BE A PART OF A DAILY BIBLE READING GROUP
I suggest that every believer ought to be a part of a small Bible reading group. Our group reads one chapter a day and exchanges emails with our takeaways. Two tangible benefits flow from participation in such a group. First, we engage the Bible in community. Second, we share some of the events going on in our lives.
COLOSSIANS 1:1, 25-26
During my reading of Colossians 1, I appreciated better that Paul stressed two things. First, his calling to evangelize was from God. Second, he was to steward his calling by preaching the gospel. The relevant text is Colossians 1:1, 25-26 (ESV), which reads:
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, … 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.
Six Points from the Text
This text teaches me the following things:
First, Paul is an apostle of Christ, which means he preaches the gospel message. While I am not an apostle, and I do not have the gift of evangelism, I believe God calls every believer to preach the gospel.
Second, the substance of Paul’s preaching must be Christ’s message of salvation and not his own. This means I must try to know better the saving gospel of Jesus Christ continually.
Third, Paul’s calling as an apostle is by God’s will. Because his calling was according to the will of God, it was serious business. My calling by God’s will is also serious business, and I must treat it as such.
Fourth, Paul’s calling was a stewardship given to him by God. Therefore, he must steward it according to God’s desires. My calling is a stewardship given to me by God, and I must steward it according to the teaching in God’s Word.
Fifth, Paul’s calling was “to make the word of God fully known.” To accomplish his calling, Paul had to be completely sold out to carrying it out. I must be 100% sold out to carrying out God’s calling on my life, including preaching the gospel. Thompson Chain Reference Bible identifies the related passage of Colossians 1:25 (ESV):
25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,
Sixth, while it may not be spelled out, there is an inherent understanding that a steward will answer to their master for how they carry out their stewardship. I will answer God about how I stewarded my calling, which causes me to strive to carry it out better. This mandates that I please God and not man per 1 Thessalonians 2:4 (ESV):
4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, each of us has a calling from God that we are supposed to carry out. Our calling is a stewardship, i.e., something we are to steward and are responsible for how we steward it. We need to be sold out to carrying out our calling according to the teachings in God’s Word. We will answer for how we carry out our calling from God.
If you are reading this post and are not a Christian, unless God intervenes, your eternal destination is hell. But, your destiny can change.
Today can be the day of your salvation! Please see my blog (https://stevebelsheim.com/2020/04/20/for-god-so-loves-you-2/) for a description of how you can be saved. You can also go to another article at my blog (https://stevebelsheim.com/2020/10/20/there-is-hope-even-when-there-seems-to-be-no-hope-2/ ).
Please send me any comments to steve@stevebelsheim.com or use the comments feature of the blog.
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