A Study of Colossians: Real Spirituality

God invites us to transformation in three key areas. First, God wants to transform our values so that our trust in Him and hope in heaven leads to loving other people. God also wants to transform our thinking as we study His Word; not just what we think about but also how we think. Finally, God wants to transform our actions so that we accomplish good works through His power. The only thing that God asks of us is a willingness for Him to transform us!

There are a lot of different opinions on who Jesus is. However, Paul declares that Jesus is the King Messiah who has rescued us by purchasing our freedom with His own death on the cross. He is able to forgive us of our sins because He is fully God and fully man. Jesus has existed for eternity past and is sovereign ruler, creator, and sustainer of the universe. He is also the head of the church and His resurrection means that all who believe in Him will be raised from death into eternal life as well. And on top of all of this, Jesus wants to be reconciled to a close personal relationship with each one of us. Included is an interview showing various people's opinions of Jesus.

Like so many of us, the Colossians were tempted to drift away from the simple message of God's grace. Paul points out that God has appointed everyone in the church to service for God, which includes suffering on behalf of other people for the gospel. Christians have been given the responsibility of telling the lost world about Christ's free gift of salvation and leading them into following Christ with their whole life. This work is empowered by God and has the goal of encouraging, unifying people, and building understanding of Christ and what He has done for us.

What is the standard for right and wrong in this world? What happens when the church is captured by the culture surrounding it? Does right and wrong change at that point? Paul warns the church in Colossae to watch out and make sure they are not taken captive by deceptive philosophy from the culture. This applies to modern believers as well. It is the key to maturity and yet the church has a vast history of buying into deceptive philosophy.\r\n

Paul writes to combat the Gnostic teachers and their emphasis on special knowledge. He explains that we receive a new identity when we enter a relationship with God. "Being dead" involves separation from God but being "alive" is being united with God. Being united with God means we receive this new identity. Living out our identity means we become who we are in four ways: 1) having the perspective that God is at work; 2) being secure in our identity; 3) having confidence we are forgiven; and 4) staying united with God and other Christians.\r\n

Paul explains "the elemental principles" and their implications. The elemental principles of the world are ways humans invent to relate with God. To live according to these elemental principles is to have a religious mentality resulting in a negative and untrue view of God. Paul warns against this heresy and reminds the church that God wants a love relationship rather than formalistic rule living. That is why Jesus went to the cross. By dying on the cross and canceling our debt, he took away the suspicion Satan spreads about the goodness of God.\r\n

What is doubt and how should we deal with it? This is the first of a two-part series on doubt that addresses what doubt is, what it is not, and what it might look like in the life of a believer. Everyone struggles with doubt at some point in their lives. We should pursue our doubts and search out answers to the questions we have. Common issues that trigger doubt and the problem of evil in the world are also discussed.\r\n

Putting on Christ is living out the new identity God has given us. This involves a transformation powered by God as we cooperate with Him. God produces selfless qualities in us that make us more like Christ. This results in lasting love relationships that are unifying and produce peace which are in contrast to relationships that do not follow God's way.

Paul shares three ways Christians can share their faith: 1) prayer; 2) lifestyle; and 3) words. In regard to lifestyle, the way Christians live has the potential to endanger the message of Christ or attract people to the message of Christ. Christians should follow Christ's example in living a lifestyle of love to demonstrate who God is. There are excellent opportunities in the workplace to live with integrity and to selflessly show God's love.\r\n

Three ways to reach out with God's message include: 1) prayer; 2) lifestyle; and 3) words. With the focus on prayer Paul instructs Christians to pray in six ways: 1) with watchfulness; 2) with thanksgiving; 3) expressing belief; 4) incorporating intercessory prayer; 5) for open doors; and 6) with power of God. This is a powerful tool when reaching out and should be included in Christians' efforts. Prayer is the power that moves people.

Three ways to reach out with the message of God: 1) prayer; 2) lifestyle; 3) words. Five main components to consider when using our words to share God's message include: 1) sender; 2) message; 3) encoding/decoding; 4) receiver; 5) noise. Most effectively this is done through relationship with an emphasis on grace. The point is to communicate God's message of grace in a way that the receiver can hear best. This is an exciting part of the Christian life! All Christians should look for ways to be part of what God's doing around us.\r\n