andy cottingham

Paul kicks off the main body of his letter with wonderful encouragement.

‘We always thanks God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you’

Colossians 1 v 3

The church in Colossae was a source of thanksgiving for Paul and his apostolic band. Even though he has never visited Colossae – and considering he’s five years from execution and a prisoner in Rome it’s unlikely that he ever will – he still draws great pleasure and encouragement from them.

What a great goal!! To be a church community that others draw encouragement from, even those who don’t get the chance to visit.

It is certainly our hope here at The Community Church, in Honiton that our faith might cause others to trust Jesus and follow him more closely.

I would also make that a personal prayer, for me and my family, that our lives might cause others to trust Jesus more and trust him for more.

We live in a society with few willing to take a spiritual lead, the trend is to go with what’s popular or palatable. People assume no-one really lives a life that honors Jesus which leads to the assumption that all Christians are basically hypocrites.

In the film ‘a few good men’ the point is made that however powerful or influential you become there are basic values of honesty and integrity that should never be violated. The revolution Jesus brings begins in the human heart, extends to the family then the church and on out to a needy world.

Lord, that these words of Paul to the Colossians might be true of us.

Amen

Grace and peace to you from God our Father

Colossians 1 v 2

We can see this introduction, an introduction Paul makes regularly to his readers, as a throw-away line or an unthinking handshake. Nothing could be further from the truth.

We have here as perfect as is possible a condensed summation of the Gospel.

The goal, the problem that needs solving, is peace with God. Man is not born with it, yet it is vital if eternal life is to be obtained and punishment avoided.

Grace is the means that peace is obtained.

It can only be by God’s unmerited favour (grace) that peace is achieved. His death ,resurrection and ascension have secured for us life and life forever. This is a present comfort and a future hope.

To remind people that this is how everything that follows holds together is both gracious and wise.

What is so amazing about Paul’s letters, and all the more amazing considering we don’t have the other half of these conversations, is how relevant they are to us living in the 21st century. The issues raised by Paul as reasons for concern among the Colossians are the same as those facing Christians and churches now.

The Christians in Colossi were being tempted to add requirements, based on behaviour to the gospel.

Colossians 2 v 8

This temptation continues today, people meet God and experience the power of the Holy Spirit but without good teaching can quickly feel they should be doing something more to contribute to their salvation, if they’re really going to make it.

People will always try and add rules to the gospel – rules (religious rules especially) are a way to control people, usually and misguidedly the idea is that religious rules will make people behave better – they don’t.

Paul’s consistent argument is that it is relationship with Jesus that changes behaviour. It’s how the Christian life starts and how it should continue.

Here the Colossians were being berated by fanatical Jews that they needed to keep the Jewish laws as well as believe in Jesus – these laws included rules about food and circumcision.

We don’t face that but I would suggest the rules we can, sometimes unconsciously add to the gospel relate to class. If your church is predominantly middle class people being saved into it who are not middle class can feel that to really be a Christian they should conform to the predominant class and should dress in a certain way, have a new car and watch certain TV shows.

A famous preacher C.J. Mahaney tells the story of his own conversion. Having just met Jesus and experienced being born again came the unexpected religious hit – he was basically told that Christian boys didn’t have long hair and that he should ‘get a hair cut’. This along with a hundred other unspoken religious laws must be guarded against.

We are often so immersed in these issues we miss them entirely – this is usually the way with culture.

Let’s be careful not to load people down with cultural baggage which can rob them of the joy of following Jesus. God does want to change us but he doesn’t do it by waving a finger and tut-tutting at us. Change is born from a grateful heart in close relationship with Jesus.

This is going to be the final part in my short series titled, Be men. While there is much more that could be said there are other subject that deserve our attention.

Men are called to lead their wives and families, we should feel the responsibility of creating the safe environment for children to grow and wives to flourish.

This means, in most cases:

• providing financially
• leading spiritually
• taking an active part in raising children
• shouldering responsibility for difficult decisions
• loving you wife as God loved the church – giving himself up for her

There are always valid reasons why this might not work in some families but the bible is clear, both the old and new testaments agree this is God’s order of things.

Men… BE MEN!