisdom all its own, it is the power and  wisdom of the upside down kingdom of Christ. It is a wisdom, which shows us that sacrificial love is the most powerful thing in the universe. It is a wisdom that discourages pride and exalts humility. It is a wisdom that says the only way to God is through faith in Christ, not obedience to a religious system, not painstaking adherence to a system of laws, but by abandoning the self-salvation mission that every religion in this world proclaims and trusting in the work of another to save you.

We preach Christ crucified as the only hope of salvation for a sinful humanity that is separated from God and headed for destruction. Notice also that Paul says the style of our ministry involves a warning. We warn everyone and this word warn can be translated as admonish if you prefer old churchy terms. It means that part of our proclamation includes a warning about sin and the judgment that is sure to follow.

Good news is only good if it addresses what we already understand to be bad. The bad news is that we are sinners and God is angry about our sin. The flood in Genesis 6 gives us a picture of God’s wrath toward sin. At the beginning of chapter 6:5 we read, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of mankind had become great upon the earth and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…”

Ephesians 2:1-3 makes it clear that in our natural sinful state we are dead in our sin, following the rebellious course of Satan himself and are by nature children of wrath. Brother/sister, I know this is uncomfortable to hear but part of our responsibility as gospel ministers is to proclaim the gospel and warn every one of the consequences that they will face if they do not turn from their sin and trust in Christ. “All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious standard. The wages of sin is death and after death comes judgment.” This will not make us popular within the growing secularism of our culture, but popularity is not our goal.

There is also a place for warning/admonishing within the church. Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.” This happens when we see our Christian friends acting in a way that is inconsistent with God’s Word and we warn them of their sin. This happens when we teach our kids not to be selfish or hateful but instead we teach them to share and be kind. This happens when we point each other to the Word of Christ and help one another obey the Lord.

But don’t miss the fact that there should be balance in our proclamation. We proclaim, we warn and we also instruct. It is not enough to warn people of what not to do, we are also to give clear instruction on what we are to do. These two terms serve as two sides of the same coin. We teach what to avoid and we teach what to embrace.

Let me give you an example of this in action…In Ephesians 4 we read that as Christians we are to put off the old and put on the new. If we were once prone to lie all the time we should stop doing that and work hard to tell the truth. If we were once a thief who liked to take things that didn’t belong to us, we should stop doing that and get a job so that we can learn to give away what does belong to us in order to help others.

The style of gospel ministry is such that we proclaim the gospel, we warn people about their sin and its consequences, and we also teach them how to know, love, and serve Christ.

II. The Sum of Gospel Ministry (V. 28)

that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

Why do we labor in preaching, warning and teaching? So that the people we are ministering to can grow up to Christian maturity. The goal of our ministry is not to gain notoriety and book deals. The goal of ministry is not to climb the church ladder and have a cushy job on the stage of a megachurch someday. The goal of gospel ministry is not to grow a big church that is a mile wide and inch deep. The goal of gospel ministry is to help Christians grow to be more like Jesus.

That’s what God promises to do in us, He promises to grow us to be more and more like Jesus. He will work in our hearts to make us wise. He will teach us truth so that we won’t be so confused and susceptible to false doctrine and teaching. He will give us opportunities to serve others and will give us the strength to carry out that service. He will grow our patience, our understanding, our sensitivity to the needs of others, our sensitivity to His Word; God is going to grow us up into maturity and one of the most significant ways that He will accomplish this in our lives is through the ministry of others. The normal means of gospel ministry.

Eph 4:11 Jesus gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 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…

God promises to use the normal means of faithful and spiritually gifted men and women in the church to help us mature in the faith.

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. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

The church will grow up to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ when we are faithful to invest our lives in gospel ministry. That’s right! God desires to bring Christians to maturity and He has called us to be one of the primary means that He uses to grow young Christian’s into that maturity.

As a church this responsibility starts with the elders, then it impacts the deacons, it leans heavily on the pastor, but also every other member who teaches. It falls on parents to be raising our children to know and love God and His Word. It is accomplished in community groups, in Sunday School, in youth ministry, in ladies Bible studies, in Calvin reading groups and countless other relationships where we take seriously the responsibility of gospel ministry.

This is discipleship and it happens when we invest our lives in the ministry of the church. It happens when we get to know one another on a deeper level than a greeting in the hallway on your way to Sunday School. It happens when we say yes to the needs around us. It happens when you make time to really study the Word, to read a good book, to get plugged into a ministry of the church so that you can grow and then help someone else to grow as well.

So here’s an important question, “How are we going to help others to grow?” The truth is most of us feel as though we are the ones in need of growth so how are we going to be helpful to others? How are we going to help others to grow?

Our confidence for gospel ministry is not in our expertise or qualifications but in the Word of God.

2 Tim 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work…(therefore) 2 preach the word.

Christians will move toward maturity by feeding on God’s Word. You don’t have to have a seminary degree to help others grow in Christ. Read the Scriptures, think and pray. Read, write down your thoughts, and pray. Read a good book, think about it, discuss it with others, and pray. Be faithful in worship and let the Word of God seep down into your heart and life, then be willing to share it with others.

And there is one more thing that Paul wants us to understand about the character of gospel ministry and it is that our strength comes from God.

III. The Strength of Gospel Ministry (V. 29)

29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

First, I want you to notice that gospel ministry involves toil. These word that Paul is using here mean laboring to the point of exhaustion. Gospel ministry is hard work. It requires sacrifice. It means late nights studying to get ready for Sunday morning. It means losing sleep because the person you are discipling is struggling with sin. It means sacrificing leisure time to read and pray. Ministry is often toil.

Most of the leaders and teachers in this church work full time jobs, they are actively raising children, they are taking care of needs within their own families, but they are also carving out time to get a Sunday school lesson together. Once each quarter I ask one of the elders or another capable man in the church to preach for me. I do this because I need to put myself under the ministry of the Word, but I know that this is asking a lot of these men. It’s work to prepare a sermon for this congregation.

Our Sunday school teachers do a wonderful job, our community group leaders work hard to host and make those meetings profitable, our bible study leaders make significant sacrifices to help others grow and all of this is hard work. Ministry in a small local church depends on the hard work and sacrifice of volunteer teachers and leaders.

But for all of our labor we need to understand that we are not working alone. Our struggling in ministry is being propped up by the power which God supplies. In other words, our efforts in ministry are not merely human efforts. It’s hard work yes, but we are not the only one’s working. God supplies us with strength.

(Illus…The fire of faithfulness that burns in us is supplied by the kindling that we put around us (prayer, Bible study, service, etc.) but the flame is kept ablaze by the Holy Spirit who pours oil on the fire even when we can’t see it.

God’s power is at work in us as we labor and His power is at work in those to whom we labor. Our labor is not in vain on either front. The Kingdom of God rests upon the mysterious power that God provides underneath the hard work of His people. It is mysterious in the sense that Paul can say in 1 Cor 15:10, “I worked harder than all of them”, but at the same time he says, “through Him who gives me strength” (Phil 4:13).

Conclusion…

So what does this mean? It means we have a lot of work to do and the burden of that work falls on our shoulders. But God will not abandon us to fruitless toil. He will strengthen us. He will supply what we need and He will work in the hearts of His people through our efforts.

Colossians 1:24-29 has taught us 8 characteristics of gospel ministry ( the spirit of gospel ministry is joy, suffering in gospel ministry is common, the source of gospel ministry is God, the scope of our ministry is to make the Word of God fully known, the substance of gospel ministry is our glorious Christ, the style of our ministry is to proclaim Christ (warning and teaching), the sum of our ministry is Christian maturity and the strength of our labor is supplied by God Himself.

This is the character of gospel ministry within the upside-down kingdom of Christ and it is not just a task for the professionals. Every believer is called to serve in this.

So let’s pray and ask the Lord to ready our hearts and to strengthen our faithfulness to the task of gospel ministry.

The Character of Gospel Ministry (1 of 2)

Series: Colossians 

Speaker: Pastor Justin Wheeler

Scripture: Colossians 1:24-29

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Paul’s Conversion in Acts 26:12-18

“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” It’s a simple question but the answer will surprise you. This question comes up because Jesus’ disciples were having a conversation while they were walking from Galilee to Capernaum. To be honest it was more of an argument and it had to do with which disciple was the best disciple.

I can imagine them comparing notes about who cast out the most demons, or who had memorized more of Jesus’ sayings. I imagine Peter reminded everyone that he did in fact walk on water, even if only for a minute. I’m sure John reminded everyone that Jesus did seem to love him more than the rest. Judas probably bragged about how Jesus has asked him to manage all of the finances.

This probably wasn’t the first time they had this argument but it must have come to a head on this day because Jesus decides that it is time to set the record straight; not by pointing out who is the greatest but by teaching them what greatness means in His kingdom. Jesus tells them, “he who is least among you is the one who is great. If you want to be first in the Kingdom of God, then you must be the servant of all”

It’s not about what you do that makes you great in Christ’s Kingdom, it’s about how you serve. This is quite different than the pattern of greatness that we are accustomed to in the kingdom of this world, but don’t forget that God’s Kingdom is different, it’s upside down.

This morning we are looking again at the character of gospel ministry through the lens of the apostle Paul’s suffering. What he has to say to us is not simply an outline of the Apostolic role but is intended to serve as basic instruction for all who participate in the ministry of making disciples, which in one way or another involves every single Christian. If you are a believer in Christ, then you have been given not only the gift of salvation but also gifts that the Lord intends for you to use as you take part in the Great Commission which is found in Matthew 28:18-20.

The task that Jesus has given to all of us is that as we are going through life as His people we are to be making disciples. We are to be sharing the gospel and making disciples in our homes, in our churches and out in the world. Now it’s true that we don’t all have the same gifts nor the same responsibilities, but great commission ministry rests on all of us. Because as disciples of Christ we are all servants of God.

That’s the term Paul uses in our passage this morning. He doesn’t introduce himself as an apostle in this text, nor as an elder, nor a pastor; he calls himself a servant (διακονος). In verse 23 Paul refers to himself as a servant of the gospel. In verse 25 he calls himself a servant of the church and we saw last week that at this point in his life, Paul is willing to serve even to the point of suffering.

But, that wasn’t always the case. Paul wasn’t always so supportive of Jesus, the gospel, and the church. So what changed to bring him to the point of being a servant of Christ and a servant of the gospel, who was willing to suffer in order to make disciples and strengthen the church. That’s one of the things we are going to talk about today.

This morning we are going to continue to look at the 8 characteristics of gospel ministry that Paul outlines in verse 24-29. Last week we learned that the Spirit of Gospel Ministry is one of Joy and we learned that serving in gospel ministry often brings Suffering. Today we are going to learn the Source, Scope, and Subject of Gospel Ministry.

Colossians 1:24 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.

Sermon Focus...

I. The Source/Stewardship of Gospel Ministry (V. 25)
V. 25of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you...

It might seem like an odd thing to say but it’s true that Paul didn’t choose gospel ministry, rather he was chosen for gospel ministry. When we first learn about Paul in Acts 9 he was on track to become the next big leader within the ranks of 1st century Pharisaism. He was the rising star of his day.

Paul was born a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin. He had a Jewish mother and a Roman father. From early on he devoted himself to the strictest Jewish religious party of the Pharisees, and he was head of his class. His life was devoted to memorizing the Torah and applying its truth to every bit of his daily life. He was a great student and undoubtedly looking at a career as a great teacher.

He was an apologist for his cause, like a 1st-century blogger ready to argue his position with anyone who disagreed. But he was willing to do more than just argue with his opponents. When we meet him in Acts 9 we find that he is a zealot and the followers of Jesus are his enemies. Paul was a persecutor, having placed himself in the legal position to condemn and kill those who claimed Jesus as the Messiah of God. The first time we meet him it’s in Jerusalem and he is holding the garments of murderers like a boxing manager holds the robe of his prize-fighter, and these men are set to stone Stephen to death.

Now, I imagine that while the men picked up stones to throw them at Stephen, they would look over their shoulders at Paul, the law expert, who quoted scripture to justify what they were doing. He was a proud man, a powerful man and a man who saw great gain in his religion and way of life. But God had another plan for Paul and he kicked it off by turning the man’s life upside down.

In Acts 26, Paul gives an account of what happened in his own words:

Acts 26:5...according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee... 9 “I was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. 11 And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

12 “In this connection, I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 At midday, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. 14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am

Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Paul had his career plan mapped out and it included stoning those who followed Jesus, but after this encounter with the Christ, Paul became a man who was willing to be stoned in order to serve the followers of Jesus. That’s a radical transformation and it came directly from God.

Notice that Paul says that he became a minister/servant according to the stewardship from God that was given to him. It wasn’t that he chose this role, he was chosen for it. And make no mistake, it was a shock to those who found out about it.

Near Damascus, there lived a man named Ananias who was a disciple of Christ. One day Ananias had a vision from God and God said to him, “I want you to get up and go into town and take a right on the straight street and stop at the house of a man named Judas. Inside you will find another man praying, his name is Saul of Tarsus.” Ananias answered back to God and said, “Are you talking about the Saul that has been killing Christians in Jerusalem?” And God answered, “Yep, that’s the one...he is a chosen instrument of mine who will carry my name to the Gentiles...I will also show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

The source of Paul’s ministry wasn’t a decided career move. He didn’t sit down to weigh out his options and chose Christian ministry. He was chosen for it. God changed his life, called him into service, and gave him a specific stewardship/responsibility to take the gospel to the Gentiles

Now, what does this mean for you and me and the ministry that we serve in today? Do we all have to have a radical conversion story and see a vision of Christ to know we are called to ministry? Not exactly.

All those who serve in gospel ministry must be born again and embrace to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And all who serve in gospel ministry should seek to use the gifts that God has given them to meet the needs of others and the needs of their local church. And let me be clear, that all Christians have been called to serve God in one capacity or another. When God calls us to salvation He calls us into service to Christ, the gospel, and the church.

Each of us has been called into service within the household of God and to shine as lights in the world. But how do we know where to serve? I’m going to try to make this really simple because I think this has often been one of the more complicated issues in the church.

It starts with an understanding of calling and I’m not talking about a Damascus road experience or some mystical prophetic word. I’m referring to the Biblical understanding that all of us are called to serve the Lord in the ministry of the Word and the making of disciples. Nowhere in the NT does God say to Christians that we are saved for nothing more than to sit and learn from others for the rest of our lives. We are all called to serve. We are all called to engage in disciple making whether it is in the home, in the church, in our neighborhoods or in the world.

Once we have embraced the fact that we are all called into service the next step is to identify what you are burdened about. What area of ministry are you most drawn to? What do you desire to do for the Lord and for the church? Is it consistent with the Scriptures?

Then I would encourage you to explore your gifts. What are you able to do? What skills and abilities do you have that could be useful to the body? In what way have you been gifted by God to serve His people? Are you a musician, an artist? Do you like to study and share what you are learning with others? Do you have organizational skills?

Then seek the wisdom, direction, and affirmation of church leaders. Spend time with men and women and get their feedback on how you can grow, on where you can serve, on how you can improve or be more consistent, more clear, more helpful, more faithful.

Then serve. Go on mission trips, assist in Sunday school, take up the offering, volunteer to serve with the deacons, as a deacon, talk to Cody about music ministry, talk to Kim about helping out with hospitality, talk to the elders about hosting a community group, leading a community group, etc.

Let’s not make this mysterious or more complicated than it should be. Here are those 5 steps: calling, burden, gifting, affirmation and service. I believe that all of these steps are initiated by the Holy Spirit in our hearts. He opens our eyes to see that our calling to salvation involves a calling to serve. He burdens our hearts to serve in specific ways. He gives us gifts to use in our service. He guides our leaders to be Biblically discerning and wise, then He empowers our service by His own strength.

Now that we have seen the source of Gospel ministry let’s turn our attention now to the Scope of Gospel Ministry.

II. The Scope/Task of Gospel Ministry (v. 25) to make the word of God fully known...

Our role is not to present ourselves and our ideas but to present God’s Word faithfully. Paul says here that his task is to present the Word of God in its fullness or to fulfill the Word of God. Now what does he mean by this?

The task of making disciples starts with a presentation of the truth. Gospel ministry is a revelatory role in that we are making the truth of God known in the world through preaching, teaching, and sharing God’s Word.

Romans 10: 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

But what does Paul mean by making the Word of God fully known? There are two ways we should understand this:

• Making the Word of God fully known must be understood to refer to Jesus Christ and the gospel as the pinnacle of revelation. The Bible is incomplete without Jesus. The OT history, law and prophecies are unfinished without the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. The OT characters we love, the OT stories we learned as children, the Psalms we love to quote...these all point beyond themselves and find their ultimate fulfillment in the person and work of Christ.
• Making the Word of God fully known also refers to the effects of preaching the gospel. The Word moves in power and it is not only heard, but it plows up the rocky soil of men’s hearts, it brings dead women to life, it produces fruit of the Spirit, and changes the world.

The Word of God is made fully known when the gospel is proclaimed and that proclamation accomplishes the purpose God has for it.

Now, there are countless ways that we can serve our community. There are ways that we can help the homeless, provide counsel to needy people, and feed those who are hungry. There are ways that we can show love to our neighbors, be good friends, and serve those around us at home, at work, or in the city. We can and should volunteer our time, we can and should be salt and light wherever we go. But these things are not the focal point/scope of gospel ministry.

The focal point of gospel ministry is to make the Word of God fully known. To preach the truth once for all delivered to the saints. To preach Christ and Him crucified, this is the task of gospel ministry.

Let’s turn our attention now to our last point this morning...

III. The Subject of Gospel Ministry (V. 26-27) v. 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

We have already hit on this a little bit in the previous point but here I want to take the time to be crystal clear that all of Scripture finds it pinnacle and purpose in the gospel. All the Scriptures, the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Writings, they all concern Christ. The whole of the Old Testament is drawing our attention to the main stage where God is showcasing the main event which is Jesus Christ.

The entire Bible has been pointing to Him; He is the mystery of God revealed. He is the one who fulfills all the promises of God. He is the climax of the story and the climax of world history as well.

God the Son, the second person of the eternal triune God, became a man clothed in flesh to die in the place of sinners as the crescendo of God’s plan of redemption. This truth which baffles the mind is the means through which God has determined to undo and destroy the effects of sin upon creation.

Every story the Bible tells is pointing us to Jesus. Every promise finds it’s fulfillment in this; that God became a man and humbled himself to the point of death, even death on a cross in order to settle our debts with God and grant us eternal life. Where imperfect men have failed to rise to the standard of Holiness that God demands, Christ came to succeed.

Jesus is the true and better Adam who passed the test in the garden and whose obedience is imputed to us.

Jesus is the true and better Abel who, though innocently slain, has blood now that cries out, not for our condemnation, but for acquittal.

Jesus is the true and better Abraham who answered the call of God to leave all the comfortable and familiar and go out into the void not knowing whither he went to create a new people of God.

Jesus is the true and better Isaac who was not just offered up by his father on the mount but was truly sacrificed for us. And when God said to Abraham, “Now I know you love me because you did not withhold your son, your only son whom you love from me,” now we can look at God taking his son up the mountain and sacrificing him and say, “Now we know that you love us because you did not withhold your son, your only son, whom you love from us.”

Jesus is the true and better Jacob who wrestled and took the blow of justice we deserved, so we, like Jacob, only receive the wounds of grace to wake us up and discipline us.

Jesus is the true and better Joseph who, at the right hand of the king, forgives those who betrayed and sold him and uses his new power to save them.

Jesus is the true and better Moses who stands in the gap between the people and the Lord and who mediates a new covenant.

Jesus is the true and better Rock of Moses who, struck with the rod of God’s justice, now gives us water in the desert.

Jesus is the true and better Job, the truly innocent sufferer, who then intercedes for and saves his stupid friends.

Jesus is the true and better David whose victory becomes his people’s victory, though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.

Jesus is the true and better Esther who didn’t just risk leaving an earthly palace but lost the ultimate and heavenly one, who didn’t just risk his life but gave his life to save his people.

Jesus is the true and better Jonah who was cast out into the storm so that we could be brought in.

Jesus is the real Rock of Moses, the real Passover Lamb, innocent, perfect, helpless, slain so the angel of death will pass over us. He’s the true temple, the true prophet, the true priest, the true king, the true sacrifice, the true lamb, the true light, the true bread.

All of the Bible is ultimately about him.1

The overwhelming trajectory of the Biblical witness concerns a movement by God towards man. The Father sends the Son. The Word became flesh. To save us, God did not come in the fullness of His glory, but rather he came in the humility of a man; as a baby crying in the arms of a teenage mother, who required feeding and changing and who would be condemned to die as a criminal upon a cross. Jesus hid his glory, limited himself and walked to the cross in our place.

And all the while, He remained equal, one with God, even though He had taken the form of a slave. He became one with us, sharing in our limitations, our sorrows and bearing our burdens. He experienced the temptations that we know too well, only he remained sinless to the day of his death. And in his death, he atoned for our sins and by faith, He unites us to God.

Conclusion...

In the OT, God dwelled in the midst of His people when His glory came down and rested within the Tabernacle. In the NT, Christ walked in the midst of His people when He humbled Himself and took on flesh to tabernacle among us. Now since Jesus’ ascension, the Holy Spirit of Christ dwells in the hearts of God’s people, leading us, guiding us, gifting us, empowering us for gospel ministry, and He will never leave us nor turn away from us.

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1 Tim Keller, from class lectures on Preaching Christ in a Post-Modern World.