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The Apostle Paul shared in Colossians 1:24-29 the primary purpose of his Christian ministry. He presents a daring thought about his suffering in ministry as completing the sufferings of Jesus Himself. Jesus died to save His Church, but the Church must grow and be extended; it must be kept strong, pure and true. Therefore, anyone who serves the Church in ministry by widening its borders, establishing its faith and saving it from errors is doing the work of Jesus. If such a service involves suffering and sacrifice, that affliction is filling up and sharing the very sufferings of Jesus. To suffer in the service of Jesus is not a penalty but a privilege for sharing in His work.

Paul sets out the very essence of the task given to him by God – to bring people to a new discovery, a secret that had been kept before, which was then being revealed. This was that the glorious hope of the Gospel was not only for the Jews but for all people everywhere. Paul’s contribution in the early Church was that he took Jesus to the Gentiles and destroyed forever the idea that God’s love and mercy were the exclusive property of the Jews. That is why Paul is, in a special sense, our saint and our apostle. Had it not been for him, Christianity might have become nothing more than a new Judaism and we and all other Gentiles might possibly never have received it.

So Paul sets out his great aim and in doing so provides a clear example and focus for all of us who follow him in loving our Lord and serving the Church. It is to warn everyone, and to teach everyone, and to present everyone complete in Jesus. The only thing in this world which is for everyone is Jesus. Not everyone can be a thinker or expert in every craft and every game. There are gifts that some will never possess, privileges that some will never enjoy and heights of this world’s attainment that some will never scale. Even human love at its highest is not granted to all. But open to everyone is the good news of the Gospel, the love of God in Jesus and the transforming power which can bring holiness to life. We thank God for giving us Paul the Apostle to spread this wonderful Message to all of us – Christ the Hope of Glory!