THEME:
Can you rejoice in your suffering the way Paul did in Colossians 1:24–29, seeing it not as defeat but as participation in something greater? Paul found purpose in his pain, believing it served the growth of others and the fulfillment of God’s mystery—Christ in us, the hope of glory. What would it take for us to view hardship not as a burden, but as a sacred opportunity to reflect Christ more deeply?
KEY SCRIPTURE:
Colossians 1:24-29
Why can Paul say that he rejoices in his sufferings; Can I rejoice as well?
What does Paul mean when he says that there is something lacking in Christ’s affliction?
What is the mystery Paul is speaking about?
What is his work, and is it our work as well?
Colossians 1:24-29
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
“Here, then, is God’s infallible strategy to reach the nations with the gospel of Jesus—to have a world that knows Jesus: the prayerful proclamation of Jesus to all the nations through suffering.”
Richard Chin; “Captivated by Christ”
The Mission is V. 28!
Who are YOU proclaiming Christ to?