The Good News

"13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it." - Colossians 2:13-15

We have come to my most favorite telling of the Gospel in all scripture.  Christian- He, the God of all things, Jesus Christ, has made you alive in Him! What better news is there that this?!! But the news goes on, not only has He made you alive, He also erased the record of His children ever having sinned against Him.

By the blood of Jesus Christ, the ultimate Atoning sacrifice, God no longer sees my sins because Christ took them upon Himself, dying the death I deserved, so that I could be called a son of God. On the cross, "He has taken it out of the way" so that nothing stands between my God and me.  I can boldly approach the throne of the Almighty and He calls me son. This was not exclusively done for me, but for any and all who submit to the authority of Christ Jesus; by faith alone, through God's grace alone we are made His children.

This act of reconciling His children back to Himself was not something He did in secret, but rather for all the world to see.  Just as the father of the prodigal son, did not simply welcome his son home in the quiet, but instead held a feast from the overflow of the joy in his heart at his son's return; God showed the world that the final sacrifice had been made, freeing His children from the regulations of the law. (We will talk more about this next week)

Father, this week my prayer is simply Thank You for Your salvation of me. May I never forget what You have done for me; let this knowledge be what drives my actions, attitude and words. In Jesus' precious Name; Amen.

A Caution & A Choice

8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according the the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. - Colossians 2:8-10


As we continue through the book of Colossians, we come to a passage that is close to my heart. This requires a little backstory on me- I received my B.A. in English from a liberal arts University in Georgia where I spent three and half years reading and studying philosophers from every age; Aristotle, Plato, Durkheim, Kant and Nietzsche to name a few. Each of these philosophers, whether inadvertently or directly, did their best to prove there was another way to live life. A life that did not have Jesus Christ at the center or in it at all.
Now most of us don't regularly have lengthy debates on the existence of God or the essence of Man, but we do watch television, listen to the radio, and go outside our homes. The world has its own philosophy and it desires you to live your life according to its rules (or lack thereof). We are constantly being told it's okay to use sex to sell products, it's fine to get divorced because you can't get along, you are the only one that should have a say in what you can or can't do, chase after what makes your heart happy, etc. This is also what Paul is cautioning us against; "the basic principles of the world".
There is a Creator and Designer of the Universe, Who has laid out boundaries for His creation to live by and the whole World rages against those boundaries, whether inadvertently or directly, and Paul remind us that Jesus Christ is "the head of all principality and power". This fact is what causes King David to pen, "The law of the LORD is perfect" and through Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ alone, do we find salvation. (Psalm 19:7 NKJV)
There are also those that try to incorporate Jesus in there philosophy as a moral teacher and nothing more. To this, I will allow C.S. Lewis to respond because he did it better than I.

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about [Jesus Christ]: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." - Mere Christianity

I'll leave you with this thought, who is Jesus Christ to you; Is He a madman or your King? If He is your King then I say, "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving." (Colossians 2:6-7 NKJV)

Father, you are King, sovereign and so necessary to my life and all creation. Thank You for the command to live within Your boundaries; they have been laid in welcome places and for my good. Open my eyes to the deceit of the world, and to the watering down of truth and give me the strength to stand firm on the foundation of truth. In Jesus' Name; Amen

Paul's Task. My Task. Your Task.

24 "I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily." Colossians 1:24-29

Last week, we looked specifically at Verses 24-26. To recap, that sentence can be summed up like this-Paul proclaims that he finds joy in the bringing of the Good News to the Gentiles despite the suffering he endures.

Now to look at the rest of the passage; Here we go.

Some of the Jewish people were not pleased that the Gentiles were allowed in the following of Jesus. (see Acts 13:45, 50 & 14:19) Nevertheless, Paul being given the task of preaching to the Gentiles, presses onward, understanding that God intended for the Gentiles to be shown the mystery that had been once hidden from all of them.  That mystery being the truth that Jesus Christ is the Anointed Messiah, the One Who would die for the sins of all of God's people. And regardless of which people group they were born into, through the Holy Spirit, Jesus dwells in His people. He is our only Hope and Christ Jesus is Whom Paul preaches. Paul does not stop at merely preaching Christ, but goes on to teach the people as well.

Here is where I want to camp out; as Christians we are called to proclaim Christ, to tell people of their need of Jesus, the Savior. But that's not all, we are also called to show them how to follow Him. (Matthew 28:18-20). The NIV translation of Colossians 1:28 says, "teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ".  That is disciple making; working toward people's maturity in Christ. We cannot leave people solely with the knowledge they need Jesus; we are commanded to show them how to follow Him as well. Our job as Christians, just as Paul's was, does not stop but perhaps truly begins once people see their need for Christ as their Lord. This is the end Paul encourages the Colossians to work toward. This is the end I encourage you to work toward.  We are to show people how to follow Jesus Christ, because Christ shows us how to follow Him. James also urges us to work toward this end within ourselves, "Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:4 NIV), This should go without saying, but I don't think people say it enough-In order to be able to show people how to biblically follow Christ, we must first be following Christ biblically.

Father, thank You for leading me to Yourself! There is no other place I'd rather live my life.  I ask for strength, grounded in You and Your truth, so that I may walk uprightly, living my life according to Your law, not only for myself, but so I may relate You and Your greatness to those around me. Discipleship is not an easy task, but with You it is a possible one. As I follow You, may I call others to follow You along with me and other believers.  I look to You in all things. In the only name that truly matters, Jesus' name; Amen. 

We've Laid The Foundation- Now What?

24 "I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily." Colossians 1:24-29

Verses 24, 25 & 26 are all one sentence and are full of truth (and tough to soak in all at once). So here we go- let's first unpack what Paul is talking in his long winded sentence. I find it wonderfully helpful to read Scripture out loud, especially for Paul's writings. Hearing the word spoken out loud and following along with the commas, semi colons and interjections, helps me to better follow the subjects of long sentences. So, if you are in a place you feel comfortable reading out loud, I encourage you to go back and read those verses to yourself.

  "I now rejoice in my sufferings for you,..." 

Paul is saying he can, and does, find joy in the in the middle of the sufferings he's enduring as he preaches the Gospel so that the Colossians (and by extension-us) are able to receive it.

"...and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ,..."

Paul is doing his part in spreading the Gospel, so that the afflictions Christ endured on the cross, are made known to as many people as Paul can reach. Jesus Christ came and died for all of God's children but not every Child of God has heard the Good News.

"...for the sake of His body, which is the church,..."

 Paul continues to teach and preach, so all those God has called to Himself can hear that call. He teaches and preaches the Good News so that the church (not a building, but a body of believers) can and continue to grow.

"of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you..."

God gave Paul the Good News of the Gospel and charged him to guard and carry the word of God to the Gentiles.

"...to fulfill the the word of God,..."

The spreading of the Gospel to the Gentiles (and all nations) is God's will.

"...the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations,..."

The mystery that was hidden, was Who the Messiah is,  the One Who would make that final and all sufficient sacrifice to cleanse the sins of God's people. 

"...but now has been revealed to His saints."

Praise God it's a mystery no longer! The mystery has been revealed. Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, is who the Jewish people here looking for; the Messiah. He is the high priest who gave the final sacrifice and was the sacrifice Himself!

Boiled down to its base subject, in these verses Paul proclaims that he finds joy in the bringing of the Good News to the Gentiles despite the suffering he endures.
 In order to keep this post short (relatively speaking), we will stop there this week and pick back up with the rest of the passage next week. But I'd like to leave you with these thoughts based on what we have looked at- Suffering will come as we speak the Good News. There is joy to be found in spreading the Gospel. Its God's plan for all to hear the Good News. If we believe Jesus Christ is who He says He is, then we like Paul, are commanded to take the Good News to those that have not yet heard or believed.

Father, give us the courage to follow after You, to look for ways we might make the Good News known around us. When we face push back or flat out persecution because we bring the Truth of  your Word, give us the strength to rejoice in the knowledge that we are doing as You commanded and that Your love is all that truly matters.  You are sufficient for me in my sufferings and in my times of ease.  Thank You Father for counting me one of Your children; give me the opportunity and words to say when it comes. In Jesus' Name; amen.

Building a Foundation Part 3- Further Up & Further In

"19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in you mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight- 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven...." ~ Colossians 1:19-23


How is it we go from "alienated and enemies" to being "holy, blameless, and above reproach in His sight"? That transformation occurs, not by any act or good work we could do or have done, but completely and utterly by the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ! The blood He shed on the cross was sufficient to reconcile us to God. By no other means is our salvation possible. This very fact, once realized and believed in, will produce in us a desire to continue with Christ in the faith; becoming more and more the image of Christ. This process is called sanctification, a word I rarely hear talked about much anymore. That's what I believe Paul is talking about in verse 23. We are to "continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast and are not [to move] away from the hope of the gospel..." The life we live, once we believe on Jesus Christ, is to be an active one; ever-moving further up into the image of Christ, and further into the Word. If this is not true in our lives, we run the risk of ending up like the the Laodiceans (Revelation 2:14-16). This is also what James is talking about in  chapter 2:17, "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." The work that we do in this life is not what reconciles us to God, but it testifies to the transformation Christ has worked in us.
So then, how are we testifying to those around us that Christ has given us a new heart, covered us in His blood, and secured our place with the Father for all eternity? For each of us, this looks different in how Christ's love for us manifests itself in our lives, but I think we should be able to agree, we all need to be sharing the Gospel, showing the Gospel and teaching the Gospel by our actions, attitude and words on a daily basis.
So then, this should lead us to pray:

Father, hallowed be Your Name in all the earth, by no other Name can we be saved.  Thank You for the work You completed on the cross. I ask for opportunities to share the Good News with those around me, and when those opportunities arise, I ask for the courage to proclaim Your Name confidently. Put me in situations where I may give God-centered advice and show God motivated love. I trust in You and look to You for guidance in all things, in Jesus Christ's Name; Amen. 

Building a Foundation Part 2: Jesus Christ, My God Appointed Captain

“15-[Jesus Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16-For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17-And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18-And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have preeminence.” Colossians 1:15-18 (NKJV)

In last week’s entry I alluded to the fact that Jesus Christ is the only One who has the power to deliver us from Sin. So where does that power come from? The answer can be found in this passage from Colossians (among other places), and is the second foundational truth I desire to share with you. So here we go:

Verses 15 and 16 tell us Jesus is the manifestation of the invisible (to us here on earth) God of Heaven; the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is God with us; Emmanuel. He is God; the same God in Genesis- the Creator. That which God created, was created specifically for Jesus Christ, His Son.

Throughout Scripture, and many different cultures, all that is a father’s is given to the eldest son (the firstborn) as his due inheritance. This is exactly what Paul is showing us here -Jesus Christ, the Son, inherits kingship over all creation from God, the Father. Not only is He King over the living, but by being crucified on the cross and being raised from the dead on the third day, He is given authority over the dead. The dead. That’s us; dead in our Sin. We were born dead in Sin and by God’s grace given life through Jesus Christ’s blood on the cross.

So, God has given to Jesus Christ, all creation and all God's people, as His inheritance. He has been uniquely given the power over life and over death, making Him the only One who qualifies as the perfect sacrifice; the One whose innocent blood was shed to cover our Sin.

This passage in Colossians is one of my most favorite descriptions of Jesus Christ, my King, the One to whom I bend my knee. It proves His supremacy in all things; it proclaims His majesty. What this means for you and me, on a day by day, hour by hour basis, is that we should look to Christ as the captain of our ship. Under His headship, He leads and guides us. So read the Word, talk with Him, heed the direction of our Captain. In our lives Jesus Christ should be preeminent. He deserves and should always hold the highest place.

Jesus, my King, You are sovereign and I willingly submit to You. Thank You for the gifts and abilities You have granted me. May they ever be used to further Your Name. Lead me to lead others to the Truth You have given us in Your word. The Holy Spirit does the work, but I desire to fulfill the task You have graciously given me. Great is Your Name and greatly to be praised. You are preeminent in all things Lord, continue conforming my life to live under that truth and under Your headship. In Jesus’ Name; Amen.

Building a Foundation: Part 1

[Jesus Christ] has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. -Colossians 1:13-14 (NKJV)

Christian, this is the answer to the question, “why do you follow Jesus Christ?”. He is the only One who has the power to deliver us. We will get to the reasons why He is the only One later this month, but for now, know that Jesus Christ is the One that brought you out from darkness and into His Father’s Kingdom. Not merely into the Kingdom but into it as a Child of God!

His shed blood on the cross was the only acceptable payment; the only way in which we were able to receive forgiveness for our Sin. The belief that this is fact, is foundational as we look toward eternity. It gives us a Hope that those still in darkness do not have and it’s the Hope that we are commanded to take to the people around us and to all the nations.

In all circumstance remember that it’s Jesus Christ we follow. He paid the debt that we could not. His blood is the only avenue into Heaven and He is the only avenue by which we are able to have a relationship with God here and now.

As you move through the days of your life, remember what He did, thank Him continually, and live differently because of what He did for you and all His people.

I end all my quiet time with prayer, so I thought I’d add my prayer to the posts, but I encourage you to talk to Him yourself.

Father, my King, my Redeemer, thank You. May I never lose sight of the significance of what You did for Your people at Calvary. As I grow closer to You, I fall more in love with You and desire to do whatever You’d have me do. Give me the eyes to see, the ears to hear and the heart to follow after You. In Jesus Name, the only Name that matters; Amen.