Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2. To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. 3. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints-- the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel.
the letter of Colossae the Apostle Paul is thankful that Christian essentials are evident in lives of the church folk. Paul was first thankful the people were growing in their faith. They were excited about God.
I remember one of our church members, Marge Gerdin, and contrasted her life with those who live for money. We brought one of our former exchange students to her home to buy some home processed maple syrup. He was surprised how little she wanted for the bottles compared to how much they cost in the grocery stores, and especially in his country. I teased Marge and said she would never get rich this way. She responded, “But I’m rich in friends.”
Paul wanted to see believers grow in their faith in Jesus Christ. Some churches are known for being dead on the vine, for being lukewarm, or being battling Baptists, or being cold and unfriendly people. What is your church known for? Are we known for faith?
When Paul heard the people were finding peace with God and growing in their faith, I can understand how Paul felt. What excites me most as a pastor is when I see people come to Jesus Christ and take off in their faith. I am so thrilled to see changes in their lives. Others can also see it and are affected by their lives.
discourages me most in the ministry is the opposite, when people for whom I feel spiritually responsible lose their love for the Lord and their faith gets cold; they no longer care about spiritual things and fall away. They are no longer interested in things of the Lord. They become inactive and even live in ways that are an embarrassment being identified as a Christian.
Paul's whole purpose was to tell of the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and boldly proclaim Jesus as his only reason for living. "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain" he said.
As so often is the case, there were tools of Satan to disrupt and introduce false teachings. Satan can devastate us except for Gods' protection. It is a regular reminder to keep growing in your trust and obedience in Christ. Keep close to the teachings of the Bible and pray
When it is all said and done it isn’t about how rich we are here, but how rich we are in the faith.
Application: Keep putting into practice what you have learned and allow the Holy Spirit to use you according to the gifts and abilities which He graciously gives you.
Prayer: Lord, may my faith and love that spring from the hope that I have in You, manifest in my life within the Body of Christ.
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