Paul’s Labor for the Church
24Now 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. 25I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27To 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.
28We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. 29To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
Dig Deeper
There were three seconds left in the basketball game, and the team I coached was behind by one point. We were in a timeout and would have the ball at half-court when the game resumed. We had one particular player who was our leading scorer, our steadiest player, and the team captain. Everyone in the gym knew that he was going to get the ball. What the other team didn’t know is that our team had confidence in other players as well. The young man actually suggested that the last play go to one of those other players. He and I knew that all of the heat and pressure would come down on him. Our opponents double-teamed him and took him out of the play, and once they did they were sure that they had ended any threat that we could pose in that situation. With all of the attention on him, though, one of the other players were freed up, the ball was swung to him, he hit a big shot and we won the game.
Paul seems to be operating under a similar line of thinking. He is more than willing to suffer, to take the attention and heat that is coming down on this new movement of people gathering around the Messiah. He knows that they will suffer as well, but he seems to believe that by him suffering, he can, in many ways, protect them from the violent winds of persecution. Many Christian persecutors were probably under the assumption that once they had taken Paul out, the young Gentile churches would be of no threat. Paul, however, believed that if he could take the brunt of the opposition, it would give them time to grow, mature, and prosper in Christ. In modern sports terminology, Paul has allowed himself to be taken out of the play and is now waiting for the Colossians to step up and hit the big shot.
This is why Paul says he can rejoice in what was suffered for you. He may be in suffering in prison, but he can truly rejoice because he knows that he is drawing the fire of those opposed to the gospel. Having Paul imprisoned and limited, they will suppose that they have struck a death blow to the young Christian communities. What is really happening, though, is that the young Christian communities are quickly growing up in the interim.
Paul says that he is filling up in his flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions. Does he mean that Christ dying on the cross wasn’t complete and that Paul must do more suffering to complete the work of Christ? Absolutely not. There are a number of ways that the New Testament writers categorize afflictions: as a consequence of the Christian life and to further the gospel message (2 Cor. 6:4; Phil. 1:17, 18, 24; 3:10); as a means to keep someone humble (2 Cor. 12:10); as a preparation for future glory (2 Cor. 4:17); as a trial that is part of the refining process for faith (1 Pet. 1:6, 7); as a means of producing steadfastness (James 1:3-4). Here, though, Paul seems to be indicating the belief that what is true of the Messiah is true of his people. The Messiah suffered and so must he, and Paul knows that this process of becoming like Christ is a continuing process (Phil. 3:10). The suffering that he is enduring (and that the church will eventually endure) is for his completion in becoming more like Christ. It has nothing to do with a belief that there was something lacking in the suffering and death of Christ.
Paul has already mentioned that he was a servant of the gospel (v. 23), and was joyful about his suffering (v. 24). Now he points out that it is his vocation, commissioned by God to present the word to them in its fullness. In those three aspects Paul demonstrates three important aspects of the Christian life that we would all do well to learn. First, he knows that his life belongs to God and not himself, as he is God’s servant. Second, he knows that an integral aspect of belonging to God means that we joyfully accept whatever difficult circumstances God may bring into our lives as a result of the gospel. Finally, that each of us has a vocation, a calling from God, based on the gifts that He has given us and we need to carry out that vocation to the best of our ability.
When Paul says that he presented the word of God in its fullness, we should assume that he is not implying that Epaphras did not present the full gospel. Paul is speaking the fullness or glory of the word of God, he is not implying that Epaphras or any other Christian teacher has not done a good job. He has been called, however, to present the mystery of the gospel. We would do well to remember that most of the time when Paul refers to a mystery, he speaks of something that was previously hidden but has now been revealed and made known. God has been so gracious as to reveal the life of Jesus Christ not only to Jews, but He has also chosen to make it known among the Gentiles. Because they have gone through the death of baptism as a result of their faith in the life of Christ, God has made available to them the glorious riches of the life of Christ, and the hope of glory which is the resurrection and the age to come.
The natural response of anyone who has truly entered into and embraced the life of Christ is to realize that the next step is to proclaim it. The level to which we struggle with shame or embarrassment in wanting to proclaim the message of the gospel and the victory that is available to those who would die to themselves and enter into the life of Christ, is equal to the degree to which we have not fully understood or embraced the life of Christ. Thus Paul declares that he proclaims him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom. Paul knows that it is quite possible to be in Christ, but to not be fully mature or to fully understand either the glorious riches that are available or the responsibility that comes with the life of Christ. The life of Christ is, in many ways, a demanding transformative process, and all Christians need to be admonished and taught with wisdom constantly to learn how to fully embrace it. Therefore, one should not feel guilty or inferior when we realize that their are areas in which we still need to grow. Rather, it should fill the Christian with resolve and determination that we may, as Paul says, be presented perfect in Christ.
Paul has grown in the life of Christ to the point where he understands that living and proclaiming the life of Christ is all that matters. This is what he labors in. Notice, that Paul makes an important distinction here. He says that he works constantly, but it is not by his own strength, ability, or worth. He struggles with God’s energy. That makes all the difference. If we try to live the life of Christ by our own energy or to please other people, we will eventually crash and burn. It is only through the strength of Christ, which so powerfully works in each one of us that we can attain the full measure of the life that we have entered and has been marked out for us.
Devotional Thought
The road to maturing in Christ comes through carefully being taught and instructed in the word of God. It takes transformation through information not excitation through titillation. Do you take advantage of the teaching and instruction available to you or do you blow much of it off as though you will transform into the life of Christ through some other means?
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