Foundations: Empowered
Join us as we take a closer look at each building block of FHC’s Mission Statement using the book of Colossians as our lens:
“To be a relationally driven community that seeks to encounter God, empower Christ-centred lives, and faithfully serve others"
Scripture: Colossians 3:11-17
As we peel back the layers of sin, it is inevitable that we are eventually faced with the question of our own identities. In Paul’s last list (verse 11), he describes the layers of identities that we all carry to some degree. These are Nationalism (Greek or Jew), Morality/Piety (Circumcised or Uncircumcised), Culture (Barbarian or Scythian), and Social/Financial Status (Slave or Free). The life of Paul is a testament to the transformative power of Christ as he too once held onto these identities dearly but discovered that compared to the riches of knowing Christ, they are all rubbish (Philippians 3:5). Thus as a new creation putting on new “clothes”, Paul’s encouragement is that we should stand out as Christians not through our allegiance to these former identities but through our kindness, meekness, compassionate hearts, ability to forgive one another and, above all, love. Echoing the greatest commandment according to Jesus, Paul assumes that in order for the church to be the church, our love must be the most evident and visible thing about what we do. Indeed, when these ideals are taken seriously, the end result is a people group who are no longer distinguished by any singular trend but by their diversity due to their ability to love and forgive despite disagreements. Looking at Christianity’s history, this is truly one of our most distinguishing features as the early Christian church attracted people from all different kinds of nationalities, perspectives on piety, numerous cultures, and different social tiers. As we consider the future of the Church, we have to wonder if this is still true in our Western sphere or if the criticisms of a predominantly wealthy/middle-class, narrow-minded and divided religion bears some truth. As Paul sums it up in verse 14, these characteristics of a true community rooted in Christ are what brings things to “perfect harmony”. The Greek word used here is rooted in the word “telos” which denotes the chief end /purpose of that thing. In other words, regardless of who you are and what background you come from, when Christ redefines everything about you, the chief end/purpose of your life will be the love you live by.
Lastly, contrary to the ruling fist of the Romans, Paul calls us to simply “let” the peace of Christ rule in our hearts and the word of Christ dwell in us richly. What this means is that as we choose to submit ourselves to Jesus’ peace and word, he is the one who does the work in us — not us. In a society that was used to a strictly enforced “peace” across the empire, this was remarkably refreshing for new believers. The rule of Jesus in this case is not a domineering force that overwhelms but is rather a presence that comes alongside. This in turn leads to the kind of gratitude that Paul ends his thought with in verse 17. In conclusion, what this means for every believer is that our response to the rule of Christ ought to never be one of begrudging obedience as if the work was only up to us. Subsequently, if our response is not reflective of our gratitude, then we need to reconsider what exactly we’re building our lives on and how we view the rule of Christ in our lives.
Study Questions:
1.) Which identity in verse 11 stands out the most to you as you reflect on your own struggles?
2.) What does it mean that these characteristics of true community listed in verse 12 should be most visible to the world?
3.) How do you handle disagreements or conflicts?
4.) What does it mean for you to experience the “peace of Christ” in your life?
5.) What does it mean for us to “let” Christ work in our hearts and dwell in us?
