THANKFUL TO GOD FOR YOU

One of the greatest dangers we Christians face today is the thinking that Christ, his truth and the word are irrelevant. For many, God’s truths are dumbed down, altered, scripture is conveniently interpreted to fit a certain way of living, as if it’s God’s responsibility to accommodate how we’ve chosen to live. We must be convinced that there is one truth and his name is Jesus. He is truth, he defines truth. To know what truth is we look to him and what he says.

It seems hardly a week goes by without a significant national or global calamity of some kind. We need to never be in doubt who is in control, who is supreme and sovereign. Nothing that happens in this world happens without Christ’s knowledge, and we have this assurance.

So with these two motivations in mind, we look to Paul’s purpose for writing this letter, which was/is to encourage Christians to keep looking to Christ, trust Christ, look to him as the only true Saviour (truth), because he alone is all-sufficient and he alone is supreme (assurance).

 

The Colossian church was:

Known For Their Faith
Christians do succumb to doubts and criticism and disappointment from unmet expectations. Faith doesn’t rise and fall dependent on our circumstances, because the object of our faith is Christ and the gospel. Is this faith that ignores hard times, sin and sickness and being so heavenly-minded that we are outside of reality? No! This is faith knowing that in all things Christ is! Being over heavenly-minded is not our challenge, being worldly-minded is! Faith is not intellectual belief; faith is I’m giving my whole self to trusting God.

Known For Their Love
Their faith was expressed in their love for others. The world assesses our born again-ness by our love for each other. That’s a high calling isn’t it!? Their love for others said they had faith in Christ. This was their public reputation. To love is a reflection of our salvation. To love is not optional. I love because to not love is to not obey a basic command, and to not love is to ignore Christ’s work of the cross.

Known For Bearing Fruit
Hope motivates our faith and our love, because the word hope refers to the goal of our hope which is Christ and the reality of life eternal with Christ. This is what makes the gospel glorious, and is why Paul is so thankful to God for the Colossian Christians. Their hope motivated them to a deeper faith and a deeper love.