Faithfulness & Fulfilment

E1.1 Faithfulness

All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord:  Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts; With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here.

Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;)  And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me.  Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.  For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis.  Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.  Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.

And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.  And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.

The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen.

Col.4:7-18

E1.1 Faithfulness

Tychicus is called a beloved brother, a faithful minister and a fellow-servant. He was one of Paul’s many companions having joined him in Asia, Acts 20:5. Here we see faithfulness. We are not all called to the same ‘ministry’ within the body, but we are called to be faithful in what we do, Col.3:17.
Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
I Cor.4:1-2

In our calling from God, we are stewards. That is, we have been entrusted with some gifting or some responsibility or whatever. These qualities are not our but God’s, and we are given them and are expected to be faithful in their discharge. This thought leads to the conclusion that to talk of ‘my ministry’ is both self-centred and misleading. All ministry is from God alone and it is His, not ours.
Jesus gave parables regarding this. One we shall mention. The others are left to the reader to consider for themselves.

And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
LK.19:11-27

A simple story with a simple meaning. A nobleman had to leave his court and go to another country on business. He gave to his servants each a pound -the same amount note – thus distinguishing it from the parable of the different talents in Mtt.25. This showing that all believers have the same initial gifting from God His salvation. The other parable is to do with special giftings.

All those, who have received Christ, have the one common gift of salvation. The love of God spread in the hearts of those who trust Him, Rom.5:3. Therefore, all of us have the same basic gift, as it were, to hold in stewardship. Are we being faithful I it? Are we occupying until He returns?
Paul in Romans says this:

…ye were the servants of sin but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered unto you.
Rom.6:17

In the context of the Colossian epistle, we were encouraged to walk in the same way as we begun, Col.2:6-7, and to be rooted in the faith we received. This includes the doctrine that we were delivered to, the truth of the Gospel as revealed in the scriptures. To be good stewards of that and to be faithful in it. This means not to go after the strange teachings we have considered in previous articles, but to remain true to them.

E1.2 Fulfilment

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them
Eph.2:10

All of us have then been created unto pre-ordained good works. And Paul exhorts us to take heed to fulfil them. Everyone will have different callings and ‘ministries’, we have the responsibility to fulfil that which God has appointed us to. That is to complete it.

This takes us back to the parable of the talents in Mtt.25, where each servant was given different amounts. What they were judged on was their faithfulness. The one servant who hid his talent was severely reprimanded, he didn’t even do the minimum of what could be done, viz. put the money to usury.

Because Christ is in us, the hope of glory and we are encouraged to be filled with the fullness of God, as such we can fulfil our calling in His strength, for without Him we can do nothing.
This is our task, and not going after those things which make us to walk in ways other than when we first began in the Way. The following of vain philosophy, Legalism, mysticism in whatever form it may take will take us away from our calling, and thus fail to fulfil the good works God has prepared for us.

Let us there take heed indeed and walk in the same way that we received Christ.