DEC 30

Colossians 4:17
Memorise 1 Corinthians 6:10
“…take heed to the ministry…”

Paul goes on in Colossians 4:17 “And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.” Archippus is also mentioned in Philemon as “Archippus our fellowsoldier” (Phlm 2). Here in the epistle to the Colossian church, we have the unexpected command “say to Archippus”. We would expect Paul to write directly to this minister, as he would write to those like Timothy directly, but we see here Paul tells the congregation to inform Archippus instead. Archippus was probably the minister in the church, perhaps in place of Epaphras. We know it is not that Archippus does not have the gifts for being a minister, for Paul states that he had been called by God. The phrase “take heed” in Greek has the sense of beholding or watching out. Archippus needs to be watchful, to make sure he fulfills this ministry he has been given. Note that Paul is not saying Archippus has failed, but perhaps he has not been watchful enough to the threat of the false teachers, or perhaps he is not doing enough to exhort the church towards Christian maturity. Paul is telling the congregation to do its part to excite their minister; perhaps by sharing with him how real the threat of the false teachers are, or by sharing with him the obstacles they face as they strive towards Christian maturity. Members of the congregation can and should give the minister such information so as to improve his ministry. Note we are not talking about feedback surveys as that potentially turns preachers into man-pleasers, but rather about sharings of the spiritual battles they face so that the preacher is more aware of them.

Dear teen, sometimes you may find that one of your Sunday school teachers are not very effective. The teacher may be called to the ministry, but perhaps he or she lacks zeal, or maybe cannot connect with your age group. Instead of complaining to one another that the teacher is out of touch, or worse, skipping class altogether, find an opportunity to privately share with the teacher about certain problems that you face and request for help and prayer. I for one can testify that although I am three times the age of those I teach, I am grateful to the many teens who continually ask me questions face to face or over text messages or email, for each new sharing makes me more aware of the needs of this teenage age group, that I may improve my teaching.

Thought: My teacher is part of the body of Christ, as I am, and I should help him.
Prayer: May I not be so proud as to think I do not need spiritual help from teachers.