A note from our Pastor:

“Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;”

Colossians 1:25

Good Morning Dearly Beloved,

In the prior verse, the Apostle Paul speaks of the afflictions he has suffered as part of his ministry. He implies that, although the sufferings have been severe he is able to endure them for the sake of the church. He overcomes the tribulations so that the congregations of disciples may be made stronger in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

In our study verse this week, the Apostle presents three ideas: 1) that he was made a minister; 2) that it is in accordance with the dispensation of God; and 3) that it is to fulfill the word of God. To study this verse, we will consider each of these ideas.

Following on the last verse, the Apostle was made a minister for the sake of the Gentile church. However, he was not made a minister according to his own desires. His calling into the ministry came while he was on a mission to persecute believers in Jesus Christ. He also wasn’t made a minister by the churches. After his calling churches feared whether his ministry was real. Rather, he was made a minister by God. He was pulled from the heights of Jewish authority, made low on the Road to Damascus, and called to be the Apostle to the Gentiles.

The Apostle’s calling as a minister was in accordance with the dispensation of God. Jesus made it clear to his audience during the last week of his life that the disbelief of the Jews was going to cause God to give his truth to a different nation. That nation is the Gentiles. When God called the Apostle to preach the gospel to the Gentile churches, those made up of non-Jewish converts, it was to distribute the truth to the spiritual nation of God. In the first dispensation, the Old Testament, God gave his truth to a natural nation. In the second dispensation, the New Testament, God gave his truth to a spiritual nation.

Finally, the Apostle’s ministry was to fulfill the word of God. There are many ways in which his ministry fulfilled the word of God. However, it is relevant to note that this letter was probably written between 60 and 62 CE. In 69-70 CE, the Roman authority would destroy the city of Jerusalem, the Second Temple at Jerusalem, and the structure of the Jewish authority. Thus, the Apostle’s ministry was certainly fulfilling the words from God in Psalm 118 and repeated by Christ in Matthew 21, that the Jewish people would be left with a desolate house. The word of God being removed and the physical structures being destroyed.

In all of this, through the Apostle God was giving his truth to his people. A people made up of all nationalities, skin colors, races, ethnicities, languages, and on and on. It was no longer limited by genealogy, location, or any other category. God was giving his truth, through this minister, to the young New Testament church to be passed down from generation to generation.

Our Prayers are with you daily,

Brother Jeremiah