Paul, who was one of Christ’s NT apostles, wrote this as a letter to the saints and faithful brothers (and sisters) in Christ at Colossae. He began the letter by encouraging them that he had heard of their faith and of the love they had for all the saints and how the gospel of Christ was bearing fruit and increasing among them. So he let them know that he was praying for them that they would walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
Then he proclaimed how God had delivered them from the domain of darkness and transferred them to the kingdom of his beloved Son (Jesus Christ), in whom they had redemption, the forgiveness of sins. And then he went on to describe how they had all once been alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, but how the Lord had reconciled them in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present them as holy and blameless and above reproach before God, if indeed they continued in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel.
Colossians 1:24-29 ESV
“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”
Now Paul, in bringing them the truth of the gospel, suffered much at the hands of those who opposed him. For those who had put Jesus Christ to death were basically the same ones who were opposing him, and for the same reasons, pretty much. For they hated Jesus Christ, and they hated his messages, and so they hated his messengers, too. So just like they hounded Jesus, they did the same to Paul. And just like they persecuted Jesus Christ, they also persecuted Paul for his faith in Christ Jesus and because of the message of the gospel which they did not like.
But Jesus Christ had transformed the heart of Saul, later called Paul, and had turned him from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God so that he could receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord (Acts 26:16-18). And Jesus called Paul to give that message of the gospel out to the Jews and to the Gentiles, too. But he promised him he was going to suffer much for the name of Christ and for the sake of his gospel. And what Jesus told him did come true, for Paul suffered greatly for preaching the gospel of Christ.
But Paul rejoiced in his sufferings because he knew he was obeying the Lord and he knew that his sufferings were working toward the salvation of human lives and souls. For he also knew the critical nature of making the Word of God fully known. And this is much needed in our day and time, too, for so many people are supposedly teaching or preaching the word of God but are not making the gospel message fully known, but so many of them are cutting it short, and they are diluting it and altering it to make it more appealing to the ungodly and to the flesh of man.
And so we need more servants of the Lord who will teach and preach the whole counsel of God and who will not dilute nor alter the gospel message in order to make it more acceptable to those who are living ungodly lives. We need more servants of the Lord who will toil for the Lord, struggling with all the energy of the Lord working in them in order to present to the people of this world the whole truth of the gospel and not this half-truth gospel which is permeating the American church today. For the people need to hear the truth that will save their souls from hell, and not the lies.
But for all who accept this calling of God on their lives, they must prepare themselves that persecution will be part of the whole package. They must get ready to be hated, despised, rejected, persecuted, cast aside, ostracized, ridiculed, lied about, falsely accused and even physically beaten and put to death for their walks of faith in Jesus Christ and for the sake of the gospel. And they must know that their greatest opponents may be family members, neighbors, friends, and others who profess faith in Jesus Christ, including church pastors and elders.
But the goal of what we teach, preach, and/or share with the people should be the same gospel that Paul and the other NT apostles taught, and what Jesus taught, too, regarding our salvation and eternal life with God. And that is that we are to walk (in conduct, in practice) in a manner worthy (suitable, fitting) of the Lord, and that we are to bear fruit (spiritual outgrowth and results) in every good work of God which he prepared in advance that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:14). For if we continue living in sin, we will not inherit eternal life with God.
For Jesus Christ, in his death and resurrection, delivered us from the domain of darkness (sin, wickedness) and transferred us to the kingdom of Christ, in whom we have redemption. For Jesus Christ shed his blood for us on that cross to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of living in slavery to sin to now live holy lives and to walk (in conduct, in practice) by his Spirit and no longer according to the flesh (1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:1-23; Ephesians 4:17-24).
Hear my Voice
An Original Work / July 9, 2012
Based off Psalm 27
The Lord is my great salvation.
He’s the stronghold of my life.
When my enemies attack me,
My heart will not fear at all.
Though a war break out against me,
Confident in Christ I’ll be.
Of the Lord, I ask that I may
Live with Him eternally.
Hear my voice, Lord, when I call you.
Merciful to me You’ll be.
Though my relatives forsake me,
My Lord God will receive me.
Teach me Your way, O my Jesus.
Lead me in Your righteousness.
I will sacrifice to my Lord.
I will sing with joyfulness.
I am confident that I will
See the goodness of the Lord.
All the richness of His blessings,
My Lord has for me in store.
He asks me to be of courage;
To be strong and to take heart,
Patiently as I wait for Him,
And from Him to ne’er depart.
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