A note from our Pastor:

“Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.”

Colossians 1:29

Good Morning Dearly Beloved,

Our study verse this week is the concluding thought of Colossians 1. This verse marks a significant change that is important going into the second chapter. Here the Apostle Paul switches from a plural to a singular pronoun when he refers to his ministry. As the second chapter opens, the Apostle is going to speak of his internal conflict in not being able to visit this congregation physically. That isolation was his to bear as the other ministers with him could still travel.

This verse opens with a statement from the Apostle about his ministry. He calls it a labour, a term that has carried forward to describe the ministry. With the Apostle, this was an absolute truth. He traveled extensively when not confined, he wrote letters to congregations and individuals, he taught other ministers, and he suffered many things for the sake of the truth. His ministry was truly a labor that must have taken a terrible physical and mental toll.

The second phrase deserves some interpretation. The Apostle states that he has the strength to carry on with his ministry and endure what he has. He is telling his readers that it is not by his own strength or determination but rather it is by the strength of God. God has called him to this ministry, has revealed the truth to him, and strengthened him to deliver that message to God’s people.

The Apostle has previously told this congregation that he desires for them to know the mystery of God, which is to have Christ in them, that is the knowledge of eternal salvation. Now he tells them that Christ is in him but not just in a small way. He says Christ has worked on him mightily. In other words, the love, joy, hope, peace, and many other things are so great in the Apostle that he cannot help but continue in his ministry despite the difficulties.

How easy it would have been to give up when you suffered all that the Apostle went through. But by the grace and strength of God, he continued to preach the gospel that we might know the truth of Jesus Christ.

Our Prayers are with you daily,

Brother Jeremiah