Paul’s View of  the Ministry (1:24-29)

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Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body (which is the church) in filling up that which is lacking in Christ’s afflictions. Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ. And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me. (1:24-29)

The ministry is a topic that was dear to the heart of the apostle Paul, and it is a frequent theme in his letters. He never lost the sense of wonder that God would call him to the ministry, and he never tired of talking about it. Toward the end of his life, he wrote to his protegé and fellow minister Timothy, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service; even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor” (1 Tim. 1:12-13).

Like Jeremiah, who spoke of the Word of God as a burning fire in his bones (Jer. 20:9), Paul felt compelled to carry out his ministry. To the Corinthians he wrote, “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16).

Paul often spoke of his ministry when he needed to establish his authority and credibility. That was his aim in this passage. Colossians was written in part as a polemic against false teachers, and it was essential for Paul to defend his authority to speak for God. Otherwise, the false teachers would have dismissed what he wrote as merely his own opinion. Having begun the epistle with a statement of his apostolic authority (1:1), Paul now gives a detailed look at the divine character of his ministry. He recites eight aspects of that ministry: the source of the ministry, the spirit of the ministry, the suffering of the ministry, the scope of the ministry, the subject of the ministry, the style of the ministry, the sum of the ministry, and the strength of the ministry.

THE SOURCE OF THE MINISTRY

the gospel … of which I, Paul, was made a minister … Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit (1:23c, 25a)

Paul closed out the last section by describing the content of the Colossians’ faith, namely the gospel, the saving truth of which he was made a minister (1:23). In 1:25 he repeats the thought, saying again that he was made a minister of Christ’s church. The source of his ministry was God.

Becoming a minister of Jesus Christ was not what Saul of Tarsus planned to do with his life. On the contrary, he appeared headed for the upper echelons of Judaism. His credentials were impressive. He was “circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless” (Phil. 3:5-6). Although born in Tarsus, he was brought up in Jerusalem, “educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God” (Acts 22:3). He said, “[I was] advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions” (Gal. 1:14). It was that zeal that led him to become a persecutor of Christians.

New Testament readers first meet Paul under his Jewish name, Saul, at Stephen’s martyrdom. “When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him, and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul” (Acts 7:58). Not content with a supporting role, he quickly became the leading persecutor of the church: “Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem” (Acts 9:1-2). He “persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons” (Acts 22:4). As he described it in his testimony before King Agrippa,

It was while engaged in his one-man crusade to wipe out the church that he had the experience which turned his world upside down:

Paul did not volunteer to become a minister of Jesus Christ; he was appointed one by the Lord Himself. Blinded and terrified by the majesty of Christ’s glorious appearance, all he could say was “What shall I do, Lord?” (Acts 22:10).

Paul often stressed the marvelous fact that God had chosen him for the ministry. To the Romans he wrote that he was a minister to the Gentiles because of God’s gracious choice of him: “I have written very boldly to you on some points, so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given me from God, to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, that my offering of the Gentiles might become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:15-16). He was eager to affirm that it was God who gave him the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18) and put him into the service of Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 1:12). He said to Timothy, “There is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time. And for this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth” (1 Tim. 2:5-7; cf. 2 Tim. 1:11).

All Christians have been called to serve God in one capacity or another. As God is sovereign in calling men to salvation, so is He in calling them to service. The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts, which are enablements for the service to which one is called, according to His sovereign will (1 Cor. 12:11). Like Paul, the believer’s responsibility is to be obedient to that calling (Acts 26:19).

Because he was made a minister by sovereign call, Paul viewed his ministry as a stewardship from God. Stewardship translates oikonomia, a compound word made up of oikos (“house”) and nemō (“manage”). It means to manage a household as a steward of someone else’s possessions. The steward had oversight of the other servants and handled the business and financial affairs of the household. That freed the owner to travel and pursue other interests. Being a steward was thus a position of great trust and responsibility in the ancient world.

Unlike many who have held high offices throughout the church’s history, Paul sought no glory for himself. He wanted to be regarded “in this manner, as [a servant] of Christ, and [a steward] of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy” (1 Cor. 4:1-2). He had a God-given task that he was obligated to fulfill (cf. 1 Cor. 9:16-17; Gal. 2:7; Eph. 3:2, 7-8). There is no stronger passage to show Paul’s firm sense of the divine call in his life than 1 Corinthians 9:16-17. He writes, “If I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me.” “I am under compulsion” is strong language. “Woe is me” is even stronger. He operated under the knowledge of a divine mandate that was not even voluntary initially. All who are called to preach should feel the compulsion, the fear of judgment, and the sense of stewardship Paul felt.

The church is the household of God (1 Tim. 3:15), and all believers have the responsibility to manage the ministries the Lord has given them. Contrary to much popular teaching today, our spiritual gifts are not intended for our own edification. They are given to help us minister to others. Paul told the Colossians that his stewardship was bestowed on me for your benefit. Peter echoed the same truth when he wrote, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Pet. 4:10). Leaders have a special stewardship: “The overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward” (Titus 1:7). Every Christian will one day give account to Christ of his stewardship. May none of us be found poor stewards, like the lazy slave in the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:24-25).

THE SPIRIT OF THE MINISTRY

Now I rejoice (1:24a)

As challenging and demanding as it is, ministry was never intended to be an arduous and unbearable burden. Paul’s attitude of joy should be the spirit of ministry for every Christian. The sad reality is, however, that many Christians (even some pastors) have lost the joy of serving the Lord. They grudgingly carry out their responsibilities, with solemn faces and somber spirits. Like Jonah, they are hesitant, angry, bitter, and resentful. They are reminiscent of Elijah, who “requested for himself that he might die, and said, ‘It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers’” (1 Kings 19:4).

The writer of Hebrews rebukes those pseudo-martyrs in no uncertain terms. He reminds them of “Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart” (Heb. 12:2-3). Jesus never lost the joy of His ministry, even when faced with the terrible reality of the cross. And, unlike Him, most believers “have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood” (v. 4). A Christian who has lost the joy of the ministry does not have bad circumstances, but bad connections. You do not lose the joy of serving Christ unless your communion with Him breaks down.

Christian joy is internal. Paul was sometimes discouraged by his circumstances, but he maintained his joy. He described himself as “afflicted in everyway, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor. 4:8-9). He knew “great sorrow and unceasing grief” (Rom. 9:2) over the plight of unbelieving Israel. Whatever Paul’s circumstances, he never lost his deep-seated confidence that God is in control.

Joy is generated by humility. People lose their joy when they become self-centered, thinking they deserve better circumstances or treatment than they are getting. That was never a problem for Paul. Like all of God’s great servants, he was conscious of his unworthiness. Imprisoned in Rome, while other preachers got the glory, he wrote, “Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice” (Phil. 1:18). Facing the possibility of martyrdom, he wrote, “Even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all” (Phil. 2:17). Beaten and imprisoned in Philippi, he sang hymns of praise to God (Acts 16:25). Because he believed he deserved nothing, no circumstance could shake his joyous confidence that God was in control of his life (cf. Col. 2:5; 1 Thess. 2:19-20; Philem. 7).

The joy of the early church was a dramatic testimony to the world. The second-century apologist Aristides wrote to the Roman emperor Antonius Pius a description of Christians that said if any righteous person from among them passed from this world the Christians would rejoice and give thanks to God. When a child was born to Christian parents, they would praise God. If it died in infancy, according to Aristides, the parents thanked God even more because the child would be one who had passed through the world without encountering sin. (See The Apology of Aristides, trans. Rendel Harris [London: Cambridge, 1893].)

Circumstances, people, and worry are the thieves that are eager to steal the joy of the ministry. Humility, devotion to Christ, and trust in God protect the joy that is Christ’s legacy to every Christian (cf. John 15:11; 17:13).

THE SUFFERING OF THE MINISTRY

in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body (which is the church) in filling up that which is lacking in Christ’s afflictions. (1:24b)

To emphasize that joy is independent of circumstances, Paul tells the Colossians that he rejoices in my sufferings for your sake. Sufferings refers to his present imprisonment (Acts 28:16, 30), from which he wrote Colossians. Paul could rejoice despite his imprisonment because he always viewed himself as a prisoner of Jesus Christ, not the Roman Empire (cf. Philem. 1, 9, 23).

The early church considered it a privilege to suffer for the name of Christ. In Acts 5:41, the apostles “went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.” To the Philippians Paul wrote, “To you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Phil. 1:29). Why was suffering a cause for joy? The New Testament suggests at least five reasons.

First, suffering brings believers closer to Christ. Paul wrote, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil. 3:10). Suffering in the cause of Christ yields the fruit of better understanding of what Jesus went through in His suffering.

Second, suffering assures the believer that he belongs to Christ. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18). Because “a disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master” (Matt. 10:24), we will suffer. Paul warned Timothy, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). Peter tells suffering Christians, “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” (1 Pet. 4:14). Suffering causes believers to sense the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives, which gives assurance of salvation.

Third, suffering brings a future reward. “If indeed we suffer with [Christ] in order that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:17-18). “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:17).

Fourth, suffering can result in the salvation of others. Church history is filled with accounts of those who came to Christ after watching other Christians endure suffering.

Fifth, suffering frustrates Satan. He wants suffering to harm us, but God brings good out of it.

The statement in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body (which is the church) in filling up that which is lacking in Christ’s afflictions has been the subject of much controversy. Roman Catholics have imagined here a reference to the suffering of Christians in purgatory. Christ’s suffering, they maintain, was not enough to purge us completely from our sins. Christians must make up what was lacking in Christ’s suffering on their behalf by their own suffering after death. That can hardly be Paul’s point, however. He has just finished demonstrating that Christ alone is sufficient to reconcile us to God (1:20-23). To do an about face now and teach that believers must help pay for their sins would undermine his whole argument. The New Testament is clear that Christ’s sufferings need nothing added to them. In Jesus’ death on the cross, the work of salvation was completed. Further, the Colossian heretics taught that human works were necessary for salvation. To teach that believers’ suffering was necessary to help expiate their sins would be to play right into the errorists’ hands. The idea that Paul refers to suffering in purgatory is ruled out by both the general content of the epistle and the immediate context, as well as the obvious absence of any mention of a place like purgatory in Scripture. Finally, thlipsis (afflictions) is used nowhere in the New Testament to speak of Christ’s sufferings.

In my flesh refers to Paul’s physical pain. When he says I do my share on behalf of His body (which is the church) he is indicating that the physical pain he endures at the hands of Christ-hating persecutors is the result of what he does to benefit and build the church. It was not his personality that offended and brought hostile injury to him, but his ministry for the Body of Christ.

In what sense were Paul’s sufferings filling up that which is lacking in Christ’s afflictions? In that Paul was receiving the persecution that was intended for Christ. Jesus, having ascended to heaven, was out of their reach. But because His enemies had not filled up all the injuries they wanted to inflict on Him, they turned their hatred on those who preached the gospel. It was in that sense that Paul filled up what was lacking in Christ’s afflictions. In 2 Corinthians 1:5 he wrote that “the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance.” He bore in his body the marks of the blows intended for Christ (Gal. 6:17; cf. 2 Cor. 11:23-28). He not only suffered for Christ, but also for the sake of the church (2 Tim. 2:10). Those who wish to represent Christ and serve His church must be willing to suffer for His Name.

THE SCOPE OF THE MINISTRY

that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, (1:25b)

Paul was driven to fulfill his ministry. He told the Ephesian elders, “I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). That ministry consisted primarily of the preaching of the word of God, of “declaring … the whole purpose of God” (Acts 20:27). And Paul fulfilled that ministry. Near the end of his life he exclaimed triumphantly, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). His economy of effort, his single-minded devotion, and clear, direct focus on the task God had given him enabled him to carry out his ministry fully. He set himself to do God’s will, nothing more or less, and stayed within that narrow prescription. He desired to preach the whole counsel of God to those to whom God called him, never shirking his duty or mitigating the divine message.

Some in the Lord’s service think they have to win the entire world. As a result, they spread themselves so thin that they accomplish little. Paul was led by the Holy Spirit to make only three missionary journeys, all to the same general area. Yet few people in history have affected the world the way he did. Jesus never left Palestine, yet no one has come remotely close to having the impact on the world that He has. Jesus’ ministry was effective because He limited it to doing what God wanted.

First, Jesus limited His ministry to God’s will. He said in John 5:30, “I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” Too many men in the ministry are busy building their own empires, rather than seeking to fulfill God’s will.

Second, Jesus limited His ministry to God’s timing. The gospel of John repeatedly speaks of Jesus’ hour as having not yet come (cf. 2:4; 7:30; 8:20; 12:27; 13:1; 17:1). Jesus carried out His ministry conscious of God’s timing. He refused to do things until the right time.

Third, Jesus limited His ministry to God’s objective. He knew that God had not sent Him to reach the entire world by Himself. In Matthew 15:24 He said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Fourth, Jesus limited His ministry to God’s kingdom. He refused to be drawn into the political controversies of His day. When His opponents tried to embroil Him in one such controversy, He replied, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:21). He kept the political realm and the spiritual realm separate. That is a lesson many in the contemporary church seem to have missed.

Fifth, Jesus limited Himself to God’s people. He realized He could pour His life into only a few men. Out of the larger group of His followers, He chose the twelve and spent most of His time with them. And even among the twelve, He spent more time with Peter, James, and John than with the rest.

Those who desire truly effective ministries must learn the importance of limits. If they concentrate on the depth of their ministries, God will take care of the breadth.

THE SUBJECT OF THE MINISTRY

that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (1:26-27)

The message Paul proclaimed in his ministry was the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints. There are some things God reveals to no one. Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God.” God reveals other things only to certain people. “The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him” (Ps. 25:14). Proverbs 3:32 says, “He is intimate with the upright.” Still other things were hidden in the Old Testament but have now been revealed in the New. The New Testament calls them mysteries (mustērion). Paul’s use of this word is not to indicate a secret teaching, rite, or ceremony revealed only to some elite initiates (as in the mystery religions), but truth revealed to all believers in the New Testament. This truth, that has now been manifested to His saints, is that which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, namely the Old Testament era and people. Now refers to the time of the writing of the New Testament. Such newly revealed truth includes the mystery of the incarnate God (Col. 2:2-3, 9); of Israel’s unbelief (Rom. 11:25); of lawlessness(2 Thess. 2:7; cf. Rev. 17:5, 7); of the unity of Jew and Gentile in the church (Eph. 3:3-6); and of the rapture (1 Cor. 15:51). This mystery truth is available only for those who are saints—true believers (cf. 1 Cor. 2:7-16). The phrase to whom God willed to make known clearly indicates that the mysteries are not discovered by the genius of man, but are revealed by the will and act of God. It is God’s purpose that His people know this truth.

Of all the mysteries God has revealed in the New Testament, the most profound is Christ in you, the hope of glory. The Old Testament predicted the coming of the Messiah. But the idea that He would actually live in His redeemed church, made up mostly of Gentiles, was not revealed. The New Testament is clear that Christ, by the Holy Spirit, takes up permanent residence in all believers (cf. Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; Eph. 2:22). The revelation of the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles awaited the New Testament (Eph. 3:3-6). Believers, both Jew and Gentile, now possess the surpassing riches of the indwelling Christ (John 14:23; Rom. 8:9-10; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 1:7, 17-18; 3:8-10, 16-19; Phil. 4:19). The church is described as “the temple of the living God; just as God said, ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people’” (2 Cor. 6:16). That Christ indwells all believers is the source for their hope of glory and is the subject or theme of the gospel ministry. What makes the gospel attractive is not just that it promises present joy and help, but that it promises eternal honor, blessing, and glory. When Christ comes to live in a believer, His presence is the anchor of the promise of heaven—the guarantee of future bliss eternally (cf. 2 Cor. 5:1-5; Eph. 1:13-14). In the reality that Christ is living in the Christian is the experience of new life and hope of eternal glory.

THE STYLE OF THE MINISTRY

And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, (1:28a)

Paul’s passion was to proclaim Him who had done so much for him. Katangellō (proclaim) means to publicly declare a completed truth or happening. It is a general term and is not restricted to formal preaching. Paul’s proclamation included two aspects, one negative, one positive.

Admonishing is from noutheteō. It speaks of encouraging counsel in view of sin and coming punishment. It is the responsibility of church leaders. In Acts 20:31, Paul described his ministry at Ephesus: “Night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.” But it is also the responsibility of every believer. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that man and do not associate with him, so that he may be put to shame. And yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother” (2 Thess. 3:14-15).

Colossians 3:16 commands, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another.” Paul expressed his confidence that the Romans were “full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able also to admonish one another” (Rom. 15:14). If there is sin in the life of a believer, other believers have the responsibility to lovingly, gently admonish them to forsake that sin.

Teaching refers to imparting positive truth. It, too, is the responsibility of every believer (Col. 3:16), and is part of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:20). It is especially the responsibility of church leaders. “An overseer, then, must be … able to teach” (1 Tim. 3:2).

Admonishing and teaching must be done with all wisdom. This is the larger context. As discussed in chapter 2, wisdom refers to practical discernment—understanding the biblical principles for holy conduct. The consistent pattern of Paul’s ministry was to link teaching and admonishment and bring them together in the context of the general doctrinal truths of the Word. Doctrinal teaching was invariably followed by practical admonitions. That must also be the pattern for all ministries.

THE SUM OF THE MINISTRY

that we may present every man complete in Christ. (1:28b)

The goal of the ministry is the maturity of the saints. Paul expressed that clearly in Ephesians 4:11-13: “[Christ] gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.” That goal was shared by Epaphras, the founder of the Colossian church: “Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God” (Col. 4:12). Our aim is not merely to win people to Christ, but to bring them to spiritual maturity. They will then be able to reproduce their faith in others. In 2 Timothy 2:2 Paul charged Timothy, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”

To be complete, or mature, is to be like Christ. Although all Christians strive for that lofty end, no one on earth has arrived there yet (cf. Phil. 3:12). Every believer, however, will one day attain it. “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2). Christians move toward maturity by feeding on God’s Word: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

The Colossian heretics believed perfection was only for the elite, a view shared by many others throughout history. The American journalist Walter Lippmann wrote,

In contrast, Christ offers spiritual maturity to every man and woman.

THE STRENGTH OF THE MINISTRY

And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me. (1:29)

Kopiaō (labor) means to work to the point of exhaustion. People sometimes tell me that I work too hard. But compared to Paul, I am not working hard enough. It saddens me to hear of pastors or seminary students who are looking for an easy pastorate. When I was a young pastor, a lady (who did not know I was a pastor) advised me to go into the ministry. When I asked her why, she replied that ministers did not have to do anything and could make lots of money.

No one would get that idea by observing Paul. Concerning those who denigrated his ministry, he wrote:

No one can successfully serve Jesus Christ without working hard. Lazy pastors, Christian leaders, or laymen will never fulfill the ministry the Lord has called them to. Striving is from agōnizomai, which refers to competing in an athletic event. Our English word agonize is derived from it. Success in serving the Lord, like success in sports, demands maximum effort.

Lest anyone misunderstand him, Paul says that he strives according to His power, which mightily works within me. All his toil and hard labor would have been useless apart from God’s power in his life. To the Corinthians he wrote, “By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me” (1 Cor. 15:10). God gave Paul the strength to work hard at his ministry. Galatians 2:20 really sums up the two components in this human-divine action: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.”

These eight aspects of Paul’s ministry should characterize every believer. All Christians serve Christ in some capacity. Paul’s message to all in this passage is, “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things” (Phil. 4:9).