Nov 4, 2018
Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:24-29
This passage is a good missions passage because it speaks of making known "how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col 1:27). The 'mystery' spoken of here is that the Jewish Messiah would actually reach out to non-Jewish people and give them the promise of Abraham … the glory of the kingdom of God.
Paul toils with great struggling (Col 1:29) to accomplish the stewardship given to him (Col 1:25), but the power for this task is wholly from God. What may be surprising here is that one of the means by which God accomplishes this mission is the suffering of His people.
Paul is in a Roman prison when he writes Colossians. Colossians 1:24 reveals how Paul views his imprisonment. "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."
What is lacking in the suffering of Christ is not any deficiency in worth. What is lacking is an ongoing visible echo of the sufferings of Christ. In the sufferings of Christians, unbelievers see that which points to the sufferings of Christ. The suffering love of Christ for sinners is seen in the suffering love of His people for sinners. We must be willing to sacrifice for the sake of the gospel of our Lord.