Workers of the Church with a Mission (1)
[Colossians 1:24-29]
Our Lord has given each of us a "calling" and a "mission." Here, "calling" means that the Lord has 'called' all of us, and "mission" means that the Lord has 'sent' all of us. "Calling" is a combination of 'calling' and 'life command,' meaning 'a called life,' and "mission" is a combination of 'mission' and 'life command,' meaning 'a life dedicated to a mission.' God graciously calls us and entrusts us with a mission based on the spiritual gifts He has given to each of us (Internet). For example, the Lord has graciously called me to be His worker and has sent me not only to my family but also to His church, making me work for the Lord's work with the power of God's grace. Therefore, I have a sense of mission, and I have declarations of mission for both family ministry and church ministry: (1) The declaration of the family mission is to 'establish a family witnessing community centered on the Lord's love, loving one another in Christ's likeness, and being used as a tool for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ by receiving the establishment as witnesses of the Lord-centered family.' (2) The declaration of the church mission is to 'establish workers with a Christ-centered dream and send them out to expand the kingdom of God.'
In today's passage, Colossians 1:25, the Apostle Paul, in a letter to the faithful saints of the Colossian church, says, "I became its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness." Today, under the title "Workers of the Church with a Mission," I would like to meditate on Colossians 1:24-29, seeking the grace and teachings provided.
First, the workers of the church with a mission endure hardships for the sake of the church.
Colossians 1:24 says, "Now I rejoice in what I am suffering 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." One of my favorite book titles about the church among the pastoral books is "The Church, My Concern, My Love." I like this title so much that I have put the cover photo of the book on the 'Pastor, Preacher, Evangelist, and Pastor’s wife' Facebook page that I am currently running. This book, written by Philip Yancey, explains why he left the church and why he returned to the church, as well as how he adapted in returning to church. Ultimately, he confesses how he found meaning in the church. I quote a few words from Pastor Philip Yancey in the book: (1) Through various processes, I learned that the key to finding the right church is within me. My perspective was crucial. The reason I could barely endure and tolerate the church was precisely because of a new perspective. (2) Approaching the church with a past critical consumer mindset, viewing worship as a performance, he realized in worship that the only question we should ask is not 'What did I get?' but rather, 'Did God delight?'" (3) The main reason the church exists is not to provide joy, accept weaknesses, establish self-esteem, or promote friendship but to worship God. If it fails in that work, the church is a failure. (4) I realized that the church is a family, a place where the person you least want to live with is surely living, and a place where you can take your own suffering. The church is God's adventure and gamble. By engaging in a risky gamble, I came to understand God's heart, who loves the church. (5) The church fails in its mission and commits serious mistakes because it is composed of humans who are inevitably insufficient for God's glory. That is the adventure God undertakes. Those who enter the church expecting perfection are like those who eventually learn, as all newlyweds do, that marriage is not the end but the beginning of the struggle to practice love. As all Christians eventually learn, the church is only the beginning (Internet). What do you think? When I think about Pastor Yancey's writings, I realize that what I need to learn as a pastor and as a Christian until I die is precisely the heart of God who loves the church. The reason is that as I understand more of God's heart, I will love the church more like God loves His church. Moreover, the more I love the church with God's heart, the more I believe I will rejoice in suffering for the church, just as Jesus and the Apostle Paul did.