A Dash of Salt

Two Keys to Effective Teaching

"For I am desiring for you all to know how great a struggle I am having for you and those in Laodicea and as many as who have not seen my face in the flesh, in order that their hearts might be encouraged having been knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, and a full knowledge of the mystery of God, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Colossians 2:1-3)

As Paul describes his efforts and devotion to making disciples of Jesus, he's clear that it's a struggle, and a great one at that.  The scope of his labor reaches to only the churches he personally planted, but also to those started by other people, such as those in Colossae, Laodicea, and even us today. 

What strikes me about Paul's teaching and disciple-making ministry is the two keys Paul used to help unlock the treasure vault of God's mystery who is Christ.  The fact that Paul sought to give his churches "full assurance of understanding" and a "full knowledge" of the mystery indicates that he was seeking to thoroughly equip them, to lead them to full maturity in Jesus.  No superficial understanding of Christ would suffice! 

How can you as a teacher of God's Word help your students discover the wealth that is their's in Christ Jesus?  Use the keys Paul used: encouragement (paraklesis) and unconditional love (agape). 

Paul went to great lengths to encourage the people he was seeking to win to Christ and disciple.  He came alongside of them in person, by prayer, and with his pen to build them up.  He got on their side; not on their backs.  He didn't hesitate to warn and rebuke those Christians who went astray, but he did it in love.  He set a compelling and godly example of devotion to Jesus and urged others to follow him as he followed Christ.  Encouragement provides a safe environment for our faith to grow.  Paul called out the best in others to help them grow into full maturity. 

As part of his persuasive encouragement, Paul created relationships of unconditional, sacrificial love.  Teachers need to love their students, of course, but teachers also need guide their students in loving one another.  Christian growth accelerates when a Holy Spirit-inspired, unselfish love is flowing between disciples.  That's the point of 1 Corinthians 13:1-3.  It's useless to try communicating God's Word, serving others sacrificially, or exercising powerful gifts without God's kind of love at the helm of your life, motivating and shaping what you do and say.  The time-worn adage is true: "Your students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

Encouragement and love. Two indispensable tools for effective Bible teaching and disciple making.

Christ's Power for Christ's Service

"...That we might present every person complete in Christ, for which I also labor, struggling according to his working which is working in me with power."  (Colossians 1:28b-29)

Paul works with his team to present every person fully mature in Christ.  Spiritual growth into Christlikeness is not just for the elite; it's for everyone.  "All of God's truth is for all the people of God." (F F Bruce)  He labors so that each person has this opportunity to become like Jesus.

But this is a difficult task!  Paul calls what he does a "labor" (kopos) which denotes a severe labor, work that requires exertion and results in physical fatigue.  The word often was used to describe manual labor, so it's interesting that Paul applies it to his church planting/disciple-making ministry.  It was physically and mentally taxing.  In fact, Paul goes further and says that as he so labored, he is "struggling" (agonizomai), which suggests that his labor involved conflict, in this case a metaphorical hand-to-hand combat against spiritual darkness, like gladiators in the arena or soldiers on the battlefield. 

Helping people become Christlike cannot occur by human effort alone.  Thankfully, God makes his supernatural power available to Paul and all those who make disciples for Him.  This "working" (energeia) is a "power for working effectively," (O'Brien), and it most often describes God's working in the New Testament.  In other words, while Paul puts every ounce of his strength and stamina into his efforts, he trusts God to supply him with extra energy to produce fruit. 

Where does this divine power come from?  "I am able to do all things in the One who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)  "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10-11, NIV)

Paul's example of depending on God's strength as he worked gives me hope when I'm weary and discouraged in ministry.  My many weaknesses are opportunities for God to mightily work through me in the lives of others.

Making Well-Rounded Disciples

"Whom we preach by warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom in order that we might present every man complete in Christ, for which I am also laboring, struggling according to his working which is working in me with power." (Colossians 1:28-29)

More thoughts about how Paul went about making disciples...

His message was Christ Jesus.  His methodology included declaring the gospel far and wide (katangello), with special emphasis on reminding (noutheteo) people of who Christ is and what He expects from them, and instructing (didasko) them how follow Him.  To preach Christ this way requires loving confrontation and patient explanations.    

His audience was "every man," i.e. all people (not just males).  Paul was convinced that the gospel could transform anyone and everyone!  He job was simply to declare it clearly and persuasively.  The purpose of Paul's ministry was to "present every man complete in Christ."  The idea here is that Paul wants to help as many people as possible become spiritually mature and Christlike. We must beware of making disciples in our image!  The goal is to lead them to become like Jesus.

So what what does Paul mean by "complete in Christ"?  The picture I have in my head when I think of "completeness" (teleion), is someone who is well-rounded, only the measure of well-roundedness is Jesus Christ, not society.  Some Christians are really interested in Bible prophecy, others are fruitful in evangelism, others are big on fellowship or worship.  In some ways when we focus only on the interesting parts of following Christ, we're like a guy who lifts weights on only one side of his body while allowing the other half to atrophy. 

For Paul, his goal was that each follower of Christ would grow fully mature in every area of their lives and in so doing become completely Christlike.  They would excel not just in those parts of the Christian life that interest them, but in all aspects of their thoughts, words, and actions.

Are you becoming like Jesus in all the different parts of your life?  What areas of your life lack the presence of Jesus in all his fullness?  Next time we'll look at where Paul got his energy to keep on making disciples.

The Secret...Revealed

"...the Word of God, the mystery which has been hidden away from the beginning and from the generations, but now has been revealed to his saints (holy ones), to whom God desired to make known what (is) the riches of the glory of this mystery in the gentiles, which is Christ in you (all), the hope of the glory." (Colossians 1:26-27)

Millions of people have bought a book called The Secret.  When Oprah devoted two of her shows to promoting it, sales went through the roof.  The book claims to offer the secret found in all the great world religions to getting and achieving anything you want.  What's The Secret?  Simply focus your thoughts on your desires.  If you can imagine it, then you will get it.  One observer dubbed this process "mental magnetism." 

To me, all this just sounds like wishful thinking.  Mel Lawrenz at Elmbrook Church has written a thoughtful critique of The Secret, and it is worth your attention. (Hat tip: Scot McKnight)  The Secret offers nothing new.  Over the ages, many religions and philosophies have promised their followers "the secret" to life.  The authors of this book are merely others in a long line of charlatans preying upon the gullible.

The Secret is nothing new.  During the days of the early church, the gnostic teachers claimed to know the secrets of the mysteries to finding enlightenment, happiness, and perfection.  Paul was fully aware of their empty boasts.  He tells the Colossians (and us!) that the real secret to receiving both glory and godliness is revealed in Jesus Christ. 

A mystery, like the one Paul writes about in Colossians 1:26-27, involves something that was previously hidden, but now has been brought out into the open.  Paul is quite emphatic about this as he writes.  The mystery that had been concealed as now been revealed!  In fact, later in Colossians 4:3, Paul is going to ask for prayer that he can keep on revealing it to as many people as possible. 

The focus of the mystery is Christ living in us -- the indwelling presence of Christ.  Rather than a mantra repeated over and over for self-enlightenment or a magical incantation uttered in order to manipulate the invisible forces around us, the secret of the New Testament is that Christ lives inside his followers, the Church.  It reveals the secret that Jews and Gentiles together comprise the Church (Romans 11:25, Ephesians 3:5-6).  This is what makes the mystery so beautiful: its secret is for everyone, not just the initiated or elite few. 

Knowing this mystery changes us.  Instead of serving ourselves, we learn to serve God and others.  We gain a meaningful reason for living that goes beyond satisfying our own selfish desires.  And we confidently anticipate being glorified in God's presence one future day, all because Jesus lives inside us now. 

God's secret that Christ now lives within us may not guarantee worldly success in this life, but it certainly does provide us with hope for time and eternity.  That's something The Secret can never give.

Making Disciples Can Hurt, But It's Worth It

"Now I am rejoicing in my sufferings on your behalf and I fill up completely what is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh on behalf of his body, which is the Church, of which I became a servant according to the stewardship of God which has been given to me to fill you up with the Word of God..." (Colossians 1:24-25)

Paul counted it a privilege to suffer.  Not that he found pain fun in some sort of sick way, but he saw the benefits that came when he suffered on behalf of his fellow Christians.  He endured great afflictions as he made disciples of Jesus Christ, but he didn't let the pain and sorrow stop him.  His perspective of his sufferings made all the difference.

Jesus Christ suffered and died to rescue us.  Because of his supreme sacrifice on the cross, the work of salvation is finished.  Let's be clear: Jesus paid the full price to purchase our forgiveness and acceptance with God the Father; there's nothing else anyone can do or needs to do to secure their salvation.  Faith in Christ alone makes his gift of salvation theirs.  Paul clearly taught in Ephesians 2:8-9 that Jesus did all that was necessary to save us.

Yet, Paul viewed his sufferings for the Church as a way he could "supplement" the afflictions of Christ.  His job was to take the message of the finished work of Christ and preach it to as many people as possible.  The trouble was, he encountered much opposition in the process.  It hurt him to make disciples!  Even so, he was willing pay whatever price to see to it that the Colossians and other believers would reach full maturity in Christ.  The sufferings Paul endured were not trivial; we're talking about real hardships like repeated beatings, mob lynchings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, persecutions, sicknesses, and the constant stress of caring for the churches.

It was worth suffering like this because Paul had been commissioned by Christ to fill people up with the Word of God.  Recognition of his God-given purpose motivated Paul to endure the sufferings that came from making disciples. 

What would you be willing to do to see that other people completely understand and fully apply God's Word?

A Big "If"

"...To present you holy and without blemish and blameless before HIm, if you indeed remain in the faith having been established and (are) steadfast and not moved from the hope of the gospel of which you heard, which has been preached in all creation which is under the heaven, of which I, Paul, became a servant." (Colossians 1:22b-23)

There's a condition -- a big "if" -- that must be met in order to become holy and without blemish and without fault before God.  The people Jesus Christ reconciles to God the Father and presents fully approved are those who "remain (epimeno) in the faith."  Indeed, that is the only way your life and mine can be transformed into Christlikeness.

What does this mean?  Simply this: Those who trust in Christ act like it.  They don't merely say they believe in Him; they keep on believing Him.  They stay and persist in the faith because they have been established--their foundation has been laid--on Christ (themelioo), fixed in one position (hedraios), and are not shaken and shifted off their foundation (metakineo) of hope.  Our hope is found in the good news of the gospel.  This is the confident anticipation of life in the presence of God forever.

It's not a matter of performing or seeking approval, but spiritual genetics.  Those who are genuinely saved act like it.  What's on the inside comes out in their words, behavior and attitude.

What are the spiritual earthquakes that can shake us off of our foundation in Christ?  All kinds of external and internal pressures push us to fear, commit moral compromise, be bitter, or be distracted by the "riches, anxieties, and pleasures" of this life. 

The key to spiritual stability is to keep on trusting the gospel.  The plain-old gospel, nothing more and nothing less.  It's the good news of Christ's death and resurrection for our sins and the significance of what it means.  You and I don't need to change the gospel message and update it in any way.  The gospel is constantly being ridiculed by the experts of our time.  The Enemy constantly whispers words of doubt.  We just need to keep on believing the gospel.  "Dance with the one that brung ya."

My faith-tradition has taught me that I cannot lose my salvation.  I do believe that the child of God is totally secure in Christ.  Yet, Colossians 1:23 does give me pause.  Is there evidence in my lifestyle that I have trusted Christ?  "Am I remaining in the faith?"  That's a fair question all of us should ask.

Once God's Enemies, Now His Friends

And once you were alienated and enemies in your mind with evil works, but now He reconciled (you) in the body of his flesh through the death to present you holy and without blemish and blameless before Him,... (Colossians 1:21-22)

It's good to be back discussing Colossians together after a brief break to think about 2 Corinthians 4 and leadership.  In Colossians 1:20 Paul showed us that Jesus Christ has reconciled fallen creation back to God.  Here in vv. 21-22, Jesus' reconciliation work becomes personal.

Most religious people or educated people I know fail to see that they need to be reconciled to God.  That was me before I trusted Christ as a young teenager.  They think that everything between them and the Lord is a-okay.  Colossians 1:21 says it's not.  By birth and by choice, all of us are alienated from God and are his enemies!  All of us have been and are now in a state of being separated from God because we are his enemies due to our sin.  Our thoughts are hostile to Him and our actions are evil.  The word Paul use for evil, poneros, describes a malignant or infectious evil that spreads.  Our wickedness is contagious in that we all too easily influence one another to sin.  Compare Ephesians 4:18.

"But now..."  Thank God the story doesn't end with us being forever estranged from Him!  God has already reconciled us, the followers of Christ, to himself by means of Christ's physical body that was crucified on the cross ("the death").  He died in our place to present us before himself and has given us three new characteristics which we do not have by birth nor could we develop them on our own.  Because these three characteristics are now ours, we can be reconciled to God.

Jesus' death makes those who trust in Him holy (hagios).  They have become his precious possession, because he now belongs to them and they belong to Him.  They have been separated from sin to serve God.

Jesus' death makes those who trust in Him without blemish (amomos).  Now there are no disfiguring marks or defects because of past sin; He has removed them all.  They are now fully acceptable to Him.  There are no second-class children of God.  All of them are deeply loved and accepted by Him. 

Jesus' death makes those who trust in Him faultless (anegkletos).  He has forgiven all their sin and now holds nothing against them.  And if God does not accuse them of wrong, who can?  No one!

These two verses are a powerful reminder that every child of God has been fully accepted by Him.  It matters not if anyone else approves of us.  If you have been approved by God, you're approved!

Jesus Christ: God, Man, and Peacemaker

"Because in Him all the fullness was pleased to inhabit, and through Him to completely reconcile all things unto himself, by making peace through the blood of his cross, through Him--whether things upon the earth or things in the heavens."  (Colossians 1:19-20)

Jesus Christ was raised from the dead in order to make Him preeminent over everything that there is (Colossians 1:18).  Of course, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is stunning in and of itself.  But what makes it hugely significant is the nature of Jesus, that in his physical body the fullness of God lived.  He was and is God-in-the-flesh, complete deity inhabiting complete humanity.  All of these concepts together are what makes Jesus Christ preeminent over all creation and the church.

The "fullness" (pleroma) refers to all that God is.  False teachers from a collection of mystery religion groups known as Gnostics taught that the physical world was separated from the spirit world because "matter" was considered evil while "spirit" was considered good.  In their view, the spirit world was separated from the material world by a hierarchy of angelic beings, each more holy/spiritual the further way they were from the material world and the closer they were to God.  In Gnosticism, this hierarchy of angels was called the Pleroma.  The Gnostic world view taught that in order to approach God, man needed to learn the secrets of manipulating these aeons of angelic spirits through magic and ascetic practices.  For the Gnostic, salvation came through knowledge of secrets, not faith in Christ.  By using pleroma, Paul not only refers to all that God is, but also to all that man needs to approach God.  We don't need ranks of angels to get us to God; we need Jesus Christ alone.  The pleroma/fullness of God was pleased to permanently inhabit Jesus Christ.

Because Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, He is the ideal Mediator between sinful human beings and the Holy God.  He successfully reconciled (apokatallasso) sinners to God when He made peace between them by means of the blood of his cross.  Through his sacrificial death as our substitute, Jesus brought us back to God.  Our sin had estranged us from Him.  We deserved God's judgment and eternal rejection, but Christ died in our place so that we could be forgiven and accepted by God.  The Gnostic's pleroma of angels could not reconcile mankind to God because they were neither human nor divine (Lightfoot).  A mediator between God and man has to be both!  This makes Jesus the ideal peacemaker and so he "caused a harmonious relationship" to exist between God and humans where there previously had not been one due to our sin (Bauer-Danker).

"For there is one God, and one arbitrator between God and humans: a man, Christ Jesus!" (1 Timothy 2:5) 

Christ Preeminient

"And He himself is the head of the body, which is the church; who is the beginning, the first-born   from the dead ones, in order that he might be in all things preeminent,..."  (Colossians 1:18)

Paul continues his declaration of the majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is the Savior (v. 14-15), the image of the invisible God, and the Creator/Sustainer of the universe (v. 16-17).  Besides all this, Jesus is the head (kephale) of the church, which is the assembly (ekklesia) of all the ones who have been called out of the world to enter God's salvation.  Paul likens the church to a body (soma) over which Jesus is the head.  In what way is Jesus the head of the church?

• He rules over the church and guides it.
• He is the the source of the church's life.
• He is the ultimate destiny of his body.  "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ."  (Ephesians 4:15, NIV)

What does the headship Jesus mean for the church?  The church is to be submissive to Christ.  The church is totally dependent on Christ.  The church is to grow more and more like Christ.

As head of the church, Jesus Christ is its beginning.  He started the church by means of his death, resurrection, and provision of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2).  O'Brien observes that Jesus is the "founder of a new humanity."  The church wouldn't be the church without Christ.  The church is unique because of its relationship with Christ in that He is its risen leader and life-source.  The church is alive because of its head, Jesus Christ.

Paul clarifies this fact even further by stating that Jesus is the "first-born of the dead ones" (prototokos ek ton nekron).  Like in v. 15 where Jesus is called "the firstborn of all creation," the idea here is one of preeminence.  Because Christ He was first to rise from the dead and be alive forever and ever (Revelation 1:18), He deserves to be the head of the church.  His resurrection gives the church hope of its own resurrection. 

But Paul clarifies the Jesus' headship is not just over the church. The purpose of Jesus' resurrection was to place Him "first in rank" (proteuon) over everything, whether it's creation or the church.  Jesus Christ is the final authority and leader in every sphere!

We are his body to do his will...
We are his special people to represent Him in the world...
We are his living family connected to Him...
We are his victorious army to stand for righteousness...
All because Jesus Christ lives and is preeminent!

By Him and For Him

“Who (the Son) is an image of the invisible God, firstborn over all creation, because in him all things in the heavens and upon the earth were created, the visible things and the invisible – whether thrones or dominions or authorities or ruling powers – all things through him and for him have been created; and he is before all things, and in him all things have been held together,…”  (Colossians 1:15-17)

How did Jesus Christ get the right to be “firstborn over all creation”?  Jesus holds this position of highest authority and privilege over every aspect of creation because he alone created the universe and holds it all together.  Through his own wisdom, power, and creativity, Jesus fashioned the entire universe, including not only the parts of it we can see of it, but also those which we can’t. 

The distinction between “visible and invisible” is more than just a comparison between what we can see with the naked eye with what is revealed by the most powerful microscopes or telescopes.  It is a contrast between the material and spiritual worlds as well.  Though angelic beings don’t possess physical bodies, they are products of Jesus Christ’s design and manufacture.  Paul reminds of this when he explains this when he lists the various orders of angels and demons. It doesn’t matter what their rank or status in the spirit world: Christ made them.  They each owe their power, authority, and very existence to the Lord Jesus himself.  Even the devil is subject to Jesus because he is a mere creature. 

Note that Christ created the visible and invisible worlds by his own power and for his own pleasure.  The universe did not come into being by itself.  Our world is not an accidental product of time and chance!  Jesus Christ carefully designed and powerfully made it.  Whatever mechanisms He chose to use in creating the universe do not matter.  He designed it.  He fashioned it.  He holds it all together by his power and wisdom.  It’s all his property.

That’s why Jesus is “before all things.”  This prepositional phrase (pro panton) could mean that he existed prior to creation or that he has precedence of rank and privilege above creation.  Both ideas work here.  Jesus has always existed, so He is indeed before creation chronologically.  And He because He is the Creator and Owner of the universe, He is before it because He alone holds the highest rank.

The point Paul is making is simply this:  Angels and demons, with all their impressive power and wisdom, are mere creatures of Jesus Christ’s design.  They live and exercise the authority and power that they do only because Jesus allows them to.  They are accountable to Him and can do nothing without his permission.  Jesus Christ has no credible rivals and is never surprised by what happens in this world.  So, rather than worshiping angels or fearing demons, we must worship the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe.  You and I were created by Jesus and for Jesus.