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COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 1 KJV WEB Col 1,1-20 (37h) Judgment >> Redemption of man >> His blood delivered us from destruction Col 1-1,2 (247d) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> God’s interests >> Concern >> Caring about the body of Christ Col 1-1 (219a) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> The elect >> Man is a spectator of his own salvation >> God elects us through His sovereign will – All eleven of Jesus’ disciples became evangelists and apostles, and they established churches in the regions where God led them, but Paul spread the gospel throughout the entire known world and established churches everywhere he went. Paul was God’s twelfth apostle to replace Judas Iscariot. The phrase "God's strength" lends itself to images of Him casting stars into space, yet God is working just as hard making Christian believers from a world of unbelief. If we typed the phrase “will of God” into a word concordance, we would find dozens of instances, and in each case the connotation is similar to the one in this verse. Nevertheless, most people view the will of God in a passive tense, as though He only allows certain things to happen, but God does more than allows things; He actively works to make things happen. That is, when we use the phrase “will of God”, we should understand that He is actively working. Many people in the Church today make the application by living any way they want and calling it the will of God by evidence that He allows them to sin and practice a lifestyle that is contrary to Scripture, but just because He allow something doesn’t mean it is acceptable to Him. In other words, when they apply their definition of “God’s will” to their lives, it gives them license to sin; however, the true will of God is something that He not only approves but also actively pursues. (248b) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> The will of God >> God exercises His will – This is one of the few cases when doing a word-study would seem to help, yet if we are over the age of eight (8), we probably already know what the phrase "will of God" means, but what does the Bible mean by it? With most Bible translations the word choice is accurate, but what a translation, or a Bible dictionary or even this verse cannot tell us is what the "will of God" means overall. A contextual study looks at connotation, how a word is used, and of course the ultimate contextual study is to be well versed in the Bible as a whole. This requires dedication to Scripture in order to come to any accurate and confident conclusion. It requires us to know what the Bible says from Genesis to Revelation. Essentially, there are two ways of using the phrase “will of God”, first it means “allow”, as though God were simply allowing Paul to be His apostle, but we know that Scripture does not support this. Therefore, Scripture is using the word “will of God” to mean that God is taking an active role and making Paul his apostle. God has taken serious steps in making sure that Paul was His apostle, not just the one-time event of meeting him on the road to Damascus, but actively pursing him. See also: Interpreting the Bible; Mat 25,34-40; 130f Col 1-2 (102i) Thy kingdom come >> Faithfulness (Loyalty) >> Consistency >> Faithfulness Col 1,3-8 (8h) Responsibility >> Preparing to interact with God >> Preparing for revival – It sounds like the Colossian Church was in the midst of revival. It wasn’t just them, but all the Churches at the time, at least according to our standards they were in revival, because of the hope that was laid up for them and for us in heaven. We who seem not to be in revival do not appear to be as aware of our hope as they were; yet it is just as real. They had the hope of eternal life as we do, but where is our revival? Where is our faith in Jesus Christ and our love for all the saints? The early church should not be viewed in terms of revival, since it was in its fledgling years, just gaining a foothold in the world, many of its members having seen Jesus with their own eyes. This must have given them an advantage over us. The afterglow still glowing and the novelty of it not worn off. Wait 300 years for the birth of the Catholic Church, and its joyous beginning will have started to fade. See also: Revival; Col 1-4; 129f (11h) Servant >> Love is our standard of ministry (13d) Servant >> Serve the body >> Promoting its health >> Building up the body of Christ Col 1-3 (81j) Thy kingdom come >> Pray without ceasing >> For the Church -- This verse goes with verse 6 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 1-4 (125b) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Faith and love >> Faith toward God and love toward man (129f) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> love perfects unity >> Love is the mortar between the blocks -- This verse goes with verse 8. The Colossian Church and all the Churches back then seemed to know something we don’t or perhaps we have forgotten something they knew; they seemed to have understood their faith on a much deeper level than we do. What was their secret? They were in a state of unity. For the sake of argument let’s say that the Church started in a state of revival. With this in view, listen to the angel who spoke to Jesus’ disciples as they watched Him ascend into heaven, “Men of Galilee," he said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1-11). According to the message of the angel, if the Church started in revival, then it will end in revival. If we believe the early church was rejoicing in the glory of God, and if we believe we are living in the last days and that His return is imminent, then we can expect some kind of revival to occur prior to his return, possibly in our lifetime. The word “revival” is tantamount to unity. This is our hope, and it promises to be even greater than the faith of the early church. Paul said in Eph 5-27 that Jesus is coming back to a church without “spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and blameless.” He is coming back for a church that has a little spiritual insight and has shed its fleshly bondage. See also: Revival; Col 1,5-12; 128i / Great Endtime Revival (Camp of the saints); Mk 6,33-46 235g (142k) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> Having a reputation for knowing God >> known as being intimate with God -- This verse goes with verse 9 Col 1,5-12 (128i) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Bearing fruit >> Living a fruitful life >> Be fruitful and multiply >> Growing spiritually – Paul kept using the word “increasing,” which denotes fruitfulness and revival. If something is not increasing, then it is decreasing, for there is no spiritually maintaining statuesque, Satan would never allow it. If you are not growing, then you are dying, ready to be plucked from the vine and tossed into the heap of dead sticks of those who lost their vision. The Colossian Church maintained its fruitfulness in a state of increasing fruit and increasing knowledge (Vs 6,9). So, there needs to be an increase in the Church and it needs to be maintained, and the increase needs to involve both new converts and fruitfulness, love being the primary fruit. See also: Revival; Col 1,3-8; 8h Col 1-5,6 (31k) Gift of God >> Gift of His grace >> Grace is the work of God (79i) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word >> Practice listening to God’s word >> The word you heard perfects God’s work in you (116c) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through worship >> Through our relationship with Him (228f) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> God is working in you to place you in His will >> To place you on the trail of good works (229a) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Kingdom grows by itself >> Growing in numbers corresponds with spiritual growth >> Kingdom slowly spreads and overtakes darkness -- These verses go with verses 9&10. The gospel went into the entire known world in Paul’s time; how much more has it gone into all the discovered parts of the world since then? The gospel is constantly bearing fruit and increasing throughout the world in remote places we didn't know existed, and Paul is saying that this is what he wants to happen in each of us. As it happened in the world, so it should happen in our heart. He wants the gospel to grow and increase and overtake the darkness, so everything that remains belongs to the light. This is the vision Paul had of the world and for each person who believes in Jesus, like leaven that a woman placed in the center of a lump of dough that leavened overnight from the inside out (Mat 13-33). Col 1-5 (226d) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven >> Reserved in heaven >> Our inheritance is reserved in heaven -- This verse goes with verses 19-22. The whole reason we believe in Jesus is for the hope laid up for us in heaven. Those few words are the cause of millions of people around the globe to believe in a man that was brutally murdered and then rose from the dead, who promised eternal life to anyone who would believe in Him. Our inheritance is waiting for us in heaven. James said that the gospel was made for the poor (Jm 2-5) in that they recognize the potential for a better life to come. Those who are rich think they have a great life now; they don’t think they have to wait for a better life; they are enjoying it now, but Jesus said to them that they ought to weep and mourn, for they are receiving their reward in full. After this life, their wonderful experiences will end, and unfortunately their lives will continue after death, only not in a beautiful world that is full of wonder, but in a world that was made especially for them who don’t believe in God. They will live in a world where the attributes of God don't exists, a world where all good has been removed, an inhospitable place where it is impossible to believe in God. In contrast, those who believe in Jesus will forever live in paradise with their maker, their savior and Lord Jesus Christ, for in His presence is paradise. See also: Hell (Made for the rebellious); Col 1-19,20; 46j KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 1-6,7 (214e) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >> Dispensation of God’s revelations >> Dispensations of revelation knowledge Col 1-6 (81j) Thy kingdom come >> Pray without ceasing >> For the Church -- This verse goes with verses 9-12 Col 1-7,8 (14l) Servant >> Ministry of helps >> Helpers fill in the gaps >> Messengers help in communications – The telephone is often perceived as an impersonal means of communication, whereas God prefers to send personalized messages. Tychicus (Eph 6-21) and Epaphras have one thing in common: they were messengers. They were essentially Paul’s phone system, and of course they didn’t know when Paul needed them, so they would come to him and work under his ministry until he needed to send a message, then someone else would come and fill his place while he was delivering the message. So there was a constant incoming and outgoing of messages and information. These men had the ministry of angels, for messaging is what angels do. They are God’s phone system; whenever He needs to contact someone, He sends an angel. That seems primitive for such an awesome kingdom compared to our convenient phone system, but it is the ultimate in personalization and proves that the growing problem of isolationism in society today is a consequence of our technology. Our technology has become necessary to us now that we have it, but there was obviously a time when we didn’t have it and society was better for it. There were many empires before us that didn’t have the communication system that we enjoy, such as the Egyptians, who built the pyramids. They no doubt had a system of communication but not cell phones, more like a system that Paul used, which is the same system that God uses and will continue to use throughout eternity. God likes to include His creation in everything He does. (15a) Servant >> Ministry of helps >> Helpers are hard workers – Since Tychicus (Eph 6-21) and Epaphras had the ministry of angels, they must have felt indispensable. Important as the ministry of angels, anybody who ministers in the capacity of a servant is just as important. The Bible teaches that women have the ministry of angels in that they are servants of men, yet many of them don’t seem to appreciate their high position. The first is last and the last is first, Jesus said in Mat 19-30, suggesting that men have the greater authority while women are the greater servants, with the net result being equality. Yet, in today’s world the ministry of angels just isn’t good enough for women, and that is truly a sad outlook. They prefer authority over service. Had Epaphras and Tychicus wanted ministries that were better than angels, they wouldn’t have been willing to serve Paul, and they wouldn’t have gotten their names written in the Scriptures, and they may not have even been Christians. They were probably single men who were not tied to a family, so they had time and energy to help Paul. Col 1-7 (13m) Servant >> Serve God faithfully (102c) Thy kingdom come >> Faithfulness (Loyalty) >> Faithfulness is dependable >> God’s servants are dependable Col 1,8-12 (156a) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of salvation >> You will know them by their fruits >> You will know them by their productivity Col 1-8,9 (112a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Wisdom of the spirit – Here we have again the Holy Spirit and the word of God together in a single context, showing that they go together. These two (the Spirit and the word) are found throughout the New Testament everywhere we look, yet they are rarely if ever mentioned together in the pulpit of our churches. They are the prayer warrior's double-edged sword. There is the will of God according to Scripture, which doesn’t change for anyone, and there is the will of the Spirit, which is specific to each person. We read the Bible to understand the general will of God, and we pray to understand the wisdom of the Spirit, who reveals the specific will of God that He wants us to do for His glory. This spiritual wisdom has a direct connection to the Scriptures, in that without the Bible we would unlikely understand the will of God any more than the people did in the days of Noah. We study the Bible to learn what He "would" say to us, and we pray until we hear what He "does" say to us, regarding how He wants us to glorify Him. This is not something He wants us to do for a day or two but refers to our life’s purpose. Col 1-8 (129f) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> love perfects unity >> Love is the mortar between the blocks -- This verse goes with verse 4 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 1,9-14 (116b) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through worship >> In prayer (230e) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Partaking of the power of God >> Partaking of the word of God Col 1,9-12 (42j) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Transformed >> Conform to the walk of Christ (71e) Authority >> Ordained by God >> Worthiness of man >> Perfecting the worthiness He has given us – Paul spoke of spiritual wisdom and insight, not regular wisdom, but dynamic. Through the Spirit God speaks to us exactly what we need to know. This is the kind of life Paul is writing to us. He wants us living in the spiritual wisdom of God and walking in His revelation. The gospel of Jesus Christ is complete; His blood has been shed, His resurrection fulfilled, having ascended to the Father and sent the Holy Spirit in His place. He inhabits His people and the only thing left for us is to obey Him. We must dedicate our lives to this, so that nothing is undone. In this way we will bear the fruit of the spirit, causing the increase in knowledge, continuing the cycle at a higher plane; and while this wheel is turning, an inner wheel strengthens us by His power, depicting a multidimensional system that originates from heaven. (80f) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word to learn the ways of God >> Understanding His will (81j) Thy kingdom come >> Pray without ceasing >> For the Church -- These verses go with verse 3. Paul prayed for the Colossians that they would be “strengthened with all power… for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience.” So, the power of God is for attaining steadfastness and patience. That sounds like using a giant backhoe to plant a small garden. Steadfastness and patience, however, can only be realized by the power of God. (82c) Thy kingdom come >> Three elements of prayer >> Direction (Attitude) >> Who to pray for (109i) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit the teacher >> Spirit trains us to be like Jesus (137e) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Jesus is the foundation >> Bearing fruit is the foundation of being in the Spirit – Patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit, and steadfastness is an aspect of patience. In possessing these fruits we have everything we need to receive the rest that God offers. We must become steadfast and immovable, like an oak tree, before we can hope to attain anything from the Lord (Jm 1,2-8). These characteristics are a means of relating to God, since He doesn’t reward impatience or dwindling faith. The only way we know we won’t give up is if He gives us an opportunity to be steadfast. It is therefore through patience that we can hope for the things of God and have confidence to receive the reward of patience, which is ultimately heaven itself. (138h) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Exhortation >> Exhorting the people to glorify God (233c) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >> Seeking the goals of the kingdom >> Seek the goal of knowing God (faith) (248a) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> The will of God >> We play our part in the will of God >> Knowing the will of God – We do the works of God through our knowledge of His will. Paul begins his prayer to the Colossians, delineating what he desires them to receive from God, primarily “that they may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding… and increasing in the knowledge of God.” He used the word “increase”. The increase of spiritual wisdom and understanding is for the sake of walking in a manner worthy of the Lord. We cannot be ignorant of His will and obey Him, because knowledge and faithfulness go hand-in-hand. We cannot live by our Christianity as babes in Christ, for it is not the will of God that we remain spiritually immature. He wants us to grow. (252f) Trinity >> You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship God >> Worship God who is Spirit >> Worship God in the Spirit Col 1-9,10 (87a) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience >> Be doers of the word from the heart >> God blesses us for doing His word, not for knowing it (93d) Thy kingdom come >> The narrow way >> Walk in a manner worthy of your calling (109a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Revelations of the Holy Spirit >> Spirit reveals the Father (229a) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Kingdom grows by itself >> Growing in numbers corresponds with spiritual growth >> Kingdom slowly spreads and overtakes darkness -- These verses go with verses 5&6. Paul wants us filled with the knowledge of his will “in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” There are two aspects to the knowledge of God’s will: there is the knowledge of the Bible that applies to everyone, and there is the knowledge of His specific will that we learn from the Holy Spirit, tailored for each person. He wants us to have both. While we walk in His General calling, we fulfill our purpose for being Christians; and when we walk in our specific calling, we fulfill our purpose for being born. Col 1-9 (89h) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Wisdom of the Spirit (142k) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> Having a reputation for knowing God >> known as being intimate with God -- This verse goes with verse 4 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 1,10-12 (111f) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Word and the power (meaning) of God >> Word in obedience cannot evade the power of God Col 1-10 (30k) Gift of God >> God’s favor qualifies you for heaven -- This verse goes with verse 12 (127f) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >> Rewards for doing good >> Sow the seeds of goodness >> Goodness bears the fruit of the Spirit Col 1-11,12 (92k) Thy kingdom come >> The narrow way connects you to God >> It solidifies your relationship with Him (125e) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Joy >> Joy is the result of partaking of the Holy Spirit >> Joy of the revelation of Jesus Christ Col 1-11 (9e) Responsibility >> God strengthens us from our weaknesses (67a) Lordship of Christ >> Jesus’ authority >> The glory of His authority (98c) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Rooted deeply >> The Lord establishes us – God wants to instill His power in us for the purpose of endurance that guarantees His progress will continue uninterrupted. Endurance is like tent stakes driven into the ground to keep our temporary edifice from being windblown and battered by the elements (Eph 4-14), during life's storms. Hardship tries to uproot us, but endurance is steadfast. Like a woodworker who clamps his block of wood in the vice before working on it, so we need to secure our commitment before God can work on us, this being the role of endurance. (126j) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Patience >> The patience of God >> Have the patience of God Col 1-12,13 (112e) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Light >> Jesus light in us overcomes darkness >> The light of His truth Col 1-12 (30k) Gift of God >> God’s favor qualifies you for heaven -- This verse goes with verse 10 (36h) Gift of God >> Inheritance >> We are heirs according to the will of God (41g) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >> God’s righteousness is His doing (96d) Thy kingdom come >> Attitude >> Positive attitude toward God >> Having a thankful attitude – Above all, we on earth receive from God through an attitude of thanksgiving as sharers with those who have preceded us in heaven. This is why the gifts we receive from God are so valuable: they are the gifts we will enjoy in heaven. God desires that we walk in the fruits of the Spirit now, which is His purpose for us and the very substance of heaven, that we might practice them before we get there and then throughout eternity. (227f) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> Dependence on Jesus >> Depending on Jesus to have compassion >> Depending on Jesus to receive us – “Qualified us” means it is a sovereign work of God that we should stand before Him. The Father qualified our faith in Jesus to effect salvation, so that when we apply our gift to believe in Him, He is faithful to forgive our sins as He promised. This method of forgiveness through faith in the cross God has arranged beforehand that we should believe in Him. They say there are many ways to heaven, but the Bible teaches that God has ordained faith in Jesus Christ as the means of salvation. Jesus was holy, undefiled and separated from sinners, and to believe in Him, means to conform to His way of life and to His perfection, goodness and holiness. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 1,13-23 (138g) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Exhortation >> Glorifying God in your exhortation Col 1,13-20 (66h) Authority >> Jesus’ authority >> His cross is the power of God – Jesus Christ is a man who embodies everything created both in heaven and on earth, who has come to have first place in everything, who has reconciled all things to Himself through His cross, especially those who believe in Him for eternal life. All who have been reconciled to Him are subject to Him, and all who refuse to be reconciled have a place prepared for them, where they will be tormented day and night, and they will have no one to blame but themselves. Through Christ their place has been defined, contrasting His glorious person and victory over death against their disobedience and unbelief. Col 1-13,14 (31l) Gift of God >> Gift of His grace >> Forgiveness is a of God’s grace – We were born in sin through no fault of our own, and by that we are helpless victims of sin, and for that reason God was willing to help us. Every believer in Jesus has his own reason for coming to Christ. Some come to be forgiven, while others come because they want to know God, while still others come because they seek heaven and want to avoid hell. A person comes to Christ for his own reasons, and all the benefits of Christ invade his soul with the promise of fulfillment, for to have one is to have them all. (120b) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Forgiveness >> God forgives us when we become accountable to Him >> When we repent – Some people come to Christ to avoid hell, but it is impossible to keep the faith with this motive, for the only true motive for faith is love. If we can expect our faith to endure to the end, we must not only believe in Christ’s power to save but also believe in all His other attributes: the fruits of the Spirit. We want to go to heaven because we want to live with God, be forgiven and mend our relationship with Him. We see His handiwork and want to be part of something bigger and better than ourselves. We want to escape this thin veneer of reality that the world erroneously calls "truth" that everybody accepts, but the world has no truth. Col 1-13 (29c) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> Delivered from death (119k) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Curse of sin is broken >> Curse of ignorance is broken (184b) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Darkness >> Hiding behind your own imagination >> Hiding behind a false authority (236k) Transferring The Kingdom Of God (Key verse) (237k) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> Transferred from darkness to light – Prior to the cross of Christ we were enveloped in spiritual darkness with no way out of it. This domain of darkness refers to the world, though many people don’t see the world as Satan's domain. Forgiveness of sin is the result of being rescued from this worldly domain. Darkness could be defined as: unbelief in the truth, but this definition is incomplete. We also recognize darkness as spiritual ignorance, referring to having no experience with God, having never received His Spirit, which is God’s medium of exchange. Darkness then is better defined as devoid of the Holy Spirit. Jesus shed His blood and died for us in order to establish a premise of disclosing the Holy Spirit to those who would believe in Him for eternal life. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 1,15-20 (213d) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> God is all powerful >> Christ subjects the creation to Himself – It is all-inclusive to say that Jesus was before all things. He was before the earth, before the universe and before all physical matter. He was essentially before the creation, and everything exists because of Him, and in Him all thing hold together. Nuclear scientists have looked inside the atom, and have seen the nucleus composed of protons and neutrons and still smaller parts, but they don’t know how they are so closely bunched unless there is an attractive force holding them together, so they called it the nuclear force. It is the force they unleash in a nuclear explosion. This is what Paul meant when he said that through Christ all things hold together. Without this force those tiny parts would separate into space, and matter as we know it would not be possible. Now that we have discovered this nuclear force and learned to manipulate it through the making of nuclear power plants and the atom bomb, we have released all this radiation into our environment, and even at relatively low levels it has lethal consequences for life on earth, causing cancer among other things. This radiation is the result of particles that were once safely contained within atoms, but have since been released from the organized construct of the nucleus. The discovery of this nuclear force was like opening Pandora’s box, nothing good will ever come of it. There are some mysteries that are best kept undisclosed. This force represents God’s fingerprint on the universe. The Bible says that this present creation will one day be destroyed and God will make “new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells” (2Pet 3-13). He will destroy it by simply removing himself from His creation, essentially removing this nuclear force that holds the creation together and the entire universe will explode like one giant atom bomb. God will not construct His next creation by a toxic force, but by His gentle Spirit. Col 1,15-18 (248e) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Jesus is first >> Jesus has first place in everything – Christ was the first-born child of the resurrection, first-born from the dead. There are many people now in heaven, but none of them have resurrected bodies, except Jesus who received His resurrected body the third day after his crucifixion. There is a sharp distinction between being "first-born from the dead" and "first-born of all creation.” The first-born of all creation refers to the very first child of God born of the Spirit. Jesus spoke about being born-again. This refers to the indwelling Holy Spirit that every child of God receives when he comes to believe in Jesus, whereas the Father physically conceived His Son in Mary's womb via the Holy Spirit. Contrast that with the “first-born from the dead”, referring to the first participant of the resurrection. Christ's heavenly body is a prototype of those who will partake of the First Resurrection (Rev 20-5,6); He was raised from the dead with a body prepared for eternity, and for this reason He has come to have first place among those of us who will be raised in like manner. Col 1,15-17 (212f) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> He is the creator >> Evolution (Defaming God) >> God created atheists too Col 1-15,16 (118b) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Eyes of your spirit >> Seeing through the eyes of your spirit >> Everything you can see you can have Col 1-15 (39a) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> Resurrection of Jesus Christ -- This verse goes with verse 18 (55a) Paradox >> Opposites >> Image of the invisible God – Paul addressed the identity of Jesus Christ, saying, “He is the image of the invisible God.” So, God is invisible, but Jesus has made Him come to light through the gospel. Now we can see the invisible God through Christ, for to see Jesus is to see the Father (Jn 14,7-9). (238d) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The kingdom is transferred to the Church >> Born again >> Jesus is born again from the dead -- This verse goes with verse 18 (248f) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Jesus is first >> Jesus is first born of the Father – Jesus is “first born of all creation.” There are certain cults and false representations of Christianity who misinterpret this verse, namely the Jehovah Witnesses. They use this verse to say that God created Jesus Christ, saying that He had a beginning, which would consequently exclude Him from the godhead, but being a creation of God is not at all what Paul was saying here. To say He is first born of all creation was to say that He was the first of many children to be born of God. Many righteous people throughout the Old Testament lived and died and they have their place in the Kingdom of Heaven, yet none of them went to heaven until Christ led them there at His own ascension, as it says in Eph 4-8, “When He ascended on high, he led captive a host of captives and he gave gifts to men.” Again Eph 2-14 says, “For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall….” Who were these captives He led, and what are these two groups? The captives were the Old Testament saints, and the groups are the old and new covenant believers that He consolidated into one new Church in heaven. Jesus said in Jn 10-16, speaking as a shepherd, “And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they shall hear My voice and they shall become one flock with one shepherd.” As Christ ascended into heaven, He led old covenant believers to victory and made a way for new covenant Christians to enter the presence of God immediately after death. Prior to Christ, the old covenant believers slept in a place that Jesus called Abraham’s bosom (Lk 16-22,23). Jesus was first-born of all creation in that He was the first person to possess the indwelling Holy Spirit. Ironically, Jesus didn’t need to be born-again, for His soul is and always was the Holy Spirit. See also: Cults (Jehovah Witnesses); 1Jn 2-13,14; 253b KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 1-16,17 (54ea) Paradox >> Opposites >> Creation does not know its creator (Pantheism) (212a) The Creator (Key verse) (212b) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> He is the creator >> The creation glorifies God >> God created all things through Christ – Paul used the capitalized pronoun “He”, implying the person to whom He referred was Jesus. If God created both the physical and the spiritual worlds through Christ, then Jesus can take credit for all of creation, things visible and invisible. Don’t we attribute the creation to God? When it says that Jesus created it, we are saying that Jesus Christ is God, equal to His Father, for they both had a part in the creation. Therefore, it is safe to say that Jesus is the creator, “whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities,” referring to Satan and his demons “…all things have been created by Him and for Him.” Jesus had a part in creating Lucifer, but he became Satan on his own, and then Jesus had a showdown with him in the days of His flesh, which culminated at the cross. Jesus was destined to beat the devil at his own game; and though Lucifer knew this, his mind was blinded by the possibility that he could defeat Jesus at His weakest point. Jesus merely appeared vulnerable in the flesh; in reality Jesus towered over Satan through His divine attributes that upheld His perfection while clothed in the weakness of man’s sinful nature. Using Satan as an example for the rest of creation, God was making the point that no matter what happens, His creation will never get the best of Him, and it would be better if no one ever tried to take His throne again. God was proving that He would forever take care of His people no matter what happened. No one can be God but God; moreover, had Satan succeeded in taking God’s throne, what would he have done with it? He would have run the entire creation into the ground, just like he’s running the whole world into the ground. So, all of Satan’s goals are completely absurd, which Jesus proved at the cross. See also: Spiritual warfare (God is at war with the devil and man is in the middle); Jm 3,6-12; 164c (248g) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Jesus is first >> Jesus is the beginning of the creation of God Col 1-16 (46j) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Demons are subject to Christ -- This verse goes with verses 19&20 Col 1-18 (39a) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> Resurrection of Jesus Christ -- This verse goes with verse 15 (56i) Paradox >> Opposites >> Last is first and the first is last – Jesus is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, having first place in the First Resurrection. There is only one person so far who has been raised from the dead never to die again, Jesus Christ. He is the beginning of the resurrection, and He will come to have first place in everything. He was first raised from the dead so that others may follow Him, who have been elected to inherit eternal life. Whatever happens throughout eternity Jesus has first place in everything, because He was willing to take the last place. He is the cause of the Church; He paid for the sins of the whole world though His own blood, taking the last place for the sake of all, for those who are first are last and the last first (Mat 19,28-30). Those who have invested their lives and become last for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven will receive a position in heaven that is higher than those who sought first place in this life. Moreover, those holding places of great honor will serve those who are least in the kingdom of heaven in order to secure equality, that no one be considered greater than another. (78h) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind by the word of God >> Be of one mind, his mind (136i) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ >> Body of Christ is the Church (137a) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Jesus is the foundation >> Jesus is head of the Church (238d) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The kingdom is transferred to the Church >> Born again >> Jesus is born again -- This verse goes with verse 15 (248d) Jesus Is First (Key verse) KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 1,19-27 (247a) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> God’s interests >> God is interested in the Church Col 1,19-24 (229j) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Partaking of Jesus’ gift -- These verses go with verses 26&27 Col 1,19-22 (226d) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven >> Reserved in heaven >> Our inheritance is reserved in heaven -- These verses go with verse 5. Collectively, the Church will have the full authority of Christ, for whatever attributes the Son has through the Father we also will inherit. For example, we are agents of Christ’s grace and mercy; Jesus has called us to live like Him for the purpose of showing grace and mercy to our fellow man, inheriting this attribute by partaking of Christ's grace and mercy. Correspondingly, we will inherit His authority and reign over His kingdom throughout eternity. God has all authority in heaven and earth, and He will give us authority to rule over His kingdom as kings and priests (Rev 2,26-29 and Rev 5-9,10). Kings delegate authority while priests administer grace and mercy. We will use our authority to graciously rule for the good of all people, even as Jesus used His authority to bless and subject the creation to Himself. Col 1-19,20 (37i) Judgment >> Blood of Jesus >> He emptied Himself >> From equality with God to human frailty – It was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness of deity to dwell in Him. Jesus is the epitome of God; He is as much God as the Father. They differ only in their expressed traits; the Father is the final authority and Jesus is the ultimate servant of His creation and the embodiment of His Father’s grace and mercy. However, some of God’s traits will forever remain mysterious to us, and for this we worship Him, for He alone is God. He will never stop being our creator, and in a hundred billion years from now we will still remember our small beginnings. He will honor our faith that we show Him today. (46j) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Demons are subject to Christ -- These verses go with verse 16. We who are bought by the blood of the Lamb are under the authority of Christ, and those who are in rebellion against the grace and mercy of Christ have freedom of their own making. They don’t submit to Him, but one day they will find their place in hell, both man and demon, where God will send all those who rebel against His authority. He will place wickedness under His feet for God to reign over both light and darkness. All their rebellion has accomplished nothing, for they will be subject to Christ as though they served Him, only apart from their will. They are gods unto themselves, but they will rule over no one, nor have authority or have any way to express their freedom. All their rebellion and rejection has done nothing to avoid being subject to Christ. They might as well have submitted to Him so they could reign with Him in His kingdom, where they would truly be free. See also: Hell (Man's sin is more evil than the devil's); Mat 18-34,35; 65i (72b) Authority >> Ordained by God >> We walk in ordained reconciliation (114i) Through Christ (Key verse) (114j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Working God’s grace through Christ >> Salvation is through Christ – Being innocent of all sin, Jesus completely fulfilled the will of God by working with the grace of God, and this is what He calls us to do, since He has also given us a ministry that pertains to God’s grace and mercy. We are to seek God for a ministry that He has designed specifically for us that we might understand it and come to know His will and fulfill it, even as Jesus fulfilled His ministry. In this way we are sons and daughters of our heavenly Father by modeling after Christ, the Son of God. (126f) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Peace >> Terms of peace – The Father gave Christ a ministry when He came to visit mankind and preached the gospel of the kingdom and then sacrificed His body on the cross. The Father then raised Him from the dead and delivered from death all who believe in Him. God has judged us with His grace and mercy by judging His Son guilty of our sin, and He made peace with man through the blood of His cross. His people enjoy peace with God; there are no walls standing between us and Him; we are on His side now, happily submitted to His authority, knowing that He is able to subject all things to Himself (Phi 3-20,21). (191a) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Baptism >> Immersed in His Spirit – You could define Jesus Christ as the fullness of the Holy Spirit dwelling in a human body, since that was His name. "Christ" literally means anointed one. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 1,21-23 (19e) Sin >> Mocking God Without a cause >> Uncontrollable circumstances (41l) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >> Blameless before God >> Prepare to enter His presence (83i) Thy kingdom come >> Jesus intercedes for us >> He prepares us to meet the Father (88a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith produces works >> Relationship between faith and works >> Works establish your faith (97j) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Rooted deeply >> Standing firm in the faith >> Immovable (115ja) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through obedience of faith >> Through determination >> Determined to be set apart from the world – Paul taught that we are to subject our flesh to the will of God, and in so doing we will work His grace into our lives. God has virtually done all of the work for us; we were eternally saved the moment the Holy Spirit came to dwell in us, and He has given us new desires and strength to accomplish His will, but He has not taken away our sinful nature. Overcoming the flesh is a daily struggle, but our failures do not overrule our salvation or our eternal destiny in heaven. Our failures only make us yearn for another day to prove our loyalty to Him by overcoming the temptations of the flesh. There are some people who surrender to the monster of sin, giving power to the conflict between good and evil, with the battleground in the mind. God is not willing that we should accept sin in our lives; He wants us to subject it to the power of His Spirit who dwells in us. (118l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >> Law of the spirit >> Spirit delivers you from the desire to sin (121j) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Hope Based On Faithfulness >> Hope based on endurance (137j) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Maturity >> Stages of maturity are levels of accountability >> Maturity is working with God (193g) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Repent >> God grants repentance (207ca) Salvation >> God makes promises on His terms >> Eternal security? >> God will accept you into heaven if you overcome – Paul said that everything is ours “if” we continue in the faith. The word “if ” implies that we have entered a conditional covenant with God, suggesting that if we don’t remain steadfast, then we won’t receive what was promised. (209i) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Jesus is our sacrifice >> Jesus paid the price for us >> Jesus paid our ransom with His own blood – It was the Father’s good pleasure that Jesus went to the cross; otherwise we could not approach His throne. His resurrection was not the active ingredient of His reconciliation; rather, the power to reconcile all things to Himself was in His death. It was a miracle that Jesus died because He was without sin, and the Bible teaches that sin brought death into the world. Therefore, dying without sin broke the power of sin, and it was impossible for death to hold Him in the grave, since He is the very epitome of life. Col 1-21 (18l) Sin >> Twisted thinking >> Evil is good >> Loving bondage (167i) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil (Conspiracy) >> Carnality/Secularism (Mindset of the World) >> The carnal mind does not receive the things of God >> It rejects God (217h) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> I never knew you >> Because you never did His will Col 1-22 (26i) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> Death of Christ (37c) Judgment >> Jesus’ humanity >> He had human flesh (104i) Thy kingdom come >> Pure in heart shall see God >> Shall see Jesus >> Being in the presence of Jesus (133f) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holiness >> The body of Christ is holy >> God has made His people holy – After Jesus reconciled us in His fleshly body through death, He represents us to the Father, holy, blameless and beyond reproach. This is how God sees us, being the version of ourselves that Jesus presented to the Father, and so He expects us to work toward that end. Being blameless is to be without guilt; though we will never reach this level of perfection in the flesh, we are to strive to minimize sin in our life. There are many people in the Church who would like to interpret this verse as though we were symbolically or spiritually beyond reproach. They prefer not to be literally beyond reproach, because that would mean they must lead a disciplined life and dedicate themselves to their faith, yet this is what God expects of us. Our lives are filled with many other things we claim are not important as our faith, but the way we live disproves our claim. God has called us to hone our lives into the image of Christ, so that when we make a mistake we repent, and when we slip into complacency, we stoke the fire and return to our first love. God requires everything from us, though we don’t see people in the Church giving all. They did in the first century Church, and they were united. (136e) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ >> Jesus’ fleshly body >> The flesh of Jesus’ sacrifice KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 1,23-27 (98h) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> (Faith à Suffering à Glory) – Paul said that suffering is necessary, and for this reason he rejoiced in it. If we cannot rejoice in our suffering, then we shouldn't accept His blessing either. If we cannot rejoice in our suffering, then we cannot know Christ who suffered for us. There is a difference between a Christian and someone who knows God; every Christian has the Holy Spirit dwelling in him, but someone who knows God walks by an anointing that helps him understand God, and that anointing is fueled by suffering, leading him into a ministry of building up the body of Christ and others to salvation. We cannot do anything apart from suffering in that all the works of God cause suffering in this world. That doesn’t mean suffering is the main ingredient of our faith or that suffering has any value in itself as though it were something to pursue like a masochist; rather, suffering is a fact of life for a Christian. The whole world is filled with unbelievers who are willing to do the will of Satan, with only a handful in comparison of those who believe in Jesus. We are called to evangelize our enemies. They have two choices to either accept or reject the gospel; if they accept it, they become our brothers and sisters in the faith, but if they reject it, they often become our enemies. This was Paul’s experience everywhere he went as an evangelist, for this is what it takes to establish the Kingdom of God in this world. It will not happen apart from suffering. Col 1-23 (5c) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Disciples finish the course – Disciples continue in the faith; they are steadfast and immovable. There is nothing that can tear us away from the hope of the gospel. It is critical for Christians to cement themselves in the knowledge of God’s word, because there are many forces that seek to uproot us, and we must have an answer for them. Our faith must be greater than their unbelief, yet more often we will fail to win an argument or convince our opponent of the truth. The only thing we can hope to achieve is to keep our own faith intact. When people raise their questions trying to make us think twice about what we believe, we need to understand that most likely they are trying to dislodge us from our faith. They have ulterior motives, and by that they are intrinsically wrong. Even if their argument has a good point, if their motive is wrong, they are wrong. If Christianity were false, though it teaches us to live like Jesus who was good and lovely and never harmed anyone, those who try to dislodge us from the path leading to heaven are anything but good and lovely. Col 1,24-29 (83j) Thy kingdom come >> We have the ministry of intercession >> Church prepares itself to meet Jesus – Paul’s greatest fear was that people would fall away from the faith. We all commit sin occasionally and backslide, but falling-away is different. Backsliding is when we commit sin and repent and are restored, but falling away is when people trade their salvation for sin, which has an erosion effect on their faith, so they cannot repent. For this reason Paul felt obligated to every person whom he led to salvation to present them to Christ. He was acting as a priest in the sense that he interceded for the people, like Jesus intercedes for us before the Father. He felt personally responsible to keep the saints on the straight and narrow path to the very end, that both he and they may receive a full reward. When people get saved, Paul discipled them, being the beginning point of his ministry with them, not the end. He continually led them and admonished them in the grace of God, presenting them complete in Christ. Therefore, it is the job of every pastor to present his parishioners complete in Christ. Those in the assembly are his responsibility to perfect to the fullness of faith, so none of them stray from the hope of eternal life. (148k) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Obligation to preach the gospel >> Consumed by the desire to do it – It was the preaching of God’s word that caused Paul to suffer. In other verses in his epistles it says that he was compelled by the Spirit to preach the gospel (1Cor 9-16). He would be made far more miserable by the conviction of the Holy Spirit if he didn’t preach than any persecution he may acquire from preaching the gospel. He could take persecution, but he couldn’t take the heaviness of Christ. There was suffering and persecution in the preaching of the gospel, but there was more suffering if he didn’t preach. Either way Paul suffered, whose calling was by no means unique in this way, for each of us have a calling from God, and He expects us to fulfill it, and His calling is life-long. To the degree that we do not fulfill our calling is the degree of conviction that he places on us; and to the degree that we fulfill God’s purpose is the potential to be persecuted. Either way we will suffer as Christians (1Pet 4-16). There is also suffering in the process of fulfilling His purpose, because of the sacrifices we must make to accomplish his will, simply because it diametrically opposes the world. See also: suffering; Col 1-24; 37k KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 1-24,25 (14b) Servant >> Servants expend themselves to please God (44l) Judgment >> Transformation process >> Fulfill your ministry >> Make sacrifices (236a) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> All things are for your sake >> We are fighting for you >> Our suffering is for your sake Col 1-24 (37k) Judgment >> Jesus emptied Himself >> Now it’s our turn – Did Jesus not suffer enough that Paul had to fill up that which was lacking in Christ’s afflictions? You could say that the things Paul suffered were the same kind of things Jesus suffered: persecution, misunderstanding and rejection, along with various kinds of physical, mental and spiritual anguish. By filling up that which was lacking in Christ’s afflictions, Paul was referring to the combination of suffering both of Christ and the Church throughout the centuries, placing them into one basket and calling them the suffering of Christ. If we assigned a value to the cumulative suffering, the more we suffered for Christ, the closer we would bring that value to fruition, hence the sooner Jesus would return to establish His millennial kingdom. One day the Church will suffer no more, for the sufferings of Christ will be fulfilled; God will close the door on the world and start a new beginning where pain and suffering no longer exist. See also: suffering; Col 1,24-29; 148k (42k) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Conform to the glory of Christ’s death (95l) Thy kingdom come >> Positive attitude about suffering >> Suffering under the hand of God (117a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Rest in Jesus (Sabbath) >> Rest in His yoke by dying to self >> Working the rest of God (125c) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Joy >> Joy is the result of investing in the kingdom >> Investing in a life of adversity (134a) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Your body >> Mediator between the natural and the spiritual realms >> Manifesting the Kingdom of God through obedience (136b) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ >> Similarity in the body >> The body suffers together (136f) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ >> Jesus’ fleshly body >> Our flesh enters Jesus’ sacrifice (188f) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Suffering >> Suffering righteousness (189b) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Holy sacrifice >> Holy offering -- This verse goes with verse 28 (229ia) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Partaking of Jesus’ suffering >> Suffering as a Christian Col 1-25 (4e) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Being accountable in your stewardship – What was Paul's stewardship? The Lord Himself met him on the road to Damascus, and He appointed him an apostle and evangelist of the gospel at that very moment, and as he sought to fit into God’s purpose he obtained an anointing to accomplish the work. So the mission to save souls, the tools to complete the mission and the Church that resulted from God's work in Paul were all part of his stewardship. (14a) Servant >> Servants of God’s word (44d) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Complete >> Finish the course – Paul preached to the world hoping some would get saved, and he preached to the Church hoping all would mature in the faith. Paul was not doing his own will but was fulfilling a ministry that God had given him. These were the good works that God had prepared for him before the foundation of the world (Eph 2-10), and he was faithful and fruitful in his stewardship. He had no ownership in the Church; it did not belong to him; he worked for Christ, and it was Paul’s aim to fully carry out his mission. (44k) Judgment >> Transformation process >> Fulfill your ministry in evangelism >> Complete your mission (71g) Authority >> Ordained by God >> Ordained by His sovereign will >> God chooses you (115d) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through your ministry >> Through your calling >> In preaching the gospel (219b) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> The elect >> Man is a spectator of his own salvation >> Man is not in control of God’s calling KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 1,26-29 (115c) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through your ministry >> Through your calling >> To build up the body of Christ – Paul’s method of keeping the saints in the faith and presenting them complete in Christ was through unity. He did this laboring and striving by the power of God that works mightily within him. If the power of God is working mightily within him, then why does Paul need to labor and strive? It is not just God doing the work, and it is not just Paul doing the work, but both are working together to present the saints complete! Paul is working with the grace of God to bring about, “unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man” (Eph 4-13). If the absence of light is darkness, then the absence of unity is apostasy. The Church is precisely in that state, and for this reason, endtime prophecy is ready to be fulfilled, yet no one is willing to talk about it. Christendom has forsaken unity, which in turn has failed to keep the saints alive in the faith, but has instead turned faith into the religious institutions of men (Mat 15-8,9). (132b) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is in God’s people >> spirit of God in the spirit of man >> Spirit of Jesus Col 1-26,27 (108i) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Revelation of Jesus Christ >> Revelation of the mysteries of God (210j) Salvation >> Jews and gentiles are being saved >> Gentiles included >> Fellow heirs with Israel (Spiritual Jew) >> God welcomes the Gentiles to the promise of Israel (229j) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Partaking >> Partaking of Jesus >> Partaking of Jesus’ gift -- These verses go with verses 19-24 (231e) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Mystery of godliness >> Revelation of Jesus is the mystery of the kingdom >> Jesus is the mystery of the kingdom (244k) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm is imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Literal manifestation of God’s word >> Obedience is the manifestation of truth (249h) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> The infinite and eternal wealth of God >> Being rich in Jesus (254j) Trinity >> Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is equal with the Holy Spirit >> Salvation of Jesus’ Spirit – Paul talks about the mystery of Christ, which has been hidden from past ages and generations, but now has been manifested to the saints, to whom God willed to make known the mystery of Christ dwelling in us in the Holy Spirit, mentioned also in Rom 8,9-11. This means that Christ and the Holy Spirit are one, except that they hold different offices within the trinity. Prior to Christ sacrificing Himself and the Father raising Him from the dead, the Holy Spirit was unavailable to believers. In the Old Testament the prophets and some of the kings of Israel were anointed, such as King David and Samuel the prophet, but in the new covenant the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in every believer as the blessing of the new covenant, which is the main reason the new covenant is better than the old. Rev 1-6 says He has "made us kings and priests unto God and his Father" (KJV), meaning all who believe in Jesus receive His Spirit as leaders of God’s Church and followers of Christ. Col 1-27 (121f) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Hope >> Expectation >> Expecting good things based on God’s character >> Expectation based on God’s generosity KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 1-28,29 (35h) Gift of God >> God gives Himself to us >> The anointing (130h) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Committed to caring for the needs of the body >> Commitment stimulates intimate bonding – The pastor keeps the flock believing in Jesus and does everything in his power to increase their faith. Unity itself shepherds the flock of God, giving the saints a ministry that will keep their faith alive and growing in the knowledge of God. For the people in assembly to be mere recipients of the pastor’s weekly sermons makes Christianity that much steeper an uphill climb for spiritual maturity. Hoping the saints will continue in the faith without attempting to establish unity is just asking for spiritual catastrophe, yet this is the formula that most churches follow, simply because it is convenient for the clergy. The pastor is not responsible for assigning ministries to people, for only God knows His will for each person. The saints are responsible for discerning their own ministries from God and fulfilling them, while the pastor is responsible for giving place to their ministries and guiding the overall direction of the Church. Col 1-28 (6k) Responsibility >> Protecting the Gospel >> Persuade men that Jesus is the Christ (8e) Responsibility >> Prepare to Interact with God >> Prepare to meet Jesus by living a holy life (44f) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Transformed >> Completing the will of God – A person is complete in Christ when he is born-again, believes in the doctrines of salvation and has applied them to his life and is growing in faith and love. Paul admonished every man with the teachings of Christ through the wisdom of the Spirit. (89g) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Wisdom is the key that unlocks the mysteries of God (105d) Thy kingdom come >> Pure in heart >> Secrets of His heart are disclosed (137m) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Maturity >> Maturing with our brothers >> Employing your gifts to mature the body (Spiritual fellowship) – If the pastor does not give his parishioners anything to do (beyond tithing), how can they grow? The Bible calls us little children, because when it comes to spiritual things we are like children. For example, if we don’t put something in the hand of preschoolers, they will find something to do on their own and probably injure themselves with it. Little children are very tactile in their learning style and need to see, feel, hear, taste and smell things before they can understand them. If we don’t give them these experiences, they will quickly grow tired and bored and proceed to tear down their environment in frustration. The same is true with the saints; we need to learn by experience, not just how to fold and unfold tables and chairs, but give a real ministry to those who are seeking higher levels of spiritual maturity that will keep us all in the faith. It will keep us excited about Jesus and about our hope of eternal life and interested in one another, and the bonds of unity will grow. (139g) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> We build the temple through Christ (189b) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Holy sacrifice >> Holy offering -- This verse goes with verse 24 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 1-29 (91a) Thy kingdom come >> The called >> God’s purpose for us is to fulfill His calling >> Walk in the anointing to fulfill God’s purpose (100f) Thy kingdom come >> Diligence >> Diligence in working the grace of God – There are all kinds of teachings in the Church telling us how to be filled with the Spirit; we should therefore instinctively know that it has something to do with obeying the Holy Spirit. Whether it is repentance regarding sin or performing acts of righteousness, whatever He is calling us to do, we need to do it. If there is sin in our lives and God is calling us to get rid of it, we should become free of its bondage. Our conscience will be defiled until we act on His voice in our inner man. If we follow the Holy Spirit in repentance, we will essentially be working (with) the grace of God to overcome those obstacles, and this is also how we are filled with the Spirit. The Scriptures fully support the process of substitution; God doesn’t command us to get rid of sin without replacing it with His righteousness. His goal and purpose is for us to seek the freedom of Christ, the more freedom the more Spirit-filled. His Spirit replaces bondage with His ability to rise above it. The sins we entertain are an effort to gratify ourselves, but God calls us to rise above these things and seek His freedom instead; He will replace our sin with His anointing. (101l) Thy kingdom come >> Ambitious to promote the Kingdom of God >> Preaching the gospel – If we are willing to acknowledge His calling on our lives, He will fill us with His Spirit and empower us do His will. If we are called as evangelists, then there is no other way to fulfill His calling other than to go and tell people about Jesus. God will evangelize people through us as we communicate His word to them, but He won’t do it without us. Whatever our calling, if we refuse to walk in it, we are disobeying the Holy Spirit, and that acts as an open door for demons to edit the sound doctrines that we believe and rob us of the true knowledge of God. The demons will help us accept things our flesh would rather believe about God, and this is basically how the doctrines of the Church have slowly evolved over the centuries through disobedience. So the best protection against the devil is to believe the word of God and obey the Holy Spirit. (113h) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Anointed through obedience See next page