3 Marks of Christian Ministry

I recently was teaching a Sunday School at my local Church on Galatians 4:12-21. It occurred to me as I was studying that Galatians 4:19 gives a wonderful summary of 3 marks of Christian ministry:

My little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!

Galatians 4:19, ESV

In one little verse, Paul lays out the affection inherent to Christian ministry, the suffering that accompanies Christian ministry, and the goal of Christian ministry. I wonder if much of what bears the title of “Christian ministry” actually reflects what Paul describes in Galatians 4:19. I know in my own life, I have found myself involved in “ministry activities” with the wrong heart attitude or the wrong focus. Today, I want to think through what Paul says in this single verse and it’s implications for how you and I “do ministry” in the local Church.

Background

Paul’s words in Galatians 4:19 appear in a unique section of Galatians. Up until this point, Paul has directly addressed the Galatians leaving the true gospel of “justification by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone” to follow a false gospel of “Jesus and circumcision saves.” Paul defended his apostleship to the Church and laid out in chapter 3 that the Old Testament does not teach a salvation by works. Throughout the first three chapters of Galatians, Paul has expressed his astonishment that the “foolish Galatians” could be led astray so quickly from the true Gospel into error.

In chapter 4:12-19, however, Paul’s tone changes. His tone is less harsh and he addresses the Church more personally. I think in these verses you see Paul’s heart towards the Galatian Church which puts the rest of what Paul says in the letter into perspective. It is in this personal section that Paul gives that great summary of the marks of Christian ministry in 4:19. Paul is sharing with the Galatians both the love he has for the Church and the pain he feels that they are listening to false teachers. So, with that context in mind, how does Paul describe his ministry to the Galatians and what the the implications for Christian ministry in general?

First Mark of Christian Ministry: Genuine affection for those you serve

The first statement Paul makes in Galatians 4:19 is “my little children.” This is the only time in the letter that Paul uses this phrase to refer to the Galatian Church. Contained in this little phrase is a profound metaphor for the affection Paul has for the Church. If you are a parent, then you know the unique, special love a father or mother has for his or her child. Even when your child is misbehaving and needs correction and discipline, as a parent you still love them genuinely and deeply. In fact, even your correction is an externalization of the affection you have for your child.

Paul is saying the same thing here. At the time, the Galatians were listening to false teachers that were making Paul out to be their enemy. Yet even then, Paul still views these believers with a deep love. Even though Paul has been correcting the Galatian Church throughout the letter to the Galatians, this verse makes it clear that this correction came from a place of affection, not anger. Just as a parent genuinely wants the best for his or her child, Paul truly cares for the Galatian’s souls and wants the best for them on a spiritual level.

Implication: Do you serve out of a love for others? or do you serve to “get something out of it” for yourself?

What is the implication for you and I? One of the marks of Christian ministry is a true care and genuine affection for the souls of those you serve. True Christian ministry flows out of a love for others. If you serve in ministry, whether that is at Church or in the home or when you parent or when you disciple or when you teach with an attitude of “I am doing this so I can get something out of it” then you are not involved in Christian ministry. Christian ministry is about serving the other person, not so that you can “get something in return.”

Now, certainly as you pour yourself out for others, you will receive spiritual blessings yourself. However, the starting point of Christian ministry is not you wanting or needing something from those you serve. Rather, you start with a genuine love and affection for the other person. And this love, like it did in Paul’s case, can lead to correction and direct conversation that might not be pleasant. But for the one involved in true Christian ministry, love of others, not of self, will dominate all you do.

Second Mark of Christian Ministry: Suffering on behalf of those you serve

Even though Paul starts Galatians 4:19 with a term of affection, the next phrase shows that the kind of love he has for the Galatians is not “easy”. He compares his current ministry as “suffering labor pains.” What a vivid metaphor for ministry! If you talk with any woman who has given birth, I guarantee that they will struggle to find words to describe just how painful labor is. The pain of labor is agony. It is suffering. It has a glorious end, in that a child is brought into the world. But talk to any woman in the middle of labor and I guarantee they will not describe it as a pleasant or enjoyable process.

Paul here is comparing the agony of ministry to the physical agony of childbirth. Paul is not indifferent to the Galatians abandoning him and the true gospel for false teachers and works-based religion. He is in agony because of the Galatian Church’s behavior. He is suffering. And this agony on behalf of the souls of the Galatian Church is something Paul felt for all the Churches he ministered to. In 2 Corinthians when Paul gives a long list of physical sufferings and persecutions he has experienced, at the end of the list he adds “besides this I have a daily concern for all the Churches.”

Implication: Are you willing to suffer personally for the good of another? or will you only serve as long as it doesn’t inconvenience you?

The second of the marks of Christian ministry is a willingness to suffer on a personal level for those you serve. When you are a true Christian minister with a true concern for the souls of those around you, you are going to suffer. You are going to constantly think about the spiritual health of those you serve. You will suffer when a friend you have spent time ministering to betrays you or leaves the faith. When a member of your body falls into sin, you will suffer. As you spend more and more time loving and serving people, you will find there are more opportunities for the very people you serve to cause you the deepest pain.

I think there is a temptation to go into Christian ministry because it seems like a glorious, shiny thing. And it is glorious! But it is glorious in the same way the Cross is glorious: Jesus suffered an unimaginable death for the glorious result of buying a people by His blood. If Jesus’ ministry on this earth involved suffering for the good of His people, why should you and I expect anything different as we seek to serve His people? True Christian ministry is glorious the same way childbirth is glorious. The suffering yields something incredibly beautiful and glorious and valuable. But you can’t reach that glorious goal without going through intense suffering in the present. And so it will be with you if you are engaged in Christian ministry.

Third Mark of Christian Ministry: The goal is the Christlikeness of those you serve

So why would Paul suffer on behalf of the Galatians? What is the goal of these “labor pains?” It is for “Christ to be formed” in the Galatian Church. Paul wants to see Christ’s character matched, mirrored, and imitated in the Galatian Church. This is the goal of suffering in Christian ministry: the sanctification of those you serve. And this really is the key for understating Paul’s entire letter to the Galatians. Paul isn’t trying to get the Galatians to like him. Paul is trying to get them to look like Christ.

This single-minded commitment to the Christlikeness of the Church characterized all of Paul’s ministry. Paul elsewhere said his goal was to teach every man and warn every man “that we might present every man perfect in Christ.” Paul could persevere in a ministry characterized by suffering and personal sacrifice because he understood and grasped the glorious goal of it all: for other people to look more like Christ. Because Paul understood the value, the greatness, the significance of Jesus and His gospel, he understood that seeing other people look like Jesus and saved by that Gospel is worth any personal suffering.

Implication: Is the goal of the Christian ministries you are involved in for the Christlikeness of others? or are you serving for some lesser goal?

The last of the marks of Christian ministry is simply having the right goal. The agony you go through in ministry is for the sanctification of those you serve. For a Christlikeness that is seen not just talked about. If that is not your goal, than whatever activity you find yourself doing, it is not “Christian ministry”. For a ministry to be “Christian” in practice, not just in name, Christ must be the goal and center of everything. If you do a quick look at the New Testament, you will indeed see that Christlikeness is the end goal of all the activities you and I are called to do in all the spheres of our lives:

• Husbands are called to love their wives just as Christ gave Himself up for the Church to sanctify her
• The goal of disciplining and evangelism as described in Matthew 28 is teaching others to observe all that Christ has commanded
• Parents are called to raise their children in the training and admonition of the Lord
• Elders teach their congregations so they are equipped for the work of service

So, the question you must ask of your Church, your family, your small group you are leading, and the person you are discipling is “are they looking more like Jesus?” Do they love Jesus more? Are they delighting in obeying Him? Is Jesus more important to them than whatever they are tempted to idolize? These are much harder questions to answer than “did they like what I said?” or “how many people am I pouring into?” or “how frequently am I leading family worship?” But if you are passionate about Christian ministry, you will be passionate about the Christlikenss of those you serve and you will accept no other measure of success.

Conclusion: Affectionate Affliction for Another’s Sanctification

How can we summarize the three marks of Christian ministry laid out by Paul? I would summarize this verse by saying “True Christian ministry is affectionate affliction for another’s sanctification.” You need all three pieces. You must have a genuine love for the person you are serving, not just a “I love them for what they can do for me” mentality. You must be committed to laboring on through suffering and difficulty. True Christian ministry fights against the world, the flesh, and the devil, so you should expect and prepare for strong resistance. And finally, your goal should always be that whoever you are ministering to becomes more like Jesus.

This is the type of ministry that glorifies God and is according to His will. The Father wants Christ to be the “firstborn of many brethren”, for Jesus to be “all and in all”, for every knee to bow at Christ’s name, and for all things in heaven and on earth to be united in Christ. Therefore, when you labor on for the sanctification of others, no matter how difficult it gets, you have abundant encouragement to persevere. You can endure knowing that you are serving in accordance to God’s will and for the most glorious goal in the universe.

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