Archippus had a ministry he received in the Lord and needed to accomplish. That meant thinking, planning, and doing the ministry.

What about you?

As we close on the final verses of Colossians, let me ask you: what ministry have you received in the Lord? Remember, Ephesians says that the saints are supposed to be trained for the work of ministry.

Ephesians 4:11-12: It was he who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ.

What Is Ministry?

Ministry is defining your life from God’s point of view with you as His servant. The Bible says that we have been created in Christ Jesus for good works in which we should walk.

Ephesians 2:10: For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so we could walk in them.

We need to have a more flexible definition of ministry. The focus verse did not fix a particular meaning, but we know it is service. Paul said in another place, “Who are you to judge another man’s servant?”

Romans 14:4: Who are you to pass judgment on another’s servant? Before his own master he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

The variability of the body of Christ means there are different functions. Paul mentioned the eye and hand when noting that we have different roles.

1 Corinthians 12:14-16: For in fact the body is not a single member, but many. If the foot says, “Since I am not a hand, I am not part of the body,” it does not lose its membership in the body because of that. And if the ear says, “Since I am not an eye, I am not part of the body,” it does not lose its membership in the body because of that.

He said there are diversities of ministries, giftings, and results, but the same Lord.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6: Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different results, but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.

No Gatekeepers for Ministry

Archippus did not need permission to do the work of service. He did not need to be made to feel legitimate.

Let’s stop setting up permission structures for ministry. No gatekeepers is what I’m saying—not creating structures where ministry is only defined one way.

But what about people who are not ministry-minded? I don’t think they are Christians.

Every Christian is ministry-minded because the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit He has given to us (Romans 5:5). It is not something you are forced into.

Because we have confused church attendance with being Christians, we think the crowd we see are Christians. So we say people don’t want to do the work of God. Why would they do the work of God they do not know?

Church attendance does not equate number of Christians. That could not be farther from the truth.

Every Christian not only has gifts—they all know their gift. That is what I get from Romans 12, where Paul said as everyone has received a gift, let us use it (Romans 12:6-8). It is presumed that you already know your gift, that God has already revealed it to you as members of the body of Christ.

Another problem may be a narrow definition of ministry. Rather than ministry being unique by definition, one may have a preconceived notion of what should happen before you start ministry, how it should be done, etc.

The True Nature of Ministry

Ministry is carrying your cross and following Jesus. The cross was the choice of God for Jesus, and that was His ultimate ministry—the way He served us by giving Himself on a tree.

Ministry is a journey toward death to self and the means through which Christ extends His love and influence to others through us. Ministry is an extension of the love of God.

Empowering the Saints

The saints should be empowered for ministry. That is the process of spiritual equipment where the Spirit begins to shape you into a spiritual tool for God.

But sometimes what you have on the pulpit is not the truth. And the result is a spiritual desert with wolves on the pulpit—not to build up the people, but to eat them up.

This is different from Paul, who said that the authority he has is to build and not to tear down.

2 Corinthians 10:8: For if I boast somewhat more about our authority that the Lord gave us for building you up and not for tearing you down, I will not be put to shame.

Some define their authority by how much they can control others, how many people they can dictate the pattern of their lives. But Jesus said, “I am among you as one who serves.”

Luke 22:27: “For who is greater, the one who is seated at the table, or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is seated at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.”

Living as Ministers

Let me say again that Christians don’t have to be told they are ministers and that they need to walk in it. They live for Christ because the Spirit of Christ is in them. Their alignment with God does not give them any feeling of insignificance. They feel that they are valuable.

They know they are so significant that Christ died for them. They feel valued because of the death of Jesus for them, and they add value with their service.

Spiritual service is you being the light of the world and the salt of the earth. And if you lose your saltiness, if you pull back from spiritual service, you will be trampled on by people (Matthew 5:13-16).

And if you put your hand to the plow and look back, it means you are not fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62).

Those are not light words, I can tell you. That is why I say that a Christian being in ministry is not something we think about. But when we narrowly define ministry as only the vocational type, there comes the problem.

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