Colossians 1:25 says, “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the economy of God which is given to me for you, to complete the word of God” (Gk.). There is a difference between a preacher and a minister. A preacher preaches doctrine, and a minister ministers Christ. A minister resembles a waitress. A waitress in a restaurant not only gives you a menu but also serves you, that is, ministers food to you. In Greek the word “minister” is the same word as for a serving one. A minister is a serving one who ministers Christ to you.
In this verse Paul said that he became a minister “according to the economy of God.” The King James Version says “according to the dispensation of God.” Although the translation “dispensation” is correct, its meaning has been ruined, for it is commonly understood to refer to a certain age. In its place, we use the word “economy,” the anglicized form of the Greek word. It is difficult, however, for people to understand what this economy is. God has an economy, which is to dispense Himself in Christ into the believers that they may become His members and be built up as His universal Body to express Him. Paul was a serving one ministering Christ to others according to this economy of God.
In the same verse Paul also speaks of completing the word of God. My burden in this message is mainly on this point. The King James Version uses the word “fulfill” in place of “complete,” but that is not the meaning here. Another rendering given in the margin is “fully to preach the word of God.” As we contact people, we must progressively, continually, and gradually preach the word in full. To preach the word fully, or to fully preach the word, is to complete the word. Among so many Christians today, there surely is a great need of this completing of the word. Recently, a magazine stated that in the United States there are fifty million regenerated Christians. How many of them know God’s purpose in saving them? Very few. In Christianity the word of God has been preached, but it has not been preached in full. The preaching of today’s Christianity has not completed the word of God. Thus, there is an urgent need of this completion.
What is the kernel, the central and vital point of God’s gospel? If you would address this question to a hundred Christians, probably not one of them could answer accurately. Consider an almond seed. If there is no kernel within the seed, it means that the seed does not have the life germ. The kernel of any seed is the life germ of that seed. What is the life germ of the gospel we preach? In order to answer this question we must consider verses 26 and 27.
These verses say, “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The word of God that needs completion is this mystery. Christians preach the word of God, but hardly any tell people what God’s mystery is. The word of God preached in His gospel is not about escaping hell and going to heaven; neither is it about peace, joy, and a happy life. As far as the kernel of the gospel is concerned, all this is extraneous. What is the kernel of the word of God? This kernel has been overlooked and neglected to such an extent that in Paul’s time there was the need to complete the word of God. It is the same today. What is the word that needs to be completed? It is “the mystery which hath been hid from the ages and from generations.” This mystery is concealed, hidden. If it were not hidden, it would no longer be a mystery. The mystery concealed from ages and generations is the word of God that must now be completed. This concealed mystery, which has been made manifest to God’s saints, is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The kernel of God’s gospel is Christ in us. The kernel is not Christ Himself; it is Christ in us. If Christ were not in us, He would not be the kernel, for He would still be outside the shell. Heaven is not the shell; we are the shell. When Christ gets into us, He becomes the kernel. Although I have heard the preaching of the gospel for years, I have never heard a message saying that when someone believes in Jesus Christ, He will not only save him, but also come into his spirit and remain there as his life. Most of the preaching in today’s Christianity is not like this. Hence, there is the need of the completion of the word of God.