COLOSSIANS BIBLE
STUDIES |
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Worship, Humility, and
Self-Denial Challenged by Paul
Warns of Persuasive Preachers
Reveals Secret of Christian Growth
Proclaims Christ the Essence of All
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The Colossians Bible Studies
challenges the religious practices of most church systems and Christians in
their worship, their humility, and their self-denial.
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In one of the most provocative letters written
by Paul, the letter to the Colossians challenges the religious practices
of the visual church in every generation. He specifically named
worship, humility, and self-denial (2:23) as practices that destroy the
vitality of the believer's relationship with Christ. Although many
modern churches thrive on these three activities, Paul boldly declared
"touch not; taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the
using" (2:23). Even though they seem like the things that men
should do, they have no spiritual benefit (2:23).
Paul made these challenging statements
after giving the Colossians four warnings. He first stated that all
believers could be present "holy and unblameable and unreproveable"
to the Father through Jesus Christ (1:23). Believers could
continually be presented to the Father "if [they would] continue in
the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the
gospel . . ." (1:23). With "moved away" meaning
"to be stirred to another place," Paul was warning the
Colossians that the possibility of their downfall would come from being
stirred away from the gospel.
In Paul's second warning, he stated how
that stirring would occur: "And this I say, lest any man should
beguile you with enticing words" (2:4). The danger of delusions
("beguile") would come from persuasive language" (enticing
words"). Stirring, persuasive, charismatic preachers would be
the means of their fall.
The third warning of Paul stated the reason
why a man would want to use persuasive preaching. He wrote,
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit . .
." (2:8). Men, fond of their wisdom ("philosophy"),
would use persuasive preaching to capture their hearers and carry them
away as booty ("spoil;"). If the enticing preachers were
successful, the people would come under their spell. Their lives
would now be controlled by the preacher.
Finally, Paul warned the Colossians
"let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary [activity] and
worshipping of [the messenger]" (2:18). How the persuasive
preacher would entrap them would be by stirring them into acts of worship,
humility, and self-denial (2:23). Being thus stirred, they would lose the prize ("reward") of the life of Christ (3:4).
The gospel contained in these tapes will
bring the hearer of the Word into the real essence of what it means to
experience the life of God, what it means to be a believer in Christ.
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