Looking after souls is a work that requires immense skill and intense carefulness. Whether preaching or discipling, or suffering, the minister of a congregation has his work cut out for him by the Lord, who will check over the progress he makes to see how well it matches the design He provided. This was the metaphor William Veitch saw in Paul’s advice to Archippus in Colossians 4:17. In the following excerpt, as a pastor himself, Veitch appeals to his fellow pastors to be constantly conscientious and diligent, listing some of the areas of ministry which require particular heedfulness.

Receiving and fulfilling the ministry

Because heedfulness is necessary in managing the ministerial work in so many ways, all of us who bear this office ought to take heed to our ministry. This is the voice and call of this text to every one of us, and especially with respect to the two things in the latter part of the words.

Did we start rightly?

The first is to take heed how, and from whom, we received this ministry — whether it was from the Lord Jesus Christ or not. Paul speaks of the ministry which Archippus “has received in the Lord” (Col. 4:17). Jesus Christ is the only Lord and Head of the church, and it is His prerogative to set up and send out office-bearers to His church. “And He said unto [Ezekiel], Son of man, I send thee unto the children of Israel” (Ezekiel 2:3), that is, “I who sit upon the sapphire throne,” as you have it in Ezekiel 1:26, “and who have all power in mine hand.” Christ is invested with all power in heaven and in earth (Matt. 28:18), which is why He sends forth office-bearers to all nations.

For this end, we must ensure that we have come in at the right door. For there are some, as Christ tells us, who call themselves shepherds, yet they do not come in at this door, but climb up another way (John 10:1). If we are right ministers of Christ, we must come in at three doors — the door of an internal call of God on the soul, the door of the external call of the people, and the door of a lawful sending and the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

Are we continuing rightly?

The second thing in the latter part of the text, about which we must take special heed, is that once we establish that we have entered by the right door to this great and difficult work, we must take heed to fulfil it. “Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.” Every minister must take heed to fill up aright both the doing part and the suffering part of his ministry, so that the work may not suffer or be blamed on his account.

The apostle was careful about doing this, and sets it as a copy before these Colossians. “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his body’s sake, which is the church” (Col. 1:9).

The metaphor may be taken from a piece of skilful tapestry work, where the person, in “filling up” or completing the design, never puts in a stitch without checking on both sides to see that it is rightly done. They paper it over to keep it pristine, so that they will get the master’s approbation. In the same way, both ministers and Christians should be very careful, both in their doing and their suffering work, that they fill it up with all dexterity, and keep it unspoiled, so that it may be presented with all purity.

Are we both doing and suffering?

For I do believe that God has cut out so much doing and suffering work for His church in the world, and this is divided and subdivided to several societies and persons, every one their part — this much for the church in that age and place of the world, and that much for another age and place of the world. Every person ought to notice what is their particular allotment, so that they may do it both proportionably and commendably, and not be like an ignorant, careless, dirty seamster, to whom a request is made for a beautiful tapestry. They do a head, or a hand, or a leg, and when it comes to be fitted together, it is either not complete, or disproportionable, or spoiled, and so mars the beauty of the whole thing. When the master comes in and sees how unhandsome it is, and blames that person, how ashamed they will be!

With what care, then, should ministers and people who profess to obey God’s commands, and follow the noble example of Christ and His apostles, strive to fill up whatever proportion either of doing or of suffering work is committed to them, so that they will be able to abide the trial of that Day, and not be ashamed!

This is what the Apostle Paul seems to call all the people of God to, both ministers and others, both in this text (Col. 1:17) with respect to the doing part, and in the 24th verse of the 1st chapter as to the suffering part (“I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake”). But alas! This is too little heeded by many.

Areas requiring particular heedfulness

Now, in order that we may discharge our ministerial work well, let me intreat our care as to these four things.

The main responsibilities of ministering

First, let us take care to be well seen in all parts of our work — the doctrine, worship, discipline and government of the church, and the duties relating to these.

The detailed situation of the flock

Secondly, let us be well seen into the cases of our people, so that we may know how to instruct, exhort, reprove and warn them both suitably and seasonably, as to their various cases and conditions.

Consistency between practice and Scripture

Thirdly, in the doing of these things, let us always keep our eye on the right rule, which we are to work and walk by.

Every calling has some rule to work by, which requires some effort to know, or else a person will only bungle his work. Now no calling has a sure rule like the Christian calling, which is why others vary in their methods. The Christian has one standing rule (the Word of God) which is able to make the man of God perfect.

This we must keep to precisely, and must not make the impositions of men, education, custom, example, or antiquity, our rule, or any part of it. The woman of Samaria justifies their worshipping in Mount Gerizim because it was of two hundred years standing (John 4:20). But Christ told her, “Ye worship ye know not what. You have the wills, examples, and traditions of men for the warrant of your worship, but that is neither law nor light nor rule to you, seeing you lack my Word, which is the true standard. Your good intentions will not make the worship which you dote on acceptable to God, or even profitable to you.” For in the estimation of God, all corrupt and false worship carries the character recorded in Hosea 11:12: “Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit.” We should beware of being included in that description, and endeavour to be of the tribe of Judah, which ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints.

Pleading with the Lord for His Spirit

Lastly, if we want to fulfil our ministry aright, let us wrestle much with the Lord for His promised Spirit to teach us all things that concern the discharge of so great an office, to put us and keep us in a right frame for our work, to instruct us by a strong hand both what and how to speak to our people.

Also that He would first make the Word delicious and appealing to our own souls, and then go along with us in dispensing it to others, and seal it on the hearts of the hearers (for the king’s message is best believed and obeyed when it has the king’s seal on it).

Then the people’s faith will not stand in the wisdom of man’s words, but in the power of God. “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit, and of power, that your faith may not stand in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God” (1.Cor. 2:4).

And in the whole of our work, let us chiefly aim at the good of souls, the enlargement of Christ’s kingdom, and the glory of God, from whom, and by whom, and to whom are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen.

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