We begin a new series of studies about the New Testament books of Philippians and Colossians. Have you ever been arrested and put in jail or prison? I have not. But it is something that I think about. Early in my legal career, my job was to put criminals in prison. In the United States we have so many statutes that criminalize activities that no one could possibly know them all. Driving your car in certain circumstances could land you in jail. Associating with friends who engage in criminal activity could get you imprisoned. The Apostle Paul, who wrote Philippians and Colossians, wrote them while he was in prison. And he was in prison for witnessing about Jesus. Let's plunge into our study of these prison letters!...
How is your prayer life? Are you satisfied with it, or do you think it could use some improvement? One of my co-workers is an advocate of "contemplative prayer." He puts a sign on the door to his office saying that he should not be disturbed because he is praying. Sitting quietly is very difficult for me, and sitting quietly for prayer isn't any easier. I seem best connected to God when studying the Bible while writing these lessons or listening to a sermon. Our study this week is primarily focused on Paul's prayers for the Philippians and the Colossians. Let's dive into our study of these prayers to see what we can learn to advance our personal prayer life!...
Have you wondered why some Christians fight death when life becomes painful due to disease? Why not welcome death and heaven? Do you think about your own death? This is the beginning of a new year and most people think about how they can improve their health and life in the new year. That seems very different than contemplating death. However, in our study this week, Paul writes about death. He knows that he could be executed by the Roman government at any time. Christians who live in countries that provide religious freedom do not really understand these thoughts about impending death at the hands of government. Let's get into our study of the Bible and see what we can learn from Paul's thoughts about death and life!...
It was about thirty years ago that I started hearing a new idea about something called "diversity." Part of the concept was already clear to me because I received my undergraduate degree from Andrews University. When I was an Andrews student, it had the highest percentage of foreign students of any college in the United States. It was interesting to learn about the background of other students and a challenge to understand the accented English of some of the professors. We had unity in the Christian mission of the school. The new diversity turns out to be much different. It does not strive for unity; rather it divides and each division takes pride that it is different, and perhaps superior. Unity is never the goal. Our study this week examines Paul's vision of unity. Let's dive into our study of the Bible and learn more!...
Have you ever interacted with a stranger and thought, "This person must be a Christian?" On the other hand, have you worked with someone who showed no sign of being a Christian but you later found out was a Christian? When I was in college, I spent one summer working in a trailer factory. The crew I worked with knew I attended Andrews University, an overtly Christian school, and they constantly gave me a hard time, specifically targeting my religious beliefs. I determined to prove that I was a serious worker to earn their respect. That happened, and at the end of the summer the crew chief apologized for all the harassment and confessed that he was a Sunday school teacher! His light was hard to discern. This week our study is about letting our Christian lights shine. Let's get into it!...
Does the concept of righteousness by faith seem logical or natural to you? It doesn’t to me. Leaving aside my belief in God’s blessings, I have spent my life believing—and experiencing—that if I worked hard, I would succeed. This is not merely my personal view; it is also the teaching of the Bible. Read Proverbs 24:30–34, which illustrates what we should learn from the “sluggard”: laziness makes you poor. No doubt you have observed the same thing. It is natural to apply this same mindset to righteousness. But the Bible teaches us something completely different. Righteousness is a gift that we cannot earn. If we try to earn it—or think we have earned it—we have misunderstood the way of salvation. Let’s get into Paul’s discussion with the Philippians about righteousness by faith alone!...
This week I read an astonishing statistic. Over 50% of a certain population in the United States admits to having a mental illness. When compared to earlier reports, this seems to be part of the same population that is the least religious. I regularly read that anxiety levels are high among those living in the United States. As a historical matter, this makes no sense. The generations preceding me fought in two world wars. However, the United States has never been invaded. How could a generation that has faced no invaders and has fought no wars be anxious or suffer from mental illness? I think the key is not what is going on around a person, but rather what is going on inside. In our last lesson on the book of Philippians Paul invites us into a life of joy, a life free from anxiety. Let’s plunge into the Bible and learn more about that kind of life!...
Put on your “memory cap” to recall our first two lessons in this series. We studied the introductions to both Philippians and Colossians. Recall that Paul started his letter to the Philippians by humbly saying that he was a servant. He sounded quite different to the Colossians by describing himself as an apostle. We decided that, unlike his letter to the Philippians, Paul wanted to present himself to the Colossians as an authority. Why? He had some serious instructions for them about light and darkness. These instructions have to do with the nature of Jesus. Let’s continue our study of Colossians to learn more about Jesus!...
One of the less pleasant features of my legal career has been that both sides have a dislike for the other. The labor union did not like my client because my client wanted nothing to do with the union and had asked me to help. My client did not like the union because it was trying to get him fired. Why? Because my client was either standing up for his religious beliefs or standing up for his free speech rights. Sometimes the union resorted to violence. Did you know that God “hates all evildoers?” Psalm 5:5. John 15:18 tells us that the world “hates” Jesus. And we should expect the world to hate us too. That sounds like a lot of unpleasantness! Our study this week is about how Jesus got this hate turned around. Let’s dive into our study and see what Jesus has done for us to bring reconciliation and hope into our lives!...
Try to put yourself in the place of the people Paul is addressing in his letter to the Colossians. Today, Christianity is the world’s largest religion. Imagine that it did not exist in your world. The pagan religions are all around. The most important people believe in them. A brand new religion, based on the life and death of a Jewish rabbi, claims it is the true religion. It is not exactly brand new because it claims to be a fulfillment of Judaism. Further complicating the matter is that several “experts” in this new religion are teaching different things about it. Now you are in the place of the Colossians. Let’s dive into our study of the Bible to understand how Paul argues for Jesus and the faith!...
Does it matter how you live? Do your thoughts matter? Two weeks ago, we learned that if we maintain steadfast faith in Jesus, and we do not “shift” away from Him, we can be certain that we are saved from our sins. That makes us think that what we do does not matter as long as we do not turn away from Jesus. In Colossians 3, Paul tells us that what we do and think matters. We are not free to do whatever we want, secure in the idea that “God will forgive.” God will forgive, but that should not be the point of reference for our thoughts. Let’s jump into Paul’s teaching about how we should think and live our lives as children of God!...
