Foundations: “Relationally Driven”
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 1:21-23
“Alienated and Hostile…”
Most of us probably wouldn’t choose such words to describe our relationship with God. We might say “it’s complicated” or perhaps even “we’re not on speaking terms” but rarely would we ever see our relationship to God as estranged or violent. That’s exactly what Paul wants us to understand in this passage as he outlines just how great the chasm it was between humanity and God once sin entered the picture. Many of us are quick to understand that in life, achievements often require sacrifice. “Work hard” they say if you want to achieve your dreams. But what if this great rat race of a life isn’t won by how hard we work but rather how hard someone has worked for us. That’s exactly what has been done as Paul describes the reconciliation that has happened through the work of Jesus. That word “reconciliation” bears a lot of weight in our day and age. To many, it means realizing and acknowledging past hurts and how divided our society once was. In the same way, Paul calls us to recognize what a life built on the hope of the Gospel looks like by keeping the Cross ever before us and remaining “stable and steadfast” in that truth.
Study Questions:
How would you describe your relationship to God before and after the Gospel?
What does the problem of sin mean to you in your own life?
What does it mean to be “holy and blameless”? How do you achieve it?
In what ways has the Gospel taught you to hope?
