Colossians - First in Suffering

What should be the main thing at a church? What should be the focus? Paul makes it crystal clear. “He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.” (Colossians 1:27–29, NIV) That means we do not proclaim clever human insights. We do not proclaim self- improvement, stress-management, life-balance, or career advancement. We do not proclaim a system of beliefs. We do not proclaim a political agenda. We do not proclaim a set of traditions. We proclaim Him. We proclaim Christ because He is the light of the world, because He is the creator and sustainer of all that exists, and because each of us has been created for his good pleasure. We proclaim Christ because He is the kingdom-bringer, and the sin-bearer. We proclaim Him because He is the death-defeater, the life-giver, and the hope- bringer. TO say that we proclaim Christ is to say that Christ has changed our Facebook status from enemies of God to friends of God. To proclaim Him means we are betting the farm on Him and staking our lives to Him. Notice too that Paul says the Christ is proclaimed to “everyone.” We want everyone to grow up into Jesus, to become fully mature in Him. This is why we gather on Sunday morning and why we gather in groups throughout the week. It was why we encourage things like serving and generosity, and why we insist on living the rooted life.