1:24 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. 29 To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
It’s the grand opening of a new plant.
Large amounts of time, effort and money have been poured into a state-of-the-art factory.
The Mayor gives a speech; she congratulates all who have been involved in the remarkable project.
Finally, the celebration is over, and production begins and with great anticipation the company’s CEO positions himself to see what the plant will produce.
You see, no one has any idea.
They poured themselves into building their dream factory but failed to ask what they actually hoped to produce.
Of course, that is a ridiculous scenario, but it illustrates the fact that you must begin with desired outcomes then you design the plans and processes to achieve that outcome.
This is true of the military, industry, families…and it certainly ought to be true of the Church.
Sometimes we can design plans and processes in our churches without having a clear vision for what we want to produce.
We have been told in Scripture what the church is to produce…mature, full-time followers of the Lord Jesus.
We been told very clearly what that person will look like in practical, real-world terms.
The past two years as we have gone through the Bible and this year as we have worked our way through some of Paul’s letters we have focused on who Christ has called us to be.
In fact, for 36 years as we have preached the Bible…we have paid attention to what God has called us to be.
We are organized (imperfectly, but very intentionally) as a church to achieve God’s great end…his purposes for us.
We have a simple structure and we have minimal formal events.
I had a friend in Seminary whose church had more committees that members…that is neither simple, nor sustainable.
We have many grass roots events, informal events.
Christy and I have hosted hundreds of events of various sizes at our home (from very large (hundreds of people, to small) over the past 36 years…but I don’t push them on Sundays…they are part of our own personal ministry.
As a church we give our primary efforts towards our biblically mandated end…to make disciples, teaching them to obey the Lord Jesus.
We have had people come to our church because they didn’t like what was being “produced” at their former church.
They believed that our church, from their perspective, was effective at making disciples of Jesus whose lives indicated growth in Christ likeness.
Again, that has been imperfectly, but generally true.
They wanted to join and be a part of our church but over time, they felt the gravitational pull of what they had become accustomed to…programs, processes, traditions (ways of doing things)
They want us to change to be more like what they were used to, what they were comfortable with.
Do you see the problem here?
They want our products, but they also want their old processes.
It is important that we understand that processes are designed for certain outcomes.
Of course, Christians who take the Bible seriously will say that both their processes and outcomes come from the Bible.
They may be right, but it is also true that there is room for diversity in Scripture, for how churches are organized and led.
In addition, we can be biblical in general and not fully biblical in some subtle, but very important aspects of ministry organization and application…we can just be unwise.
I spoke with an old friend recently who planted and then grew a very large church in a major city…but then things blew up on him.
By his own admission he had not paid attention to important things that he should have.
I know that the use of “factory,” “products,” and “processes” to describe the Church are not ideal.
In Scripture, the Church is a family, a body, a bride, it is a living thing.
I used the factory model as an illustration of a point, not a description of the reality of the Church.
The point is simply that we must be intentional about making sure our processes (how we are organized ) will lead to what we want to produce…what God wants to see produced.
Which means we have to have God’s end fully in mind.
I understand that ultimately his “end” is his own glory…but by end in our context I mean…
-we are to become more like Jesus is our everydays lives… and we are to seek to reproduce our faithful lives in others…for his glory.
The question we must continually ask ourselves is, “Are we organized for, and acting in a way, that will produce leaders for the Church and laborers for the harvest?”
That will lead to mature full-time followers of Christ.
When Christy and I pulled together a small team that planted our church in 1990 we hoped to plant and stay long term and by God’s grace that has happened.
My thinking back then was that it would be more work up front, but less work in the long term if we built a church culture from scratch.
Rather than going to an existing church to pastor.
It hasn’t been less work in terms of overall effort and sacrifice…it has been a lot of work.
The real difference is that it has been less of the kind of work I wasn’t interested in doing and more of the work that has captured my heart.
There has been plenty of real-life drama in our church over 36 years, but there has been very little petty, self-inflicted drama.
Real-life drama includes cancer, deployments, job losses, death, funerals…lots of shared suffering
By self-inflicted drama I mean things like dissension, petty infighting, and leaders making life and ministry about themselves.
A missional focus both personally and congregationally leads to less pettiness.
This it is not about us…we are servants of Christ and others.
It is about the glory of God and the good of others.
When we live this way we are going to be happier, our lives will be filled with more purpose and impact…we are drawn to the greatness of God and the good of others…and we are drawn away from pettiness.
I spoke about this last week…we are servants by design…we are only going to have purpose, when we live in our design.
The Great Commission and the Great Commandment work hand in glove towards what we are to be about as a church and as members of his Church.
Great Commission:
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Great Commandment: Matthew 22:26 Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
The church is given a great mission…the greatest mission.
To proclaim the good news of restoration with God through Jesus Christ.
The church is given a great commandment…this sums up everything God wants for us as his people.
Love God, love others.
The New Testament unpacks in great detail what looks like.
But this is, in a nutshell, what God wants for us.
Our great mission and our great mandate work together because…
We are loving God and others as we proclaim the gospel and follow up with discipleship (teaching them to obey Jesus…Christ in us, the hope of glory).
Today’s passage is Paul’s personal testimony of how this has worked out in his life.
The passage is dominated with first person singular…a lot of “I” and “me”
He is not making it about himself…he is modeling taking personal responsibility for the great mission and the great commandment of God.
Let’s walk through the passage together…then I will make a final application.
1:24 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness
Christ’s work on the cross was finished, complete…Christ literally said, “It is finished”…when he died for our sins.
The curtain that separated us from God in the temple was torn top to bottom in that moment.
Paul’s letters are clear…we can add nothing to what Christ has done.
Obviously Paul is not saying that his efforts add to what Christ has done for our salvation.
What is he saying?
He is saying that his efforts are about the mission of Christ and the privilege of being able to co-mission with him to take the gospel the ends of the earth.
Paul has carried the gospel all the way to the heart of the vast Roman Empire…and it has cost him a lot…it will cost him his very life.
When we join God in his mission we will experience a measure of suffering, there will be pain.
This is part of what it means to join him.
Scripture says that…Anyone who wants to live a godly life will be persecuted.
We can miss this because, right now no one is threatening you with jail for your faith.
But anyone who has joined God’s mission…has been exposed to a level of embarrassment or the awkwardness of sharing your faith.
Some of you have become outsiders in your former circle of friends because of your faith.
I’ve seen it happen to some our teens…our own daughters experienced this at times.
It may be risking your life or moving your family to a place where few have heard the name of Jesus.
We are commissioning some young people to go and do just that.
The Michaels…left home and family decades ago for the sake of the gospel.
No one, as far as I know, has threatened their lives…but they have experienced suffering for the gospel…for the Great Commission.
It will sometimes mean, as it has for me, that you spend time and effort to invest your life in someone for their good and they turn away from God and at times, turn against you…even attacking your character and motives.
This happened to Paul at times.
This isn’t the main application for today…but it is a secondary result of the main application.
Living missionally will bring some suffering.
If you are completely comfortable right now…it may be because you haven’t joined God in his mission to advance the gospel.
I don’t personally want more discomfort or pain…but here’s the thing.
To avoid pain…it is to avoid God’s purposes.
We don’t pursue pain…we pursue faithfulness…when we are faithful…we will experience a certain amount of discomfort…there will be some kind of suffering.
All the condescending talk about “First world problems” isn’t helpful in shaping our minds to follow Christ.
If you break your arm, thinking about someone who has broken their neck can bring perspective…but a broken arm still hurts…I’ve had two of them.
Of course, our gospel suffering is often not as severe as that of those in Iran or North Korea…but it is suffering, nonetheless.
We should train ourselves to both expect it (rather than being surprised by it) and to rejoice in it as God allows us to suffer for his sake and the good of others.
It isn’t helpful to dismiss it…because it is less than what others experience.
Don’t dismiss it…acknowledge, embrace it…be faithful.
Now If you seek a life free from trouble and any discomfort…you will find a life that is also free from purpose and meaning.
And, ironically, you won’t even find a life free from discomfort.
You can suffer with purpose…by joining God in his great mission.
OR
You will suffer without purpose…if you don’t join him.
26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.
Mystery here, simply means something previously hidden but now revealed.
We talked about this at length last week.
Ultimate truth cannot be discovered by us; it had to be revealed to us…to the saints.
Saints are not special people, who perform miracles.
That is not a biblical construct it is a man made one…made up by the Catholic church.
This is no attack on Catholic people…I have very close friends who are Catholics, and several who are priests.
This is a rebuttal of a false idea…the idea that saints are special people rather than regular Christians.
In the Bible, saints means “holy” and holy means “set apart.”
Saints are those set apart by God for God’s purposes…all Christians are called “Saints” in the Bible…because we are all set apart by him for him.
God has made known to Christians what was formerly hidden.
The nature of the revealed mystery is in verse 27
27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Not just to a select group of people but to everyone (Jews and Gentiles)…the glorious riches of Christ in you, the hope of glory has been made known.
Christ in you is not some deep mystery to be solved…it’s not a puzzle to be pondered.
I read some books in my early days of faith that used this verse to teach that our union with Christ is some mystical thing that has to be experienced through some special event, or a unique revelation.
I read these books over and over…trying to grapple with the complexity of what they were saying.
The verse seemed simple…but the books made it very complex and confusing.
I know realize the verse is simple and the books were wrong.
Christ in you the hope of glory….
Believe the gospel, repent of your sins, follow Christ in obedience…he will indwell you and transform you from the inside out as you endure in him…this is your ultimate hope of eternal life with God (glory)
The glorious riches of this mystery is simple…Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will return…believe the gospel and be saved.
Then…be transformed over the entire course of your life, and be secure eternally when this life is over.
This is a treasure, there is nothing is more valuable…what would people pay for real purpose, for hope that cannot be taken, forgiveness, life forever with the one made them,
What would people pay for…no guilt in life, no fear in death?
Jesus said…
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Matthew 13:44
Kingdom of heaven is the reign of Christ in our hearts…Christ in us.
He is the treasure that is worth everything.
28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect (fully mature) in Christ. 29 To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
Our work of discipleship, our great co-mission
Means several key things:
- Is about Jesus..we proclaim him
-The gospel is the priority of our lives, and the priority of our church.
We parent, we work jobs, we have hobbies, we have weddings, we mow grass, we treat illness, we bury our dead.
It all matters as acts of faithfulness to Christ…1 Cor. 15:58
But all followers of Christ are called to both know Christ and to make him known.
We are to invest our lives in others…to present them complete in Christ.
- 2. This great co-mission includes both admonishing (warning) and teaching…how we are to live is given to us in the Bible.
-No, not that
-Yes, this
We talked at length about this last week…the most important things we need to know have been revealed, they cannot be discovered.
- The goal is full Christ-like maturity.
-This is a life of settled direction not sinless perfection.
-We train (not merely try) for godliness.
We work together until we are fully mature in Christ…when will that happen?
Post-death…not in this life.
So, we are in this for the duration.
This is what we are to give our lives for…our effort to.
- Give full gritty effort, and we live fully in God’s Grace.
-To this end (for this purpose) I labor (work hard, in fact elsewhere Paul said that he works harder than those around him)…but he labors with Christ’s power in him.
Fully gritty and grace empowered effort.
Here’s the main takeaway from today
Did you notice how much Paul personalized his calling, his mission?
Verse 25 in the NIV reads, I have become the servant of the church by the “commission” God gave me.
In ESV it reads, “according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you.”
Paul wrote elsewhere that is required that all who have been given a stewardship be found faithful.
To be faithful, all of us, not just Paul are to invest in others in order that they would become mature in Christ.
Making disciples is not just for pastors, or group leaders, or missionaries…it is for all of the Saints…all Christians.
We have been set apart for God’s great purpose of presenting ourselves and others fully mature in Christ.
Whatever it is you do for a living…this is your calling…it is your privilege, your opportunity.
It is…where joy, and purpose and power intersect with your everyday life.
Two common barriers:
- Imposter syndrome: Who am I?
-I don’t know theology, or apologetics, I don’t have all the answers.
-I sin. I am not perfect.
I can’t get in on this great commission, I don’t have what it takes.
Years ago, a man started attending our church.
His life and family were falling apart in virtually every way.
He had been far from God and now he was largely hopeless…but ready for help.
A lay leader in our church…with a young family, and a busy job…started spending time with him.
The leader from our church had a daily QT…he read his Bible and prayed each morning…it was his pattern.
He invited this hopeless man to join him in his basement to read and pray before work.
They did this together probably three times a week for a year.
No long talks, no theological training…just read the Bible, prayed…and went to work.
Probably 30 years later that formerly hopeless man, is still a friend of man, and he has a long walk with God…he is a leader in his family and his church.
It was not complicated…walk with Jesus, walk with others so they will walk with Jesus.
But it was powerful…because the time spend reading and praying was one part of an overall life of walking with Jesus.
Our leader who invested in this man…lived his faith in every aspect of his life…not in perfection but in settled direction.
If you don’t know where to start in investing in others…or getting to where you can invest in others…talk to your group leader.
If you don’t have a group leader…ask Jim, Brenda, Sherri, or Trace or Luke.
- A failure of imagination: I don’t have time or energy.
You don’t need more time or energy just creatively find a way to include others in what you are already doing.
That busy man who invested his life…was already spending time praying and reading…he invited another man to join him.
We have people who are spending time with one another to encourage each other in the faith…as they watch their children together.
I know a very busy man who intentionally plans lunches (we are going to eat) with other men to invest in them.
There are just too many ways to illustrate…I could give example after example…again if you need help, there are plenty of people who can help you.
But remember…the goal of getting help is so that you can go help others…not so that others will just pay attention to you.
1:28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. 29 To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
Do you want to get in on what God is doing?
You can, if you will.
It will take more than what you have…but that is how and why you will experience God as you get in on his mission.
We will conclude with the famous call from God and response by Isaiah.
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Is. 6:8
Perhaps you are already engaged in investing in others…pray for endurance to keep going.
-Pray for opportunity in more lives.
Maybe you don’t know where to begin…start with a prayer of faith.
“Here am I. Send me.”
Over the years people have come to River and expressed confusion as to how to really plug in.
I have concluded that the problem is that the simplicity makes it look complex.
They think, “This can’t be it.”
Yes, that’s it…walk with Jesus, walk with others so they will walk with Jesus.
No, we don’t have committees, or lots of meetings to sit around and talk about ministry.
The way to plug in is walk with Jesus, then walk with others so they will walk with Jesus.
I have seen this play out beautifully and powerfully hundreds of times over 36 years.
Start with a simple prayer…”I’m in, here I am…send me.”
It is how it started with me personally.
Then be faithful with what God puts in front of you next.
Walk with Jesus…walk with others so they will walk with Jesus.
Labor with all his energy to present others and yourself…mature in Christ.