Be encouraged
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In Paul’s opening comments in Colossians two and verse one, he clearly affirms his engagement with contradictory circumstances causing him much distress. There is a deep and abiding sensation that has griped his heart, and is therefore endeavoring to aid the body of believers to focus on positive data and be encouraged. It is refreshing to hear someone genuinely concerned about the Christian institution, and one who is addressing the needs with solutions and not condemnation.
The church located in Colossi, as well as Laodicea was contending with discouragement. False doctrines were spreading as an infectious contagion. More and more cults were forming which attacked the credibility of Jesus Christ. Religious groups were coming against the authenticity of Jesus as Messiah, others contesting His Deity, indeed, storms were brewing and Paul felt compelled to incite hope and reaffirm the significance of Christ’s death and resurrection.
Before we look into the specifics of Paul’s message, it behooves you and me to realize the church of the twenty-first century also combats the spirit of the age. There are political and academic schools at work, undermining the Christian institution. Swirling doubt, suspicion and contradiction have taken their toll upon an entire generation. Yes, it is quite disconcerting to see how far we’ve drifted from the core values taught by Jesus Christ. What’s more, we’re witnessing dysfunctional professing believers, which have been a source of embarrassment. No doubt some of us may be dealing with serious reservations, but the message the Apostle gives us is specifically designed to equip the believer in maximizing spiritual success.
Listen to his provocative insight, Colossians two and verse two, “That their hearts might be comforted, ….”. He is utterly convinced that his words are not in vain. Offence had come but he was telling them to not allow what had been such an irritant and so frustrating dominate your sense of well-being. Professing religious people have injured us all. We’ve seen blatant hypocrisy, we have been betrayed and such circumstances can steal our victory. He’s saying to the reader, focus on formulating and sustaining an encouraged heart.
I’m reminded of an incident that took place in Judges twenty and verse twenty-two. The children of Israel had lost a significant battle with Benjamine, loosing twenty two thousand soldiers. They retreated and then began to confer amongst themselves as to how to deal with this situation. In verse twenty-two the Scripture states “and the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves”. Oh, and then they wept and prayed to the Lord for His direction. Ultimately they experienced triumph. Then David in the first book of Samuel, chapter thirty and verse six, state that David and his army had returned to their camp and found it plundered, ransacked and his family taken captive. On top of that his own soldiers were threatening mutiny, but now listen to how he worked through this crisis, “but David encouraged himself in the Lord”. You may feel distressed and perplexed over life’s vicissitudes, but let your heart be comforted in God’s resources.
Now let’s go further into this Colossian text, chapter two and verse two “….being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding,..." and verse three “ In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Wow! He affirms their comfort and encouragement is a real possibility because there is this wholesome bond between the believing body of believers that is described as “love”. Friends, if there is one thing that should set us apart from the mundane world with all its graft, hatred, and self-centeredness, is the awesome love that reinforces our bond of unity. Indeed, as Christians we are to be a source of encouragement to one another.
Then, adding to his emphasis is the realization that we can have total confidence in the way we process life’s difficulties, as we come to know that all the wealth of “wisdom” and “knowledge” is contained in the very person of Jesus Christ. I’m telling you friend, encouragement breeds where there is a sense of confidence and that confidence is the result of the full disclosure of Jesus Christ. This is the haunting symptom of our time as well, so many have turned to the beggarly elements of our material world for some sense of meaning, discarding the Christ who can be fully disclosed in the heart of the passionate believer. Let us therefore follow Him with a sense of discrimination, pushing aside all that might infringe or diminish the wonderment and glorious reality of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Friend, you may have inadvertently picked up this column and have found yourself in a predicament. You’ve been injured by heresy, you’ve seen enough so that your faith has been subdued, but now there is something tugging away at your heart. Be comforted my friend as you focus on Jesus and not the flawed mechanism of human flesh. This same Jesus will make His presence known to you, the mystery solved, as He becomes the Lord of your life.
James Guerrero
Family Worship Center