COLOSSIANS 4:17 TAKE HEED THAT YOU FULFILL YOUR MINISTRY2017 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Colossians 4:17 Take Heed That You Fulfill Your Ministry

You are listening to Fervent Word, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2017.

Well, this morning as we look at Colossians chapter 4, we are looking at the closing portion of this letter that Paul wrote to the church at Colossae. And as he writes this letter, it's always, you know, interesting to observe the closing of Paul's letters as he's usually greeting, uh,

different people and sending on the greetings from the people that he's with. And we see that take place earlier in chapter 4, uh, in verse 7, he talks about Tychicus, and he's a beloved and faithful minister, and he's going to share with the Colossians about what's happening with Paul and, and, you know, just encouraging one another. And there's all these, uh,

greetings that are exchanged between the people that are with Paul and the people that he is writing to there at the church. A-and then in these last couple of verses, he kind of is, you know, closing out and saying, "Hey, there's the church nearby of Laodicea, and, uh, you know, I wrote a letter to them too. So when you're done with your letter and they're done with their letter,

then swap so you can benefit from each other's letters and be encouraged by the things that I wrote to each one." And, and so they're to, uh, share and receive in that way together. And he closes in verse 18 saying, "I'm writing this salutation with my own hand," because Paul usually would dictate his letters, and so they were written by, uh,

someone else while Paul shared the, the words that were to be spoken. A-and so, uh, he, he closes the letter, though, with his own handwriting and, uh, says, "Remember my chains and grace be with you, and amen." And, and yet in between that, i-it kind of randomly in verse 17, out of the blue, he gives this exhortation. It says,

"And say to Archippus, take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it." And there's a few interesting things about this verse that we're going to be considering this morning. So camping out in verse 17 for the message, the title is, "Take heed that you fulfill your ministry." And I want to encourage you this morning to,

uh, take heed, to pay attention, and to consider the ministry that God has given to you that you might fulfill it. A-and so we're going to consider this guy, Archippus. And we don't really know much about him, actually. He's mentioned one other time in the book of Philemon. There Paul calls him a, a fellow soldier.

And so, uh, we believe that he was involved in the work of the Lord along with the apostle Paul, possibly a, uh, family member of Philemon. But we don't know a whole lot of details except for this exhortation is given here in the book of Colossians chapter 4, verse 17, to, uh, say to Archippus,

"Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it." As we consider these things this morning, we're not just concerned about or thinking about Archippus, but I,

I would encourage you to place your own name in his place and receive from the Lord an encouragement to fulfill the ministry that you have received from the Lord. Looking at this passage, there's four points this morning that I'd like to share with you.

Point number one is just that fact that you have ministry from the Lord. And I-I'm sure that you probably know this, but it's worth taking some time to consider and remind ourselves, uh, of what God has entrusted to us. Notice what Paul says here as he, he encourages the church to speak to Archippus.

He says, "Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord." As Paul talks about ministry, first of all, we recognize that ministry is not something that we choose for ourselves, but it's something that we are assigned. It's something that God chooses, that God selects, and that God assigns for us.

I-it's something that he has received in the Lord. But also as we consider this word ministry, I, I want to expand our scope a little bit because usually when we use the word ministry, we attach that word to this place or similar places,right? We attach that word to church property,

to church events, to church activities. A-and we think about ministry in the confines of, uh, the church or the things immediately surrounding the church. But this morning I would ask you to consider what ministry really is. The word ministry, literally it means service.

And specifically, I like the way that Theodore defines it. He says it's ministering especially of those who execute the commands of others. The Greek word that's used for ministry simply means to serve in some capacity. Now it's also transliterated, that is, uh, you know, transferred into English as the word deacon.

And sometimes there is an official position within the church. It's an official office or role called the deacon. A-and Paul talks about the qualifications of deacons in 1 Timothy. Uh, and so we, we have that understanding of ministry, and that's appropriate, and that, that is accurate. And yet at the same time, it's also just a word that means service.

A servant, a minister is one who serves, who executes the commands of another. And as we consider that this morning, I would take us back to the reality that God is our creator. And as your creator, God has formed you and fashioned you in a particular way.

He has created you and designed you with your personality, with your giftings, with your talents, with the responsibilities that he set before you and the path that he set before you. A-and he has designed you uniquely for the life that you have set before you, the life that you're experiencingright now. And along with all of this design and,

and, and the creation that he has done in you, he has given you commands for the various aspects of your life and the things that you face. He has expectations for you that you would behave in certain ways, that you would speak certain things,

that you would, well, follow his instruction. And again, not just in the context of church and church life, but, but that you would execute his commands in every aspect of your life.

As we talk about ministry this morning, I, I want to encourage you that it's not just things that happen here at the church or on this property, but, but that in reality every aspect of your life is part of the ministry that God has entrusted to you. And every aspect of your life,

God has attached commands and expectations to those aspects of life that, that you would obey him and walk with him in those things as well. Think about Nehemiah in the Old Testament. Nehemiah was a servant of God.

And his big task from the Lord was to build a wall. He was a minister of the Lord. He was a servant of the Lord. He was entrusted with a, a great responsibility and a great opportunity by the Lord. But he didn't serve as a priest.

He didn't serve as, uh, so much a spiritual leader, although there was components of his, uh, you know, role that he, he led spiritually. But, but his big task essentially was to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. It was a very practical task. It involved leadership. It involved, you know, involving, uh, the, the people there of Jerusalem.

And, and so there was, you know, the physical work, and there was the organization. There was the spiritual component as well. But primarily his task was to build the wall.

Now Ezra came on the scene a little bit after him, and his task, his responsibility was to bring forth the scriptures in clarity that the people would understand them. And I would suggest to you, presenting both to you Nehemiah and Ezra, that both of them, they were ministers.

They are those who have been entrusted with instruction and commands from God. Y-you could also think about the example of Joseph.

Joseph is one of those amazing accounts of God working in someone's life to bring something great out of horrible situations. Wherever Joseph was, he served the Lord. He desired to please God. He desired to obey God. He walked with God wherever he was.

And so if that meant that he was, well, one of many sons in a family, then he walked with the Lord in that context. And he obeyed the Lord, and he did his best to be pleasing to the Lord. But if he found himself in the context of, well, being sold into slavery, then as a slave, well, he did the best that he could.

And he walked with God, and he obeyed God's commands, and he sought to be pleasing to God. And wherever he was, he served the Lord. And if that meant that, well, he would go to prison after being wrongfully accused, then there in prison he would serve the Lord and be faithful to execute the commands and, and go forward in the things that God had entrusted to him.

A-and as we look at the whole account of the life of Joseph, we were amazed at what God did and how God used all of those things to place Joseph in this position, second in command of all Egypt in order to save his family from starvation and the famine,

but then also to move them into Egypt where God preserved them for the next 400 years as a, as a people that would be ready to head into the promised land. A-and we know that account. We know the life of Joseph. We, we know that God used him in that way to save his family. And,

and again, I would ask us just to consider expanding our scope a little bit, though, because Joseph not only saved his own family. That was, that was one piece of God's work and God's plan in Joseph's life. But, but Joseph saved thousands of families. I mean, we read about all the accounts of, of Joseph's brothers coming to stand before him to get the,

the food for their family,right, and the interaction that took place.

But that was just one interaction of thousands that took place on the days before and the days after and the days in between that, that Joseph was meeting the needs of the nations around them, that, that God used him in a much greater way than just accomplishing one thing, although that was an important thing.

It was, it was a big thing. But, but there was so much more that God was doing, that, that God was leading Joseph in that direction because of the great impact it would have on many people. And in a similar way, I would encourage you to consider that you have ministry from the Lord.

And maybe it's more like Ezra. Maybe it's more like Nehemiah. Maybe it's more like Joseph. We don't know. But that's between you and the Lord. And the Lord has for you a plan. He has for you a work. He has for you commands and instruction for you to execute and to, to live out before him.

And that is your ministry. That is what you as a servant are called to do on behalf of your creator, the one who formed you and fashioned you and holds your very breath in his hands.

You have a ministry from the Lord. And again, it's beyond what happens here. Th-there's some different aspects we could consider. So first of all, I would say your spiritual life. This is one part of your life where it's pretty clear you have some commands from the Lord,

that he gives you instruction on how you're to relate to God, how you're to walk with God, and the way that you're to grow in your relationship with him. And that there is a requirement to command to love God with all of your heart and soul and mind and strength. And you have a ministry from the Lord that is,

well, to walk with him, to know him, to love him. He has very specific and clear commands for you about that. But you also have commands from the Lord in other aspects of your life. And I would ask you to consider your family. And your family,

well, God has some very specific words about how you're to relate to one another as family. In fact, Paul the Apostle here in Colossians in the previous chapter, in chapter 3, he lays out some of that instruction.

In Colossians chapter 3, verse 18, Paul says, "Wives, submit to your own husbands as is fitting in the Lord." And so wives, here is your ministry from the Lord. Submit to your own husbands as is fitting in the Lord. Here is a, a clear command, a clear instruction from God that you have.

And as a servant of the Lord, this is your ministry. Husbands in verse 19, "Love your wives and do not be bitter toward them." Husbands, here you go. Here is your ministry. God has given you clear instruction. And again, a, a minister is one who executes the commands of another.

We all belong to the Lord. We are accountable to him. We are created by him and for his purposes, for his glory. And so here's our instruction, husbands. Here's our ministry. "Love your wives and do not be bitter towards them." God has specific commands about how we're to relate to one another.

This is, you know, just an example. But the objective is to get us to think a little bit and understand that ministry is more than just this place, but that your relationship with one another as husband and wife, well, that's a big part of the ministry that God has entrusted to you and that God has given to you.

He also speaks to children in verse 20, "Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord." Now we dismissed all the kids, so we can't talk to them. But hopefully Jonathan's teaching them this so they come back and be obedient to you,right? But then verse 21, "Fathers, do not provoke your children lest they become discouraged." And so parents, you have a ministry as well.

Not only as husband and wife do we have responsibility and ministry to one another, but as parents you have a ministry. You have commands that are given to you by God for how to relate to, how to raise, how to train up the children that God has given to you.

Another example for us to consider in this is 1 Timothy chapter 5, verse 8, where Paul tells us that if anyone does not provide for his own and especially for those of his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Here Paul is talking about providing financially for our family.

And so in the ministry that God has given to us, part of that ministry is providing resources for the family that God has given to us. And Paul says, if we don't do that, it's, it's like we're worse than an unbeliever because we're not executing the commands that God has given to us.

A-and so we need to be faithful to fulfill this ministry from the Lord that is related to our family. But you could also consider and expand it a little bit further to the workplace.

Not only do we have commands from the Lord about our relationship with him and our relationship amongst one another as members of a family, but we have instruction from God about our workplace, whether we are employees or employers. A-again, here in Colossians chapter 3, Paul addresses this in verse 22.

He says, "Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart fearing God." And so the bondservants, that's roughly equivalent to, uh, the employee-type status that we have today.

Paul says, "Here's your instruction. Be obedient in all things to your masters according to the flesh." And not just when they're watching you, not just, you know, trying to make them happy and look good when they're, when they're watching, but in sincerity of heart. He's saying, "Really do your best and do your job well." That's your instruction from God.

That's your ministry in the workplace, is to do a good job and to do it the best that you can fearing God. He also speaks to the employers, though, the supervisors and bosses. In Colossians chapter 4, verse 1, he says, "Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair,

knowing that you also have a master in heaven." And so God has instruction for those in authority. He has instruction for those under authority. He has instruction for the workplace, for the home, for our relationship with him. And of course, he also has instruction for us in the church. And you have received ministry from the Lord that is your workplace,

that is your family, but also that is your church. And by church, I would refer more broadly to the body of Christ. Peter tells us in 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 10, that each one of us has received a gift. We've been uniquely gifted by God to serve one another in a certain way.

And Peter tells us to minister that gift to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. And so God has commands for us about how we are to behave, how we are to relate, how we are to serve within the context of the body of Christ.

A-and that is that we would operate the gifts that God has given to us, that we would use the tools, the resources, the, the giftings and the talents to serve one another within the body of Christ. Now that's typically what we think of when we hear the word ministry. But again, that's one component of our whole life,

which is really filled with things that God has given to us and said, "Here's my instruction that goes along with all of these opportunities. Here's how you are to operate as my creation, as my child, as a minister.

You've been entrusted with ministry from the Lord."

That involves your relationship with the Lord. It involves your family. It involves the workplace. It involves the church. It involves the community. As there is instruction that God has given to us for relating to and dealing with the world around us, that is to go forth and to make disciples for one or to submit to,

uh, the authorities and leaders that God has given to us.

Or perhaps it's being involved in different ways in the community around us. A-again, this is not meant to be exhaustive and, you know, we've covered everything in here.

But to get us beginning to understand and to think about ministry beyond this context and to be thinking about everything that I'm involved in in my life,

it's either from God and it's a ministry from the Lord or it's my own thing and probably God hasn't called me to be part of that and I need to step away from it. But anything that you're a part of that, well, is in line with God's will for your life, it-it's not just, "Well, that's your thing.

Go ahead and do whatever you want. You know, come back, check in with the Lord whenever you're ready, and, uh, he'll have some further instruction for you." But, but that everything that you're involved with in life comes back to what God is asking you to do as his servant. You have ministry from the Lord.

And so Paul says to Archippus, "Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord that you may fulfill it." So acknowledging, first of all, that we have ministry, that, that God has given us instruction in all of these ways. Now moving on to point number two, we see that we need to take heed to that ministry. Recognizing that I have ministry,

recognizing that it's more than just this place, that, that all aspects of my life are under the authority of God and, and he has instruction and commands for me. Now, now how do I take heed to that ministry? How do I pay attention to what it is that he is calling me to do?

Again, take heed to that ministry which you have received in the Lord. The word take heed, literally it means to look at, to look at something. A-and it can be used literally, like I'm looking at youright now. It can be used figuratively, you know, like think about something,

look at it in your mind, that kind of idea. But, but this word to look at, to take heed at, it's there's another word which is more general, you know, to, to view something, to have something in sight.

This, this word communicates, uh, an intensity, uh, an earnest contemplation.

There, there's a focus that's involved in this idea of looking. And that's why it's translated here, "Take heed." Uh, one Greek scholar put it this way. It means to look away from all else to one object and to look steadfastly.

So it's not just, you know, kinda taking in the whole scene. Like I'm standing up here and I can kind of see everybody. Some of you are more in the side, you know what I mean? And my I forgot the word for that. What is that called? The peripheral vision. Yes. Some of you are there,right? And then there's people more like here.

But then, you know, there's the difference,right, when I suddenly lookright at you. "Hi, Cisco. Good morning. How you doing, bro?" Nobody else is in there. It's just me and Ciscoright now. Everybody else I'm ignoring, blurred out. It's just me and Cisco. Right? That's a different kind of looking. That's a that's what God is calling us to.

When he says, "Take heed to the ministry that you've received from the Lord," he's saying, "Look, there's a lot of things that you can look at. There's a lot of things happening in your life, but, but you need to zero in and focus in on the instruction that God has given to you." It's more than just a casual awareness. It's more than just,

you know, something being in your general vision. But it's an intense focus. And that's appropriate. After all, your creator has given you some instructions and some commands, some opportunities.

He set before you a life. Paul talks about this in Ephesians chapter 2 when he calls us the workmanship of God in Christ Jesus, that we've been created to do good works which God has set before us. He prepared them beforehand and he set them before us.

That God has designed a life for you and he has set before you opportunities to obey him and serve him in all of these different aspects of your life, in the various contexts that you find yourself. And so Paul gives us this strong exhortation.

It's a command to take heed, to really focus in on these ministries that you've received from the Lord. Take heed that you make sure that you focus on those ministries, that you fulfill them, that you complete them. This word take heed is in the present tense in the Greek,

which means it tells us that, that it's more than just a one-time thing. This is not just a one-time thing where you, "Okay. Here a message about, you know, these ministries and these instructions, and then that's good. You're set.

You know, you've got that, you've got that teaching, you've got that doctrine, and you're good." No, but this is a constant taking heed, uh,

a continual looking at and always focusing on it's a call to be permanently engaged in evaluating the ministry and the instruction that God has given to us. And as I was reflecting on that this week, I was, I was really thinking a lot about priorities.

I, I think that God is speaking about our priorities here. That's why it's an ongoing, a continual keep looking at, keep engaged in this focus on the ministry that God has entrusted to you. Keep focused on the commands that God has given to you, that you would walk as his servant.

A-and it-it's gonna require this constant upkeep and this evaluation of priorities.

And priorities are, are such an important discussion for us because there's so many demands

placed upon us. Some are, are own demands, what we want and what we think that we need and what we feel must be done. Some are demands that other people place upon us. And again, in the various contexts, you know, your family might place demands on you. Your boss might place demands on you.

There, there's, there's all these demands that are placed upon you.

And I, I don't know if you have this experience or not, but, you know, sometimes you can feel that there's more to do than can possibly be done. Anybody ever feel that way? Just let's do a quick survey here. Anybody ever feel that way? There's more to do than can possibly be done.

I, I think we all, from time to time, have experienced that,right?

There's just no way to do everything that has to be done. And it's not, you know, well, I would look at this and say, "Well, you know, that's okay. We don't have to do that. So, you know, no big deal." No, no, no. I'm talking about evaluating things that have to be done. It is well, it's easy to be overwhelmed because there is more that I have to do than I am capable of doing.

And, and it can be easy for us as we think about these kinds of priorities and such to, to begin to feel guilty about these things because we begin to think about how there's all these things that we're supposed to be doing but that we're not doing. But I'm, I'm not trying to lay down any kind of guilt or burden in that way.

I, I think that when we understand priorities appropriately, it actually does the opposite and sets us free from those burdens and that guilt. And so if you're evaluating your priorities and feeling guilty and burdened, I, I think you need to, to take heed to your ministry in a, in a, in a more biblical way.

Consider these things according to what the Lord is saying. Priorities are important,right? So priority number one is God. I think we would all understand that. We would testify of that, how that looks and how that's reflected in our life. You know, that, that leaves room for some discussion and maybe some guilt and burdens as well.

But, but just understanding on the surface that God probably wants you to work even though he says, "I, I need to be first in your life." Right? He probably wants you to work. For most of you, he's called you to a career. He's called you to work in some capacity. But then on the other side,

he says, "What does it profit if you gain the whole world and lose your soul?" And so if work becomes your priority, well, then it's an issue. Now if you say, "God is my priority so much that you don't work," well, that may be appropriate for some, but it's out of balance for many. And if you go to the other extreme and say,

"All I'm gonna do is work," well, then that's so you have to evaluate. You have to consider, what is it that God has laid out for me? What is this life that, that he has designed for me? And again, I, I come back to these various aspects of life. A-and this is not meant to be exhaustive or conclusive.

It's just to, to get us thinking about it and considering the commands that God has for us. And, and this is going to break down a little bit differently for each of us individually because, well, we each have our own life that God has given to us and expectations that God has set upon us.

As I look at each of these things, my spiritual life, my family, my workplace, the church, the community, I, I can look at this list, even as simple as it is, and easily begin to think of ways that I could do better. I don't know if you can relate to that.

But I look at this and I, I immediately begin to see, "Oh, yeah. That's I haven't done that yet. Oh, that's outstanding still. Oh, I'm supposed to do that. I haven't spent enough time there. Need to get that done." And I can walk through this and easily begin, again, to feel that burden, to feel that guilt and that pressure because of the things that I'm not doing.

But as I think about priorities and, and again, it's meant to be a discussion for you to have in your own mind and, and perhaps with your family afterwards. But, but to consider these things, that, that priority, taking heed to your ministry a-and, and talking about the issue of priority, that, that priority is,

is about what's first, not necessarily what's most. And I think that's the first thing we need to think about as we consider priorities. Priority is about what's first, not about what's most. So that command to love God with all your heart,

Jesus gives it the highest priority. In Matthew chapter 22, he says, "This is the first and the greatest commandment before everything else. Here is your primary responsibility as a minister of the Lord, and that is to love God with all of your heart and soul and mind and strength." That's your first priority. A-and it,

it means that God must be first. Now moving on from there, he's not just talking about first in the sense of, well, you spend the most time with God, in the sense that, well, here's what it means to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. You spend 20 hours a day reading the Bible and in prayer,

and you don't let anybody distract you, and you don't let anything distract you, and you fast and you only sleep four hours a day because you love God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength, then that's not what it means. That's not what it means to have God the first priority.

And so it, it doesn't necessarily mean most in that sense.

God doesn't say, "I'm first, so you have to spend more time with me than you do with anybody else." There's an aspect of that in the sense that we walk with God even when we're not reading the Bible,right? Even when we're not in the prayer closet. There, that we are to be with God all the time. And I'm not trying to,

you know, discount that, but also understand it also doesn't mean that you have to be at church more than anybody else because you love God first and, and he's your first priority.

It, it means that God gets the first opportunity to have a say as far as what you do and where your time goes. That is that God gets the first slice of time. Putting God first and having God as our priority means he gets to say where my time goes.

It means he gets to say how much time I spend in various things. It means he gets to say how much time I spend in reading the Bible. He gets to say how much time I spend in these various activities and these other responsibilities that I have. Putting God first and having him as my first priority means that God gets the first bit of energy,

that my actions are submitted to him, that he gets to say whether or not I engage in this or engage in that. Putting God first and having him as my priority means that the first few dollars goes to God. It doesn't mean that I give my whole paycheck to God in the sense that,

you know, I have to give it in the offering, but that I present my whole paycheck to God and say, "Okay, God. What do you wanna do with this? How do you wanna divide this up? How much goes to bills? How much goes to fun? How much goes to this? How much goes to that?" And, and that God gets first opportunity. It's about first, not necessarily most. Now there's that,

you know, kind of old idea and, uh, expressed from time to time. You know, if you wanna see what's really important to you, just look at your, your checkbook. But nobody has a checkbook anymore. So look at your online banking transactions,right? And then you can add up and you can see what's most important to you. And, and I get the point. And that's, you know, it's maybe a valuable exercise.

But also at the same time, just because you are spending more in one area than another area doesn't mean that you are out of balance. It's about, are you doing what God directed you to do with the money that he gave you? Are you doing what God directed you to do with the time that he gave you, with the energy that he gave you?

And so priorities are about what's first, not necessarily what's most. And God's first. Again, he's our creator. I'm his servant. And that means I'm to execute his commands in my life in these different aspects,

but also

on an ongoing and regular basis throughout my day. I, I would say it this way. Priorities are constantly changing. I mean, you could look at this and think, "Okay. Here's the priorities. Here's the order. And so all I gotta do now is keep that order, and then I'm set. I'm all set. I've got my priorities in line." You know, that's something we talk about.

That's something we say. You gotta get your priorities straight. "Allright. I got my priorities straight. I got this list. I'm gonna look at that every day, and I'm gonna be reminded, 'Okay. This is the list.'" But you know, God may shuffle this list from day to day.

It's up to him. And some days he want might want you to spend more time here or more time there. He, he's going to change things. And there's different seasons in our life as well. And so sometimes certain areas and certain aspects of our life are gonna require more attention. There's gonna be more instruction.

There's gonna be more things that God has for us there.

And the point is, wherever God's focus is, that's where our focus needs to be. That's where we need to take heed, that we would put God first and give him the first opportunity to direct our day. We have our schedules. But Lord, do you wanna change the schedule?

That we would give him the first opportunity to direct our lives and, and to be focused on the things that he wants us to focus on in each season. It doesn't work to just say, "Okay. Here's my priorities. Okay.

These five things, and it has to be in this order, and then I'm set." That doesn't work because in reality, you could break out any one of these into a bunch of more subcategories,right? Your spiritual life, you know, that talks about your walk with God. That talks about your reading. That talks about your prayer. That talks about your serving. Your family.

I mean, you have your immediate family, your spouse. You have your, your children. You have your aunts and your uncles and your parents. And, and all of those are gonna fit into various places as far as priority. Uh, you have your workplace. And y-you get the point,right? You could explode this. And so now you have this list of like 400 items. And all you gotta do is just organize those 400, just find theright combination.

So Aunt Susie goes down to 398 on this list of 400 items,right? And that okay. Now I got the prior that was the last change,right? It's kind of like, you know, the seating arrangement at a wedding. It's like that stressful thing. And you just get itright and then set. It's like, "Okay. You know, now we're set. Now I just gotta keep these 400 things in front of me all the time and recognize, you know, this is the priority." That it doesn't work.

It doesn't work that way. Now what it what it comes down to is this is a good general starting point. But now you connect with God and say, "Okay, God. What's first today? What do you want from me today?

What is it that you're calling me to what, what instruction do you have for me today?" This is what it means to take heed to your ministry. It's not fulfill all the obligations that people have of you. It's not fulfill all the obligations that you have of yourself or all the things that you want or all the things that you think people want or you think that God wants.

It's, it's paying attention to and being focused on what God is actually speaking to you about. What is God's instruction to you for the workplace, for your home, for your spiritual life?

It's about checking in with God. And again, it's always take heed. It's that continual. It, it changes day to day. You know, the priorities that I have today are different than the priorities I'm gonna have tomorrow.

The way that God divides my day and divides my time and the wha-what he wants me to focus on and the things that he wants me to relate to, it's gonna be different. That's the way that it is.

And I wish I could present to you, "Here's the formula. Here's the list. And just keep this list and read it every day, and then you'll be set." No. It doesn't work that way. A-and so here Paul gives the instruction to Archippus. He needs to take heed. He needs to, to pay attention. A-and, and this is why that, that attention and that, uh, is so important and so necessary is because,

well, it's God's instruction. And it's not just one thing, and that's all you gotta remember in your set for life, but that it is walking with God throughout the midst of living your life day by day and even throughout the day, giving him opportunity to direct, to redirect, to change,

to lead what is it that God wants first today. Well, moving on to point number three as we talk about taking heed to or that you fulfill your ministry. So you have ministry from the Lord. You need to then take heed to that ministry so that, Paul says, you fulfill your ministry.

The whole point of taking heed and having this kind of attention upon it is so that you bring it to completion, so that you see it through. Do another survey, but you don't have to raise your hand this time. Anybody have projects that are partially completed?

Maybe they're sitting on your bench in the garage or maybe all over your living room or we set out to, uh, paint our bathroom cabinets about three months ago. The cabinets are still in pieces. Doors are over here and paint sittingright there next to the cabinets. Not done yet. Partially completed.

It's easy for ministry to become one of those projects. And Paul says, "You're gonna need to take heed. You're gonna need to focus on this so that it doesn't get partially done and then just kinda fall by the wayside. You need to fulfill your ministry." That word fulfill,

it means to make full or to fill to the full. So much so, Theodore says, "It's to fill to the top so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure," or in other words, fill to the brim. Fill it to the brim so that there's, there's no room for anything else. Nothing else can be added because it is absolutely full.

If you add anything more, then it's gonna overflow. That's, that's the idea of this word fulfill. In other words, max out your ministry. Max out your ministry in these various aspects and, and, and contexts in our life that, that God has instruction for you.

He's saying, "Make sure that you take heed, that you pay attention to it so that you do every last bit of instruction that God has given to you. Fill your ministry to the top and do it to the very last drop." And again, we can consider these various aspects of our life where God has commands for us.

As his servants, he's called us to, to live out each one to the to the very last drop. And it is easy for us in our spiritual life to, to get so far, to get to a certain point, to get some done in our walk with God and some growth in our walk with God,

and then

kinda fades out. Our focus changes. Project goes on the wayside, and it's not fulfilled.

It is easy for us to hear from the Lord about our family. And, "Oh, I have this instruction. I have this upon my heart." And it could be general instruction like scriptures that we have this instruction. It could be very personal things that God has spoken to you personally about your family. And, and you begin. You get started.

And it, it, it starts to go well. And something happens. And it kind of just fades away. It becomes one of those projects on the shelf that one day maybe we'll get to it. One day maybe we'll complete it.

In the workplace, in the church, in the community, there's, there's the need to not just do some of what God has called us to,

but to bring it to completion. It's gonna require taking heed. It's gonna require a, a real focus, a real fervent desire to do what God has called us to do.

A-and as you think about those, I, I would also ask you to consider each one that each one of these you could look at, and you could kind of divide it into two categories in the sense that, well, there's the relationship aspect, and then there's the practical aspect. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm task-oriented. I love tasks.

Well, I don't so much love them as I love checking them off my list of stuff to do. A-and if we're talking about something, I'm usually breaking it down into task lists. Like, that's, that's the way that I am built and that I operate. And I could look at, "Okay. My spiritual life. Okay. Check. Did that? Check. Did that?

Check. Did that?" And I could do all of the elements just focused on the task and miss the relationship. And so I read my Bible. I have verses memorized. You know, I have that time of prayer.

But if I don't know God, if I'm not hearing from God, I'm missing the fulfillment of that ministry, that there's both sides. There are practical aspects that God has called us to, but there's also the relational that he has called us to. A-and maybe you're on the other side where you're, you're all about the relationships.

And then if stuff gets done, well, you know, maybe it gets done, but at least we had a good time talking about it.

And that's good. The relationship part is needed. But then there's also the practical side. And the same goes as you walk down the list with your family. And you can be a really good husband in the sense that you, you know, do this, and you do that. You take out the trash at theright time. You bring in, uh, this amount of income. You, you know, divide the chores.

You're great at discipline. You know, whatever. But, but what about the relationship side? And you can miss on one even though you're good on the other and vice versa.

Paul says, "Take heed that you fulfill your ministry, that you see it to completion." And, and when you're strong in one, you might be weak in the other. And, and so you need to take heed. You need to be paying attention so that you can, well, you can fulfill God's instruction on both sides in all these various aspects of our life: your spiritual life,

your family, the workplace, the church, the community.

Take heed. Do every last drop of instruction and ministry that God has given to you. Jesus provides us a good example in John chapter 17, verse 4 as he's checking in with the Father, as he's headed to the cross. He says, "I have glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work which you have given me to do.

I have finished the work which you have given me to do." And what I would ask for us to consider is, can I will I be able to say that? Will I be able to say, "I've finished the work that you gave me to do? I finished the ministry. I fulfilled the ministry.

I lived the life that you have called me to live?" John Butler, the commentator, encouraged us this way. He said, "We should finish our assignments. Do not quit because the work is I'm sorry. Do not quit before the work is completed. Some quit because of laziness. Some quit because of discouragement.

Some quit because of lack of recognition. None of these reasons justify quitting, however." There's a variety of reasons that projects get abandoned.

But when it comes to what God has commanded us and called us to, there's, there's never a good enough reason for us to lay aside what he has set before us. There's just not a good enough reason. And not saying that's easy. I mean, that's extremely difficult.

We have to work in the midst of the discouragement a-and do what God has called us to do in spite of how we feel about it. But that's what God calls us to. That's what it means to take heed to fulfill your ministry. Well, I wanna finish up with the fourth point a little bit,

uh, different course on this one. But here we need to now help others fulfill their ministry because notice what it says at the beginning of verse 17, "And say to Archippus, 'Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord that you may fulfill it.'" You know,

what's interesting about this verse is that Paul indirectly is encouraging and saying this to Archippus, but he's not just saying it by himself. He is calling the church at Colosse, "Hey, guys.

You need to get involved to help him fulfill his ministry. You need to be engaged in this so that he can achieve what God has set before him. You need to, to be part of this work." And so he calls them to get on board and to say to him that,

that Paul is saying it, of course,

indirectly here as this letter's being read and Paul saying, "It shouldn't just be my voice, but all of you guys should speak up. And you should say to Archippus, 'You should come alongside and bring this exhortation and this encouragement.

Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord that you may fulfill it.'" Now, there's a lot of discussion as you look at the variety of teachings and, uh, Bible studies and commentaries on this passage about what it was that Archippus's ministry was and, uh, why Paul gave this exhortation.

And it's interesting that, you know, the tendency as you read various sources and such is to kind of have a negative view on Archippus, that he was failing in some way. And that's why Paul wrote this and called the church to tell him this. Albert Barnes, the commentator,

says,

"There's no evidence as has been supposed by some that he had been remiss in the performance of his duties.

But the apostle doubtless meant to encourage him and to excite him to increased ardor and zeal in the work of the Lord." I, I think this is important for us to consider that God has placed us in each other's lives, and he says, "Allright. Now help each other." But as he says, say to Archippus,

as he says, say to each other, "Hey, take heed that you fulfill your ministry. Be careful how you do it, that we don't read into it this automatic assumption of, 'Man, you are failing so bad, and I really just gotta come and tell you. You, you better watch out that you fulfill your ministry.'" But there's also another way to come alongside someone to say, "Hey, man.

The Lord's with you. I wanna encourage you to, to continue on.

I know things are difficult, and there are some challenges ahead, but, but press on that you could fulfill the ministry that God has given to you." Sometimes by the way we behave, you'd think there was a verse that says, "Everybody should be quick to hear rumors, quick to bring harsh criticism, and slow to encourage." You know,

that, that's the verse, James. That's not what it says. But sometimes that's how we behave,right? We all know what it's like to again, talking about what we said before, we all know what it's like to have that feeling of, "There's more that needs to be done than I can possibly do," and then to have someone come alongside and say, "And let me tell you else what you're what else you're not doing.

And let me tell you how else you're failing and falling short and the things that you're not doing." And we all know what that's like. And so as Paul says, say to Archippus, "Don't, don't, don't take on that as the ministry." Like, "Okay. I, my job is to tell everybody how, how they're missing it, how they're falling short." No, no, no. Your job is to come alongside.

Don't worry about as far as the content that your job isn't to, to say, you know, "Here's what you're supposed to be doing." That's between them and the Lord, to his own servant. He stands or falls. But our job is to come alongside kind of like as the cheer team. I always like to tease Tom Holman because he was part of the cheer team. He was a yell leader.

I like to tease him about that.

I don't know why I said thatright now. But anyways.

Be like, "Let's go, Ushers. Let's go." Right? Like cheering each other on, encouraging each other, "Hey, you can do what God has called you to do," a-and being that source of encouragement and strength and help that people need. There is time for rebuke.

There is a place for rebuke, but it's, it's limited and reserved, and it's so much less than what we actually see lived out. And, and instead, say to Archippus, be, be that one who comes alongside and, and encourages and builds up. And that is also part of the ministry that God has given to you. And, and listen, we all need this kind of encouragement and help.

E-even here in this book, in Colossians chapter 4, Paul says to continue earnestly in prayer in verse 2. In verse 3, he goes on to say, "Meanwhile, praying for us," Paul saying, "I need prayer." Verse 4, "That I may make manifest the, the word as I ought to speak. I, I need prayer. I need your support. I need you to come alongside me," Paul says,

"to help me fulfill my ministry, that, that I would have the strength and encouragement that I need." A-remember Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, he, he brought his disciples close, and he says, "I'm exceedingly sorrowful even unto death. Watch and pray with me." He brought his disciples close, and they completely failed him and didn't support him. But, but he said, "Look, I need you guys.

I, I need that kind of support. I need that kind of encouragement. Watch and pray with me." And so as we consider this verse to take heed to our ministry and we consider Archippus, there's, there's the people around you. There's people in your lives that, that need this kind of support and encouragement. And let's do that.

Let's come alongside.

This is part of the ministry that God has given to us to be the cheerleaders for our fellow members in the body of Christ,

that they would be spurred on and stirred up and encouraged with joy to press through the difficulties and the challenges that are in front of them and to fulfill the ministry that God has given to them.

As we finish up our time together, we get to partake of communion together this morning. I'll invite the worship team to come on up and prepare for that. I would remind you of what I shared earlier from John chapter 17, verse 4, where Jesus said, "I have glorified you on earth. I have finished the work which you have given me to do." As we partake of communion this morning,

we are partaking of the elements, the bread and the cup which Jesus gave us as a reminder of his completed work, that as he hung upon the cross, he said, "It is finished." He completed every last drop of instruction that the Father had given to him.

And that resulted in the opportunity for us to have forgiveness for our sins, to be saved and be delivered, and to have the promise of everlasting life.

A-and so we're following the example of Jesus because of what he's done for us, and we're set free to, to be able to serve the Lord in this capacity because of what he's done for us. And, and I would say as we talk about priorities this morning, there's, there's one last priority that we have here this morning. Jesus said to partake of communion,

to do it often, and to do it in remembrance of me. A-and I would encourage you this morning to start taking heed that you would fulfill your ministry by paying attention to what Jesus said and remember him. As we spend this time in worship, they're gonna pass out the bread and the cup.

And at any time during the song, you're welcome to partake between you and the Lord. But, but let's single our focus now on what Jesus has done, that we might remember him as he instructed us to. Let everything fade out. I know there's other things in your mind. I know there's other things on your heart. I know there's a lot of stuff going on. But let's zero in.

Let's focus in, in this last worship song and do this in remembrance of him, remembering what Christ has done for us and receiving it, that we might walk with him. Let's worship the Lord together. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching.

The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of his word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.