2016-04-15
Good Morning Dear Ones,
After learning the basics of studying the Bible, the Holy Spirit directs me to discuss the history, culture, and geography of Colossae. This information will give us further insight into how and why the early church and faith in Jesus Christ spread the way it did. The book of Colossae is actually a letter written to the people of this little town in Asia Minor (today modern Turkey) by the apostle Paul. Paul was imprisoned when he wrote letters in about 60 AD, probably in Rome, to the Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon. His being under house arrest is described in AC 28: 16-31. These letters were hand-carried to these places by trusted servants of Christ. In the case of Colossians, the letter was delivered by a native son, Epaphras, along with comments from Paul, vetting him as a trusted believer. COL 1: 7-8, “You learned it all from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf and who also told is of your love in the Spirit.”
Several hundred years before Paul’s time, Colossae had been a leading city of Asia Minor. It is located on the LycusRiver on the great east-west trading route leading from Ephesus on the Aegean Sea. By Paul’s time [the first century AD], Colossae had become a second-rate market town surpassed in power and importance by neighboring Laodicea and Hierapolis. During the three years that Paul had been in Ephesus, Epaphras had been converted to Christianity and became a trusted servant of the young and spreading church [AC 19: 9-10].
At this point the church with its teaching, emphasizing the need for recognition that we are all sinners in need of God’s intervention to live righteously [MT 5: 3; RO 3: 23] and the need to genuinely profess faith in Jesus Christ, was in its infancy. This left it vulnerable in the face of the heresies of the day. One that came before full-blown Gnosticism got going is known as the “Colossian Heresy.” Paul’s awareness of such a heresy is implied from statements he made in opposition to false teachers. Some of it’s basic teachings were: 1) Ceremonialism –strict rules about foods and drinks that can be taken, religious festivals [COL 2: 16-17], and circumcision [COL 2: 11; COL 3: 11]. 2) Aceticism –human-crafted rules lacking wisdom but appearing to have it and leading to false humility [COL 2: 21, 23]. 3) Angel worship—something warned against in Biblical truth, [COL 2: 18]. 4) Deprecation of Christ –belittling of Christ as a result of teaching [found in COL 1; 15-20; COL 2: 2-3, 9]. This is a way of expressing disapproval of these teachings. 5) Secret Knowledge—The Gnostics boasted of this [COL 2: 18], and Paul mentions the mystery of Christ, “in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom.” 6) Reliance on human wisdom and tradition—[COL 2: 4, 8]. It’s likely that this was a combination of extreme Judaism and early Gnosticism. This teaching was likely self-imposed worship by false teachers and not of divine origin. (At the appropriate time, we will examine Gnosticism more closely, the heresy that arose in this time and competed for people’s minds with the early church).
It isn’t hard to see why Paul had worries about the people accepting divine truth in the face of all this opposition. He had been raised in a devoutly Jewish family and had received a very thorough Jewish education. From his writing, one can see that he took plenty of time considering all the opposition to what he would say to the people, coming up first with answers to it as he went along. He knew the Tenach [OT] well. PS 119: 70-71, “Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in Your law. It was good for me to be afflicted, so I might learn Your decrees.” He took the attitude that leaders I respect have, seen in IS 6: 8b, “And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!” It’s not “I want to go here and do this…., but instead, “I will take on whatever task You have for me, send me where You will,” to God. Isaiah was realistic; he knew his task for God would not come easy, because God had hardened their hearts. IS 6: 9-10, “He said, ‘Go and tell this people: ‘Be ever-hearing, but never understanding: be ever seeing, but never perceiving . Make the heart of this people calloused; made their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.’”
Like Isaiah, Jesus was sensitive to the need to teach people to look for the signs of the end of the age, to be willing to listen, look for, and obey His teaching--- our need to be watchful. MK 13: 5, “Watch that no one deceives you. Many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many.” Jesus goes on to describe “Nation will rise against nation; kingdom against kingdom” (8-9). In (15), He warms, “Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak.” The urgency for us to see what is happening and understand well enough to obey Christ’s warnings was there in His time and still remains with us. He tells us in (23), “Be on guard. I have told you everything ahead of time.”
PRAYER: O Lord, today You have focused our attention on the truth, that we must be alert to false teaching. We are to know Biblical truth well enough to recognize it when it is being carried out, and see our need to cooperate with You in the sanctification process. All these things help us to see that the time before the end of the age is limited, and we need to be prepared for it. Daily study of Your word helps us to be ready for those times when Biblical truth is being refuted. We learn Your will for our lives and what we need to know to be obediently faithful to You. 2 TIM 3: 16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be fully equipped for every good work.” We do not want to be like the five virgins who never lit their lamps in preparation for the wedding feast of the Bridegroom [MT 25: 1-13]. Moreover, You not only speak to us through study of Your word, but listen to all our prayers and answer them [PS 116: 1]. You are here with us, living among us, ready to interact with us whenever we need You. Praying often, asking for Your help and remembering to thank and praise You for the blessings we’ve already received enriches our spiritual lives. You love us beyond measure, and we don’t even deserve it. As sinners we are called to cooperate with You in sanctification, by revealing, genuinely confessing, and expunging our sins from our lives. We acknowledge Your loving and tender heart, Your plan to lead us to eternal salvation and peace. We offer up our thanks and praise to You forever! In the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m commanded to continue discussing the cultural and spiritual life of Colossae. Understanding this historical, cultural, geographic, and spiritual background gives us insight into the concerns Paul had, leading him to write the letter that became the book of Colossians. In the meanwhile, today’s devotion touched on some key topics –some of which still impact us today. We can learn a lot from studying this kind of history of the past, about human responses to divine truth and false teaching, about the geography of a region and how it impacts its economy, and how to avoid repeating the same mistakes over and over again that people made in the past. God has revealed Biblical truth in such a way that we can recognize lies when faced with them. HE 4: 12-13 reveals important reconnaissance that can lead us to better choices in the future. “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any doubled-edge sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account.” This is nothing to evoke fear, but instead, should give us confidence that Christ will be a fair Judge, one who knows the fears we have and cares deeply for us. He sees all and lets us feel His loving presence and experience His gentle, wise intervention. We need never feel like we are abandoned and unloved. Our Savior is here for us whenever we call upon Him, day or night any day of the year. We are truly a blessed people when we have faith in Him! Praise and thanks be to our Lord Jesus!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2015. All Rights Reserved.
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