Sunday 28 July 2013

The Completing Ministry of Paul, Message 2

My Great Delight in God's Word


The Completing Ministry of Paul, Message 2


The Central Vision

Completing ministry of Paul


In the last message, we learned about who Jesus is and what He would have us do from the story of the apostle Paul's calling. Now we are going to see what exactly the main ministry of the apostle Paul is. As the name of the name of this book may have already implied, the ministry to which God called him to minister is the "completing ministry." But what would God like him to complete? The answer appears in Colossians 1:24-26. God called him to complete the word of God!

24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,
25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill [complete] the word of God,
26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. (Colossians 1:24-26 NKJV)


Most translations render the word "complete" as "fulfill." Only few translations, such as the literally-translated Recovery Version, New English Translation, Darby Bible Translation, render this phrase as "complete the word of God." This word comes from the original Greek word "pleroo." According to Mickelson's Enhanced Strong's Greek and Hebrew Dictionaries, it means "to fully, completely fill; to fully supply, finish (a period or task)." As also suggested by Pulpit Commentary, "to fulfill the word of God" is likely to be "to complete, to give full development and extension to the gospel message," because it suits best to the context, and it is also used elsewhere in this sense by the apostle Paul.

Why did the word of God need to be finished by the apostle Paul? Were the Old Testament, the Gospel, the book of Acts, the other epistles and Revelation not adequate? Of course, the way to salvation was already revealed in these books. One definitely could be saved by God's inspired words in them. Nevertheless, there were some mysteries that had not been unravelled yet, and the apostle Paul was commissioned to complete it, in order to give full development and extension to the Gospel message!

Praise the Lord that the apostle Paul faithfully completed the word of God by unveiling many mysteries that had been hidden from the ages and the generations, but had been revealed to us through his writings. God has extensively worked through His inspired words written by him throughout the church history. Because of his completing ministry, we can grasp spiritual meanings of the Old Testament, and we can understand the Gospel message in depth. God's word can never be completed without Paul's ministry.

I really like one of St Augustine well-known quotes referring to the bible, saying that "The New [Testament] is in the Old [Testament] concealed. The Old [Testament] is in the New [Testament] revealed." This is so true. The mysteries in the New Testament, particularly concerning Christ and the Church, appear everywhere in the Old Testament, but they are concealed and we can never understand them unless we have the revelation in the New Testament. The book of Genesis may only be a collection of stories without any meaning to us, unless we have the divine revelation in the New Testament linking the history to its actual spiritual implications. In the light of the New Testament, we can see Christ everywhere in the Old Testament, as He is the centre of God's economy.

And how can this completing ministry be associated with us today? Of course, the word of God has already been completed by the prophets and the apostles. It does not need to be added anymore. Actually we are not allowed to add anything to or subtract anything from the word of God (Deuteronomy 12:32; Proverbs 30:6, Galatians 3:15, and Rev. 22:18-19). So how can we join this ministry then?

Everyone can join this ministry of completing the word of God. Paul's completing ministry is to reveal the mysteries concerning Christ and His Body through his writings. Our completing ministry simply is to reveal the same mysteries by using our lives as open books where others can see those mysteries. To complete the word of God, we need to experience Christ subjectively in our daily lives, and gain more life from the life-giving Spirit. Consequently, we together as His Church will be the living expression of the Triune God. May this be our burden, our ministry and our warfare!



Central vision of Paul's completing ministry


The word "mystery" or "mysteries" appears in the New Testament for 28 times,  20 of which are in Paul's writings. Obviously, the completing ministry of Paul aims to reveal the mysteries.

Generally, the word "mystery" refers to something difficult to understand or to explain. However, according to Scofield Reference Note, a "mystery" in the Scripture is "a previously hidden truth, now divinely revealed; but in which a supernatural element still remains despite the revelation." It is a truth that we can never understand without divine revelation. It is beyond our brain capability to grasp the truth. And despite the divine revelation, we still cannot fully and comprehensively understand it, but we will see it clearly when the Lord comes back again.

What are the main points of Paul's completing ministry? There are 3 main points emphasised in his writings: God as our content, Christ as the mystery of God, and the Church as the mystery of Christ. May I briefly explain each point here.

1. God as our content


Having been prepared beforehand for God's glory, we all are created to be the vessels of mercy. What are these vessels designed to contain? They are created to contain the Triune God!

23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,
24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? (Romans 9:23-24)


This truly is mystery. We often hear the people say that we are in God. That is not quite complicated, is it? God is great, and we are small. It is not difficult to understand. At other times, we learn that God is with us. This is more difficult. How can the holy God come to associate with sinful man? However, in the light of God's grace, we can understand it. But what about God in us? How can that be? Our God is so big. How can the uncontainable God be contained in our spirit? This is mystery. This is God's economy that His Spirit and our spirit become one, so that we will be His living expression. I admit that I cannot fully understand it. But because the word of God says so, I choose to embrace that truth as it is.

The bible clearly says that all the 3 Persons within the Godhead - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - dwell within us. Do you believe me? Let's see together.

... one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4:6 NKJV)
26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.
27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:24-27 NKJV)

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:11 NKJV)

Praise the Lord that this mystery which has been hidden from the ages and from the generations have already been revealed to us, the Gentiles. The mystery is that "Christ is us, the hope of glory." May we realise all the time that Christ is always in us. May Christ be the ground of our hope, and may we experience the true fellowship with Him as a foretaste of our future heavenly glory!

2. Christ as the mystery of God


that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself, (Colossians 2:2 NASB)

This is Paul's desire to see us have the true knowledge of God's mystery, that is Christ Himself! This is the most precious thing. It should also be the aim of our life.

Christ is so mysterious in everyway. We cannot thoroughly understand how God became a man, so that men could eventually become the sons of God. We cannot completely understand how He could be fully God and fully Man at the same time. This is mystery.

Christ is the great mystery of godliness, as explained in 1 Timothy 3:16.

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory. (1 Timothy 3:16 NKJV)

Paul quotes a hymn that was widely known at that time. Christ was God manifested in the flesh through His incarnation and His living. He was justified, or vindicated, in the Spirit, both at His transfiguration and His resurrection. The bible tells us that the angels saw Him at His incarnation, living and ascension. We can see that the Gospel of Christ has been widely preached among the Gentiles, and many have received Him. Ultimately, when He will come back again, both Christ, the Head, and His Church, the Body will be taken up in glory together. What a wonderful mystery it is!

May we know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that we may be filled with all the fullness of God! (Ephesians 3:19)

3. Church as the mystery of Christ


... by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel (Ephesians 3:4-6 NKJV)

The Church is also mysterious in many ways. It is the mystery of Christ.

May I list some of them here, by quoting the outlines of this week's messages.

  1. The church was mysteriously chosen and predestinated in Christ by God the Father before the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1:3-5)
  2. The church was mysteriously redeemed in the Beloved after the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1:6-12)
  3. The church was mysteriously sealed with the Holy Spirit and received the Holy Spirit as the pledge at thetime of its redemption. (Ephesians 1:13-14)
  4. The church mysteriously participates in the resurrection power of Christ and in everything that He has attained and obtained in ascension, thereby becoming the Body of Christ. (Ephesians 1:19-23)
  5. The church mysteriously becomes the universal new man, as God’s kingdom and God’s house, and is being built up as the habitation of God. (Ephesians 2:15,19-22)
  6. The church is mysteriously enjoying the unsearchable riches of Christ. (Ephesians 3:2, 7-11)
  7. The church is strengthened into the inner man with power by God through His Spirit, that Christ may mysteriously make home in the believers’ hearts, that the church may be filled with the breadth, the length, the height, and the depth of what Christ is, to become all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:15-19)
  8. The mysterious life union of Christ and the church is the great mystery in the universe. (Ephesians 5:32)
  9. The church, which is joined to and mingled mysteriously with the Triune God today, is a miniature of the New Jerusalem and needs to take the holy city as its highest standard and matchless hope in everything. (Revelation 21:2)


Further reading


  • The Holy Word for Morning Revival: The Completing Ministry of Paul, week 2.

  • Pulpit Commentary, Colossians 1:25 (http://biblehub.com/colossians/1-25.htm).

  • Scofield Reference Note, Matthew 13:11 (Mystery).




Thirayost Nimmanon (Tony)

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