Apostolic Passion by John Polis

Paul reveals the passion of his heart to the Colossians in 1:25-29; this could rightly be called the Apostolic job description.

Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hidden 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: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. Colossians 1:25-29 (KJV)

We can see Paul’s passion in vs.29, where he mentions “labor and striving,” two words that indicate the placement of serious energy from him. The focus of this mighty work was the perfecting of men in the image of God as fully mature sons and daughters according to the pattern son, Christ Jesus. He mentions the exercise of his gifts in vs.28 that are releasing the power of God into people for the intended purpose. First, he is preaching, which is an announcement of the facts of the gospel; second, he is teaching, which is the explanation of the facts that were announced.

When the facts of the gospel are explained, the result is all wisdom and perfection in the believer’s life.

Here is where apostles are continually striving, giving forth all their energy to bring believers into a maturity (perfection) that allows them to demonstrate the ultimate wisdom of God, which He wrought in Christ through His death, burial, and resurrection. The wisdom that “if the princes of this world had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory” (1 Corinthians 2:8). This wisdom includes stripping Satan of all authority, the new creation man is created in Christ, and a restoration of the glory of God to His Temple, which is His Body, the fullness of him that filleth all things. This wisdom results in a new man walking the face of the earth in a lifestyle that mirrors the Man of Galilee as recorded in the Four Gospels. This man is man as he is supposed to be, the image of God in the flesh. Paul saw the potential that the wisdom of God made available to man to rule and reign in this life, and declared with great longing,

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14

Paul intended to lead the way in walking in all God’s wisdom revealed in Christ, which is “apostolic passion.“

Paul had the vision to build great people through his preaching and teaching of the wisdom of God in Christ. Apostles today have an understanding of what God has done for man through Christ; this is part of their apostolic anointing (Ephesians 3:8-10). Apostles understand the story of redemption as it unfolds starting in the Book of Acts, which is a “book of experience,” including the New Birth and Baptism of the Holy Spirit with Gifts. Then into the epistles, which are “letters of explanation” of the experience received in Acts. After the explanation of Acts and the Epistles, we can go back to the Gospels for an “example” of whom we have become through the wisdom of God. In Jesus of Nazareth we see man as he was meant to be, a man in the image of God, The Pattern Son for all the rest. As Apostles, our passion is to step into the shoes of Jesus from the gospels and walk as He walked, leading the people of God into their new life in Christ.

“This blog is taken from Dr John’s book Built Strong”. To obtain your copy of Built Strong click here.

© 2025 John Polis