Part of the expression of the Gospel is our longing and desire to be around people who don’t look like us. Paul is grateful for all of the different people who are a part of his life. If the Gospel really is the Gospel and if we really are under the lordship of Christ as […]
Paul explained what our mission to the world around us should be. We are to devote ourselves to prayer, relying on God’s power for our lives and his power to proclaim Christ. We are to “be wise” in how we relate to those outside the faith and make the most of every opportunity to point […]
Paul explains that this new life in Christ will shape the way we think and the way we interact with others in our world. He gives us some practical things to be mindful of in the areas of marriage, the home, and the workplace. God’s grace affects every relationship that we have. Pastor Bill West […]
Through Christ, we have been taken from an old way of life apart from God to a new way of life in Christ. We now have the resources and power available to us to leave the old destructive habits and begin to live a new life based on the values and habits of God’s family. […]
Paul emphasizes that our forgiveness is based on Christ’s work on the cross, not our righteousness. He gives a warning for the church to ensure they guard against any sort of false teaching that would seek to convince them to trade in the fullness of the substance they had received in Jesus, for the hollowness […]
It’s easy to be deceived by good sounding philosophies. There are all kinds of false teachings that gather many followers but lead us away from Christ. We need to grow our roots deeper into God’s truth and the truth that in Jesus all the fullness of God resides in him and he has brought us […]
We’re all sinners who were separated from a Holy God. We were his enemies. But NOW, we’ve been reconciled through Christ’s death. The reason the Good News is SO good is that the Bad News is SO bad. Not only can we grow deeper into Jesus, but he also wants to be deeper in us. […]
This week’s Scripture provides us with a better understanding of the uniqueness of Christ, which then gives us a better understanding of the uniqueness and beauty of God. Christ is our Redeemer, who loves and cares for us enough to be a sacrifice for us. He is preeminent, preexistent and an agent of creation. He […]
In this message we explore the introduction and background to the book of Colossians, trying to help us understand Paul’s purpose for the letter and how it relates to our lives. We look at a profound prayer Paul prays for this church that is just as relevant to the church today as it was 2000 […]