Friday December 19, 2014

Read Colossians 4:7-18

In the ancient world the law of association meant that if you were found associating with a known criminal then you could be charged with the same crime! The idea, of course, was to deter people from associating with criminals.

This becomes shocking when we realise that Christianity was a crime in many areas. Even so, we do not see Christians hiding away from each other or avoiding each other. We do not see Paul rotting in jail alone and forgotten.

As you read these verses it’s clear that such laws did very little to stop Christians from fellowshipping together and from supporting one another. Tychicus willingly took the news of Paul to the Colossians. Onesimus, a fellow Colossian, went joyfully with him. And from the church where Paul wrote, heartfelt greetings in the Lord were sent to the church in Colossae. Love was the key element in all relationships.

Of particular note is Epaphras who is also a Colossian, probably the one who initially took the Gospel to the city. We read about him in vs 12-13

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.

The reality for the believers in the first century was that Christ came first, the family of God came second and everything else was placed down the list. Paul and others even put their own lives on the line for the sake of the Gospel. They were so convinced that Christ is the answer that they willingly loved each other and suffered for each other so that the answer might be proclaimed in all the earth.

In Australia we may not have such barbaric laws seeking to stop the spread of the Gospel but we have barriers none the less. Our busyness forms a barrier. Often we are too busy to fellowship, to pray together and to meet on the Lord’s Day. Our wrong priorities form a barrier. Our willingness to put God’s people way down the list and to miss church every second or third week prevents the Gospel from being spread to all the earth.

We need to recapture the love of God/Christ that Paul and the first century believers had. We need to recall that passion  and zeal that once pierced our hearts and drove us forward in Gospel ministry. How can we recapture that passion and zeal? Let’s start by meditating on the Word and by getting excited about Christmas. Let’s start by inviting as many people as we can to our Christmas service and seeking God’s conversion in their lives. Let’s start by spurring one another on to love and good deeds as we celebrate the coming of the Saviour into our world.

Prayer:

Based on today’s reading spend time in...

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

à Ask the Lord to bring each person you invite to your Christmas service and to work powerfully in them, granting them repentance and faith in Jesus.

à Pray that churches across the land would faithfully proclaim Jesus this Christmas.

Witness Moment:

The way you fellowship with believers witnesses Christ to the world. Read John 13:34-35 and you’ll see the truth!