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Colossians 2:1-5
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
ESV
There have been times when I’ve been asked to speak at various camps or to preach at another church, and I always find it very challenging. The challenge comes from the fact that I don’t know the people: where they are in terms of their own spiritual growth or what challenges they face in their context. So, I always find that I need to remember to keep it simple and to center my messages on Jesus. Who He is and what He has done. That’s similar to Paul’s situation. He has some information from Epaphras about what the Colossians are facing, but Paul’s mission is simply to present the gospel and help people come to Jesus. We see this again and again in this letter, and this passage is yet one more encouragement to know Jesus and not to be led astray by false teaching.
In addition to all that, Paul wants to encourage the believers and help them be united in love because of the witness they bring to everyone around them. A united body in Christ is powerful and is an amazing witness to the people that are around Christians.
Unity for us as believers is so important, not just for the witness to others around us, but to us as individual believers as well. We need to be part of a body of faith. We were never created to go it alone. God has always purposed for us to be united with other believers in Christ.
Taking that thought deeper, we also know that God wants us to connect deeply in the church. I think Paul would probably get really frustrated with what we call "church hopping." We were never created to hop from one church to another, just looking for that new experience or something "fresh." Even greater, we were never created to flit around from church to church: going to worship at one church, then connecting with a bible study at another church, and then doing mission work at a third church. A person who does that reveals an immature spirit and an immature understanding of scripture. Don’t get me wrong, a visit here and there to another church or the occasional connection with other believers in work and service is a great thing. What I’m talking about here is a persistent pattern of movement from one place to the next. In that movement, the process of being knitted together as one united body stands little chance.
Part of God’s calling for us is to plant deep roots in the life of the church that both draws strength from the community of faith and imparts strength and encouragement to others who are part of the community of faith. In other words, to invest oneself in a community of faith wholeheartedly: emotionally, presence, caring for and encouraging others, and financially. That's the thrust of what it means to be a disciple of Christ. It's a "both/and" thing where we are both being discipled and discipling others. When a person flits back and forth between churches and church programs, all they are doing is taking and never investing.
Fair warning, though: Putting down deep roots is a long, deliberate process, and there will be times when you get frustrated and are tempted to make a change or look elsewhere. However, know that God is always speaking to us, even in those situations, and if we faithfully pursue Him, there will be wonderful fruit in our lives.
I want to encourage you to grow deep roots with a body of faith, with other believers in a church. In doing so, you will be encouraged and lifted, and as you are knitted together, you will do great things and bear wonderful fruit.
God bless you, and know that you are prayed for constantly!
Scott
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