Hey Everybody! Sorry to bail out on you so suddenly last week. My daughter (Jessica) was given tickets to the Bears/Falcons game…and wonder of wonder, she asked her old man to go with her. How can a guy pass up quality time with his daughter, AND great NFL tickets to boot? We were on the 50 yard line, 8 rows back, right behind the Bear’s bench. Sweeeeeet!!
I’m actually in Jacksonville right now, visiting my two youngest who are in college out here, on my way to a Calvary Chapel Pastor’s day down in Merit Island. Just between us (and seriously, don’t tell anyone), I really dread these events. The guys who attend are all great, it’s not that. It’s that I feel so awkward and out of place because unlike them, I have no clue what I’m doing. Pray for me…I’m such a goon.
Anyway, we’re going to continue our study in Colossians…we’ll be looking at verses 24-29 this Sunday.
Actually, you should read it in the Message as well.
Paul is defending his ministry to people that he hasn’t met face to face. As the chapter wraps up, he explains that his main motivation to to lead people to maturity in their lives in God. As we look at what Paul says about himself, we realize he’s modeling the kind of maturity he wants to see develop in these other believers.
What does maturing in a life with God look like to you? What do you see in Paul’s description of himself and experiences that reveal maturity?
What do you want to look like when you grow up more in God?
Stuff to think about. See yer’ Sundee!
WONDERWHAT 
Wow! I love how Paul was teaching that God wanted “everyone”, not just the “religious”. God doesn’t have favorites. So many seem to get this wrong, don’t they? Whoever wants Christ, no matter what their background, can come to Him and He will indwell us. We can tell everyone, the secret’s out. It is just that simple!!!
Well, I guess if you have to suffer for the gospel, there are worse places than Merritt Island!!
I love the way that Paul hammers home this point; the gospel that we preach is simple — just Jesus, nothing more and nothing less. ” We teach in a spirit of profound common sense……to be mature is to be basic.” Basic?? Simple?? Common Sense?? It would seem that these words are anathema to today’s church. From what I can tell, most churches (and Christians as well) do all they can to attempt to seem anyway but basic or simple or common. New Revelations, breakthrough, next level — this is what we have been told to seek.
Yet Paul, sitting in prison writing to a group he would never see, says, “hang on a minute. this is not the Jesus that we preach. Our message is simple, your hope is that Jesus is in you. Nothing more, nothing less.” Keep it simple guys, keep it simple.