Paul's Mission

I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. (Colossians 1:25-29 NIV)

Strenuously Contending: Understanding Our Mission in God's Story

The story of redemption is perhaps the most beautiful and powerful narrative ever told. It begins in a garden where humanity chose independence over intimacy with God, and it continues today through ordinary people carrying an extraordinary message to the ends of the earth.

When Everything Broke

In the beginning, Adam and Eve refused God's vision for their lives with a single bite of forbidden fruit. That moment changed everything. Death entered the human story—not just physical death, but the death of perfect communion with our Creator. Along with death came all the brokenness we experience: pain, illness, rejection, anger, fear, loneliness, doubt, and depression.

We were created for community—with God and with one another. That fateful day in Eden shattered both connections. Yet this is not where the story ends. In fact, it's where the most remarkable rescue mission in history begins.

God's Relentless Pursuit

God wants us back. This simple truth drives the entire biblical narrative. He launched a plan through Israel that would ultimately lead to Jesus Christ. The Son of God came from heaven into human flesh, walking among us for thirty-three years. During the final three years of His earthly ministry, He taught God's truth, healed the hurting, and performed miracles that revealed the Kingdom of God breaking into our fallen world.

Then came the Friday that had been appointed since the foundation of the world. Jesus went to a cross and paid the price for our sin. Three days later, He rose from the dead, putting death itself to death.

The Gospel: Good News for All

Here is the heart of the gospel, the good news that changes everything: when a person—regardless of who they are or what they have done—places their faith wholly in the person and work of Jesus Christ, in that moment they become a child of God. Their sin is forgiven. They receive eternal life.

Because we have this hope, we can live fearless lives here and now. Nothing can separate us from Him and His promises. He has given us His Spirit to fill us with His love and power, to grow fruit in us and exercise gifts through us.

But this raises a critical question: How will people hear about this good news?

We Are the Body of Christ

As 1 Corinthians 12:27 reminds us, the Church is the Body of Christ in the world. We are Jesus with skin on to a watching world. We exist to think like Jesus, act like Jesus, and love others like Jesus loves them.

The Church is commissioned to go into all the world as witnesses to Jesus. Acts 1:8 captures this mandate: we are called to be His witnesses in our Jerusalem, our Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. God wants all people to hear this good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.

An Unlikely Missionary

God raised up a point leader to take the gospel to the ends of the earth: the Apostle Paul. Yet Saul of Tarsus was perhaps the most unlikely candidate imaginable to become the world's first and most famous missionary. He was Christianity's sworn enemy in the first century, zealously persecuting believers with religious fervor.

Everything changed when Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus and was radically converted. His name changed to Paul, and he eventually embarked on three missionary journeys, planted at least ten churches, and wrote at least thirteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament.

Paul's first letter was Galatians, written around the time of the Jerusalem Council recorded in Acts 15. This council addressed a crucial question: Do Gentiles have to become Jews in practice to be true Christians? Some Jewish leaders were teaching that Gentiles had to believe in Jesus and be circumcised, following Jewish laws.

The Jerusalem Council concluded that Gentiles did not have to submit to Jewish laws. Paul's letter to the Galatians argues passionately for the theological reasons behind this strategic decision. While Peter served as the apostle to the Jews, Paul became the apostle to the Gentiles—a good thing for most of us today.

Why Paul's Mission Matters to Us

Most people reading this are Gentiles. We are invited into the gospel precisely because of Paul's mission. His story is our story. His mission is our mission.

In Colossians 1:28, Paul describes his work: "He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ." This is not just Paul's calling—it's the calling of every believer.

The mission of the Church is to be witnesses to our Jerusalem, our Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of our earth. This mission requires all hands on deck.

Strenuously Contending

Paul writes in Colossians 1:29 about strenuously contending with all the energy Christ powerfully works within him. This phrase captures the intensity and commitment required to fulfill the gospel mission.

The Church must never become about us. We must always be about winning others to Jesus. But what does it mean to strenuously contend for the mission of the gospel in practical terms?

We strenuously contend when we sacrifice for those carrying the gospel to unreached places. We strenuously contend when we humbly serve our neighbors, demonstrating Christ's love through action. We strenuously contend when we tell others what Jesus has done for us, sharing our testimony with boldness and grace. We strenuously contend when we speak up for the vulnerable and voiceless, including the unborn.

A Call to Be Spent

The gospel mission demands everything from us. It's not a casual hobby or a Sunday morning add-on to our lives. It's the very reason we exist as the Body of Christ on earth.

We are called to be spent in winning others to Jesus. Not to burn out in frantic activity, but to be energized by Christ's power working mightily within us. This is sustainable mission—fueled not by our own strength but by the inexhaustible resources of God Himself.

The story of redemption continues today through us. We are the current chapter being written in God's ongoing mission to reconcile the world to Himself. May we never lose sight of this calling. May we wake from any spiritual slumber to the power of the gospel. And may we strenuously contend, with all of Christ's energy powerfully working within us, to see everyone presented fully mature in Christ.

The mission is clear. The power is available. The question remains: Will we answer the call?