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THE HEART OF COLOSSIANS IS THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL
As Paul warns the Colossians about listening to the wrong teaching, it is clear that he believes the stakes are high: listening to the false teachers could lead to their “disqualification”. Colossians 2:18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. Again, learning – whether truth or falsehood – leads to practice.…
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A GOOD GOAL, BUT BAD TEACHING
Colossians 1:20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. The “elemental spirits” seeking to take the Colossians captive in 2:8 make a…
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ALLOW NO CAPTIVES
Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. There is ongoing debate over the exact nature of the locally prevalent “philosophy” which Paul viewed as a threat to proper Christian teaching there in Colossae. “Some suggest a pagan cult of one sort or another; others, some form…
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PAUL AS TEACHER IN COLOSSIANS 2
In Colossians chapter 2, the Apostle Paul continues the education motif he introduced in the first chapter. 1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this in order that no one…
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IN THE END, THE ANSWER’S THE SAME
If you always agree with the teaching of your pastor/church/denomination, is that a good thing or a bad thing? In my opinion, it depends. I worked up a little flow chart. (It’s ugly, yes, but let me know what else you think of it.)
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REPETITION
I once served as youth pastor under a senior pastor who was a sweet-natured, earnest, and godly man – which put him head and shoulders above a few other pastors I worked under. But he wasn’t the greatest preacher. He once told me, “You know, I only really have three different sermons that I deliver. I just rotate between those three.” And honestly, that was two more than I had noticed! It seemed to me that week after week he offered slight variations on one particular exhortation: “If we are going to be authentic disciples of Jesus, we must get…
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PRIVILEGING THE HYPOTHESIS
I’ve started reading Alchemy by Rory Sutherland. If you’re not familiar with Rory and you are interested in human psychology and behavioral science, you can find him in a lot of YouTube videos. He is vice chairman of the prominent British marketing agency, Ogilvy. And he knows his stuff. Anyway, the subtitle of the book is “The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life”. This book is an example of the stuff I think seminary students should be required to study. Maybe the class would be called Human Psychology and Behavior – Deal with…
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SPIRITUAL STAGNATION IS EVIDENCE OF IGNORANCE
After the Apostle Paul holds Epaphras up as an effective teacher of the Colossians – evidenced by the fact that the gospel was bearing fruit in their lives and increasing – Paul goes on to connect spiritual education directly to life growth two more times in the first chapter of his letter. First in verses 9 and 10: 9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner…
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ATLANTA
Too tired to write anything worth thinking about tonight. I drove from Columbus to Atlanta today to represent Mission Resource at the International Conference on Missions over the next couple of days. There were some traffic slowdowns, but overall the drive was pretty easy. I was driving our new car and it almost drives itself – literally. I experienced my first Buc-ee’s stop, but otherwise the day was pretty dull. Tomorrow morning I head to the convention center to set up my display. I will be sharing a booth with our friends from Basic Utility Vehicles of Indianapolis.
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TRAJECTORY
I suppose most Christians walk around with an innate sense that their tradition, their denomination, and their local church have managed to hit the theological nail squarely on the head. I used to assume my tribe was 100% on target and all other denominations ranged from “really close” to “way off”. Other brands of Methodists and Wesleyans were close to holding correct theology while Catholics were really missing the boat. Then I started looking closely at Calvinism and, at first, I grew nervous that I had missed something essential to faith. There are some really smart Calvinists out there and…