Request That Polycarp Would Send a Messenger to Antioch
Ignatius requests Polycarp to send a messenger to Antioch to glorify the church's love to God, emphasizing the importance of Christian service and discipleship.
Ignatius of Antioch commends the Church at Antioch for their prayers and peaceful state, expressing his desire to attain God through suffering and become a true disciple of Christ. He urges Polycarp to select a dedicated messenger of God to glorify their love through service in Syria. Ignatius emphasizes that as Christians, they are called to be always ready for God's service, as it is both God's work and theirs when completed, trusting in their preparation for good works through grace.
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Seeing that the Church which is at Antioch in Syria is, as report has informed me, at peace, through your prayers, I also am the more encouraged, resting without anxiety in God, if indeed by means of suffering I may attain to God, so that, through your prayers, I may be found a disciple [of Christ]. It is fitting, O Polycarp, most blessed in God, to assemble a very solemn council, and to elect one whom you greatly love, and know to be a man of activity, who may be designated the messenger of God; and to bestow on him the honour of going into Syria, so that, going into Syria, he may glorify your ever active love to the praise of God.
A Christian has not power over himself, but must always be ready for the service of God.
Now, this work is both God's and yours, when ye shall have completed it. For I trust that, through grace, ye are prepared for every good work pertaining to God. Knowing your energetic love of the truth, I have exhorted you by this brief Epistle.
Sermon Outline
- Introduction
- The Importance of a Messenger
- Conclusion
- The Shared Responsibility of the Work
- The Role of a Messenger
Key Quotes
“A Christian has not power over himself, but must always be ready for the service of God.” — Ignatius of Antioch
“Knowing your energetic love of the truth, I have exhorted you by this brief Epistle.” — Ignatius of Antioch
Application Points
- Christians must always be ready to serve God, even in suffering.
- The church should elect a messenger who embodies the qualities of love, activity, and truth.
- Through prayer and grace, the church can be prepared for every good work.