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Daily Bible thoughts 896: Monday 8th June 2015: Colossians 2:16-19: Focussed on Christ

Colossians 2:16-19: Focussed on Christ

Here are some further reasons to keep your focus on Jesus:

The ‘reality’ we find in Him (17). The Old Testament ceremonies, rituals and symbols were but ‘’a shadow’’ of things to come. But Jesus Christ is the substance. All these things find their fulfilment in Him. Let’s not allow ourselves to get preoccupied with secondary matters, but always concentrate on Jesus. He is central. The so-called ‘Colossian heresy’ was taking people back into the shadows from the brilliant Sunlight of noonday. Would you rather have the shadow of the man you love, or the man Himself?! Now the Colossians had Christ, surely they would not let Him go for lesser things? Religion is no substitute for reality.

Verse 16 is interesting. You can’t stop people judging you. We are almost incurably judgmental, even though we shouldn’t be (see verse 18 also.) One sign that you have lost vital connection with the Lord Jesus (19) is that you start to try to do His job for Him. You want to run other people’s lives; tell them what to do. The judgmental people Paul writes about here were, of course, heretics. But you don’t have to be into heresy to be judgmental. (Verse 16 shows that there was a Jewish flavour to this heresy. But the eighteenth verse reveals that there was also an esoteric quality. There were people who were asserting their spiritual superiority over others on the grounds of heightened spiritual experiences. They were into visions; they believed they had joined in with the angelic worship of God. In short, they regarded themselves to be in the ‘first class compartment’ of spirituality, and proudly looked down on others who didn’t have what they had. They were the spiritual elite.)

He is the Head of the church (19a). Therefore He is your Head. Let Jesus run your life; allow Him to tell you what to do. Get your orders from Him. ‘’So don’t put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services, or holy days…Don’t tolerate people who try to run your life, insisting that you join their obsession with angels and that you seek out visions. They’re a lot of hot air, that’s all they are.’’ The Message.

Growth comes as you keep connection with Him (19b). The growth of the church (and of individual Christians) is God’s work. God gives the growth (1 Corinthians 6, 7). God causes you to grow, but it’s all about ‘’connection’’ with Jesus. As you ‘’abide’’ in Him (John 15) you will grow.

Don’t lose touch!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to never move away from you

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Daily Bible thoughts 894: Thursday 4th June 2015: Colossians 2:6-12: Sitting on a fortune.

Colossians 2:6-12: Sitting on a fortune.

Many years ago I heard a story about an old lady who lived in poverty in a simple cottage. Someone visiting her, who knew that her son was a successful business man, asked, ‘But doesn’t he ever send you any money?’ ‘No’, replied the poor woman, ‘but he does send me pretty coloured pictures from all over the world. Would you like to see them?’ Her friend was intrigued, and replied that she would. So the elderly lady disappeared into another room, and then returned carrying a big cardboard box which she proceeded to place on the coffee table. As she removed the lid, her visitor could see that the ‘pretty coloured pictures’ were currency notes from many different countries where her son had travelled. The old lady was sitting on a fortune whilst living like a pauper!

Now whether the above story is true, partially true or apocryphal, it makes an important point. We Christians are incredibly rich, spiritually speaking, yet we may not realise what we have ‘in the bank’, and fail to draw on it in our day to day lives. We are richer than millionaires but appear like tramps!

If two verses can be used to sum up ‘Colossians’, then surely (2: 9, 10) get the job. Paul’s concern was to focus the attention of these Christians on Jesus. He was saying to them, ‘Christ is all you need.’ ‘Everything you need is to be found in Jesus.’ The false teachers, who were having some influence in the churches of that region, were arguing that you need Jesus plus certain other things. Paul’s counter-argument involved an adamant ‘NO!’ to their message. ‘All that you need is in Jesus’, he taught.

  • In Jesus you get started as a Christian, and it’s in His strength that you will grow in this joyful, thankful Christian life (6, 7; 11, 12). Notice that the metaphors ‘’rooted and built up’’ (7) are drawn from agriculture and architecture. They both speak of growth and progress. Conversion is Christ’s work in us (11, 12). It involves being baptised, in which we totally identify with Jesus in His death and resurrection.
  • By looking to Jesus you can be protected from erroneous doctrine. Keep your eyes on Him (see also 3:1-4)
  • Through Jesus we can be winners (10b). He is ‘’the head over every power and authority.’’ This has implications for us. A song says, ‘Jesus is the Winner Man’. In Him we also can be winners. We can say ‘No’ to the fierce pull of temptation; we can overcome in every battle.

Every good thing is ours in Jesus, and In Him we find all we need to live the Christian life.

As I sit in my house right now, I know that I am surrounded by great (potential) power, through the electrical wiring system. But I cannot benefit from it without having to do something: put a plug into a socket and flick a switch. Something similar has to happen with us on an on-going basis. Otherwise we may find that, although we live close to immense power we do not benefit from it.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, teach me all that I am and have in Jesus.

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Daily Bible thoughts 886: Wednesday 27th May 2015: Colossians 2:1-5

Colossians 2:1-5

‘’I want you to realize that I continue to work as hard as I know how for you, and also for the Christians over at Laodicea.’’ The Message.

It is sometimes a good thing for people in local churches to catch a glimpse of something of the cost of ministry to their leaders. It will help them to appreciate that their leaders are authentic, that they love them and want the very best for them. We have already seen that Paul’s ‘struggle’ was carried out in God’s strength (1:29). This wasn’t simply a matter of expending human energy. But we should not fail to note that Paul twice speaks of his ministry in terms of ‘’struggling’’ (1:29; 2:1). He did not have a casual or careless approach to his life’s work. His imprisonment was one mark (scar even) of this intense struggle. As he gave himself so totally to this work he had certain clear objectives in mind:

  • Their encouragement (2a): In this world, many discouragements come the way of believers. Who can keep going without being hooked up to a saline drip of encouragement? We need regular ‘drips’ of encouragement into our veins. Paul could have said, ‘Where’s my encouragement coming from? Here I am in prison for Jesus, who’s going to encourage me?’ But he focussed on encouraging others.
  • Their unity (2b): The Roman soldiers carried shields (Ephesians 6:16) which interlocked at the edges, so that they could form a ‘wall’ against the enemy. Paul was delighted with what he already knew about their togetherness (5), but what is good can always be better, and so he prayed.
  • Their spiritual understanding (2c, 3): If we have Jesus we have everything we need. We find all meaning and purpose in Him. He’s the One the human heart is thirstily seeking, even when we don’t know that it’s Jesus we want, and we’re searching in all the wrong places. Paul wanted the Christians he served to grasp as fully as possible all the riches that are in Christ. He wanted them to know Jesus more and more. (Notice the implication that encouraged and united Christians are in a good place to grow in spiritual knowledge.) ‘’I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God’s great mystery. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else.’’ The Message.
  • Their protection from doctrinal error (4): As you know, the churches in the Lycus Valley region were being affected by false teaching. As with their unity, Paul was convinced of good things regarding their faith (5). Nevertheless, he was concerned that they should be protected from heresy.

So, there was a price tag attached to Paul’s ministry. Recognise that all true leaders in the church will experience something of cost, and feel the heat of the battle. Pray for them.

Prayer: We pray for those called to leadership in your church that they will fight in your strength and not their own. May their hearts be encouraged today.

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Daily Bible thoughts 879: Monday 18th May 2015: Colossians 1:21-23

Colossians 1:21-23

‘’Once…but now…’’

Have you ever seen those successful slimming photos that tell the story, in a snapshot, of ‘before and after?’ In these few verses Paul writes about how someone’s situation radically alters through coming to know Christ. ‘Every picture tells a story’, and here are two contrasting landscapes.

‘’You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God’s side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. You don’t walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted.’’ The Message.

Our pre-Christian state is described in (21). It was stark and it was dark. We were ‘’enemies’’ of God, and that is not a good place to be. The gospel call to repent (i.e. to change your mind) is indispensable because fundamentally the problem of ‘’evil behaviour’’ stems from a mind at war with God (Romans 8:7). To be ‘’alienated’’ in any situation is not a happy place to be. Thank God this is no longer our story. This is the ‘before’ photo and it’s one to keep in your wallet! I’m not proud of mine. How about you?

The emphasis on ‘’Christ’s physical body’’ in (22) is important. Reading between the lines, the false teaching that was infecting the church in Colossae may have denied the reality of the incarnation. There was a belief that matter is evil, and that God could not and would not contaminate Himself by coming into contact with it. But Paul emphasises that God really and truly did become a man (see 2:9) and that He was crucified in a body. Look at the great difference the cross makes. We no more face alienation and accusation, but we are brought into a place of acceptance with God, where we have a clean record in His sight. This is the ‘after’ picture, and it’s one you will want to take out of your purse and pass around the room. But the reason for doing so will not be pride, but praise for the One who has changed everything, at such great cost to Himself.

The gospel call is to repent of sin and believe in Jesus, in order to be saved ‘’through his blood’’ (20). But also embedded in it is the call to persevere; to endure to the end. I don’t want to get into a debate about ‘once saved, always saved’ etc. I just want to highlight the fact that the New Testament regularly warms of the possibility of drifting away from our faith moorings, and repeatedly exhorts us to keep going. We surely have to heed these calls, and take them seriously? Also, the parable of the sower highlights the uncomfortable truth that many who profess faith do not press on in the faith. I understand that Colossae was located in an earthquake zone, so Paul’s words in (23) would resonate with the Colossian Christians.

Just one other thought: if the gospel message is to be ‘’heard’’, it must be ‘’proclaimed’’ by those who are willing to be its ‘’servant’’. Paul was such a person (23b).

Prayer: Thank you Lord for your ‘amazing grace’.

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Daily Bible thoughts 878: Friday 15th May 2015: Colossians 1:18-20

Colossians 1:18-20

‘’…so that in everything he might have the supremacy.’’ (18b) Jesus should hold the same place in the church; in our lives, that He does in the universe. This is the position of supremacy. ‘From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone.’’ The Message.

Yesterday we looked at Christ, supreme in creation (15-17). This next section shows Him to be supreme in the church, the new creation. The false teachers infecting the church at Colossae with their heretical germs, were very wrong about Jesus. Paul wanted to remind the Christians just who ‘’He is…’’ (The expression is repeated several times in 15-20.)

‘’And he is the head of the body, the church…’’ (18a) I understand that the emphasis in the original language is that ‘He, and He alone’, is the Head. This has profound implications for how we lead the church and run our lives. What part does prayer play; being still before the Lord and listening to Him? The church is not a constitutional monarchy and Jesus is no figurehead King. He must rule absolutely.

‘’…he is the beginning…’’ (18) As Jesus is the beginning of the Universe, so He is the beginning of the church. If He were not building us, we would not be built! As someone pointed out, Jesus is ‘’the beginning’’ of the church, and it has no ending!

‘’…and the firstborn from among the dead…’’ (18) In this context, ‘’firstborn’’ points to the fact that Jesus was the first (and most important) Person to truly rise from the dead (Some others may have been resuscitated, only to die again, but Jesus arose to a new order of life), and there will be many more to follow (See also 1 Corinthians 15:20 for a similar thought.) Because He lives, His people will live also. Jesus has beaten death, and in Him we are overcomers too.

‘’…so that in everything he might have the supremacy.’’ (18b) Such a Jesus surely could not possibly hold any lesser place. This is the place He holds in the universe and over the church, regardless of our response. But will we put out the ‘white flag’ and fully submit to His rule?

‘’For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him…’’ (19) In those times, when a ship had all its crew on board, that ship was said to have ‘fullness’. Paul is saying, if you like, that all of God is ‘on board’ Jesus. This was a vital point to make because the false teachers saw Jesus as just one of a series of ‘emanations’ from God. ‘They didn’t deny Him’, someone said, ‘but they did dethrone Him!’

‘’…and through him to reconcile…’’ (20) The Jesus who made ‘’all things’’ (16) has made it possible for ‘’all things’’ to be reconciled to God through the peace-making mission of the cross. The universe can and will be restored through Jesus’ great sacrifice. ‘’Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe – people and things, animals and atoms – get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the Cross.’’ The Message.

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Daily Bible thoughts 877: Thursday 14th May 2015: Colossians 1:15-17

Colossians 1:15-17

The central message of Colossians may be summed up like this: Jesus is everything you need, and everything you need is in Jesus (see also chapter two, verses nine and ten.) In (1:15-20) we come across one of the great Christological passages in the New Testament. It’s a hymn of praise about Jesus. (It may even have been an early Christian ‘hymn’ that Paul included in his letter under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.) Someone said that it shows Christ supreme in creation (15-17); and in the church, the new creation (18-20). We will look at it under these two headings during the next two days.

Christ supreme in creation (15-17):

  • ‘’He is the image of the invisible God…’’ (15a). The word for ‘’image’’ is the same one used regarding the Emperor’s ‘image’ on the currency in those days. Many people in the Roman Empire would never see the Imperial ruler in person. But if they had coinage in their pockets they knew what he was like for they had seen his image. ‘’We look at the Son and see the God who cannot be seen.’’ The Message. (John 1: 18.) We may never have seen God, but we see His glory ‘’in the face of Christ’’ (2 Corinthians 4:6.) We know what the invisible God is like because He is revealed to us in Jesus (see 2:9.)
  • ‘’…the firstborn over all creation.’’ The key words here are ‘’over’’ and ‘’all’’. Jesus is the ‘’firstborn’’ ,not in the sense of coming into being at some point in time. That’s not the thought at all. The firstborn was the most important person in the household and had pre-eminence. Now that is the idea. Jesus is supreme over creation. (See Psalm 89:27 – a very important verse for understanding this ‘firstborn’ idea.)
  • ‘’For by him all things were created…’’ God made the universe, but He did so by means of His Word and His Spirit, and Jesus is that living ‘’Word’’ (John 1:1-3; 10; 14.) It follows logically that the One who made ‘’all things’’ would also be ‘’over’’ the ‘’all’’ things He has made. Everything was created ‘’by’’ Jesus and ‘’for’’ Is your Jesus too small? How we need to have our hearts and minds enlarged by the Holy Spirit so that we can see Him as He is and worship Him as He deserves.
  • ‘’He is before all things…’’ Again, it is a logical thought that the Person who made it all would come before it all. This phrase points to the pre-existence of Jesus. As God, He is eternal (Hebrews 1:8.)
  • ‘’…and in him all things hold together.’’ It is the case that, were it not for Jesus, we would not be able to live a moment longer. We owe our life; our every breath, to Him.

‘’He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment.’’ The Message.

Let the greatness of Jesus fill your vision today, and know that you are safe in His Hands. He is in control.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, cause me to see you more clearly, love you more dearly and follow you more nearly.

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Daily Bible thoughts 876: Wednesday 13th May 2015: Colossians 1:9-14

Colossians 1:9-14

It’s easy to become blasé and accept a good thing as good, and that’s that. But when Paul heard about what was going on in Colossae, and how the new Christians were growing in faith, love and hope, he continued to pray fervently (9): ‘’…we have not stopped praying for you and asking God…’’ What was happening in Colossae was great, and Paul delighted in it. But he did not rest on his laurels. He wanted the good to be even better. This is a mark of great leadership.

I ask myself a question here: ‘Do I pray with such passion for people I don’t even know?’ Knowledge brings responsibility (9). Does my praying for the growth of fellow-Christians in any way match this?

Paul’s prayer concerned:

  • A thorough knowledge of God’s will through the work of the Holy Spirit (9). He’s the One who imparts ‘’spiritual wisdom and understanding’’;
  • Knowing God’s will in order to do God’s will (10). When we do know His will we can then try to offer Him the kind of life He deserves and ‘’please him in every way’’. We are in a position to live ‘fruitful’ lives (John 15). Why should God reveal His will to us if we will not do it?
  • Growth in knowing God (10b). There should be nothing static about our Christian lives. ‘I’m in the biggest room in the world’ someone said, which is the ‘room for improvement.’ In the realm of the Spirit there are endless possibilities for growth and change;
  • Supernatural strengthening (11). In this case it’s not about signs and wonders. Paul asks for an anointing of power so that they may patiently endure on the Christian pathway. He knows that many fierce winds of adversity will blow against them, and he wants them to stay the course. It may not look spectacular, but there is something splendid about a believer who ‘keeps on keeping on’ no matter what comes their way. It takes Holy Spirit dynamism to put one foot in front of the other and keep going;
  • A life of joyful praise (11b, 12). It’s a life of thanksgiving, which has at it its heart the knowledge of salvation (12, 13), that we have been rescued by God through Jesus. We’ve been forgiven by Jesus; bought by the blood of Jesus, and we live under the reign of Jesus. These are the new realities that mark every Christian, and they are things to be deeply grateful for. We’ve been brought out of a dark existence into one that is bright with God’s glory.

The closing part of the prayer reads like this in The Message: ‘’We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul – not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us. God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we’re in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.’’

 

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Daily Bible thoughts 875: Tuesday 12th May 2015: Colossians 1:3-8

Colossians 1:3-8

Here are some ‘gleanings’ from these opening verses:

  • It is good to ‘’always’’ (3) combine prayer and thanks;
  • In encouraging others, it is important to glorify God, and say ‘thank you’ for His work in them;
  • Genuine faith in Jesus (vertically) will show itself (horizontally) in love ‘’for all the saints’’. This love is the Holy Spirit’s ‘’fruit’’ (Galatians 5:22). For Paul, the triad of graces, ‘’faith’’ (4), ‘’love’’ (4, 5 and 8), and ‘’hope’’ (5), are the hallmarks of genuine Christian experience. Someone said that faith reaches back into the past, to embrace everything Jesus did for us at the cross; love reaches out into the present to touch all God’s children with love; and hope reaches forward into the future to grasp the plans God has for us there. Hope is not a flimsy characteristic. It is something solid and certain. (Note too that it is this ‘eschatological’ presentation of what God has planned for tomorrow, that brings people into faith today, and causes them to overflow with love: verse 5); ‘’The lines of purpose in your lives never grow slack, tightly tied as they are to your future in heaven, kept taut by hope.’’ The Message.
  • People will not come to faith without someone preaching to them (Romans 10:14, 15). In the case of the Colossians, it was ‘’Epaphras’’ (7), who faithfully shared the good news of Jesus with them. Trying to piece things together, scholars think that Epaphras may have been converted during Paul’s two yearlong ministry in Ephesus (see Acts 19). Epaphras then went back up the Lycus valley to his home territory, and may have been responsible for the planting of churches in Laodicea, Hierapolis and Colossae (4:12, 13 and 16.)It’s encouraging to think what can come from just one convert. ‘’He is one reliable worker for Christ! The Message;
  • The gospel message has a life all of its own. It’s like seed which has life in it (5b, 6). It’s a ‘living thing’ because it is true. Sow it into a place and you just don’t know what might happen. Not only are people brought to faith through the gospel, but it is also the means by which they grow. ‘’It doesn’t diminish or weaken over time…The Message bears fruit and gets larger and stronger, just as it has in you…It’s as vigorous in you now as when you learned it from our friend and close associate Epaphras.’’ The Message.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for the powerful work your gospel has done in me, and continues to do.

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