Colossians 4:12-13; Acts 13:36

Recurrent Thought

Understand the times and Seasons of Your Life. Recognize and Serve Your Assignment in that Season.

Life is not purposeless. Essentially, God places purposes in the hearts of human beings, which they serve while on earth. Our purpose on earth is usually achieved through various significant life assignments. David fulfilled God’s purposes for his generation before he slept (Acts 13:36).Due to their fallen nature, human beings find it relatively harder to know God’s purposes for their generations. One way is to understand Gods purposes for Your Life is to be clear about the assignment He reveals to you for every season of your life.  

Life Assignments are activities that manifest one’s purpose on earth. Whatever assignments one feels led to do on the earth they always impact human beings. People are always at the center of your assignment. Apostle Paul served with different persons on every apostolic tour. In a way, different persons served their assignments with Paul from tour to tour. The apostolic bands used to move with diverse members.  Although it seemed nothing was achieved while Paul was under house arrest, the People around him never gave up as they served their assignment. 

Serving one’s assignment brings clarity in life. It also allows one to serve in situations that lack personal benefit. Assignments are about the bigger picture of the Kingdom of God. Apostolic members were driven to fulfill Kingdom of God assignments despite the unpopularity of their activities. But how did they do this way? What caused them to go beyond a call of duty? You will notice that to a certain degree, each of them sacrificed their life in order to be a blessing to the Kingdom of God and to Paul. This team was full of people with assignments such as encouraging hearts (4:8); understanding the circumstances of Paul (4:9) and with great compassion brought comfort to him (4:11). These members of the apostolic team worked hard in order that the people they ministered to grew mature and became fully assured of the Will of God (4:12-13). These were champions of faith that supported Paul to greatness. 

In this message, we use a brief Bio of Epaphras’ life and ministry giving us the core values and drivers of Pauline Rope Holders.

Who was Epaphras?

He was originally from Colosse and likely heard and received the Gospel of Jesus Christ when Paul was at Ephesus for three Years. It is believed that from Ephesus he went and planted the church of Colosse, which was his original hometown. It is believed that Epaphras somewhat went to Rome and explained to Apostle Paul about the heresies that attacked the Church. Paul then writes a letter in which he combats these evil teachings in Colosse. Furthermore, as he closes his letter celebrates the values of those around him, including Epaphras, who was believed to have planted the Church. 

This passage expresses to us specific elements of a minister, such as a pastor, a leader, or any community worker who leads others and is weighed by the responsibilities of doing so. Paul indicates that People around him were characterized by the value of being a Servant Leader. Paul describes Tychicus and Epaphras as Faithful Servants of Christ. I believe Paul would have described all of them in the same way. For us to understand this way we must describe what is Servant Leadership and specific Tasks for Kingdom Workers

1. Servant Leading is one Significant Ways of Serving Others
   • Many mistakes Servant Leadership for Soft or Lenient Leadership. Servant Leadership is difficult to describe because many want to see it through the demeanor of a slave. 
   • Servant leadership, in itself a contradiction of terms. Ordinarily, and in many cultures, those who lead do not view themselves as servants of others. 
   • To understand Servant Leadership, we must define leadership. Leadership is influencing others towards a desired goal.  There are many models of Leadership.
   • Jesus provides a model of leadership predicated on service, which ensures that one remains relevant and useful in any culture. 
   • Jesus unequivocally demonstrated that the best way to lead is through serving others “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).”
   • Servant leadership, the Jesus kind, accords an important focus to the practice of leadership. The Jesus-kind of Servant Leadership demonstrates that leaders serve others and are willing to forfeit the rights, and privileges of leadership and can even lay down their lives for the community. 
   • Servant Leadership is characterized by humility without precedence. Servant leaders believe that the community is bigger than their personal goals.
   • Servant leadership is driven by a character of self-denial. It is a form of  leadership service that puts aside privileges and personal gains to embrace sacrifice and humiliation in fulfilling the will of God. 
   • Servant leaders’ motivation to serve others does not depend on what they profit by service, but what the recipient of leadership become thereafter.
   • Servant leadership is serving driven by people’s needs. Jesus was self-driven; yet, it is the plight of humanity that gave meaning to his leadership practice. He declared that he came to seek and serve those who were lost (Luke 10:19). 
   • Jesus showed that this form of servant leadership does not just go the extra mile, neither does it only participate in changing lives but it is willing to die to serve those less privileged.
   • Servant leadership is entrenched in the understanding that it is better to serve others than to be served; serving others first is a higher moral intrinsic ethic. This model epitomizes the best of all leadership models.

Two Specific Kingdom of God Activities for Servants of Christ (Acts 6: 4)

These are the same activities the Apostles decided to hold on to; and insisted that other leaders can take up other responsibilities as the Church expanded

Acts 6:4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 

1. Kingdom of God Leaders Regularly Pray for those under their Assignment (4:12)
   “.  . . always struggling on your behalf in his prayers. . .
   • They fervently and wrestle in prayer for the People under their assignment
   • They Pray for people under their assignment to have the best God has for them;
   • They Pray that people under their assignments grow and mature in the Lord, 
   • They pray that standing complete and perfect in the beauty of God’s plan for your lives.
2. Servant Leaders commit to working hard for the Development of those under their Assignment (4:13)
   • One major way they work for their development is to allow the access the Word of God
   • Maturity in Christianity comes with the wise application of the Word of God in life circumstances;
   • The Word of God is a powerful foundation for the development of People; the Word of God builds up the lives of People. 
   • Paul understood its power and that is why he told the Ephesian Elders that He would  “commend them God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified (Acts 20:32). 
   • A mature person is distinguished by the way they navigate life’s experiences by application of Wisdom.
   • Thus, Servant leaders work hard for the maturity of their community; until they learn to act wisely.
   • They Work hard until their community is assured in all the will of God;
   • Servant leaders turn their Prayer Points into implementation plans. 

Conclusion

Recognize Your assignment for this season. Know that it will be related to People. Commit to praying for them regularly; commit to working hard for their development.

Altar of Prayer

Lord, I pray that I become fully aware of Your assignment for me in this season of my life.

Questions for Discussions 

1. Mention some reasons why we don’t get clarity on life assignments. 
2. How does understanding Your assignment in life help you?