Take Heed: A Call to Fulfill Your Christian Ministry
Recently, when reading through Colossians, a sentence jumped out at me that I’d never taken notice of before. I don’t know why I’d never considered it the previous times I’ve read through this powerful epistle written by Paul, other than perhaps it wasn’t something the Lord needed me to focus on at the time. But, this time, it struck me as very interesting:
“And say to Archippus, ‘Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.’”
Have you ever stopped to ponder this verse? If you’re like me, sometimes when I see the names of people in Scripture who aren’t the “star players”, I do one of two things— stop and wonder who that person was; or, I’ll skim past the name and just look at what is being said. I have to admit, when reading this chapter in the past, I likely jumped over poor Archippus and finished up the letter in verse 17.
However, this time the Lord tapped me on the shoulder and told me to stop. Contemplate. Consider. Search into the wisdom in this short sentence.
After all, the Holy Spirit led Paul to include this piece of information; therefore— although it’s written directly to Archippus— it’s still in there for us to read today, so let’s not neglect it.
Ministry. Take heed. Fulfill. Received. These words on their own are significant enough in certain contexts, but when strung together in proper order, coming from the Lord Himself, through the method of Paul’s hand, they are worth taking the time to investigate.
Do I Have a Christian Ministry?
In this verse, the Greek word used for ministry is diakonía. It refers to the service of all who endeavor to carry out the cause of Christ among men, through the enabling of the Lord. Christian ministry is not reserved only for those with special titles of leadership within the church— we all have areas of ministry that the Lord has given us as His daughters, whether we’ve been “officially” appointed in a role or not.
Motherhood is a ministry. Disciplining your children is a ministry. Caring for an aging parent is a ministry. Being a faithful witness in your workplace is a ministry. Being a friendly, helpful neighbor who shines the light of Christ to those on her block is indeed a ministry.
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You see, the Lord has placed each of us in a specific point in time, for reasons we likely will never fully comprehend on this side of Heaven.
“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ ”
It was the right time for us to hear the gospel and believe, and it’s the right time to walk within the areas of ministry He’s given us. This is our God: He has a plan and has taken care of all of the details. What we need to do is be mindful to abide in Him and walk in the Spirit so we are not missing the ways He desires for us to fulfill our ministries in the every day.
The Lord Gives You the Ministry
Back to our friend Archippus. If we take a closer look at verse 17 of Colossians 4, we’ll notice the phrase, “which you have received in the Lord”. So do we define our ministries, or does the Lord?
In the Greek, the phrase, “which you have received” means to receive something transmitted; to take to; not to reject; not to withhold obedience. So, if we’ve received something, then it wasn’t fashioned with our own hands; it wasn’t something of our own doing. It was given to us, transmitted to us, and we are to take it in obedience.
Archippus received his ministry “in the Lord”. So then, the ministry belonged to the Lord and He had the power and authority to transmit it to Archippus. Under the Lord’s authority, Archippus was to receive it– not reject it– and be obedient. Paul shares a similar thought in Acts 20:24:
“But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
Sister, we can come up with the best ideas, look at all the market research and determine the supply and demand; we can create the most colorful, engaging programs— yet, if the Lord isn’t in it, then really it’s our ministry, and not of the Lord. He places desires in our hearts according to His will, and He will soften and change our hearts to bend toward those desires if we allow Him. But in order for this to happen, we must determine to not be so set in our own ideas that we don’t hear what the Lord wants to do. Remember— He has appointed us to this particular time and place, and He knows how the story will unfold.
Let’s not be too busy writing our own story that we neglect to take part in His.
As hesitant as I was to start this blog several years ago, I finally stepped out of my own way and gave up trying to write up my own ministry plans by way of excuses. It didn’t matter that I “didn’t have time”, I “wasn’t sure what to write about”, or that I had “no idea how to operate a blog”. Surely, I thought, all of these “facts” about myself meant I should just create some other type of Christian ministry! However, THIS ministry was from the Lord, and He made that abundantly clear.
My role was to: (1) realize who was (and is) in charge; and (2) receive the ministry, knowing that He would give me the ability to fulfill it. I can now honestly say “Ditto!” to Paul’s statement: “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry” (1 Timothy 1:12 NKJV).
How Do I Fulfill My Christian Ministry?
Do you think the Lord wants to give you a ministry, only so you can sit back and watch it dissipate due to lack of obedience on your part? May it not be so! The things in this life that the Lord gives us need to be taken seriously. Although we often personalize things and think of it as “our” ministry, remember, really it is the Lord’s. His glory is on the line— not that we have the power to mess up so badly that we can depreciate His value— but we do have the opportunity to bear witness to His greatness, His character, His creativity and point others to Him, whether unbelievers for salvation; or, believers for further growth in Him, as we carry out the ministry He’s given us. Therefore, we shouldn’t be careless.
Archippus is told to “take heed”. I know we don’t use that phrase much these days, but quite honestly, in my opinion, it comes across with a serious tone translated this way.
To take heed, in the Greek, means to to look on, regard; to turn the thoughts or direct the mind to a thing; to consider; to weigh carefully. In other verses of Scripture, take heed is used in the fashion of a warning, as in 1 Corinthians 10:12: take heed, lest you fall. (Bonus: Read other “take heed” verses in their context: 1 Corinthians 3:10; 1 Corinthians 8:8-9; Galatians 5:14-15; 1 Timothy 4:16.) In other words, be careful to do a certain thing so the desired result comes to pass; otherwise, something else will happen instead. Perhaps the implied here is to take heed to carry out the ministry, otherwise your attention will go elsewhere and you won’t fulfill it.
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Fulfilling your ministry is done by walking in step with the Lord. It’s ok to have a vision for the “big picture”, but more importantly, we have to be mindful of what He is telling us in the moment. Obey Step A, and He will lead you to Step B. We don’t have to fulfill it all in one day— it’s a process, a season, or for some, even a lifetime. And let me also say that the Lord will lead you to different areas of ministry throughout your life— again, some for a season; some for a lifetime. Whatever the ministry is, it’s more about being obedient in the daily. He knows who needs to be reached today; who needs the gospel today; who needs discipled today; and which tasks need checked off today.
Fulfilling your ministry doesn’t happen by constantly worrying about tomorrow. Just stay faithful to Him today.
Don’t Be Distracted in Ministry
It’s hard to stay focused these days, but in order to fulfill our calling in Christian ministry, staying focused is a must! Taking inventory of our time can help to eliminate the things that are pulling us from what the Lord wants you to do, but we often don’t know where to start. Download the FREE Time Wasters discovery kit and start removing the things that are wasting your time! Fill out the form below.
Take Heed: Don’t Get Distracted From Your Ministry
Fulfilling the ministry the Lord has given us means we cannot fulfill every other purpose and plan that we, and others, come up with for our lives. Commentator Matthew Henry says of Colossians 4:17:
“…to be careful and diligent of all parts of it, and persevere in it unto the end. They must attend to the main design of their ministry, without troubling themselves or the people with things foreign to it, or of less moment.”
I see this commentary as meaning: we shouldn’t trouble ourselves with things foreign to our ministry— things that can easily become a distraction or pull our attention elsewhere, no matter how good. And, let’s not be distracted by things that seem urgent or pressing now, if in fact they are not more important than our ministry.
We must know how to prioritize.
Aside from Archippus, Paul gives a similar “take heed” exhortation to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:5. The word “fulfill” in this verse is a different Greek word than the one used in Colossians 4:17, but contains a similar thought. To Timothy, Paul used the Greek word, “plerophoreo”: to bear or bring full; to fulfill the ministry in every part; to carry through to the end; to accomplish.
“But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. ”
Essentially, Paul says that in order to take heed to the ministry we have received in the Lord, we need to be watchful in all things— sober-minded, calm and collected in Spirit; not easily distracted by other things. We must be ready and willing to endure afflictions, not allowing them to discourage us or throw us off course. We must turn to the Lord for strength and perseverance, remembering that He is the one who gave us the ministry in the first place, and what He has begun in us He will always complete.
Sister, we have to remember that what we do for the Lord is not in vain; not wasted! It is easy (and natural) to become weary. Yet, the Lord calls us to be steady during those times. 1 Corinthians 15:58 tells us, “Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed], being continually aware that your labor [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose]. -Amplified Bible
No matter how “insignificant” our work seems to be, our calling is great because it is from Him! In our weariness, our distractions, and hardships, we can lean on Him knowing that He will not leave us hanging. He will bring to pass the purposes He sovereignly desires. What a blessing that He wants us to be a part of it!
To Fulfill Your Christian Ministry: 1st Be Filled
I’m saving this point for the end because often we remember the last thing someone has said to us. This one is important; in fact, without this decision, we are fulfilling our ministry in vain.
In order to adequately fulfill our mission in Him, we must be filled with the knowledge of Him and His will. This is considered a “first things first” kind of thing.
Just as Paul prays for the Colossians in chapter 1:9-10, in order to be ready, willing, and able to truly take heed to the ministry the Lord gave us, we must be “filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” From there, the goal is that we would “walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” The knowledge of Him and His will for our lives comes first. Without knowing Him we cannot walk worthy, fully please Him, or be fruitful in the good works He has prepared for us, such as the ministry He has given us.
Perhaps when we are spinning our wheels and feel we aren’t being productive in the things we’re doing for Him, it’s because we are lacking in our knowledge of Him; our intimacy with Him. We have pulled away and aren’t fully abiding.
Perhaps, it is a call from Him that in this time, this moment, we need to lean in and go deeper in the knowledge of Him.
Being only partially filled with the knowledge of Him, we can still walk— but not fully worthy; we can still be fruitful— but not in every good work; and we can still please Him— but only minimally and not fully.
Don’t confuse the partial results with the true results— the full results of a life filled with the knowledge of Him. A glass half full can aid in dehydration, but a full glass, one that is overflowing, even (such are the provisions He typically gives— overflowing and abounding!), can quench and fully satisfy.
Sister, I implore you (and me!) to seek Him diligently through the Word; through prayer; by simply abiding and being still.
To Fulfill Your Ministry: Take Heed to Yourself
Keep tracking with me, sister: when we are taking heed to our ministry and we are sure to stay close to the Lord— to stay in that intimate place; to stay in the Word— then we must also be diligent to follow what we’re teaching in our ministry. We can’t expect others to grow in their walk with the Lord if they are looking to us as an example, yet we are not doing so. (*Ouch*) As Paul says, “Lest when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). We must see ourselves as both the facilitator of the ministry, and a recipient.
In other words, don’t just take heed to your ministry. Also take heed to yourself.
We stay grounded in our faith. We put on the things of the Lord. We put to death the behaviors of the flesh. We walk by the Spirit. We stand fast in the Lord. We operate in love.
“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Sister, let’s step out of the way and truly let the Lord use us! Go where He wants to go. Do the work that He wants to do. In all these things, let’s remain thankful to the Lord because He is mindful of us and gives us the opportunity to take part in His plans and purposes. Our ministries will bring glory to Him as we do them in His name.
So I say to you: Take heed to the ministry you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it!
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