Chapter One
Paul is an apostle by God's will and nobody else's will. He's writing this letter to the faithful believers at Colossae.
Paul and Timothy are thankful when they pray for these believers in Colassae because of two things:
- Their faith in Christ Jesus
- The love they have for all the saints
The gospel that these believers heard has grown among them and all over the world as well.
Ephapras was the one who brought the gospel to them and also the one who told Paul and Timothy what was happening in Colossae.
Because of what they heard about this believing church, Paul and Timothy constantly are praying for them. What are they praying though?
- That they will be filled with the knowledge of God's will
- Praying for wisdom and spiritual understanding to accompany this knowledge
What's the reason they are praying for this? So that:
- They may walk worthy of the Lord
- They may fully please the Lord
- They may bear fruit in every good work
- They may grow in the knowledge of God
He also continues to pray: (Can you see that Paul and Timothy are prayer warriors?)
- They may be strengthened with all power
- Prays for all endurance
- Prays for all patience
- Prays that with joy they will give thanks to the Father
Thanking the Father for what?
- Enabling them to share in the saints inheritance in the light
- Rescuing them from the domain of darkness
- Transferring them into the Kingdom of the Son
- For redemption
- For the forgiveness of sins
He then begins to share about who Christ is:
- The image of the invisible God
- The first-born of all creation
- All things were created by Him
- He was before all things
- In Him all things hold together
- He's the head of the body
- He's the head of the church
- He's the beginning
- He's the first-born of the dead
- He's pre-eminent
- All the fullness of God dwells in Him
- Peace was made by Him through the cross with His blood
We have been reconciled because of Christ's death. We were once alienated and hostile, doing evil works. But why would He reconcile us? To present us holy, blameless and above reproach. This is love!
But there is an IF here as well regarding being presented holy, blameless and above reproach. IF:
- We continue in the faith
- We remain stable
- We remain steadfast
- We don't shift from the hope we have because of the gospel we have heard
Paul rejoices in his sufferings (many of us don't like this part). For whose sake does he rejoice in his sufferings?
The Colossae believers sake. He became a minister to make the gospel fully known. If he has to suffer for doing this - he will.
What is the glory of this mystery Paul talks about? "Christ in you, the hope of glory".
Paul:
- Proclaims Christ
- Warns
- Teaches with wisdom
- Toils
- Struggles but with God's energy which powerfully works in him
Paul is a true Apostle!
Next: Colossians 2
