David Bahn – Reflections

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, ¹⁰ and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. ¹¹ In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. ¹³ And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, ¹⁴ by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.  – Colossians 2:6-15 [ESV]

One of my professors at the seminary was an excellent apologist. He laid to rest one argument after another against faith, the veracity of the Bible, or the biblical account of creation. Once he finished defending the faith, we would think, well of course…why would anyone think differently? He was that sharp. 

Sometime later, however, I learned of nuances to his arguments that gave people an out to what he taught us. I have not rejected his arguments, but I’ve learned to tread lightly on apologetic arguments to prove the Christian faith. Some people will go to great lengths to disprove the argument and lose completely the message of Jesus. They might be very far from the kingdom in the first place. But logical arguments serve only so far in bringing people closer to Jesus. An encounter with the fullness of God’s grace and truth alone will do that. 

Grace and truth. Grace: Jesus died for us, took our sin, shame, and guilt upon himself, and rose from the dead. He offers eternal life to all who believe. That’s good news. Truth: We need this salvation more than we know. I’m afraid some people reject the Christian faith – or walk away from it – because their understanding of those truths are faulty. But those truths are so vitally important. We cannot function well in this world with only a Sunday School level understanding. Sunday School faith is one thing. Jesus commended that. But a Sunday School understanding of that faith will not equip us to withstand the onslaughts and sieges that are launched against us daily. 

Sadly some of those sieges come at us from within the religious community. Some even from distant cousins – or better yet imposters – of the Christian faith. I’m thinking here of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Latter Day Saints, or Christian Scientists. Their official teachings depart from the historic and orthodox Christian faith. But even then, it’s often through a spouse or sibling, or even child that these false teachings and hopes come. And often it is at times of great vulnerability that they prey on the unsuspecting. Let our understanding ever grow so we can reject those false claims!

Sadder still, is when someone in the faith – strong and faithful – falls due to “empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” Read here, the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh. One too many drinks. One too many clandestine rendezvous. One too few check-ins. One too few warning signals given attention. Then comes the fall. Or at least the trip. Let our faithfulness return!

Be careful, Paul writes! I think he is most likely talking to obvious pagan influences, philosophies, or especially the Judaizers and the Circumcision Party of his day. They could insinuate their way into churches not well-grounded in the Apostle’s teachings. But it would likely apply to us today even in well-grounded religious communities. Satan is the deceiver. We must be on our guard against false teaching of every kind 

Thankfully God welcomes back the wayward sinner. He even throws a party in heaven when one such sinner repents (think Luke 15 and the Prodigal Son!). But we have been freed from our sin. It’s been cancelled, having been nailed to the cross. Walking in Jesus is the way of true life. Let us ever walk with Jesus! 

Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus – Lutheran Service Book # 685

Let us ever walk with Jesus, Follow His example pure,
Through a world that would deceive us And to sin our spirits lure.
Onward in His footsteps treading, Pilgrims here, our home above,
Full of faith and hope and love, Let us do the Father’s bidding.
Faithful Lord, with me abide; I shall follow where You guide.

Let us suffer here with Jesus And with patience bear our cross.
Joy will follow all our sadness; Where He is, there is no loss.
Though today we sow no laughter, We shall reap celestial joy;
    All discomforts that annoy Shall give way to mirth hereafter.
    Jesus, here I share Your woe; Help me there Your joy to know.

Let us gladly die with Jesus. Since by death He conquered death,
He will free us from destruction, Give to us immortal breath.
Let us mortify all passion That would lead us into sin;
    And the grave that shuts us in Shall but prove the gate to heaven.
    Jesus, here with You I die, There to live with You on high.

Let us also live with Jesus. He has risen from the dead
That to life we may awaken. Jesus, You are now our head.
We are Your own living members; Where You live, there we shall be
    In Your presence constantly, Living there with You forever.
    Jesus, let me faithful be, Life eternal grant to me.

Text: © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005042

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, ¹⁰ and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. ¹¹ In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. ¹³ And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, ¹⁴ by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.  – Colossians 2:6-15 [ESV]

Starting is one thing. Continuing to the end is even more important. If you’re going to take a trip, it’s one thing to get started. But unless you keep going you’ll not arrive at your destination. If you’re going to start a new career, you’d better do more than show up only the first day. 

All that may be true. But a trip or a career is one thing. A life of faith is of infinitely greater importance. So Paul here tells the believers in Colossae that they must keep on walking with Christ, now that they have received him as Lord. Coming to faith is one thing, living that out is the fullness of receiving Jesus Christ as Lord.

Some want to make a distinction between Calling Jesus Savior as opposed to calling him Lord. Savior is the beginning, but they say that we must submit to his Lordship. In other words, to be saved is one thing. To live under Jesus’ lordship is quite another. 

Martin Luther has a helpful insight into this question. He says that to Call Jesus Lord means that we recognize him as Redeemer. He expresses it this way:

I believe Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and true man, born of the virgin Mary, is my Lord who has redeemed me, purchased and won me from sin, death and the power of the devil. He connects Jesus’ Lordship with his redemptive work in our behalf. Then he adds that Jesus did this so that [we] may be his own and live under him in his kingdom and serve him… (from Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, Explanation to the 2nd Article of the Creed)

 This means being built up in the faith, having an attitude of gratefulness, and focusing on Jesus. The mystery of all this is that to be a slave of Jesus is truly freeing. Such is our calling. We have been redeemed. We live now under Christ and serve him. Subservience to any other is slavery of the worst kind. Whether we are given to fleshly desires, envy of others, desire for fame, yearning for wealth, these all enslave us in the worst possible way. They can even choke out our faith. 

Thank God he invites us always to repentance and faith. That’s at least part of what it means to live under Christ in his kingdom, and to walk in the faith to which we have been called.

Meditate on and pray these psalms on this Lord’s Day. Remember those who paid the ultimate price for the freedoms we enjoy. Pray for our nation. Pray for Uvalde. Pray for the world. Pray that God’s name will be praised, and people will turn to him. Pray Psalm 29:11 for the people of Ukraine.

I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church. ²⁵ God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you. ²⁶ This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. ²⁷ For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.

²⁸ So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. ²⁹ That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.

^2:1 I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally. ² I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. ³ In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

⁴ I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments. ⁵ For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.  – Colossians 1:24-2:5 [New Living Translation]

 I really appreciated learning about Five Capitals which may be invested for the sake of the reign and rule of God. Those five are: (in increasing order of importance)

• Financial capital: Measured in dollars and cents (least important)
• Intellectual capital: Measured in concepts and ideas 
• Physical capital: Measured in hours and minutes
• Relational capital: Measured in quality and depth of our relationships with others
• Spiritual capital: Measured in wisdom, power, and authority (most important)

Jesus had tons of spiritual capital. He had wisdom, power, and authority beyond all comparison. He healed diseases. He raised the dead. He walked on water. He confounded his enemies. He had “all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). Jesus was and is the source of incredible power for us today as well. Paul prays that we know “the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe according to the working his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead” (Ephesians 1:19-20). 

And here in this passage he speaks of the power of Jesus working in him as he struggles to carry out the mission of God for the sake of the Colossian and Laodicean believers. It’s not clear whether Paul knew when he was met by Jesus on the road to Damascus, and subsequently when Ananias was sent to restore his sight how much he would need this power. “I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name,” God says to Ananias. (Acts 9:16) By now, however, he has a good idea.

Written after Paul’s third missionary journey, he had experienced beatings, imprisonment, ridicule, scorn, and even the disappointment of co-workers withdrawing from the missionary task. He had to rely on the power of God to continue his work. He certainly would have needed that power, wisdom, and inner strength to remain faithful and fight the discouragement of trouble in the churches he had founded (think of the church in Corinth!). 

One of the most grave misunderstandings about the Christian walk is the idea that if we’re following Jesus life will be smooth and easy. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. We can and should be thankful when God draws the lines of our lives in pleasant places (cf. Psalm 16:6-8). But when we face difficulty and challenge we must never think we are not pleasing God. In fact our suffering may result in great and glorious blessings for others, and ourselves. Jesus promises as much: “everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29).

Seems to me that I can appropriate these lessons in two important ways. I can view the struggles I must face (and they are surely comparatively few) as opportunities to lean into Jesus and his glorious power. I can also recognize that I have little power of my own to impact people’s lives eternally. Perhaps that will move me to work more diligently for his kingdom’s sake all the while looking to Jesus for strength and true spiritual power, wisdom, and authority. I’m guessing I may have an opportunity to do that today. How about you? 

I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church. ²⁵ God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you. ²⁶ This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. ²⁷ For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.

²⁸ So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. ²⁹ That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.

^2:1 I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally. ² I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. ³ In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

⁴ I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments. ⁵ For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.  – Colossians 1:24-2:5 [New Living Translation]

Peter speaks of the Church as a building with living stones, built around a precious and chosen cornerstone, Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Peter 2:4-6). He gets that idea, no doubt, from Jesus’ renaming him from Simon to Peter (Rock-man). Paul speaks of the Church as a body (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, and in the above passage). When he was on the road to Damascus Jesus appeared to him, and asked, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul was persecuting the Church: the Body of Christ. Saul eventually became Paul the missionary.

As the Body of Christ we are a precious lot. We are worth suffering for. We are worth toil and struggle, and agony. I’m not sure I really take that to heart as I should. I deeply appreciate the sacrifices Paul, Peter, James, John, and many others made for the sake of the gospel message. I am humbled by the incredible persecution the early Christians endured while they remained faithful to Jesus. It amazes me that Paul went to the lengths he went, and suffered to the extent he suffered for the sake of the name of Jesus (cf. Acts 9:16). 

I love the Body of Christ analogy. One of my favorite illustrations of how that is supposed to work is to speak of stepping on a Lego® block in the middle of the night. Your vocal cords tighten. Your eyes squint. Your tear ducts open up. Your hands go toward your foot. Your foot goes toward your hands. Your inner ear kicks in to help you maintain your balance. Your diaphragm contracts, sending air from your lungs through your tightened vocal cords. You emit a scream, “Eeeeeeeeeeooooooowwww!” Your whole body gets in the act when one part suffers. 

The same is true when you experience deep gladness and joy. Your whole body reacts. From the smile on your face, to the endorphins released through your limbic system, to the puffing of your chest and warm embrace of someone nearby. Or a high five. Or a “WOO HOO!” Think a walk-off grand slam. Think of a last minute field goal. Think of an unexpected check in the mail. Your whole body joins in the act of joy and celebration.

The blessings we enjoy as members of Christ’s body are for us all. And people have gone to great lengths to bring that joy and blessing to us. And we should never abrogate those blessings to ourselves alone. We. Should. Never. Abrogate. Those. Blessings. To. Ourselves. Alone. People have suffered, sacrificed, and struggled to bring those blessings to us. We should all, therefore, be thankful. Together.

We live in a very individualistic society and time. Everyone wants to define for themselves what is good or evil; what is praiseworthy or abhorrent. We climb on the latest scandal (and, Lord have mercy, there are many many lamentable things happening in the world today!). We beat up on the latest villain – too often of our own personal reasons. Somehow we’ve lost the more complete understanding of the Body of Christ, the community of believers, the communion of saints. 

God loves the whole church. His desire is for us to flourish as his community of the redeemed. Paul suffered greatly for the name of Jesus and for the sake of the Body of Christ – of which we are a part. 

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
² How long must I take counsel in my soul
    and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

³ Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
    light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
⁴ lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
    lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

⁵ But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
⁶ I will sing to the Lord,
    because he has dealt bountifully with me.

– Psalm 13 [ESV]

I’ve had the people in Uvalde, Texas on my heart much today. It’s difficult to process so many young children and two of their teachers’ deaths. Pundits have called for gun bans on the one side, and arming teachers on the other side. I have no wisdom toward a political solution.

But I do have a call for God’s people at this time. I wish I had expressed it earlier. This is a time for repentance, lament, and prayer. 

Repentance for we all have been too disconnected from one another so that people too easily reap the evil harvest of our mind our own business attitudes. We must repent of a care-less approach toward others, for the good or the bad. Lord, have mercy!

Lament, for this is the way of God’s people for millennia. The Living Lutheran Website offers this simple formula for lament. Psalm 13 is a example of lament. Pray that psalm for Uvalde and all who grieve.

Laments contain four parts:

1. Complaint
2. Petition
3. Expression of trust.
4. Words of thanksgiving.

It is also a time to offer comfort and courage to those who grieve and those who would protect us. However we may do so, we must. A word to our law enforcement persons. A gift to a victim’s fund. A show of compassion to the sorrowful. Not just symbolic actions. Real comfort. True encouragement. Maybe you have an idea of how to do that. Maybe you can do some searching. Maybe you simply join me in lament, repentance, and prayer.

Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world have mercy on us and grant us your peace! Amen.

The Living Lutheran website as well as the Lament Tool Kit are from sources I do not necessarily endorse. But in this case, the topic seems be well covered. Beyond that I cannot say.

Lament Toolkit: Understanding and Practicing Biblical Lament

I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church. ²⁵ God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you. ²⁶ This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. ²⁷ For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.

²⁸ So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. ²⁹ That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.

^2:1 I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally. ² I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. ³ In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

⁴ I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments. ⁵ For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.  – Colossians 1:24-2:5 [New Living Translation]

Isaac Newton is said to have “discovered” gravity while sitting in his mother’s garden, thinking about the forces of nature, and saw an apple fall from a nearby tree. The rest, as they say, is history. Well, of course he did not discover gravity. But he did postulate several laws of nature, gravity, mass, and movement. These are extremely helpful in day-to-day life. 

Einstein, on the other hand, delved into the physics behind the apple’s fall. He thought on deeper atomic levels about motion, relativity, and quantum mechanics. While we give little thought to applying Einstein’s theories on a day-to-day basis, we owe much to him when it comes to using our cell phones, or watching astronauts do spacewalks around the International Space Station. There is much deep science behind both the walks themselves as well as the means by which we are able to observe them at all.

Paul – at least in this passage – exhibits a deep appreciation for the whys our our salvation, the deep theological truths of the incarnation, and the profound mystery of Christ’s presence and impact in our lives. So much so that I decided to utilize the New Living Translation for this passage to try to grasp the meaning in plain English. The Greek itself or the more difficult-to-understand English Standard Bible or New American Standard Bible translations reveal some of the intricacies of Paul’s thinking and teaching. 

Paul was a well-educated man, a student of Gamaliel. Gamaliel held a leading position in the Sanhedrin and he enjoyed the highest repute as teacher of the Law. Paul had been taught well. In addition to Gamaliel’s teaching, he had been in the wilderness for 14 years, studying and learning. It seems that the Lord had given Paul some specific instruction during that time, for Paul speaks of having “received from the Lord…” (1 Corinthians 11:23) the words of Jesus at his Last Supper. 

Paul could have simply said that Jesus is the only One in whom is true hope, life, and salvation and left it at that. But he goes well beyond that here. He speaks of Christ in us as the hope of glory. He writes of the fullness wisdom and knowledge residing in Christ. He explains that God’s mysterious plan is Christ himself. 

As he does so he explains that he is enduring his own suffering and hardships so that the Colossian Christians would realize just how important it is that they know and believe this. In a way, he is predating Newtonian and Einsteinian thinking. Newtonian: I’m hard pressed, suffering, and agonizing for you because I want you to realize just how important this message is. Einsteinian: This message is important because only in Christ is true hope, life, salvation, knowledge, and wisdom. 

OK…I realize this may not be the best analogy for understanding this passage. But it is good to know both: the message of Jesus is of vital importance because he is the only source of life, hope, wisdom, knowledge, and salvation. 

I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church. ²⁵ God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you. ²⁶ This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. ²⁷ For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.

²⁸ So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. ²⁹ That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.

^2:1 I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally. ² I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. ³ In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

⁴ I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments. ⁵ For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.  – Colossians 1:24-2:5 [New Living Translation]

Maybe you’ve gone the extra mile. Or two. You’ve forgiven an offence for the 49th time (7X7). A slight from someone you love has been overlooked, even though it has hit that very tender spot in your heart. Yet again. A loan has been forgiven only to be replaced by a new and larger one. You’ve cleaned up after your husband for the 1000th time. Or listened for hours upon hours to your wife. Or let your son’s insolence not get the better of you. Or nodded again as your daughter spun her made-up tale of woe.

Sometimes we go an extra two or three miles for those we love. Paul went even beyond that not just because he loved the people of Colossae (whom he had not even seen face to face). He did that because of Christ’s love to him. He did it because he realized just how incredibly superior Jesus was compared with any other man. He was made to realize that Jesus was the One in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In Christ are the riches of the glory of the mystery that Christ is in us and is the hope of true glory.

But Paul speaks a lot about himself. He writes of his suffering. He tells them of his struggles. He mentions the pressure he’s under as he brings the Gospel message to the people in Colossae and Laodicea. He makes no attempt to hide his suffering or whitewash the severe trials he has undergone. He does this to encourage these people. He does that to encourage us. If it was worth the extent of suffering that Paul had to endure in order to get the Gospel to them, surely this message is valuable. If he is willing to go to such great lengths to bring the message of Jesus to them, that message must surely be of vital importance.

We might want to make a hero of Paul. Surely he would serve well as a hero of the faith. His life and complete dedication to spreading the gospel are heroic and emulatable. Sometimes Paul does seem to dance on the fine line of showing how important the message is and of showing how dedicated he is to delivering that message. But these words here point me toward believing that Paul is making the point of how far he has gone not so that they would trust him. He’s doing this to point them to the One whose message he is carrying. He’s doing it to encourage hearts, to knit people together, and to point them toward all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge centered in Jesus. What more can any hero do?

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, ²⁵ 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, ²⁶ the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. ²⁷ 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. ²⁸ Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. ²⁹ For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

^2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, ² that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴ I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. ⁵ For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. – Colossians 1:24-2:5

If you could have dinner with any religious leader, living or dead, other than Jesus Christ, who would you choose? Here are some options:

• Saul of Tarsus who became Paul the missionary and author of this letter.
• Martin Luther, who ignited the protestant reformation just over 500 years ago
• St. Augustine of Hippo, who championed the message of grace and wrote of his conversion after a life of profligacy and rebellion, and whose mother never ceased praying for him
• Charles Wesley, who wrote many hymns which we love and sing today
• Billy Graham
• Mother Teresa
• Someone else…maybe even someone who fell from grace, or at least shamed themselves after a time of major success. Sadly there are several candidates in this category. 

Paul makes a point that he proclaims Jesus Christ so that he “may present everyone mature in Christ.” Such is no easy task. For there are pitfalls, threats, and temptations thrown at us daily. This is especially true of Christian leaders. Whenever one’s success outruns his character, celebrity fails and falls. And great is its crash. Celebrity pastors all too easily trip over their own fame.

Paul points us to Jesus, who never fails us. He is the Son of God, the One who deserves all the fame and glory that can be given. And his character is perfectly capable of handling that fame. Those who put their hopes and trust in him will never be disappointed. They will never be ashamed of him. They will never be left utterly disappointed at his lack of faithfulness. They will never be left short of his promises. 

So when you hear someone preaching Jesus, urging faith in him, pointing people to God’s promises anchored in Jesus’ death, resurrection and final return, lean in. Listen well. Maybe that pastor isn’t a rock star. Maybe he doesn’t have his name on the side of a megachurch. Maybe he isn’t all that great. But if he is pointing you to Jesus, listen well. And rejoice whenever anyone points beyond himself to the One in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In Jesus, after all, is the true hope of glory. 

Meditate on and pray these psalms on this Lord’s Day. Pray for the war-ravaged people in Ukraine. Pray for the people of this nation. Pray for those who feel abandoned by God. Pray that God’s name will be praised, and people will turn to him.