Colossians 3.18-4.18
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- Written by: Heather Cetrangolo
A Model of Christian Ministry audio (4MB)
Paul began his letter to the Colossians emphasising the supremacy of Christ. In chapter 1 he told us that in him all things were created, “in heaven and on earth, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers.” (1:16)
All authority comes from Jesus. This is why Jesus stood silently before Pilate who said, “Why won’t you answer me? Don’t you know that I have the power to have you crucified?” And Jesus says, “You would have no power over me, unless it had been given you from above.” It means, you know, Pilate, “you do have the power to crucify me, but only because I gave it to you.”
We know where the rulers and powers of our world get their authority, because all authority comes from God.
So before concluding his letter, Paul is turning our attention to the deeper question, of how power and authority should be exercised and approached as a Christian.
Col 3:1-17
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
Seek The Things That Are Above audio (4MB)
Paul has just finished telling the Colossians to stay away from those who want to tie them down to human rules and regulations. He says these rules are of no use to you in controlling your human desires. He says “Why would you want to subject yourself to human regulations when Christ has died to set you free?”
But does that mean that you can forget about how you behave. No, it doesn’t mean that there are no longer any constraints on us. That’s the mistake that so many people make when they find themselves liberated from what was perhaps significant bondage. It’s what we saw with the liberation movements of the 60s and 70s. Sexual liberation led to sexual licence, removing all moral boundaries. Women’s liberation led to women seeking to dominate men the way they’d always felt dominated. Even in the political arena you see examples like Zimbabwe where the liberation of the native population has led to retaliation by the new government out of all proportion to what was suffered. No, liberation doesn’t mean licence. Some of the rules and regulations those people at Colossae had set up may have been a good thing. It was just that the way they were being applied negated the truth of the gospel.
So what we need to think about is how are we to live out the freedom of the gospel while at the same time ensuring that our behaviour doesn’t put the gospel to shame.
Colossians 2.6-23
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- Written by: Heather Cetrangelo
Life in Christ audio (4MB)
We are now half way though our teaching series on Paul’s letter to the Colossians. This is exciting because we’re about to get into the very heart of what it’s all about – but first, let’s recap on how far we’ve come …
1.1-14 – Chris introduced us to the church in Colossae which was surrounded by a culture very much like ours of pick and mix religion – and Paul opens by saying that he is constantly praying for the new believers that they may lead lives worthy of Christ
1.15-23 – We went back to basics as Paul sets out the fundamentals about who Jesus is – the Son of God, supreme in all things
1.24-2.5 – We were encouraged to persevere – as Paul tells the Colossians of his sufferings for the gospel and of the energy that Christ continually inspires in him to persist against adversity
And now, from 2.6 Paul’s going to spell out the very adversity that the church is facing that he urges the Colossians to resist.
Wedding Maggie Tung & Tom Lin
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
1 Cor 13
We all know what love is, don’t we? Love is what makes us do strange things when a certain person walks in the room. Love is what makes us lose our appetite when we’re waiting for them to return a phone call. Love is what makes us special in another person’s eyes. Love is the reason two people like Maggie and Tom decide to commit the rest of their lives to one another.
But let’s face it, love is far more than the emotional, sentimental feelings that we get on a day like this. If that were all it was they’d be in trouble, because those emotions will fade. The excitement will wear off. The excitement of a wedding is like the noisy gong and clanging cymbals mentioned in our Bible reading today. It lasts for a while but then it fades away.
No, what’s needed if Maggie and Tom are to keep their wedding vows for the next 60 or 70 years is true love: love that is active, love that’s real the way this passage describes it. Do you see how realistic this passage is when it talks about love. Do you notice it doesn’t once mention chocolates or flowers or perfume or fancy restaurants? What does it mention?
Col 1:24-2:5
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
Passionate Truth audio (4MB)
Do you see yourself as one of God’s ministers? Are you excited by the thought that God might have some ministry for you to exercise in his church, or would you rather just sit back and let others do the work? Perhaps the idea of being a minister frightens you? Is ministry the task of those more spiritually able, those of a more godly character? Well let me encourage you, as we look at how Paul describes his ministry, to put yourself in the picture, to see how what he says about himself might also be a statement about you.
Rejoice!
He begins on a note of rejoicing. Mind you it isn’t the thing you expect someone to rejoice in is it? He says “I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake.” Most of us avoid suffering if we can, don’t we? It’s pretty rare that anyone rejoices when they suffer. I guess we all know that sometimes serving God will lead to opposition and suffering persecution for Christ’s sake. But we normally think we’ll just put up with it, persevere despite it. But Paul says he rejoices in his sufferings. Then he adds this strange statement: “I am completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.” Does he mean that Christ’s death on the cross was insufficient? That more was needed? No, of course not. He makes it quite clear elsewhere that Christ’s death was all that was needed for our salvation. No, I think what he’s saying is that in this fallen world, the suffering that Christ endured hasn’t finished. If the church is to be served with the gospel then there is more suffering to be endured by those who represent Christ. As parts of the body of Christ we will continue to experience the suffering that he endured on our behalf.
Christian Attitudes: Anger vs. Self-control
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- Written by: Garrett Edwards
Anger Vs. Self Control
Matt 5: 20-26 audio (4MB)
Welcome to the first youth service of 2010!
This week we kick off the first in a four part series on Christian Attitudes
Today we’ll be looking at Anger vs. Self-control, and then throughout the year, we’ll look at Humility vs. Pride, Judgment vs. Grace and Holiness vs. Worldliness.
My hope is that you’ll use this time to really search your character and attitudes and to reflect on whether they are matching up to Jesus’. And obviously we can’t look at every attitude individually but if something in these talks challenges you on other areas of life then I encourage you to act on it.
Well, Anger vs. Self Control, lets define these terms so we’re all on the same page. The dictionary has these definitions:
Anger – ‘a strong feeling of displeasure aroused by a wrong; wrath; resentment; displeasure’
Colossians 1:15-23
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- Written by: Heather Cetrangolo
Christ, the Fullness of God
Colossians 1:15-23 audio (4MB)
Today we’re looking at chapter 1.vs15-23 of Paul’s letter to the Colossians and – today it’s all about getting back to basics.
It’s important that we do this.
I think it’s the same reason we take holidays
- Holidays give us an opportunity to get back to basics.
- Get back to nature – go to the beach, up to the mountains?
- Get back to enjoying the simple things in life
- When we come back from holidays we’re usually a little more relaxed and focussed
- A little more functional in our relationships with our family
- And a little more aware of what really matters in life, and what doesn’t actually matter that much, and maybe even the things that we need to cut out of our lives.
Well, we might like to think of today’s passage in Colossians as a little bit like getting away from the many distractions we have in the life of the church – and getting back to the basics of who Jesus is and what he’s done. So we’re going to spend some time this morning thinking about our journey with the Lord – how it has developed, over the years, and where it is right now.
