After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea. Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.”
Colossians 4:16,17
Everyone needs encouragement. And there are lots of ways to give that inspiration. There are times when all we need is just a whispered word. Or a gentle nudge gets our attention and we start to move.
And then there are other times when that tender word just doesn’t get it done. We need something more direct. We need someone to threaten us with a baseball bat. Or, as they say here in central Florida, they need a hot iron frying pan upside the head.
It’s also true that different people need different kinds of encouragement. Take me for example. Yelling and screaming never encourages me. It only gets me distracted and angry. When someone yells at me to do something, I go in the opposite direction. I’ll never accomplish anything by being shouted at.
But, if you come to me calmly and gently ask me to do anything, watch out. I’ll turn myself inside out to accomplish anything. No matter how hard it might be, or if it takes weeks and months, I’ll stay at the task and get it done.
Which makes me wonder what kind of guy Archippus was. What would be the best way to encourage and motivate Mr. A? Since Paul knew Mr. A, and he’s even calls him his “fellow soldier”[1], he speaks to him in the way that will be best for Mr. A and his people.
When Paul tells Mr. A to complete the ministry, he’s not fooling around. This is no “Oh, by the way, if you happen to get to it, would you mind thinking about doing something?” There’s nothing relaxing or casual about this.
In addition to his authority as an Apostle, Paul knows Mr. A. So, he doesn’t mess around and he orders Mr. A to be actively and continually working at the ministry. But Paul’s not just telling Mr. A to get busy. Paul’s telling him to be focused with both his energy and activity.
It’s one thing to be busy. It’s something to be busy working in a ministry. But that’s not what Paul’s saying. He’s telling Mr. A to be actively working in the ministry he’s been assigned to. He’s to put everything he has into the ministry he’s responsible for. How easy is it to start out like a house of fire on a new adventure and ministry. You can’t even sleep because of all the excitement and energy you have for that new way you’re serving Jesus.
But then something happens. Like a new car eventually loses its new car small, so does a ministry lose that newness. What once looked like a dream come true just drifts into day after day of the same ol’-same ol’.
I wonder if this was how Mr. A felt. Day after day of serving Jesus and the people in his care in a world that didn’t care about Christians or Christianity at all. Going to work. Doing the same thing. Meeting the same people.
Does any of this sound familiar? Do you ever get tired of doing the ministry that you’re assigned to? Have you lost the excitement of those “first love[2]” feelings? Do you feel like you’re in a rut of God’s making and you just want to break out of it?
We don’t know the exact role that Mr. A had. We Don’t know if he was someone that served the local Christian community or if he was a pastor. Did he make coffee every week to welcome people to worship? No matter what he did, Mr. A had been assigned this job by God. He may have wanted this ministry, or it could have come out of the blue. Forgive me for being blunt, but it really doesn’t matter. It was God given. God assigned. God saw Mr. A as his man to work at the ministry.
Sometimes we look at someone in a ministry and say to ourselves, “I could do that. As a matter of fact, I could do that better. Oh, did you see that mistake they just made? I wouldn’t have made such a big boo-boo.”
When God gives a ministry, a place to serve, we need to stay at the task. We should look at each and every day as a way to serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. There’s nothing boring about serving Jesus in the place he’s given. In the way he’s enabled us to.
Remaining in the same ministry a long time is a great honor and blessing. Staying focused while we do the same thing over and over gives us the opportunity to keep getting better and better. We can continue to find new and innovative ways to serve Jesus and the people he’s given us.
God wants us to live each and every day for his glory. For the good of the people we serve. If you’re looking for a reason to be bored, you’ll find it. But we need to turn each day into a new adventure and opportunity to worship and serve the one who loves us enough to die for us. That’s enough motivation to stay in the moment.
Noodling Questions
What kind of encouragement works best for you? Why?
When does serving Jesus become tiresome for you? Explain.
How can people encourage you best?
[1] Philemon 1:2
[2] Revelation 2:4
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