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apostle in writing to the Colossians: "Always labouring fervently for you in prayer"
(Col. 4: 12).
Closely allied with this the word translated "labour together" in Phil. 4: 3, where the
original uses the word sunathleo, the latter half of which will be recognized as the origin
of our word "athlete".
Christian service is, therefore, a work, a wearying labour and a conflict. Let us take a
few specimen passages, which will show the usage of these words:--
SERVICE IS WORK.--"As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost
said, Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them"
(Acts 13: 2).
SERVICE IS LABOUR.--"In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours,
in watchings, in fastings" (II Cor. 6: 5).
Every word in this verse speaks of suffering and endurance, harmonizing with the
primary meaning of the word "labour". The same association is found in II Cor. 11: 23:--
"Are they ministers of Christ? . . . . . I am more: in labours more abundant, in stripes
above measures, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft."
The next five verses fill out a list of sufferings that are almost unbelievable--all an
expansion of "ministry", weary labour indeed.
The apostle links together "labour and travail" in II Thess. 3: 8, yet we know that in
all this labour, weary in it though he may have been, he was never weary of it, for as he
wrote to the Thessalonians in the first epistle, his ministry was a "labour of love".
Service is Conflict.--The word agonizomai occurs only seven times in the N.T., and
it may be helpful to see all the references together. We therefore give them without
comment, to avoid occupying too much space:--
"Strive to enter into the strait gate" (Luke 13: 24).
"If My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight" (John 18: 36).
"Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things" (I Cor. 9: 25).
"Wherein I also labour (kopiao) striving according to His working, which worketh in
me mightily" (Col. 1: 29).
"Always labouring fervently for you in prayers" (Col. 4: 12).
"Fight the good fight of faith" (I Tim. 6: 12).
"I have fought a good fight" (II Tim. 4: 7).
To return to the words that most literally mean "labour", namely, kopos and kopiao,
we cannot but rejoice to know that there is provision made for "all that labour and are
heavy laden" in fellowship with One Who knew what it was to be despised and rejected
and yet could at the same time look up to His Father with true submissiveness, and say:
"Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight."