|
Colossians 1:24-29
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
ESV
This is such a great passage. In this passage we get a sense of Paul’s passion to share the Gospel and his desire that everyone would know Jesus and grow in spiritual maturity. We must remember that Paul is in prison and writing to a group of believers that he has never met, but that doesn’t hinder him at all. He simply can’t stop talking about Jesus even when his circumstances are a struggle.
So what, then, is fueling all this for Paul? What is driving him?
You get the sense that he is totally excited as he writes. He is talking about the fact that we can know Jesus. In verse 27, he says, “Christ in you, the hope and the glory.” That’s it. It’s this amazing, incredible personal relationship with Jesus—Jesus in us, providing hope and bringing about God’s glory. Paul’s mission is simply to present the gospel and help people come to Christ Jesus and grow in spiritual maturity.
Verse 24 is one that I had to dwell on for a bit because it seems as if Paul is saying that something is lacking on the part of Jesus’ suffering for the church. That’s not what Paul is saying at all. Paul sees his suffering as the kind of suffering that Jesus takes on for His church. So, Paul’s suffering isn’t an addition to Jesus ‘suffering, rather it is an extension of that suffering. What Paul is voicing is that what is true of Jesus the Messiah is true of His people. We love that when we think about the resurrection and our hope for the future. However, when it comes to suffering and struggles because of our faith in Jesus, we tend to overlook what Jesus said about being hated and persecuted because of our faith in Him, “In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16.33 and don’t forget Luke 21.17; John 15.18).
I love Paul’s passion for Christians to fully know the word of God, and Paul's great desire is for everyone to grow in spiritual maturity. It makes me think, and it’s easily observed, that people can be “in Christ” and still yet be immature in their faith; neither grasping the depth of relationship with Jesus and all the abundant life the Lord desires to pour out over their lives, or the joy in living out their relationship with Jesus as His missional disciples—knowing, loving, serving, and following where Jesus leads.
Maturity like that takes time and work and commitment on our part to relentlessly pursue our relationship with Jesus; to know Him, to learn and grow and understand everything that we can as sons and daughters of our Lord and King.
But honestly, it’s worth every second spent in that pursuit, to know the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you.
God bless you, and know that you are prayed for this morning.
Scott
|
