| “The Contagious Church” Colossians 4:2-18 Pastor Don Baron |
| Sermons |
Past 4 weeks: Walking thru Colossians
Special for us as we begin a challenging time of transition and
of wonderful new starts
Col. Is for us a review of what we’re all about.
We are a community, an ohana, a family, and we hold
things in common that are far greater than any of our
] differences.
This is not a time to go church shopping – which is so terribly
American – like choosing the supermarket with the
best deals – but which violates all that the NT says
about what Jesus’ ohana is all about.
No, this is a time for rediscovering who we are,
and who He is
and what His plan is for us.
Colossians is a wonderful little document to help us do that.
So is 1st Timothy, which we’ll have a look at in coming weeks.
As we move into the warm closing words of Paul to Jesus’ community
in the city of Colossae, I think if would be good to do a
brief overview of his little letter to them – big picture.
Page ______
1:15-20 - the Massive facts that are the foundation of our life as ohana.
1:21-22 - but these facts are for us.
As people who once were alienated from God, we have now been
reconciled with Him by those facts.
We have been justified.
2:13-15 - not only forgiven & given right standing with God.
Also made alive – re-born – God has become our Father .
His “DNA” has been inserted into us
v. 15 – Satan & his agents were disabled at the cross and have no
claim on us.
3:1-4 Expect a change in lifestyle.
Your heart is set on something new – on Jesus.
He is the new lens thru which you are learning to see life.
Christ is your life – it is beginning to radiate with HIS
own character.
3:5-8 So you find yourself stripping off the awful stuff that once
came so naturally, but which now have become unthinkable
for a person in whom Jesus Christ dwells.
3:12-14 But not merely taking off the old smelly clothing, but
putting on a new outfit.
…simply made up of the things that describe Jesus Himself:
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience,
forgiveness, love.
What we often forget is that every time Paul says “you” in this letter,
He is really saying “y’all” –
And now we come to the close of Paul’s letter.
He is especially warm and personal.
Paul has three areas of strong concern as he says farewell.
They are my areas of concern too:
4:2-4 Prayer.
DEVOTE yourselves to prayer.
“to invest yourself”
I Thess. 5:17 – pray without ceasing.
An attitude, a focus of your heart.
Like in a good marriage – even when you’re apart and busy
with life’s demands, there is an undercurrent of
awareness of the other.
That’s why coming home at the end of the day is so special –
the fulfillment of a wish you’ve had all day, to be with
your beloved.
“be watchful” – like a sentinel on watch – wide awake.
A sentinel is on the front line – he has many lives in his
hands.
He will be the point of contact with the Enemy.
So with the Christian.
You have been appointed a Kingdom sentinel.
Stay awake
Many lives are in your hands, too, both saved and unsaved.
“Being thankful.” – This, too, is an attitude that runs thru your life.
Prayer is not a grim, dry duty
It’s a privilege for you when you remember that you are an
escapee from eternal hell, by His grace alone,
and that there are some special people who will become
escapees like yourself as you hold the Enemy back so that one
day the Savior can get thru to those people.
vv. 3-4 are a reminder that intercession for others should predominate
in your times with God.
- an open door – that God will manipulate the circumstances of
- your friends life to prepare him for the saving Message.
or the circumstances in an entire society such as the Dungan.
Pray for the messengers – our summer team; the Oettings, the
Rusches, our missionaries on every continent.
Special for us as we begin a challenging time of transition and
of wonderful new starts
Col. Is for us a review of what we’re all about.
We are a community, an ohana, a family, and we hold
things in common that are far greater than any of our
] differences.
This is not a time to go church shopping – which is so terribly
American – like choosing the supermarket with the
best deals – but which violates all that the NT says
about what Jesus’ ohana is all about.
No, this is a time for rediscovering who we are,
and who He is
and what His plan is for us.
Colossians is a wonderful little document to help us do that.
So is 1st Timothy, which we’ll have a look at in coming weeks.
As we move into the warm closing words of Paul to Jesus’ community
in the city of Colossae, I think if would be good to do a
brief overview of his little letter to them – big picture.
Page ______
1:15-20 - the Massive facts that are the foundation of our life as ohana.
1:21-22 - but these facts are for us.
As people who once were alienated from God, we have now been
reconciled with Him by those facts.
We have been justified.
2:13-15 - not only forgiven & given right standing with God.
Also made alive – re-born – God has become our Father .
His “DNA” has been inserted into us
v. 15 – Satan & his agents were disabled at the cross and have no
claim on us.
3:1-4 Expect a change in lifestyle.
Your heart is set on something new – on Jesus.
He is the new lens thru which you are learning to see life.
Christ is your life – it is beginning to radiate with HIS
own character.
3:5-8 So you find yourself stripping off the awful stuff that once
came so naturally, but which now have become unthinkable
for a person in whom Jesus Christ dwells.
3:12-14 But not merely taking off the old smelly clothing, but
putting on a new outfit.
…simply made up of the things that describe Jesus Himself:
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience,
forgiveness, love.
What we often forget is that every time Paul says “you” in this letter,
He is really saying “y’all” –
And now we come to the close of Paul’s letter.
He is especially warm and personal.
Paul has three areas of strong concern as he says farewell.
They are my areas of concern too:
4:2-4 Prayer.
DEVOTE yourselves to prayer.
“to invest yourself”
I Thess. 5:17 – pray without ceasing.
An attitude, a focus of your heart.
Like in a good marriage – even when you’re apart and busy
with life’s demands, there is an undercurrent of
awareness of the other.
That’s why coming home at the end of the day is so special –
the fulfillment of a wish you’ve had all day, to be with
your beloved.
“be watchful” – like a sentinel on watch – wide awake.
A sentinel is on the front line – he has many lives in his
hands.
He will be the point of contact with the Enemy.
So with the Christian.
You have been appointed a Kingdom sentinel.
Stay awake
Many lives are in your hands, too, both saved and unsaved.
“Being thankful.” – This, too, is an attitude that runs thru your life.
Prayer is not a grim, dry duty
It’s a privilege for you when you remember that you are an
escapee from eternal hell, by His grace alone,
and that there are some special people who will become
escapees like yourself as you hold the Enemy back so that one
day the Savior can get thru to those people.
vv. 3-4 are a reminder that intercession for others should predominate
in your times with God.
- an open door – that God will manipulate the circumstances of
- your friends life to prepare him for the saving Message.
or the circumstances in an entire society such as the Dungan.
Pray for the messengers – our summer team; the Oettings, the
Rusches, our missionaries on every continent.
It’s lonely and hard out there, and they are OUR messengers.
I especially want to call on all of us at GSLC to take 5 minutes each
day to pray for two major concerns of our ohana:
1. Our new pastor; our pastoral search task force to prostrate
themselves before God as they do their work.
2. For the Dungan people that our team will meet & serve in
July; for the team itself as they equip themselves; for
their faith commitment to trust God for certain
amounts of financial support from friends &
family outside GSLC.
I’m calling on our Cell Servants to see to it that these two things
are prayed over at every single cell meeting until we
have clear answers from God.
4:5-6 – Lifestyle Witness
In v. 5, Paul is speaking of the evangelizing influence of our behavior.
“Make the most of every opportunity” –
If you are a Christian, you are in full-time ministry.
Christ is IN you, and He is full-time ministry.
Furthermore, Christ is your LIFE- not merely your part-time
hobby when other things don’t occupy your attention.
There is no room here for “ghetto Christianity” where all of our
friends are church people and we’ve lost contact with
those who don’t yet know Jesus.
The NATURAL tendency is to lose touch with non-Christians, and
that is tragic.
You and I will have to work intentionally to reverse that trend.
Pray for that during Purpose Time in your cell meetings.
In v. 6, Paul talks about our conversation.
While it’s true that spoken witness is only a small part of our
witness, that doesn’t mean that you don’t need to speak
the word sooner or later.
But Paul’s concern is not just those special moments when you get
to talk with someone about Jesus.
He’s concerned that ALL of our conversation be attractive.
Just think of how many hours a day our mouths are making sounds!
All of those sounds are to be “full of grace & seasoned with salt.”
“Full of grace” or better “full of graciousness” because you know
that the person you’re speaking with is loved by Jesus.
Jesus longs for that person to be in His ohana.
Your graciousness – concern, interest, kindness – will be one
factor in that person coming to faith.
“seasoned with salt”
Have you ever eaten food where the cook forgot to add a little salt?
Bland, unexciting to the palate.
Add the salt, and all the flavors come out.
Salty conversation makes people curious, gives them a desire for more.
May GSLC be a fellowship of people who are practicing beautiful
conversation among themselves with an eye to moving
back out to do the same to those who are not yet in
God’s ohana.
4:7-18 – Corporate Lifestyle Witness
The details of this passage are not as important as the feel you get
as you read it.
Here is a contagious fellowship of people who love their Lord and
one another deeply.
Each person is precious.
Paul knows that the Colossian Christians care, and that they will
be there for the individuals he names.
“See how they love one another” - early church.
Transparency:
I am convinced that people all over the world will not listen if we have the right
doctrine but are not exhibiting community. And there is no use saying you have
community or love for each other if it does not get down into the tough stuff of life.
Francis Schaeffer
Oh, how I pray that people will say the same about us at GSLC.
What a witness that will be in an age when people feel isolated,
Where many no longer have an extended family nearby,
Where divorce has left so many couples in permanent pain,
along with their children.
As a matter of fact, we could fill a book with the stories of people caring
for people at GSCL.
Not always dramatic – but caring actions that confirm that fact that
Jesus Christ is active among us.
Services of love that demonstrate the wonderful presence of the
Holy Spirit in the life of GSLC.
So…
Prayer
Lifestyle Witness
Corporate Lifestyle Witness.
Can we work together to make these things vital among us?
If God is having His way with us in these three areas, then the future
Of this congregation & its mission is bright indeed.
Prayer:
Where will YOU begin?
Prayer?
Lifestyle witness – what will you change in your behavior?
Corporate Lifestyle Witness – how is He calling you to get
Involved in someone else’s life in Jesus’ name?
I especially want to call on all of us at GSLC to take 5 minutes each
day to pray for two major concerns of our ohana:
1. Our new pastor; our pastoral search task force to prostrate
themselves before God as they do their work.
2. For the Dungan people that our team will meet & serve in
July; for the team itself as they equip themselves; for
their faith commitment to trust God for certain
amounts of financial support from friends &
family outside GSLC.
I’m calling on our Cell Servants to see to it that these two things
are prayed over at every single cell meeting until we
have clear answers from God.
4:5-6 – Lifestyle Witness
In v. 5, Paul is speaking of the evangelizing influence of our behavior.
“Make the most of every opportunity” –
If you are a Christian, you are in full-time ministry.
Christ is IN you, and He is full-time ministry.
Furthermore, Christ is your LIFE- not merely your part-time
hobby when other things don’t occupy your attention.
There is no room here for “ghetto Christianity” where all of our
friends are church people and we’ve lost contact with
those who don’t yet know Jesus.
The NATURAL tendency is to lose touch with non-Christians, and
that is tragic.
You and I will have to work intentionally to reverse that trend.
Pray for that during Purpose Time in your cell meetings.
In v. 6, Paul talks about our conversation.
While it’s true that spoken witness is only a small part of our
witness, that doesn’t mean that you don’t need to speak
the word sooner or later.
But Paul’s concern is not just those special moments when you get
to talk with someone about Jesus.
He’s concerned that ALL of our conversation be attractive.
Just think of how many hours a day our mouths are making sounds!
All of those sounds are to be “full of grace & seasoned with salt.”
“Full of grace” or better “full of graciousness” because you know
that the person you’re speaking with is loved by Jesus.
Jesus longs for that person to be in His ohana.
Your graciousness – concern, interest, kindness – will be one
factor in that person coming to faith.
“seasoned with salt”
Have you ever eaten food where the cook forgot to add a little salt?
Bland, unexciting to the palate.
Add the salt, and all the flavors come out.
Salty conversation makes people curious, gives them a desire for more.
May GSLC be a fellowship of people who are practicing beautiful
conversation among themselves with an eye to moving
back out to do the same to those who are not yet in
God’s ohana.
4:7-18 – Corporate Lifestyle Witness
The details of this passage are not as important as the feel you get
as you read it.
Here is a contagious fellowship of people who love their Lord and
one another deeply.
Each person is precious.
Paul knows that the Colossian Christians care, and that they will
be there for the individuals he names.
“See how they love one another” - early church.
Transparency:
I am convinced that people all over the world will not listen if we have the right
doctrine but are not exhibiting community. And there is no use saying you have
community or love for each other if it does not get down into the tough stuff of life.
Francis Schaeffer
Oh, how I pray that people will say the same about us at GSLC.
What a witness that will be in an age when people feel isolated,
Where many no longer have an extended family nearby,
Where divorce has left so many couples in permanent pain,
along with their children.
As a matter of fact, we could fill a book with the stories of people caring
for people at GSCL.
Not always dramatic – but caring actions that confirm that fact that
Jesus Christ is active among us.
Services of love that demonstrate the wonderful presence of the
Holy Spirit in the life of GSLC.
So…
Prayer
Lifestyle Witness
Corporate Lifestyle Witness.
Can we work together to make these things vital among us?
If God is having His way with us in these three areas, then the future
Of this congregation & its mission is bright indeed.
Prayer:
Where will YOU begin?
Prayer?
Lifestyle witness – what will you change in your behavior?
Corporate Lifestyle Witness – how is He calling you to get
Involved in someone else’s life in Jesus’ name?
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
