The previous series, “Sensing God,” ended with the idea that as Christians, we have been called to be priest and sacrifice all wrapped into one for the world–both the church and the state– the neighborhoods and the Nations.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1 & 2; ESV).
However, objections are raised by most Christians in Traditional Southern Christianity to the apex of we pay “the minister” to do all our ministry stuff. Below are some objections offered up by many ordinary Christians unwilling to accept the title, “minister.”
- feelings of incompetence
- feelings of non-holiness
- feelings of guilt and shame
- feelings of intimidation
- (Dare I say it?) (Yes, I dare say it.) LAZINESS
Yet, if we follow Paul’s flow through chapters 12 & 13 of Romans, we see that Paul envisions no professional type of Christianity. Chapter 12 began with “therefore,” which alluded to chapters 9-11 concerning Grace in God’s election of Israel and the Church. “Therefore,” because of this grace, minister with gifts of grace in this grace (12:3 – 8), love, bless, give to, understand & respect one another and outsiders in grace fueled by this grace (12:9-21), bless the state in this grace with this grace (13:1-7), and do the same to all (13:8-14).
So, in other words, are only reverends required to pay taxes to Caesar? Are only reverends required to have genuine love? Are only reverends required to bless their enemies? If the answer is an emphatic no, then how do we get away with saying that only reverends are “gifted” for ministry?
Colossians 1:3-23
In this passage we will notice a progression/pattern. There is deliverance from “the domain of darkness to the kingdom of darkness … to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (1:13; ESV). Certainly this was Paul’s testimony. Paul says this was the testimony of the church at Colossae. Consider verses 21 & 22:
And you, who one were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him (ESV).
This was the testimony of this Colossian church. Certainly this was also Paul’s testimony. Thus the progression so far is (A) deliverance from Satan’s dominion to (B) the Kingdom of the Beloved Son, wherein we find forgiveness. Unfortunately, we often stop at this point in the progression. Fortunately, Paul does not stop. There is one more place beyond receiving forgiveness upon deliverance to the Kingdom of the Beloved Son:
Being Equipped for Ministry
Thus the progression would look like so–for the normal, everyday, believer:
Deliverance from Satan’s dominion–} Deliverance to Jesus’s Kingdom–} Being equipped the Holy Spirit for redemptive ministry
Paul speaks of the Gospel, itself, bearing fruit and growing (vs. 6). He is thankful that they have obeyed the Gospel (verse 6), which is bearing fruit and growing among them. He then prays for “all spiritual wisdom and understanding” for them so that they might, like the Gospel, bear fruit in every good work (vv 9-10). This, dear folks, is a call to ministry. Paul speaks of himself as having ”became a minister” of this Gospel (verse 23).
Immediately, people will hone in on the word, “minister,” and assume Paul is speaking of his Apostleship. Yet, as I demonstrate from the contextual flow, this cannot be the case. Paul is speaking of his becoming a minister — in general. This is the third phase in our Colossians 1 progression: deliverance from, deliverance to, equipping/anointing for ministry. It is true that Paul was an Apostle, a great one at that. Yet before Paul was an Apostle, Paul is a minister, which simply is a word for servant under authority for mission. Paul is a general minister, and his specific ministry is his Apostleship.
The whole of the Colossian church was called into “the ministry.” In actuality, we cannot say “the ministry,” for there is not just “one” ministry. The question is not were the Colossians/are we called into “ministry?” Rather the appropriate question is, “into which ministry(ies) are we called?”
Verse 23 is rather scary:
if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel in all creation under heaven (ESV)
This verse speaks to the very real possibility of not “continuing in the faith, stable and steadfast.” To me this verse is not so much scary, as it is filled with a wide door of opportunity for various flavors of ministries of grace gifts. If we are to continue in the faith, we will need the normal, everyday people of God, the ministers of God, as our support. Of course pastors, as a certain type of minister, have responsibility in this area, but they do not have the total responsibility, as our list from Romans 12:3-8 suggests.
Thus, we are beginning a new series, “Ministry,” to explore this seemingly radical idea of “every Christian an anointed minister of God.”
