Christ in the Center of Everything – Colossians 1

Joy:  You’re listening to the Lifting Her Voice podcast, Episode #179.  Today we’ll read Colossians chapter 1 together:  Paul gives thanks, he prays, and he puts Christ in the center of everything.

Welcome to the Lifting Her Voice podcast.  I’m your host, Joy Miller, and I invite you to grab your Bible and join me as we simply read God’s word together.  Some things require discipline and sometimes that’s just not easy to muster by yourself, no matter how badly you want to do it or how much you know you should.  It’s just easier to do it with a friend.  So refill your coffee or tea, get comfortable in your favorite chair and follow along as I read aloud.  I’m so glad you’re here!

Welcome

Well, the book is new but those false teachers are becoming all too familiar!  You’ve read about them before and I’m sorry to say this won’t be the last you hear of them.  Now they have invaded the church at Colossae, insisting again that the people follow strict rules about what to eat and drink, and observe the religious festivals.

Paul may be writing this letter from prison, but he’s heard what’s going on and has plenty to say.  He steps right up to steer the Colossian flock back in the direction of Christ.  I encourage you to look up a little background on the Colossian church because there’s way more going on here than what we have time to talk about.  Jewish legalism, heresy, and pre-Gnosticism for openers. Gnosticism asserts that God is good but all matter is evil; that Jesus is inferior to God, and that a secret, higher knowledge is required for salvation.  Can you just hear Paul’s pen scratching across the papyrus at break-neck speed?    

A Visit to Rome  

Now, Paul did not start this church, Epaphras did.  Epaphras was saved in Ephesus and it’s believed that he traveled to Colossae to start the church there.  He was so upset about what was going on with the Colossians that he went to visit Paul in that Roman prison.  And he got there just about the time Paul was finishing the letter to the Ephesians, so he was already energized.  I can’t wait to read to you what Paul wrote, but suffice it to say, his passion for Christ permeates the letter and his disdain and intolerance for the false teachers does the same.  And rightly so because they really do some twisting of the truth. 

No more intro, let’s get to it.  As we go, don’t forget to let me know how God is speaking to you thru this letter at Lifting Her Voice.com, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Colossians Chapter 1

Greeting

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother:

To the saints in Christ at Colossae, who are faithful brothers and sisters.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

Thanksgiving

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate God’s grace. You learned this from Epaphras, our dearly loved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, and he has told us about your love in the Spirit.

Prayer for Spiritual Growth

For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Centrality of Christ

He is the image of the invisible God,

the firstborn over all creation.

For everything was created by him,

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 by him all things hold together.

He is also the head of the body, the church;

he is the beginning,

the firstborn from the dead,

so that he might come to have

first place in everything.

For God was pleased to have

all his fullness dwell in him,

and through him to reconcile

everything to himself,

whether things on earth or things in heaven,

by making peace

through his blood, shed on the cross.

Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds as expressed in your evil actions. But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him —  if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.

Paul’s Ministry

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for his body, that is, the church. I have become its servant, according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me.

Closing Thoughts

Paul is a master at ordering his letters.  He begins this letter, not with admonishment, but by reminding the Colossians of all the reasons they came to believe in the first place.  It’s useful for us too…to re-visit our first love.  

What comes to mind for you when you think about the day you were saved?  Was it finally coming to the realization that you’re a sinner, just like everyone else? Or was it just being able to confess it out loud in front of God and others?  Were you, like me, overwhelmed and drawn to the unconditional love that Christ has for you?  Was a weight lifted from you when you knew you were forgiven?  It is good for us to think of our ‘day of salvation’ often, if for no other reason than to combat the cacophony of naysayers we encounter every day.  I think Paul knew this because he went straight for the heart in this first chapter.  He refreshes them by letting them know they are being prayed for and that they are not alone.  Christ’s church is spread far and wide.  

I love verses 9-14 where Paul recounts the qualities of spiritual growth and his whole tone just assumes that’s what the Colossians are prioritizing.  And they probably would be were if it were not for those pesky false teachers; those rejecters of Christ.  The verses that expound on exactly who Christ is are powerful, resonate absolute truth, and are potent enough to cause his readers to ask, “What were we thinking?  There should be no confusion here.”  Let’s pray.

Prayer

Oh, Jesus, we do get confused sometimes, don’t we?  Without a constant stream of reminders of who we are and Whose we are, we are prone to wander off at every shiny distraction.  Please have mercy on us.  Remember our weaknesses and give us the needed additional measures of faith.  Holy Spirit, remind us daily of falling in love with Him for the first time.  We thank You for sealing us until that Day.  Amen.

Thank you for joining me here today.  I pray God will grow in you what has been planted and watered here.  In this time of unprecedented struggle worldwide, we can look to God for guidance and comfort.  Be sensitive to those in your circle of influence who need a word of encouragement and invite them to join us.  If you like this show, it would be great if you give it a five-star review.  Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  See you right here tomorrow.  Be well!

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible(r), Copyright (c) 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible(r) and CSB(r) are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.