"I Want to be a Member of the Colossian Church"

(The quotation at the beginning of this essay is so full of meaning that I have spent hours of study and writing on this single page. Think! See if it doesn’t move you in the same way.)

After reading my essay #9, “Beloved Brethren,” Sharon wrote the following note.

“I want to be a member of the Colossian church! They sound like wonderful people. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to go back in time to the purity of the first churches and meet them? I can picture their faces when I read this; how inspiring!”

This comment says something about both the Colossian church and the American church, but does it not also leave something unsaid about both? I bought a bag of apples at the supermarket and found a rotten one in it. I remembered the good apples I used to eat as a child and wished I could have a bagful of them instead. But a second thought reminded me that there were also rotten apples back then. Every season has rotten apples, both in the market and in the church. And every age and church has beautiful people who God calls the “apples of His eye” (Psa. 17:8). Don’t we all long for something more than what we have in our present life and relationships? Browning wrote, “Our reach must exceed our grasp else what is heaven for.” Sharon’s statement prompts me to make a number of comments about the church.

1. The American church, like the Colossian church, contains “saints and faithful brethren.” Paul wrote to the “saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae.” The first major thing to consider is that these saints and faithful brethren were “in Christ.” Not all church members are saints and faithful brethren in Christ. We who identify with the Colossian saints and wish to be with them will embrace Paul’s message. In this way unity is achieved—we are in Christ with the saints of all time and places. And with this understanding we discover the saints of our time. Every child of God is my brother or sister.

2. The American church, like the Colossian church, is plagued with human philosophy and deception. Paul wrote, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the traditions of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ ... Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of angels, taking their stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by the fleshly mind” (Col. 2:8. 18). No church has ever been totally faithful; in each there have been members who were deceived by the “traditions of men.” In this way the church of different times and places are very much alike. The philosophy that deceived the Colossian church is the same philosophy that is deceiving the American church. The traditions of men, self-abasement, worship of angels, a stand on visions and inflated fleshly minds still exist. In our time the old age philosophy of the Colossians is called “New Age theology.

3. The American church, like the Colossian church, is composed of two kinds of people—the resigned and the restless. The former will live out their lives just being church members and will never understand nor experience what the Colossian saints enjoyed. The latter will be dissatisfied and will search for understanding and experience until their faith finds a resting place in Christ alone. There they will find the saints and faithful brethren they have been searching for.

4. The American church, like the post-modern, progressive church everywhere, is unlike the Colossian church in that it is far removed from Paul and his message. We have always said, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” But this is not true, as many of us service men can affirm. We lost our sweethearts and wives while we were away in the war. We changed that statement to, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder—for someone else.” And so it was with Christ and His bride. The early church began as the faithful bride of Christ, but very soon she fell for someone or something else. The American church, with the exception of the “saints and faithful brethren,” is the result of that adulterous relationship.

I am proud to announce that Sharon is my daughter who lives in Columbus, Ohio. She and I want to be examples for others who are looking for something more. Seeing our example, perhaps others will say, “I want to be a member of your church.” We shall say, “Salvation makes you a member.”

Faith's Resting Place

As I was composing the final paragraph of my last Colossians essays, the grand old hymn, My Faith Has Found a Resting Place, popped into my mind as a timely revelation. This heavenly message flooded my mind as I was writing the following paragraph (slightly modified here).
“Since Paul’s time, the church that Christ established has debated, fought, divided, contorted, conformed, deformed, reformed, restored, replicated and apostatized, until one can scarcely find the true church. I spent years in legalism with those who are certain that they are right and everyone else is wrong. My brethren used to preach a sermon titled, ‘The Way That’s Right and Can’t Be Wrong.’ I also spent years in liberalism with a church that has the grandest slogan I have ever heard: ‘The church where salvation makes you a member.’ I observed and learned but I didn’t subscribe to their progressive theology. People came and went, giving more thought to their church connection than to their Christ connection. When I asked a leader about the church’s failure to ground new members in the faith he replied, ‘The church is open ended; we have to make room for people with different views.’ Different views in matters of opinion to be sure, but certainly not in matters of faith! These experiences helped me to see that my salvation does not depend on belonging to either the right church or the left church but belonging to Christ. My brothers and sisters are not decided by a church membership buy a Christ relationship. Those who have submitted to Christ as their Savior and Lord and are following Him to the best of their ability are my brothers and sisters. With this understanding, my faith found a resting place in Christ alone.”

My Faith has Found A Resting Place,
Not in device or creed;
I trust the ever living One,
His wounds for me shall plead.

Refrain

I need no other argument,
I need no other plea,
It is enough that Jesus died,
And that He died for me.

Refrain

Enough for me that Jesus saves,
This ends my fear and doubt;
A sinful soul I come to Him,
He’ll never cast me out.

Refrain

My heart is leaning on the Word,
The living Word of God,
Salvation by my Savior’s Name,
Salvation through His blood.

Refrain

My great Physician heals the sick,
The lost He came to save;
For me His precious blood He shed,
For me His life He gave.

Refrain ---Eliza E. Hewitt in Songs of Joy and Glad­ness, 1891

Beloved Brethren

Colossians 4:7- 18
7As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information. 8For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts; 9and with him Nesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your number. They will inform you about the whole situation here. 10Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Barnabas's cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him); 11and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me. 12Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. 13For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas. 15Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house. 16When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea. 17Say to Archippus, "Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it." 18I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand Remember my imprisonment Grace be with you.

Observations
· As Paul concludes his letter to the Colossian church, he introduces us to some of his faithful and beloved brothers. There is Tychicus, the “beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, Onesimus, the “faithful and beloved brother from the Colossian church to which Paul is writing; Aristichus, a fellow prisoner who sends his greetings to this church; Barnabas, cousin of Mark and fellow traveler with Paul on his missionary journeys, of whom the church had received instructions and who was to be welcomed; Jesus called Justus who was among the fellow workers for the kingdom of God; Epaphras, who was also a member of the Colossian church and bondslave of Jesus Christ, who always labors earnestly in his prayers for his Colossian brothers, that they may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God, and who also has a deep concern for his brothers and sisters in Colossi, as well as other churches in that area; Luke, the beloved physician, who traveled with Paul, sends his greetings; and Demas, who is also Paul’s fellow missionary, but who had once left him because of his love for this present world. Paul also sent greetings to the saints of Laodicea and also to Nympa and the church that meets in her house. And finally, there is Arichippus, who the church is to instruct to Take heed to his ministry and fulfill it.”

Remarks
· These were Paul’s beloved brethren. We too have beloved brothers and sisters whom we should hold in high regard and love from our hearts as Paul loved and greeted his dear ones from prison. But, since Paul’s time, the church that Christ established has debated, fought, divided, contorted, conformed, deformed, reformed, replicated, restored and apostatized, until one can scarcely find the true church. I spent years in legalism with those who are certain that they are right and everyone else is wrong. My brethren used to preach a sermon titled, “The Way That’s Right and Can’t Be Wrong.” I also spent many years in liberalism (although I didn’t subscribe to their progressive theology) I was with a church that has the grandest slogan I have ever heard: “The church where salvation makes you a member.” But people came and went as they pleased, giving too little thought to the matter of their salvation. When I asked a leader about this failure, he replied, “The church is open ended; we have to make room for people with different views. Different views in matters of opinion to be sure, but certainly not in matters of faith! Through these experiences I came to realize that my brothers and sisters are those who have submitted in faith to Christ as their Savior and Lord and are following Him to the best of their ability. I also learned that faith does not depend on one's belonging to either the right church or the left church but to Christ. And with this understanding, my faith found a resting place in Christ alone.

Private Devotion and Public Conduct

Colossians 4:2- 6
2Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; 3praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; 4that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. 5Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

Observations
With so much emphasis on methodology, lots of people have full notebooks who are not fully engaged in the Lord’s work. On the other hand, many are engaged who are not prepared. This paragraph of six verses has the answer to this dilemma—three verses on preparation and three verses on practice.

1. Preparation means private devotion.
Devote yourself to prayer. I have heard people say prayer since I was a kid, and I have said them most of my life; but I have too seldom heard or experienced genuine prayers of devotion. Do people say the same prayers in their private devotions that they say in public worship? Paul didn’t say, devote yourself to repetition but “devote yourself to prayer.”
Keep alert in prayer. One doesn’t have to be very alert to mutter memorized words that he has repeated a thousand times, but he does need to be alert if he is attempting to express the deep thoughts and feelings of his heart to God. Two pioneer evangelists in an American restoration movement stopped at a frontier tavern for a draft of spirits and a meal. As they prayed, one of them drank the others portion. After the prayer and the startled look of the man who lost his drink, the other said, “Jesus said, ‘Watch and pray,’ and you weren’t watching.” The best negative example I know is that given by C. S. Lewis in his Screwtape Letters. Satan (Screwtape) assigns a demon nephew (Wormwood) to watch new Christians as they pray. His task was to divert their attention away from Christ to other objects. He was instructed to cause his subjects to pray to a picture of Jesus on his bedroom wall as he knelt at his bed to pray. Wormwood’s greatest success has been in diverting his victims from Christ to icons and “sacred” objects that surround them. In a little country church in WV, as the members were observing Communion, Wormwood diverted someone’s attention from Jesus to a ground hog sunning himself on a rock, and the new discovery buzzed throughout the assembly, diverting everyone’s attention. But the best positive example I know is that given by Benjamin Franklin in his Autobiography. He relates how his grandfather had a Bible secured under the seat of a chair. When devotion time came, someone would turn the chair upside down while grandfather read from it. Another watched at the door to make sure no one saw them reading the Bible. They were watching while they prayed. Paul says “Devote yourselves to prayer; keep alert and be thankful in it.”
· Be thankful while you pray. My maternal grandfather always said the same prayer at the table. As if he were anxious to get it over with and start eating, He prayed so rapidly that we were unable to understand what he said. “We thank Thee Father” he would say, “for these and all blessings of life. Stand by us in sickness and in death save us in Jesus’ name. Amen.” Failing to understand him, my younger brother tried to impersonate him by saying, “Vizer viser thank the father, vizer viser thank the father.” I wonder if we don’t often say, “Vizer viser thank the father” rather than devoting ourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.
· Pray for others who serve that they may speak forth the mystery of Christ, making it clear in the way they ought to speak.

2. Practice means public performance. “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.”
Conduct yourself with wisdom toward outsides. Paul is assuming that Christians will conduct themselves properly toward one another, even though he has to deal with this matter elsewhere. But Christians often behave in such an appalling way toward outsiders that they become totally unattractive to those they are supposed to be winning for Christ. A Christian must certainly be wise when dealing with the world. It is hard to realize and harder yet to face the way we violate the covenant we made with Christ in the beginning. This very minute is the time to change that.
Make the most of the opportunity. In Bible College I had a grand old English and speech teacher named W. Claude Hall, who also conducted a “spoken English class.” He made our language come alive, particularly individual words. When one of us mispronounced a word, he would grieve over its abuse. “Just look at that poor little word lying there,” he would say, “you have wounded it and it is bleeding. He was severe with us, but he taught us to be exact in our speech, and we were recognized throughout the brotherhood as students of Brother Hall, who meant for us to “make the most of our opportunity” when we became ministers.
Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt. We sometimes think of “rude” and “crude” rather than grace as being connected with speech. But “grace” also means refinement, loveliness and charm. No rude person can communicate the grace of God to others. Salt is a preservative; it is also a seasoning. So, treat your speech as you would treat the food you are serving others.
Know how you should respond to each person. Gracious speech is certainly a good place to start in responding to both “outsiders” and insiders. But we have such varied backgrounds and temperaments that we must learn how to communicate with them individually. Years ago I heard Dr. Wayne Oats, a prominent psychologist and educator, speaking on how to train a child. He quoted a professor he had known as interpreting Prov. 22:6 to means, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will be himself.” This seems radical but it is profound! The text does say “child” and “he” and not children and they. Each child, just as each of those to whom we respond, is different, and his difference needs to be respected and treated with grace. If each child were “trained up” in this manner, he would be himself rather than some sort of a “generic” person.

Remarks
· During my years in ministry, I have served in a restoration movement, a reformation movement and a number of factions that weren’t moving at all. I have studied and written about movements, cults, sects, creeds, and a host of other aberrant systems, only to learn that most of them, using the same Scriptures and the same arguments, have claimed to by the “Lord’s church,” the “true church,” and the “only church.” But men have not been empowered to judge who belongs to Christ and who does not. “The Lord knows who are His (II Tim. 2:19). No sect or faction is solely and exclusively the “beloved brethren” in Christ, no matter how loudly it persists. If it were it would not be, fighting, debating, dividing, reforming, restoring, replicating restructuring and apostatizing until it is no longer recognizable as the Lord’s church. Men’s lives belie their claims.
· I have always been disturbed by the legalistic strictness of church theology – the example its devotees set for outsiders and the way they treat their members. I have also been disappointed by churches that are so lax that they have no standard of membership verification. I have decided that it is better to join Christ than to join a church, knowing that to belong to Him is to belong to His church. “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.”