Colossians 1

Now on to the last of these four short letters to churches from Paul. Colossians is about how Jesus is God and the only one we need. It teches how to behave like a Christian and live as an example of this. It also discusses proper sexual guidelines and family life. Chapter One: http://www.esvbible.org/Colossians+1/

Paul starts with his usual greeting to the Church at Colossae and informs them that Timothy helped him write this letter.

Paul tells the Colossians that he always prays for them in his prayers. The Colossians have done a great job in having strong faith in Jesus Christ and sharing love for all believers. He credits their success in these areas to the hope that they have in Heavenly matters. When Paul reminds them that the Good News is the truth and the reason for their faith, he takes the opportunity to discuss how well it's spreading around the world rapidly. Nothing can stop God's work because He is the all powerful. Because of the Good News, the Colossians truly learned what God's grace is all about. Unlike most of the churches that Paul writes to, he did not originally introduce the Word to the Colossians. A man Paul knows named Epaphras taught them. Paul informs the church that he has since become a very trustworthy deacon and told the other church members about what the Spirit is doing in the lives of the Colossians. Next, Paul explicitly states what he prays for them about. This prayer could be applied to us still today. We should strive to live like we belong to the Lord. By doing so, we will please Him in every way as we grow in the Fruits of the Spirit. Paul prays that we face all things with joy no matter how hard they may seem to endure. Finally, thank God that we can share the light, which is the inheritance to all of the people of God.

Again, we should rejoice that we know the Lord because He cares so much about each and every one of us that He plucked us out of sin and darkness and brought us into His kingdom through His Son. He sent His only Son to die so that our sins could be forgiven. That was the only way things could happen. God can't live with sin, and since our Jesus paid the price for our sins, we no longer live with them. Jesus is the image of the God that we cannot see and the first creation. Then, He created all things in Heaven and on Earth. Everything has been created through Him and for Him. Because He existed before everything, He is the glue that holds it all together. Additionally, He is the head of the church and the beginning since He is the first to come back to life. The time of Christ is a major turning point. BC became AD in the years (after the fact but still signifying that this is important), and the Old Testament is every important spiritual happening before Christ, and now we have the New Testament which is everything stating with the preparation of Christ's birth. All of that boils down to Christ is the beginning of the new era. Once, you were lost to sin because the Bible explicitly states that we all were. But God knew there was a way to reconcile we the people to God the Father. He had to send His beloved Son to act as a blood sacrifice. Jesus was happy to take on this task so that we can stand before God sinless and blameless as long as we have faith in Jesus. You've heard the Good News, and it is so much the truth that people have devoted their lives to serving the one who wrote it and spreading it around.

Paul says that he does not mind suffering now because our time here on Earth is short. He says he will complete the sufferings of Christ. Because Christ does not ask us to do anything that He did not do Himself, when we suffer, we should just remember how much more He suffered. God tasked Paul with revealing to the people the mystery that was God. Now, he continues to give every human being a task to complete. In the past, He was very elusive, but now He lives in all of those who have faith. Paul and his followers teach the Good News because they hope to present all people as mature Christians before the Lord.