Just Jesus (Colossians 3:1-11)

Theologian Mark Alan Powell said the motto of the Epistle to the Colossians could be “Think Globally, act locally.”

I’ve noticed that as life goes on, what is important to me changes, over time. It changes so much that I look at current problems and think will this matter to me after a year, 5 years, 10 years. That determines how I handle a problem. Looking a problem from the outside keeps me from getting so caught up in the problem that I can’t find a solution. That doesn’t mean that I don’t care about the problem, or that I will not take care of it, this thought process of mine only means, that I will solve it without getting worked up. I work toward being like the Apostle Paul said in

Philippians 4:11-13

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹¹ Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: ¹² I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. ¹³ I can do all things through Christ^[a] who strengthens me.

It comes from both experience, and vision. Experience and vision also determine what all will be done to handle situations effectively and efficiently. As I gain experience with certain kinds of obstacles, I learn how to eliminate extra, unnecessary steps. Because my mind is on the big picture, the global situation, I see where some extra things may not be necessary, they may not be as urgent as one thinks. I learn to accomplish a task in 3-4 steps instead of 10.

Colossians was a letter written to the church in Colossae, small town in what is now called Turkey. The area was full pagan cults, and mystery religions. The Colossian Christians had not seen the Apostle Paul face to face. The Colossian Christians were taught the gospel by someone else, so they had began to combine what they knew of some of these mystery religions into what they did to worship Christ, resulting in some unnecessary steps. Yes they have been deceived by “plausible arguments” and taken captive by “philosophy and empty deceit.” They got caught up in titles, festivals and a bunch of other stuff that took them further from Jesus. 

This is no longer our life, we have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is. Christ is seated at the right hand of the father because he has done all the work he needed to do for now, it is time for us to get to work. But we are here getting caught up on things that don’t matter, things that are stunting our growth. It reminds me of my colleague in the ministry, he would jokingly say he was raised old school, which meant if he brought the paper plates to the potluck, his name needed to be in the bulletin.

I’ve had the opportunity to lead several organizations, community service groups etc and they all had the same thing in common. They spend time complaining about people who don’t come to meetings. Every last one of them, from the drama ministry at church, to the fraternities, whoever was in charge complained every meeting about people who never showed up, when it was my turn to lead, members would try to talk about that but I would keep the meeting moving. You work with what you have and keep going, if you spend all the time complaining about who is not there they are living in your head rent free. I heard one person say you shouldn’t spend any time worrying about people who don’t affect your direct deposit. There is work to be done, and the church is worried about a bunch of things that won’t amount to anything later.

Luke 6:57-62 (The Cost of Discipleship)

⁵⁷ Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”⁵⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”⁵⁹ Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” ⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”⁶¹ And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” ⁶² But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Set our minds on things above. We ought to focusing on Jesus, and thy kingdom come, not who needs to chair what committee. Organization is important, but it tickles me to see folk vote on how to vote for the vote, and then see someone stop the vote on how to vote, because they need to vote to suspend the rules for the vote in the first place.

            John Wesley valued 4 things leading this thing we call Methodism, they called it the Wesleyan quadrilateral Scripture, Experience, Reason, and Tradition, with scripture being the most important of the four. We seem to lose that as a people and start focusing on tradition more than anything else. Tradition is wonderful, tradition connects us to those who came before us, and gives us a way to connect with those who will come behind us, but we must be careful of how we treat tradition, because it can create separation.

            Did you know John Wesley did not intend create a separate denomination. He was trying to improve the Anglican Church, the Church of England. John Wesley wanted to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ, let the people have personal experiences with God and know that they were justified by faith. It was church leaders who came after him that took the traditions and it started growing into a bunch of separations. The United Methodist Church, the Methodist Church of Great Britain, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Wesleyan Church, the Church of the Nazarene, the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the Holiness movement, Pentecostalism, the Charismatic Movement, and the Neo-Charismatic movement, all from came John Wesley’s teaching.

Taking off and putting on new clothing, symbolic of new life beginning anew in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:17

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

We lay aside vices, not so we can say we are better than the rest, we lay them aside because we are primarily hurting ourselves. It says on account of these the wrath of God is coming for those who are disobedient, not the wrath of the church members. We are to hold each other accountable, and we are to judge a tree by its fruit, but we do not personally have a heaven or hell to put anyone else in. Fact is we all have 2x4s in our eyes trying to point out the specks in somebody else’s eye. This kind of situation is similar to a kid at school who is quick to make fun of somebody else so that they can deflect attention away from themselves. We lay aside vices because we are not perfect, but we are striving for perfection.

No Jew or Greek, no circumcised or uncircumcised, no hierarchy, no I know more than you, no I have been Methodist longer than you. Being the best person you know is a bad thing. We ought to surround ourselves with those who can help us be better people. We ought not focus on things that don’t matter we need to focus on Jesus.

That’s why the scripture says Christ is all in all

He’s all that was, and is, and is to come

The way maker,

the sustainer, the redeemer.  

The Lilly of the valley

The bright morning star

Our advocate

The true vine,

The chief cornerstone

The one who was beat all night long for your sins and mine

Crucified died and buried, so that we might have life

Laid in a tomb, borrowed because he wasn’t going to be there long

But on that third day, he got up with all power in his hand

And because he did that for me, I will put my trust in him

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.