You heal the brokenhearted,
You set the captives free,
You lift the heavy burden,
and even now, You are lifting me!
There is no Healer like the Lord, our Maker!
There is no equal to the King of Kings!
Our God is with us, we will fear no evil,
’cause You do impossible things!
Looking forward to introducing this song to our folks this coming Sunday. Thanks to shuffle on Spotify for bringing it back to me these recent weeks.
Anyway, I wrote last time that I see value in going through the first chapter of Colossians, and I thought, while waiting for things to happen here at home, I should probably get into it.
But first, an Introduction from the ESV:
Paul wrote to the church in Colossae to fortify it against false teachers who might try to impose strict rules about eating and drinking and religious festivals. Paul shows the superiority of Christ over all human philosophies and traditions. He writes of Christ’s deity (“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” [1:15]) and of the reconciliation he accomplished with his blood. He explains that the right way of living in this world is to focus on heavenly rather than earthly things. God’s chosen people must leave their sinful lives behind and live in a godly way, looking to Christ as the head of the church (1:18). Paul wrote while in prison, probably about the same time as he wrote to the Ephesians.
Joseph Prince keeps saying, ‘Right believing leads to right living‘; And here we see that the right focus leads to Godly living.
Our focus and priority is on Christ and His infinite superiority over all, and His premiere authority above all. Christ is great, and Christ is glorious; And, being the representation of God’s everlasting love, He lay down all of His great and glorious self – That by His blood we would be reconciled to the Father.
I mentioned last Sunday that if we were tempted in this world, we would do well to understand and recall; That is, we would do well to intentionally recall how God is our Father and He is always with us.
Here, I’m to assume that it is no accident that as we recall and appreciate God’s faithful presence with us at all times, we would also remember what it cost for us to be reconciled – the superior, divine Son of God, and His body and blood.
I suppose that was one thing in Paul’s mind as he was writing 1 Corinthians 1. We preach Christ crucified, yes, regardless of it being weakness to the Jews and idiocy to the Gentiles (1 Corinthians 1:22-24); We preach the Son of God’s offering of His body and blood, because it brings anyone and everyone who hears it to believe and receive reconciliation with God.
All in all, Christ is who we testify, that we would have harmony in the Body, and for more to seek harmony (reconciliation) with God.
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.Colossians 1:1-8
First off: The body of Christ prays for one another. And when we do pray for each other, we edify each other, commending and/or convicting each other of the faith authored into them by no less than Christ Himself.
Our praying for each other serves as a demonstration of the love we have for others and for each other. Our praying for each other, our thanksgiving for each other is an outpouring of our belief in Christ and His finished work, and our hope in all that His salvation entails.
The hope we have is established in the Word we take in and the Word we share with each other.
We have hope, because this Gospel we carry, this Gospel that has ministered to us primarily, is always ‘bearing fruit and increasing‘ – both to the entire world as it is proclaimed, and to each and every one of us, as we reflect on it and meditate on it. Yes, here I’m reminded that though we may be preaching the same thing week in and week out, we should be encouraged with the fact that seasons change and thoughts shift, combined with the Truth that endures and finds itself significantly applicable and relevant through these changing seasons.
In other words, the Word stays the same, and the Word is always good, no matter what happens yesterday, today and tomorrow. That’s why we keep sharing it. That’s why we keep reading it.
This all reminds me of the perspective that Christ, as our Savior, is also our Word of Life, and our Living Word. He is the Word that we recall and realize no matter what happens to us in this Life, and He is the Life that we receive whenever we read the recall the Word.
As members of the Body of Christ, we are alive by the Word of Christ, and by His Word is our Faith authored, established and strengthened.
By His Word, we pray, speaking the Word through us, that it would bear fruit in the whole world.
For the expansion of His Kingdom, and the glory of His name.
Let’s keep on going.
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