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Believer's commission

Sunday 09/29/25

Title: The believer’s commission

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The believer’s commission

So we are on our 5th week in Paul’s letter to the believers in Colossae. As you remember he wrote this letter after Epaphras had come to visit him in a prison in Rome, informing him of some false doctrines which had begun to influence the assembly of believers there.

Paul, led by the Holy Spirit penned this letter combating these doctrines, placing it in Epaphras’ hands to carry back to his congregation in Colossae.

It was only natural for Epaphras to seek out Paul since not only was Paul an apostle, but because it was through Paul’s ministry in Ephesus that Epaphras came to the Lord.

So far we have seen Paul encourage these believers for their faith in Christ and their ongoing love for their siblings in Christ. He pressed the importance of seeing themselves in Christ and in His supremacy over everything. He then confronted the three false teachings which were influencing this body of believers which were forms of ritualistic and ceremonial Judaism for justification, aceticism for purification from the flesh and an early form of Gnosticism for the acquisition of special revelations intended to elevate them to the likeness of God.

We ended last week by cracking open chapter 3 and reading down to verse 17, just so we would not lose the flow of the letter from where Paul ended his confrontation of these pagan beliefs to his encouragement to pursue Christ in their place.

However, I told you as we closed out last week that we would circle back to the beginning of the chapter and begin working our way through it this week. So turn with me to Colossians 3, verse 1 and we will begin our learning this morning.

I am reading today largely from the Weymouth translation, since with few exceptions I believe it makes the points intended by Paul more readily accessible to readers.

Colossians 3:1-25,

“(1) If however you have risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, enthroned at God’s right hand. (2) Give your minds to the things that are above, not to the things that are on the earth. (3) For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (4) When Christ appears–He is our true Life–then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

The “glory” here refers to the glorification of the saints, which involves the future transformation of believers into glorified, perfect bodies like Christ’s, enabling them to appear with Him in heaven and experience holy communion with God. It is the culmination of salvation, a future event where their current hidden life is revealed in a state of perfection and sinlessness.

This is a process we spend MUCH time talking about here, though I will admit that much of the encouragement is in the form of somber warnings, which is also consistent with the writings of Paul. For just as there is an unimaginable reward for faith with obedience to the inward work of the Holy Spirit, there is a terrible cost for neglect, disloyalty and rejection of this transforming work. But today we focus on the positive!

Romans 8:1-30,

“(1) There is therefore now no condemnation to THOSE who are INChrist Jesus; (2) for the Spirit’s Law– telling of Life in Christ Jesus–has set me free from the Law that deals only with sin and death.

(3) For what was impossible to the Law–powerless as it was because it acted through frail humanity–God effected. Sending His Own Son in a body like that of sinful human nature and as a sacrifice for sin, He pronounced sentence upon sin in human nature; (4) in order that in our case the requirements of the Law might be fully met. FOR our lives are regulated not by our earthly, but by our spiritual natures.”

The wording here in the Weymouth can be a little misdirecting if you are not careful. The idea here is NOT that because we are in Christ, that righteous requirement is already fulfilled.

Rather it is saying that it is only because we ARE IN CHRIST that we are finally in a position to fulfill the righteous requirement of the law. Before we were IN CHRIST, the power to obey was dependent entirely upon our fallen natures, bound as it was to death through our bondage to sin. BUT NOW, IN CHRIST, having been set free from sin and the resulting death it brings, and having been given a new nature and His Spirit within and upon to empower us, IF we will be led by His Spirit and empowered through our union with Him we WILL NOT FAIL to fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law!

This becomes obvious as we continue reading!

“(5) For if men are controlled by their earthly natures, they give their minds to earthly things. If they are controlled by their spiritual natures, they give their minds to spiritual things. (6) Because for the mind to be given up to earthly things means death; but for it to be given up to spiritual things means Life and peace.

(7) Abandonment to earthly things is a state of enmity to God. Such a mind does not submit to God’s Law, and indeed cannot do so. (8) And those whose hearts are absorbed in earthly things cannot please God.

(9) You, however, are not devoted to earthly, but to spiritual things, if the Spirit of God is really dwelling in you; whereas if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, such a one does not belong to Him.

(10) But if Christ is in you, though your body must die because of sin, yet your spirit has Life because of righteousness. (11) And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead is dwelling in you, He Who raised up Christ from the dead will give Life also to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit Who dwells in you.

(12) Therefore, brethren, it is not to our lower natures that we are under obligation that we should live by their rule. (13) For if you so live, death is near; but if, through being under the sway of the spirit, you are putting your old bodily habits to death, you will live.

(14) For those who are led by God’s Spirit are, all of them, God’s sons.

(15) You have not for the second time acquired the consciousness of being–

a consciousness which fills you with terror. But you have acquired a deep inward conviction of having been adopted as sons–a conviction which prompts us to cry aloud, “Abba! our Father!”

(16) The Spirit Himself bears witness, along with our own spirits, to the fact that we are children of God; (17) and if children, then heirs too–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ; IF INDEED we are sharers in Christ’s sufferings, in order that we may also be sharers in His glory.

(18) Why, what we now suffer I count as nothing in comparison with the glory which is soon to be manifested in us.”

THAT is the glory we just read about in Colossians 3:4. It would behoove us to, at this point, read Colossians 3:1-4 again, before continuing on here in Romans 8.

“(1) If however you have risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, enthroned at God’s right hand. (2) Give your minds to the things that are above, not to the things that are on the earth. (3) For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (4) When Christ appears–He is our true Life–then you also will appear with Him in glory.” – Colossians 3:1-4

Romans 8…

“(19) For all creation, gazing eagerly as if with outstretched neck, is waiting and longing to see the manifestation of the sons of God.

(20) For the Creation fell into subjection to failure and unreality (not of its own choice, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it).

(21) Yet there was always the hope that at last the Creation itself would also be set free from the thraldom of decay so as to enjoy the liberty that will attend the GLORY of the children of God.

(22) For we know that the whole of Creation is groaning together in the pains of childbirth until this hour. (23) And more than that, we ourselves, though we possess the Spirit as a foretaste and pledge of the glorious future, yet we ourselves inwardly sigh, as we wait and long for open recognition as sons through the deliverance of our bodies.

(24) It is *in hope* that we have been saved. But an object of hope is such no longer when it is present to view; for when a man has a thing before his eyes, how can he be said to hope for it?

(25) But if we hope for something which we do not see, then we eagerly and patiently wait for it.

(26) In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness; for we do not know what prayers to offer nor in what way to offer them. But the Spirit Himself pleads for us in yearnings that can find no words, (27) and the Searcher of hearts knows what the Spirit’s meaning is, because His intercessions for God’s people are in harmony with God’s will.

(28) Now we know that for those who love God all things are working together for good–for those, I mean, whom with deliberate purpose He has called.”

I both like and dislike the way the Weymouth translated this verse especially in reference to “the called”. The way it is worded here can lead to misunderstanding placing the greatest force on the One Calling, Who is God and not enough on the response of those called, namely His obedient and loyal children.

The word “called” is kletos and has an interesting usage in the New Testament. It is often paired with another Greek word eklektoi which, as it might sound, implies a process of election.

These words generate a veritable maze to circumnavigate in our understanding of some passages, since their English equivalents when used together do not make for a clear rendering of the intended meanings. This is just one reason there is much confusion regarding the idea of the “called” and the “elect”.

There is a distinction which appears in the gospels between klētoí, “the called ones”, and the eklektoí, “the chosen ones”, relative to both service and salvation. This distinction disappears once you get to the letters and then shows up once more in Revelation 17:14.

This is a very enlightening and informative study but one which is not necessary to take you through this morning. All I wish to point out here, is the same thing Pam drew attention to last Wednesday night. That the word “called” here in Romans 8:24 is ABSOLUTELY NOT simply those God invited into salvation. No, “the called” here are those who have responded to the PURPOSE of His call which is for Christ to be formed in them even as the entire greater context of these verses state!

“(29) For those whom He has known beforehand He has also pre-destined to bear the likeness of His Son, that He might be the Eldest in a vast family of brothers; (30) and those whom He has pre-destined He also has called; and those whom He has called He has also declared free from guilt; and those whom He has declared free from guilt He has also crowned with glory.”

We will continue in Colossians 3 next week.

Blessings!

Tri

Pastor Mark

View posts by Pastor Mark

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!