Welcome to Day 2474 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2474 – A Precise Explanation of Ministry – Daily Wisdom Putnam Church Message – 09/29/2024 Jesus Christ, Our Lord – A Precise Explanation of Ministry Colossians 1:24-29 Last week, we continued in the letter of Colossians, explored the great Christ Hymn, and studied the six realms in which Christ is supreme. Today’s passage is Colossians 1:24-29, on page 1832 of your Pew Bibles. We are going to dive into what Christian Ministry really is. I am reading from the NLT. 24 I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church. 25 God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you. 26 This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. 27 For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. 28 So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect[g] in their relationship to Christ. 29 That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me. (Show large knife) If used occasionally, a knife remains sharp and continues to cut with precision. However, when we use a knife regularly, it begins to lose its edge. Words are like that. Certain words are used so frequently that they begin to lose their edge. Their real meanings become blunted by clichés, dulled by familiarity, and rendered ineffective by diminished precision. This is especially true of the word ministry, a word that is tossed around in churches and other Christian contexts. Because of its overuse, the term now conveys a wide variety of meanings, many of which have little, if anything, to do with actual ministry. The same could be said of those who serve as “ministers.” What exactly does it mean to be a “minister”? And what is involved in having a “ministry” in the lives of others? Interestingly, when we think about ministry, we’re often better at pointing out what it’s not supposed to be | than explaining what it should be. For example, we know it’s not supposed to be a commercial enterprise that involves the sale of goods and services. We know it’s not supposed to be an entertainment industry that sells tickets to an eager audience, hoping to get great reviews and boost ratings. And we know it’s not supposed to be an educational institution that charges tuition, offers degrees, or provides on-the-job training to further a person’s career. A ministry should not be a country club, a manufacturing plant, or a war room. We know that much. But how do we define an authentic, healthy ministry? Paul understood his role as God’s servant. He was first and foremost under the authority of the Lord, to whom he had to give an account....