The Church Of Colosse
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1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,
2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;
8 Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
• Is there any relationship between diet and spiritual living?
Does God speak to us immediately, in our minds, or only through His Word, the Bible?
• Do the Eastern religions have something to offer the evangelical Christian?
These questions sound very contemporary. Yet they are the very issues Paul dealt with in his magnificent epistle to the Colossians. We need this important letter today just as they needed it back in A.D. 60 when Paul wrote it.
The City Colossae was one of three cities located about
100 miles inland from Ephesus. The other two cities were Laodicea and Hierapolis (Col. 4:13, 16).
The Man Who Penned
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,
Paul had a new name after the road of damascus
You have a new name in Christ - A new man
Apostle - ambassador, a delegate, one sent forth
today we have missionaries that are sent out
We are all to be representatives of Christ
The City Colossae was one of three cities located about
100 miles inland from Ephesus. The other two cities were Laodicea and Hierapolis (Col. 4:13, 16).
This area was a meeting point of East and West
because a critical trade route passed through there. All three cities were growing and prosperous at one time, but gradually, Colossae slipped into
a second-rate position. It became what we would call a small town. Yet the church there was important enough to merit the attention of the Apostle
Paul.
There was a large Jewish colony in Colossae, and there was also a constant influx of new ideas and
doctrines from the East. It was fertile ground for religious speculations and heresies! All kinds of philosophies mingled in this cosmopolitan area, and religious peddlers abounded.
The Church Colossae probably would never have been mentioned in the New Testament had it not been for
the church there. The city is never named in the
Book of Acts because Paul did not start the Colossian church nor did he ever visit it. Paul had heard of their faith (Col. 1:4, 9); but he had never seen these believers personally (2:1). Here was a church of unknown people in a small town, receiving an inspired letter from the great Apostle Paull
How did the Colossian church begin? It was the
outgrowth of Paul's three-year ministry in Ephesus
(Acts 19; 20:17-38).
So effective was the witness of the church at Ephesus that "all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks" (Acts 19:10). This would include
people in Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis.
When we examine the persons involved in their prison correspondence of Paul (see Eph., Phil., Col., Phile., and 2 Tim.), we can just about put the
story together of how the Colossian church was founded. During Paul's ministry in Ephesus, at least two men from Colossae were brought to faith in Jesus Christ-Epaphras and Philemon (seePhile. 19). Epaphras apparently was one of the key founders of the church in Colossae, for he shared the Gospel with his friends there (Col. 1:7). He also had a ministry in the cities of Hierapolis and
Laodicea (Col. 4:12-13).
Philemon had a church meeting in his home (Phile. 2). It is likely that Apphia and Archippus, mentioned in this verse, were respectively the wife and son of Philemon, and that Archippus was the
pastor of the church (Col. 4:17).
There is a good lesson for us here: God does not
always need an apostle, or a "full-time Christian worker" to get a ministry established. Nor does He need elaborate buildings and extensive organizations. Here were two laymen who were used of God to start ministries in at least three cities. God uses the Christians willing to share the Gospel.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
An Ambassador Of a celestial city - we represent another kingdom, speak for the King of Kings - we represent the King
Paul didn’t refer to any college degrees or seminary study.
His previous training taught pharisaism and legalism
Paul went to school for three and a half years in a desert
God retaught him in the school of grace
God has a will for your life just as He had a will for the Apostle Paul
Have you ever asked God, “What do you want from my life?”
“Am I doing what you want me to do with my life Lord?”
That’s a reasonable question, right?
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
It’s not unreasonable
We miss God’s best because we don’t allow God to direct
We set our affections on things on this earth rather in heaven
The devil will promote your success and cause you to miss God’s will for your life
Borden of Yale
“No reserves”
“No retreats”
“No regrets”
“Say no completely to self; say yes completely to Christ.”
Do we ever cross the boundaries of the uncomfortable to serve Jesus.
2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Saints
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
1 Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; For the faithful fail from among the children of men.
3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;
8 Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
Saints - Set apart
We are called to be clean in our actions
To the faithful: True, worthy of trust. The ones you can depend on.
Can you be depended on in this church
Faithful = dependable
Psalm 12:1
We are challenged to be faithful
3. The praise
Vs 3
vs 4
Faith and love are praised.
We should pray for the lost.
We should pray for those who have fallen.
But we need to pray for the faithful.
Pray for those who are dependable.
Pray for those who are loving the Lord.
Vs 5
They had an amazing hope.
The Gospel crushed all the doubt.
Breathed hope into me that
The Gospel gave me hope for all eternity.
There will be tears while we're here, but joy will come in the morning.
There will be sadness.
Pain
But there will be joy in the morning.
These were fruitful Christians.
God wants us to be fruitful.
II Cor 5:17
Fruitful in love
The fruit of the Spirit
The fruit of bringing others into the Kingdom
Old things are passing away.
All things are becoming new.
Vs 7
Your love in the Spirit
Love for the saints
Love in the Spirit
Could this be a love and passion for things in the Spirit?
A fervent desire for prayer
Fellowship with the saints
Hunger for the Word of God
A passion for the Lost, accepting Christ
Supernatural hope during difficult times
Loving
Faithful
Passionate excitement for the things in the Spirit
Renew your mind for Christ