Our local church lead pastor spoke on the Gospel Compulsion this morning, which have otherwise been entitled A Pastor’s Heart. This passage seems to talk mostly about Paul’s desire for them. But while you could take that as a particularly relational message (which I think it is), it also contains a good deal of content. This isn’t just schmoozing, which at the end of the day means nothing more than we like each other (or I want you to think that I like you, anyway).
This pastor (as do most faithful church planters, I think) has specific desires for the church in question. Paul boasted of their faith which was widely known. He also saw the exchange between them as mutually beneficial, as spiritual gifts are used on both sides for the building of the church. But as well, there is the question of harvest: Paul wants fruit among them, as well as from the other gentiles where he has worked.
These last two points I found interesting, in that people presumed a different audience for each. Fruit obviously refers to ministry to non-believers, and spiritual gifts is toward believers (since he isn’t handing out spiritual gifts, so this must refer to his use of his own for the building of the church…). But I don’t see it that way. As I see it, they each can apply to both. The line “impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you” (v11) Can mean using my gifts for your benefit, but if Paul is evangelizing, then there would be new Christians in the group. As those people come to Christ, they would receive the Holy Spirit (with the gifts of the Holy Spirit) on conversion. In that way, Paul would be a very practical means by which those gifts would come to them, though he is neither their author not direct distributor.
In the same way, we may speak of a “harvest” as new converts, but I hope that we see that there is growth, development, and maturity to be sought after in those who are already Christians –and these can be appropriately viewed as fruit.
So we come back to the pastoral principle that we cannot know the state of another’s heart, so we are bound to treat everyone more or less the same way. We hope for the best, but we pray and preach against the worst. Yes, we must at some point decide who to baptise, let join the church, or receive communion. But we preach the Gospel (to ourselves and others, in season and out) because we all need it, not only for conversion, but also for our daily wellbeing and spiritual health.
6Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
(Colossians 2:6-7 ESV)
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