Colossiens 4:17

And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry.

Often men who were once faithful grow negligent in the ministry.

1. Sometimes from discouragements from their people, either because they profit not, or because they weary their teachers.

2. Sometimes this comes from the corruption of their own natures; they grow soon weary of God’s work, or, having taken more work to do than they are sufficient for, they grow to neglect all; or they are drawn away with the love of the world.

3. Sometimes God Himself for the wickedness of their lives casts a barrenness upon their hearts, and blasteth their gifts. In this exhortation four things may be noted.

I. Who is he that is exhorted? “Say to Archippus.” This teaches us that--

1. The sinner must be told of his sin (Lévitique 19:17).

2. Such as offend publicly must be told of it publicly.

3. Ministers as well as others may be rebuked, though some clergymen are so sore and so proud, that they may not be touched; and many times it is a just judgment of God that no man should rebuke them. No man’s learning or greatness of place can so protect them, but that they may be told of their faults; it is too commonly known they can sin as well as others; why, then, should they not be rebuked as well as others?

4. The people may put their teachers in mind of their faults; as they ought to encourage them in well-doing, so may they admonish them for what is evil.

5. Ministers must be told of their faults by their people with great reverence, and heedfulness, and wisdom, according to that direction: “Rebuke not an elder, but exhort him as a father.”

6. They must say it to him, not say it of him. Ministers ought not to be traduced behind their backs.

7. He doth not threaten him if he do not, which implies he hoped their exhortation would speed; certainly it is a great praise to profit by admonition.

II. The matter charged upon him. “Take heed to thy ministry.” Note--

1. Consideration, a weighing and meditation of the greatness of the function, of the dignity of it, and the duty also, with the accounts he must make to God and His high calling and the great price of souls, etc.

2. Divers of the worthy qualities of a minister, as care, attendance, watchfulness, aptness to teach, and divide the word aright; discretion, to give every one his portion; diligence, gentleness, in not marring the doctrine with passion; patience to endure the work and labour of his ministry, etc.

3. Caution, and so ministers must take heed both of

(1) what is within them of their own divinations, of idleness, of the objections of their own flesh, and the temptations of the devil.

(2) Without them they must take heed of the new errors that will daily rise; of the sins of the people, with all the methods of Satan in devising, committing, or defending of sin, of men’s fancies; and for persons, they must take heed of hypocrites, and open adversaries, domestical vipers, and foreign foes, false brethren, and professed idolaters.

III. The reason by which it is urged. “Which thou hast received in the Lord.”

1. Because it is God’s free grace that he is chosen to be a minister (Romains 5:1).

2. Because he is inwardly called and qualified by God.

3. Because he received his outward authority, though from men, yet by direction and warrant of God’s Word.

4. Because he receives it for the Lord--that is to God’s glory, and the furtherance of His kingdom, over the mystical body of Christ. The use is threefold. First, the people should therefore learn to seek their ministers of God. Secondly, ministers should hence learn not to be proud, for they received their ministry of God; it was His gift, not their deserts; not idle, for they are to do God’s work. Thirdly, ministers may hence gather their own safety notwithstanding the oppositions of the world, that God that called them will perfect them.

IV. To fulfil it.

1. By constancy, holding out in it to the end, to go on, and not look back when they are at plough.

2. By faithful performance of it with a due respect of all the charge they have received of God, thus to fulfil it is to show the people all the counsel of God; it is to rebuke all sorts of sins and sinners; it is faithfully to do every kind of work that belongs to their ministry whether public or private. (N. Byfield.)

The ministry of Archippus

It is probable that Archippus was a young pastor recently appointed to the Church at Laodicea. Already signs of slackened zeal began to appear, which afterwards culminated in the state of lukewarmness for which this Church was denounced (Apocalypse 3:19)

. The condition of preacher and people react upon each other; the Church takes its colour from, and communicates it to its pastor. Hence the apostle, well knowing the perils surrounding the inexperienced Archippus, sends to him this timely warning to take heed to his ministry. He is reminded of--

I. The direct authority of the ministry. “In the Lord.”

II. The implied dangers of the ministry. “Take heed.”

III. The imperative personal demands of the ministry. “That thou fulfil it.” (G. Barlow.)

Archippus and his ministry

A sharp message that, and especially sharp as being sent through others. If this Archippus were a member of the Church at Colossae, it is remarkable that Paul should not have spoken to him directly, as he did to Euodia and Syntyche (Philippiens 4:2)

. But it is by no means certain that he was. He is named in the Epistle to Philemon in such immediate connection with the latter and his wife Apphia, that he has been supposed to be their son. At all events, he was intimately associated with the Church in the house of Philemon, who, as we know, was a Colossian. But, on the other hand, the difficulty referred to, and the fact that the whole section is concerned with Laodicea, points to the conclusion that Archippus, though perhaps a native and even resident at Colossae had his ministry in connection with a neighbouring Church. But what does it matter where he worked? Not very much perhaps; and yet one cannot but read this grave exhortation to a man who was evidently getting languid and negligent, without remembering what we hear about Laodicea and its angel when next we meet it. It is not impossible that Archippus may have received the message more awful than Paul’s. “Because thou art neither hot nor cold,” etc. Be that as it may--

I. Each of us has a ministry, or sphere of service. We may fill it full, with earnest devotion and patient heroism, as some expanding gas fills out the silken round of its containing vessel, or we may breathe into it only enough to occupy a little portion, while all the rest hangs empty and flaccid.

II. A sacred motive enhances the obligation. We have received it “in the Lord.” In union with Him it has been laid upon us. No earthly hand has imposed it, nor does it arise from mere earthly relationships.

III. There must be diligent watchfulness to fulfil our ministry.

1. We have to take heed to our service, reflect upon it, its extent, nature, imperativeness, the manner of discharging it, and the means of fitting us for it. We have to keep it before us. Unless we are absorbed in it, we shall not fulfil it.

2. We have to take heed to ourselves, ever feeling our weakness and the strong antagonisms in our own natures which hinder our dis charge of the plainest and most imperative duties.

3. Let us remember, too, that if we begin, like Archippus, to be a little languid and perfunctory in our work, we may end where the Church at Laodicea ended. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)

The Christian ministry

I. The Christian ministry is a solemn and responsible trust.

1. It is Divine in its bestowal. “Received in the Lord.”

2. It is personal in its responsibility. “Which thou hast received.”

3. It involves the communication of good to others. “Ministry.”

4. It has a special aspect of importance for the individual minister. “The Ministry.”

II. The Christian ministry demands unswerving: fidelity in accomplishing its lofty mission. “That thou fulfil it.”

1. Divine truth must be clearly apprehended and profoundly realized.

2. The whole truth must be declared.

3. The declaration of truth must be full and courageous.

III. The Christian ministry is surrounded by peculiar perils. “Take heed.” A shrewd and ever wakeful vigilance is needed against--

1. The stealthy encroachments of error.

2. The pernicious influences of the world.

3. The subtle temptations to unfaithfulness. (G. Barlow.)

Ministers must look to Christ their Master for direction

At the battle of Lake Erie, when, in the sweeping havoc which was sometimes made, a number of men were shot away from around a gun, the survivors looked silently around to Perry, and then stepped into their places. When he looked at the poor fellows who lay wounded and weltering on the deck, he always found their faces turned towards him, and their eyes fixed on his countenance. In the midst of trials and labours the minister should keep his eyes on the great Leader, Christ.