Colossians Pt. 5: Living in Community

"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."

Colossians 1: 19-20

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Jesus makes peace. Jesus sets us free. Jesus is the embodiment of all mystery (power) in human flesh. Jesus is it. There's nothing more and nothing less. To embrace Jesus is to embrace the supremecy of Christ over all the powers. To embrace Jesus is to embrace his ideology and to let His ideology expose the ideologies of the world (that we talked about in the last post). We've got to take everything to Jesus and to His cross. What I mean is that we've got to take a hard look at our lives and see how we've bought into the mysteries (powers) of this world over and above the mystery (power) of Christ. That means there's a lot that needs to change.

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1:28 - "We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me."

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Paul's entire life (post Damascus Road) was given to the proclamation of the mystery of Christ (2:2). I want to encourage you to see your mission as that of Paul. Paul hears of the potential of this group of Christians being led to something other than Christ, and he pens these words. All around us there is a world that is building itself on that which is unsustainable. Anything not built on Christ is not sustainable. It is time you and I are challenged in the way we think and live and live not as captivated by the powers of this world and begin to proclaim in our ACTIONS and MINDS (the reversal of 1:21) the mystery of Christ. What he writes in 2:2 should be our call. How can you make the following your call and challenge?...

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"My (your) purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by find-sounding arguments."

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How can you and I live this way? What in how you do and think needs to change so this is your purpose as well? How does Christ want to set you free from your dependance on the mysteries of this world and into the freedom of the mystery found in Christ?

Colossians Pt. 4: Loosening the Grip

When we live as part of the powers of the world we live in a way that alienates us from Christ. I love Paul's words here - "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds...because of your evil behavior" (1: 21). We were enemies in how we thought because of what we did. When we live lives that are consumed with our sense of self our mental orientation focuses first on ourselves...not on Christ...not on others. Why and how does this happen?

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Have you ever thought about how much you've bought into the normality of the world's systems? I'm taking heavily here from a great little book entitled, Colossians Remixed. We are all in school. Our teachers are advertisers and manufacturers of the goods we consume. We are taught to be consumers. We are taught that enough is never enough. We are bred to want the next thing without being satisfied with what we have. We are inundated with these things. These are the things that really lead us into bondage...bondage to stuff and into a false ideology that makes us think we need what we don't need.

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Current trends allow us to be connected without ever being connected. We communicate without ever seeing people or hearing their voices (Facebook, texts, e-mails, twitter). In regards to consumption, we consume good without ever meeting the people in the process - those who work in slave labor to make our goods - those who loose jobs because their quality product has been undersold by a cheaper manufacturer. We have the blessing of sensing security in our own country without thinking of the great insecurity our brothers and sisters around the world face in violent or impoverished situations. We are insulated. This insulation leads us toward a lack of connection with others. A lack of having to empathize. We don't have to think about how our lifestyle and what we're being taught to do and think and believe actually hurt other people. But this is the sad truth of what happens when we just take in life centered around us. We are alienated from God and the emphasis on ourselves alienates us from others.

Colossians Pt. 3: Power

"...and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority."

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I'm still going off of last week's sermon from Vern here...but there was a great contrast here between the powers as how the world yields power and the power of Christ. What I'd like to focus on primarily is not the world's use of power, but how Jesus displays power.

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Power for Jesus did not come through ordinary means. Power for Jesus came through death. Power for Jesus came through the cross. Power for Christ meant a rejection of the way the world sees power and overcoming the world's supposed power through what was seemingly defeat. That crucifixion day it would have seemed as if the powers had won. Caesar had won. Pilate had won. They had silenced the message of Jesus. Instead of an insurrection to claim the power, you have a resurrection.

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If Jesus' power came through his death and resurrection, the same is true for us, especially if you think in the context of baptism. Paul writes, "once you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ." Through the baptism waters we are made new creatures...the old is gone the new has come. We put to death the old person who was without Christ (3:5) and in so doing forfeit the power we have over our lives. If the power of Christ is to come into our lives it must mean the death of ourselves, our will, our sinful desires. In its place comes the power of Jesus to transform us into the image of the resurrected Son.

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It is through death you and I find life. What is it in our lives that makes us think we have power and control that must be put to death...so that in so doing we might find life in Christ?

Colossians Pt 2: Power to Free or Enslave

The power of the mystery of Christ brings freedom. The power of the mysteries of this world bring bondage.

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You and I can be challenged today just as the Christians in Colossae were challenged in their day. They had people telling them that Jesus wasn't enough. Jesus was just an option...one of many ways. The book of Colossians is situated in the time of Roman occupation and governance. It was a time of polytheism (many gods). Can you imagine being a Christian at a time when many gods were worshipped all around you? There were statues erected in their image? It was expected for one to believe in many. It actually doesn't sound much different from our current situation, does it?

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We face the same sense of plurality that the Colossian Christians faced. There are many gods around us as well, and while there may not be statues of them, we encounter them everyday. Look in the mirror. There's one god that we've created for ourselves. It's us. We worship us. Pull out your wallet and look at a piece of plastic or paper. Money. We worship that as well. Not only money but what money gives us - an ability to quench our desires for more; instant gratification; power to do what we want when we want. Consumption is an unseen god. We inately look for how we can gain more.

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Can you see where we've bought into the same type of thing the Colossians faced? Jesus isn't enough. The ways of Jesus are not enough. There's got to be more. And that more serves us and enslaves others. It doesn't set people free how Jesus sets people free. It leads to us depending on other powers...other mysteries...rather than Christ. We've all bought into it. The question is, will you let Christ set you free from it?