Connected thru MINISTRY

This is message NINE in the series

"Connected thru Colossians."

the two goals of this series are to
1. change how we live as believers
2. expand what we know for sure

Read Colossians  4.2-18 by clicking on this link

 How do I stay connected in such a complicated world? We have covered 8 ways we are connected as believers. We need to cover one more dealing with our involvement in ministry.

We are to PRAY to God about Outsiders. By outsiders I mean either those who are not believers or those who have the head knowledge about Christ but who have not made a personal commitment to Him.  We are to pray for the opportunity to speak clearly about Jesus. For many that is the easy part. Paul says after we have prayed to God about Outsiders we are to have a Conversation or be willing to talk to Outsiders about God. Our conservation to them should be kind and understanding (full of grace) it should make them want to hear and know more about Jesus (seasoned with salt), and it should have understandable and clear answers for everyone.

This is written to believers who are called to be faithful ministers. To understand what it means to be a minister you need to understand 1 Corinthians 12.4-6. Paul says: "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men."   Now let me explain what Paul is trying to show us about ministry.

Imagine that there are three people waiting to go to work. One of them has a garden hoe, another a lawn rake and the last one a shovel. When the boss shows up he says he has three jobs to be done. He needs to remove weeds from some flower beds. He needs to have someone rake up some grass, and he need someone to dig a couple of holes so he can plant some trees. He assigns the guy with the hoe to take care of the weeks, the guy with the rake to take care of the grass and the guy with the shovel to dig the holes. Simple, you bet. Now here is how it applies to our spiritual lives. The hoe, rake and shovel equal the different kinds of spiritual gifts we are given, the jobs that need to be done are the different kinds of service, and the different kinds of workings are when the hoes, rakes, and shovels are put to work doing the right jobs.

Every Christian has spiritual gifts that have been given them by the Holy Spirit that are designed for a particular job within the church and the world. When these are used they produce spiritual results or works. We are to work together with our different gifts so that all the different jobs (services) get done (workings).

We are connected together in ministry thru suffering. Paul was a prisoner. That was what hindered him, but it did not stop him. We are often hindered as believers. We may be hindered through physical ways. We may we sick, or weak, or imprisoned. We may be hindered spiritually. This happened to Daniel when he prayed and the enemy did everything possible to stop the answer of his prayers. We may be hinder mentally. This happens when we allow ourselves to believe the lies of the enemy or to doubt the power and direction God has for our lives. These may hinder us but they should not stop us.

When others are suffering we are called to comfort them. We are to help them carry the load and to make it possible for them to be successful even when they are facing difficult and hindering circumstances. Even when we are having problems or hindrances we should not stop praying for others. Even though he was in jail facing possible death, Paul continued to pray for the believers not in prison to STAND FIRM and to complete the task God had given them. He wanted them to be MATURE or not a be  bunch of whining baby Christians. He prayed that they would be FULLY ASSURED or completely committed to not allowing themselves to wear out and give up. This meant that both those in jail or who had hindrances in their life and those who were free were all to be WORKING HARD. As members of the church we may be part of a not for profit organization but we are called to be productive. We have much to accomplish because we are different parts of the same church and body of Christ.

Paul finished the letter to the Colossians by reminding them to do three things so they could stay connected. First they were to read the word so they had the truth to live and minister by. This would give them clear directions for their lives. Second they were to complete the works they were responsible for as members of the body of Christ. Finally he reminds them that even though the hindrances of chains may make them weak. These should not stop them in their different ministry to others in the name of Christ Jesus.

In the book of Colossians we are to remember that we are:

1. Connected to each other thru PRAYER - Praying for spiritual, mental and physical needs.
2. Connected thru  JESUS- He is the only way to be in connected to God the father.
3. Connected thru the CHURCH- We are not alone when we united together with Christ.
4. Connected thru the CROSS - We are forgiven and the barrier of sin is removed.
5. Connected and FREE - We are free from the rules of men to serve the one who rules.
6. Connected to HEAVEN - We have a goal and it is only one heartbeat away.
7. Connected as ONE - The unity of the church is in the strength that Christ is the head and we all serve him together.
8. Connected as FAMILY - God had defined the family and what a marriage is.
9. Connected thru MINISTRY - We are all different and part of the greatest mission ever put forward.

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