Date: 19-04-26
Preacher: Ps Henson Lim
Title: Finish the Work
Finish the Work
The biblical references for this morning’s message were taken from John 17:4 and Colossians 4:17.
At the end of this morning’s message, every member of the congregation would have no doubt that the ‘identity’ of Archippus rests squarely on the shoulder of each one of them. A most sober question was also asked of the congregation: Jesus had finished His work on earth; have you finished yours?
Before we get there, Ps Henson shared that most people are somewhat confused by the term ‘ministry’ as they view it in a narrow sense. They think of service in a ministry to be meant only for those who are more spiritual and talented. Thus we tend to disqualify ourselves as we feel we don’t measure up. He therefore preferred the term ‘Kingdom Assignment’ which has a more neutral connotation.
He then shared 4 points on what it means to ‘Finish the Work’.
The first is that such an assignment is ‘received’. According to Ps Henson, since all of us are ‘in the Lord’, then we should also be ‘for the Lord’. If that is the case, when we are assigned work from our Lord, it is like we are assigned work by the King himself. We thus don’t have a choice and we cannot pick what we like and what we don’t. Since it is a personal assignment from God, we need not compete nor compare with others. We should also serve with obedience and not with obligation. God would have provided all resources and there is also not a need to be given any titles before we do the work, for Archippus himself was little known in the Bible. To God, every call is a high call. What we need to know is what our Kingdom Assignment is and if we don’t, then we are to ask God.
Next, if we know our Kingdom Assignment there is a ‘Responsibility’ involved. We will be vigilant and protect it. We will prioritise it and make time for it too. He made a tongue-in-cheek statement when he said that when Paul wrote to Archippus, it was as if he was writing to Singaporeans as we are always so busy. We prefer what is comfortable and not what is complicated. He cautioned that church going on Sundays can be seen as a comfortable thing to do when we perceive that that is all we need to do as believers.
The third point is ‘Reminder’ which involves our community and accountability. Ps Henson said that Paul’s letter to Archippus was read out to the church as a whole and then as a church they are to specifically tell him of his responsibility. This demonstrates the community nature of Kingdom Assignment. It means the community has a role to play and when each member of the community knows his or her assignment, people will help one another to finish the work. The accountability is also at a community level as if one is not aware of his or her Kingdom Assignment, that person has no right to ask others about theirs. We therefore have to start with ourselves.
The final point focuses on the ‘Results’ in faithfulness and fruitfulness. Ps Henson said that the truth is that many have not started their Kingdom Assignment. However, he felt that before a person could start the work, he/she needs to be awakened first. Then there is a need to be aligned with God as better alignment leads to a clearer sense of the assignment. Faithfulness should go hand in glove with the work. The result then will be increased fruitfulness for all.
