Your Place In The Body - Archippus

Say to Archippus, “Be sure to carry out the ministry the Lord gave you.”

Colossians 4:17

As you go to church on Sunday morning, do you recognize that God has a specific purpose and ministry for you that day? Or do you go merely to sing a few hymns, listen to the pastor’s sermon, and have lunch with your friends and family?

Don’t miss out on the blessings you can receive when you assume your place of service in the body of Christ. The Bible teaches that God has given every believer—including you—a calling to serve in some way and the talents and abilities to serve effectively.

An obscure servant and minister from Colossae named Archippus shows how this works. Though the Bible doesn’t spell out the exact nature of Archippus’s ministry, it was apparently important enough to the apostle Paul that he encouraged the young man to make sure he got the job done.

Paul’s encouragement to Archippus says two important things: First, he didn’t want him to see his ministry as a burden or as something he had to do. Instead, he was to approach it as a special, one-of-a-kind gift from God’s own hand. Second, Archippus was responsible for continuing to put that gift to good use as he served God and his church.

Archippus didn’t have to serve; he got to serve! He enjoyed the privilege of playing his own important role in making the Colossian church the thriving congregation God intended it to be.

God has given you a particular ministry and the gifts it takes to effectively and efficiently carry it out. Do you know what personal ministry he has given you? If so, are you pursuing it with your whole heart?

You may not be called or equipped to be a pastor, missionary, elder, or Sunday school teacher, but God has given you a gift and a calling that you can use to bless others in your church. When you faithfully fulfill your divine calling, you bless others and put yourself in a position to receive God’s greatest blessings.