Category Archives: Christian Life

COMPLETE IN CHRIST

Christian Life, ,

Colossians 2:8-10 NLT
[8] “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. [9] For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. [10] So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”

How can we navigate this life in a world cluttered with philosophical propositions that try to explain the meaning and purpose of life without God? From the meaningless meandering into oblivion of evolution, from jihad to polytheism, to everything in between, how can we know the truth?

First, what is the source of all these conflicting philosophies, all claiming to be the truth?

Paul said “they come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world?” What did he mean? Human thinking, independent of God, will always look for a way to leave God out of the picture. Their reasoning, in tandem with the spiritual forces, influenced by the “god of this world”, will always contradict God and His revealed truth.

Romans 1:19, 21 NLT
[19] “They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them…
[21] Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.”

In the end, discovering and believing the truth comes down to one thing…evidence. In a court of law, the verdict of “innocent” or “guilty” depends on the evidence presented. Only accurate evidence can prove guilt or innocence beyond reasonable doubt.

So, what about this message we are called on to believe? What evidence do we have that this message about Jesus, and all its implications, are true? One test will sweep aside all objections and secure a proof that passes all the tests…the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Did He rise again, as He said He would, or is He still in the grave together with all the promises He made?

No matter how many atheists and agnostics have tried to disprove the resurrection, it is a fact of history that stands unassailable throughout time. The resurrection of God’s Messiah was prophesied throughout the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New.

Unlike all other attempts to provide a substitute for the truth, Jesus is alive. Since He is alive, and lives by His Spirit in every believer as He promised, every other promise He made stands on this truth. Jesus is who He is, the Son of God, whom the Father appointed to be Lord over all creation.

Faith in the truth about Jesus, who He is and what He did, has remarkable consequences. Unlike human philosophies that can never transform a life, faith in Jesus causes people to make a rightabout turn. From darkness to light, they start to live again with a brand new nature, in union with Jesus.

Although this new life enables us to move towards God, we still have the tendency to slip into sinful ways. However, God has provided both His Spirit and His Word to empower us to overcome this old wayward nature.

Now, Paul says, there is another truth that we need to know, to reassure and encourage us on this journey towards holy living in preparation for our eternity with Jesus.

Our life on this earth is not a random, haphazard affair, hoping that, against all odds, we will make it in the end. It is imperative to understand that, in partnership with the Holy Spirit in us, we are purposefully moving towards a predetermined goal.

We have two reasons to have hope…

  1. “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.”

Everything we hope for and anticipate for our eternal future rests on Jesus. All the evidence of Scripture reassures us that He is worthy of our trust. Since He is, throughout eternity, our mediator, the man Christ Jesus, He remains forever one of us, died for us, lives in us, and represents us to the Father.

1 Timothy 2:5 NLT
[5] “There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.”

  1. “So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”

Our union with Jesus secures in us the hope and promise of perfection. However imperfect we are now, even in our best moments and highest aspirations, our union with Christ guarantees that God will achieve His goal of perfect Christ-likeness when we see Him face to face.

1 John 3:2 NLT
[2] “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.”

There is no teaching, religion, or philosophy originating in human thought that can come near to this truth, promised by the one who said He would die and rise again and did it!

So, we travel through this maze of life with the hope burning in our hearts that in Christ we are already complete (perfectly holy), and that this perfection will be fulfilled when we see Jesus as He is.

SEQUENCE AND CONSEQUENCE

Christian Life, ,

Colossians 2:6-7 NLT
[6] “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. [7] Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”

There is a sequence and there are consequences to our faith in Jesus as Lord.

Let’s first examine the sequence.

Paul declared that faith in Jesus comes by hearing the gospel.

Romans 10:17 NLT
[17]”So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”

When a person hears the gospel message and responds by believing the message and receiving Christ Jesus as Lord, a supernatural transformation takes place in him (or her). He is made alive to God and is transferred from Satan’s domain to the kingdom of God. He has begun a new life in union with Jesus, trusting Him and learning to obey His Word. Three words sum up this transformation… faith, Lord, and roots. Faith in Jesus as Lord, as supreme authority, replaces self as the energy of the new life, putting down strong roots into the love of God.

“Now”, says Paul, “that’s how you began. That’s how you must continue.” This is the essence of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The simplest and most profound way to become a strong and secure believer is to follow Jesus as Lord and to trust in His infallible love regardless of circumstances.

As we began this new life, so we must repeat the steps, over and over. Day after day, through every test and trial, in good and bad times, we must never give up or let go of the truth that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love in Christ. We nurture and nourish our fellowship with Him by protecting our union with Jesus through trust and obedience.

When we faithfully follow this simple pattern, there are consequences that help us hold steady and persevere regardless of the hardships that are part of life in a fallen world.

When we trust Jesus through difficult times, like muscles that grow strong through strenuous exercise, so our faith becomes secure in the love of God. How do we know that we are trusting in God’s goodness, no matter what? We complain less and give thanks to the Lord more. As trust grows, so does our expressions of gratitude to the Lord. We begin to see His goodness to us in things that once appeared to be disaster. We recognise His purpose…to use our troubles as discipline because He is forming Christ in us.

God will never give up on His purpose to conform us to the image of His Son. This was the goal of Paul’s life, the prize he was determined to win, no matter the cost.

Philippians 3:12-14 NLT
[12] “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. [13] No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

He bent all his energies towards winning the prize himself and teaching and urging his fellow believers to strive for the same goal.

Colossians 1:26-29 NLT
[26] “This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. [27] For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. [28] So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. [29] That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.”

How can we also, despite the many deviations from this simple truth in the church today, join Paul on

in his race for the prize? If we follow the sequence and apply the consequences, we can be sure of a testimony as confident as Paul’s.

2 Timothy 4:6-8 NLT
[6] “As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. [7] I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. [8] And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.”

CHRIST IN YOU

Christian Life, ,

Colossians 1:27-29 NIV
[27] “To them, God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. [28] He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. [29] To this end, I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.”

Paul’s letter to the Colossians, a church that came into being, not through Paul, but through the ministry of another believer, Epaphras, is an explanation of the supremacy of Jesus, above and beyond every other contender. He is not part of but active in creation, sustaining the universe by the mighty power of His Word. He is sovereign and supreme in the church. He is present and at work in every believer.

There is now no difference between Jew and Gentile. Through His reconciling work on the cross, Jesus has obliterated the past with its history of hostility between Jew and Gentile and created a new nation out of the two.

Galatians 3:27-29 NIV
[26] “So in Christ Jesus, all are children of God through faith,
for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [29] If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Since God revealed His plan to Paul and called him to spearhead this mission, Paul gave himself to fulfilling his calling with every ounce of energy and strength God supplied.

His adversaries were many. Both natural Gentiles and Jews hated him for his faithful commitment to his task. He was buffeted and bruised from every side.

This part of his life, suffering and testing, was part of his calling. Every move brought another wave of hatred against him. Jail at times was almost his second home!

So bad had persecution become that Paul pleaded with the Lord to take it away, but God said no. He provided enough grace to overcome Paul’s misery and give him joy in suffering, remembering that his identity with his Master was to reason for his suffering.

So, Paul gave himself to his task with vigour, knowing that God was working in and through him to accomplish His great purpose.

What was Paul’s geatest mission? In seven (English) words, he states his purpose. “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” He bent all his energies towards achieving this goal. All his travelling, all his preaching, all his teaching, all his writing, yes, even all his suffering wa focused in this one goal, that Jesus Christ would reside in and change the lives of everyone who believed in Him, through His Spirit.

In partnership with the Holy Spirit, going where He led, preaching and teaching what He revealed, and guiding believers towards obedience to the truth, Paul laboured faithfully with joy.

As his life drew to an end, Paul had the confidence to pass the baton on to young Timothy …

2 Timothy 4:1-2, 5-8 NIV
[1] “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: [2] Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction….
[5] But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.”

…And to testify…

[6] “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. [7] I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. [8] Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

Paul could do no more than begin the work of presenting God’s message to the Gentiles. Others down the centuries would take the baton on. The tragedy is that many have taken the baton and turned into something that no longer resembles the original charge. Many leaders in the church have become “lord” in place of Jesus.

Only those who have faithfully passed on the message of God’s grace in Christ to all nations will share in the rewards of a commission faithfully discharged.

God has entrusted to the church a body of truth, which He instructed His people to guard, to live by, and to pass on to the next generation intact and unchanged. Any additions or subtractions will bring judgment in those who made them.

The church may not carry this responsibility with the same consequences Paul experienced, but the mission is the same. To every nation, we have the charge, to preach Jesus as Lord and to bring them to faith and obedience to the gospel so that Christ Himself will be formed in them.

CHANGING LIVES, BEARING FRUIT

Christian Life, ,

Colossians 1:6 NLT
[6] “This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.”

What makes all the difference between the world’s religions and the gospel of Jesus? Every religion in the world is a variation of one object of worship. The evil one is bent on usurping the place God occupies in the universe as Creator and sovereign. His passion is to be worshiped as God.

Since it is impossible to unseat God, Satan masquerades as Lord by deceiving people through false religious systems. Paul gives a resume in Romans 1 of the rebellion against God that sets up idols in His place.

There is only one true God who can change the lives of people so
that they begin to think and act like Him. This change is so radical that pagans like the people in the Colossian church once were, began to produce fruit in their lives that identified their root in God’s kingdom.

Jesus warned that fruit is the evidence of the nature of the tree. If the fruit of lives that are still planted in the devil’s kingdom of wickedness is still evident, no matter what such people may claim, they are still in darkness.

Paul assures these Colossian believers that the fruit of their new lives is evident in the way they speak and behave. The change began the moment they believed in Jesus. They had joined the new species.

2 Corinthians 5:16-17 NLT
[16] ..”At one time, we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! [17] This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

The instant they believed in Jesus, they were transferred from darkness to light, and a new life began.

Ephesians 5:8-9 NLT
[8] “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! [9] For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.”

This transformation is the only way to identify the work of God in the human heart. People can hang plastic fruit on their lives for a while but, eventually this pretense will be exposed when adversity hits.

Though Paul himself did not bring this church to birth, he cared about them as much as he cared for his own spiritual offspring.

Colossians 1:7-8 NLT
[7] “You learned about the Good News from Epaphras, our beloved co-worker. He is Christ’s faithful servant, and he is helping us on your behalf. [8] He has told us about the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you.”

So, Paul takes them under his wing by assuring and encouraging these believers to continue and by including them in his prayers for all the churches.

FAITH AND LOVE, THE HALLMARKS OF THE BELIEVER

Christian Life, ,

Colossians 1:3-5 NLT
[3] “We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. [4] For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, [5] which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.”

Paul’s letter to the Colossian church was prompted by his concern for all the believers spread out over the Roman empire. Many of the churches came into being through his ministry, and many others came about through the ministry of his colleagues.

However, all the churches were bound together by their love for Jesus and for one another. They lived in a hostile world. They were hated and misunderstood by Jews and Gentiles. They needed each other for support and encouragement.

Paul recognised the genuineness of their faith by the three hallmarks of every true believer, faith, hope, and love.

In a world full of hatred and violence, fuelled by the influences of the mass media, it seems that the world’s way of settling differences or pursuading others is through the barrel of a gun. At the slightest provocation, the gun speaks first.

By contrast, the Bible advocates peace, selfless service, humility, and faith, expessed in giving and serving at our own expense. Only grace can free us from our selfish pursuits to put others before ourselves.

As Paul criscrossed Asia Minor and Europe, calling Gentiles to faith in Jesus, he saw the power of the gospel at work. Communities of believers, like those in Colossae, sprang up in cities and towns, creating pockets of God’s kingdom in the heart of pagan wickedness.

It was his heartfelt desire to see them flourish and grow. To this end, he wrote letters to encourage them in their lives of faith in Jesus and loving service to one another. In this way, they would bear witness to God’s grace and His power to rescue them from darkness to light.

So, too, in the 21st century, the power of the gospel remains the same. The true identity of God’s children lies, not in church membership or faithfulness to rituals or pracrices but in faithful and loving service to one another in the body of Christ.