I don't think I will plan an April Fool's sermon for this next Sunday. Instead I will begin my sermon series on Colossians. I'm going to start with the idea that in order for a Christian or a congregation to "Live Heavenly Values on Earthly Soil" it must begin with a faithful church. I will start with Paul's introduction, 1;1-2. Paul address his letter "to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae."
Paul sees them as a faithful congregation doing the Lord's will. For those of you who remember reading Gene Getz's book, The Measure of a Church, Paul's introduction and prayer often contain clues about the church's maturity level. For Getz the three words were faith, love, hope. All three of theme are present in Paul's prayer for them (1:4-5). However, these three will be saved for the next sermon where I will talk about the characteristics of a faithful church. I just mention theme here to establish that this is a mature and faithful congregation.
Not sure just yet what direction I'm heading for this lesson. I will begin study tomorrow and see where it takes me.
1 comment:
One interesting thing Paul did in the intro to his letters was take the standard letter writing form and give it a Christian twist. It was standard to open letters with χαριν but Paul changes that to χαρις.
I am not sure it begins with a faithful church. It seems to me that it begins with a faithful Lord who is the model for and head of the church whose response is faithfulness. If it starts with us we are in trouble :) But I know what you are saying.
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