TVCC Students,
Wow! It's great to be back! As you all know, we were on Sabbatical for the month of October. We will be sharing very soon some of the precious things the Lord taught us but one thing is for sure... we MISSED you all! We are so humbled to get to minister alongside you guys for the glory of Jesus.
With that said, we will be in the book of Colossians for the next couple if weeks. Last night was our first night to start this book and it was so encouraging to hear Paul's words to a sister church reminding them (and us) of our hope in Jesus and our calling as His gospel-bearers. Here is a recap...
Colossians 1:1-6
Paul was not the original "planter" of the church in Colossae. Colossae was planted because Paul had been obedient to the Lord in reproducing disciples of Christ and they had been obedient to do as they had seen Paul do. We are not called as believers to just be sponges of the truth of God but we are to soak in His truth and then spread it to those that the Lord puts in our lives.
Q: Are you someone who is "reproducing" Christ in you? Are you investing in at least one other person on a continual basis?
~1:1: When Paul is addressing the church at Colossae, he calls the believers their "saints" and "faithful" brethren. These are powerful words to describe people who are just like us and ofter fail to walk in faith. What Paul was doing was addressing them as the Lord sees them in Christ. In Christ we are righteous. When we come to trust in His atoning grace on our behalf, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us and we are seen under the lens of the righteousness and faithfulness of Christ.
Q: Do you realize that in Christ you are seen as holy and righteous? There is nothing that you can do to separate yourself from the love of God that is in Christ. Though we often need to repent of our sinfulness, it no longer counts against us as Christ has nailed it to the cross. Are you wallowing in any sin this week or are you embracing the righteous standing that you have in Jesus? What does it look like for you to be walking in light of your righteousness in Christ?
~1:2: Paul speaks grace and peace over the Colossian church. As Sonny has been reminding us often- without Jesus grace and peace could not be extended to us. Before Christ, we were dead in our sins and without hope. God's wrath was heading towards us. Then Jesus came and was crucified on our behalf so that we could have peace with God through His gracious mercy.
Q: What does it look like for you to live a thankful life to the Lord on a daily basis for the grace and peace that is your through Christ? How does this affect your relationships and your outlook on daily life?
~1:3-4: Paul thanks God for the believers at Colossae for their faith and love. Notice that Paul does not thank the Colossian church for their faith and love. Paul recognizes that the faith and love of all believers is because God has worked that within them. On our own we do not seek God nor do anything that pleases Him. Christ in us spurs us on to love and good deeds. God is the Author and Perfecter of our faith. All glory and praise goes to Him.
Q: Sonny said last night, "A true understanding of the gospel banishes all pride." What does this mean in light of verses 3-4 of Colossians 1?
~1:4: Paul thanks God for the love that the Colossian church is reported to have. Understanding the gospel and the extravagant love that has been poured out on us in the death of Jesus leads us to love others with a selfless and powerful love. 1 John says that if we claim to love God and cannot love our brothers we are lying and not walking in truth. The gospel transforms us and creates love in us. Love is putting the needs of others before ourselves.
Q: Are you walking in love towards other believers? Do you have any bitterness or unforgiveness that you need to confess so that you can be walking in pure love of the brethren? What does it look like to have the gospel producing love in us?
~1:5: We can only love like Jesus did when we are continually remembering that this is not our eternal home. We must be living in light of the coming Kingdom of Christ. When we focus on this life and our own pleasures, we easy neglect living for things that are eternal. When we are focusing on the Kingdom, we are able to forgive as we have been forgiven and love selflessly knowing that our life has a bigger purpose than just the "here and now."
Q: What does it look like for you to live with an eternal mindset? How does this affect things in your daily life?
~1:6: The gospel is bearing fruit and increasing. It is powerful. The gospel is that Jesus Christ came from heaven to die on our behalf so that we could be reconciled to the Lord. As we grow in Him, we should be reproducing ourselves (really reproducing Christ in us) and thus do our part to expand the gospel. Paul did his part. Epaphras did his part. We are called to do our parts as we live thankful lives for the grace that was poured out on us in Jesus!
Q: What does it look like for you to play your part in spreading the gospel? How is the gospel bearing fruit in your life?
Dear Students,
Again, we are so thankful for you all and for the privilege it is to worship with you guys every Wednesday. We pray that this week you will meditate on the love of Christ that has been poured out on you and that that would motivate you to love others with a selfless and bold love. We encourage you to be in fellowship and community with other believers throughout the week. We love you guys!
With hope,
Sonny and Casi
No comments:
Post a Comment