A right understanding and attitude toward the ministry is vital for anyone entering the ministry and staying in it. Christians who see the ministry from the right perspective help cultivate a healthy and growing church.

Time will always come when pastors, leaders, church workers, and members may ask, “Why do we have to do this? Why do we need to keep going to church? Why serve others? How can we navigate through the mess and trials in the church?”

Thankfully, God guides us through His Word.

In Colossians 1:28-29, the apostle Paul shares his philosophy of ministry. By philosophy, I mean his basic beliefs and attitudes towards his ministry as a minister of God’s Word to the church in Collosae.

He writes:

“… Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” (Colossians 1:28-29, ESV)

We learn at least 4 truths here. I’ll share one in this post and will share the rest next time.

A Worthy Subject

Paul says, “We proclaim him,” referring to Jesus Christ. Elsewhere, he also said, “I decided to known nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).

Jesus Christ is the subject, the primary content of the message Paul proclaims.

Christ then must be the message of our ministries. As pastors, leaders, and teachers, our goal in church is not to promote our personal ideas, family traditions, political biases, or business opportunities. We welcome people to church not to entertain them and please them with whatever they want to hear. We teach, convict, exhort, rebuke, encourage, persuade, and give them comfort and hope.

We preach Christ and Him crucified. We preach and teach the gospel, that glorious work of redemption planned by God the Father, accomplished by God the Son, and being applied by God the Spirit to His people until the end. This is and must be the goal of every Christian minister: To be faithful and grow faithful in teaching and preaching the pure gospel of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, through Christ alone, all for the glory of God alone.

At the same time, the message we proclaim is no ordinary or earthly subject. Christ, and His gospel, is worthy of our proclamation.

Who are we proclaiming? We preach Jesus, the Christ, the Anointed One of God. He’s the eternal Son of God, who took upon Himself our nature to save us. He’s the Savior and Lord, the King of kings, the way, the truth, and the life.

What are we proclaiming? Life in Christ, forgiveness of sins, justification before God, everlasting peace.

As Martyn Lloyd-Jones puts it,

“The work of preaching is the highest and greatest and most glorious calling to which anyone can ever be called… The most urgent need in the Christian Church today is true preaching; and… it is obviously the greatest need of the world also.”

The church possesses the solution to the ultimate problems that you and I, and the rest of the world, face are facing. And that is the message of Christ. The message of what Christ has already accomplished for our salvation from sin and the wrath of God. The hope that we shall be forgiven, made righteous before God, and enter the eternal joy of heaven through repentance and faith in Him.

‌Hence, Paul tells Timothy, the ministry is a noble task worth desiring (1 Tim. 3:1).

‌In the Christian ministry, we speak of no ordinary person and no ordinary things. We’re talking about God and our eternal salvation. Our fears, doubts, and disappointments in the ministry are dispelled when we recognize that we’re dealing not with mere earthly and temporary things. We’re talking about heavenly realities and blessings.

Dear fellow pastors, church leaders, and even members, when we face hardships in the ministry, let us remember: To know Christ and proclaim Christ is a worthy endeavor.