“A Life Worth Living”

Lead Pastor, Stephen Macaluso

 

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse:  Grace and peace to you from God our Father.    Colossians 1:1, 2

 

Colossian “world thinking:”

Gnosticism: false thinking--

Colossians 2:8

2.  Jewish Ceremonialism: false works--

Colossians 2:16-17

3.  Angel Worship: false worship--

Colossians 2:18

4. Asceticism: false sacrifice--

Colossians 2:20-23

 

We are in Christ and in the World (Liverpool).

 

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.”                                   John 17: 15, 16

 

How in the world do we live in this world??

 

Three Choices:

 

Separation

Isolation

Insulation

 

 

 

One Source: 

 

Hope

 

...the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel…          Colossians 1:5

 

Hope helps because:

 

It is always available

 

...the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven…  Colossians 1:5a

 

It comes from God

 

...and have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel…   Colossians 1:5b

 

It gives us power

 

...that has come to you.  All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.           Colossians 1:6

 

It is delivered by people

 

You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.                 Colossians 1:7, 8

 

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.  And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.          Colossians 1:9-12

 

 

 

~ You are now entering your mission field ~