In Colossians 1:28-29 (NET) the apostle Paul sums up the content of his preaching, his methodology, the goal of his preaching, and what he relies on to do it. All that in just two verses. Listen to what he wrote: referring to Christ, “We proclaim him by instructing and teaching all people with all wisdom so that we may present every person mature in Christ. 29 Toward this goal I also labor, struggling according to his power that powerfully works in me.”
Now I’m persuaded that this isn’t just for preachers. Each of us, I believe, is called to live and work precisely as the apostle Paul did. For that matter he calls us to follow his example. Now I grant that by that he didn’t mean that all of us are to do our preaching in the same way he did. But we are to be no less preachers than he was in that our whole lives are to be the means of our proclamation over against simply delivering sermons like some of us are called to do.
So let’s have a look at what these verses mean for all of us.
The content of our life’s sermon is to be Jesus Himself: “We proclaim him.”
Our methodology, however we go about it, is to be God’s wisdom: “instructing and teaching all people with all wisdom.”
Our goal? “so that we may present every person mature in Christ.” In other words, we want everyone whose life we influence to yield their lives to Jesus and follow him in every aspect of their lives.
And how do we get it done? “Toward this goal I also labor, struggling according to his power that powerfully works in me.” We must live entirely dependent on Christ’s power which powerfully works in each of us.
