17 Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.” 18 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. (Colossians 4:17-18)
According to Paul's letter to Philemon (1:2), Archippus was most likely the son of Philemon. Paul exhorts Archippus to "complete the work." This work was the ministry that God gave him. All Christians have a ministry. When we were "born again", we were given spiritual gift(s) by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The strength of any Christian or any church is determined by believers exercising our gifts.
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”
(1 Corinthians 12:4-7)
As Paul points out here, we are given spiritual gifts for the benefit of others. These gifts were not give for us, but when we think they are for us, the outcome can be detrimental to God's purposes.
Every believer - everyone who belongs to Jesus - is indwelled by the person of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9-11), who gives new life to our sin-dead spirits. It is only by His presence that we are “made alive to Him” (Titus 3:4-7).
As Paul clearly states, a spiritual gift is a specific way the Holy Spirit chooses to reveal His presence through the life of an individual believer. Do you know your spiritual gift(s)? It is imperative that you discover it/them and you exercise it/them. In order to help you discover your spiritual gift(s), click this link. https://spiritualgiftstest.com/tests/
When you discover your gift(s), you must then ask the Lord to give you His eyes to see the ministry that awaits you. I have found the following words from Henri Nouwen to be helpful in the ministry God has given me.
"Ministry means the ongoing attempt to put one’s own search for God, with all the moments of pain and joy, despair and hope, at the disposal of those who want to join this search but don’t know how. Therefore, ministry in no way is a privilege. Instead, it is the core of the Christian life. No Christian is a Christian without being a minister. There are many more forms of ministry than the five I have discussed in this book [teaching, preaching, individual pastoral care, organizing and celebrating], which usually fill the daily life of the ordained minister and priest. But whatever form the Christian ministry takes, the basis is always the same: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
But why does a man lay down his life for his friends? There is only one answer to that question: to give new life. All functions of the ministry are life giving. Whether a man teaches, preaches, counsels, plans, or celebrates, his aim is to open new perspectives, to offer new insight, to give new strength, to break through the chains of death and destruction, and to create new life which can be affirmed. In short — to make his weakness creative."
Showing posts with label Colossians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colossians. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
Monday, December 24, 2018
Colossians 4:15-16
15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. 16 After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea. (Colossians 4:15-16)
For at least 250 years the early church met in homes, and when they met they read the Scriptures. Very often we see that the early church met in the homes of the more wealthy women in the city. Such is the case in Colossae.
Here, Paul is encouraging the Colossians to read the letters which were shared among all of the groups of believers in the area. These readings largely formed a great part of their time together, as it does in our churches today. These readings would create much discussion among the believers as these early Christians would learn of the Lord from the Apostle Paul.
You will notice that there is no letter to the church at Laodicea in our New Testament. Many scholars feel that the letter to the Ephesians is this letter to Laodicea, as the Ephesian letter was, in a sense, a letter read by all of the churches in the region.
The first and last of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation are Ephesus and Laodicea respectively, so that the letter to the Ephesians, as we call it, was sent first to Ephesus, then to the other churches on that circuit, and finally ended up at Laodicea. If that is the case then we have not lost anything in that regard.
Let me leave you with this observation: the word of God must be central to our understanding of the world. All things must be evaluated through the lens of God's word. If this happens, we come to understand the words of the Lord Jesus when He said, "It is not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of him. " It is at this point that we come to see that all things are sacred, and we will be known for what we believe rather than what we don not believe.
For at least 250 years the early church met in homes, and when they met they read the Scriptures. Very often we see that the early church met in the homes of the more wealthy women in the city. Such is the case in Colossae.
Here, Paul is encouraging the Colossians to read the letters which were shared among all of the groups of believers in the area. These readings largely formed a great part of their time together, as it does in our churches today. These readings would create much discussion among the believers as these early Christians would learn of the Lord from the Apostle Paul.
You will notice that there is no letter to the church at Laodicea in our New Testament. Many scholars feel that the letter to the Ephesians is this letter to Laodicea, as the Ephesian letter was, in a sense, a letter read by all of the churches in the region.
The first and last of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation are Ephesus and Laodicea respectively, so that the letter to the Ephesians, as we call it, was sent first to Ephesus, then to the other churches on that circuit, and finally ended up at Laodicea. If that is the case then we have not lost anything in that regard.
Let me leave you with this observation: the word of God must be central to our understanding of the world. All things must be evaluated through the lens of God's word. If this happens, we come to understand the words of the Lord Jesus when He said, "It is not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of him. " It is at this point that we come to see that all things are sacred, and we will be known for what we believe rather than what we don not believe.
Sunday, December 23, 2018
Colossians 4:12-14
12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. 13 I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. (Colossians 4:12-14)
The Lord used Epaphras to start the church at Colossae. Here in v.12 Paul tells us Epaphras wrestled in prayer for the Colossian believers. Prayer is a tremendous gift for accessing God's power. To wrestle in prayer is to agonize in conversation with God. No wonder God built His church in Colossae through this man of prayer.
The Greek word the Apostle uses for wrestle is "agōnizomenos' meaning to compete or to strive as in competition. This is no fly by night prayer. No, this is anguishing prayer stimulated by a deep love that is willing to go to the mat for someone. Epaphras was like Jacob in Genesis 32:26 where Jacob prayed: “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” This is the kind of fervency and persistence that needs to characterize our prayers. Jacob was saying, “You can’t make it rough enough for me to stop. I am holding on until You fulfill Your promises.”
The Apostle Paul also mentions Luke. In 2 Timothy, Paul writes, "Only Luke is with me." All the others had left, but Luke remained to the end. To this humble man, we owe both the gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts.
In contrast, Demas is mentioned. He too was from Thessalonica and probably was part of that original band of Paul's disciples. But now, when Paul is in prison and all his disciples are in danger of being arrested, Demas is buckles under the pressure.
Paul says nothing good or bad about him in this letter, but later, in his letter to Timothy, he writes, "Demas has forsaken me having loved this present age, and has gone back to Thessalonica." This young man was one of Paul's closest friends left because he loved the the world more. And, as a result, he abandoned his faith.
Perhaps Demas' problem began with a lack of prayer. One can get so involved in the work of the ministry that he forgets from where the power comes.
In 1865, William Booth, a 36-year-old Englishman founded the Salvation Army, with the intent to evangelize the poor, and literally changed his society with the Salvation message of Christ. He once said, “You must pray with your might... That does not mean saying your prayers, or sitting gazing about in church or chapel, with eyes wide open, while someone else says them for you. It means fervent, effectual, untiring wrestling with God. It means that grappling with Omnipotence, that clinging to Him, following Him about, so to speak, day and night, as the widow did to the unjust judge, with agonizing pleadings and arguments and entreaties, until the answer comes and the end is gained.”
The Lord used Epaphras to start the church at Colossae. Here in v.12 Paul tells us Epaphras wrestled in prayer for the Colossian believers. Prayer is a tremendous gift for accessing God's power. To wrestle in prayer is to agonize in conversation with God. No wonder God built His church in Colossae through this man of prayer.
The Greek word the Apostle uses for wrestle is "agōnizomenos' meaning to compete or to strive as in competition. This is no fly by night prayer. No, this is anguishing prayer stimulated by a deep love that is willing to go to the mat for someone. Epaphras was like Jacob in Genesis 32:26 where Jacob prayed: “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” This is the kind of fervency and persistence that needs to characterize our prayers. Jacob was saying, “You can’t make it rough enough for me to stop. I am holding on until You fulfill Your promises.”
The Apostle Paul also mentions Luke. In 2 Timothy, Paul writes, "Only Luke is with me." All the others had left, but Luke remained to the end. To this humble man, we owe both the gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts.
In contrast, Demas is mentioned. He too was from Thessalonica and probably was part of that original band of Paul's disciples. But now, when Paul is in prison and all his disciples are in danger of being arrested, Demas is buckles under the pressure.
Paul says nothing good or bad about him in this letter, but later, in his letter to Timothy, he writes, "Demas has forsaken me having loved this present age, and has gone back to Thessalonica." This young man was one of Paul's closest friends left because he loved the the world more. And, as a result, he abandoned his faith.
Perhaps Demas' problem began with a lack of prayer. One can get so involved in the work of the ministry that he forgets from where the power comes.
In 1865, William Booth, a 36-year-old Englishman founded the Salvation Army, with the intent to evangelize the poor, and literally changed his society with the Salvation message of Christ. He once said, “You must pray with your might... That does not mean saying your prayers, or sitting gazing about in church or chapel, with eyes wide open, while someone else says them for you. It means fervent, effectual, untiring wrestling with God. It means that grappling with Omnipotence, that clinging to Him, following Him about, so to speak, day and night, as the widow did to the unjust judge, with agonizing pleadings and arguments and entreaties, until the answer comes and the end is gained.”
Saturday, December 22, 2018
Colossians 4:10-11
10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) 11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. (Colossians 4:10-11)
The Apostle Paul is in prison in Rome, and he is not alone. In fact, Paul refers to a "fellow prisoner" named Aristarchus, who had become a Christian while Paul preached in his hometown.
John Mark is also with Paul, which is remarkable, given what had happened in Acts 13. During Paul's first missionary journey, when they arrived at the city of Perga, John Mark became afraid due to the works of a Sorcerer. As a result, John Mark forsook the mission and went back home to Jerusalem.
Then, a few years later, when Paul and Barnabas were ready to embark on their second missionary journey, Barnabas wanted to take John Mark on the journey, but Paul refused to allow him to go along.
Years later, Mark is with Paul in Rome. Somehow he gained Paul's confidence back. This may have been the result of completing the Gospel according to Mark, which he wrote under the guidance of the Apostle Peter. John Mark's story is a great reminder that no one is exempt from failure. It is also a great reminder that with God, failure is not the opposite of success.
We need to rethink our relationship with failure — most notably, how we can embrace it. Failure is a great teacher, it gives us blunt feedback. Failure tells us that we are not wanted. But, failure is a stepping stone to success, and if that success isn’t refined by failures, it’s not going to look that great.
Anyone who has achieved something great will tell you, the road to success, with very few exceptions, is anything but a straight line. And the disasters and disappointments along the way are essential learning opportunities that can help us live with more wisdom.
The Apostle Paul is in prison in Rome, and he is not alone. In fact, Paul refers to a "fellow prisoner" named Aristarchus, who had become a Christian while Paul preached in his hometown.
John Mark is also with Paul, which is remarkable, given what had happened in Acts 13. During Paul's first missionary journey, when they arrived at the city of Perga, John Mark became afraid due to the works of a Sorcerer. As a result, John Mark forsook the mission and went back home to Jerusalem.
Then, a few years later, when Paul and Barnabas were ready to embark on their second missionary journey, Barnabas wanted to take John Mark on the journey, but Paul refused to allow him to go along.
Years later, Mark is with Paul in Rome. Somehow he gained Paul's confidence back. This may have been the result of completing the Gospel according to Mark, which he wrote under the guidance of the Apostle Peter. John Mark's story is a great reminder that no one is exempt from failure. It is also a great reminder that with God, failure is not the opposite of success.
We need to rethink our relationship with failure — most notably, how we can embrace it. Failure is a great teacher, it gives us blunt feedback. Failure tells us that we are not wanted. But, failure is a stepping stone to success, and if that success isn’t refined by failures, it’s not going to look that great.
Anyone who has achieved something great will tell you, the road to success, with very few exceptions, is anything but a straight line. And the disasters and disappointments along the way are essential learning opportunities that can help us live with more wisdom.
Friday, December 21, 2018
Colossians 4:7-9
7 Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. 9 He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here. (Colossians 4:7-9)
Tychicus and Onesimus delivered this letter from Paul in Rome to the church in Colossae. I wonder if they knew what they were carrying. Most often this is the case: when we think that what we are doing isn't significant, only to discover much later that it was monumental.
When I was sixteen years old, John Lennon died. I just so happened to work on the same isle as Joey, who had recently experienced a radical life change as a result of becoming a believer in Christ. The job that I had in M & M grocery store was to fill the shelf with baby food. It was a laborious and long job by God's design. Joey, on the other hand, worked the opposite side of the isle stocking health and beauty aid. The context lent itself to a long conversation which is what happened.
I am positive that Joey had no idea how deep that experience would go into my heart. I have thanked the Lord many times over the last thirty-seven years for that day, for it was that day that my journey toward becoming a follower of Jesus Christ began. We never know the significance of an insignificant moment. Heaven will render much with regard to how the seeming insignificant deserves more investment of our lives.
Tychicus was from Thessalonica. He was one of a group of young men who were trained in the faith by the Apostle Paul. This organic training involved taking people along on journeys and teaching them. It was an intense, personalized training with the apostle Paul himself.
As we learn in the book written to Philemon, Onesimus was a runaway slave from Colossae. Somehow he found his way to Rome and met the Apostle Paul who probably led him to faith in Christ. Yet another story which at the time seemed to be lacking in design but has produced results that are lasting for eternity.
Colossians 4:7-9 accentuates the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man which are likened to two ropes going through two holes in the ceiling and over a pulley above. If one were to support himself by them, he must cling to them both. If one clings only to one and not the other, well, down he goes.
Life is full of seeming contradictions which sometimes cannot be reconciled by the puny human mind. With childlike faith, we cling to both ropes, fully confident that in eternity we will see that both strands of truth are, after all, of one.
Tychicus and Onesimus delivered this letter from Paul in Rome to the church in Colossae. I wonder if they knew what they were carrying. Most often this is the case: when we think that what we are doing isn't significant, only to discover much later that it was monumental.
When I was sixteen years old, John Lennon died. I just so happened to work on the same isle as Joey, who had recently experienced a radical life change as a result of becoming a believer in Christ. The job that I had in M & M grocery store was to fill the shelf with baby food. It was a laborious and long job by God's design. Joey, on the other hand, worked the opposite side of the isle stocking health and beauty aid. The context lent itself to a long conversation which is what happened.
I am positive that Joey had no idea how deep that experience would go into my heart. I have thanked the Lord many times over the last thirty-seven years for that day, for it was that day that my journey toward becoming a follower of Jesus Christ began. We never know the significance of an insignificant moment. Heaven will render much with regard to how the seeming insignificant deserves more investment of our lives.
Tychicus was from Thessalonica. He was one of a group of young men who were trained in the faith by the Apostle Paul. This organic training involved taking people along on journeys and teaching them. It was an intense, personalized training with the apostle Paul himself.
As we learn in the book written to Philemon, Onesimus was a runaway slave from Colossae. Somehow he found his way to Rome and met the Apostle Paul who probably led him to faith in Christ. Yet another story which at the time seemed to be lacking in design but has produced results that are lasting for eternity.
Colossians 4:7-9 accentuates the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man which are likened to two ropes going through two holes in the ceiling and over a pulley above. If one were to support himself by them, he must cling to them both. If one clings only to one and not the other, well, down he goes.
Life is full of seeming contradictions which sometimes cannot be reconciled by the puny human mind. With childlike faith, we cling to both ropes, fully confident that in eternity we will see that both strands of truth are, after all, of one.
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Colossians 4:5-6
5 Be wise in the way you act with people who are not believers, making the most of every opportunity. 6 When you talk, you should always be kind and pleasant so you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should. (Colossians 4:5-6)
The Apostle Paul gives us some wisdom on how we can be effective in reaching out with the Gospel to our communities. The first bit of wisdom that the Apostle gives us is "Be wise." The word Paul uses here is "sophia" in the Greek. Used six times in Colossians (1:9, 28; 2:3, 23; 3:16; 4:5), it is clearly a key word in the book.
Sophia provides the Lord's solution for problem-solving. It solves basic human challenges by applying God's solutions from His word. Like faith, wisdom is a gift from the Lord for all who cry out to Him for it. It is the product of walking with the Lord through the troubles of life, thus garnering His angle about our challenges. Sophia is the art of forming the correct plan to gain the desired results.
The word used here for "walk" is "peripateite" which is a compound verb, composed of the preposition peri, “around" and the verb pateo, “to walk.” Used 97 times in the New Testament, it literally means to walk around. It describes every single activity that we participate in every day life. The picture is that of someone following the Lord in the ups and downs of life, being positioned to share the garnered wisdom with others who face like trials.
Walking is purposeful. When we walk, we're advancing toward something. The main part of his instruction here is focused on the way we interact with our friends who do not have a relationship with the Lord. The NIV renders v.6 like this: "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt." Salty Grace is the concept that Paul is sharing. It’s friendly, forgiving and winsome. It is a disposition on life that causes others to thirst to have.
I love the end of v.6: "so you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should." When we experience God's grace, we will be able to authentically share what we have experienced with Him with others. And they will see it as real.
Otherwise, we make Christianity about the veneers of the Christian life. The veneers are the non-essentials the Bible doesn't declare in a black and white way. If the Bible is unclear as to what a Christian should believe about a particular subject, we consider that non-essential.
The emphasis here is not on having all the answers. No one has all the answers. The point here is that we are connecting with someone in relationship. If we are answering someone, that means that we've listened to them.
Answering means we start with listening to them. Few people really listen. A lot of people ask questions, and then move on. We don’t even wait for the answer.
Answering begins with listening, listening to people who have some things to say.
I love the progression in Colossians. It starts with a correct view of Christ, then what it means to walk with Him, then what it looks like to be part of a community, and then how does it look in our homes. Then, we’re instructed to pray for opportunities and how to love on people with the good news.
Thomas Merton once said, "The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them."
The Apostle Paul gives us some wisdom on how we can be effective in reaching out with the Gospel to our communities. The first bit of wisdom that the Apostle gives us is "Be wise." The word Paul uses here is "sophia" in the Greek. Used six times in Colossians (1:9, 28; 2:3, 23; 3:16; 4:5), it is clearly a key word in the book.
Sophia provides the Lord's solution for problem-solving. It solves basic human challenges by applying God's solutions from His word. Like faith, wisdom is a gift from the Lord for all who cry out to Him for it. It is the product of walking with the Lord through the troubles of life, thus garnering His angle about our challenges. Sophia is the art of forming the correct plan to gain the desired results.
The word used here for "walk" is "peripateite" which is a compound verb, composed of the preposition peri, “around" and the verb pateo, “to walk.” Used 97 times in the New Testament, it literally means to walk around. It describes every single activity that we participate in every day life. The picture is that of someone following the Lord in the ups and downs of life, being positioned to share the garnered wisdom with others who face like trials.
Walking is purposeful. When we walk, we're advancing toward something. The main part of his instruction here is focused on the way we interact with our friends who do not have a relationship with the Lord. The NIV renders v.6 like this: "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt." Salty Grace is the concept that Paul is sharing. It’s friendly, forgiving and winsome. It is a disposition on life that causes others to thirst to have.
I love the end of v.6: "so you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should." When we experience God's grace, we will be able to authentically share what we have experienced with Him with others. And they will see it as real.
Otherwise, we make Christianity about the veneers of the Christian life. The veneers are the non-essentials the Bible doesn't declare in a black and white way. If the Bible is unclear as to what a Christian should believe about a particular subject, we consider that non-essential.
The emphasis here is not on having all the answers. No one has all the answers. The point here is that we are connecting with someone in relationship. If we are answering someone, that means that we've listened to them.
Answering means we start with listening to them. Few people really listen. A lot of people ask questions, and then move on. We don’t even wait for the answer.
Answering begins with listening, listening to people who have some things to say.
I love the progression in Colossians. It starts with a correct view of Christ, then what it means to walk with Him, then what it looks like to be part of a community, and then how does it look in our homes. Then, we’re instructed to pray for opportunities and how to love on people with the good news.
Thomas Merton once said, "The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them."
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Colossians 4:3-4
3 Also pray for us that God will give us an opportunity to tell people his message. Pray that we can preach the secret that God has made known about Christ. This is why I am in prison. 4 Pray that I can speak in a way that will make it clear, as I should. (Colossians 4:3-4)
Paul asks the Colossians to pray that God would provide opportunities for sharing the Gospel. I find it quite instructive that he requests the opportunity. He doesn't pray that those he is ministering to would believe or understand the message.
Paul sees his job as explaining the unexplainable, and making the eternal known to the temporal. He asks that he can be faithful to the call of proclaiming the mystery of the Gospel.
Paul sees his job as explaining the unexplainable, and making the eternal known to the temporal. He asks that he can be faithful to the call of proclaiming the mystery of the Gospel.
This underscores the fact only God can change hearts. He is the one who actually changed hearts. The role we played was to give up to His sovereign care.
God gives us opportunities and we make the best of them. We don’t create these opportunities. We can’t make people believe the Gospel. We can’t change anyone’s heart. Heck, we can't even change our own hearts.
Don't you find it interesting that Paul sees the purpose for his imprisonment was that he would be able to share the Gospel with his hearers? Since he was shackled to a Roman soldier, he had a captive audience.
Oh, to get to that place where I view all things as from the Lord. Whether good or bad, everything has purpose to and for the Lord. And, His purposes are the best.
I remember when my wife of nine years told me that she needed to donate her kidney to her youngest sister. I demanded that her middle sister give the kidney. I later learned she would have kidney issues of her own. It was a must that my wife give her youngest sister one of her kidneys.
That was twenty-one years ago. Although I couldn't see it then, there were many purposes to all of that madness. My wife's middle sister would have been in a world of hurt, not to mention the youngest sister, because she would later need a kidney transplant of her own.
Through all of that which took place in 1997, I saw that the Lord sees and knows the big picture; I do not. I discovered it is best to leave it all, the good and the bad, up to Him. Trusting that it all has purpose. My responsibility is to walk through the doors He opens, and as clearly as possible, proclaim the mystery that I've come to understand.
Don't you find it interesting that Paul sees the purpose for his imprisonment was that he would be able to share the Gospel with his hearers? Since he was shackled to a Roman soldier, he had a captive audience.
Oh, to get to that place where I view all things as from the Lord. Whether good or bad, everything has purpose to and for the Lord. And, His purposes are the best.
I remember when my wife of nine years told me that she needed to donate her kidney to her youngest sister. I demanded that her middle sister give the kidney. I later learned she would have kidney issues of her own. It was a must that my wife give her youngest sister one of her kidneys.
That was twenty-one years ago. Although I couldn't see it then, there were many purposes to all of that madness. My wife's middle sister would have been in a world of hurt, not to mention the youngest sister, because she would later need a kidney transplant of her own.
Through all of that which took place in 1997, I saw that the Lord sees and knows the big picture; I do not. I discovered it is best to leave it all, the good and the bad, up to Him. Trusting that it all has purpose. My responsibility is to walk through the doors He opens, and as clearly as possible, proclaim the mystery that I've come to understand.
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Colossians 4:2 (2)
Continue praying, keeping alert, and always thanking God. (Colossians 4:2)
In this one verse, we see a formula which aids in our spiritual maturity.
Continual prayer + remaining alert + giving thanks creates an incubator effect in the believer who is maturing spiritually.
Continual prayer is practicing God's presence on a daily basis, it is not about our performance or garnering God's attention. It is hard work to practice God's presence continually, but if we see it as an utter necessity, we will develop this habit more and more as we walk with the Lord.
Maintaining healthy fellowship with anyone requires communication. It is a determined mindset that causes us to be "on line" with one another. And, it is no different with God. Being "on line" with the Lord is a conscious decision that we make every day.
The heart attitude of praying without ceasing is an ever-open heart to the Lord’s presence. And, when we exercise His presence through an unending type of prayer, we position ourselves to experience, in a greater degree, the life Jesus died to give us. The Bible calls it "eternal life", life with the touch of eternity upon it.
The second part of this formula is "keeping alert" which is "gregorao" in the Greek. Gregorao means to be cautious, give attention and to be on guard. Most think this admonition is here to alert us to the enemies presence. It is not. We are to be alert to Jesus' presence and activity in our lives.
My wife and I recently rescued a dog. Today, I took her for a ride. I noticed that when I got out of the car to put gas in the tank, this little dog did not take her eyes of me. She ran from one side of the car to the other just so she could keep her eyes on me. It was at that point that I remembered this verse. It could read "keep your eyes on me."
Finally, the third part to this formula is "always thanking God." It is natural that Paul would remind us to be thankful in light of the activity of God in our lives.
I have discovered along my journey the more I choose to be thankful, the more I have to make me more thankful. When I foster grateful heart, I am discovering that my hearts is often like a magnet sweeping over my day, collecting reasons for which I am grateful.
In this one verse, we see a formula which aids in our spiritual maturity.
Continual prayer + remaining alert + giving thanks creates an incubator effect in the believer who is maturing spiritually.
“Christianity is not about learning how to live within the lines; Christianity is about the joy of coloring.” (Yaconelli)
Continual prayer is practicing God's presence on a daily basis, it is not about our performance or garnering God's attention. It is hard work to practice God's presence continually, but if we see it as an utter necessity, we will develop this habit more and more as we walk with the Lord.
Maintaining healthy fellowship with anyone requires communication. It is a determined mindset that causes us to be "on line" with one another. And, it is no different with God. Being "on line" with the Lord is a conscious decision that we make every day.
The heart attitude of praying without ceasing is an ever-open heart to the Lord’s presence. And, when we exercise His presence through an unending type of prayer, we position ourselves to experience, in a greater degree, the life Jesus died to give us. The Bible calls it "eternal life", life with the touch of eternity upon it.
The second part of this formula is "keeping alert" which is "gregorao" in the Greek. Gregorao means to be cautious, give attention and to be on guard. Most think this admonition is here to alert us to the enemies presence. It is not. We are to be alert to Jesus' presence and activity in our lives.
My wife and I recently rescued a dog. Today, I took her for a ride. I noticed that when I got out of the car to put gas in the tank, this little dog did not take her eyes of me. She ran from one side of the car to the other just so she could keep her eyes on me. It was at that point that I remembered this verse. It could read "keep your eyes on me."
Finally, the third part to this formula is "always thanking God." It is natural that Paul would remind us to be thankful in light of the activity of God in our lives.
I have discovered along my journey the more I choose to be thankful, the more I have to make me more thankful. When I foster grateful heart, I am discovering that my hearts is often like a magnet sweeping over my day, collecting reasons for which I am grateful.
Monday, December 17, 2018
Colossians 4:2
Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. (Colossians 4:2)
The goal of Paul in the book of Colossians is the spiritual maturity of his readers. "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27) is the primary means of accomplishing this goal. The secret to the Christian life is Jesus Christ living His life in us, to us, and through us.
In Colossians 4:2, Paul introduces prayer which is one of the three essentials believers have to advance our spiritual maturity. This phrase "devote yourselves" occurs six times in the New Testament with regard to prayer.
Prayer is one of the few things in this word, in addition to the Holy Spirit and the word of God that bridges the gap to enable the believer to connect the physical world to the metaphysical world.
Philip Yancey writes, "For me, prayer is not so much me setting out a shopping list of requests for God to consider as it is a way of 'keeping company with God."
It is God's will that we pray to Him, therefore, Paul encourages us to devote ourselves to prayer. "Devote" or "proskartepeite" in the Greek, literally means "to join." Prayer is simply joining God as we go through life on earth. It is not meditation or passive reflection; it is talking to God. It is just like talking with our best friend. It is the communing of the human soul with the one who created that soul.
God loves it when we ask Him for things. In fact, in Proverbs 15:8 we read, "The prayer of the upright is His delight." In Isaiah 65:24 we read, "It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear." But, if prayer is merely asking of God things, we have missed the essence of prayer.
Prayer is the primary way for the believer in Jesus Christ to communicate his emotions and desires with God and to fellowship with God. Prayer is essential for every aspect of our lives.
Prayer should be something that we are deeply committed to, not an every now and then exercise that captures our attention, but a life-giving necessity for our truest selves.
Tomorrow, we will continue in this discussion of the essential nature of prayer and its role in our spiritual maturation, but let me lead you with this idea: Prayer is for the prodigals, the imperfect. And when we are honest with God as we listen and talk with Him, we will advance in our spiritual maturity. The problem is what does spiritual maturity look like? Spiritual maturity is being comfortable with the uncomfortable.
In Colossians 4:2, Paul introduces prayer which is one of the three essentials believers have to advance our spiritual maturity. This phrase "devote yourselves" occurs six times in the New Testament with regard to prayer.
Prayer is one of the few things in this word, in addition to the Holy Spirit and the word of God that bridges the gap to enable the believer to connect the physical world to the metaphysical world.
Philip Yancey writes, "For me, prayer is not so much me setting out a shopping list of requests for God to consider as it is a way of 'keeping company with God."
It is God's will that we pray to Him, therefore, Paul encourages us to devote ourselves to prayer. "Devote" or "proskartepeite" in the Greek, literally means "to join." Prayer is simply joining God as we go through life on earth. It is not meditation or passive reflection; it is talking to God. It is just like talking with our best friend. It is the communing of the human soul with the one who created that soul.
God loves it when we ask Him for things. In fact, in Proverbs 15:8 we read, "The prayer of the upright is His delight." In Isaiah 65:24 we read, "It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear." But, if prayer is merely asking of God things, we have missed the essence of prayer.
Prayer is the primary way for the believer in Jesus Christ to communicate his emotions and desires with God and to fellowship with God. Prayer is essential for every aspect of our lives.
Prayer should be something that we are deeply committed to, not an every now and then exercise that captures our attention, but a life-giving necessity for our truest selves.
Tomorrow, we will continue in this discussion of the essential nature of prayer and its role in our spiritual maturation, but let me lead you with this idea: Prayer is for the prodigals, the imperfect. And when we are honest with God as we listen and talk with Him, we will advance in our spiritual maturity. The problem is what does spiritual maturity look like? Spiritual maturity is being comfortable with the uncomfortable.
Sunday, December 16, 2018
Colossians 3:22-4:1
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism. Masters, be just and fair to your slaves. Remember that you also have a Master—in heaven.(Colossians 3:22-4:1)
The wisdom given to slaves is the same as the wisdom given to children in v.20. In biblical days, slaves were those who willfully entered into a contract with someone for whom one renders a service. It was much like an employee/employer relationship.
When we work for our employer, we’re actually working for the Lord, making our work an act of worship. Our work should be as if we were doing the job for the Lord Himself.
God's wisdom to wives includes to do what is “proper in the Lord.” The wisdom to Children includes to do what is “pleasing to the Lord.” Slaves and masters are taught to do according to the character Christ.
When Christ is at the center of all of our relationships, we will become better husbands, better fathers, and better employees. Embracing the wisdom of the Lord will enable us to relate better in all of these contexts.
God He gave us wives so that we could love Christ more. He gave us children so that we could know the love of a Father in a different way. He gives us a boss, so I can understand Him as Lord.
The key to spiritual maturity is knowing God the Father through his Son Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. And, He has given us relationships here on earth in order to help us along in our relationship with Him. Each of these relationships has something to do with our relationship with Christ.
Everything comes together in the end. Our focus is to keep Christ at the center of it all. He is the one who keeps things working as He created it to. It is not about being a better wife, a better son or daughter, a better husband or a better employee. No, it is about knowing the Lord better and learning to think His thoughts and walk in His wisdom.
The wisdom given to slaves is the same as the wisdom given to children in v.20. In biblical days, slaves were those who willfully entered into a contract with someone for whom one renders a service. It was much like an employee/employer relationship.
When we work for our employer, we’re actually working for the Lord, making our work an act of worship. Our work should be as if we were doing the job for the Lord Himself.
God's wisdom to wives includes to do what is “proper in the Lord.” The wisdom to Children includes to do what is “pleasing to the Lord.” Slaves and masters are taught to do according to the character Christ.
When Christ is at the center of all of our relationships, we will become better husbands, better fathers, and better employees. Embracing the wisdom of the Lord will enable us to relate better in all of these contexts.
God He gave us wives so that we could love Christ more. He gave us children so that we could know the love of a Father in a different way. He gives us a boss, so I can understand Him as Lord.
The key to spiritual maturity is knowing God the Father through his Son Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. And, He has given us relationships here on earth in order to help us along in our relationship with Him. Each of these relationships has something to do with our relationship with Christ.
Everything comes together in the end. Our focus is to keep Christ at the center of it all. He is the one who keeps things working as He created it to. It is not about being a better wife, a better son or daughter, a better husband or a better employee. No, it is about knowing the Lord better and learning to think His thoughts and walk in His wisdom.
Saturday, December 15, 2018
Colossians 3:20-21
20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. (Colossians 3:20-21)
The expectation of children in our culture today is to succeed at school by making good grades. But, the instruction from God for children is to learn to relate well with others.
For children, the most defining human relationship is with their fathers. This is why God begins with that relationship for children. And God commands children to obey their fathers. In fact, God commands obedience in everything.
Disobedience results in disrespect, not only toward our fathers but in all relationships with authority figures, even ourselves. In fact, it is this disrespect that erodes the posture in our yielded lives that allows us to receive from the God the security that is needed to mature us in all ways.
God provides this instruction for children so that the infrastructure will be developed so that the children will respect all authority for the rest of their lives. Much of our success in life emanates from this development of respect for authority.
God tells fathers do not “embitter" your children which means do not "provoke your children to anger.” As seen in Ephesians 6:4, fathers provoke our children to anger when we do not train them up in the ways of the Lord. We train our children best when we encourage the default mode that God placed in all of our hearts. This default mode is the ways of the Lord.
The word "train" in Ephesians 6:4 borrows from the practice of the Old Testament midwife. After delivering the baby, the midwife would dip her finger in a jar of date juice followed by sticking that finger in the newborn's mouth. They did this to create a desire in the newborn to want to suck. As a result, their children will benefit in all their other relationships. This
Children long for guidance and involvement with their fathers, not for a superficial relationship. The lack of such guidance and involvement will most often create a deep-seated, sometimes lifelong feeling of resentment. They will also become discouraged from the ways of God.
The primary characteristic of all of these relationships is respect. When a husband loves his wife, he respects her. When a wife submits to her loving husband, it is respect. When children obey their fathers, they are respecting them.
The expectation of children in our culture today is to succeed at school by making good grades. But, the instruction from God for children is to learn to relate well with others.
For children, the most defining human relationship is with their fathers. This is why God begins with that relationship for children. And God commands children to obey their fathers. In fact, God commands obedience in everything.
Disobedience results in disrespect, not only toward our fathers but in all relationships with authority figures, even ourselves. In fact, it is this disrespect that erodes the posture in our yielded lives that allows us to receive from the God the security that is needed to mature us in all ways.
God provides this instruction for children so that the infrastructure will be developed so that the children will respect all authority for the rest of their lives. Much of our success in life emanates from this development of respect for authority.
God tells fathers do not “embitter" your children which means do not "provoke your children to anger.” As seen in Ephesians 6:4, fathers provoke our children to anger when we do not train them up in the ways of the Lord. We train our children best when we encourage the default mode that God placed in all of our hearts. This default mode is the ways of the Lord.
The word "train" in Ephesians 6:4 borrows from the practice of the Old Testament midwife. After delivering the baby, the midwife would dip her finger in a jar of date juice followed by sticking that finger in the newborn's mouth. They did this to create a desire in the newborn to want to suck. As a result, their children will benefit in all their other relationships. This
Children long for guidance and involvement with their fathers, not for a superficial relationship. The lack of such guidance and involvement will most often create a deep-seated, sometimes lifelong feeling of resentment. They will also become discouraged from the ways of God.
The primary characteristic of all of these relationships is respect. When a husband loves his wife, he respects her. When a wife submits to her loving husband, it is respect. When children obey their fathers, they are respecting them.
Friday, December 14, 2018
Colossians 3:18-19
18 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. (Colossians 3:18-19)
The Apostle Paul now provides wisdom for the family. This makes sense since the strength of any group, be it a church or a society, is dependent upon the strength of the family.
In any context there must be an authority structure, and there must be an order to that authority. Everyone plays a role in order for the goals to be accomplished. No role is less important than the next, they're just different roles and are necessary.
In v.18 God gives to the wife the role of supporting her husband. And, if the wife does not support her husband, recognizing his leadership role, there will be chaos in the home.
To the wife, God says, "submit to your husband." "Submit" means "to line up under someone." Of course, a husband who is fulfilling his God-given responsibility toward his wife will not have a wife who chooses not to submit to his leadership.
Now, it is not the husband's responsibility to make his wife submit. It must be voluntary, thus it is right in the sight of God.
Paul, in v.19, follows with a command to husbands. The husband is to love his wife. He uses the word "agape" which is the type of love which chooses to love with no ulterior motive in mind. This is an unconditional love which cannot be altered, even if the wife is not submitting.
Loving leadership is that which the godly husband wants to provide for his family. Of course, it is a product of all that the Apostle has been teaching us in all the verses before in the book. As with any relationship, the husband's love for his wife is most largely dependent on his walk with the Lord.
Not being harsh is a part of what loving one's wife looks like. Of course, resentment is of our flesh, our sinful desires, and often expresses itself in sarcasm toward our wives.
Women are wired differently than men. This is why Paul instructs the husband to resist criticism and sarcasm. These also are expressions of the flesh.
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Colossians 3:15-17
15 Let the peace of Christ have power over your hearts. You were chosen as a part of His body. Always be thankful. 16 Let the teaching of Christ and His words keep on living in you. These make your lives rich and full of wisdom. Keep on teaching and helping each other. Sing the Songs of David and the church songs and the songs of heaven with hearts full of thanks to God. 17 Whatever you say or do, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus. Give thanks to God the Father through the Lord Jesus. (Colossians 3:15-17)
"Let the peace of Christ have power over your hearts" is not used any where else in the New Testament. There are scriptures that mention the “peace of God” and the “peace of the Lord,” but this is the only reference to the“peace of Christ.”
A careful study of peace in the scriptures renders an understanding that it is about two entities who once were at war but now have come together as one. This is what forgiveness renders. When we clothe ourselves with all of these God-given traits, the peace of Christ rules in our hearts.
Gratitude plays an important role in this arena where peace rules. In v.15, Paul uses the word "eucharistoi" translated "thankful." This word gives us our English word "eucharist" which is the celebration of God's forgiveness of us through the cross of Christ. It is the intense love of Christ demonstrated at the cross that creates eucharist or thanksgiving in the heart of the believer.
Note that it is in believers' hearts that this activity takes place. Not in our minds, not in our spirit, not on our soul. It happens in our hearts, the deepest and most vulnerable part of our being. I think of Brennan Manning's quote, “How glorious the splendor of a human heart that trusts that it is loved!”
We must remember spiritual maturity is not about being repaired; it is about God being present in the everydayness of our lives. He is among the good and the bad that we are. And, He is training us to yield to Him as He works in all these traits that have their origin in Him.
Paul then writes “Let the teaching of Christ and His words keep on living in you.” Again, we have a unique phrase that we don’t see anywhere else in the New Testament; the “teaching of Christ.”
As the teaching of Christ dwells in us and defines us, we are positioned to help each other by His wisdom. And, if we are not being taught by Him, we will lack the very content that we need to be a blessing to others.
In v.16, we see one way that we help others with that which the Lord is teaching us; putting the teaching to music. And when we sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, we are being given a way of allowing the word of Christ to dwell in and among us.
In v.17 the Apostle implores us to do whatever we do in the name of the Lord. Each day as we go about our normal routines, there should be no divide between our "sacred" lives and our “secular” lives.
We spend so much time trying to figure out what we should do; the reality is that God is far more interested in how we do it. We shouldn't be overly worried about what we do, as we should about how we do it. Our main responsibility is to invite Him into the details of our lives.
"Let the peace of Christ have power over your hearts" is not used any where else in the New Testament. There are scriptures that mention the “peace of God” and the “peace of the Lord,” but this is the only reference to the“peace of Christ.”
A careful study of peace in the scriptures renders an understanding that it is about two entities who once were at war but now have come together as one. This is what forgiveness renders. When we clothe ourselves with all of these God-given traits, the peace of Christ rules in our hearts.
Gratitude plays an important role in this arena where peace rules. In v.15, Paul uses the word "eucharistoi" translated "thankful." This word gives us our English word "eucharist" which is the celebration of God's forgiveness of us through the cross of Christ. It is the intense love of Christ demonstrated at the cross that creates eucharist or thanksgiving in the heart of the believer.
Note that it is in believers' hearts that this activity takes place. Not in our minds, not in our spirit, not on our soul. It happens in our hearts, the deepest and most vulnerable part of our being. I think of Brennan Manning's quote, “How glorious the splendor of a human heart that trusts that it is loved!”
We must remember spiritual maturity is not about being repaired; it is about God being present in the everydayness of our lives. He is among the good and the bad that we are. And, He is training us to yield to Him as He works in all these traits that have their origin in Him.
Paul then writes “Let the teaching of Christ and His words keep on living in you.” Again, we have a unique phrase that we don’t see anywhere else in the New Testament; the “teaching of Christ.”
As the teaching of Christ dwells in us and defines us, we are positioned to help each other by His wisdom. And, if we are not being taught by Him, we will lack the very content that we need to be a blessing to others.
In v.16, we see one way that we help others with that which the Lord is teaching us; putting the teaching to music. And when we sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, we are being given a way of allowing the word of Christ to dwell in and among us.
In v.17 the Apostle implores us to do whatever we do in the name of the Lord. Each day as we go about our normal routines, there should be no divide between our "sacred" lives and our “secular” lives.
We spend so much time trying to figure out what we should do; the reality is that God is far more interested in how we do it. We shouldn't be overly worried about what we do, as we should about how we do it. Our main responsibility is to invite Him into the details of our lives.
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Colossians 3:13-14
13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
(Colossians 3:13-14)
In Colossians 3:13, the Apostle Paul exhorts us to "bear with" one another. To "bear with" means to show tolerance. This command was written into a context of believers who saw life differently due to their relational contexts. This is the case for all of us, we all view life from the context we have come from and the one which we are currently found. This is largely that which creates friction among us.
Of course, the Apostle is not encouraging believers to tolerate sin, like murder, rape and stealing. He is actually leaving room for reality. You see, even though we are "born again" and on our way to heaven, we are still broken. And due to this brokenness, we hurt one another. Sometimes, we do it intentionally.
Next the Apostle tells us to "forgive one another". Using the Greek word "χαριζόμενοι" translated "forgive" which appears twenty-three times in the New Testament, forgiveness is to give favor unconditionally. The ground of all forgiveness is cemented in the unmerited love of God.
There is a Chinese proverb which says, “He who seeks revenge should dig two graves.” Forgiveness is not something we do only for others. When we forgive, we are not allowing the pain to define us.
It was Nelson Mandela who said, “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” When we hold on to forgiveness, we allow our pain to define us.
When we hurt and we choose to forgive, we are allowing God's love to define us.
In the same way we have experienced and understand the Lord's forgiveness is the same way we are capable of forgiving others.
There are three parts to forgiveness: 1) the offense, 2) the debt incurred, and 3) the canceling of the debt. Forgiveness is not a feeling, it is a choice.
It is only natural that the apostle tells us to wrap all of these previous mentioned qualities in v.12-13 with the bond of love. And, just like forgiveness, this love, agape, is a choice not based on feelings.
This love is that quality of acceptance of others because we are recipients of God's favor. We are no longer the old persons we once were. We are to treat the past as though we were dead to it. And now, we are being defined by what
This love is that quality of acceptance of others because we are recipients of God's favor. We are no longer the old persons we once were. We are to treat the past as though we were dead to it. And now, we are being defined by what
God has made us to be.
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Colossians 3:12)
Believers fail to be spiritually mature when we lack an understanding of the difference between the old man (flesh) and the new man (Spirit-controlled life). In order to make this distinction, we must daily welcome God's definition of things through His Spirit and reject the thinking of the old man (flesh).
In Colossians 3:12, Paul reminds us that we are chosen, holy and loved by God. When we are defined as such, we will be postured to walk in His compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Notice this list of godly traits shows the contrast with the list of ungodly traits mentioned in v.8. Choosing to yield to the provision of the Spirit is far more rewarding than the natural expressions of our old way of living.
Paul doesn't command us to create these characteristics, he simply commands us to appropriate them or be clothed in them. The Lord is the inertia and we are the conduits. And, as always, we benefit from what God is doing in the lives of others, as we are given opportunity to minister on His behalf.
Paul doesn't command us to create these characteristics, he simply commands us to appropriate them or be clothed in them. The Lord is the inertia and we are the conduits. And, as always, we benefit from what God is doing in the lives of others, as we are given opportunity to minister on His behalf.
If we have not and/or are not experiencing Jesus Christ in this way, we will not be in the position to experience His life in our relationships with others.
Paul writes, "clothe yourselves with compassion."
Compassion is gentleness of heart that doesn't pass judgment or criticize, because they are aware of their own sinfulness and God’s compassion on them.
Again, Paul writes, "[clothe yourselves with] kindness."
Kindness expresses itself with an encouraging word or a pat on the back. The disposition of kindness is gentleness.
Again, Paul writes, "[clothe yourselves with] humility."
Humility is the opposite of pride which is what inaugurated sin. We are to "regard others as better than ourselves." We are not to consider ourselves in any way as superior to others.
Again, Paul writes, "[clothe yourselves with] "gentleness."
Other translations render gentleness as "meekness" which is "strength under control." Gentleness is real strength, but it does not have to display itself or show off how strong it is.
Again, Paul writes, "[clothe yourselves with] patience."
Restraining oneself from becoming upset or speaking sharply to someone who is demonstrating exasperating behavior.
Finally, Paul's goal in Colossians is the believer's spiritual maturity. The benefactor of these godly qualities is primarily the one putting them on, however, this is God's way of training others to think and live His ways.
These traits are not only a means to living this life with the touch of eternity on it, they mark the spiritual maturity of the believer.
Finally, Paul's goal in Colossians is the believer's spiritual maturity. The benefactor of these godly qualities is primarily the one putting them on, however, this is God's way of training others to think and live His ways.
These traits are not only a means to living this life with the touch of eternity on it, they mark the spiritual maturity of the believer.
Monday, December 10, 2018
Colossians 3:8-11
8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. (Colossians 3:8-11)
In Colossians 3:8-11, the Apostle Paul is telling us is how to resist the sexual sins that he mentioned in the previous verses.
Truth and telling the truth to each other is what sets us free (see John 8). When we are open, honest, and vulnerable with each other, good stuff will result. It is in the context of truth that reality is best experienced and reached.
When we embrace truth, we will not fulfill the evil desires that our flesh beckons us to do. The phrase "do not lie to one another" literally means “stop lying to each other.” This posture of lying is something Paul calls the old man which has to be buried daily.
Even though we have been forgiven our sin, we still have a civil war going on inside of us. On any given day, we can choose to obey the sin that is still in us or we can choose to obey god's Spirit who has made our spirits alive to God.
Literally, Christ is the new self within us. It is He who supplies for us the ability to be loving, selfless, honest, and free. He, as we yield to Him, makes it possible for us to embrace the truth and reject the false.
But, we have been led to use the cloak of lying for so long, it is difficult for us to be vulnerable and free to be real with one another. We intentionally hide the truth about who we really are. And, apart from Christ, we are all a mess. We all have our issues depending on how we have served sin in the past. And, these past patterns are not so easy to nullify.
This explains why some struggle with sexual sins while other struggle with anger. It also explains why some have a problem with stealing and others have a problem with alcohol or drugs. And, our past of hiding from the truth explains why we have the proclivities that we have.
We are all in this boat together, and the bottom line problem that we all share is deceit, as Paul points out in v.9. The answer for us all is an invitation for us to run around in Christ's freedom.
We all experience this never-ending search for who we really are. For some of us, we have embraced deception so much that we do not really know who we are. The older we get, the more complicated this mystery becomes.
We are afraid to be ourselves, and to let ourselves be known. The truth is we all long to be real with our sinfulness, because our sinfulness points to the sinlessness of the character of Jesus.
His truth always leads to forgiveness, redemption, and healing. But, we are all accustomed to covering up our sinfulness.
So how do we put aside this old way of living that we’re so used to? We tell each other the truth. We stop lying to each other. We tell the truth because we now understand that His truth sets us free. And, the truth is He loves us. And, His love is accessed by us through faith and repentance.
I like the way Mike Yaconelli put it when he said, "The power of the Church is not a parade of flawless people, but of a flawless Christ who embraces our flaws. The Church is not made up of the whole people, rather of the broken people who find wholeness in a Christ who was broken for us."
In Colossians 3:8-11, the Apostle Paul is telling us is how to resist the sexual sins that he mentioned in the previous verses.
Truth and telling the truth to each other is what sets us free (see John 8). When we are open, honest, and vulnerable with each other, good stuff will result. It is in the context of truth that reality is best experienced and reached.
When we embrace truth, we will not fulfill the evil desires that our flesh beckons us to do. The phrase "do not lie to one another" literally means “stop lying to each other.” This posture of lying is something Paul calls the old man which has to be buried daily.
Even though we have been forgiven our sin, we still have a civil war going on inside of us. On any given day, we can choose to obey the sin that is still in us or we can choose to obey god's Spirit who has made our spirits alive to God.
Literally, Christ is the new self within us. It is He who supplies for us the ability to be loving, selfless, honest, and free. He, as we yield to Him, makes it possible for us to embrace the truth and reject the false.
But, we have been led to use the cloak of lying for so long, it is difficult for us to be vulnerable and free to be real with one another. We intentionally hide the truth about who we really are. And, apart from Christ, we are all a mess. We all have our issues depending on how we have served sin in the past. And, these past patterns are not so easy to nullify.
This explains why some struggle with sexual sins while other struggle with anger. It also explains why some have a problem with stealing and others have a problem with alcohol or drugs. And, our past of hiding from the truth explains why we have the proclivities that we have.
We are all in this boat together, and the bottom line problem that we all share is deceit, as Paul points out in v.9. The answer for us all is an invitation for us to run around in Christ's freedom.
We all experience this never-ending search for who we really are. For some of us, we have embraced deception so much that we do not really know who we are. The older we get, the more complicated this mystery becomes.
We are afraid to be ourselves, and to let ourselves be known. The truth is we all long to be real with our sinfulness, because our sinfulness points to the sinlessness of the character of Jesus.
His truth always leads to forgiveness, redemption, and healing. But, we are all accustomed to covering up our sinfulness.
So how do we put aside this old way of living that we’re so used to? We tell each other the truth. We stop lying to each other. We tell the truth because we now understand that His truth sets us free. And, the truth is He loves us. And, His love is accessed by us through faith and repentance.
I like the way Mike Yaconelli put it when he said, "The power of the Church is not a parade of flawless people, but of a flawless Christ who embraces our flaws. The Church is not made up of the whole people, rather of the broken people who find wholeness in a Christ who was broken for us."
Sunday, December 09, 2018
Colossians 3:5-7
In Colossians 3:5-7, we read "5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them."
The Apostle Paul gives believers another directive in order to help us in our pursuit of the Lord. The directive is to reject our old way of living. He gives examples in the arena of sexuality.
One of the greatest lies of our culture is what we do in private, as long as there is consent, doesn’t affect anyone else. But Paul says walking in Christ means thinking Gd's way regarding our sexuality.
Almost all of Paul’s letters include teaching on how to think about sexuality. He does so because our view on this subject has the greatest affect on the community as a whole.
In the Colossian culture, religion had incorporated sexuality into its practices. This was nothing new for we see this ungodly practice in the Bible as early as Leviticus 18.
God gave man the gift of sex to be experienced in the context of a commitment that instills the kind of trust that creates a creative form of vulnerability and subsequent oneness.
In the context of this trust, creativity was meant to run wild with joy and the greatest of loving expression. And, when experienced according to God's definition, sex adds life to any community, both physically and emotionally.
Well, after giving us five sins to reject, Paul gives two rational reasons for our rejection of such.
The first is the wrath that is incurred in such choices. The second is that it is not congruent with our newly given nature.
The wrath that Paul is speaking of here is simply the absence of the holiness of God. When we give in to these sins, we are demonstrating a lack of completeness that the holiness of God brings to the human soul.
When we are not defined by the completeness that God wants to bring to our souls, we will be defined by our incompleteness and insecurities. As a result, the flesh will render death and destruction.
This incompleteness and these insecurities reject God's definition and the benefits of life that He brings. The lack of God and all that He renders to and in our souls, yields this wrath or the lack of God in our lives.
You will remember in our study of Romans 1 that the wrath of God is expressed in God letting us go our own way to experience a life void of His life. This is the life of the Prodigal the Lord Jesus told us about in Luke 15.
As the Prodigal did when he returned from his life of waste, we discover that we are miserable because there is a presence in our lives who has brought with Him a certain measure of guilt.
This guilt is that gnawing in the back of our souls that reminds us that it is simply dumb for us to reject the life that God wants to offer us. It is incongruent for us to live our old lives of sin, especially due to the fact that we have been introduced to the liberating freedom the Lord Jesus has brought to our souls.
The Apostle Paul gives believers another directive in order to help us in our pursuit of the Lord. The directive is to reject our old way of living. He gives examples in the arena of sexuality.
One of the greatest lies of our culture is what we do in private, as long as there is consent, doesn’t affect anyone else. But Paul says walking in Christ means thinking Gd's way regarding our sexuality.
Almost all of Paul’s letters include teaching on how to think about sexuality. He does so because our view on this subject has the greatest affect on the community as a whole.
In the Colossian culture, religion had incorporated sexuality into its practices. This was nothing new for we see this ungodly practice in the Bible as early as Leviticus 18.
God gave man the gift of sex to be experienced in the context of a commitment that instills the kind of trust that creates a creative form of vulnerability and subsequent oneness.
In the context of this trust, creativity was meant to run wild with joy and the greatest of loving expression. And, when experienced according to God's definition, sex adds life to any community, both physically and emotionally.
Well, after giving us five sins to reject, Paul gives two rational reasons for our rejection of such.
The first is the wrath that is incurred in such choices. The second is that it is not congruent with our newly given nature.
The wrath that Paul is speaking of here is simply the absence of the holiness of God. When we give in to these sins, we are demonstrating a lack of completeness that the holiness of God brings to the human soul.
When we are not defined by the completeness that God wants to bring to our souls, we will be defined by our incompleteness and insecurities. As a result, the flesh will render death and destruction.
This incompleteness and these insecurities reject God's definition and the benefits of life that He brings. The lack of God and all that He renders to and in our souls, yields this wrath or the lack of God in our lives.
You will remember in our study of Romans 1 that the wrath of God is expressed in God letting us go our own way to experience a life void of His life. This is the life of the Prodigal the Lord Jesus told us about in Luke 15.
As the Prodigal did when he returned from his life of waste, we discover that we are miserable because there is a presence in our lives who has brought with Him a certain measure of guilt.
This guilt is that gnawing in the back of our souls that reminds us that it is simply dumb for us to reject the life that God wants to offer us. It is incongruent for us to live our old lives of sin, especially due to the fact that we have been introduced to the liberating freedom the Lord Jesus has brought to our souls.
Saturday, December 08, 2018
Colossians 3:1-4
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)
Since we’ve been raised with Christ, we must be wise enough to be defined by Him. We are defined by Him when we set our minds on Him and His definition (His word) of all things. Being a Christian means we operate according to a hidden resource, an invisible reality, which the world does not have and cannot see. Our hidden and invisible resource is Christ Himself.
Paul refers to Christ "up in heaven" and "Christ in you, the hope of glory." This extra dimension is not far removed in the reaches of heaven; this dimension is in our hearts. This is an untouchable, invisible dimension within us. And, this is the secret of our power, joy and courage.
"Set your minds" on this hidden resource is not something we do to the exclusion of our regular lives. It is rather that Christ is involved with us every day and in each of our choices. Christ's wisdom, power and knowledge are all available to us, as we seek Him. We primarily seek Him with our minds, however more than just our minds must be involved. Our hearts must be molded and moved by the Lord. This is why a personal relationship is a must. It is the pursuit of our hearts that determines our truest identity.
Paul is talking about bending our wills to what He wants for and of us. Our life, our daily activities, our thoughts include the involvement of Christ. When we separate ourselves from Him, our old faithless and godless selves are found to be sitting on the thrones of our hearts. This is not good.
In Colossians 3:4, we see that when Christ returns, then it will be obvious that we allowed Him to use our trials and hurts to teach us intimacy with Him. As a result, we will share in His glory so that all others will see.
Mike Yaconelli once said it well when he said, "Looking back over the years, I realize the Bible isn't magic, but it is corrective; it isn't an answer book, it is a living book; it isn't a fix-it book, it is relationship book. When I confront God's word, I am confronted; when I read God's word, it reads me; when I seek God's presence, He seeks me."
Since we’ve been raised with Christ, we must be wise enough to be defined by Him. We are defined by Him when we set our minds on Him and His definition (His word) of all things. Being a Christian means we operate according to a hidden resource, an invisible reality, which the world does not have and cannot see. Our hidden and invisible resource is Christ Himself.
Paul refers to Christ "up in heaven" and "Christ in you, the hope of glory." This extra dimension is not far removed in the reaches of heaven; this dimension is in our hearts. This is an untouchable, invisible dimension within us. And, this is the secret of our power, joy and courage.
"Set your minds" on this hidden resource is not something we do to the exclusion of our regular lives. It is rather that Christ is involved with us every day and in each of our choices. Christ's wisdom, power and knowledge are all available to us, as we seek Him. We primarily seek Him with our minds, however more than just our minds must be involved. Our hearts must be molded and moved by the Lord. This is why a personal relationship is a must. It is the pursuit of our hearts that determines our truest identity.
Paul is talking about bending our wills to what He wants for and of us. Our life, our daily activities, our thoughts include the involvement of Christ. When we separate ourselves from Him, our old faithless and godless selves are found to be sitting on the thrones of our hearts. This is not good.
In Colossians 3:4, we see that when Christ returns, then it will be obvious that we allowed Him to use our trials and hurts to teach us intimacy with Him. As a result, we will share in His glory so that all others will see.
Mike Yaconelli once said it well when he said, "Looking back over the years, I realize the Bible isn't magic, but it is corrective; it isn't an answer book, it is a living book; it isn't a fix-it book, it is relationship book. When I confront God's word, I am confronted; when I read God's word, it reads me; when I seek God's presence, He seeks me."
Friday, December 07, 2018
Colossians 2:20-23
20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— 21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. (Colossians 2:20-23)
Today we consider the third distraction to our faith pursuit of Jesus Christ: Isolating Asceticism.
In Colossians 2:23 the Apostle Paul highlights "neglect of the body." In so doing, he is getting us to see the third distraction for the believer having intimate and personal fellowship with Jesus Christ.
Asceticism is the practice of self-denial and separation from sin as a means of attaining spiritual maturity. Note Paul's questioning in v.21: "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle." When we cease understanding that Christianity is about knowing the Lord for ourselves, we begin to make it about the non-essentials, like what we touch, taste and give ourselves to.
Notice that this section is predicated upon the fact that the believer in Christ has "died with Christ." Viewing oneself accordingly prevents us from thinking that God is pleased by our negative approach to life, even though these pursuits are good.
Biblical Christianity views everything as sacred! We live in a fallen world wherein that which is sacred has been subjected to sin and death, thus making it less than it truly is.
Due to the above mentioned approach to life, many Christians believe that separation from sin is the means to spiritual maturity. Many say, "if I can get far enough away from sin, then I will be more of a christian and more acceptable to God." This is immature thinking. In fact, Jesus said, "be in the world but not of it." Exposure to sinfulness is not the issue, especially if we are evaluating all things through the lens of scripture.
Many believe that which enters a man is that which defiles him. Jesus said, "It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."
Asceticism is not biblical, because we can not get away from sin. In fact, sin still resides within, and the most diabolical danger in our lives is the sinful desires that are still within us. There are times that we, thinking we are doing the right thing, are doing the wrong thing. The attitude of arrogance has been known to nullify many supposed expressions of righteousness.
The danger is trying to elude sin, and in so doing, we miss the Lord Himself. We all know Christians who are so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly use to the Lord in other people's lives. What we need to do is to return to Jesus. As we walk with Him, He equips us to confront sin and not be defined by it.
Today we consider the third distraction to our faith pursuit of Jesus Christ: Isolating Asceticism.
In Colossians 2:23 the Apostle Paul highlights "neglect of the body." In so doing, he is getting us to see the third distraction for the believer having intimate and personal fellowship with Jesus Christ.
Asceticism is the practice of self-denial and separation from sin as a means of attaining spiritual maturity. Note Paul's questioning in v.21: "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle." When we cease understanding that Christianity is about knowing the Lord for ourselves, we begin to make it about the non-essentials, like what we touch, taste and give ourselves to.
Notice that this section is predicated upon the fact that the believer in Christ has "died with Christ." Viewing oneself accordingly prevents us from thinking that God is pleased by our negative approach to life, even though these pursuits are good.
Biblical Christianity views everything as sacred! We live in a fallen world wherein that which is sacred has been subjected to sin and death, thus making it less than it truly is.
Due to the above mentioned approach to life, many Christians believe that separation from sin is the means to spiritual maturity. Many say, "if I can get far enough away from sin, then I will be more of a christian and more acceptable to God." This is immature thinking. In fact, Jesus said, "be in the world but not of it." Exposure to sinfulness is not the issue, especially if we are evaluating all things through the lens of scripture.
Many believe that which enters a man is that which defiles him. Jesus said, "It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."
Asceticism is not biblical, because we can not get away from sin. In fact, sin still resides within, and the most diabolical danger in our lives is the sinful desires that are still within us. There are times that we, thinking we are doing the right thing, are doing the wrong thing. The attitude of arrogance has been known to nullify many supposed expressions of righteousness.
The danger is trying to elude sin, and in so doing, we miss the Lord Himself. We all know Christians who are so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly use to the Lord in other people's lives. What we need to do is to return to Jesus. As we walk with Him, He equips us to confront sin and not be defined by it.
Thursday, December 06, 2018
Colossians 2:18-19
18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. (Colossians 2:18-19)
As we saw yesterday, there are three distractions the believer in Christ faces in our pursuit of personal fellowship and intimacy with Jesus Christ.
The first distraction is Empty Religion.
The second is Aimless Mysticism which cornerstones "false humility" and the "worship of angels."
The believers in Colossae were wrongly directed by "Mysticism", which teaches salvation is gained by acquiring divine knowledge freeing one from the illusions of darkness of this world. This mysticism had its basis in the teachings of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle who taught truth is not a person, it is an experience.
The problem with Mysticism is that it leads us to focus not on God's definition of things as given in His word, but on ourselves as the captains of our lives. Mysticism teaches the idea that all we need is already inside of us, and all we need to do is bring it out and develop our full potential. Self-value, self-worth and self-realization are the doctrines which flow forth from this distraction.
This is not the message of the Bible, which asserts that Christianity is a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the reward that Paul is writing about here in v.18. In order to assist us in knowing Him, God has given us His Word and His Spirit to frame up our definitions of life and our pursuit of Him.
On the other hand, Mysticism doesn't help the believer. But, there is Christian Mysticism. D.D. Martin once wrote, "Christian mysticism seeks to describe an experienced, direct, non-abstract, unmediated, loving knowledge of God, a knowing or seeing so direct as to be called union with God."
God has chronicled His thoughts about life and reality in His word, the Holy Bible. There is no personal relationship with God apart from His definition of things, apart from the Bible. And yet, we do not go further with God apart from the "seeming erratic" nature of our faith in Him. This pursuit seems erratic because we do do not know the other means by which God will reveal Himself to us. His Spirit who has made our spirit alive to Him uses all types of object lessons to accentuate the person and character of our God, the God of the Bible.
When our hearts are informed and motivated to seek Him by His word and Spirit, the possibilities are limitless. On the heels of this informed and motivated pursuit, we experience life with the touch of eternity upon it. Our goal is intimacy with God, an intimacy that is feeling without touching. And, it must be defined and fueled by His word and His Spirit.
So, even though Mysticism was a threat to the faith of the Colossians, as with everything, Mysticism can be a means to our fellowship with God. The marriage of our hearts' pursuit and His word renders a journey worth being defined and worth pursuing.
Tomorrow, we will consider the third distraction to the real pursuit that awaits us.
As we saw yesterday, there are three distractions the believer in Christ faces in our pursuit of personal fellowship and intimacy with Jesus Christ.
The first distraction is Empty Religion.
The second is Aimless Mysticism which cornerstones "false humility" and the "worship of angels."
The believers in Colossae were wrongly directed by "Mysticism", which teaches salvation is gained by acquiring divine knowledge freeing one from the illusions of darkness of this world. This mysticism had its basis in the teachings of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle who taught truth is not a person, it is an experience.
The problem with Mysticism is that it leads us to focus not on God's definition of things as given in His word, but on ourselves as the captains of our lives. Mysticism teaches the idea that all we need is already inside of us, and all we need to do is bring it out and develop our full potential. Self-value, self-worth and self-realization are the doctrines which flow forth from this distraction.
This is not the message of the Bible, which asserts that Christianity is a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the reward that Paul is writing about here in v.18. In order to assist us in knowing Him, God has given us His Word and His Spirit to frame up our definitions of life and our pursuit of Him.
On the other hand, Mysticism doesn't help the believer. But, there is Christian Mysticism. D.D. Martin once wrote, "Christian mysticism seeks to describe an experienced, direct, non-abstract, unmediated, loving knowledge of God, a knowing or seeing so direct as to be called union with God."
God has chronicled His thoughts about life and reality in His word, the Holy Bible. There is no personal relationship with God apart from His definition of things, apart from the Bible. And yet, we do not go further with God apart from the "seeming erratic" nature of our faith in Him. This pursuit seems erratic because we do do not know the other means by which God will reveal Himself to us. His Spirit who has made our spirit alive to Him uses all types of object lessons to accentuate the person and character of our God, the God of the Bible.
When our hearts are informed and motivated to seek Him by His word and Spirit, the possibilities are limitless. On the heels of this informed and motivated pursuit, we experience life with the touch of eternity upon it. Our goal is intimacy with God, an intimacy that is feeling without touching. And, it must be defined and fueled by His word and His Spirit.
So, even though Mysticism was a threat to the faith of the Colossians, as with everything, Mysticism can be a means to our fellowship with God. The marriage of our hearts' pursuit and His word renders a journey worth being defined and worth pursuing.
Tomorrow, we will consider the third distraction to the real pursuit that awaits us.
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