Colossians 1:25-29 ^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

In our previous article, we dealt a little with verse 25 in an introductory manner. In this article we will continue in verse 25, as well as verses 26-29. Paul’s focus was centered on ministry and servant leadership.

Matthew Allen, in his workbook on Colossians, has this to say about verse 25-27:

“Paul did everything he did for the sake of (the) body, the church. His mission centered on preaching the Gospel. Paul refers to his preaching as a stewardship from God. He had been personally commissioned by Jesus and like a good servant or steward he was following his Master’s instructions while the Master was away.

Note how Paul viewed himself as a servant. He is not Lord over the church. Note how he served the church by making the Word of God fully known. ‘Fully’ carries along the idea of ‘complete, filled out entirely,’ or to ‘abound.’ Abound in what? The Word of God.”

God’s mission for Paul is the same mission He has for each of us, and it requires the same tireless devotion.

Faithful Servants of the Lord Jesus Must Make Known the Mystery of Christ. (Col. 1:25b-27)

According to verse 25, the purpose of Paul’s and our calling and service to the church is to “make the word of God fully known.”  What did that mean to him and to us as faithful servants of Christ? Pace and Akin, in their book, “Christ-Centered Exposition, Exalting Jesus,” wrote the following:

“Paul describes the gospel of Christ as ‘the mystery hidden for ages and generations” (v. 26; cf. Rom.16:25) …But the term ‘mystery’ also refers to the specific aspect of God’s inclusion of the Gentiles in His redemptive plan.”

            We Must Labor to Help People Grow to Maturity in Christ (Col. 1:28-29).  Th good news of the Gospel is made known through the faithful witness of Christ’s followers. In verse 28, Paul focused on the words “proclaim, warn, and teach.”  He follows this in the rest of the Epistle. Col. 1:1-25 proclaims Christ; 2:6-13 warns against false teaching, while 3:1-4:6 teach about Christian living.

            Paul had an eternal perspective in mind as he devoted his entire life to the mission of Christ.  He wanted those. He came on contact with not only to come to Jesus and live for Him in this life, but he also wanted to prepare them for eternity with Jesus.   He wanted them to “grow in the grace and knowledge of the. Lord Jesus,” as the Apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:18. 

            Paul believed and practiced an everyday religion. We might call it 24/7 faith.  He believed in living out what we believe. HE believed the promise found in Eph. 1:3. Since we have been “blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” we must live out those blessings in a way that we will grow in Jesus ourselves and help our fellow believers in their spiritual walk for the Risen Lord.

            Who supplied Paul with this spiritual energy?  Jesus, via the Holy Spirit, was with him every day giving him the power to stay focused on his ministry. The same is true for us today.

            We must devote ourselves to striving for the mission of the church. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can serve to help others know the mystery of Christ and to grow to maturity in Christ.

–Larry Miles lives in Louisville, KY and worships with the Cherry Street Church of Christ in New Albany, IN–He is Co-Editor of Word and Work Online