Warning and Teaching Every Man

[Joseph Gill]

Text: Colossians 1:21–28

Central Verse: “Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man, in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” [Colossians 1:28]


Implicit in this lesson text is Paul’s recognition of two stages of development for a human being to become “perfect(ed) in Christ Jesus.” The first, essential element is that one comes to acceptance of “the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached unto every creature which is under heaven”; afterward, one must “continue in the faith grounded and settled,” which is accomplished by learning how to live holily. So every believer that is first a recipient of the preached gospel must afterwards receive godly instruction.

As a point of illustration, we can look at the experience of the first Century church in Antioch. Ironically, Saul of Tarsus was a “founder” of that new church. Believers who were fleeing the persecution that Saul had fomented in Jerusalem traveled north through the Phoenician costal region, to modern Syria, and even across the Mediterranean Sea to the island Cyprus. All along the way they spread the message of Jesus the Messiah. The narrative of Acts 11 centers on Antioch, a center of trade and commerce in Syria, with visitors of every nationality. In short order, the gospel was shared with Greeks as well, and a congregation was established of both Jews and Gentiles.

The church in Antioch had developed organically and independently. Because the leaders in Jerusalem had not played a direct role in planting the church, they were uncertain about its character and doctrine. Therefore, they sent an emissary—Barnabas—to investigate the happenings in Antioch. Barnabas discovered that a genuine outpouring of God’s grace was at work. He rejoiced over the converts’ sincerity and zeal. However, he also recognized that the newborn believers were now in sore need of instruction in righteousness. Barnabas chose to stay in Antioch as a teacher, and sought out Saul to share in this ministry. So, the Great Apostle’s first ministry… before he became an evangelist or preacher… was that of teacher.

Paul is renown for his missionary journeys, and the dedication of his life to expansive evangelism throughout his
known world. But Paul should also be celebrated for his remarkable teaching ministry. He taught at Antioch, he taught during an extended stays in Corinth [Acts 18] and in Ephesus [Acts 19], and he taught the churches he’d founded by epistle for the rest of his life. Indeed, his pivotal contribution to the faith has been his major works of theology (Romans and Galatians come immediately to mind) by which he has taught the body of Christ for two millennia.

At the risk of oversimplification, preaching can be described as evangelizing and exhorting; teaching is a distinct task of the imparting knowledge and facilitating learning. Both ministries are integral to a healthy and growing church. We take a risk overlooking either.

Essential Thought: A successful program of evangelism always necessitates an equally effective teaching ministry.

Questions:

Why can it be said that evangelism and Christian education are both important
to helping men become perfected in Christ?
What did Barnabas recognize was missing from the church in Antioch, and what did he do about it?
Would you describe your own church as stronger in teaching or evangelism
ministries? How could your church develop more balance?

[Hezekiah Ben Israel]

You cannot get real understanding with one verse...

[Joseph Gill]

I stated that the text of the lesson is Colossians 1:21-28. That passage is more than one verse.

[Joseph Gill]

...What do you say is the value of a teacher of God's word?

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