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How should we understand the words, “in him all things were created” in Col 1.16? Although commonly taken to mean Christ created the universe, this view has contextual, structural, and exegetical problems. In what follows I’ll name six problems with old-creation readings before laying out why a new creation approach makes sense. I presented this talk at the 2025 Unitarian Christian Alliance (UCA) conference in Uxbridge, England. Scroll down to see the full-length paper. For those listening to the audio, here’s a quick reference to Colossians 1.15-20 Strophe 1 (Col 1.15-18a) 15a      who is (the) image of the invisible God, 15b      firstborn of all creation 16a      for in him were created all things 16b                  in the heavens and upon the earth, 16c                  the visible and the invisible, 16d                  whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities 16e      all things have been created through him and for him 17a      and he is before all things 17b      and all things hold together in him 18a      and he is the head of the body of the Church,[12] Strophe 2 (Col 1.18b-20) 18b      who is (the) beginning, 18c      firstborn from the dead, 18d                  in order that he may be first in all things, 19        for in him was pleased all the fulness to dwell 20a      and through him to reconcile all things in him, 20b      making peace through the blood of his cross 20c                  whether the things upon the earth 20d                  or the things in the heavens Here’s Randy Leedy’s New Testament Diagram Here are the slides in the original PowerPoint format Download [13.82 MB] Here are the slides converted to PDF Loading... Taking too long? Reload document | Open in new tab Download [3.16 MB] To read the paper, simply scroll down or read it on Academia.edu.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— Check out these other papers by Sean Finnegan Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Finnegan on X @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Below is the paper presented on July 25, 2025 in Uxbridge, England at the 2nd annual UCA UK Conference. Access this paper on Academia.edu to get the pdf. Full text is below, including bibliography and end notes. Colossians 1.16: Old Creation or New Creation? by Sean P. Finnegan Abstract  How should we understand the words, “in him all things were created” in Col 1.16? Although commonly taken to mean Christ created the universe, this view has contextual, structural, and exegetical problems. In what follows, I will explain the difficulties with the various old creation readings of Col 1.16 along with five reasons for a new creation approach. Then I'll provide a new creation reading of Col 1.16 before summarizing my findings in the conclusion. Introduction  Colossians 1.15-20 is a fascinating text of great importance for Christology. Commonly understood to be a hymn, it is fascinating in its cosmic scope and elevated Christology. Although many commentators interpret Paul[1] to say that Christ created the universe in his pre-existent state in Col 1.16, not all scholars see it that way. For example, Edward Schillebeeckx writes, “There is no mention in this text of pre-existence in the Trinitarian sense.”[2] Rather he sees “an eschatological pre-existence, characteristic of wisdom and apocalyptic.”[3] G. B. Caird agreed that Paul's focus in Col. 1.15-20 was not pre-existence (contra Lightfoot), rather, “The main thread of Paul's thought, then, is the manhood of Christ.”[4] In other words, “All that has been said in vv. 15-18 can be said of the historical Jesus.”[5] James Dunn also denied that Paul saw Christ as God's agent in creation in Col 1.15-20, claiming that such an interpretation was “to read imaginative metaphor in a pedantically literal way.”[6] James McGrath argued that “Jesus is the one through whom God's new creation takes place.” [7] Andrew Perriman likewise noted, “There is no reference to the creation of heaven and earth, light and darkness, sea and dry land, lights in the heavens, vegetation, or living creatures,”[8] also preferring a new creation approach.[9] To understand why such a broad range of scholars diverge from the old creation interpretation of Col 1.16, we will examine several contextual, structural, and exegetical problems. While explaining these, I'll also put forward four reasons to interpret Col 1.16 as new creation. Then I'll provide a fifth before giving a new creation reading of Col 1.15-20. But before going any further, let's familiarize ourselves with the text and structure. The Form of Col 1.15-20  To get our bearings, let me begin by providing a translation,[10] carefully structured to show the two strophes.[11] Strophe 1 (Col 1.15-18a) 15a      who is (the) image of the invisible God, 15b      firstborn of all creation 16a      for in him were created all things 16b                  in the heavens and upon the earth, 16c                  the visible and the invisible, 16d                  whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities 16e      all things have been created through him and for him 17a      and he is before all things 17b      and all things hold together in him 18a      and he is the head of the body of the Church,[12] Strophe 2 (Col 1.18b-20) 18b      who is (the) beginning, 18c      firstborn from the dead, 18d                  in order that he may be first in all things, 19        for in him was pleased all the fulness to dwell 20a      and through him to reconcile all things in him, 20b      making peace through the blood of his cross 20c                  whether the things upon the earth 20d                  or the things in the heavens Here I've followed the two-strophe structure (1.15-18a and 18b-20) noted more than a century ago by the classical philologist Eduard Norden[13] and repeated by James Robinson,[14] Edward Lohse,[15] Edward Schweizer,[16] James Dunn,[17] Ben Witherington III,[18] and William Lane[19] among others. By lining up the parallel lines of the two strophes, we can clearly see the poetic form. Strophe 1 15a who is (the) image… 15b firstborn of all creation 16a for in him were created all things… 16e  all things have been created through him… Strophe 2 18b who is (the) beginning, 18c firstborn from the dead … 19 for in him was pleased all… 20a and through him to reconcile all things in him… Such striking repeated language between the two strophes means that we should be careful to maintain the parallels between them and not take a grammatical or exegetical position on a word or phrase that would disconnect it from the parallel line in the other strophe. Some scholars, including F. F. Bruce,[20] Michael Bird,[21] David Pao,[22] among others proposed vv. 17-18a as an independent transitional link between the two strophes. Lohse explained the motivation for this unlikely innovation as follows. Above all, it is curious that at the end of the first, cosmologically oriented strophe, Christ is suddenly referred to as the “head of the body, the church” (1:18a κεφαλή τοῦ σώματος τῆς ἐκκλησίας). Considering its content, this statement would have to be connected with the second strophe which is characterized by soteriological statements. The structure of the hymn, however, places it in the first strophe.[23] For interpreters who prefer to think of the first strophe as cosmogony and the second as soteriology, a line about Christ's headship over the church doesn't fit very well. They restructure the form based on their interpretation of the content. Such a policy reverses the order of operations. One should determine the form and then interpret the content in light of structure. Lohse was right to reject the addition of a new transitional bridge between the two strophes. He called it “out of the question” since vv. 17-18a underscore “all things” and “serve as a summary that brings the first strophe to a conclusion.”[24] Now that we've oriented ourselves to some degree, let's consider old creation readings of Col 1.16 and the problems that arise when reading it that way. Old Creation Readings  Within the old creation paradigm for Col 1.16 we can discern three groups: those who see (A) Christ as the agent by whom God created, (B) Wisdom as the agent, and (C) Christ as the purpose of creation. Although space won't allow me to interact with each of these in detail, I will offer a brief critique of these three approaches. As a reminder, here is our text in both Greek and English. Colossians 1.16 16a      ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα 16b                  ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, 16c                  τὰ ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα, 16d                  εἴτε θρόνοι εἴτε κυριότητες εἴτε ἀρχαὶ εἴτε ἐξουσίαι· 16e      τὰ πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται· 16a      for in him were created all things 16b                  in the heavens and upon the earth, 16c                  the visible and the invisible, 16d                  whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities 16e      all things have been created through him and for him 1. Christ as the Agent of Creation Scot McKnight is representative in his claim that “The emphasis of the first stanza is Christ as the agent of creation … and the second is Christ as the agent of redemption.”[25] This view sees the phrase “in him were created all things” as Christ creating the universe in the beginning. However, this position has six problems with it. Firstly, the context of the poem—both before (vv. 13-14) and after (vv. 21-22)—is clearly soteriological not cosmogonical.[26] By inserting vv. 15-20 into the text after vv. 13-14, Paul connected the two together.[27] V. 15 begins with ὅς ἐστιν (who is), which makes it grammatically dependent on vv. 13-14. “It is widely accepted,” wrote Dunn, “that this passage is a pre-Pauline hymn interpolated and interpreted to greater or less extent by Paul.”[28] By placing the poem into a redemptive frame, Paul indicated how he interpreted it. The fact that God “rescued us from the authority of darkness and transferred (us) into the kingdom of his beloved son” is the controlling context (v. 13).[29] As I will show below, I believe vv. 15-20 are ecclesiology not protology, since ecclesiology naturally flows from soteriology. Rather than remaining in the old domain of darkness, vulnerable to malevolent spiritual powers of this age, Colossian Christians are transferred into the new domain of Christ. The context makes it more natural to interpret the creation language of vv. 15-16 in light of Christ's redemptive work—as references to new creation rather than old creation. Doing so retains the contextual frame rather than jumping back to the beginning of time. A second problem arises when we consider the phrase “image of the invisible God” in v. 15. Although some see a Stoic or Wisdom reference here, I agree with F. F. Bruce who said, “No reader conversant with the OT scriptures, on reading these words of Paul, could fail to be reminded of the statement in Gen. 1:26f., that man was created by God ‘in his own image.'”[30] Immediately after making humanity in his own image, God blessed us with dominion over the earth. Philo also connected humanity's image of God with “the rulership over the earthly realms.”[31] But if the Christ of v. 15 is the pre-existent son prior to his incarnation, as the old creation model posits, “How can he be the ‘image of God,'” asked Eduard Schweizer, since “the one who is thus described here is not the earthly Jesus?”[32] It is precisely by virtue of his humanity that Jesus is the image of God not his pre-existence.[33] Thus, image-of-God language points us to the creation of a new humanity. A third problem is that “firstborn of all creation” prima facia implies that Christ is a member of creation (a partitive genitive). This is how Paul thought about Christ as firstborn in Rom 8.29 when he called Christ “firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Clearly he saw Christ as a member of the “ἀδελφοῖς” (brothers and sisters). Furthermore, “πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως” (firstborn of all creation) in v. 15 parallels “πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν” (firstborn from the dead) v. 18. Although the former (v. 15) can be taken as a genitive of subordination (firstborn over creation) or as a partitive genitive (firstborn of creation), the latter (v. 18) is unambiguously partitive. Because v. 18 includes the word ἐκ (from/out of), instead of a multivalent genitive, it must mean that Jesus was himself a member of the dead prior to his resurrection. Likewise, he was the firstborn member of creation. To take v. 15 as a genitive of subordination and v. 18 in a partitive sense allows theology to drive exegesis over against the clear structural link between v. 15b and v. 18c. In fact, as the BDAG noted, Christ is “the firstborn of a new humanity.”[34] He is chronologically born first and, by virtue of that, also preeminent.[35] Fourthly, the phrase, “ἐν αὐτῷ” (in him), implies soteriology not protology as it does throughout the Pauline corpus. The prepositional phrases “in Christ,” “in the Lord,” “in him,” and others that are similar occur more than a hundred times in Paul's epistles. McKnight elucidated the sense nicely: “This expression, then, is the inaugurated eschatological reality into which the Christian has been placed, and it also evokes the new-creation realities that a person discovers.”[36] Creation in Christ is not likely to refer to Genesis creation. In fact, apart from Col 1.16, there is no text within Paul or the rest of the Bible that speaks of the origin of the universe as something created “in Christ.”[37] Sadly translators routinely obscure this fact by translating “ἐν αὐτῷ” as “by him.”[38] Amazingly, the NASB and ESV render “ἐν αὐτῷ” as “in him” in every other usage apart from Col 1.16![39] For the sake of consistency, it makes better sense to render “ἐν αὐτῷ” as “in him” and let the reader decide how to interpret it. Fifthly, the line, “and he is the head of the body, the Church” (v. 18a) clearly roots the first strophe in redemptive history not creation. Our English translations follow Robert Estienne's verse divisions, which confusingly combine the last line of the first strophe (v. 18a) and the first line of the second (v. 18b), obscuring the native poetic structure. As I made the case above, the structure of the text breaks into two strophes with v. 18a included in the first one. As I mentioned earlier, vv. 15-20 are a pre-existing poem that Paul has modified and incorporated into the text of Colossians. Ralph Martin pointed out that the poem contains “no less than five hapax legomena” and “about ten non-Pauline expressions.”[40] Additionally, there appear to be awkward additions that disrupt the symmetry. These additions are the most explicitly Christian material. It is likely that the original said, “and he is the head of the body” to which Paul appended “the church.” Edward Schillebeeckx commented on this. In Hellenistic terms this must primarily mean that he gives life and existence to the cosmos. Here, however, Colossians drastically corrects the ideas … The correction made by Colossians is to understand ‘body' as a reference to the church, and not the cosmos. This alters the whole perspective of the cultural and religious setting … The cosmic background is reinterpreted in terms of salvation history and ecclesiology. In fact Christ is already exercising his lordship over the world now … however, he is doing this only as the head of the church, his body, to which he gives life and strength. Thus Colossians claims that the church alone, rather than the cosmos, is the body of Christ.[41] If this is true, it shows Paul's careful concern to disallow a strictly old creation or protological reading of the first strophe. For by inserting “of the church,” he has limited the context of the first strophe to the Christ event. “The addition of ‘the church,'” wrote Dunn, “indicates that for Paul at any rate the two strophes were not dealing with two clearly distinct subjects (cosmology and soteriology).”[42] Karl-Joseph Kuschel wrote, “The answer would seem to be he wanted to ‘disturb' a possible cosmological-protological fancy in the confession of Christ … to prevent Christ from becoming a purely mythical heavenly being.”[43] Thus Paul's addition shows us he interpreted the creation of v16 as new creation. Lastly, theological concerns arise when taking Col 1.16 as old creation. The most obvious is that given the partitive genitive of v. 15, we are left affirming the so-called Arian position that God created Christ as the firstborn who, in turn, created everything else. Another thorn in the side of this view is God's insistence elsewhere to be the solo creator (Isa 44.24; cf. 45.18). On the strength of this fact, modalism comes forward to save the day while leaving new problems in its wake. However, recognizing Col 1.15-20 as new creation avoids such theological conundrums. 2. Wisdom as the Agent of Creation Dustin Smith noted, “The christological hymn contains no less than nine characteristics of the wisdom of God (e.g., “image,” “firstborn,” agent of creation, preceding all things, holding all things together) that are reapplied to the figure of Jesus.”[44] Some suggest that Col 1.15-20 is actually a hymn to Wisdom that Paul Christianized.[45] The idea is that God created the universe through his divine Wisdom, which is now embodied or incarnate in Christ. Dunn explained it as follows. If then Christ is what God's power/wisdom came to be recognized as, of Christ it can be said what was said first of wisdom—that ‘in him (the divine wisdom now embodied in Christ) were created all things.' In other words the language may be used here to indicate the continuity between God's creative power and Christ without the implication being intended that Christ himself was active in creation.[46] Before pointing out some problems, I must admit much of this perspective is quite noncontroversial. That Jewish literature identified Wisdom as God's creative agent, that there are linguistic parallels between Col 1.15-20 and Wisdom, and that the historical Jesus uniquely embodied Wisdom to an unprecedented degree are not up for debate. Did Paul expect his readers to pick up on the linguistic parallels? Afterall, he could have just said “in her were created all things” in v. 16, clearly making the connection with the grammatically feminine σοφία (Wisdom). Better yet, he could have said, “in Wisdom were created all things.” Even if the poem was originally to Wisdom, Paul has thoroughly Christianized it, applying to Christ what had been said of Wisdom. However, the most significant defeater for this view is that applying Wisdom vocabulary to Christ only works one way. Wisdom has found her home in Christ. This doesn't mean we can attribute to Christ what Wisdom did before she indwelt him any more than we can attribute to the living descendants of Nazis the horrific deeds of their ancestors. Perriman's critique is correct: “The point is not that the act of creation was Christlike, rather the reverse: recent events have been creation-like. The death and resurrection of Jesus are represented as the profoundly creative event in which the wisdom of God is again dynamically engaged, by which a new world order has come about.”[47] Once again a new creation approach makes better sense of the text. 3. Christ as the Purpose of Creation Another approach is to take ἐν αὐτῷ (in him) in a telic sense. Martha King, a linguist with SIL, said the phrase can mean “in association with Christ everything was created” or “in connection with Christ all things were created.”[48] Lexicographer, Joseph Thayer, sharpened the sense with the translation, “[I]n him resides the cause why all things were originally created.”[49] William MacDonald's translation brought this out even more with the phrase, “because for him everything … was created.”[50] The idea is that God's act of creation in the beginning was with Christ in view. As Eric Chang noted, “Christ is the reason God created all things.”[51] G. B. Caird said, “He is the embodiment of that purpose of God which underlies the whole creation.”[52] The idea is one of predestination not agency.[53] Christ was the goal for which God created all things. A weakness of this view is that purpose is better expressed using εἰς or δία with an accusative than ἐν. Secondly, the parallel line in the second strophe (v. 19) employs “ἐν αὐτῷ” in a clearly locative sense: “in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell.” So even though “ἐν αὐτῷ” could imply purpose, in this context it much more likely refers to location. Lastly, Paul mentioned the sense of purpose at the end of v. 16 with “εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται” (for him has been created), so it would be repetitive to take “ἐν αὐτῷ” that way as well. To sum up, the three positions that see Col 1.16 as a reference to old creation all have significant problems. With these in mind, let us turn our attention to consider a fourth possibility: that Paul has in mind new creation. Reasons for a New Creation Reading I've already provided four reasons why Col 1.15-20 refers to new creation: (1) calling Christ the image of God points to the new humanity begun in Christ as the last Adam;[54] (2) since the firstborn of the old creation was Adam (or, perhaps, Seth), Jesus must be the firstborn of the new creation; (3) saying Jesus is the head of the church, limits the focus for the first strophe to the time following the Christ event; (4) the context of the poem, both before (vv. 13-14) and after (vv. 21-22) is soteriological, making an old creation paradigm awkward, while a new creation view fits perfectly. The Catholic priest and professor, Franz Zeilinger, summarized the situation nicely: “Christ is (through his resurrection from the realm of death) Lord over the possession granted to him, of which he is the ἀρχή (beginning) and archetype, … and head and beginning of the eschatological new creation!”[55] Additionally, a new creation paradigm fits best with Paul's elaboration of what visible and invisible things in heaven and on earth he has in mind. Once again, here's our text. 16a      for in him were created all things 16b                  in the heavens and upon the earth, 16c                  the visible and the invisible, 16d                  whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities 16e      all things have been created through him and for him By specifying thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities, we discern Paul's train of thought. Form critics are quick to point out that v. 16d is Paul's addition to the poem. Without it, the reader may have thought of sky, land, and animals—old creation. However, with v. 16d present, we direct our attention to political realities not God's creative power or engineering genius. Martha King noted the two possible meanings for εἴτε: (1) specifying the “invisible things” or (2) giving examples of “all things.” Taking the second view, we read “in him were created all things, including thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities.”[56] Randy Leedy also presented this position in his sentence diagrams, identifying v. 16d as equivalent to v. 16c and v. 16b, all of which modify τὰ πάντα (all things) at the end of v. 16a. (See Appendix for Leedy's diagram.) Perriman pressed home the point when he wrote: The fact is that any interpretation that takes verse 16 to be a reference to the original creation has to account for the narrow range of created things explicitly listed. … The Colossians verse mentions only the creation of political entities—thrones, lordships, rulers and authorities, visible and invisible—either in the already existing heaven or on the already existing and, presumably, populated earth. What this speaks of is a new governmental order consisting of both invisible-heavenly and visibly-earthly entities.”[57] Understanding v. 16d as equivalent to “all things” in v. 16a nicely coheres with a new-creation paradigm. However, taken the other way—as an elaboration of only the invisible created realities—v. 16d introduces an asymmetrical and clumsy appendix. A New Creation Reading of Col 1.16 Now that we've considered some problems with old creation views and some reasons to read Col 1.16 from a new creation perspective, let's consider how a new creation reading works. New creation is all about the new breaking into the old, the future into the present. G. F. Wessels said, “Paul made clear that there is a present realized aspect of salvation, as well as a future, still outstanding aspect, which will only be realized at the eschaton.”[58] New creation, likewise, has future and present realities. Exiting Old Creation Before becoming part of the new creation, one must exit the old creation. “Our old humanity was co-crucified“ (Rom 6.6). “With Christ you died to the elemental principles of the world” (Col 2.20). “As many as were baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized into his death” (Rom 6.3). We were “co-buried with him through baptism into the death … having been united with the likeness of his death” (Rom 6.4-5). Our death with him through baptism kills our allegiance and submission to the old powers and the old way of life “in which you formerly walked according to the zeitgeist of this world, according to the rule of the authority of the air, the spirit which now works in the children of disobedience” (Eph 2.2). Entering New Creation As death is the only way out of the old creation, so resurrection is the only way into the new creation. “You have been co-raised with Christ” (Col 3.1). God “co-made-alive us together with him” (Col 2.13).[59] By virtue of our union with Christ, we ourselves are already “co-raised and co-seated us in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2.6). The result of this is that “we also may walk in newness of life” (Rom 6.4). For those who are “in Christ, (there is) a new creation; the old has passed away, behold (the) new has come into existence” (2 Cor 5.17). “They have been ‘transported,'” wrote Schillebeeckx, “they already dwell above in Christ's heavenly sphere of influence (Col 1.13)—the soma Christou … that is the church!”[60] Community For the people of God, “neither circumcision is anything nor uncircumcision but a new creation” is what matters (Gal 6.15). Those who “are clothed with the new” are “being renewed in knowledge according to the image of him who created, where there is no Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, (or) free, but Christ (is) all and in all” (Col 3.10-11). Through Christ God has nullified the law “in order that he might create the two into one new humanity in him” (Eph 2.14-15). Thus, within new creation, ethnic identity still exists, but it is relativized, our identity in Christ taking priority ahead of other affiliations and duties. Lifestyle When the lost become saved through faith, they become his creation (ποίημα), “created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Eph 2.10). This means we are to “lay aside the former way of life, the old humanity corrupted according to deceitful desires” and instead be clothed with “the new humanity created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Eph 4.22-24). Rather than lying to one another, we must “strip off the old humanity with its way of acting” and “be clothed with the new (humanity), renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it” (Col 3.9-10). “The ones who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts” and instead “walk by the spirit” (Gal 5.24-25). Ultimately, All Creation Although new creation is currently limited to those who voluntarily recognize Jesus as Lord, all “creation is waiting with eager expectation for the unveiling of the children of God” (Rom 8.19). Because of the Christ event, the created order eagerly awaits the day when it will escape “the enslavement of corruption” and gain “the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (v. 21). Like a bone out of joint, creation does not function properly. Once Christ sets it right, it will return to its proper order and operation under humanity's wise and capable rulership in the eschaton. Eschatology God predetermined that those who believe will be “conformed to the image of his son, that he be firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Rom 8.29). Thus, the resurrected Christ is the prototype, “the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor 15.20). Whereas “in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive” (v. 22). We await Christ's return to “transform the body of our humble station (that it be) shaped to his glorious body according to the energy which makes him able to also to subject all things to himself.” (Phil 3.21). This is the end goal of new creation: resurrected subjects of God's kingdom joyfully living in a renewed world without mourning, crying, and pain forevermore (Isa 65.17-25; Rev 21-22). The Powers Taking Col 1.16 as a new creation text adds key information about the present governing powers to this richly textured picture. In Christ God created thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities. He made these through Christ and for Christ with the result that Christ himself is before all things, and in Christ all things hold together (Col 1.17). He is the head of the body, the Church (Col 1.18). We find very similar language repeated in Ephesians in the context of Christ's exaltation.[61] Ephesians 1.20-23 20 Which [power] he energized in Christ having raised him from the dead and seated (him) on his right (hand) in the heavenlies 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name named, not only in this age but also in the one to come; 22 and he subjected all things under his feet and gave him (as) head over all things in the Church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in all. The parallels are striking. Both speak of Christ's resurrection, Christ's exalted position of authority over all the powers, Christ's role as head of the church, and both mention the fullness. It's easy to miss the connection between these two passages since most think of Eph 1.20-22 as ascension theology and Col 1.15-20 as creation theology. But, if we adjust our thinking to regard Col 1.16 as new creation, we see how the two fit together. In Ephesians we see Christ's ascension to God's right hand as the reason for a cosmic reordering of authorities with the result that all rule, authority, power, and dominion are subjected to him. (Though we may be accustomed to reading these powers in Eph 1.21 as only malevolent owing to Eph 2.2 and 6.12, the list here must be mixed, since only benevolent powers will survive the final judgement and continue into the age to come.) Instead of exaltation, in Colossians Paul employed the language of creation to describe Christ's relation to the powers. Perhaps lesser terms like reassign, reorder, or establish were just too small to adequately express the magnitude of how the Christ event has changed the world—both in heaven and on earth. The only term big enough to convey the new situation was “creation”—the very same word he routinely used elsewhere with the meaning of new creation.[62] We can gain more insight by considering what the powers of Eph 1.21 and Col 1.16 mean. McKnight saw them “as earthly, systemic manifestations of (perhaps fallen) angelic powers—hence, the systemic worldly, sociopolitical manifestations of cosmic/angelic rebellion against God.”[63] I partially agree with McKnight here. He's right to see the powers as both heavenly and earthly, or better, as the heavenly component of the earthly sociopolitical realities, but he has not made room for the new authority structures created in Christ. John Schoenheit helpfully explained it this way: Not only did Jesus create his Church out of Jew and Gentile, he had to create the structure and positions that would allow it to function, both in the spiritual world (positions for the angels that would minister to the Church—see Rev. 1:1, “his angel”) and in the physical world (positions and ministries here on earth—see Rom. 12:4-8; Eph. 4:7-11).[64] We must never forget that Paul has an apocalyptic worldview—a perspective that seeks to unveil the heavenly reality behind the earthly. He believed in powers of darkness and powers of light. In Christ were created thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities (Col 1.16). He is “the head of all rule and authority” (Col 2.10). These new creation realities make progress against the old powers that still hold sway in the world outside the Church. Although the old powers are still at work, those who are in Christ enjoy his protection. With respect to the Church, he has already “disarmed the rulers and authorities” (Col 2.15). We can don “the armor of God that we be able to stand against the methods of the devil” (Eph 6.11) and “subduing everything, to stand” (v. 13). We find glimpses of this heavenly reality scattered in other places in the Bible. Peter mentioned how Christ “is on the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, angels and authorities and power having been subjected to him” (1 Pet 3.22). In John's Revelation, he addressed each of the seven letters to the angels of their respective churches.[65] Although it's hard for us to get details on precisely what happened at Christ's ascension, something major occurred, not just on earth, but also in the spiritual realm. Jesus's last recorded words in Matthew are: “all authority in heaven and upon earth was given to me” (Mat 28.18-20). Presumably such a statement implies that prior to his resurrection Jesus did not have all authority in heaven and earth. It didn't exist until it was created. Similarly, because of his death, resurrection, and ascension, Christ has “become so much better than the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to them” (Heb 1.4). Once again, the text implies that Christ was not already superior to the angels, but “after making purification of the sins, he sat on the right hand of the majesty on high” at which time he became preeminent (Heb 1.3). Perhaps this also explains something about why Christ “proclaimed to the spirits in prison” (1 Pet 3.19). Another possibility is that Christ's ascension (Rev 12.5) triggered a war in heaven (v. 7) with the result that the dragon and his angels suffered defeat (v. 8) and were thrown out of heaven down to the earth (v. 9). Sadly, for most of the history of the church we have missed this Jewish apocalyptic approach that was obvious to Paul, limiting salvation to individual sins and improved morality.[66] Only in the twentieth century did interpreters begin to see the cosmic aspect of new creation. Margaret Thrall wrote the following. The Christ-event is the turning-point of the whole world … This Christ ‘in whom' the believer lives is the last Adam, the inaugurator of the new eschatological humanity. … Paul is saying that if anyone exists ‘in Christ', that person is a newly-created being. … In principle, through the Christ-event and in the person of Christ, the new world and the new age are already objective realities.[67] New creation is, in the words of J. Louis Martyn “categorically cosmic and emphatically apocalyptic.”[68] In fact, “The advent of the Son and of his Spirit is thus the cosmic apocalyptic event.”[69] In Christ is the beginning of a whole new creation, an intersecting community of angelic and human beings spanning heaven and earth. The interlocking of earthly (visible) and heavenly (invisible) authority structures points to Paul's apocalyptic holism. The Church was not on her own to face the ravages of Rome's mad love affair with violence and power. In Christ, people were no longer susceptible to the whims of the gods that have wreaked so much havoc from time immemorial.[70] No, the Church is Christ's body under his direct supervision and protection. As a result, the Church is the eschatological cosmic community. It is not merely a social club; it has prophetic and cosmic dimensions. Prophetically, the Church points to the eschaton when all of humanity will behave then how the Church already strives to live now—by the spirit instead of the flesh (Gal 5.16-25). Cosmically, the Church is not confined to the earth. There is a heavenly dimension with authority structures instantiated under Christ to partner with the earthly assemblies. God's “plan for the fulness of the times” is “to head up all thing in the Christ, the things upon the heavens and the things upon the earth in him” (Eph 1.10). Although this is his eschatological vision, Zeilinger pointed out that it is already happening. [T]he eschatological world given in Christ is realized within the still-existing earthly creation through the inclusion of the human being in Christ, the exalted one, by means of the proclamation of salvation and baptism. The eschaton spreads throughout the world in the kerygma and becomes reality, in that the human being, through baptism, becomes part of Christ—that is, in unity with him, dies to the claim of the στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου (2.20) and is raised with him to receive his eschatological life. The people thus incorporated into the exalted Christ thereby form, in him and with him, the new creation of the eschaton within the old! The body of Christ is thus recognizable as the expanding Church. In it, heavenly and earthly space form, in a certain sense, a unity.[71] The Church is a counter society, and embassy of the future kingdom shining the light of the age to come into the present in the power of the spirit with the protection of Christ and his heavenly powers over against the powers of darkness, who/which are still quite active—especially in the political realities of our present evil age (Gal 1.4). We bend the knee to the cosmic Christ now in anticipation of the day when “every knee may bend: heavenly and earthly and subterranean” (Phil 2.10) and “every tongue may confess that Jesus Christ (is) Lord” (v. 11). Christ's destiny is to fulfil the original Adamic mandate to multiply, fill, and have dominion over the earth (Gen 1.28). He has already received all authority in heaven and earth (Mat 28.18). God has given him “dominion over the works of your hands and put all things under his feet” as the quintessential man (Ps 8.6). Even so, “Now we do not yet see all things subjected to him” (Heb 2.8), but when he comes “he will reign into the ages of the ages” (Rev 11.15). Until then, he calls the Church to recognize his preeminence and give him total allegiance both in word and deed. Conclusion We began by establishing that the structure of the poetic unit in Col 1.15-20 breaks into two strophes (15-18a and 18b-20). We noted that Paul likely incorporated pre-existing material into Colossians, editing it as he saw fit. Then we considered the problems with the three old creation readings: (A) Christ as the agent of creation, (B) Wisdom as the agent of creation, and (C) Christ as the purpose of creation. In the course of critiquing (A), which is by far most popular, we observed several reasons to think Col 1.16 pertained to new creation, including (1) the image of God language in v. 15a, (2) the firstborn of all creation language in v. 15b, (3) the head of the Church language in v. 18a, and (4) the soteriological context (frame) of the poem (vv. 13-14, 21-22). To this I added a fifth syntactical reason that 16d as an elaboration of “τἀ πάντα” (all things) of 16a. Next, we explored the idea of new creation, especially within Paul's epistles, to find a deep and richly textured paradigm for interpreting God's redemptive and expanding sphere of influence (in Christ) breaking into the hostile world. We saw that new Christians die and rise with Christ, ending their association with the old and beginning again as a part of the new—a community where old racial, legal, and status divisions no longer matter, where members put off the old way of living and instead become clothed with the new humanity, where people look forward to and live in light of the ultimate transformation to be brought about at the coming of Christ. Rather than limiting new creation to the salvation of individuals, or even the sanctifying experience of the community, we saw that it also includes spiritual powers both “in the heavens and upon the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities” (Col 1.16). Reading Col 1.15-20 along with Eph 1.20-23 we connected God's creation of the powers in Christ with his exaltation of Christ to his right hand “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Eph 1.21). The point from both texts is clear: as “the head of the body, the Church” (Col 1.18; Eph 1.22), Christ is “before all things” (Col 1.17), “first in all things” (Col 1.18), and “far above all” (Eph 1.21), since God has “subjected all things under his feet” (Eph 1.22). Christ is preeminent as the firstborn of all new creation, “the new Adam … the starting point where new creation took place.”[72] Although the old powers still hold sway in the world, those in the interlocked heaven-and-earth new creation domain where Christ is the head, enjoy his protection if they remain “in the faith established and steadfast and not shifting away from the hope of the gospel” (Col 1.23). This interpretation has several significant advantages. It fits into Paul's apocalyptic way of thinking about Christ's advent and exaltation. It also holds together the first strophe of the poem as a unit. Additionally, it makes better sense of the context. (The ecclesiology of Col 1.15-18a follows logically from the soteriological context of vv. 13-14.) Lastly, it is compatible with a wide range of Christological options. Appendix Here is Col 1.16 from Leedy's sentence diagrams.[73] Of note is how he equates the τὰ πάντα of 16a with 16c and 16d rather than seeing 16d as an elaboration of τά ὁρατά. Bibliography Bauer, Walter, Frederick William  Danker, William F. Arndt, F. Gingrich, Kurt Aland, Barbara Aland, and Viktor Reichmann. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000. Bird, Michael F. Colossians and Philemon. A New Covenant Commentary. Cambridge, England: The Lutterworth Press, 2009. Brown, Anna Shoffner. “Nothing ‘Mere’ About a Man in the Image of God.” Paper presented at the Unitarian Christian Alliance, Springfield, OH, Oct 14, 2022. Bruce, E. K. Simpson and F. F. The Epistles to the Ephesians and the Colossians. The New International Commentary on the New Testament, edited by Ned B. Stonehouse. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1957. Buzzard, Anthony F. Jesus Was Not a Trinitarian. Morrow, GA: Restoration Fellowship, 2007. Caird, G. B. New Testament Theology. Edited by L. D. Hurst. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 2002. Caird, G. B. Paul’s Letters from Prison. New Clarendon Bible, edited by H. F. D. Sparks. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1976. Carden, Robert. One God: The Unfinished Reformation. Revised ed. Naperville, IL: Grace Christian Press, 2016. Chang, Eric H. H. The Only Perfect Man. Edited by Bentley C. F. Chang. 2nd ed. Montreal, QC: Christian Disciples Church Publishers, 2017. Deuble, Jeff. Christ before Creeds. Latham, NY: Living Hope International Ministries, 2021. Dunn, James D. G. Christology in the Making. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996. Dunn, James D. G. The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon. New International Greek Testament Commentary, edited by Gasque Marshall, Hagner. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996. Heiser, Michael S. The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2019. King, Martha. An Exegetical Summary of Colossians. Dallas, TX: SIL International, 1992. Kuschel, Karl-Joseph. Born before All Time? Translated by John Bowden. New York, NY: Crossroad, 1992. Originally published as Beforen vor aller Zeit? Lane, William L. The New Testament Page by Page. Open Your Bible Commentary, edited by Martin Manser. Bath, UK: Creative 4 International, 2013. Leedy, Randy A. The Greek New Testament Sentence Diagrams. Norfolk, VA: Bible Works, 2006. Lohse, Edward. Colossians and Philemon. Hermeneia. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1971. MacDonald, William Graham. The Idiomatic Translation of the New Testament. Norfolk, VA: Bibleworks, 2012. Mark H. Graeser, John A. Lynn, John W. Schoenheit. One God & One Lord. 4th ed. Martinsville, IN: Spirit & Truth Fellowship International, 2010. Martin, Ralph. “An Early Christian Hymn (Col. 1:15-20).” The Evangelical Quarterly 36, no. 4 (1964): 195–205. Martyn, J. Louis. Theological Issues in the Letters of Paul. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1997. McGrath, James F. The Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in Its Jewish Context. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2009. McKnight, Scot. The Letter to the Colossians. New International Commentary on the New Testament, edited by Joel B. Green. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2018. Norden, Eduard. Agnostos Theos: Untersuchungen Zur Formengeschichte Religiöser Rede. 4th ed. Stuttgart, Germany: B. G. Teubner, 1956. Originally published as 1913. Pao, David. Colossians and Philemon. Zondervan Exegetical Commentary of the New Testament, edited by Clinton E. Arnold. Grand Rapid, MI: Zondervan, 2012. Perriman, Andrew. In the Form of a God. Studies in Early Christology, edited by David Capes Michael Bird, and Scott Harrower. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2022. Philo. The Works of Philo. The Norwegian Philo Concordance Project. Edited by Kåre Fuglseth Peder Borgen, Roald Skarsten. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2005. Robinson, James M. “A Formal Analysis of Colossians 1:15-20.” Journal of Biblical Literature 76, no. 4 (1957): 270–87. Schillebeeckx, Eduard. Christ: The Experience of Jesus as Lord. Translated by John Bowden. New York, NY: The Seabury Press, 1977. Schoberg, Gerry. Perspectives of Jesus in the Writings of Paul. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2013. Schweizer, Eduard. The Letter to the Colossians. Translated by Andrew Chester. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1982. Smith, Dustin R. Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2024. Snedeker, Donald R. Our Heavenly Father Has No Equals. Bethesda, MD: International Scholars Publications, 1998. Thayer, Joseph Henry. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996. Thrall, Margaret. The Second Epistle to the Corinthians. Vol. 1. The International Critical Commentary, edited by C. E. B. Cranfield J. A. Emerton, G. N. Stanton. Edinburgh, Scotland: T&T Clark, 1994. Wachtel, William M. “Colossians 1:15-20–Preexistence or Preeminence?” Paper presented at the 14th Theological Conference, McDonough, GA, 2005. Wessels, G. F. “The Eschatology of Colossians and Ephesians.” Neotestamentica 21, no. 2 (1987): 183–202. Witherington III, Ben The Letters to Philemon, the Colossians, and the Ephesians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary of the Captivity Epistles. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007. Yates, Roy. The Epistle to the Colossians. London: Epworth Press, 1993. Zeilinger, Franz. Der Erstgeborene Der Schöpfung. Wien, Österreich: Herder, 1974. Footnotes [1] Since the nineteenth century biblical scholars have been divided over whether Paul wrote Colossians. One of the major reasons for thinking Paul didn't write Colossians is his exalted Christology—the very conclusion this paper seeks to undermine. A second major factor to argue against Pauline authorship is the difference in vocabulary, but this is explainable if Paul used a different amanuensis. The theologically more cosmic emphasis (also evident in Ephesians) is likely due to Paul's time in prison to reflect and expand his understanding of the Christ event. Lastly, the proto-Gnostic hints in Colossians do not require dating the epistle outside of Paul's time. Although Gnosticism flourished at the beginning of the second century, it was likely already beginning to incubate in Paul's time. [2] Eduard Schillebeeckx, Christ: The Experience of Jesus as Lord, trans. John Bowden (New York, NY: The Seabury Press, 1977), 185. [3] Schillebeeckx, 185. [4] G. B. Caird, Paul’s Letters from Prison, New Clarendon Bible, ed. H. F. D. Sparks (Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1976), 177. [5] Caird, 181. [6] James D. G. Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, New International Greek Testament Commentary, ed. Gasque Marshall, Hagner (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996), 91. “[W]hat at first reads as a straightforward assertion of Christ's pre-existenct activity in creation becomes on closer analysis an assertion which is rather more profound—not of Christ as such present with God in the beginning, nor of Christ as identified with a pre-existent hypostasis or divine being (Wisdom) beside God, but of Christ as embodying and expressing (and defining) that power of God which is the manifestation of God in and to his creation.” (Italics in original.) James D. G. Dunn, Christology in the Making, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996), 194. [7] James F. McGrath, The Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in Its Jewish Context (Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2009), 46. [8] Andrew Perriman, In the Form of a God, Studies in Early Christology, ed. David Capes Michael Bird, and Scott Harrower (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2022), 200. [9] In addition, biblical unitarians routinely interpret Col 1.16 as new creation. See Anthony F. Buzzard, Jesus Was Not a Trinitarian (Morrow, GA: Restoration Fellowship, 2007), 189–90, Robert Carden, One God: The Unfinished Reformation, Revised ed. (Naperville, IL: Grace Christian Press, 2016), 197–200, Eric H. H. Chang, The Only Perfect Man, ed. Bentley C. F. Chang, 2nd ed. (Montreal, QC: Christian Disciples Church Publishers, 2017), 151–52, Jeff Deuble, Christ before Creeds (Latham, NY: Living Hope International Ministries, 2021), 163–66, John A. Lynn Mark H. Graeser, John W. Schoenheit, One God & One Lord, 4th ed. (Martinsville, IN: Spirit & Truth Fellowship International, 2010), 493–94, Donald R. Snedeker, Our Heavenly Father Has No Equals (Bethesda, MD: International Scholars Publications, 1998), 291–92, William M. Wachtel, “Colossians 1:15-20–Preexistence or Preeminence?” (paper presented at the 14th Theological Conference, McDonough, GA, 2005), 4. [10] All translations are my own. [11] Stophes are structural divisions drawn from Greek odes akin to stanzas in poetry or verses in music. [12] Throughout I will capitalize Church since that reflects the idea of all Christians collectively not just those in a particular local assembly. [13] Eduard Norden, Agnostos Theos: Untersuchungen Zur Formengeschichte Religiöser Rede, 4th ed. (Stuttgart, Germany: B. G. Teubner, 1956), 250–54. [14] James M. Robinson, “A Formal Analysis of Colossians 1:15-20,” Journal of Biblical Literature 76, no. 4 (1957): 272–73. [15] Edward Lohse, Colossians and Philemon, Hermeneia (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1971), 44. [16] Eduard Schweizer, The Letter to the Colossians, trans. Andrew Chester (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1982), 57. [17] Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 84. [18] Ben  Witherington III, The Letters to Philemon, the Colossians, and the Ephesians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary of the Captivity Epistles (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007), 129. [19] William L. Lane, The New Testament Page by Page, Open Your Bible Commentary, ed. Martin Manser (Bath, UK: Creative 4 International, 2013), 765. [20] E. K. Simpson and F. F. Bruce, The Epistles to the Ephesians and the Colossians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, ed. Ned B. Stonehouse (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1957), 65. [21] Michael F. Bird, Colossians and Philemon, A New Covenant Commentary (Cambridge, England: The Lutterworth Press, 2009), 50. [22] David Pao, Colossians and Philemon, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary of the New Testament, ed. Clinton E. Arnold (Grand Rapid, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 87. [23] Lohse, 42. [24] Lohse, 43–44. [25] Scot McKnight, The Letter to the Colossians, New International Commentary on the New Testament, ed. Joel B. Green (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2018), 144. [26] Col 1.13-14: “who rescued us from the authority of darkness and transferred (us) into the kingdom of his beloved son in whom we have the redemption, the forgiveness of the sins.” Col 1.21-22: “And you being formerly alienated and hostile in thought in the evil deeds, but now he reconciled (you) in his body of the flesh through the death to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him.” [27] In fact, we can easily skip from vv. 13-14 to vv. 21-22. [28] Dunn, Christology in the Making, 187–88. [29] Sadly, most translations erroneously insert a paragraph between vv. 14 and 15. This produces the visual effect that v. 15 is a new thought unit. [30] Bruce, 193. [31] Moses 2.65: “τὴν ἡγεμονίαν τῶν περιγείων” in Philo, The Works of Philo, The Norwegian Philo Concordance Project (Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2005). See also Sirach 17.3. [32] Schweizer, 64. [33] For a helpful treatment of how the image of God relates to Christology, see Anna Shoffner Brown, “Nothing ‘Mere’ About a Man in the Image of God” (paper presented at the Unitarian Christian Alliance, Springfield, OH, Oct 14, 2022). [34] Walter Bauer et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000), s.v. “πρωτότοκος,” 2.a. [35] Franz Zeilnger wrote, “Christ is temporally the first of a series that essentially proceeds from him, and at the same time its lord and head.” Franz Zeilinger, Der Erstgeborene Der Schöpfung (Wien, Österreich: Herder, 1974), 182. Original: “als “Wurzel” ist Christus zeitlich der erste einer Reihe, die wesentlich aus ihm hervorgeht, und zugleich ihr Herr und Haupt.” [36] McKnight, 85–86. [37] The closest parallels are 1 Cor 8.6; Heb 1.2; and John 1.3, which employ the preposition δια (through). Upon close examination these three don't teach Christ created the universe either. [38] ESV, CSB, NASB, etc. Notably the NET diverges from the other evangelical translations. Roman Catholic, mainline, and unitarian translations all tend to straightforwardly render “ἐν αὐτῷ” as “in him” in Col 1.16; cf. NABRE, NRSVUE, OGFOMMT, etc. [39] Chang, 150. [40] Ralph Martin, “An Early Christian Hymn (Col. 1:15-20),” The Evangelical Quarterly 36, no. 4 (1964): 198. [41] Schillebeeckx, 186. [42] Dunn, Christology in the Making, 191. [43] Karl-Joseph Kuschel, Born before All Time?, trans. John Bowden (New York, NY: Crossroad, 1992), 336. [44] Dustin R. Smith, Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2024), 5–6. For more on wisdom Christology in Col 1.16 see Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 89, Roy Yates, The Epistle to the Colossians (London: Epworth Press, 1993), 18–19, 23, G. B. Caird, New Testament Theology, ed. L. D. Hurst (Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 2002), 46, McGrath, 44, 46. [45] See Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 89. See also Yates, 18–19, 23. [46] Dunn, Christology in the Making, 190. [47] Perriman, 199. [48] Martha King, An Exegetical Summary of Colossians (Dallas, TX: SIL International, 1992), 53. [49] Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), s.v. “ἐν,” 1722. He recognized the cause was both instrumental and final. [50] William Graham MacDonald, The Idiomatic Translation of the New Testament (Norfolk, VA: Bibleworks, 2012). [51] Chang, 147. Similarly James McGrath wrote, “[I]f all things were intended by God to find their fulfillment in Christ, then they must have been created “in him” in the very beginning in some undefined sense, since it was axiomatic that the eschatological climax of history would be a restoration of its perfect, original state.” McGrath, 46. [52] Caird, Paul’s Letters from Prison, 172. [53] “God so designed the universe that it was to achieve its proper meaning and unity only under the authority of man (Gen. 128; Ps. 86). But this purpose was not to be implemented at once; it was ‘to be put into effect when the time was ripe' (Eph. 110), when Christ had lived a human life as God intended it, and had become God's image in a measure which was never true of Adam. Only in unity with ‘the proper man' could the universe be brought to its destined coherence. For one who believes in predestination it is but a small step from this to saying that the universe was created in him.” Caird, Paul’s Letters from Prison, 178. [54] See also Paul's Adam Christology in Rom 5.12-21; 1 Cor 15.21-22, 45-49. [55] “Christus ist (durch seine Auferstehung aus dem Todesbereich) Herr über den ihm verliehenen Besitz, dessen ἀρχή und Urbild er ist, … und Haupt und Anfang der eschatologischen Neuschöpfung!” Zeilinger, 188. [56] King, 54. [57] Perriman, 200. [58] G. F. Wessels, “The Eschatology of Colossians and Ephesians,” Neotestamentica 21, no. 2 (1987): 187. [59] I realize my translation is awkward, but I prioritized closely mirroring the Greek over presenting smooth English. The original reads, “συνεζωοποίησεν ὑμᾶς σὺν αὐτῷ.” [60] Schillebeeckx, 187. [61] Scholars who make this connection include Caird, New Testament Theology, 216, Caird, Paul’s Letters from Prison, 177, McGrath, 44, Perriman, 201. [62] In fact, only two of the texts I cited above explicitly say “new creation” (2 Cor 5.17 and Gal 6.15). In all the others, Paul blithely employed creation language, expecting his readers to understand that he was not talking about the creation of the universe, but the creation of the new humanity in Christ—the Church. [63] McKnight, 152. [64] Mark H. Graeser, 493. [65] Rev 2.1, 8, 12, 18; 3.1, 7, 14. [66] See Gerry Schoberg, Perspectives of Jesus in the Writings of Paul (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2013), 280–81, 83. [67] Margaret Thrall, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, vol. 1, The International Critical Commentary, ed. C. E. B. Cranfield J. A. Emerton, G. N. Stanton (Edinburgh, Scotland: T&T Clark, 1994), 423, 26–28. [68] J. Louis Martyn, Theological Issues in the Letters of Paul (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1997), 122. [69] Martyn, 121. [70] Whether the old gods actually existed or not is a topic beyond the scope of this paper. Interested readers should consult Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2019). [71] “[D]ie in Christus gegebene echatologische Welt verwirkliche sich innerhalb der weiterhin existenten irdischen Schöpfung durch die Einbeziehung des Menschen in Christus, den Erhöhten, mittles Heilsverkündigung und Taufe. Das Eschaton setzt sic him Kerygma wetweit durch und wird Wirklichkeit, indem der Mensch durch die Taufe Christi Teil wird, d. h. in Einheit mit ihm dem Anspruch der στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου stirbt (2, 20) und mit ihm auferweckt sein eschatologisches Leben erhält. Die so dem erhöhten Christus eingegliederten Menschen bilden somit in ihm und mit ihm die neue Schöpfung der Eschata innerhalb der alten! Der Christusleib ist somit als sich weitende Kirche erkennbar. In ihr bildet himmlischer und irdischer Raum gewissermaßen eine Einheit.” Zeilinger, 179. [72] “Der neue Adam … Ausgangsort, in dem sich Neuschöpfung ereignete,” Zeilinger, 199. [73] Randy A. Leedy, The Greek New Testament Sentence Diagrams (Norfolk, VA: Bible Works, 2006). This is now available in Logos Bible Software.

In the opening of his letter to the Colossians Paul shared with them how he had been praying for them. Now, as the letter begins drawing to a close, Paul asks them to return the favor - he asks his brothers and sister in the church at Colossae if they would pray for him. Specifically, he asks them to pray for God's intervention in Paul's evangelistic efforts.

Last week, Brother Nick looked at Paul, the prisoner suffering for Jesus. Today, Brother Nick looks at Paul, the Prayer Warrior in the book of Colossians.

Today the last 2 chapters of Paul's letter to the Galatians illustrate the sharp contrast between those who put all the emphasis in their living – to observe the Law of Moses and practice circumcision – in contrast to belonging to Christ for “in Christ Jesus”, writes Paul, “neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” [5 v.6]Most of us are not affected by those who advocate keeping the law and circumcision today. But there are  there are those who believe it is vital as to which day you come together to worship.  In writing to the Colossians Paul advised: “ …. Let no one pass judgement on you in questions of food or drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.” [2 v.16]Our salvation does not depend on us observing rules or days – other than the simplicity – and wonder – of remembering that Christ died for us..  Baptised believers are to meet in remembrance of his death in the way Jesus instituted just before his death.  They prayerfully meet to partake of bread and wine (Luke 22 v.14-20) as “the new covenant in my blood” replacing the old covenant under the law of Moses.There is no command as to which day of the week this was to be observed.  But initially, after the dramatic events on the day of Pentecost, with about 3,000 being baptised, they met “day by day … breaking bread in their homes” [Acts 2 v.41,46].  Acts 20 v.7 tells us that they met to break bread on “the first day of the week” – but there is no command about this.Paul told the Galatians, be “led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” [5 v18]“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”  [v.22-23]Now, to produce good fruit on a tree, much pruning, tending, watering, and protection from predators is needed, varying according to the environment.  There is a parallel picture to this in the spiritual realm if we are to produce good spiritual fruit.The next and last verse in the chapter says, “And those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”  This does not happen automatically, we need to feed on God's word every day and to pray. Paul told the Colossians[Ch. 1 v.9,10]: “we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit …”.

Derek Chapin opens up Colossians 1:24-29 to frame the Apostle Paul's ministry as a model for the Christian in resilience, stewardship, and maturity.

Josh Kouri opens up Colossians 1:24-29 to frame the Apostle Paul's ministry as a model for the Christian in resilience, stewardship, and maturity.

A very warm welcome to BCC! We invite you to join us on Sunday 16th March 2025 for our two morning services in-person at 9am and 11.15am, and also on streamed on our YouTube channel from 11.15am. We are continuing our series exploring the letter to the Colossians. Pastor Nick will be bringing the third message entitled ‘Paul Confronts Heresy'.You can follow the message along in the YouVersion bible app at http://bible.com/events/49403454 and add your own notes! Click http://bcc.life/whats-on to find out about all our events and activities.Click http://bcc.life/give to access our giving page, where you can return your tithes to God, bring an offering or make a donation!If you ever need to know how to make Jesus the Lord of your life and come home to Father God, here is a great prayer you can pray:"Lord Jesus, I am so sorry for my wrongdoing. Please forgive me for being separated from you and from other people. I receive into you my life as Lord. Please lead me from now on. I surrender to you. I believe that you died on the cross to take away my sins, that you rose again on the third day and that you are alive and with me now. I accept you into my life. Please help me to live for you. Thank you for your gift of eternal life for now and for ever. Amen."If you prayed this prayer, please let us know! It's the best decision you can ever make, and we would love to celebrate that with you! Let us know in the chat session of the livestream, email us at admin@bcc.life! or visit https://bit.ly/BCC-FollowJesus

We start a new series exploring the letter to the Colossians, with Pastor Nick bringing the opening message entitled ‘Paul's Powerful Prayer'.You can follow the message along in the YouVersion bible app at http://bible.com/events/49396760 and add your own notes! Click http://bcc.life/whats-on to find out about all our events and activities.Click http://bcc.life/give to access our giving page, where you can return your tithes to God, bring an offering or make a donation!If you ever need to know how to make Jesus the Lord of your life and come home to Father God, here is a great prayer you can pray:"Lord Jesus, I am so sorry for my wrongdoing. Please forgive me for being separated from you and from other people. I receive into you my life as Lord. Please lead me from now on. I surrender to you. I believe that you died on the cross to take away my sins, that you rose again on the third day and that you are alive and with me now. I accept you into my life. Please help me to live for you. Thank you for your gift of eternal life for now and for ever. Amen."If you prayed this prayer, please let us know! It's the best decision you can ever make, and we would love to celebrate that with you! Let us know in the chat session of the livestream, email us at admin@bcc.life! or visit https://bit.ly/BCC-FollowJesus

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Life is a marathon and not a sprint. Therefore, we must prepare ourselves mentally and emotionally for the long haul. Sprints require a short burst of energy; marathons require endurance. Endurance is something in short supply in modern America. We want quick fixes. We easily give up on relationships, commitments, our church, etc., especially when things are too hard or take too long. This inability to endure should concern us, severely. The Scriptures everywhere commend an endurance mentality. Biblically, perseverance is essential to our faith. Consider these passages: In Romans 5 we are told to “exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope….” In Colossians Paul prays that we would be “strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy” (Colossians 1:11). Jesus himself warns us: “…many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:10-13 ESV) It is not surprising then that the writer of Hebrews describes the Christian life as a marathon: “…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3 NASB). In all your ups and downs, the Lord has one big goal: to grow you in endurance.  Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”~ Romans 8:18-25 (NASB)

If you follow a exercise regiment, after a while you are looking and hoping for results. If you truly are sticking to your plan you begin to see tone in your muscles, or if you run, you notice your endurance is growing. And that excites and spurs you on to continue your discipline. Everyone loves positive results. As we continue in Colossians Paul now takes us down the road of results. He specifically names five great results of keeping our relationship with Jesus as our number one priority. In this teaching we will examine and explain the positive results Paul lays out.———————————————————————————————Gather your church essentials here for notes, prayer, events, etc:https://nbcc.com/churchessentialsConnect with us on Social Media:Website: nbcc.com/Facebook: facebook.com/nbccnorcoInstagram: instagram.com/nbccnorcoYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6S-3n9PVnXm8zSPHAYVyGw----------------------------------------If you have any prayer requests or questions, please message us on our social media or send us an email at hello@nbcc.com. Don't forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast!----------------------------------------Join us in person, Sunday's at 8:30am, 10am, & 11:30amhttps://goo.gl/maps/PEe1rzXWKBv

If you are born again, you are alive with Christ! If you are born again, everything listed in Ephesians 1:3-14 is true of you! In those twelve verses the phrase: In Him or in Christ is stated. Before we even touch Ephesians 4:1-3, I want you to marvel over what it means to be in Christ. In Jesus, I can now know the God for whom I was made. In Jesus God no longer sees my sin, but the righteousness of His Son. In Jesus, I am becoming more and more like the person I was born to be. In Jesus, I have redemption and am now a child of God instead of an enemy; here are eighteen other reasons to celebrate what it means to be in Christ.: In Christ, I am justified freely by His grace (Rom. 3:24) In Christ, I am now Gods child (1 Peter 1:3) In Christ, I am forgiven of all my sins (Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:14) In Christ, I have peace (John 14:27) In Christ, I am loved by God the Father (John 16:27) In Christ, I belong to God (John 17:9) In Christ, I will never be forsaken or abandoned by God (John 10) In Christ, I am treasured by God (1 Peter 1-2) In Christ, I am the righteousness of Christ (2 Cor. 5:21) In Christ, there is for me NO condemnation (Rom. 8:1) In Christ, God is working all things together for my good (Rom. 8:28) In Christ, I have obtained an inheritance that only God alone can give (Eph. 1:11) In Christ, I am a new creation the old is gone and the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17) In Christ, I am a son/daughter of God (Gal. 4:6) In Christ, I am no longer a stranger or alien, but a fellow citizen with the saints (Eph. 2:19) In Christ, I am a member of the body of Christ (Eph. 3:6) In Christ, I am set apart for the mission of God (Eph. 2:10) In Christ, I am loved by an everlasting God (1 John 4:19) Paul begins verse four with the word, Therefore. When you read your Bible, this word serves as a clue that in light of what has been written, what you are about to read next is in response to what proceeded it. Another way to say it is: In light of Ephesians 1-3, this is how you are to behave. How are we to behave? Since we are alive in Christ, we are to walk as the spiritually living. Since we are not the only ones made alive in Christ, we should walk together as the living. I want to look at both of those points Paul makes in the verses that follow. How to Walk as the Living Paul begins with these words: Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you (v. 1a). So far in his epistle this is only the second place when Paul tells his readers to do something. The first time Paul told the Ephesians they had to do something, it was in 2:12, remember that you were. Remember what Paul? Remember who you were and who you now are! In Ephesians 4:1, Paul is not telling these Christians to remember their identity in Christ but to walk in step with their identity as those who have been called out of death into life with Christ. There are two words I want you to notice that I will call, The Two Ws of the Christian life. The first word is walk, and the second word is worthy. The Ws of the Christian life serve as evidence that you are alive in Jesus and no longer dead in your sins. When Paul uses the word walk in his epistle, he is referring metaphorically to the way a person lives out their life ethically. Paul uses the word walk thirty-two times in his epistles, eight of which are used in Ephesians, and every time it is used metaphorically! In Ephesians 2:1-2, our walk was governed by a Christless life: And you were dead in your offenses and sins, in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. In Colossians Paul also described the way the Christian used to walk, listen to the way he uses the word, walk in Colossians 3:5-7, Therefore, treat the parts of your earthly body as dead to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. Jesus used the same metaphor in describing what will happen to the one who follows Him: I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life (John 8:12). Listen to the other ways Paul uses the word walk in his epistles: But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. (Gal. 5:16) Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. (Rom. 6:4) Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. (Eph. 5:12) Here, in the verse before us this morning, we are commanded to, walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. The second W word of the Christian life is the word worthy. The Greek word Paul uses is axiōs, and it literally means worthily. The word worthy means to have worth or value in the same way a scale measures the weight of something. So, picture a scale in your mind; on the one side of the scale you have all of the doctrinal goodness that is true of you in Christ from Ephesians 1-3, and on the other side of the scale is the weight of your new life in Jesus applied in the way you live out that doctrinal truth. Martyn Lloyd-Jones describes what Paul is saying in this verse in the following way: The Apostle is beseeching them and exhorting them always to give equal weight in their lives to doctrine and practice. They must not put all the weight on doctrine and none on practice; nor all the weight on practice and just a little, if any at all, on doctrine. To do so produces imbalance and lopsidedness. The Ephesians must take great pains to see that the scales are perfectly balanced.[1] Let me say it in another way: Orthodoxy is right doctrine, and orthopraxy is right-practice. Here is where it gets real for you and me! In evangelical churches, you will probably run into two types of people who claim to be Christian: the first is the kind of Christian who can quote chapter and verse from the Bible, seems to have their theology nailed down and dialed in, but has little to show for it in the way they live out (practice) their Christianity. The other person you may run into seems to be a really nice Christian but has little understanding of the Bible or what passes for right doctrine.What we learn from Ephesians 4:1 is that our metaphorical Christian scale needs sound and solid doctrine from the Bible that is balanced by a life that is shaped by a growing understanding of the Word of God. Let me say it another way: as a Christian, you should be growing in your understanding of who God is and what it means to follow Jesus, and as you grow, your life will demonstrate that growth in equal measure. The Way We Walk Together as the Living So what does it look like to, walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called? It looks like verses 2-3, which is a life with, all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Two themes flow out of Ephesians 4-6 and that is, 1) unity between the redeemed and 2) the godly life lived out. In verses 2-3, Paul provides a list of five character traits that the one who is truly alive in Christ ought to long and strive for as he/she follows Jesus. What Paul lists are five characteristics that ought to be on the side of the scale that is labeled: practice. Humility. Think about your salvation and what it cost Jesus to redeem you. You who once stood before a holy God as a child of wrath living in the lusts of your flesh and mind (vv. 2-3), God made you alive in Christ (v. 4-5). Could there not be any clearer statement to shatter any hint of pride in you: but God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us made us alive together with Christ. If you understand the doctrine of Gods grace and mercy, then you will understand that the grace you received was not free and the mercy you received was not deserved: For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph. 2:8-9). There is no room for pride in the blood-bought and redeemed life of the Christian. Gentleness. To be a Christian is to be a disciple of Jesus, and to be a disciple of Jesus is to follow and imitate His ways. We have been redeemed by and follow the One who invites all: Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matt. 11:2829). To be gentle is to be meek, but that does not mean that Jesus was weak. Moses is described in Numbers 12:3 as, very humble, more than any person who was on the face of the earth. If you know anything about Moses, he was a courageous and gifted leader who bravely stood before the most powerful man of his day to demand that he let the Hebrew slaves go. We who were far from God, he found us and met us in our sin! Consider Romans 2:4 and the kindness of God: Do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and restraint and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? When it comes to the way we treat others, we ought to be known for our gentleness, and when it comes to the sins of others, the Word of God is very clear: Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you are not tempted as well (Gal. 6:1). Patience. The Greek word Paul used for patience is makrothymia which also means forbearance or long-suffering. How do you develop long-suffering as a Christian? We develop patience in the Christian life through the things we suffer. Listen, suffering is the fire God uses to purge the dross from our lives. Find a person who has suffered much and you will find a person who is either bitter or empathetic towards others. W. Tozer, a pastor known for his prayer life, once said of the person who wished to be used of God: It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply." God raises up storms of conflict in relationships at times to accomplish that deeper work in our character. If you dont buy into what Tozer said, consider what we read in Romans 5:3-5, And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Rom. 5:35). If you are serious about following Jesus, you will experience the suffering God intends for your good and His glory. Patience in the life of the Christian will not only come by way of suffering, but it comes through confidence and trust in a good and sovereign God. The more you grow in your understanding of who God is (orthodoxy) the greater your patience will become (orthopraxy). Bearing with one another. The fruit of godly humility, gentleness, and patience is the desire and hard work of bearing with one another. The Greek word for bearing here can also be translated as tolerate, put up with, or endure. To the scattered and suffering Christian located in what is now modern Turkey, the apostle Peter instructed: Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins (1 Pet. 4:8). Christian, you are a work in progress and the goal of becoming holy and blameless is not complete in you and will not be until a death or a resurrection, yet God is patient with you; oh, how easily we forget the 10,000 ways God endures us while He remains committed to the good He is doing in us! If God endures you, how is it that you are unwilling to endure your brother or sister in whom God is committed to do the same thing He is doing in you? How often and to what degree do we continue to wrong Him who endured the cross for our redemption? How easily we forget our Lords words from His Sermon on the Mount: For if you forgive other people for their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses (Matt. 6:1415). Unity. Paul does not just tell us to be united, but to be, diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. The way the NASB translates diligent is not a bad translation, but in the original language (spoudazō) the word is better translated as zealous or eager. I think the way the NASB translates this verse loses the edge and urgency that Paul meant to communicate to the Ephesian Christians. Listen, Paul is urging you, Christian, to be zealous and eager to maintain the unity we share as those who have been redeemed through the slaughtering of the Lamb of God so that we can be the children of God. As His Church, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit as His redeemed people. This is the unity of the Spirit that we are to keep within the community of faith in such a way that it is visible to the world around us! This is why Jesus commanded: I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another (John 13:3435). Oh, the petty things we allow to disrupt our union as Jesus Bride! The things we fight about and break fellowship over grieve the heart of the One who was crushed and cursed so that we could be reconciled to the God we sinned against. Peter OBrien wrote of this verse the following indictment that would do us well to heed and respond to in repentance: To live in a manner which mars the unity of the Spirit is to scorn the gracious reconciling work of Christ. It is tantamount to saying that his sacrificial death by which relationships with God and others have been restored, along with the resulting freedom of access to the Father, are of no real consequence to us![2] We have spent 20 weeks together in first three chapters in Ephesians, and some of you are still on track for reading through the Bible in a year. I have been with you for over five years now, and I have seen so much growth in many of you regarding your theological understand of God. I love that many of you honor or have grown to honor the Bible for what it is as the Word of God. I love that I can hear pages of your Bibles turn as we engage the Word of God each and every Sunday together! I am so proud of you and your growth dear brothers and sisters! My question for you this morning is simply this: What are you doing with your orthodoxy? Permit me to close our time with some questions to think about: How has your growth and understanding of who God is through His revealed word deepened your humility? How has it tenderized you towards others? How has your theology of Ephesians 1:3-14 and 2:1-10 made you a more patient person? Has your right awareness and understanding of Gods choosing, redeeming, and sealing of you as His reconciled child created in you to extend the same mercy and grace that you received to others who God is working through and with? Has your zeal for knowing God fostered a zeal to find what you disagree with, or has it created in you a zeal to maintain and celebrate the primary things you agree upon? [1] D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Christian Unity: An Exposition of Ephesians 4:1 to 16 (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1981), 24. [2] Peter Thomas OBrien, The Letter to the Ephesians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1999), 280.

If you are born again, you are alive with Christ! If you are born again, everything listed in Ephesians 1:3-14 is true of you! In those twelve verses the phrase: In Him or in Christ is stated. Before we even touch Ephesians 4:1-3, I want you to marvel over what it means to be in Christ. In Jesus, I can now know the God for whom I was made. In Jesus God no longer sees my sin, but the righteousness of His Son. In Jesus, I am becoming more and more like the person I was born to be. In Jesus, I have redemption and am now a child of God instead of an enemy; here are eighteen other reasons to celebrate what it means to be in Christ.: In Christ, I am justified freely by His grace (Rom. 3:24) In Christ, I am now Gods child (1 Peter 1:3) In Christ, I am forgiven of all my sins (Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:14) In Christ, I have peace (John 14:27) In Christ, I am loved by God the Father (John 16:27) In Christ, I belong to God (John 17:9) In Christ, I will never be forsaken or abandoned by God (John 10) In Christ, I am treasured by God (1 Peter 1-2) In Christ, I am the righteousness of Christ (2 Cor. 5:21) In Christ, there is for me NO condemnation (Rom. 8:1) In Christ, God is working all things together for my good (Rom. 8:28) In Christ, I have obtained an inheritance that only God alone can give (Eph. 1:11) In Christ, I am a new creation the old is gone and the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17) In Christ, I am a son/daughter of God (Gal. 4:6) In Christ, I am no longer a stranger or alien, but a fellow citizen with the saints (Eph. 2:19) In Christ, I am a member of the body of Christ (Eph. 3:6) In Christ, I am set apart for the mission of God (Eph. 2:10) In Christ, I am loved by an everlasting God (1 John 4:19) Paul begins verse four with the word, Therefore. When you read your Bible, this word serves as a clue that in light of what has been written, what you are about to read next is in response to what proceeded it. Another way to say it is: In light of Ephesians 1-3, this is how you are to behave. How are we to behave? Since we are alive in Christ, we are to walk as the spiritually living. Since we are not the only ones made alive in Christ, we should walk together as the living. I want to look at both of those points Paul makes in the verses that follow. How to Walk as the Living Paul begins with these words: Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you (v. 1a). So far in his epistle this is only the second place when Paul tells his readers to do something. The first time Paul told the Ephesians they had to do something, it was in 2:12, remember that you were. Remember what Paul? Remember who you were and who you now are! In Ephesians 4:1, Paul is not telling these Christians to remember their identity in Christ but to walk in step with their identity as those who have been called out of death into life with Christ. There are two words I want you to notice that I will call, The Two Ws of the Christian life. The first word is walk, and the second word is worthy. The Ws of the Christian life serve as evidence that you are alive in Jesus and no longer dead in your sins. When Paul uses the word walk in his epistle, he is referring metaphorically to the way a person lives out their life ethically. Paul uses the word walk thirty-two times in his epistles, eight of which are used in Ephesians, and every time it is used metaphorically! In Ephesians 2:1-2, our walk was governed by a Christless life: And you were dead in your offenses and sins, in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. In Colossians Paul also described the way the Christian used to walk, listen to the way he uses the word, walk in Colossians 3:5-7, Therefore, treat the parts of your earthly body as dead to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. Jesus used the same metaphor in describing what will happen to the one who follows Him: I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life (John 8:12). Listen to the other ways Paul uses the word walk in his epistles: But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. (Gal. 5:16) Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. (Rom. 6:4) Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. (Eph. 5:12) Here, in the verse before us this morning, we are commanded to, walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. The second W word of the Christian life is the word worthy. The Greek word Paul uses is axiōs, and it literally means worthily. The word worthy means to have worth or value in the same way a scale measures the weight of something. So, picture a scale in your mind; on the one side of the scale you have all of the doctrinal goodness that is true of you in Christ from Ephesians 1-3, and on the other side of the scale is the weight of your new life in Jesus applied in the way you live out that doctrinal truth. Martyn Lloyd-Jones describes what Paul is saying in this verse in the following way: The Apostle is beseeching them and exhorting them always to give equal weight in their lives to doctrine and practice. They must not put all the weight on doctrine and none on practice; nor all the weight on practice and just a little, if any at all, on doctrine. To do so produces imbalance and lopsidedness. The Ephesians must take great pains to see that the scales are perfectly balanced.[1] Let me say it in another way: Orthodoxy is right doctrine, and orthopraxy is right-practice. Here is where it gets real for you and me! In evangelical churches, you will probably run into two types of people who claim to be Christian: the first is the kind of Christian who can quote chapter and verse from the Bible, seems to have their theology nailed down and dialed in, but has little to show for it in the way they live out (practice) their Christianity. The other person you may run into seems to be a really nice Christian but has little understanding of the Bible or what passes for right doctrine.What we learn from Ephesians 4:1 is that our metaphorical Christian scale needs sound and solid doctrine from the Bible that is balanced by a life that is shaped by a growing understanding of the Word of God. Let me say it another way: as a Christian, you should be growing in your understanding of who God is and what it means to follow Jesus, and as you grow, your life will demonstrate that growth in equal measure. The Way We Walk Together as the Living So what does it look like to, walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called? It looks like verses 2-3, which is a life with, all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Two themes flow out of Ephesians 4-6 and that is, 1) unity between the redeemed and 2) the godly life lived out. In verses 2-3, Paul provides a list of five character traits that the one who is truly alive in Christ ought to long and strive for as he/she follows Jesus. What Paul lists are five characteristics that ought to be on the side of the scale that is labeled: practice. Humility. Think about your salvation and what it cost Jesus to redeem you. You who once stood before a holy God as a child of wrath living in the lusts of your flesh and mind (vv. 2-3), God made you alive in Christ (v. 4-5). Could there not be any clearer statement to shatter any hint of pride in you: but God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us made us alive together with Christ. If you understand the doctrine of Gods grace and mercy, then you will understand that the grace you received was not free and the mercy you received was not deserved: For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph. 2:8-9). There is no room for pride in the blood-bought and redeemed life of the Christian. Gentleness. To be a Christian is to be a disciple of Jesus, and to be a disciple of Jesus is to follow and imitate His ways. We have been redeemed by and follow the One who invites all: Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matt. 11:2829). To be gentle is to be meek, but that does not mean that Jesus was weak. Moses is described in Numbers 12:3 as, very humble, more than any person who was on the face of the earth. If you know anything about Moses, he was a courageous and gifted leader who bravely stood before the most powerful man of his day to demand that he let the Hebrew slaves go. We who were far from God, he found us and met us in our sin! Consider Romans 2:4 and the kindness of God: Do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and restraint and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? When it comes to the way we treat others, we ought to be known for our gentleness, and when it comes to the sins of others, the Word of God is very clear: Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you are not tempted as well (Gal. 6:1). Patience. The Greek word Paul used for patience is makrothymia which also means forbearance or long-suffering. How do you develop long-suffering as a Christian? We develop patience in the Christian life through the things we suffer. Listen, suffering is the fire God uses to purge the dross from our lives. Find a person who has suffered much and you will find a person who is either bitter or empathetic towards others. W. Tozer, a pastor known for his prayer life, once said of the person who wished to be used of God: It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply." God raises up storms of conflict in relationships at times to accomplish that deeper work in our character. If you dont buy into what Tozer said, consider what we read in Romans 5:3-5, And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Rom. 5:35). If you are serious about following Jesus, you will experience the suffering God intends for your good and His glory. Patience in the life of the Christian will not only come by way of suffering, but it comes through confidence and trust in a good and sovereign God. The more you grow in your understanding of who God is (orthodoxy) the greater your patience will become (orthopraxy). Bearing with one another. The fruit of godly humility, gentleness, and patience is the desire and hard work of bearing with one another. The Greek word for bearing here can also be translated as tolerate, put up with, or endure. To the scattered and suffering Christian located in what is now modern Turkey, the apostle Peter instructed: Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins (1 Pet. 4:8). Christian, you are a work in progress and the goal of becoming holy and blameless is not complete in you and will not be until a death or a resurrection, yet God is patient with you; oh, how easily we forget the 10,000 ways God endures us while He remains committed to the good He is doing in us! If God endures you, how is it that you are unwilling to endure your brother or sister in whom God is committed to do the same thing He is doing in you? How often and to what degree do we continue to wrong Him who endured the cross for our redemption? How easily we forget our Lords words from His Sermon on the Mount: For if you forgive other people for their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses (Matt. 6:1415). Unity. Paul does not just tell us to be united, but to be, diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. The way the NASB translates diligent is not a bad translation, but in the original language (spoudazō) the word is better translated as zealous or eager. I think the way the NASB translates this verse loses the edge and urgency that Paul meant to communicate to the Ephesian Christians. Listen, Paul is urging you, Christian, to be zealous and eager to maintain the unity we share as those who have been redeemed through the slaughtering of the Lamb of God so that we can be the children of God. As His Church, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit as His redeemed people. This is the unity of the Spirit that we are to keep within the community of faith in such a way that it is visible to the world around us! This is why Jesus commanded: I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another (John 13:3435). Oh, the petty things we allow to disrupt our union as Jesus Bride! The things we fight about and break fellowship over grieve the heart of the One who was crushed and cursed so that we could be reconciled to the God we sinned against. Peter OBrien wrote of this verse the following indictment that would do us well to heed and respond to in repentance: To live in a manner which mars the unity of the Spirit is to scorn the gracious reconciling work of Christ. It is tantamount to saying that his sacrificial death by which relationships with God and others have been restored, along with the resulting freedom of access to the Father, are of no real consequence to us![2] We have spent 20 weeks together in first three chapters in Ephesians, and some of you are still on track for reading through the Bible in a year. I have been with you for over five years now, and I have seen so much growth in many of you regarding your theological understand of God. I love that many of you honor or have grown to honor the Bible for what it is as the Word of God. I love that I can hear pages of your Bibles turn as we engage the Word of God each and every Sunday together! I am so proud of you and your growth dear brothers and sisters! My question for you this morning is simply this: What are you doing with your orthodoxy? Permit me to close our time with some questions to think about: How has your growth and understanding of who God is through His revealed word deepened your humility? How has it tenderized you towards others? How has your theology of Ephesians 1:3-14 and 2:1-10 made you a more patient person? Has your right awareness and understanding of Gods choosing, redeeming, and sealing of you as His reconciled child created in you to extend the same mercy and grace that you received to others who God is working through and with? Has your zeal for knowing God fostered a zeal to find what you disagree with, or has it created in you a zeal to maintain and celebrate the primary things you agree upon? [1] D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Christian Unity: An Exposition of Ephesians 4:1 to 16 (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1981), 24. [2] Peter Thomas OBrien, The Letter to the Ephesians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1999), 280.

There is only one life in Christ and it is a life of faith. As a matter of fact in Colossians Paul tells us that the same way we received Christ is how we now walk in Him.

Colossians 1:9-14 9And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Pastor Steve Blumer shares about Paul's letter to Colossae about Christ's supremacy in being our creator, sustainer, savior, and Head of the Church and talks about what our response should be because of who He is: that we are to put off what clashes, put on what matches, renovate true change at home, and pray constantly. 

As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information. [34 minutes]

For each of us there was a time when we were not “in Christ.” The Bible uses language to describe the reality of this separation and death. Here in Colossians Paul tells us that we were “alienated” and “hostile.” But, although we were “evil in our deeds,” the Bible will also remind us that there has been a reconciliation through His body and His flesh. So, the question is, “what is more powerful? Our evil deeds, or the sacrifice of His body and His flesh?” According to Paul, the result is the redemption of our souls — we are presented as holy! Visit us online at: www.RenewalChurch.net

Text: Colossians 1:1-2   The Author of Colossians The human author of this book is the Apostle Paul, who also penned 13 letters of the New Testament. Paul was redeemed by God's grace and became a missionary for the Gospel's sake.   The Audience of Colossians Paul wrote this letter to the church at Colossae from prison in Rome between A.D. 60-62, before his eventual martyrdom in A.D. 64. Paul was confronting false teaching by pointing the Colossian church to hope in the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ.   The Aim of Colossians The theology of Colossians centers on Christ's supremacy and sufficiency as it is worked out within the believer's life. Paul set out to proclaim Christ so that we may become mature in Christ (Colossians 1:18, 28).

Colossians: Paul wrote the letter to the Colossians while he was in prison, addressing a community in Colossae facing various doctrinal challenges, including the influence of false teachings. Key Themes: Supremacy of Christ: Paul emphasises the pre-eminence of Jesus Christ in all things, both in the heavens and on earth. Freedom from Legalism: He warns against the dangers of legalistic practices and emphasises that believers are complete in Christ. Ethical Living: Paul provides practical instructions for Christian living, emphasising virtues such as compassion, forgiveness, and love. Unity in Christ: The letter encourages believers to maintain unity and harmony within the body of Christ, avoiding divisions and strife. 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Paul wrote this letter to the Thessalonian church, a community he founded during his missionary journey. The believers in Thessalonica were facing challenges, including persecution and confusion about the return of Christ. Key Themes: Thanksgiving and Encouragement: Paul expresses gratitude for the Thessalonians' faithfulness and encourages them in their trials. Holiness and Sexual Purity: Paul stresses the importance of holy living, including sexual purity, and encourages believers to imitate Christ. The Return of Christ: A significant theme in Thessalonians is the Second Coming of Christ. Paul clarifies misconceptions and provides assurance about the future resurrection. Work and Responsibility: Paul addresses the importance of hard work, responsible living, and being mindful of one's actions while awaiting Christ's return. In all three letters, Paul combines theological teachings with practical instructions for Christian living, emphasising the centrality of Christ and the need for believers to live in a manner consistent with their faith.

For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ. [35 minutes]

We have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. [34 minutes]

Wednesday evening message from Pastor CJ Elwood. November 15, 2023

RATE! REVIEW! FOLLOW! Email me your thoughts, comments or questions: caniberealpodcast@gmail.com • Colossians Background ○ Paul is the author of Colossians ○ Paul did not visit the Church at Colossae personally, because he was on house arrest in Rome when he wrote this letter (AD 60-63) [Acts 28:16-31] ○ Likely written around the same time Paul wrote the letter to Philemon and to the Ephesians ○ The Church at Colossae was predominantly a Gentile church ○ The faith of the new converts was being distorted and perverted by Greek mystery religions and mysticism as well as being threatened by some Jewish laws and customs. ○ Evidently, Epaphras had brought word to Paul of these heretical things that had begun to infiltrate the church. (Timothy had also evangelized in this city) ○ Paul's purpose behind this letter is to urge the Colossians to preserve true doctrine in the church regarding the sufficiency and supremacy of Christ. ○ The Letter to the Colossians also provided a practical theology for everyday living and growth in the faith. • Read ○ Colossians 1:1-14 (NLT) § Colossians 1:1-8 § Paul starts off by encouraging them…we have heard of your faith in Christ…..which comes from your confident hope. □ Paul reminds them of what they already know- that God has treasures reserved for us in heaven. □ Read 2 Corinthians 3:7-11 § I want to point out briefly two things: □ Verse 6: It [the Good News] is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives… ® Read: Acts 8:4-"But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went." ® Read: Romans 10:17-"So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ." ® Read: Hebrews 10:14-"For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made perfect." □ Verse 8: …about the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you. ® Remember Galatians 5:22-23 ® Love is a fruit of the Spirit, that we cannot fully possess and bare without Him § Colossians 1:9-14 § Paul mentions some of the prayers he, Timothy, and likely others, have been praying for the Colossians: □ Ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will □ Give you spiritual wisdom and understanding ® We need knowledge of God's will, spiritual wisdom and understanding to live lives that …always honor and please the Lord…produce every kind of good fruit…while learning to know God better and better □ That you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have the endurance and patience you need with joy § Verses 12-14, Paul reminds them [and therefore us] of God's grace and mercy Reread verses 12-14 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/rachel398/message

Pastor Marco Quintana finishes his in-depth study in the book of Colossians.

In perhaps the trickiest part of Colossians Paul gives instructions for how we should live together in our homes. How do we understand these verses in the 21st century?

If you are never in the need of prayer it is possible you are not walking in your purpose. In the book of Colossians Paul speaks of four prayers every Christian should covet.

It's easy to procrastinate, but what if we were able to put each day into an order that reflects our love of God and others? In Colossians Paul is commending them for the love they have in their hearts for Jesus and others. Where does their love come from? It comes from a hope that springs up from heaven. This hope is calling them home. Prepare ourselves by knowing that we are loved. Prepare ourselves by embracing a life of grace. Prepare ourselves by fixing our eyes on a vision of God for our lives. Prepare ourselves living a life of gratitude.

Many Christians desire, more than anything, to overcome spiritual weakness and have a prayer life that changes their life. In Colossians Paul gives us key principles on how to develop a powerful prayer life.

July 31, 2022 – Pastor Drew brings today's message: Near the end of Colossians Paul writes to the church with the strange good news that “you have died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” He goes on to suggest that the kind of hiding we've been offered is not just for… The post Hidden for Healing appeared first on Grace United Methodist Church.

Episode 169 – Paul’s Places – Part 10: Thessalonica Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: With a loud command and with the shout of the chief angel and a blast of God's trumpet, the Lord will return from heaven. Then those who had faith in Christ before they died will be raised to life. Next, all of us who are still alive will be taken up into the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the sky. 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4, verses 16 and 17, Contemporary English Version ******** VK: Hello! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. We’re so grateful we have the opportunity to be with you today. We have been working on a series we call “Paul’s Places” for several weeks now. In fact, this is our 10th lesson in this series. By “Paul,” of course, we’re referring to the Apostle Paul who wrote almost half of the books in the New Testament. In this “Paul’s Places” series we are taking a look at Paul’s letters to the churches that are identified in our Bibles by geographic names – mostly of cities such as Rome or Corinth. But the book of Galatians is named for the province of Galatia which was a region in what is now in modern-day Turkey. Anyone who has missed any of the previous lessons can find them on our website, crystalseabooks.com, or on their favorite podcast app. Today In the studio we have RD Fierro, the author of a number of great Christian books and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, what was the major reason you wanted to do this “Paul’s Places” series? RD: Well, I’d like to start by thanking our listeners for joining us here today. The reason we undertook this “Paul’s Places” series is really quite simple – to help our listeners formulate a better answer to the question: “are the New Testament documents historically reliable?” The New Testament documents are the documents from which we get our information about Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension. These are real events that occurred within real history. So, it is reasonable for people to wonder how we can be sure that we have an accurate record of their occurrence. VK: We are now 2,000 years removed from the time that Jesus walked on the earth, performed His miracles, died, and rose again. And we are almost 2,000 years removed from the time when people began hearing about those events and either accepting or rejecting the meaning of what had occurred. Many of those early hearers celebrated the fact that Christ Jesus the Messiah had come and they became the first Christians. But we tend to forget in our day and age that those first Christians – even though they believed – had questions about exactly what had taken place. So, the Apostles began writing and sending documents to some of those first groups and churches to provide answers to questions and encourage their recipients. And later many of those early documents were gathered into the compilation that we call our New Testament. RD: Right. And the Apostle Paul was one of the hardest working of the Apostles and one of the most prolific writers. Almost half of our New Testament came from his hand. VK: And among the letters that Paul sent that have been preserved for us are the letters he sent to churches in various cities – or in one case – several churches in a region known as Galatia. We call those letters by the name of the group that received them – such as Romans, Corinthians, or Thessalonians. And today we want to take a closer look at the letters Paul sent to the Thessalonians. RD: Yes. Among Paul’s letters that have been preserved for us nine of those letters are identified by place names. There are six cities named and, as you said, one region called Galatia. Two of those cities, Corinth and Thessalonica, have more than one letter preserved in our Bible. So, we call those 1 and 2 Corinthians and 1 and 2 Thessalonians. In our Bibles 1 and 2 Corinthians are placed earlier in the order of arrangement within the compilation. But most scholars believe that 1 and 2 Thessalonians were actually the earliest of Paul’s letters that have been preserved. VK: The one possible exception to 1 and 2 Thessalonians being the earliest of Paul’s letters that were preserved is the letter to the Galatians. Scholars are pretty much evenly split on the date of the composition of Galatians. Some scholars believe Galatians was written as early as 49 AD right after Paul’s 1st missionary journey. Other scholars place it several years later after or during Paul’s 3rd missionary journey – possibly as late as 57 AD. Since most scholars date 1 and 2 Thessalonians around 51 or 52 AD it is quite possible they were the earliest of his letters, or epistles, that have been retained. RD: Yes. And for anyone who would like more information about the dating of Galatians question they can visit our website, crystalseabooks.com, and listen to the episode in this “Paul’s Places” series that covers Galatia. For today we want to turn our attention to the letters to the Thessalonians. And that first thing that I want to notice is that we know exactly where the city of Thessalonica is located because it is in the same place today as it was in Paul’s time. Today, Thessalonica, is also known as, Thessaloniki, Saloniki, or Salonica. VK: Today, Thessalonica is the second-largest city in Greece, with over 1 million inhabitants. In Paul’s day it’s thought that Thessalonica had about 200,000 residents. Thessalonica is a sea-port. It is at the head of the bay which is on the Gulf of Thessalonica. As a sea port is ideally situated for commerce. Thessalonica was founded by one of Alexander the Great’s successors named Cassander in 315 BC. Cassander named the city for his wife who was also a half-sister of Alexander. Today, Thessalonica is the capital of the geographic region of Macedonia and it pretty much served that same purpose in Paul’s day when Macedonia was a Roman province. The Romans had taken charge of Macedonia and Thessalonica in 148 BC. So, it is fair to say that in Paul’s day was a very important city. Right away it makes sense that Paul would have gone there to preach and establish a church when he had the opportunity. RD: And even more than being an important city Thessalonica was located on what is called the Egnatian Way. The Egnatian Way was a very important transportation artery the Romans had built in the 2nd century BC. It ran through territory that is now part of modern Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, and European Turkey as a continuation of the Appian Way. Essentially the Egnatian Way was the main line of overland travel through Macedonia (northern Greece) all the way from the west coast of Greece to western Turkey. Both Thessalonica and Philippi were on it. So, it makes sense that when Paul was mistreated in Philippi he would have followed the Egnatian Way to the next major city to the west which was Thessalonica. VK: We hear about that in the book of Acts, chapter 17, verses 1 through 3. “Now when [Paul and Silas] had traveled through Amphipolis [AM-PHIP-AH-LIS] and Apollonia [APP-AH-LOAN-EE-UH], they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And according to Paul’s custom, he visited them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.’” RD: Essentially, Paul skipped two smaller towns on the Egnatian Way, Amphipolis and Apollonia, and made his next ministry stop after Philippi in Thessalonica – which we have said was a far more important city. Plus, it is quite likely that there may not have been a synagogue in either Amphipolis or Apollonia, so that would have limited Paul’s normal approach to preaching the gospel when he entered a new area. VK: And here that was Paul’s custom from the section of Acts. When Paul came to a new area he would start preaching the gospel at the local synagogue. Paul was a Jew so he would start at the place where it was most likely he would find people who would know the Jewish scriptures, our Old Testament, and with whom he had a natural bond. If Paul didn’t get a positive response from the Jews in the synagogue he would find a place to preach to the Gentiles, the non-Jews. Then, he would stay, as long as it was profitable for him to be there. All too often the resentment of the local Jewish community would create problems for Paul and his new converts. That’s what happened here. In verses 5 and 6 from chapter 17 of Acts we hear, “But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and they attacked the house of Jason and were seeking to bring [Paul and Silas] out to the people. When they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brothers before the city authorities and taking along some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; …” RD: Right. This little vignette that we get from Acts is actually very helpful in giving us insight into the content of the letters that Paul sent to the Thessalonians. So, let’s dig into that a bit. It doesn’t seem like Paul got to spend too much time in Thessalonica before he had to move on. Compare a time period that sounds like it was 2 to 3 months with the 18 months Paul spent in Corinth when he founded the church there and the nearly 3 years he spent in Ephesus. But the church he founded in Thessalonica continued on despite Paul’s limited time there. VK: Possibly because there were some influential people within Thessalonica who had begun to believe when they first heard the gospel. Acts, chapter 17, verse 4 tells us that “a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a significant number of the leading women” had become believers. RD: Quite possibly. I think that reference to “leading women” is particularly important. “Leading” in this context likely means influential, important, and rich. That’s a pretty good start for a church to have a group of influential and wealthy women who have discovered the truth. They would not be easily pushed aside or dissuaded. And, oddly enough, the fact that the Thessalonian church included a large number of wealthy and influential women may give us an interesting clue into one of the primary subjects that Paul addressed in his letters to the Thessalonians. VK: An interesting clue huh? I can’t wait to see where you’re going with this. RD: Yes. It’s sanctified imagination time. A couple of times in this “Paul’s Places” series we’ve mentioned that we can learn more and understand better the content of Paul’s letters, his epistles, if we not only study the individual letters themselves but also look across the letters to see where they compare and contrast. Well, we’ve noticed in the letters that we’ve covered so far that Paul has covered a wide variety of subjects. VK: He covered the relationship between the Jews and Gentiles both before and after Jesus’ coming in the letter to the Romans. Rome had a lot of both Jews and Gentiles in its congregation. He covered how to deal with sexual temptation in his letter to the Corinthians. The city of Corinth contained a temple to the Roman goddess Venus that employed as many as a 1,000 prostitutes. Sexual temptation was a real problem there. In his letter to the Colossians Paul was very emphatic that Jesus was superior to all other supposed gods, goddesses, and celestial powers. Colossae was located in a region that had worshipped the goddess Cybele that some thought had become an astral power. RD: Right. Up to this point we have seen that Paul covered a wide variety of subjects in his letters along with a continuous emphasis on the fact of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies contained in the Old Testament, which were the Jewish scriptures, about the Messiah. Evidently part of Paul’s evangelistic strategy was to start out by proclaiming that the Messiah had come and that this meant that the major event necessary for redemptive history to proceed to its conclusion had been completed. VK: The New Geneva Study Bible’s introductory section on 1 Thessalonians says this. “… the Thessalonian letters, Paul’s preaching at Athens, recorded in Acts 17, confirms that [Paul’s] strategy among non-Jewish audiences at this time was to stress the coming judgment that God has placed in the hands of the risen Christ.” RD: And, of course, that makes sense. With Jewish audiences Paul had a point of connection that he did not have with non-Jewish audiences. With Jewish audiences Paul could refer to their scriptures which, for most of his listeners, were in the form of the Greek version of the Old Testament, the Septuagint. But with non-Jewish audiences referring to the Septuagint would have been meaningless. Even if they had a copy they would have had little or no familiarity with its content. But one place Paul could start his evangelistic message was with the fact that all human beings have an innate sense of right and wrong and that the fact that we all know we have done things that are wrong means that someday we are going to face judgment. VK: But, naturally, at the same time that Paul confirmed his audiences fears about the coming judgment he gave them the good news that anyone who placed their trust in Jesus, the Messiah who had come, would have no reason to fear that judgment. The consequences of judgement for those who believed in Christ had already been placed on Christ. Believers, therefore, need have no fear of judgment. Jesus has been judged in our place. We can look forward to eternal life because he paid the penalty for our sin. RD: Amen. And Paul covers this good news in one way or another in every one of his letters. But among all the other subjects we have seen that Paul has covered there is one very obvious subject that we have not mentioned because, surprisingly enough, it is only covered in depth in 1 and 2 Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians. VK: And that subject is? RD: The question of the order and timing of when judgment and our own resurrection will occur. Think about it. A man has just told you about this prophet in Judea that preached about the kingdom of heaven, claimed he was God in the flesh, and performed miracles to validate his claim. Then that prophet was killed by the Romans … VK: And everybody in Paul’s day knew that the Romans were very good at executing people they thought were criminals ... RD: … and they knew how they executed them. But then you hear that the prophet who said He was the Son of God didn’t stay dead. He rose from the dead by His own power, appeared to hundreds of people for a period of 40 days, and then ascended back into heaven. And you are told that someday this prophet is coming back to earth to judge everyone who has ever lived. That whole message is startling and amazing so naturally you have questions. So, what is the first question most people would ask when they hear the prophet is coming back? VK: When. I would want to know when the prophet is coming back. And I would want to know how I’ll be able to recognize that we’re getting close to that time. RD: Exactly. But the only place in his many letters when Paul spends much time on the question of the how and when of Jesus’ return is in 1 and 2 Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians. Well, one reason this question seems to have been particularly important to the Thessalonians is that evidently between Paul’s time with them around late 50 or early 51 AD and when he wrote 1 Thessalonians, a number of the Thessalonian believers had died. And evidently the question of what would happen to believers who had died before Christ’s return had become important in the Thessalonian church. Evidently, after Paul left them someone inside or outside the church had started circulating the idea that believers who were still alive when Christ returns would get better treatment than those who had died. So, remember what we said about the church at Thessalonica having started with a number of the “leading women.” VK: Oh. I see where you’re going with this line of thinking. You’re thinking that it would be quite common for wealthy, influential women to be, shall we say, more mature. Or said plainly – a lot of years often pass before people acquire substantial amounts of money, influence, or wisdom. Not always – but it’s certainly not uncommon. RD: And what do older women have? VK: Older husbands. And we all know it’s very common for men not to live as long as women. So, it’s not a stretch to think that some of the concern about the treatment of dead believers may have arisen among some of the older women who had helped found the church. That actually makes good sense. Those women had been early converts. And even though Paul had only been gone from Thessalonica for a year or two before he wrote 1 Thessalonians it’s easily possible some of those early converts had already experienced the loss of the most important person in their life. Naturally, they would want to be sure that if Jesus came back before they died that they would be reunited with their lost loved one. Grief has a way of bringing certain questions into sharp relief. Wow. You don’t think about that when you read those epistles. To us these are letters long dated and established. But when Paul was writing to the Thessalonian church he may very well have been writing to a church where some of his first converts had only recently become widows. RD: The question of the timing of Jesus’ return gets sensationalized in our day and time. There are countless books, movies, and TV dramas that have contemplated the question in one form or another. But we know with absolute certainty that 2,000 years will have elapsed between Jesus’ first and second coming. VK: But those 1st century believers had no way of knowing that. For all they knew it might have been just a matter of a few decades that would elapse. So, to a widow in Thessalonica who had just lost her life partner the question of the treatment of a dead believer would have had a great sense of immediacy. RD: Yep. And remember that those 1st century believers not only didn’t have the benefit of our 2,000 years of hindsight but they also didn’t have any easily accessible resources to get answers to their questions. So, when Paul sent them a letter that said in effect, “don’t worry. If your husband or wife has just died they will also be raised to new life when Jesus comes” that would have been like eating cold watermelon on a hot day. VK: Yes. I recognize that line from your book The Prodigal’s Advocate. RD: Well, for anyone who wants to deepen their faith or help someone else find theirs The Prodigal’s Advocate is a great resource. At any rate, wanting to know how and when Christ will return is still a subject of interest in our day and age. And it would have been a natural question for Paul’s first converts. In a way it is remarkable that after Paul wrote the letters to the Thessalonians Paul only spent much time addressing the question in 1 Corinthians. VK: Well, as we’ve noted 1 and 2 Thessalonians are quite possibly Paul’s earliest epistles that have been preserved. It may be that as Paul moved through his ministry career he began covering Christ’s return so thoroughly in person he no longer had to spend much time on it in his written correspondence. RD: And that is actually a very important observation. One of the topics that Paul does cover in 1 Thessalonians is the divinity of Christ. Paul strongly affirms Christ’s divinity in 1 Thessalonians. So, this tells us that the doctrine that Christ is both fully divine as well as fully human was not a much later development in the Christian faith as is sometimes alleged. Right from the beginning the earliest Christians knew that Jesus was “God in the flesh.” And the Trinitarian nature of the Godhead is also addressed in 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, verses 13 and 14. VK: Those verses say, “But we ought always to thank God for you, … because God chose you as first fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you … that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” RD: This demonstrates that rather than such doctrines as dual nature of Christ and the Trinitarian nature of God were well understood from the earliest days of Christianity. Critics will sometimes allege that the belief that Christ was truly God was a later addition to the Christian faith. The critics will assert something like “Christ was a good man and a great teacher but he never claimed to be God.” But as C.S. Lewis pointed out in his well-known discussion of “Lord, liar, or lunatic,” that kind of assertion is just silly. Anyone who reads the gospels carefully knows that Jesus quite clearly claimed to be God and to possess prerogatives that only God possesses such as the authority to forgive sins. So, as Lewis noted any man who believes he is God may be a liar trying to deceive others or he might be a lunatic who is simply crazy. But neither a liar nor a lunatic should be considered a “good man or a great teacher.” But if Jesus is who He claimed to be, God incarnate, then the only appropriate response is to fall on our knees in abject awe and worship Him. VK: Well, that’s a good place to end for today. Again, this “Paul’s Places” series is all about helping people see more clearly that the Pauline epistles, the letters contained in the New Testament written by the Apostle Paul, are exactly what they claim to be. They are letters written by one of Christianity’s first evangelical preachers to convey important truths to those who had begun to place their trust in Jesus. Those letters most certainly assert Christ’s divinity but far from that assertion being some kind of myth it is backed up by solid historical evidence and testimony. Paul’s letters are not only spiritually informative but historically accurate and reliable. The critics who assert that the divinity of Christ was a legendary attribute added hundreds of years after Christ’s death simply do not have truth or evidence on their side. Paul’s letters fit perfectly into an inspired, inerrant, and infallible scripture. Let’s close with prayer as we always do. Today let’s listen to a prayer for our young children and let’s always remember that if we do not train them up in the word of the Lord others will train them up in the way of the world. ---- PRAYER FOR YOUNG CHILDREN VK: Before we close we’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes in this series or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!” (Opening Bible Quotes from the Good News Translation) Philippians, chapter 1, verses 18 thru 20, Good News Translation paultanner.org/English Docs/SpecialArt/Pauline Chronology.pdf

Episode 166 – Paul’s Places – Part 7: Ephesians and Colossians Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: I want you to know how I am getting along and what I am doing. This is why I am sending Tychicus to you. He is a dear friend, as well as a faithful servant of the Lord. He will tell you how I am doing, and he will cheer you up. Ephesians, chapter 6, verses 21 and 22, Contemporary English Version Tychicus is the dear friend, who faithfully works and serves the Lord with us, and he will give you the news about me. I am sending him to cheer you up by telling you how we are getting along. Colossians, chapter 4, verses 7 and 8, Contemporary English Version ******** VK: Hello! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. We’re grateful to be with you today. We are in the midst of a series on Anchored by Truth that we are calling “Paul’s Places.” By “Paul,” of course, we’re referring to the Apostle Paul who wrote at least 13 of the books out of the 27 books that comprise the New Testament. Some Bible commentators believe Paul also wrote the book of Hebrews but we cannot be certain about that because the author of the letter to the Hebrews did not name himself. In this “Paul’s Places” series we are taking a look at Paul’s letters to the churches that are identified in our Bibles by the names of the cities, or the region, to which they were sent. So far we have looked at the letters to the churches in Rome and Corinth, which are cities, and Galatia which was a Roman Province in what would be modern day Turkey. Today we’re going to look at Paul’s letters to two other churches that were located in modern-day Turkey – Ephesus and Colossae. In the studio today we have RD Fierro, an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, why don’t you remind us of the reason we wanted to do this Paul’s Places series? RD: Well, I’d like to start by thanking our listeners for joining us here today. We launched this “Paul’s Places” series because in our day and age many people have lost sight of the fact that the New Testament documents are extraordinarily reliable as historical records. And one of the ways we can be sure about that is by looking at the geography, history, and cultural information contained within those records. When we do that we see that this information, which is almost incidental to the main purpose of the book or letter, corresponds perfectly with what we know about the geography and history from many other extra-Biblical sources. This amplifies the confidence that we may place in those records – and, of course, it is from those records that we get the most information about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. VK: In other words if we are confident about the geographic and historical information contained in Paul’s records we may be confident about the validity of the reports Paul makes. And in every report Paul made he affirmed the central element of the Christian faith – that Jesus rose from the dead. Christianity is distinguished from all other religions because Christianity affirms that our founder and central figure is still alive. Jesus died but he did not remain dead. Jesus rose and now sits at the right hand of God. That is why we may justifiably worship Him. Only God has power over life and death. Jesus demonstrated that He had that power when He rose out of the tomb on Easter and appeared to hundreds of His followers over the next 40 days. RD: Amen. It would be impossible for anyone today to personally testify that they were a witness to the resurrection of Jesus. We base our trust in the historicity of the resurrection in the records given to us by the Apostles and their representatives like Luke. So, it is helpful for our own faith to take a little time and see how we can confidently establish the historical reliability of the records that teach us about Jesus. That’s what this “Paul’s Places” series is, hopefully, doing. VK: Now you said that today you want to actually begin a study of two of Paul’s epistles: Ephesians and Colossians. Why are we tackling these two books together? RD: Well, you might call this portion of “Paul’s Places” a tale of two cities. But it is actually a tale of 3 cities. The New Testament contains, as the books of Ephesians and Colossians, the letters that Paul sent to the churches in Ephesus and Colossae. But in the epistle to the Colossians Paul mentions a sister city of Colossae called Laodicea. So, during the next couple of episodes I want to look at all three of these cities and see the role they play in the New Testament. To do that properly we are going to have to not only look at the books of Ephesians and Colossians but we are also going to have to look at the very last book of the Bible which is Revelation. So, let’s take a quick look at the first portion of Revelation, chapter 1, verse 4. VK: The first part of that verse says, “This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia…” You know I don’t think most people realize that when John wrote the book of Revelation he actually had a specific group of churches in mind. Revelation is the subject of so much sensationalism that I think people often miss that the opening part of the book has very specific messages for very specific churches. RD: I agree with that observation. The seven churches that John addressed his communication to were churches in these 7 cities: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. So, one fact leaps out right away. The city of Ephesus was the only city that received an individual letter from Paul that is mentioned in the list of the 7 churches mentioned in Revelation. And a second fact that also leaps out is that Laodicea, which again is mentioned several times in the epistle to the Colossians, also is part of the group of seven. None of the other cities to which Paul addressed an epistle are mentioned in Revelation. And while the city of Colossae is not mentioned by name in Revelation, I don’t want to lose sight of the fact that Colossae and Laodicea were both located in a region of Asia called the Lycus Valley. It was called the Lycus Valley because in ancient times the Lycus River ran through the valley. VK: So, how far away was Laodicea from Colossae? RD: Colossae was about 10 miles east of Laodicea. VK: And how far away was Ephesus from Colossae? RD: Colossae was about 100 miles east of Ephesus. VK: So, let’s make sure the dots are connecting as we move along. We’re studying the books of Ephesians and Colossians together because they share a number of connections in the Bible. Both Ephesus and Colossae are located in modern-day Turkey as is Colossae’s sister city, Laodicea. But Colossae and Laodicea are a lot closer together than Colossae and Ephesus. So, one fact leaps out right away that confirms the accuracy of Paul’s letter to the Colossians. In Colossians, chapter 4, verse 16 Paul said, “After this letter has been read to your people, be sure to have it read in the church at Laodicea. And you should read the letter that I have sent to them.” That’s from the Contemporary English Version. But Paul did not include a similar admonition in his letter to the Ephesians even though all of these cities were located within the Roman province of Phrygia. It made sense for Paul to tell the Colossians and the Laodiceans to share letters with each other because they were only 10 miles apart – but Ephesus was 100 miles away from them. 100 miles was a long distance to travel in those times. RD: Yes. And as long as we’re on the subject of how the geographic references within Colossians make sense let’s take a look at one more. Colossians, chapter 4, verses 12 and 13 say, “Your own Epaphras, who serves Christ Jesus, sends his greetings. He always prays hard that you may fully know what the Lord wants you to do and that you may do it completely. I have seen how much trouble he has gone through for you and for the followers in Laodicea and Hierapolis.” So, in Colossians besides mentioning Laodicea Paul also mentions another city from the Lycus Valley: Hierapolis. That also makes sense geographically. Colossae was about 10 miles east of Laodicea. Hierapolis was about 6 miles north of Colossae. VK: So, it makes sense that this believer named Epaphras would have had concerns for the churches in all three of those cities – Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis. All three of them were located in the Lycus Valley fairly close together. RD: Right. And even though Epaphras was with Paul at the time Paul wrote the epistle to the Colossians most scholars believe that Epaphras probably founded the church in Colossae and possibly also in Laodicea and Hierapolis. In Colossians Paul seems to indicate that he had never personally visited Colossae or Laodicea. VK: You are thinking of Colossians, chapter 2, verse 1 which says, “I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally.” That’s from the New Living Translation. RD: Right. But we do know that Paul had spent a considerable amount of time in Ephesus. From the book of Acts, chapter 19, verses 1 through 10 we know that Paul spent over two years and possibly close to 3 years in Ephesus. VK: Verse 10 says, “This [teaching] went on for two years, so that all the people who lived in the province of Asia, both Jews and Gentiles, heard the word of the Lord.” RD: Yes. So, it is quite likely that sometime during this two to three year period Epaphras came into contact with Paul while Paul was in Ephesus. Before Paul’s time Colossae had been a thriving and prosperous town. It was the center of an important wool industry and it was located on a very important overland trade route. It had declined somewhat and in Paul’s day it was a fairly modest market center. Laodicea, by contrast, was a wealthy and important center for banking and textiles and it had a bit of a medical industry. It had a medical school that had developed an ointment that was used to treat eye problems. It is entirely reasonable that Epaphras may have been connected to one of the businesses that thrived in and around the Lycus Valley and had occasions to travel to Ephesus. VK: Ephesus was an important trade center in Paul’s day. It was on the west coast of Asia and was an important gateway that linked the Mediterranean world and the inland part of Asia. In Paul’s time Ephesus was one of the 5 most important cities in the entire Roman Empire. Rome was, of course, the most important city but Ephesus was ranked in the same category as cities such as Corinth, Antioch of Syria, and Alexandria of Egypt. I guess we might liken Ephesus to Miami which is the connecting city between North and South America. RD: That’s a good analogy. Ephesus was an important place to do business. So, even though it would have been a several day journey from Laodicea and Colossae a merchant, trader, or banker might have had occasion to go there regularly. Scripture does not tell us what trade or occupation Epaphras practiced but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to believe he was financially successful. He was prosperous enough to later leave Asia and travel to Rome to be with Paul while Paul was imprisoned there from around 60 AD to 62 AD. VK: Ephesians and Colossians are two of the four epistles that are sometimes referred to as the “prison epistles.” Again, epistle is just another word for letter. These epistles are called the “prison epistles” because scholars think wrote them during that period of imprisonment that is described in Acts, chapter 28, verses 16 through 30. The four prison epistles are Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. Philemon was a believer who lived in or around Colossae. RD: Yes. Paul wrote to Philemon to request that Philemon be kind to a believer named Onesimus. At one time Onesimus was either a slave or a servant of Philemon but Onesimus had run away from Colossae to Rome. In Rome Onesimus came into contact with Paul and became a Christian. Paul convinced Onesimus he needed to do the right thing and return to Philemon and reconcile with him. But Paul did not send Onesimus back empty handed. He wrote one of the most compelling appeals you will ever read for why Philemon should be gracious to Onesimus and it is quite likely that one of Paul’s closest associates, Tychicus, also accompanied Onesimus. VK: We heard about Tychicus in our opening scriptures. Tychicus is mentioned in both Ephesians and Colossians as the person who is bringing Paul’s messages to those churches. For instance, in Ephesians Paul wrote, “This is why I am sending Tychicus to you. He is a dear friend, as well as a faithful servant of the Lord. He will tell you how I am doing, and he will cheer you up.” RD: And in Colossians Paul wrote, “Tychicus is the dear friend, who faithfully works and serves the Lord with us, and he will give you the news about me. I am sending him to cheer you up by telling you how we are getting along.” VK: The language Paul used in both of those greetings is very similar. In both Paul says that Tychicus is a faithful servant of the Lord, that he will give the churches updates about Paul, and that he will “cheer you up.” Apparently, Paul had a lot of confidence in Tychicus. But the similarity in this language does give you the strong impression that Paul wrote both of the letters at or near the same time. RD: And that’s one of the reasons we wanted to tackle these two epistles together. Obviously, if these two letters were written at the same time one question is which letter did Paul write first? VK: Why is that relevant? RD: Because when people write multiple similar documents it’s sometimes possible to see the progression of their thoughts as they go along. And we get to see the writer imparting nuances that are important to understanding the content. School teachers used to tell us to “compare and contrast” things to better understand similarities and differences. That same thought process can be helpful as we come to Paul’s epistles. In other words, we can learn more by looking at all of the documents than if we just look at each document in isolation. VK: I see what you’re saying. If we look at one document by a writer – assuming it’s a competent writer - we can certainly see what the writer wanted to communicate. But we can’t necessarily pick up patterns or progressions in thought from a single document as well as we can if we have multiple documents from the same hand. And that is especially true if we can look at several documents that were prepared around the same time. RD: Exactly. Paul, of course, varied the content of his letters based on many different considerations. Each of the churches he wrote to had individual concerns and issues and often Paul needed to address those local situations. VK: We saw that in the first letter to the Corinthians. If Ephesus was the Miami of its time, Corinth was the Las Vegas. Sexual temptation abounded in Corinth. So, Paul spent more time addressing sexual temptation in 1 Corinthians than in any of his other epistles. RD: Exactly. Another consideration that affected the content of Paul’s various epistles was the state of development of the church. As we saw in Galatians Paul had to address the issue of certain agitators who were trying to tell the church members in Galatia they had to accept Jewish customs and laws before they could become Christians. This assertion struck at the heart of the gospel which clearly says that salvation comes by faith alone in Christ alone. Paul forcefully rebutted this contention in his epistle to the Galatians. Well, in Colossians Paul apparently had to deal with a peculiar form of angelic worship. Colossae was located in a region in which a particular form of pagan worship had developed. This religion was the worship of the goddess Cybele. [sib-ah-lee] VK: The New Geneva Study Bible has this to say about Phrygia, the region in which Colossae was located, and the worship of the goddess Cybele. [sib-ah-lee]. “In ancient times, the region had given birth to the worship of the goddess Cybele, whose cult … was characterized by ritual cleansing in the blood of a bull, ecstatic states, prophetic rapture, and inspired dancing. … Within a few years of the inception of Christianity among these Phrygians , Epaphras and Paul found that an appetite had emerged for something more than the crucified and risen Christ. … Cybele and her lover Attis were transformed at some time by popular pagan piety into astral and cosmic powers.” RD: Right. And I would add that at this point in history it was often thought in the pagan religions present in the Roman Empire that stars and planets, and even physical elements (earth, wind, water, fire) were thought to control the destinies of people. Remember that at the time Paul wrote Colossians Epaphras is with him. So, Epaphras has reported to Paul that a form of syncretism – combining the elements of two different religions – was starting to take place in Colossae. This, again, is not surprising given the religious history of the region in which Colossae is located. So Paul had to address this local issue in the letter to the Colossians. VK: In Colossians you see phrases such as “See to it, then, that no one enslaves you by means of the worthless deceit of human wisdom, which comes from the teachings handed down by human beings and from the ruling spirits of the universe, and not from Christ. For the full content of divine nature lives in Christ, in his humanity, and you have been given full life in union with him. He is supreme over every spiritual ruler and authority.” That’s Colossians, chapter 2, verses 8 through 10 of the Good News Translation. RD: And while you do see Paul addressing the supremacy and necessity for Christ in Ephesians you don’t see him addressing the specific concern of pagan angelic worship. Now, I want to add here that the Colossians do not seem to have been worshipping the angels themselves but it is more as if they were trying to worship alongside the angels who in ancient times were often associated with astral or celestial powers. But that issue was apparently not present in the Ephesian church. VK: Possibly because Paul had spent close to 3 years in Ephesus ministering directly. It may be that the Ephesian believers’ extensive contact with Paul himself meant that they were far better grounded doctrinally. RD: Quite possibly. What you do see in Ephesians is more of a spirit of awe, prayer, and praise along with the very famous discussion of spiritual armor present in chapter 6 of Ephesians. We’re going to talk more about that in our next episode of Anchored by Truth. In Ephesians you actually don’t see Paul addressing any particular local issue with respect to the content of the Christian faith the way he did in Galatians and Colossians. That freed him up to spend more time expounding on subjects of general interest such as the unity of Christ with His church and the relationship between our lives before Christ with our life after we are saved. VK: Ephesus was obviously a very special place to Paul so it is natural that he would want to provide some last bit of encouragement to the believers who were there. In Acts, chapter 20, verses 17 through 35 we have a record of Paul’s last meeting with the Ephesian elders. At that time he said, “I have gone from place to place, preaching to you about God's kingdom, but now I know that none of you will ever see me again. … Look after yourselves and everyone the Holy Spirit has placed in your care. Be like shepherds to God's church. It is the flock he bought with the blood of his own Son. I know that after I am gone, others will come like fierce wolves to attack you. Some of your own people will tell lies to win over the Lord's followers. Be on your guard! Remember how day and night for three years I kept warning you with tears in my eyes.” That’s from the Contemporary English Version. RD: That meeting between Paul and the elders was about 3 or 4 years before Paul wrote his epistle to the church. But his warning to the elders helps us see the genuine warmth Paul was expressing when he wrote at the beginning of his letter, “I have heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people. So I never stop being grateful for you, as I mention you in my prayers.” That’s chapter 1, verses 15 and 16 from the Contemporary English Version. Somebody told Paul that at least up to that point that the Ephesians believers were remaining faithful and it genuinely pleased him. The other thing that is missing from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is any extensive defense of his own ministry of the type that is present in the letters to the Corinthians and Galatians. He didn’t have to provide a defense because the Ephesians knew him so well. VK: All of this goes to reinforce the major point that we are making in this “Paul’s Places” series. The epistles, the letters, Paul sent to the various churches we know in our Bibles by geographic labels are consistent not only with geography and culture but also with the history of the early church. Paul had apparently never been to Colossae or at least there were a lot of people there who had never seen him. But Paul had spent 3 years ministering personally in Ephesus. So, the tenor of the two letters is different even though they were obviously written about the same time. The religious traditions present in Colossae meant Paul put a special emphasis on the supremacy of Christ to any and all perceived celestial powers in Colossians. But Paul didn’t have to do that in Ephesians. But in Ephesians we do see a spirit of gratitude that probably resulted from the fact that - even though Paul hadn’t seen any of them for a while – someone had told him they were still remaining faithful. This sounds like a great time to go to prayer. Since we are so close to anniversary of the day that America declared her independence, today let’s listen to a prayer for God’s blessings to remain with this nation. ---- PRAYER FOR FOURTH OF JULY VK: Before we close we’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes in this series or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!” (Opening Bible Quotes from the Contemporary English Version) Ephesians, chapter 6, verses 21 and 22, Contemporary English Version Colossians, chapter 4, verses 7 and 8, Contemporary English Version

Continuing our "Jesus Is Enough" series from the book of Colossians.

In Colossians Paul is talking about true worship as expressed in songs, hymns, and spiritual songs. Hymns are a way in which the first century Christians would convey deep biblical theological truths. When we think of great contributors to hymnody we think of Isaac Watts, Fannie Crosby, and John Wesley- but who is contributing to true hymnody today- How has music in the church drifted away from theology and toward the experience-

We get our eyes checked so that when things are out of focus we get lenses so that we can see things clearly. As we continue in the book of Colossians Paul adjust our perspective of who Jesus is, so that we can know who He really is

Anthony Gee

Colossians - Paul's Encouragement - Shirley Hoskins

The Preferred Temperature of the Redeemed What sins are the most repugnant in God's eyes? Read Rev. 3:14-22 The Preferred Temperature of the Redeemed Let's Pray! Things we know about Laodicea: In his letter to the Colossians Paul described himself as struggling so that the Christians in those places would understand the treasure they had in Christ, never taking Him for granted! See Colossians 2:1-3 Jesus appears throughout the Bible, but when we get to Revelation, we have an amazing portrait painted of our Lord Jesus Christ! Here in the first three chapters of Revelation, a name for Jesus occurs an average of one out of every 3 verses, with over 25 names of Jesus given! Jesus is our Faithful and True Creator! V. 14 “By Him everything was created, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also the Head of the body, the church.” Col. 1:16-18a Do you take time each week to thank Jesus for creating this world, and creating you? He is the source of everything that really matters in your life, and should be thanked often for creating and sustaining you and the world. The sin that make Jesus want to throw up: Lukewarmness V. 15-17 “Lukewarmness is not weakness, it is wickedness. It is not a small sin; it is a great sin. If the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, then the greatest sin is not to do so.” -Adrian Rogers “Lukewarmness is the greatest form of blasphemy.” -G. Campbell Morgan A believer who is “hot” is on fire for Jesus! “Take away everything I have, but do not take away the sweetness of walking and talking with the King of glory.” -John Stam A person who is cold is dead spiritually. So who are the lukewarm? The lukewarm are church goers but not Christ lovers. Verse 17 shows us the big problem with the lukewarm: self-deception. The antidote for Lukewarmness V. 18-19 What's the antidote for being lukewarm? Acknowledge your sinfulness and utter lack of righteousness before God. Repent of having a faith that makes true dependence on Christ optional. Seek God as a deer pants for water (See Psalm 42:1). “My hope as a desperate sinner who lives in a desert of unrighteousness hangs on this biblical truth: that God is the kind of God who will be pleased with the one thing I have to offer- my thirst…God is delighted not by the resourcefulness of bucket brigades, but by the bending down of broken sinners to drink at the fountain of grace.” -John Piper V. 20 Jesus Christ's Great invitation! Here are the two enduring images I want to leave with you from chapters 1-3: 1. The strong Christ of chapter 1, Almighty God in all His splendor! 2. That same awesome God coming to your “door” to meet you! “As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God. I thirst for God, the Living God!” -Ps. 42:1-2 As you seek Christ, don't forget the 3 main commands given to the churches: Remember… The good news of grace you received and heard! Repent… Do the things you did when your faith was new! Listen… To what the Spirit is saying to you now, and act on it!

Given the state of things, it's easy to feel like you're the only one who “gets it” and to despair. If we're operating primarily by pride, we will isolate ourselves and have no hope. However, the Gospel truth kills our pride and opens your eyes to the reality that there are many other faithful saints, and that you are united to them in brotherhood in Christ. Rather than despair, this brings us to gratitude to God. In this study we'll look at how Paul exemplified these ideas in his greeting to the Colossian church. Join me as I walk through Colossians 1:1–3 using the T.H.I.N.K. Method of Biblical Study. Get a taste for how this method works and how it can enrich your own time in the word. In this episode you will learn: • How the T.H.I.N.K. Method works • The background of the book of Colossians • Paul's big idea in Colossians 1:1–3 • How pride causes isolation and keeps you from gratitude • How the Gospel solves our pride problem and leads to gratitude • How to be more grateful in every arena of life • Some Christian brethren Joel Settecase is grateful for right now. Listen to the ThinkPod: https://anchor.fm/the-think-podcast Watch on YouTube: http://youtube.com/thethinkinstitute If this blessed you, consider supporting us: https://thethink.institute/partner Facebook: http://facebook.com/thethinkinstitute Twitter: http://twitter.com/thinkinst Mewe: http://mewe.com/i/thinkinstitute Gab: http://gab.com/thinkinstitute Minds: https://www.minds.com/thinkinstitute/ Catechize your kids: http://thethink.institute/catakids. Book Joel Settecase to speak: https://thethink.institute/booking Sign up for the email newsletter: http://thethink.institute/think-updates Music Credits: Hard Metal Intro by WinnieTheMoog Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6598-hard-metal-intro License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Synthwave Intro 03 by TaigaSoundProd Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7299-synthwave-intro-03 License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-think-podcast/message

A Sermon for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Ephesians 4:17-32 by William Klock A couple of weeks ago we had dinner at Atlas Café and while we were there overheard an altercation between a couple and their waitress.  They were angry with her because they weren't checking vaccines cards right.  They were asking to see them and to see photo ID, but they weren't using the verification app to scan the cards.  These people were very upset and were taking it out on the waitress.  I felt bad for the waitress.  Lots of people just doing their jobs are being unfairly hassled—whether it's because they check vaccines cards or they don't, because they require masks or they don't, you name it and someone's going to be unhappy about it these days—they're hassled because they're just following policy that their management has set, and much that to fulfil requirements set by the government.  But it's the people up front who have little or nothing to do with policy that take the abuse.  Maybe someone needs to be challenged about this or that policy, but to be effective those challenges need to be directed to the right people.  We often expend a lot of effort in very ineffective ways.  My wife often reminds me of this. I mention this to illustrate the wrong way we often go about trying to address behaviour.  In our Epistle St. Paul tells us not to act like Gentiles, not to lie, not to steal, not to be angry, not to let unwholesome talk come out of our mouths.  He also talks about how we ought, instead, to be kind and loving and truthful with each other.  And we all know that there are areas of our lives that need to change, that need to be more Christ-like.  Where do we start?  It's easy to try to address our behaviour, our actions first.  How many times have we tried to do that and failed?  This is what Paul's getting at in today's lesson.  Going after the behaviour is like going after the employee when what you really need to address is the management.  In our case it's our sinful and muddled minds.  We've got to address what's in our heads (and in our hearts) first. This is what Paul writes in Ephesians 4:17: Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.   Just like us, the Christians in Ephesus manifested Jesus and the life of the Spirit, while still struggling to overcome the sins of their old lives before Jesus.  Sanctification is a process, but that doesn't mean we should be complacent about it.  And so Paul says, “You've got to stop walking, you've got to stop living the way the Gentiles do.” And we respond, “That's great, Paul, but I keep trying and it's a constant struggle.  I don't seem to be getting anywhere.”  And Paul responds and he says, “That's because you're putting the cart before the horse.  You're getting upset with the employees when the problem is the manager.  You've got to address management.  Fix that and the rest will sort itself out.  And so Paul points to the real problem.  The Gentile behave the way they do because their minds are set on futile things.  The Greek word he uses for “futile” describes something that is empty or that has no value.  When the Gentiles act the way they do, when they live sinful lifestyles, when they look to Caesar or to money or to reputation for security, when they worship false gods and are sold out to the flesh it's because these are the things on which their minds are fixed.  He goes on in verses 18-19: They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.  They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.   Paul writes very nearly the same description of fallen humanity in Romans 1.  They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and chose to worship the creature rather than the Creator.  They claim to be wise, but in reality they're fools with minds fixed on foolish and pointless things.  And the result of rebelling against God with the mind is that one rebels against God in one's actions.  We become callous, no longer driven by kindness and love and mercy.  We give ourselves over to sensuality of any and every sort, seeking not the good of others, but to use others for our own selfish gain.  We become greedy, no longer satisfied with what God has given, no longer trusting in his goodness to provide, but taking and thieving what he's given to others.  We rebel against our holy God and end up in the muck—living in impurity.  All because the mind has rejected God and as a result the heart has become hardened against him. I can't help but think of Pharaoh.  Through Joseph the Lord had blessed Egypt and saved them from starvation during the great famine, but as Exodus begins we're told that there was a new Pharaoh who didn't know Joseph, which meant he didn't know the Lord who had saved his people either.  It's hard to imagine that Pharaoh was accidentally ignorant.  He had to know where all these Hebrews had come from.  No, he chose not to acknowledge the God of Israel.  In his mind he rebelled against God.  And as so often happens when we've believed a lie and are confronted by the truth, when Moses came to him as the Lord's messenger, saying “Let my people go!”, Pharaoh's heart protected his mind from the truth.  His heart hardened.  And then the plagues came, revealing the power and authority of the God of Israel and the powerlessness of Pharaoh and his gods.  But instead of accepting the truth, each time his heart hardened all the more.  He rejected God and look at his actions: he was callous, he was greedy, he was willing to murder babies in order to protect his throne and his pretended divinity. Without Jesus our minds are set on futile things and our hearts are hardened to throw up an emotional wall to protect our minds from confrontation by the truth of God.  And this is why Jesus pours his Spirit into us.  Jesus in his love cracks the wall, he starts knocking bricks out, he climbs over the top and he gets our attention and the Holy Spirit goes to work.  He renews our minds and he regenerates our hearts.  And that's what Paul's getting at here.  The Gentiles, the unbelievers, are still entrenched behind that wall and as Christians we've got no business still living like that.  He writes in verses 20-24: But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.   He's telling the Ephesians—and he's telling you and me—that our minds shouldn't be stuck on futile things anymore, assuming that is, that we've been taught the truth about Jesus.  No, our minds as Christians should be full of Jesus and his truth.  Our minds should be full of the truth that in Jesus the divine Word of God humbled himself and took our flesh upon himself, that Jesus born of Mary died the death that we sinners deserve and that he rose again to unleash his life into the world.  That he ascended to his Father to reign as King and that one day he will return when every enemy has been put under his feet.  On that day he will judge the quick and the dead and we who have believed in him will be resurrected just as he was, we'll be given the life of the age to come—the life that Adam and Eve rejected when they first sinned and were driven from the presence of God and from his life.  In the Lord's Supper we proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died.  Christ is risen.  Christ will come again.  Those are three basic truths of that message we call the Good News.  Jesus died for our sins.  Jesus rose to give us life.  Jesus will come back to resurrect his people and restore his fallen creation.  Brothers and Sisters, somehow and on some level everything we do in life ought to be driven by this Good News, by these truths.  The knowledge that God's love for us is so great that while we were yet sinners he gave his Son to die for us ought to set our minds marveling at the incredible love of our God for us.  Each time we think of Jesus and the Cross our minds ought to be driven to plumb the great depths of God's love.  And the knowledge of the love of God demonstrated so profoundly in Jesus should naturally drive us to love him in return.  The fact that Jesus has given us life and poured his Spirit into us as a down payment on the life of the age to come ought to motivate us to live that new life here and now.  And the fact that Jesus is one day coming back to consummate his kingdom rule ought to give us a natural motivation to proclaim the good news that he is Lord in the hope that everyone we know might be prepared for that day. Jesus has renewed our minds, Paul says, and not only that, but he's made us new.  In places like Romans and Colossians Paul talks about having been buried with Jesus in our baptism and raised with him to new life.  In Colossians he urges us, since in Jesus we're dead to the old way of life, he urges us to live the new life Jesus has given.  These are all just alternative ways to describe the life of the Spirit who renews our minds and regenerates our hearts.  The old self is dead and the Spirit has made us new.  It's a foretaste of the resurrection that Jesus has promised.  What happened to Jesus on Easter will one day happen to us and we'll be raised to the life of God, but in the meantime he's given his Spirit.  And in the power of the Spirit we have a joyful responsibility to put off the old way of living and put on the new.  We all know that it's not always easy.  If it were easy Paul wouldn't have to tell us so many times and in so many ways that this is what we need to do.  It's just that we're so used to the old way. I was thinking this week that it's time to replace my shoes.  I've got a new pair in the closet that I picked up on sale almost two years ago, because—well—shoes don't last forever.  But they're not broken in.  I put them on, took a few steps, and ended up putting my old, worn-out shoes back on.  They're more comfortable.  I'm used to them.  And just so with life.  As unbelievers we cultivated sinful habits and ways of thinking.  We let our hearts harden and build that wall to protect us from the truth.  It takes time and effort to tear that wall down.  We might now have our minds set on Jesus, but it takes time to retrain our actions to be in accord with that new truth.  But change we must.  Again, we can't keep walking like the Gentiles.  We don't have the excuse of minds set on futility.  Our minds have been confronted with the reality of Jesus, crucified, risen, and coming again.  We need to be walking in the righteousness and holiness he gives. In the rest of the chapter Paul goes on to describe what this looks like with specific examples. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.    If our minds are set on Jesus who is the way, the truth, and the life, how can we let lies come from our mouths?  Truth in the mind should manifest as truth in our speech. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.   Anger is natural.  Paul doesn't say not to get angry.  He says not to let anger lead to sin.  Anger can be righteous.  It motivates us to address wrongs and injustices and sin.  But some anger, especially anger we let stew in our hearts gives opportunity for sin to take root.  It leads to things like resentment, bitterness, enmity, and strife.  These are the things that rob us of the joy we have in Christ and they undermine the love we're called to have for each other.  They're the things that tear apart churches and that undermine our witness to the Good News of Jesus.   Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.   Stealing is wrong.  That's a no-brainer.  But Paul goes a step further.  Being diligent in honest work and earning a living gives us the opportunity to share with and care for others.  The world lies and tells us that it's every man for himself.  Jesus reminds us that as he gave himself for us, we ought to give ourselves for others.  The world also lies and tells us that work is bad, but when we go back to the beginning of the story in Genesis one of the things that hits us right between the eyes as truth is that God created us for work, it's our divine calling, it's how we serve God.  In fact, working faithfully in service to him is how we bear his image.  The problem is that our work has been spoiled by sin.  We'll have to wait for Jesus' return before we'll see an end to fighting thistles and weeds with the sweat of our brows, but Jesus nevertheless gives us reason to be diligent in our work, doing everything as unto the Lord.  In Jesus work becomes a means of worship. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.   If our minds have been renewed, there should be nothing corrupt coming out of our mouths.  I know that's often hard, but instead, with minds full of grace, we should be using our mouths to bring that grace into the world in what we say and how we say it.   Finally, Paul writes in verse 30: And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.   I think he's pretty well covered all of us here, but just in case you don't struggle with any of these sins, Paul's still got you covered: Don't grieve the Holy Spirit by how you live and act.  That means that we need to live as people on whom God has placed his Spirit as a mark.  I had a friend who said he wouldn't put a fish sticker on his car because he knew he was an offensive driver and he didn't want to discredit Jesus or the Church.  We think that a sticker on our car or maybe a cross hanging around our neck marks us out as God's people.  They might, but what really marks us out is the Holy Spirit.  Jesus has redeemed us and given us a promise of life in the age to come, but until that time comes, he's given us his Spirit to give us the ability to live that future life—or at least some real semblance of it—right now.  The Holy Spirit takes God's future and pulls it into the present for us.  The Holy Spirit gives us reason to trust in the promise of Jesus and because of that we have hope.  Brothers and Sisters, that hope should shape everything about how we live today and it should be the first thing the world notices about us. And so Paul can end saying: Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.  (Ephesians 4:30-32) We all know people who are bitter and angry.  I remember counselling someone once who was overflowing with bitterness, but he said, “This is just who I am and I'm not going to change!”  He thought that by being bitter he was being free and that I was trying to chain him up by telling him to stop being bitter, but in fact it was bitterness that had him in bondage.  His mind was captive to futility and his bitterness was the evidence.  But the Spirit frees us from that kind of bondage.  The Spirit sets our minds on Jesus and the natural and free outflowing then ought to be an outpouring of Christ-likeness in our lives: things like love and kindness and grace.  The fruit of the Spirit.  And, Friends, in doing that we manifest Jesus and his kingdom, we manifest our hope to the world around us. I think this is part of what St. Paul was getting at when he wrote to the Philippians, telling them to “work out their salvation”.  “Work out your salvation” doesn't mean that we save ourselves through good works.  What Paul's getting at is the practical outworking of the Spirit having renewed our minds.  The Spirit has thrown out the filth, the lies, the rebellion so that we can think straight about the Lord Jesus and so that we can set our minds on the hope of the world and the age to come.  Paul's given this list of dos and don'ts, but his point isn't to put us into some new kind of bondage.  He's trying to show us the mind of Christ so that we are set free to really and truly live out the Good News.  It's like learning the rules of spelling and grammar.  Those rules aren't there to bind us up.  They're there so that once we've learned them we can be free to speak and write and express ourselves.  And so Paul shows us Jesus and he reminds us what Jesus has done for us and what his new world is going to be like and he turns us loose, and says: work out what the salvation Jesus has brought us looks like within the unique particulars of your life and personality and gifts.  What does it look like be faithful to Jesus and to live out the Christian hope for you.  How can you in your life and vocation and with your unique gifts live and think as a day-dweller in the midst of a world still in the dark?  Brothers and Sisters, this is what it means to have the mind of Christ.  In Jesus the Spirit has set our minds on something worthwhile and of value.  Christ has died.  Christ has risen.  Christ will come again.  Now let that truth work out into your actions and in your day to day life.  Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Let us pray: Heavenly Father, as we acknowledge in the Collect, on our own can do nothing to please you.  Our minds are set on sin and rebellion, but in our Baptism Jesus has plunged us into the Holy Spirit and changed everything.  By your Spirit, Father, set our hearts and minds on Jesus that we might live our lives in ways pleasing to you, in ways that honour the Lord Jesus, and in ways that manifest his kingdom in the world around us.  Through him we pray.  Amen.

Reconciliation with God also brings reconciliation with our fellow man. In Colossians Paul assures us that now there is neither slave nor free, circumcised or uncircumcised, or barbarian, but Christ is all, and is in all. All barriers have been done away with in the new creation in Jesus.

Join Pastor Cameron as we start the next section of the Book of Colossians - Paul's warning about false doctrine. Today we look at the danger of putting our trust in ceremonialism apart from Christ! 

In Colossians Paul instructs us to "seek the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth." In the first message in our Heaven series Ps Mike sets the foundation to build a biblically informed view of what is to come.

To the Colossians- Paul did not have a chance to meet the believers at Colossae yet, but he wrote to them encouraging continued growth, and warned them about the false doctrines that were being taught that did not support the preeminence of Christ. Studying this letter will prove very helpful to us as we try to talk to a postmodern world about Jesus.

When we first put our trust in Jesus, we were raised with Christ from the dead spiritually and emotionally. In the book of Colossians Paul tells us what that means, and explains what difference it makes in our everyday lives.

On Easter Sunday we celebrate the resurrection, and we gaze upon the wonder of Christ’s victory over sin and death on the cross. In Colossians Paul declares that because of Christ’s work on the cross, through faith in him, our debt of sin is paid in full, and death is no longer our story. And because Jesus is victorious over sin and death, every evil power has been defeated in him, and will ultimately be destroyed. Because He lives in victory, we who know Jesus will live victoriously with Him forever!

On Easter Sunday we celebrate the resurrection, and we gaze upon the wonder of Christ’s victory over sin and death on the cross. In Colossians Paul declares that because of Christ’s work on the cross, through faith in him, our debt of sin is paid in full, and death is no longer our story. And because Jesus is victorious over sin and death, every evil power has been defeated in him, and will ultimately be destroyed. Because He lives in victory, we who know Jesus will live victoriously with Him forever!

v25 – The entire messagePaul wants them to know the full message and not just part of it as it is this that will bring freedom and an end to all the false teaching that they were hearing.Remember they were being told that Jesus Christ was not enough. You had to add extra spirituality to your life to please God. The message was Jesus plus other things and Paul has been trying to explain that it’s all about JESUS and he is enough. It’s JESUS plus nothing!36 times in Colossians Paul mentions that we are in Christ/Of Christ/From Christ and with Christ. Jesus is central to the whole book just as he is central to the Christian Faith!Also the local Jewish churches were advocating that the gentile churches were somehow second class churches because they did not have the rich tradition of the old testament and understand the law and the Jewish heritage. No longer is God a God who is found only in the temple but he has come to live in our hearts, Jew or Gentile!We need to understand the place of the gentiles in Jewish history to fully understand why this was so important and one of the best ways to do this is by looking at the Temple arrangements.Most Holy Place – Could only be entered once a year by the High Priest who would offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people.The Holy Place – Could only be entered into by The Priests.Between these two rooms was the curtain which separated the two. This was more like a wall than a curtain and was 60’ high 30’ wide and between 4-6” thick. No light was allowed to penetrate the curtain and it had to completely cover the most Holy Place. When it was taken down to be replaced it took 300 people to change it over!Outside these were the Courts of Israel then a wall, then the courts of women and another wall, then the gentiles were outside these courts, as far away from the Holy Place as you can imagine. That’s where you and I would be today if Jesus hadn’t come!When Jesus comes and dies on the cross he fulfils the role of the High Priest once and for all timeHebrews 10:11-12The lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and that is why it is so important that when Jesus died the curtain was torn from top to bottom – it was no longer needed!Matthew 27:45-46v50–52The curtain came down because it hindered access to God’s presence. The whole point of Jesus coming was to restore our relationship to God. Access is no longer in a building made by hands, it’s by the Holy Spirit in your hearts. He now wants to come and tabernacle in your hearts. Christ in You, no matter who you are!This is God’s promise and the secret that has been revealed by Christ coming!Hebrews 10:16-23This is great news but there is even more says Paul.This is the mystery that has been revealed to the Colossian Church – Christ in You, the Hope of Glory. It’s the same mystery that has been revealed to us. The entire message from God – Jesus has fulfilled the law, fulfilled the role of the high priest and our sacrifice, once for all time. You now have access to the father every day, not through a building or a Holy Place, but through your heart. Christ lives in you! Sons and daughters of the King!Matthew Henry“This mystery, now made known is Christ in you, the hope of Glory. Christ is the hope of Glory. The grounding of our hope is Christ in the world. The evidence of our hope is Christ in our hearts”Ephesians 2:19-22Questions1. Do we understand the role of the temple in Jewish History and why it was so important to the Jews?2. Jesus dying and the veil being torn in two has huge significance for us as Christians. Have a look at what this means for us and the role of the old temple?3. Christ In you, the Hope of glory. Let God speak to you about what this means for you as a Christian. What does this set us free from?4. Should this knowledge change our thinking and how should it affect our daily Chris

As we wrap up our journey through the book of Colossians Paul gets personal, giving us a glimpse into the spiritual family God had built around him. When we stop and pay attention to the stories represented in this list we'll find that the community that existed 2,000 years ago in Rome isn't all that different from the spiritual family God is continuing to built here and all around the world. The book of Colossians may come to an end, but the story of the Colossians is one that is still being written. Application Questions: 1. How does understanding the stories of the people mentioned in this letter help to humanize the book of Colossians? 2. What are some of the stories of God's continued work that you are seeing in the lives of those around you? 3. How do you think God wants to use you in this coming season for the sake of his Kingdom?

In this section of Colossians Paul tells us the way we are meant to live.

Selected Scriptures Series: Our Worship #5 # Introduction I get the impression that most professing Christians in the United States make their decision about which church they prefer based on the style of songs sung during corporate services. The number of things we could pick at in such a practice would be like picking a long road rash scab; where do you want to start? We probably ought to sympathize a bit more with our Christian brothers, and sisters, in such a mindset. Remember that most worship services offer very few ways for Christians to participate, and *feel* like or be convinced that it's true, other than singing. Even in those churches where worship isn't defined as the singing compared to any other part of the service, singing still bears most of the burden for an attendees active contribution. So it makes sense that in light of the longing to worship, if worship means singing, then the singing parts are the more crucial parts for a Christian deciding where to worship. This certainly can include a more consumer-like attitude more than intent for consecration. There is also a heavy performance, concert-like mentality which in some ways makes style even more significant. This also may allow an attendee to hide a bit, and not just because the lights are low, but because the volume through the speakers is so high. His neighbor in the pew might have a hard time knowing whether his heart is engaged or not. There are also churches with minimal liturgy for the assembly that emphasize preaching so much that, even without explicitly saying so, the Really Mature (RM) in the congregation know that singing is just for the weak who can't get their minds into fifth-learning gear without at least some strumming on a guitar. As usual, there are about as many ways to mess up worship in song as there are chorus repeats in a Chris Tomlin song, which means, a lot. What is really a reason to praise the Lord at TEC is that you need very little rebuke. In fact, by God's grace, you are to be commended for your interest and eagerness and understanding and skillfulness in our worship in song. As a church we have matured in our grasp of the battering ram of corporate singing, and we have strengthened our affections for singing and by singing together. Nine years ago I preached a message titled "Sing and Shout" to a different group of people. Some of the people have the same names and faces, but not the same hearts and minds, and ears. At that time we had begun to expand our arsenal of songs by trying to recover some of the older volumes in the library, and I mean older than early 90's music from the Maranatha catalog. I mean psalms and hymns, as in actual and full Psalms from the inspired 150 as well as various hymns produced in church history, especially during and since the 16th century Reformation. We moved, on purpose, away from the more sentimental, away from the more folksy, away from the more effeminate, away from only unison, toward more of the militantly celebratory, masculine, melody with harmony. We maintained an interest lyrical orthodoxy, but we attempted to develop an interest in lyrical history and musicality. Nine years ago we lost a few families who were not impressed with the direction. Here we are nine years later and, if we listened to the loudest minority today, we might hear that we've still not made it far enough down the road since we've not yet decided to sing *nothing but* Psalms. Still and overall, we have much thanks to give to God. And because our songs are part of a Christ-honoring liturgy that belongs with a Christ-honoring culture, it's worth reminding ourselves of what we're aiming for when it comes to our worship in song. You know, right, that there is *no command to sing* in the New Testament. There is no command to sing as a disciple, there is no command to sing as an assembly. The music 'lovahs' usually get sharp about this assertion, but their actual arguments from the NT text fall flat. There *are*, though, examples of singing, and there is a condition that, if met, should be followed by singing, and we certainly see singing as an inescapable consequence of obedience to two commands. So, in terms of the NT, failure to sing is a failure to obey, but not because singing itself is an explicit command. As for **examples**, Jesus and His disciples sang (Matthew 26:30). The apostles, especially when imprisoned, sang (Acts 16:25). The angels in heaven never cease their singing (Revelation 4:8). These are descriptive realities that demonstrate singing as typical behavior of those who believe that God is worthy to be trusted and praised. The one **condition** is found in a group of three conditions in James 5. > Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him. (James 5:13-14) "Pray" and "sing praise" and "call" the elders are all imperatives, but they are third person imperatives, unlike our typical second person commands: "(You) pray." These instructions from James are a sequence: if this then that. The command "let him sing praise" is one Greek word, *psalleto*, which while connected to the word "psalm" is used enough times that it can't be limited to one from the one-hundred fifty. But, are you in good spirits? Then sing. The singing **consequences** of obedience to other commands are most interesting, and the context of each does really set an expected tone. The passages are both written by the apostle Paul, and they are clearly parallel in his mind, coming at a similar point in his letters to the Ephesians and to the Colossians. > Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:18-20) > Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:16-17) There is **singing** in both, and the *-ing* ending is important. The command in Ephesians is **be (being filled) with the Spirit**. That is the *only* grammatical command in these verses, the remaining verbs are participles, and the participles show what will be the inevitable result of obeying the command, here, being Spirit-filled. When the Spirit controls a person, it isn't banal barroom songs (from a drunkard), but it's still singing. The command in Colossians is **let the word of Christ dwell richly**, and likewise, it is the *only* grammatical command in the two verses. The ESV translation for verse 17 seems like "do everything" is a command, but that is a translation decision because the "do" is not in the Greek; it could better be understood (though more clunky) as "and everything which any should do, doing in the name of the Lord Jesus." Regardless, verse 16 has one imperative and three participles of consequence, including singing. In both passages the individual's obedience, to be filled and indwelt, results in *one-another* edification, and that is a *lyrical* edification. Of course this could be in a text message, or a private conversation, but there is a corporate context. The part about singing in Colossians comes in a paragraph full of assembled behavior. Bear with one another, forgive each other, put on love which brings harmony, let peace be the sovereign of the one body. We're talking about the body's behavior, not merely a believer's. And especially note the tone of *thankfulness*. Verse 15 ends with the command: "Be thankful." Verse 16 says that our singing should be "with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Verse 17 has "giving thanks to God the Father through [Christ]." From my perspective as a churchman, and as one of many under-shepherds, there is bitter irony in how often Christian singing is the most individually considered, externally concerned, creator of complaint and judgment and division, among all the liturgical elements. Our singing, which belongs with edifying our fellow members, becomes a self-fulfilling, strife-causing fracas. Our singing, which ought to express a melody of heart gladness (Ephesians 5:19), becomes a source of heart grumpiness. Our singing, which ought to unite an assembly with one voice to glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (see Romans 15:5), becomes a measuring stick of strong and weak against one another and a platform for the “spiritual” to refuse to participate. If we are called, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, to bear with one another and forgive those who are sinning against us, shouldn't we also bear with others who are singing differently than us? Let there be *thanks* in the content of our songs and let there be thankfulness in our hearts and in our singing. > Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; > make melody to our God on the lyre! > (Psalm 147:7) Thankfulness overflows into singing. Being Spirit-filled overflows into singing. Being Word-indwelt overflows into singing. No singing, or weak singing, is a sign of hard or half hearts. So if we've got all this singing to do, what sorts of weapons do we have to choose from? **Different types of songs**. In both Ephesians and Colossians Paul lists three sorts: "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs." There is apparently an argument that these three categories of songs are actually three categories of Psalms proper. As in, you can find all three of these kinds of songs in the OT book of Psalms, and usually those who embrace that understanding say that a church should *only* sing Psalms. That has going for it that the Psalms are inspired, as in, God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). It also has going for it that many are explicitly identified for Israel's choirmaster to arrange and lead for *group* singing. What that position does *not* have going for it is that, if binding, then no Christian could ever sing a song on the Lord's Day about Jesus, by name, or about His incarnation, or about His death on a cross, or about His resurrection from the grave. Christians could get *close*, but not explicit. This means Christians could always and only sing about the shadows that pointed toward the gospel, even if they read back into the shadows what they've come to learn from the NT. Such a position still requires more effort to argue for the right translation, and the right arrangement, since we don't know Hebrew or how quickly the tambourine should be shaken or what dance moves went with it (see Psalm 150:4), I mean, if we're being "biblical." This position also doesn't seem to acknowledge the fact that when John heard the angels singing in heaven, none of them were singing Psalms. It also really begs the question about why the word "psalms" is used in Psalms, but the words "hymns and spiritual songs" are *not*, and it seems like an awful lot liturgical pressure without exegetical proof. Did Paul have "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" in mind when he wrote? Of course he did, sort of. And someday, when you're in prison for Christ's name, you're not *not* going to get a crown because you sang "In Christ Alone." **Different persons of songs**. In too much contemporary Christian music there is a sense of "Jesus is my boyfriend" misty-eyed sentimentality, the kind of song where you can't really tell if it's a vertical or horizontal love song. There is a lot of focus on the first person singular, "I," the "me," the "my." "I love you Lord, and I lift my voice." And that is a real concern. But it's more than the grammatical person. "Yes, Lord, yes, Lord, yes, yes, Lord" is all about Him, except for how it isn't. Also, it takes all the way until Psalm 3 for the "my" and the "I" and the "me" to be used. Be careful to not be more mature than the Psalms. I remember thinking a Chris Tomlin song started with the wrong reference point. "Not to us, but to Your name, give glory." I mean, was giving glory to us really an option? And then one day I read Psalm 115:1, > Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name, give glory. Or others: > Whom have I in heaven but you? > And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. > My flesh and my heart may fail, > but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. > (Psalm 73:25–26) > Bless the LORD, O my soul, > and all that is within me, > bless his holy name! > (Psalm 103:1) **Different instruments for songs**. I mentioned the tambourine earlier from Psalm 150. It was preceded by the trumpet, lute, and harp, and followed with "sounding cymbals." Then, "praise him with loud clashing symbols!" (verse 5). If you can't imagine someone walking away after that saying "The drummer was way too loud today," then you probably are someone who leaves too fast after the service. There are numerous things we learn in the Psalms that seem to allow for a measure of freedom and opportunity to praise the Lord with thankful hearts. # Conclusion One of the main problems that moved Paul to write 1 Corinthians was the division among them, especially as they divided over their preferred preacher of the scandalous word of the cross. Paul basically responded in three ways. One, he said it was wrong. Two, he said what really matters is how powerful God is in the word of the cross that isn't about exalting the wisdom of men. Three, he said "all are yours." The only qualifiers he gave were the opposite of limitations. "All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future--all are yours, and you are Christ's and Christ is God's" (1 Corinthians 3:21-22). Paul was not promoting unity by abandonment of standard. He did not include false teachers or woman teachers; he had a context. But still he promoted unity by broadening of thankfulness. Our appetites for singing have increased and have matured. It is a great temptation of the mature to be cynical, to be picky, to be proud. What our singing should promote is faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and His triumph over all His enemies, it should promote a peace that seeks the building up of one another in the body, and it should promote a fire of heart-thanks that cannot keep quiet but overflows in the assembly's worship in song. ---------- ## Charge Drunkenness has tells. Some of you know the tells from experience, seeing a relative or friend under its control from close up. Solomon wrote, "Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has redness of eyes? Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine" (Proverbs 23:29-30). Just as there are tells of being consumed by alcohol, there are tells of being quickened by and controlled by God's Spirit. Go out with song, go out with thanks. ## Benediction: > And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:18–21, ESV)

As we continue our journey through Colossians Paul’s prayer for the church in Colossae is a reminder of our calling to love one another by praying for each other. Rather than praying simply for one another’s circumstances, instead praying that we would know God’s will, since He has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

As we continue our journey through Colossians Paul’s prayer for the church in Colossae is a reminder of our calling to love one another by praying for each other. Rather than praying simply for one another’s circumstances, instead praying that we would know God’s will, since He has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Neal introduced our series on Colossians.Are you ready for an adventure in Colossians? We are talking about being a disciple of Jesus and following him and this book is great as its tells us where we have come from, how we follow Jesus and what to be careful of in our Christian lives.Paul writes a letter from his prison in Rome to the church at Colossae – He has never visited the Church personally but it’s like a church plant that was started by Epaphras who had been with Paul on his missionary journeys. Paul writes to the Church to encourage them and to point out some false teaching and primarily to remind them who Jesus is and that he is central to everything – It’s all about Jesus – who he is, what he has done and their position in Christ. He needs to remind them that the Christian life is JESUS plus NOTHING!36 times in Colossians Paul mentions that we are In Christ/Of Christ/From Christ/With Christ. If they can understand who Christ is, what he has done and their position in Christ – this will bring everything else in perspective! This is as true for us today as it was for the Church in Colossae!Chapter 1 vs 15-20 Christ is Supreme!Vs 21 – Remember who you are? Rafiki speaks to Simba in the Lion King and says remember who you are. We need to remember who we are in Christ and what he has done for us. “And this includes you who were once far away from God – You were his enemies – separated from God – But now he has reconciled you to himself through his death on the cross – and you stand Holy and Blameless before him without a single fault”What a fab verse!! It’s all because of Jesus and what he has done.This is so important as the early church had received some bad teaching which said that the gospel of Jesus Christ was not enough by itself. But Paul wants them to know that Jesus is enough even if they don’t understand everything! You do not need special knowledge , religious rituals are not necessary, you don’t need to worship angels (only Jesus is to be worshipped) and self denial does not deal with the root cause of our situation – SIN – and that we are sinners in need of a saviour – Jesus is enough! This is so important for us today as well!2 vs 1 “ I want the people to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I am telling you this so that no –one will deceive you with well crafted arguments.”We need to careful of false teaching and with all that is available at the moment we can be swayed by reasoned arguments and opinions but must keep Christ central in all our thoughts and discussions. Christianity is Jesus plus nothing – he is all we need and all we have ever needed.Paul Moore in his commentary on Colossians says –“Jesus has completely changed our past – He is completely changing our present and he will continue to change our future if we continue in him. He is the only creator and the only saviour. He is all we ever need – Its Jesus plus nothing or it really isn’t Jesus at all”It’s all about Jesus – It always has been and it always will be – He reigns supreme!Questions1. Paul wants us to understand the centrality of Christ in Colossians – Why do you think this is so important and is it important for us as well?2. Paul says to remember where you have come from – Is this something we need to do and if so what does it change in our thinking?3. There is a lot of information out there – Just think of Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and You Tube – some good and some bad – How should we manage these and protect ourselves from false teaching?4. Why not try and write your own letter – either to CITP or to your own Community group – what would you say and why?

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to a special-edition series of the Kingdom Perspective. What should we do in the face of the coronavirus epidemic? We should prepare mentally and emotionally for a marathon and not a sprint. Sprints require a short burst of energy; marathons require endurance. There are many indications that this pandemic is going to disrupt our normal way of life for a long time to come. No one knows exactly how long, but some data suggests that it could be unlike anything we've seen in our lifetime. Now, perhaps this will blow over with little incident. If so, great! But if it doesn't, then, we need to prepare ourselves mentally for a race of endurance. Regardless, though, the Scriptures everywhere commend to us an endurance mentality. Biblically, perseverance is essential to our faith. Consider these passages: In Romans 5 we are told to “exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope….” In Colossians Paul prays that we would be “strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy” (Colossians 1:11). Jesus himself warns us: “…many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:10-13 ESV) It is not surprising then that the writer of Hebrews describes the Christian life as a marathon: “…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3 NASB). Perhaps, if nothing else, the Lord is using this crisis to grow his people in endurance. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.” ~ Romans 8:18-25 (NASB)

In the midst of his letter to the Colossians Paul breaks into song, singing the praises of the preeminence of Jesus Christ in all things. Jesus is supreme over all things because of His Identity, His Authority, and His Glory. He is the exact imprint and image of the invisible God, is the Creator of the Universe, and all things exist for His glory. Application Questions: 1. What does it mean for Jesus to be "preeminent" over all things? 2. Why is it important that Jesus is the "image of the invisible God"? 3. What does "firstborn" mean and why does it matter? 4. How does Jesus's authority as Creator impact who is in charge of your life? 5. If the fundamental purpose of all creation is to bring honor and glory to Jesus, what are you living your life for, and what needs to change to live your life for Jesus?

In chapter 3 of Colossians Paul reminds the ancient church at Colossae of who they are in Christ and how they are to live in light of this identity. Those who have been raised with Christ were once dead in sin and have been brought to life because of the gracious initiative of Christ. How then should we live in this new life? Join Pastor Tommy as he walks through this treasure trove of gospel truth, encouragement and practical pastoral guidance.

Sacred Space at Home Week 11 (September 23rd) Welcome: Welcome to Sacred Space at Home, a resource from Vineyard Church of New Orleans! We’re so glad you have decided to join us in this time of worship and reflection. Today we will meditate on Acts Chapter 14. Wherever you may find yourself in this moment, try and make space to listen and experience the presence of God as we pray, hear the words of scripture, and sing together. As we begin, we open our minds and hearts and say, “Come, Holy Spirit.” Song of Awareness Wounded Healer by Audrey Assad Image of the Invisible In our pain we feel you near God of Heaven in flesh and bone By your wounds we shall be healed Wounded healer We give our hearts to you Wounded healer We give our hearts to you Arms stretched out not to part the seas But to open up the grave Blood poured out not for war, but peace And to show us God's own face Wounded healer We give our hearts to you Wounded healer We give our hearts to you No fire, no fury Just death into life Over and over Till all things are right Scripture Reading (Acts 14 NIV) “A reading from the Book of Acts…” 8 In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10 and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. 11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker.13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. 16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” 18 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them. 19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. Questions 1. As you reflect on this passage, what comes to mind? Notice what thoughts or emotions may arise in you. 2. As Paul and Barnabas participate in the kingdom work of God, they are misunderstood and treated as gods, then subjected to persecution and stoning. In spite of this conflict, Paul and Barnabas continue to proclaim the good news of God. What might it look like for YOU to embody the good news of God in the midst of misunderstanding and resistance? 3. The people of Lystra treated Paul and Barnabas as gods out of fear that they would be the recipients of divine wrath and judgement if they were not to do so. Instead of manipulating this misconception about God, Paul and Barnabas point to the God of compassion, kindness, and love revealed in the person of Jesus. What misconceptions about God could you be carrying in your own life? How might the Spirit be inviting you to move past these misconceptions into deeper communion with God? 4. In Colossians Paul refers to Jesus as the image of the invisible God. To understand the Divine, we look at Jesus. Take a moment and be present with Jesus. As you do, consider what it might look like for you to reflect his image in the world today. Wounded Healer (Reprise) Benediction “As we conclude our time together, may you continue to be aware of the presence of God and seek to find sacred spaces throughout the day.” Let us pray. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.”

August 11, 2020Colossians Deep Dive (#7 in series)Struggling in Ministry? Here's HelpAt the end of the 23rd verse of Colossians 1 Paul makes reference to the fact that he was involved in the ministry of the gospel. And as you study the life of the apostle you will discover that he had a heart for ministry; he had a passion for ministry. In this next section of the first chapter of Colossians Paul describes for us four aspects of what ministry is all about. 1st of all we have the source of ministry. Look with me at the 25th verse. Colossians 1:25 (NIV) 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness-- Where does ministry come from?Source of Paul's ministry was GodGod has to be the source of our ministry, whatever that ministry is. Official ministry or individual ministry within the church (Sunday School, board member, committee member...) Behind being asked by the church or a leader, has to be a sense of God. Paul did not volunteer to plant churches, Paul did not volunteer to be a pastor. God called Paul. And that is true for us as well.Each of us has a gift from God. (I Corinthians 12). All of us have been given a talent or ability by God, not for ourselves but for the purpose of edifying the church, encouraging the church, strengthening the ministry of the church. When we use these gifts for the glory of God, then the church can move forward. God gave us these gifts and in that sense, God is calling us to serve him in this capacity or that.Spirit of ministry. Colossians 1:24Paul is saying sometimes ministry in the church is tough, pretty hard. So hard that he is filling in the afflictions that Jesus didn't receive. There are numerous things that come up...unlimited amount of unmet need that can continually demand your attention. Paul sums it all up in one word, "suffer." Ministry is tough, so we need to have a spirit or attitude in ministry if we are going to be able to minister. Jonah - didn't want to lead that Bible study, didn't want to teach, didn't want to be involved in VBS...Moses - I can't do it, call Aaron.Elijah - Lord, I am ready to quitPaul - Attitude. He knew that what he was doing was for God, so he could rejoice. He was doing what God wanted, so he had an attitude of joy. When we remember that ministry is all about others and not about us then we can experience joy regardless of how well things are going or how tough things are at the moment. The sum of ministry, or the GOAL of ministry. Colossians 1:28The sum goal of ministry (the bottom line of ministry) is the spiritual maturity of the believers. That’s why we preach. That’s why we teach. Now, the word perfect here doesn’t mean that you are perfection. It doesn’t mean that you are sinless. It means that you are growing spiritually; you are maturing in your spiritual understanding; you are becoming more like Jesus. The strength for ministry. Colossians 1:29We have a part to play. The Greek word for “labor” or “work” in this verse means to work until the point of exhaustion. Paul gave it his all as he served the Lord. Paul realized that was not enough. We need to give our best effort, but at the same time we need to humbly depend upon God. There are two components involved in ministry – human action and God’s divine enabling power. Let me paint the thought this way, we put the sail up, but then the sail catches the wind of God and moves us forward. We need the wind of God to catch our sail. To come in and enable our effort.

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to a special-edition series of the Kingdom Perspective. What should we do in the face of the coronavirus epidemic? We should prepare mentally and emotionally for a marathon and not a sprint. Sprints require a short burst of energy; marathons require endurance. There are many indications that this pandemic is going to disrupt our normal way of life for a long time to come. No one knows exactly how long, but some data suggests that it could be unlike anything we've seen in our lifetime. Now, perhaps this will blow over with little incident. If so, great! But if it doesn't, then, we need to prepare ourselves mentally for a race of endurance. Regardless, though, the Scriptures everywhere commend to us an endurance mentality. Biblically, perseverance is essential to our faith. Consider these passages: In Romans 5 we are told to “exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope….” In Colossians Paul prays that we would be “strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy” (Colossians 1:11). Jesus himself warns us: “…many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:10-13 ESV) It is not surprising then that the writer of Hebrews describes the Christian life as a marathon: “…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3 NASB) Perhaps, if nothing else, the Lord is using this crisis to grow his people in endurance. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.” ~ Romans 8:18-25 (NASB)

"THOSE WHO BELONG TO CHRIST HAVE …" April 4 Today the last 2 chapters of Paul’s letter to the Galatians illustrate the sharp contrast between those who put all the emphasis in their living - to observe the Law of Moses and practice circumcision – in contrast to belonging to Christ for “in Christ Jesus”, writes Paul, “neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” [5 v.6] Most of us are not affected by those who advocate keeping the law and circumcision today. But there are there are those who believe it is vital as to which day you come together to worship. In writing to the Colossians Paul advised: “ …. Let no one pass judgement on you in questions of food or drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.” [2 v.16] Our salvation does not depend on us observing rules or days – other than the simplicity – and wonder – of remembering that Christ died for us.. Baptised believers are to meet in remembrance of his death in the way Jesus instituted just before his death. They prayerfully meet to partake of bread and wine (Luke 22 v.14-20) as “the new covenant in my blood” replacing the old covenant under the law of Moses. There is no command as to which day of the week this was to be observed. But initially, after the dramatic events on the day of Pentecost, with about 3,000 being baptised, they met “day by day … breaking bread in their homes” [Acts 2 v.41,46]. Acts 20 v.7 tells us that they met to break bread on “the first day of the week” – but there is no command about this. Paul told the Galatians, be “led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” [5 v18]“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” [v.22-23] Now, to produce good fruit on a tree, much pruning, tending, watering, and protection from predators is needed, varying according to the environment. There is a parallel picture to this in the spiritual realm if we are to produce good spiritual fruit. The next and last verse in the chapter says, “And those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” This does not happen automatically, we need to feed on God’s word every day and to pray. Paul told the Colossians[Ch. 1 v.9,10]: “we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit …”.

Scripture Reading: Colossians 3:5-11 Having died with Christ (Col 2:12; 3:3), Christians are called on in this paragraph to "put to death . . . what is earthly" (Col 3:5).  So what we see here is that something has died and something still has to die.  Having "put off the old self" (Col 3:9) and having "put on the new self" (Col 3:10), Christians must still struggle to put sins to death (Col 3:5) and put on holiness (Col 3:12-14). In this section of Colossians Paul is saying, "Christian, this is who you are in Christ.  When you were united with Him, something within you died with Him in His death.  The result of that death is that sin is no longer your ultimate ruler.  Therefore do not let sin rule."  In calling us to holiness, Paul catalogs sins that still corrupt Christians and reasons with his readers.  "For it is because of these things [sins listed] that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience" (Col 3:6 - NASB).  Why should we casually allow sins in our lives when unbelievers are suffering in hell for these very sins?   This passage is a call to regular, ongoing, heartfelt repentance.  How else can we "put to death what is earthly" in us?  It is God who has changed our affections from loving the darkness of our sin to loving the beauty of His holiness.  It is God to whom we must go if our hatred for our sins is to deepen and our love for divine holiness is to intensify. 

Born Supremacy | Part 4 - People Really Matter By Steve Wimble - Supreme is a well-used word. Everything from pizza houses to fashion brands claim to be supreme! The dictionary defines SUPREMACY as the state or condition of being superior to all others in authority, power, or status. In the book of Colossians Paul goes to great lengths to show that Jesus Christ alone is supreme and that if we believe that – it effects all aspects of our being.

Born Supremacy | Part 3 - Living Kingdom Down Not Culture Up By Peter Rasmussen - Supreme is a well-used word. Everything from pizza houses to fashion brands claim to be supreme! The dictionary defines SUPREMACY as the state or condition of being superior to all others in authority, power, or status. In the book of Colossians Paul goes to great lengths to show that Jesus Christ alone is supreme and that if we believe that – it effects all aspects of our being.

Born Supremacy | Part 2 - What Does Christian Maturity Look Like? By Dusty Van Niekerk - Supreme is a well-used word. Everything from pizza houses to fashion brands claim to be supreme! The dictionary defines SUPREMACY as the state or condition of being superior to all others in authority, power, or status. In the book of Colossians Paul goes to great lengths to show that Jesus Christ alone is supreme and that if we believe that – it effects all aspects of our being.

When a debt is paid off the bill may be stamped Paid in Full, or even a mortgage may be burned. In Colossians Paul writes of a handwritten debt being nailed to the cross. A dramatic word image of what Jesus did for us. Sermons Archive RSS Colossians 2,1:15-19Proverbs 11:15,17:18Acts 12:23Hebrews 10:31,8:12,7:22Psalm 103:12 Sermon discussion questions for parents to use with their children:How in debt are we before God?How serious is that debt?Why is it so difficult to take on someone else's debt?Why is our salvation like burning a mortgage?What specific encouragements were we given so as to not desecrate the cross and what God has done through Christ?

Born Supremacy | Part 1 - Big Truths About A Big Jesus By Steve Wimble - Supreme is a well-used word. Everything from pizza houses to fashion brands claim to be supreme! The dictionary defines SUPREMACY as the state or condition of being superior to all others in authority, power, or status. In the book of Colossians Paul goes to great lengths to show that Jesus Christ alone is supreme and that if we believe that – it effects all aspects of our being.

Passage: Colossians 1:15-19 In these few short verses in Colossians Paul gives us eight descriptions of who Jesus is. There is no other portion of the Word of God which has so many characteristics of the supremacy of Jesus Christ.

We have rites of passage in our culture that signify a change - getting your drivers license, graduating- when we pass over that threshold we don't go back to the way life was before. Claiming Jesus as Lord is a threshold that we should pass over but some of us stand with one foot in each world. In Colossians Paul calls us to live our lives only through Jesus. 

In Colossians Paul talks about five key issues that we can build as practices in our lives now to save a lot of strife later on; whether one gets married or not.

In the book of Colossians Paul stresses the preeminence of Jesus and the completeness of our salvation. He is combating false teachers who were trying to devalue Christ be elevating spiritual regulations and mysticism.

Notes are taken from Colossians ( Paul's letter to the church at Colossae), which encourage believers to know who we are, what we've been called to, who qualified us and who Christ is. We need to know who we in order to function effectively and with the authority delegated to the Church of Jesus Christ by Christ Himself.

Notes are taken from Colossians ( Paul's letter to the church at Colossae), which encourage believers to know who we are, what we've been called to, who qualified us and who Christ is. We need to know who we in order to function effectively and with the authority delegated to the Church of Jesus Christ by Christ Himself.

To this point in Colossians Paul has addressed what he is doing for them—praying for them even to the point of struggle. He has also delivered a reminder to them of basic theology. He has reminded his listeners who Christ is and what He has come to do...

Pastor Cameron. "Colossians - Paul’s Letter to the Early Church" Paul wrote most of the New Testament, and mostly in the form of letters to actual churches. In this series we will look at one of those letters, to a church not unlike our church. Much has changed in 2000 years, but the message of this letter rings as true today as it did when it was written.

Pastor Cameron. "Colossians - Paul’s Letter to the Early Church" Paul wrote most of the New Testament, and mostly in the form of letters to actual churches. In this series we will look at one of those letters, to a church not unlike our church. Much has changed in 2000 years, but the message of this letter rings as true today as it did when it was written.

November 15, 2015                                  Base Budget Ballot Vote   A Helping Hand Jude 1:20-23   Synopsis: Believers are on the march to heaven following in the path Jesus has marked out for them, therefore believers are to help others they encounter find the way and help other believers on the way.  This is what Jesus did and commands us to do as we follow Him.       Jude gives us a brief outline for action in regards to how believers are to assist other believers.  His first word is that we are to “build each other up”, and then he says we are to “show mercy”.  Paul picks up on this theme in Galatians.  He says we are to “restore that person gently”.  In Colossians Paul writes “Once you were alienated from God”.  That is a strong reason to help others find the way.  An even stronger reason is found in Jesus.  It is what Jesus did and what we must do if we are committed to following Him home.   Text (NLT): Hebrews 12:1-2, NRSV; Jude 1:17-25; Galatians 6:1-10, NIV; Colossians 1:21-23, NLT;   Scripture Reading: Psalm 46:1-3

In the first chapter of Colossians Paul includes a hymn, whether it is one Paul wrote himself or one that was being used in the first century church is unimportant, what is important is that this hymn is used to remind us of who Christ is and what He has done for us!

Colossians: Paul's prayer for the Colossians gives great insight on how believers can build lives that please God.

Reconciliation with God also brings reconciliation with our fellow man. In Colossians Paul assures us that now there is neither slave nor free, circumcised or uncircumcised, or barbarian, but Christ is all, and is in all. All barriers have been done away with in the new creation in Jesus.