Colossians

As Paul brings his letter to the Colossians to a close, he gives them a few last Godly reminders along with honorable mentions of the people working with him. Paul asks for prayers on his behalf that he would be provided with opportunities to continue to preach the gospel even as he is imprisoned for doing so. Paul, in the same context, then tells the believers in Colossi to “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the…

Have you ever felt awkwardly out of place? Several years ago I had a long layover in a very crowded international airport in Istanbul, Turkey. I remember being herded through security, through terminals teeming with travelers, and finally sitting in the main thoroughfare watching the diverse hordes of humanity streaming by while I waited for my flight. I could not imagine a nationality or a skin color that was not represented there. Almost none of them looked like me or dressed…

If I were to ask you what is the best way to grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ, what would you say? Spending time in the Word?  Prayer?  Worship? Of course, all of these things are crucial to maturing as a Christ follower, and they should not be neglected.  But there is one element of the Christian life that often gets overlooked. In Colossians 2:19 Paul urges the church at Colossae to be careful to hold on tight to…

Our reading today brings us to the second of what is commonly known as the prison epistles (Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, Philippians) since they were likely penned during Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome (Acts 28.30). Paul is writing to defend the gospel against the heretical teachers, both Jewish and proto-Gnostic, that had invaded the church at Colossae (modern day Turkey). While Paul is awaiting trial in prison, he receives news the very life of this church is threatened by this distorted…