“Hi!  We’ve never met, but I love you and you should listen to me!”

It sounds like one of these spam emails from some “God-fearing” person with tons of cash that needs your help and will reward you handsomely to do so.  But it’s really the gist of Colossians.  Paul never went to the church found in Colosse.  In fact, he wrote this letter while in prison in Rome.  But Paul had heard much about them, and had a few things to share with them based on what he had heard.

COLOSSIANS 1

VS 3-6 - Paul was a prayer warrior.  There were scads of people and churches he was praying for.  And I’m pretty sure he wasn’t just saying, “I’ll pray for you”… he actually was.  Paul expressed great joy about the report he had of the Colossians and how they were serving each other with love.  That’s cool… but notice what their motivation was — THEIR ETERNAL REWARDS.  I’ve had some people tell me from time to time that we shouldn’t be motivated by what we’ll receive.  I couldn’t disagree more.  Jesus & Paul both make a pretty big deal about what waits for us.  It should be something that motivates us and propels us to acts of love and good works for each other.

VS 7-8 - You gotta love someone who spreads GOOD news about other people.  We need more of that.

VS 9-10 - *VERY IMPORTANT PRINCIPLE HERE* - Even though they already understood salvation, Paul wanted them to know how to apply that knowledge.  These are two very different things.  Teachability begins with knowledge (which means we have to be learners), moves to understanding, and then results in application.  In other words, YOU ARE TEACHABLE IF YOU ARE CHANGING!

VS 11-14 - Paul reminds us that patience and endurance are part of the Christian experience.  I know it’s a popular thing these days to preach a “health and wealth” gospel, but I don’t see a whole lot of examples of that in scripture.  I do see lots of people suffering for their faith and being encourage as they do so.  I see Paul here acknowledging that patience and endurance are valuable character traits for us.  That wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense if the “health and wealth” gospel were in effect.  Interestingly enough though, Paul calls for joy in the middle of situations that require patience and endurance.  How can that be?  Oh yeah.. he reminds us again of what lies ahead (not what’s in hand now).

VS 15-17 - Paul embarks on a passage in which he declares the greatness of Jesus Christ.  In these verses, he declares the presence of Jesus before the beginning of Creation.  He goes on to say that through Christ, governments and authorities are set up.  Authority is a major issue in our culture today.  No one wants to submit to any authority at all.  But authority is a fundamental part of life and learning.  How can you submit your life to Christ if you can’t learn to submit to authority?  This is one of the reasons it is essential for parents to instill a deep appreciation and understanding of the need and role of authority in the lives of our children.

VS 18-23 - Paul continues his explanation of the greatness of Jesus Christ.  Here he proclaims him the head of the church.  So in essence, Paul is saying that we owe our respect and loyalty to Jesus because is is superior to everyone and everything.  He created everything & he holds it together.  And it is Jesus, who, as head of the church, has provided a way for us who were once the enemies of God (because of sin)  to be made right with God and to stand before him blameless.  How can you not love and serve someone so great as this?

VS 28-29 - An essential part of rebuilding our lives is haring the message of Jesus Christ with others.  We were far away from God, yet he provided no only the solution to our problem but also the power to change.  That is news worth sharing!  It’s what drove Paul.  We may be afraid to do this at first, but the Holy Spirit can give us the courage we need to share this with others.

YOUR TURN - Jump in and make this expeience deeper by adding your thoughts.

Tags: Apostle Paul, Authority, Colossians, Jesus Christ