Colossians

      One of my favorite books of the Bible is the letter of Colossians.  I have spent many sessions teaching this little letter in the past.  I love the care and concern that Paul expresses to these believers even though he has never met them.  I love how unselfish he is.  He is in prison, yet he doesn't go on and on about how hard things are for him.  He also doesn't ask for material things or pray for the Colossians that they would be comfortable.  Rather, Paul focuses on how Christ and the cross are of first importance.
       I have heard that there are over 40 opinions on what the heresy or problem was that caused Paul to write to the Colossians.  Though there is much to be commended about them, including their faith, hope and love.  There is a problem or concern that Paul had.  It seems that someone is trying to add to the gospel with some type of philosophy or tradition, whether it is a Hellenistic group of Jews or gnostic group or something else.  It is possible that Paul didn't know exactly what it was or maybe it was a mixture of things.  That area of the world was known for magical thinking and empty philosophy.
      That is why the idea of knowledge is so important here.  Some people were claiming they had something more than what the Colossians already knew.  They wanted them to observe festivals or traditions of man.  Paul emphasized that it was Christ who delivered us from the domain of darkness and saved us (Col 1:13).  He emphasized that he was the head of the church (Col 1:18).  He emphasized that fullness came through knowing Him and no other (Col 2:10). 
      Paul essentially said that if you are adding to the cross with something else, then you are allowing others to defraud you of your liberty and freedom in Christ (Col 2:18).  Why is this important?  Because I think that sometimes christians still measure how great someone is by what they do in the church or their activity.  But, I have met a lot of christians who serve in the church who have had a lot of offices and responsibility, but the truth is they don't treat other people very well. 
      The challenge for the christian is not to measure how well your doing by outward appearances.  God wants to change us from the inside out.  God wants us to "set our minds on the things above, not on the things that are on earth." (Col 3:2).  Why does he want to do that?  So, that God can transform us through his word and Spirit to be more christlike, so that we will walk in a manner worthy of Him (Col 1:10).  The truth is, we cannot do this on our own, we have to rely upon the Spirit of God within us.

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."  Romans 12:2
"And that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind."  Ephesians 4:23
"And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint. . . ." Rom 5:3-5a

The Armor of God

   Upon coming home from Liberty Univerity last week, I decided that I would commit myself to studying and reading the word more.  I picked a study about the armor of God to study for this last week based on passage in Ephesians 6:10-17.  The focus is on the fact that since as a believer, we are in a spiritual battle then the believer should do what Paul said and put on the armor of God.  The armor of God consists of the belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet and sword.  Paul's words to us are emphasized that we should "stand".  The implication is that we can only stand up and fight when we are wearing the armor.

   One thing that I noticed about this is that it is a conscious choice for us each day to put on this armor or not.  We can try to work and live each day under our own strength, wisdom and direction or we can rely on the Lord.  We have to go back to God each day for our strength and guidance.  Trust is as much about our nurturing our relationship with God as it is anything else.  You notice that in Ephesians 6:10 it says to be "strong in the Lord."  We are only strong when we are "in" Him.

    The other thing that I noticed this week is that every piece of equipment is important for its own reasons.  The belt helps the solider to be prepared to fight.  It got the outer garment out of the way, so that the solider could freely move and fight.  The shield protected the solider against the fiery arrows of the enemy.  The helmet protects the mind, the breastplate the heart and organs.  The sword was actually the only offensive weapon and is the Word of God.  Each weapon and object is important to take into battle for its own reasons.

     The third thing that I noticed is that there is no question but that there are fiery missiles that the devil shoots at each one of us.  Paul didn't say "if the devil shoots fiery missiles at you".  Rather, the missiles are coming whether your ready or not.  If you want to get shot full of holes keep your shield down because you have an enemy and he is real and you have to use spiritual weapons to fight spiritual wars.

For a look at the study mentioned go to:  http://www.libertyonlineministries.com/index.cfm?PID=14715

Spiritual High

   "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."  Eph 6:12


    This week for me has been a wonderful experience of going to Liberty University and being a part of a small group of believers.  During the class, we had an experience where we could share with each other and pray with each other and encourage each other.  I drove away from the experience feeling renewed and encouraged.  It was mentioned before we left that Satan likes to kick us back down when we are on a spiritual high.  He doesn't want us to stay there and will try to attack us where we are vulnerable.  So, it is important to put on the full armor of God.

     The armor of God is mentioned in Ephesians 6.  The first item that scripture tells us is a part of that is the "belt of truth". (Ephesians 4:16).  This carries with it the idea of someone prepaing to do battle.  The robe the person was wearing would be girded up so that they could move freely and fight.  I think it is interesting that Paul uses the word "stand" three times in the NASV to indicate that we should be in a state of readiness.  Because our true enemy as a believer is not other people, but spiritual forces that want to kick us back down.

     How does the devil kick believers back down.  I think there are several ways, but the first thing I want to point out is that the devil has had many years to observe us and know us.  He knows us and knows what our weakness is.  If your going into battle against a larger person and were told that while his chest is protected his knees are not you would go for the knees.  Knock him down and hit him where he is vulnerable.  Unfortunately, if we keep doing that the enemy keeps going back to the same area.  Why change what has worked?  So, I think the devil attacks us where we are individually vulnerable. 

     You notice that one of the things about the belt is that it is a belt of truth.  I think this is a main indicator to us that we prepare ourselves by getting into the Word of God and allowing it to get into us.  We meditate on us and apply it to our lives.  We allow the truths of God to effect us.  We allow the fact that God has forgiveness us, loves us and wants to have a relationship with us to change us.  There is no replacing daily time in the Word to cause us to be in a state of readiness for battle.

     One way that the devil has of attacking us is that he likes to steal our joy away.  Sometimes it is through unresolved conflict where bitterness sets in.  Sometimes it may be that he allows us to wallow in feelings of rejection or regret.  Other times it may be that he allows us to experience rejection from peers or loved ones.  Unforgiveness is a big area where the devil seeks to trap the believer and also feelings of failure.  One thing is for sure, that if your on a spiritual high then the devil and his forces do not like it and will try and kick you back down.  Don't be ignorant and uninformed.  Protect your knees.

Facing Your Biggest Fears

     When I was a chaplain at WakeMed in Raleigh, one of my biggest fears is that the Trauma calls would come one right after another and that I wouldn't be able to respond to all of them.  Or that I would not know how to respond to them or that I would experience a infant death on my unit and not know what to say.  In the course of the year and four months that I was a chaplain in that setting, I experienced all of those problems.  I wanted to say a little about what I learned from that.

      After five trauma calls in 90 minutes, I realized that not only did I survive that nightmare, but I actually did much better than I thought.  I had thought that people would analyze and be critical of what i had to say, which really wasn't that much to begin with.  What I found out was that presence matters more than what you say.  I can remember sitting outside of ICU with a family of about 30 people who were awaiting word on a loved one.  I asked if I could pray with the family and we all joined hands and prayed.  it was simple, direct and to the point.  Not profound knowledge or insight.  It was just a matter of treating others the way I would want to be treated.  That is enough. 

    Then there was the time when a lady was sitting with her mother who was dying and would die later that afternoon.  I simply ran into the family making daily rounds.  Nobody had called me there.  When the nurse finally did mention that someone should call the chaplain I was able to respond that I was already present (we didn't have name badges).  Again, not a lot of profound things were said, I simply sat with this lady and we talked about who her mother was and I was present. 

    Then, much later in my journey as a chaplain, a toddler was brought in to the emergeny room that wasn't breathing.  The doctors marked it down as SIDS and told the family they could not revive her.  I thought that would be overwhelming to me.  It was sad to go to the morgue and be with the family.  The mom literally fell on the floor in the emergency room and cried.  We all felt like crying with her.   Not a lot of profound theological thoughts there.  I felt like everything I could say was trite and meaningless, so I simply tried to stay in the room and listen and provide a listening ear.  The interesting thing was, that nobody took away my chaplain card, nobody accused me of being a fraud, nobody blamed me and I survived it.  My biggest fears in the job and I survived it.  And I found out that if you treat others the way you want to be treated then that is the best gift you can give others.

    So, yesterday I was in the emergency room on my new job.  Facing another situation that I didn't feel I knew how to handle.  I sat with the family member for 5 hours, I listened, I didn't say a whole lot, I thought about what to do, I called people.  Turns out, the situation worked itself out for now and I survived it again.  Again, I think it showed that presence, simply being there, being the person God called you to be, is more important than what you know or think you know.