Fulfill the Ministry the Lord Has Given You

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Scripture • World English Bible

Colossians 4:15–18

WEB

¹⁵Greet the brothers who are in Laodicea, with Nymphas and the assembly that is in his house.

¹⁶When this letter has been read among you, cause it to be read also in the assembly of the Laodiceans, and that you also read the letter from Laodicea.

¹⁷Tell Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you fulfill it.”

¹⁸I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Amen.

World English Bible (WEB) • Public Domain

Reflection

Paul’s final verses are quietly pastoral and intensely practical. He opens with a local greeting—to the brothers who meet in Nymphas’ house—reminding us that Christian faith is lived out in particular gatherings of mutual care. He then instructs the churches to read his letter among themselves and to read the letter from Laodicea; this reciprocal circulation of teaching reinforces pastoral accountability and the shared responsibility of congregations to preserve sound doctrine. His direct charge to Archippus—take heed to the ministry you have received in the Lord, that you fulfill it—frames ministry as a entrusted calling from the Lord that requires vigilance, faithfulness, and perseverance. Paul’s personal signature, his appeal to be remembered in his chains, and the closing benediction, “Grace be with you,” bring the letter to a pastoral close: ministry can be costly, yet it is sustained and finalized by God’s grace.

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Prayer

Lord Jesus, we thank you for the gathered communities and the ways your Word circulates among churches. Give us attentiveness to one another and a willingness to receive and share faithful instruction. Enable those you have called to the work of ministry by your Spirit, equipping them to persevere and to fulfill the ministry they have received from you. Remind us of Paul’s chains and grant solidarity, strength, and compassion for those who suffer for the gospel. Sustain us by your grace. Amen.

Memory Verse

Colossians 4:17 — Tell Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you fulfill it.” (WEB)

“Tell Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you fulfill it.””

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Bible Context

Read all of Colossians 4

Colossians 4

World English Bible • WEB

¹Masters, give to your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

²Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving,

³praying together for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds,

⁴that I may reveal it as I ought to speak.

⁵Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.

⁶Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

⁷All my affairs will be made known to you by Tychicus, the beloved brother, faithful servant, and fellow bondservant in the Lord.

⁸I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that he may know your circumstances and comfort your hearts,

⁹together with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you everything that is going on here.

¹⁰Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you received instructions, “if he comes to you, receive him”),

¹¹and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for God’s Kingdom who are of the circumcision, men who have been a comfort to me.

¹²Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, salutes you, always striving for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

¹³For I testify about him that he has great zeal for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for those in Hierapolis.

¹⁴Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you.