bringing Good News not Fake News

Fake News

The report of a Freshwater Shark caught in by a local fisherman in Texas hit the news back in June…

Shared over 100,000 times before it was identified as FAKE NEWS

we live in the area of fake news, and alternative facts - and false information and teaching travel far and wide with a click of a button… It’s not just stories about Sharks on the internet - but Fake News - characterizes a lot of teaching in the church today… ‘Religious teaching’ built on ‘alternative facts’ and half truths is being taught and promoted all over the world by churches.... Fake News instead of Good News..

began We live in a world of fake news and alternative facts -

This is nothing new, it was a problem in the first churches..

This NT letter we’ve been studying was written to a group of people who had found life and hope and love in the message of the Gospel! The Gospel is the good news that Jesus saves! we don’t save ourselves… that life, and love, and hope are found IN CHRIST

But there was a lot of FAKE NEWS being passed around in the church in Corinth… teaching shaped by the principles of this world instead of Christ… SO Paul wrote this letter to address the FAKE NEWS - the cultural pressures, philosophies and teachings that threatened to undermine their faith and distort the GOOD NEWS....

Problem with Fake news is it seems plausible, it looks real on the surface - it seems to have some merit - that’s why we sometimes believe it.. how do you tell the difference?

“Federal agents don’t learn to spot counterfeit money by studying the counterfeits. They study genuine bills until they master the look, the feel, the security features, of the real thing. Then when they see the fake money they recognize it.”

So Paul begins this letter by reminded the church of what they have, and who they are IN CHRIST — We have the real thing - the genuine Message of The Gospel - To receive the Gospel is to receive Jesus - Jesus is the real thing, JESUS IS LORD, he is our life -

To receive the Gospel is to receive Jesus - Jesus is the real thing, JESUS IS LORD

The Gospel can be summarized in three words, ‘Jesus is Lord.’ It is through receiving the Gospel that we are saved.

If we are in Christ:

our body - In Christ

1)Jesus is our Head – He is our authority, He is the dynamic source of our direction and strength.

2) We are his Body – He indwells his people and unites us together into one family ‘Christ In you the hope of glory”

our life - In Christ - which operates on different principles

3) We’ve been given a whole new life to live - We are alive in Christ - our life is hidden with Christ in God!

Paul is insisting we grow up and mature in this new life - living by the Principles of Christ

4) We are to set our minds and hearts on Christ - Living by the principles of Christ - is about coming to a greater understanding of Christ and his Work on our behalf, so that our hearts are overwhelmed by who he is, what he’s done, and what he’s doing. So that the REAL THING - THE GOOD NEWS - is shaping every area of our lives …

With the GOOD NEWS at the center of our lives - the FAKE NEWS becomes obvious…

focusing our lives on Christ - a heart for Christ

Why is this so important that In chapter 1 Paul says he is willingly suffering and working hard so that every believer becomes mature in Christ! Not just pastors and missionaries but every believer — Why ???

This is so important that In chapter 1 Paul says he is willingly suffering and working hard so that every believer becomes mature in Christ! Not just pastors and missionaries but every believer — Why ???

Why is this so important???

This is so important that In chapter 1 Paul says he is willingly suffering and working hard so that every believer becomes mature in Christ! Not just pastors and missionaries but every believer — Why ???

VIDEO?

In chapter 1 Paul says he is willingly suffering and working hard so that every believer becomes mature in Christ! Not just pastors and missionaries but every believer — Why because it is through his body that the good news of Jesus Christ is made visible to the world.

because it is through his body that the good news of Jesus Christ is made visible to the world. We are like the pipeline delivering God’s Grace to the world… Last chapter of Colossians brings all the teaching into focus under one central purpose — one main objective - We are part of His unfolding plan to bring GOOD NEWS to the world! The world doesn’t need more FAKE NEWS - it needs GOOD NEWS..

Listen to the comment of a young man after one day of training at the Bank of Canada - “I soon learned that identifying counterfeit currency is not a terribly difficult task. When a person knows what to look for, when he has been trained to examine the bill for particular identifying characteristics, identifying genuine from fraudulent can be done with great accuracy, even on the basis of only a small amount of training. I successfully identified each piece of counterfeit currency.”

VIDEO?

Listen to the comment of a young man after one day of training at the Bank of Canada - “I soon learned that identifying counterfeit currency is not a terribly difficult task. When a person knows what to look for, when he has been trained to examine the bill for particular identifying characteristics, identifying genuine from fraudulent can be done with great accuracy, even on the basis of only a small amount of training. I successfully identified each piece of counterfeit currency.”

fulfilling our calling in CHRIST

Colossians 4:2–4 ESV

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

1) PRAY GOOD NEWS (DRAWING STRENGTH FROM THE HEAD)

When you love someone you end up joining them in things that are important to them…

1) KEEP PRAYING (DRAWING STRENGTH FROM THE HEAD)

pray God will open doors for the gospel - will give us opportunities

1) KEEP PRAYING (DRAWING STRENGTH FROM THE HEAD)

pray God will make the message clear

skillful in conduct & skillful in speech...

Colossians 4:5 ESV

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.

2) LIVE GOOD NEWS (LIVING - APPLYING THE GOSPEL TO EVERY AREA OF YOUR LIFE - AKA FIRST PRINCIPLES - THE WORD OF CHRIST)

conduct means to live your every day life - to live skillfully (with wisdom) among those who are not believers…

The opportunity is every day life relationships - he doesn’t say go looking for opportunities - he says make the most of the ones you already have!

They were to live everyday life skillfully among unbelievers and see the relationships themselves as opportunities!

Colossians 4:6 ESV

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

3) SPEAK GOOD NEWS (GIVE AN ANSWER)

with grace = speaks of being both gracious and attractive

seasoned = enhance flavor - bring out, draw out

respond = assumes that a question has been asked

OUR Daily PRAYERS, OUR Daily LIVES, OUR Daily SPEECH are to be GOOD NEWS … not FAKE NEWS .....

God wants to use - The way we interact with people in daily life and the things we choose to talk with them about to - raise their curiosity about the Gospel - to encourage them to ask questions about our faith.. to want the real thing…

God wants all of his people to be able to custom tailor the gospel message to each individual he connects us with —

We often think that the primary way God delivers the Good News of the Gospel is through special preaching events, and professional evangelists, missionaries or pastors…

In recent years, studies have shown that only 6% of people who “come forward” at an evangelistic crusade are any different in their beliefs or behavior one year later.

I was part of a Billy Graham Associate Crusade - “studies have shown that only 6% of people who “come forward” at an evangelistic crusade are any different in their beliefs or behavior one year later.”

While special preaching events have brought many people to faith in Christ during the last few hundred years - it is not how the gospel spread to almost every major city in the Roman empire within one lifetime! And it is not the primary way the GOOD news is spreading in our world today!

The NT describes the unfolding of the Great Commission as a movement of disciples, every day believers who embodied in word and deed the GOOD NEWS in their families, communities, and places of work..

That is not how the NT describes the unfolding of the Great Commission…

We are like the pipeline delivering God’s Grace to the world…

God wants all of his people to be able to custom tailor the gospel message to each individual he connects us with —

Paul wrote this letter to address the the fake news - the cultural pressures, philosophies and teachings that threatened to undermine and distort the Good News that had turned them into a community of faith hope and love!

He does this by first reminding them of the good news that Jesus saves! Jesus is the ultimate authority who is redeeming all of creation and he is head of the church . Paul prays for the church asking God to give them knowledge and wisdom and power to live fruitful lives.

Paul prays for the church asking for knowledge and wisdom and power to live fruitful lives.

Paul is willing to suffer so that they can mature in Christ, and not be fooled by teaching backed up with challenging arguments. Then He explains that his suffering is all about making the word of God known to them, revealing Christ’s plan for his church, which is his body that he indwells.

Then he insists that they grow up in the faith by continuing to live by the principles of Christ, rejecting human traditions built on the principles of this world that promote religious practices that fail to transform the heart.

Then he calls them to focus their hearts and minds on Christ, to be renewed in their knowledge of Christ and all he has done and is doing, as they put to death their old ways and pursue living by the principles of Christ, placing themselves under the leadership and authority of Jesus. They are to become saturated in this new way and thinking and living ‘by the word of Christ’, instructing each other in it and even singing and making art about it.

They are to become saturated in this new way and thinking and living ‘by the word of Christ’, instructing each other in it and even singing and making art about it.

BY explaining that his suffereings are for thier sake, that Christ is empowering him to fulfill his calling to make the word of God known, revealing Christ and his plan for his church which he indwells, so that they might grow and fully mature in Christ and not be deluded by challenging arguments (1:24-2:5).

BY instructing them to be watchful in prayer, partnering with Paul in the mission, and being carful to live disciplined lives, speaking tacktfully and intentionally, and being prepared to defend thier faith when aksed. This is all part of partnering with Christ and his people in the unfolding of the great commission world wide (4:2-18).

Living as God’s people in this world, being a community of faith, hope and love, is impossible without Jesus. Just as we were saved by his grace we live by his grace! We don’t need to search for special knowledge apart from Christ. There is no special technique or practice we need to add to our faith.