February 27
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WATCH OUT FOR DECEPTION, HUMAN TRADITIONS AND EMPY PHILOSOPHIES!
8 See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the elementary principles of the world, rather than in accordance with Christ. – Colossians 2:8
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In this passage, Paul addresses the issue of the heresies that the Colossians were surrounded with during the time Paul was writing this letter. Like a protective father, he was doing his best to guard his flock, those believers that were assigned to him by God Himself.
While Paul had probably passed through Colossae on his second missionary journey, he didn’t found the church at Colossae — directly. Rather, it was founded by Epaphras, whom Paul mentions in this letter. So, it may have been Epaphras who reported to Paul what was threatening the church in Colossae: heresies and deception. Dr. Ralph Wilson states in his introduction to the Colossians that the heresy have the following elements: a belief system that was hollow and deceptive, based on human traditions not godly ones, elemental spiritual forces underlying the system, not a Christ-centered teaching, ascetic disciplines are encouraged, Jewish food restrictions followed, angel worship, visionary experiences are flaunted, proud false teachers, rule-keeping, Christ is being maligned, Gnosticism and Stoicism are practiced. David Guzik comments that the Colossian heresy promoted itself as traditional. It could trace some or many of its ideas back to traditions among the Jews or the Greek philosophers or both. Paul here warned that the tradition of men has no equal authority to the word of God.
The letter of Paul emphasizes the importance of the Gentile believers in Colossae to be watchful of these heresies that they are being attacked with. He wants them to focus their eyes on the teaching of Christ so that they will not be easy prey for these heretics.
It is interesting to hear from Paul his concerns with the Colossian church. Aren’t our current churches being faced with the same heresies from the world system and other philosophies, cultural and political traditions that are not Christ-centered and are mostly false and deceptive? So many believers have been led astray by these people who claim that they are teaching the gospel of Christ, when they are actually just using the name of Jesus to propagate their heresies and create much chaos and corruption in our world? Many spiritual leaders themselves are the ones instigating all these heresies.
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REFLECTION
• What can a true believer do in order to bring back to light those who are misled?
Monthly Archives: February 2021
BE ESTABLISHED IN YOUR FAITH ILMA’S VLOG
February 26
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BE ESTABLISHED IN YOUR FAITH
6 Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. – Colossians 2:6-7
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Paul presents to the Colossians their responsibilities and what is expected of them when they accepted the Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 6, he admonished them to walk in Him. In other words, since we are given a new life in Christ, we are expected to follow and go by His teachings and truth.
In the gospel of Luke, we are given the criteria for being a follower or disciple of Jesus such as:
• They must be able to give up all the things they love and make Jesus their priority
• They must be ready to give up their lives for the sake of Jesus’ purpose
• They must be able to suffer or carry their cross
• They must be able to count the cost of being a believer
Luke was a close friend of Paul, who referred to him as “the beloved physician” (Colossians 4:14). Paul also refers to Luke as a “fellow laborer” (Philemon 1:24). Luke joined Paul in Troas in Asia Minor during Paul’s second missionary journey (Acts 16:6–11). Luke was left in Philippi during the second missionary journey (Acts 17:1) and picked up again to travel with Paul in the third journey (Acts 20:5). Luke accompanied Paul on his journey to Jerusalem and Rome and was with him during his imprisonment there (2 Timothy 4:11). He was a disciple of Paul but the way he explains the cost of being a follower is probably what it means to “walk with Jesus.”
Paul emphasizes in this letter to be rooted in Christ, which means to constantly abide in Him, following all his teachings and living the same life Jesus led for all believers to follow. Luke gives us a parable of the ten lepers in his gospel which focuses on the importance of gratitude and Paul resounds the same words to the Colossians.
We know that the writers of the bible were all inspired by the Holy Spirit and used by God to bring truth about Christ. According to Jonathan Petersen on his article on “When was each book of the Bible Written?” The gospel of Luke and the Letter to the Colossians were written in the same time period between AD 60-62. Luke must have been discipled by Paul himself and so we see how in sync they were in their teachings about Christ.
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REFLECTION
• Can you say that you are established in your faith in Jesus? Why or why not?
ASSURANCE OF YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST
February 25
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ASSURANCE OF YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have in your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and that they would attain to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this so that no one will deceive you with persuasive arguments. 5 For even though I am absent in body, I am nevertheless with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your orderly manner and the stability of your faith in Christ.
– Colossians 2:1-5
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In this letter, Paul reminds the Colossians about how it is a struggle for him not be able to see them personally, but he still encourages them to continue in their faith. He tells them how important it is to be united and live-in harmony with one another in love. He brings them reminders of hope. Since Christ lives inside them, they will have the full assurance that all the mystery will slowly be revealed to them as they continue to abide in Jesus. In verse 3, he tells them that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge can only be found in the teaching of God’s truth. If they cling to their faith and stand on God’s promises, they will never be deceived by anyone teaching them false gospel or teachings. They will be sure that their faith will grow and they will be securely grounded on Jesus’ love and truth.
David Guzik comments that Paul wanted to encourage the Colossians because he was concerned about their enthusiasm. He knew that discouraged, downcast Christians are easy prey for the world, the flesh, and the devil. Barclay comments that Paul uses the word “paraklein”. Sometimes that word means to comfort, sometimes to exhort, but always at the back of it there is the idea of enabling a person to meet some difficult situation with confidence and gallantry.” Paul wanted these Christians to be fit for heroic action.
It is impossible to grow in one’s faith if there is no assurance coming from the truth that Jesus gave up his life so that we can be free from the sin that separated us from God. No other human can bring that kind of stability in once life. Jesus is the stable foundation where we can anchor our hope and our lives.
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REFLECTION
• How can your assurance in Christ be shown in your life for others to see Jesus?
FULLY CARRY OUT THE PREACHING OF THE WORD OF GOD
FEBRUARY 24
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FULLY CARRY OUT THE PREACHING OF THE WORD OF GOD
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I am supplementing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions in behalf of His body, which is the church. 25 I was made a minister of this church according to the commission from God granted to me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, 26 that is, the mystery which had been hidden from the past ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His saints, 27 to whom God willed to make known what the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose I also labor, striving according to His power which works mightily within me.
– Colossians 1:24-29
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In this letter, Paul shows the Colossians that he rejoices in his suffering for the sake of being able to fully fulfill his commission from God as a minister of the church. The world and unbelievers will never understand the importance of rejoicing in the midst of suffering. It is very hard to grasp the Spirit’s work when one does not believe in God. The world’s perspective regarding suffering is to avoid it whereas in God’s economy, we need to go through it so we can endure and mature spiritually. Without suffering, we will all be shallow and superficial. It is the pain that makes us endure and press on to God. Paul talks in verse 25 how he was commissioned by God to fully carry out the preaching of the word of God. He speaks about the honor that was given to him as God gave him this responsibility to reach out to the Gentiles, to bring them into the kingdom of light by preaching the true gospel. In verse 27, Paul explains to them the mystery of Christ revealed: that Jesus is the wealth that we possess when we accept Him in our hearts. That the mystery is that Jesus is in every believer and that there is hope that all believers will experience the same glory that Christ has. In verse 28, Paul says that we need to proclaim and preach the Good News of Christ’s act of sacrifice to bring us out of the kingdom of darkness into God’s light. He reminds us all believers of our responsibility to preach the word of God and fully carry out what Christ has begun. He started a good work in all of the believer’s heart. We are all expected to follow through with our assignment in the carrying out of preaching the word of God throughout the ends of the earth.
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REFLECTION
• How far have you obeyed this mandate to preach the Good News to all mankind?
THE AIM OF RECONCILIATION ILMA’S VLOG
February 22
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HE WHO RECONCILES ALL THING TO HIMSELF
18 He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. – Colossians 1:18-20
________________________________________In verse 18, Paul continues to explain to the Colossians that Christ is the head of the church. He points out some truths about the relationship between the church and Christ. Jesus Christ is the head of the church. In other words, just like our head is the one that dictates the other parts of our body, the parts cannot function without the head. What the head says, the body follows. Jesus serves as the Master of the church. He heads it and has authority over it. Without Christ, the church is powerless. He is the Spirit that guides the church in order for it to live and function. Barclay comments that without Christ, the church cannot think the truth, cannot act correctly, cannot decide its direction. There are two things combined here. There is the idea of privilege. It is the privilege of the Church to be the instrument through which Christ works. There is the idea of warning. If a man neglects or abuses his body, he can make it unfit to be the servant of the great purposes of his mind; so, by undisciplined and careless living the Church can unfit herself to be the instrument of Christ, who is her head. Barclay comments further that Christ is the beginning of the Church. The world is the creation of Christ and the Church is the new creation of Christ. She is his new creation by water and the word. Jesus is also the beginning of resurrection and the first in everything. Barclay says that there are four great facts about Jesus Christ in his relationship to the Church, which now we can put in order. He is the living Lord; he is the source and origin of the Church; he is the constant director of the Church; and he is the Lord of all, by virtue of his victory over death.
Because of the sacrifice on the cross by Jesus, we are reconciled to God the Father and we are going to be able to have all that God promised those who abide in Christ and all those who are members of the body of Christ. What a great privilege it is and an honor to be a believer!
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REFLECTION
• Why is the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross the only way to be reconcile to God?
IN HIM ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER ILMA’S VLOG
February 21
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IN HIM ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER
13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: 16 for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. – Colossians 1:13-17
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In these passages, Paul is giving the Colossians a picture of who Jesus is. In verse 13, he describes how we are all in a realm of obscurity and here, Paul describes that it was Jesus, who brought that light and moved us away from this domain of darkness into God’s kingdom. In verse 14, Paul focuses on the salvific power that Jesus gave us so we can be forgiven from our sins. In verse 15, Jesus was described as the actual image of the God whom no one has ever seen and also that he is the very first created among all creation.
Verse 16 is one of the most important description of who Jesus is. He is the reason for the creation of all things in heaven and on earth, both seen and unseen are and it was through Him that things were created. It is in this verse that we get a picture of the other things that were created that we don’t visibly see such as thrones, dominions, rulers and authorities. Barclay comments on verse 16 as: This is true of things in heaven and things in earth, of things seen and unseen. The Jews themselves, and even more the Gnostics, had a highly-developed system of angels. With the Gnostics that was only to be expected with their long series of intermediaries between man and God. Thrones, lordships, powers and authorities were different grades of angels having their places in different spheres of the seven heavens. Paul dismisses them all with complete indifference. He is in effect saying to the Gnostics, “You give a great place in your thinking to angels. You rate Jesus Christ merely as one of them. So far from that, he created them.” Paul lays it down that the agent of God in creation is no inferior, ignorant and hostile secondary god, but the Son himself. it is he who holds the world together. That is to say, all the laws by which this world is order and not chaos are an expression of the mind of the Son. The law of gravity and the rest, the laws by which the universe hangs together, are not only scientific laws but also divine. So, then, the Son is the beginning of creation, and the end of creation, and the power who holds creation together, the Creator and the Final Goal of the world.
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REFLECTION
• What is the sign in your life that Christ is the glue that holds all things together?
PRAYER TO BE FILLED WITH SPIRITUAL WISDOM ILMA’S VLOG
February 20
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PRAYER TO BE FILLED WITH SPIRITUAL WISDOM
9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard about it, have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all perseverance and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. – Colossians 1:9-12
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After the salutation and greetings earlier in this letter of Paul to the Colossians, he proceeds to give them a prayer of blessing that they would have an understanding of God’s will, that they will have the wisdom to truly know God and what he requires from them. He gives them a reason for the importance of being worthy of the Lord to please Him in everything. But the bigger reason is for them to be able to bear fruit in each good work they did for the Lord which leads them to increase their knowledge of God and be strengthened by God’s power.
Spurgeon comments “If you read this epistle through, you will observe that Paul frequently alludes to knowledge and wisdom. To the point in which be judged the church to be deficient he turned his prayerful attention. He would not have them ignorant. He knew that spiritual ignorance is the constant source of error, instability, and sorrow; and therefore, he desired that they might be soundly taught in the things of God.”
Paul also prayed that they would live according to the same knowledge they received, living to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. David Guzik comments that this is a familiar pattern, repeated over and over again in the New Testament. Our walk is based on our knowledge of God and our understanding of His will. To be fruitful and every good work and increasing knowledge of God is how we can be totally pleasing to God. In John 15:7-8 it says the “ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” which explains the only way we can bear fruit. As we walk in the Spirit, we learn to have wisdom and the strength to go through all kinds of trials and sufferings and bear perseverance and joy.
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REFLECTION
• Why is spiritual knowledge imperative for a Christian’s growth?
• What is the worst thing that one can happen to someone who is spiritual ignorant?
LOVE IN THE SPIRIT ILMA’S VLOG
February 19
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LOVE IN THE SPIRIT
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,2 To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; 5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel 6 which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth; 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, 8 and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.
– Colossians 1:1-8
________________________________________According to the custom of letter writing in those days, the sender or author of the letter signs their names first. So, here, we know that it was Paul writing the letter and he is with Timothy his brother or brethren. Notice how he mentions his authority as an apostle of Christ assigned directly by God. Then the next part of the letter states who the letter was addressed to. In this case it was the believers in Colossae. According to David Guzik’s commentary, Paul wrote the letter while in Roman custody, probably from Rome and around A.D. 63. In Colossians 2:1, we get a hint that Paul hasn’t been to Colossae himself.
Because Paul was an apostle of Christ, he had the authority to write them instructions in this letter to the believers in Colossae. Vaughn says that the literal meaning of Apostolos in “one sent”; but at its deepest level, it denotes an authorized spokesman for God, one commissioned and empowered to act as his representative. Timothy was included in the salutation though he wasn’t an apostle. He was a brother in Christ to Paul. Paul addresses the believers in the city of Colossae which was probably the smallest city that he wrote to. But Paul thinks that the situation there was important enough for apostolic attention.
Paul must have had concerns about the Colossian heresy and wrong doctrines infiltrating the church, so he thought it was something he needed to dealt with. He mentions Epaphras in verse 7 who gave Paul a good report of their love in the Spirit.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it important for us to have a love in the Spirit?
• What happens if we do not have this kind of love?
GOD SUPPLIES ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES ILMA’S VLOG
February 18
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GOD SUPPLIES ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES
19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. 22 All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. – Philippians 4:19-23
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Paul ends this this letter to the Philippians with a promise that God will look after all their needs based on all His riches in glory through Christ. Spurgeon comments on verse 19 “He says to them, ‘You have helped me; but my God shall supply you. You have helped me in one of my needs-my need of clothing and of food: I have other needs in which you could not help me; but my God shall supply all your need. You have helped me, some of you, out of your deep poverty, taking from your scanty store; but my God shall supply all your need out of his riches in glory.’” Spurgeon thought that this verse was a great illustration of that wonderful miracle in 2 Kings 4:1-7, where Elisha told the widow to gather empty vessels, set them out, and pour forth the oil from the one small vessel of oil she had into the empty vessels. She filled and filled and miraculously filled until every empty vessel was full. David Guzik comments “All our need is like the empty vessels. God is the one who fills the empty vessels. According to His riches in glory describes the style in which God fills the empty vessels – the oil keeps flowing until every available vessel is filled. By Christ Jesus describes the how God meets our needs – our empty vessels are filled by Jesus in all His glory. Because the Philippians had given more than they could afford, with the right heart, God is going to top that giving.Paul closes the letter with a praise to God, a doxology, giving glory to the Father and giving his warm regards to all the believers in Philippi. Paul always ends with giving them the blessing of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to be with them always. Probably all Christians could learn from the Philippians in terms of giving. God blesses those who give generously from their hearts. He gives them back lavishly because he is a loving and generous God who takes delight when we honor what is important to Him. He wants believers to take partnership with those who are working for the gospel to be spread throughout the ends of the earth.
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REFLECTION
• How did God supply your needs when you supported the spreading of the gospel?