Colossians by Ryan Lowery (2014)

The church in Colossae, started by Epaphras, was infiltrated by false teachers. The apostle Paul wrote to combat these false teachings and strengthen the faith of the believers there. The apostle encourages the believers on the love they have shown because of the hope laid up for them in heaven through the gospel. All believers are called to be heralds of this gospel because it teaches and motivates us to love. This transformation towards love is possible because Christ has really loved us and guaranteed our eternal life, therefore we no longer have to look out for ourselves and can choose to give love freely in the knowledge that we are secure for eternity.

A key component of growing with God is knowledge of His will, however, knowledge requires the wisdom of how to use it. Head knowledge is not enough. Our understanding of God's will and His love will be incomplete unless we have taken steps to employ the knowledge that we have to our lives in a practical way. This growing knowledge, wisdom, and understanding comes directly from God and is what results in a life that honors and pleases Him.

Since God's love is what gives us the power to love others, an important part of understanding God's love is understanding who Jesus is. Jesus is: 1) our redeemer; 2) the highest form of revelation; 3) creator and owner of everything; 4) the highest authority; 5) the head of the church; 6) God.\r\nWhile the divinity and humanity of Jesus are constantly under attack, the truth that God became a human and died in our place is the basis for love and the only true gospel.

God's love and grace gave Paul the motivation to become a servant with a purpose, but it did not spare him of a life free of suffering. In fact, serving God requires Christians to wade into suffering so that others may know Him just as Christ was willing to undergo suffering for our sake. This sort of service requires that: we become servant leaders by laying down our lives for others, we bring the truth of God to those who don't know Him, and we commit to other people through discipleship.

Paul is warning and encouraging the Christians in Colossae of the ideas competing for their faith and how to avoid being captured. Four ways to avoid being captured by false ideologies: 1) come to Christ; 2) assess your own vulnerabilities; 3) walk by grace in faith; 4) stay rooted in the Word and community. The love of God changes and motivates our hearts. Evaluate what motivates you to follow God and His ways. Be moved by what His love has done. His love is a safeguard to legalism and worship of self.\r\n

The sufficiency of Christ meets all of our needs. Ritualism, mysticism, and asceticism are bankrupt alternatives to finding fulfillment in Christ. True change happens when we let God change our hearts rather than on us trying to change our outward behavior. True change is possible through Christ when we put our faith in Him. Even after having a relationship with God through Christ there's a pull to live seeking fulfillment in other things. When this happens we can change our minds and agree with God's way, experiencing Him to empower us.

Paul shares with the Colossians that when you come into a relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, your whole identity is changed. The first step in appropriating this identity is putting spiritual things first and disciplining your thoughts to align with your new identity. This is how real character transformation occurs.

Once we become Christians, we have a new identity. When we invite God into our life, we have the choice to let Him use us to change the world, but we have to say yes to Him changing us first. In the apostle Paul's letter to the Colossians, he lists two ways God wants to grow us: teaching us to put others first and how to forgive others.

The apostle Paul continues to discuss doing arising out of being: it is our new identity as Christians that allows us to be used by God to change the world. Paul describes more ways that God wants to grow us to love others better. God wants us to experience the peace of Christ, and He wants us to learn to dwell in His Word.

Throughout Colossians chapter three, Paul describes how God wants to change us so He can change the world through us. In 3:18-4:1, Paul analyzes how our new identity as Christians will shape various relationships we have. In 3:18-19, he looks at the relationship between husband and wife, and why God has designed it the way He has.

God wants to change the world through us, so He must teach us how to communicate with Him: through prayer. The apostle Paul writes that devoting ourselves to the difficult task of strategic prayer plays a key role in our lives and the lives of others. He records three main ways we can pray: with thanksgiving, for other people, and petitioning.

Why should we evangelize? How do we share our faith effectively? What does being a successful ambassador for Christ look like? Paul examines fulfilling the Christian mission as he finishes his letter to the Colossians.