Four Aspects of Calling in the Life of Apostle Paul
Paul was an imperfect person empowered by God to do his will. As you reflect on four aspects of calling in the life of the Apostle Paul, what comes up for you?
I’m sitting here on Saturday morning reading Colossians 1:24-29. Our church is currently working through Colossians at our Sunday services. I’m reading ahead to get a headstart in listening to the sermon and to have the advanced context to discuss with my family. I’m also thinking about our community group, which will discuss the sermon on Sunday night, and I’m thinking ahead to a retreat I’ll lead next weekend around the topic of calling.
Here is the Apostle Paul, once a hater and persecutor of Jesus and his followers, who had a life-changing encounter with Jesus. He is now the most vocal proponent of Jesus and his message. This passage is about Paul’s calling, but he’s writing it in a letter to the Christians at Colossae so they can think about their calling.
What can we learn about calling as Paul writes about his?
As I read this passage, I see four aspects of calling:
main thing
motivation
means
manner
Let’s look at the passage to see what it says about calling. Here’s the entire passage for context (ESV):
24 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, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
Let’s unpack these four aspects of calling.
Main Thing
The “main thing” is the calling itself. There are different ways to define a calling, and if you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know my concept of calling has changed. Today, I think of a calling as a “special purpose given by God to fulfill his will through the power he provides.”
In verse 29, Paul writes, “that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” By “we,” he’s also referring to Timothy, who is co-writing this letter to the Church at Colossae and on this mission with Paul.
Here’s God's special purpose for Paul and Timothy: to help believers mature in Christ.
Furthermore, this purpose is reiterated in verse 25 when he writes that he became a minister to “make the word of God fully known,” which helps to mature believers in Christ because you can’t mature if you don’t know his word. Thus, Paul’s calling is to help believers to mature in Christ. That’s the point of his life and work.
Motivation
The “motivation” is the cause behind the action. Why is Paul motivated to help believers to mature in Christ? He had to have been really motivated because Paul suffered enormously for his calling. He was often hungry, homeless, imprisoned, poor, persecuted, and alone because of his calling. It was enough to make most of us give up. But Paul didn’t. Why not?
In verse 25, Paul writes that he “became a minister according to the stewardship from God.” When you’re a steward, you’ve been given a trust. Your job is to be faithful to the trust because you’re not an owner but a steward. And be faithful not only to the trust itself but also to the owner. You want to come through for the one trusting you.
I believe that what motivated Paul to stick with his calling when most of us would have given up is Paul knowing his background of persecuting Jesus and his followers, and that he watched in amusement as Stephen was stoned to death for his faith, and that he struck such fear among Christians that when he said he was different, they didn’t believe him, God still made him a minister to speak on his behalf. Paul knew what he had done, but God said, “Now see what I can do through you.”
Means
The “means” are the ways to fulfill the calling. The means are important because it’s one thing to have a calling; it’s another to walk it out. A calling will be shortlived and fizzle if you don’t plan out the means. Over time, the means can change, while your calling may not. Part of being in step with both the culture and the Spirit of God is to adapt the means while remaining steadfast to your calling.
How is Paul going to help believers mature in Christ? In verse 28, Paul writes, “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.”
Here, we see the close connection between Paul’s calling and his means in the same verse. The means ought to be developed in lockstep with the calling, in lockstep with the Spirit, and in lockstep with the culture while considering your own strengths, gifts, personality, opportunities, etc.
In this verse, Paul says his means were to:
proclaim Christ
warn against falsehood
teach with wisdom
Paul was already a great teacher, so his means made sense.
Manner
Finally, “manner” is the attitude or character in which you’ll pursue your calling. What can you expect as you walk it out? As I’ve worked with people who are trying to discover or sharpen their sense of calling, one thing tends to ring true. We expect calling to be easy, like splitting warm butter, fun, like a warm night at the fair, and fulfilling, like watching your kids getting along. Sometimes, it is, but if we look at Paul, most of the time, it is not.
We are mistaken to measure our sense of calling by the ease, fun, and fulfillment it provides. Instead, a better measure is how much of God’s power it requires.
Paul writes in verse 29, “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” For what does Paul toil? His calling.
Paul says that he:
toils
struggles
relies on God’s power
This is not a picture of perpetual enjoyment and ongoing fulfillment, where it is “easy like Sunday morning,” as the song goes. Instead, this picture shows struggle, strife, challenge, difficulty, suffering, and relying on God for his grace.
This is not a picture of individualistic determination where you just put your head down and grind. Instead, this is a picture of calling God for help and receiving power when needed.
This is not a picture of humanistic exceptionalism where you perform amazing feats, and everyone wows at your gifts. Instead, this is a picture of humility where you use your gifts as a steward and thank God when he moves.
In Closing
Paul was faithful to his calling because he knew what it was, how to fulfill it, why he was doing it, and how to approach it. He is an example of an imperfect person empowered by God to do his will. Paul’s feats were great, but God was greater. Paul’s determination was epic, but God’s determination to use the former persecutor was more epic.
As you reflect on four aspects of calling in the life of the Apostle Paul, what comes up for you, your walk with God, and your sense of calling?