And Jesus who is called Justus also sends greetings. In terms of Jewish converts, these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.

At the time, from these words of Paul, the number of Jews who are christians may have become smaller than Gentiles. And this may have come as a surprise to some because Jesus was a Jew and preached to Jews and all His apostles were Jews, and he died and rose up in Jerusalem and He is being proclaimed as the messiah that Israel was waiting for.

Paul would later say in another place through his spiritual insight that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles come in (Romans 11:25). And later “all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:26).”

Instead of receiving Jesus, the Jews were a consistent source of persecution for the church and the believers were scattered across the world.

What does that even mean that a partial hardening has happened to the Jews? It is partial because we see that Paul himself was a Jew, so it cannot be total hardening. And here Paul mentions Mark, Justus and Aristarchus as Jewish converts who are also his fellow workers for the kingdom of God.

That they are Jewish converts means in Christ God creates a new plain field, where your heritage from Abraham is not an advantage and your gentile idolatry background is not a disadvantage but all is called to have faith in Christ to be saved, called from darkness into light (1 Peter 2:9), called from slavery to sin to the glorious liberty of the Sons of God (Romans 8:21). The cross is the great leveler, where Paul said all things that were gain to him as a first class Jew, he count it as dung that he may gain Christ (Philippians 3:8). The cross levels the mountain of the Jewish claims to prestige, and the Gentiles valley of being aliens to God (Isaiah 40:4-5).

Back to the partial hardness that happened to the Jews, the issue is that don't bother about it, but don't be arrogant against the Jews and think that because you are better or the Jews are worse that is what makes you God’s, and you denigrate their heritage.

Understand that whatever happens is happening because that is how God has determined it, and just be grateful that you are counted among the beloved and run the race that Christ has set before you. And your response is thanksgiving and praise to God.

Jesus who is called Justus

Maybe the name Jesus was be regarded as special and people who are named that decide to go by another name in honor of Christ.

The Case for the Parachurch ministry

The fellow workers for the kingdom of God also includes Mark. Mark is a fellow worker for the kingdom of God but we do not know clearly what he does.

All these people are not in a particular (local) church system, they are still regarded as fellow workers for the kingdom of God, they are not associated with any local church so to speak. That does not make them less a fellow (of Paul himself) workers for the kingdom of God.

The point I am making is that there has to be a room for the para-church ministries in the body of Christ. That means not replacing the church that meets regularly with defined leaders, but also serving the kingdom of God, in a more cross geographical way, if you will.

The point is that to reject ministry except the ones that is tied to a local church, done within a local church and defined by a local church is wrong, under a local church leadership.

It is wrong to define a minister and ministry as only done within the walls of a church, and that someone is not a valid minister that is not a pastor in one form or the other. It’s a narrow view of the operations of the kingdom of God plain and simple.

Again, Mark was called fellow worker for the kingdom. And what do we know about him? He wrote one of the four gospels. He was not like Timothy that Paul asked to be tied to a church, or Titus. And some are tied to church for a period of time.

There is a lesson we can learn from the words of Jesus. When the disciples said Jesus should stop some people who wee casting out devils in his name, he said they should let them alone because those who are not against them are for them. That is ministry seen as more expansive definition even with Jesus physically here as the clearly defined center of power.

Paul was clearer about the expansive definition of what ministry is. He said there are diversities of ministries but the same Lord (1 Corinthians 12:5). In another place he said that apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers and pastors are supposed to equip the saints for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12), further democratizing what ministry is and who a minister is as covering every Christian.

Obviously not apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers are pastors, but something else; no need for titles. Everyone is a minister, and they do not have to have titles, and the ministry is not constrained to what can be done within a church structure.

I define the apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors and teachers are the specially called ones, but everyone is called to serve one master Jesus. When the definition is ministry or ministers is constrained, we have tension.

Do you understand?