Bobby Leonard Podcast

Beware!

Colossians 2:8-15
Beware!

The apostle sees Colossian Christians, whom he has commended and encouraged up to this point in the letter, as facing a great danger of being taken captive by false teaching.

They are in danger of being kidnapped by error.

We would say they were in danger of being taken, hostage! That is something we hear much about in our day.

In several parts of the world today, ordinary tourists may suddenly find themselves taken hostage and denied their rightful liberties.

Paul sees a like danger facing Christians who are taken captive by wrong philosophy, wrong teaching, false doctrine.

Such things can deprive believers of their Christian liberty and hold them hostage for years, if not for the rest of their lives.

The philosophy that threatened the Colossian Christians was a strange mix of early Gnosticism, Greek philosophy, local mystery religions, and Jewish mysticism.


Gnosticism taught that God could not come into direct contact with the material world.

Paul took care to point out that Jesus is God, and He came in the body of His flesh.


The other weapon used Philosophy means simply "the love of wisdom. We are all much indebted to philosophers of the past, to Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, and others, for their keen insights into the nature of reality and life.

The love of wisdom is a good thing in many cases.

What the apostle has in mind here, of course, is the danger the Colossians are facing becasue of bad philosophy.

The Colossian heresy promoted itself as traditional. It could trace some or many of its ideas back to traditions among the Jews or the Greek philosophers or both.

Paul here warned that the tradition of men has no equal authority to the word of God.

The Colossian Christians had to deal with a whole variety of false teaching.

Not only did they have wrong ideas about Jesus, but they also had wrong ideas about things like circumcision.

They were being taught that they had to be circumcised to be right with God. Paul makes it clear that they were circumcised, by putting off the sins of the flesh.

Paul says Gentile Christians find their true circumcision in their baptism.

Christians don’t need to be circumcised, they need to be baptized.

baptism does illustrate our identification with the death and resurrection life of Jesus.

We were buried with Jesus, and buried under the water. We are also raised with Him, and raised up out of the water.

We are not only made alive, but made alive together with Him.

Jesus not only paid for the writing that was against us. He also took it out of the way, and then nailed it to the cross.

He did everything possible to make certain that the handwriting of requirements that was against us could no longer accuse us.

Another aspect of Jesus’ work on the cross is that He disarmed principalities and powers.

These ranks of hostile angelic beings (Romans 8:38, Ephesians 1:21, Ephesians 3:10, Ephesians 6:12) don’t have the same weapons to use against Christians that they have against those who are not in Jesus.

Paul writes this so that we have clarity of mind and thought and we follow what the bible says it is.

Let us pray:
Dear Heavenly father, We commit ourselves to what we have understood about you, your life, and the finished work on the cross. Let not the other elements drive any thoughts in to us. neither tradtions nor philosophies.

In Jesus Name. Amen.

Blessings & Prayers 

Pastor. Bobby Leonard 

Overflow

Serving One Another

Ephesians 5:21  

Serving One Another

Jesus went with his disciples to Gethsemane and asked them to sit while he went and prayed. He fell on His face, and prayed, saying O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup passes from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will. (Matthew 26:36, 39)

Jesus perfectly submitted himself to do his Father's will.

The idea of submission does not have anything to do with someone being smarter or better or more talented.

It has to do with a God-appointed order. Anyone who has served in the armed forces knows that rank has to do with order and authority, not with value or ability.

 In 1 Corinthians 5:1-5, Paul mentions to the Corinthian Christians to submit to his authority and to do something.

Hebrews 13:17, which says Obey those who rule over you and be submissive.

Being filled with the Spirit is what Paul explains in this verse as submitting to one another in the fear of God. The word “fear” refers to reverence for God that affects how we relate to other Christians.

Paul says Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ

As written in 1 Samuel 12:24, Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for considering what great things He has done for you.

Fearing God means that we have awesome respect for who God is. We have no debate with the God of the universe.

We should submit our way, will, affection, thought, desires, and understanding to God, so the conscience guides us to obey Him.

Christ submitted himself to God for our sake. He laid down his life for us. Today with the power of the Holy Spirit we are called to lay down our lives for Christ for the sake of the Gospel.

We must be reminded of two things. First, the Christian must never forget that in every relationship of life, another person is present. Also, in every relationship, the apostle reminds us, a third Person is present—the Lord Jesus Christ.

When we are in a strange situation with another person, we must not fail to see that Christ is amidst us as a third.

It is only when we forget ourselves and devotes ourselves to another's the fulfillment that we find our own hearts running over with grace and satisfaction.

This is one of the fundamental mysteries of life, and it is confirmed to us every day.

But, those who try desperately to satisfy themselves are the ones who end up hollow inside. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it (Matthew 16:25).

Ask yourself:

Have you ever gave in to others?

What is the hardest thing about submitting to someone else?

Do you acknowledge that God is present in your conversation with another?

 

Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, Help us to serve one another and walk in your will. we pray that our life may be one of self-sacrifice and humble praise, for the benefit of our brothers, sisters-in-Christ and to the praise and glorify your holy name - Amen.

Giving Thanks

Ephesians 5:20

Giving Thanks

One morning back In the late 1800s an orphanage with nearly 1000 orphans operated by George Mueller had no food to eat.

He called all the children and staff together and prayed to thank God for the provision of food, even though no food was on the table.

A few moments later a baker knocked on the door. He told Mr. Muller that God had led him to bake bread the night before and give it to the orphanage.

Later, a milkman knocked on the door and said that his milk truck had broken down and he wanted to give the milk to the orphanage.

It took lots of faith for Mr. Muller to thank god even when situations are bad.

We must have the attitude of thanksgiving for all things since these are directed to God the Father in the person of Jesus Christ. 

 

We were born into this world as ungrateful people (Rom. 1:21), the Holy Spirit’s work of transformation includes changing us to grateful people. 

 

In contrast to those in this world who are never content with God’s provision, the true Christian is thankful for everything, even the smallest joys. 

 

Believers understand that we deserve nothing but the Lord’s wrath, so we are thankful for all of our blessings.

In other words, we surrender to the will of God no matter how it hurts. Only a Spirit-filled person can do this.

Our gratitude should take place at all times. We are not to do this once and forget it, as we receive each mercy, we are to give thanks for it.

In Hebrews 13: 15 it says, Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

This is how we are to give thanks. We give thanks by everything that represents who and what Jesus is and did.

Without Christ there is no genuine thanksgiving, Jesus  intercedes for us; therefore, we can give thanks. It was He who earned anything we have.

God’s design is that we thank Him when things go well and when things go wrong.

A Spirit-filled person neither complains nor is sour in his spirit. He is thankful and grateful for what God provides.

Ask yourself :
Are you speaking only the bad that happens to you and forget the good?
Do you complain and murmur for the things that you don't have?

Lets us Pray: Heavenly Father, thank you so much for everything that is in our life. Mold us to become a person that is filled with gratitude for all that we have. Amen.

The Overflowing Life

So then, Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6,7.