Wednesday Night Service 7PM -

And the passage he gave me to share from was Colossians chapter 1, verse 24, through chapter 2, verse 10. And that's what I'm going to be focusing on tonight. It was basically to share what I shared at the conference last June. If you want, he's not going to be putting anything up on the screen or anything like that. And I have a ton of scriptures that I'll be reading.

And you won't be able to keep up with me because I've got them all typed out, and I'm just going to be going through them. But Joe Burkle in the back of the sanctuary has copies of all my notes. So if you want a copy of my notes afterwards, just get with Joe in the back, and he'll give you a copy. I listened to a guy on a video a couple weeks ago, and he was teaching.

And I told my wife, I said, man, that guy teaches fast. And she goes, Rick, he sounds just like you. And I thought, oh, my gosh. So I'm going to try and slow it down. I'm not going to guarantee anything, but I'm going to try and slow it down a little bit tonight. So let me find Colossians, and then we'll get started.

Lord, I just lift this night up to you, and I just pray that you would just draw us closer to you. And we've all taken time out of our day to come here. And just to allow you to feed us from your word. And I just pray that you would speak to us and just draw us closer to you. And let us leave here with a stronger sense of your presence in our lives, Lord. And I just ask that you speak to us now by the power of your Holy Spirit.

In Jesus' name, amen. Colossians, what it deals with, and the theme of the conference was the preeminence of Christ. That Christ is supreme. He rules over everything. And in Colossians chapter 1, verse 15 through 18, it says, and it's talking about Christ. And it says, And he is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible,

whether thrones or dominions, all things have been created, rulers or authorities. All things have been created by him and for him. And he is before all things. And in him all things hold together. He is also head of the body of the church. And he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself might come to have first place in everything.

Jesus is preeminent above everything in creation. He's preeminent in the church. And he desires to be preeminent in your life. He wants to be the number one spot in your life. And we're going to be starting in verse 24. And it starts out very contrasting. Controversial. So I want to clear up this controversy. In verse 24 it says, Paul was not saying that he was having to pick up the slack of what Christ did not finish on the cross.

That is not what Paul was saying when he says that he's having to fill up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. He clarifies that back in Matthew. In chapter 1 in verse 19 through 22 he says, For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in him and through him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross. Through him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind and engaged in evil deeds, yet he has now reconciled you in his fleshly body through death in order to present you before him holy, blameless, and beyond reproach. Christ did everything at the cross. He didn't need any extra help from Paul. And it says it even clearer in Hebrews chapter 10. In Hebrews chapter 10 starting in verse 9 it says,

Then he said, Behold, I have come to do thy will. He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standing daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifice, which can never take away sin. But he, having offered one sacrifice for sin for all time,

sat down on the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until his enemies be made a footstool for his feet. For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. The work that Christ did for us, it was a one-time thing. It's finished at the cross. There's nothing else you can add to it. It's done. So what did Paul mean when he said,

that he spoke about, filling up what was lacking in Christ's afflictions? Well, you have to read the verse before verse 24 and the verse after it kind of to get the context of what's being said. In verse 23 he mentions having the hope of the gospel, of which I, Paul, was made a minister. And in verse 25 he says, Of this church I was made a minister. Paul is talking in verse 24 through 29,

the rest of the chapter, he's talking about his personal ministry that God has given him. He's talking about his ministry. So in order to understand, about Paul's ministry, we have to go back to Acts chapter 9 as conversion and see what happened there. In Acts chapter 9, verse 1 through 5, it says, Now Saul, still breathing threats and murders against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

And it came about that as he journeyed, he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around, and he fell to the ground, and he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Twice Jesus makes it clear that he is being persecuted.

When the church is being persecuted, Jesus is a part of it. He fills it. He associates himself with it. It's interesting that when Stephen was getting stoned in Acts chapter 7, just before he got stoned, he had this vision. He looked up and he saw, we just read it in Hebrews, where Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Father, but with, Stephen was getting ready to be stoned to death.

Stephen looked up and he saw Jesus standing beside the Father. And in that anticipation of what was getting ready to happen, that he was getting ready to come home with him. And it reminds me, the only thing I can think of, this may not be a very good parallel, and I don't know if you guys ever did it watching football, but you're into a football game on the TV set, and something dramatic happens on the TV, and you're off of your couch, and you're standing there, and you're jumping towards the TV set, and you're yelling at the TV set about what's getting ready to happen. That's what I picture with Jesus when he sees his church going through persecution.

He feels it, and he's a part of it, and he's there for them. In Hebrews chapter 13, verse 3, it says, remember the prisoners as those in prison with him, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourself also are in the body. In the last 30 years, persecution of Christians around the world has increased dramatically. And there's one nation I would like for you to be praying for, and that's the Christians that are living in Nigeria.

I don't know how many of you are aware of what's going on there, but since 2009, the Islamic revolution has taken place there, and on average, at least 4,000 Christians are being martyred every year in that country. And the world is totally silent about it. Nobody's talking about it. They're just letting it happen. And so far this year, in the first eight months of this year,

over 60,000 Christians are being martyred. And so far this year, in the first eight months of this year, over 60,000 Christians are being martyred. Over 70,000 Christians have been martyred in that one country, in Nigeria. So I would appreciate it if you would keep the believers that are in Nigeria in your prayers, because they really need it, because nobody is doing anything to help them.

And it's just very silent. But it's what amazes me, as many have been killed in that country, there are still more Christians to kill, which tells me that God is using that persecution to spread the gospel, because they're being faithful to the gospel. Now, back in the story with Jesus, as far as clarifying what Paul's ministry is going to be, he continues in Acts chapter nine, in verse 15 and 16, he says, but arise, enter the city, and it shall be told you what you must do. But the Lord said to him, go for he has a chosen instrument of mine to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel.

For I will show him how much he must suffer for my namesake. Jesus showed Paul at the beginning of his ministry how much he was going to have to suffer for him. He was well aware of what he was stepping into. So when Paul is speaking of filling up that which is lacking in Christ's afflictions, he's referring to fully committing himself to fulfilling the ministry that Christ has given him.

Even though he suffered a lot of things, he still knew that he had more to suffer. He was willing to do that, because he wanted to fulfill his ministry that God has given him. In 2 Corinthians chapter 11, Paul states, five times I received from the Jews 39 lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was stoned. Once I was shipwrecked.

A night and a day I have spit in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys and dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the cities, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren. I have been in labor and hardship through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, even without food and cold and exposure. And apart from external things, there is the daily pressure upon me of concerns for all the church.

Even though it wasn't so bad, all those physical things that he went through that was heavy on him, it was the concerns of the church. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is letting us in with my intense concern? He suffered the afflictions for the body of Christ. Paul identified his sufferings with the church, which is the body of Christ. He is committed to fulfilling the ministry Christ has given him.

And the same is true for us. In Philippians chapter 1, verse 29 through 30, Paul says, For to you it has been granted, for Christ's sake, not only to believe in him, but to suffer for his sake, experiencing the same conflict that you saw in me, and now here to be in me. In my footnotes in my NIV, not NIV, but my New Living Translation Bible, it says, Paul considered it a privilege to suffer for Christ. We do not, by nature, consider suffering a privilege.

If we suffer for faithfully representing Christ, suffering has these additional benefits. One, it takes our eyes off the earthly comforts. It gets our focus on the things that are eternal, the things that are going to last. Two, it weeds out superficial believers, those that aren't willing to suffer for Christ, where they're at in their walk, if they even have a walk, it becomes very evident.

Three, it strengthens the faith of those who endure it. When you go through persecution, it helps strengthen your faith. And four, it serves as an example to others. So we should allow the trials and sufferings that we experience to build godly character in our lives, as an example by Paul. Paul was a living example of what Jesus said in Matthew 16, verse 24 through 25.

If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake shall find it. Paul put the cares and the needs of the body of Christ before his own needs, before his own personal things in his life, he put the church first. He repeatedly told us to follow his example.

Four times, he said, In 1 Corinthians 4.16, he said, In 1 Corinthians 11.1, he says, Philippians 3.17, In Philippians 4.9, These things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace shall be with you. 4 times through scripture, Paul tells us to follow his example. And when I examine my life in the light of Paul, I realize I don't come close to following Christ the way I need to be. I'm not even close.

But one thing I do is I keep pressing on in my love and relationship with Christ. I just keep, I keep seeking Christ. I keep growing in him. I don't, I don't let, I have one guy tell me, he goes, Well, I don't want to be like Paul. I want to be like Jesus. And it sounded really spiritual to say that. But when you look at the life of Paul, and you can't even live up to that,

what makes you really think you're living up to what Christ wants in your life? Is you can't even do what Paul did. You know, we really, it just makes you realize how dependent you are upon God to live the Christian life. Paul, an example of what it means to die to self, allowing Christ to be preeminent in our lives, and put the needs of the body of Christ before our own needs.

Paul's example still applies today, whether you are a leader in a leadership position of some kind in the church, or just a member of the body of Christ. If you're a leader, Ezekiel, now, I'm going to give a couple Old Testament examples of leaders and members of the nation of Israel in the Old Testament in Ezekiel. But I think this applies for us today. Ezekiel 34, he says, of the shepherds of Israel, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel.

Prophesy and say to them, this is what the sovereign Lord says. Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who only take care of themselves. Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the food, and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak, or healed the sick, or bound up the injured.

You have not brought back the strays, or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.

When you're in a leadership position, you're not to lord it over the people that are under you. And in Philippians 2, verse 4, it says, don't merely look out for your own interests, but also the interests of others. And when you're in a leadership position, you can't just be looking out for yourself. You've got to be looking out for the people you're taking care of.

Now, to those who are just members of the body of Christ, he said, in relationship to the members of the nation of Israel, Ezekiel 33, he said, as for you, son of man, you countrymen are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, come and hear the message that has come from the Lord. My people come to you, as they usually do, and they sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy after gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love, songs with a beautiful voice, and plays an instrument well.

For they hear your words, but do not put them into practice. You know, the Lord has really blessed us with Ryan as a teacher in this church. And I don't know how many of you listen to other teachers across the nation, but I really believe that we have one of the best teachers in the United States in this church right now. We really do. He's an awesome teacher, and God's really blessed him.

And he's on par with any teacher I listen to on TV or on the internet or anything else. He's an awesome teacher, and we're very blessed to get to have him. But it doesn't do any good if all he's doing, when he comes here and he gives us his word, is we're saying, oh, what a wonderful teacher he is. Oh, he makes me laugh, but we're not taking the words that he says and applying them to our lives.

When that's not happening, then this is all a waste of time. We gotta put what he's teaching us into our lives. That's why we're getting fed every Sunday morning and Wednesday night, is to apply it to our lives, not just to come and be entertained for an hour. James said the same thing, and he says, but prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror. For once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgot what kind of person he was. One who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become, forget it. He's a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer.

This man shall be blessed in what he does. In verse 25 through 27, Paul says, it says, of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God, bestowed on me for your benefit, that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God. That is the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to the saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of his mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of, the hope of glory. The word of God that Paul claimed had to do with Christ dwelling in the Gentiles, Christ who is the hope of glory.

It was not a mystery that Gentiles would get saved. In Romans chapter eight, or chapter 15, Paul quotes several Old Testament passages speaking about what God was gonna do to the Gentiles. Starting in verse eight, it says, for I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers. And for the Gentiles to glorify God for his mercy, as it is written, therefore I will give praise to thee among the Gentiles, and I will sing to thy name.

He's quoting from Psalms 18 verse 49. In verse 10 he says, and again it says, rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people. That's from Deuteronomy chapter 32 verse 43. And verse 11 he says, and again, praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the people praise him. That's from Psalms chapter 117 verse one. And verse 12 he says, and again Isaiah says, there shall come to the root of Jesse, and he will rise,

to rule over the Gentiles, and him shall the Gentiles hope. That's from Isaiah chapter 11 verse 10. In Isaiah chapter 56 verse six and seven he says, also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord to minister to him and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, everyone who keeps from profaning the Sabbath and holds fast to my covenant, even those I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifice will be acceptable on my altar, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.

Now the Jews had no problem with accepting the temple as someday gonna become a house of prayer for all people. They didn't have a problem with that. What they couldn't accept was how the Jews and Gentiles were gonna be placed on the same level in one body in Christ. They always thought the Jews were gonna be distinct from the Gentiles. But in Ephesians chapter two, Paul clarifies that.

He says, therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision, by the so-called circumcision, which is performed in the flesh by human hands, remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenant of promise, having no hope without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, broke down the barrier and the dividing wall by abolishing in his place the enmity, which is the law of commandments, the law of the law of the law, that he might make the two into one new man,

thus establishing peace and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross by having put to death the entity. And he came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have our excess in one spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, be you our fellow citizens with the saints and are of God's household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone in whom the whole building being fit together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also being built together into a dwelling of God in the spirit." In verse 24-27 Paul dealt with fulfilling his ministry

of the church made up of Gentiles for whom God called him to be minister. And in verse 28 he focuses upon three core aspects of his ministry, which should be the same three core aspects for each one of us as we minister to others about Christ. In verse 28, he says, it says, and we proclaim him admonishing every man, teaching every man with all wisdom that we may present every man complete in Christ. He starts out, we proclaim him, we proclaim Jesus.

Jesus is the focal point. If you take Jesus out of Christianity, there's nothing left. It all revolves around the person of Jesus Christ and having a one-on-one relationship with him as your Lord and Savior. The second thing, it is admonishing and teaching with all wisdom. Admonishing means to be worn against sin. Teaching has to do with positive instruction. They both are to be done

with all wisdom, which means simply they need the admonishing and the teaching needs to be biblically based. And three, they were to present every man complete in Christ. Our proclaiming Christ, our admonishing and teaching from God's word is not just for this life. It has an impact on people's eternity. And you may not think about that when you share with Christ with somebody. It's

not just for this life. What you share with them is going to affect their eternity. And it's an awesome responsibility and you can't do it in yourself. In the very next verse, Paul explains, and for this purpose also, I labor, striving according to his power, which mightily works within me. The only way that we can live the Christian life and be the witness that we can is to allow his power to work through

us as believers. All we can do is just be a vessel and just surrender and just let him do it through us. And sometimes you have to come out of your comfort zone and step out in faith and just see what God does. And you'd be surprised how refreshing that is when you get out, step out of your comfort zone and let that Holy Spirit flow out of you to do something that you normally wouldn't do. How

refreshing that would be when you do that, when you step out in faith and actually do something and just trusting God for the outcome. In verse one of chapter two, he says, am I going too fast? Am I doing all right? Okay. All right. For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf. And for those who are late to see it, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, I think it's

interesting that Paul understood the impact of his ministry on the lives around him, including those, including us, who have never seen it. His ministry 2,000 years ago is still affecting us through the scriptures. And I think what's interesting is that he knew that he was going to be a Christian. He knew that it would affect people that he didn't know. And you'd be surprised

how many people that don't, you don't know, but they know that you're a Christian and they're watching you to see how you, how you live your life just because they know you're a Christian. They want to see if you're genuine or not. In verse two and three, he says that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love and attained to all the wealth that comes from, that fan is really annoying, killing it together in love, attained to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of God. And he said, I'm going to be a Christian. I'm going to be

a Christian. I'm going to be a Christian. I'm going to be a Christian. I'm going to be a Christian. Resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery that is in Christ himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In verses two and three, Paul lists three aspects of genuine faith in Christ that he wanted to be evident in the life of a healthy body of believers.

The first aspect of genuine faith that Paul lists to be evident in the life of a healthy body of believers is that their hearts would be, that their hearts would be encouraged. In 1 Thessalonians 5, 11, Paul says, That is a sign of a healthy church. The tendency, though, is we don't like to come across as looking too spiritual. So when we come to church, we talk about the weather, we talk about sports, we talk about work, we talk about what's going on in the news, but we don't talk about what God's been teaching us. We don't talk about what God's been teaching us. We don't talk about what God's

been teaching us. We don't talk about how God's been working in our lives. We don't talk about what he's doing in us. And before you know it, without realizing it, we start drifting off into a lukewarm state without even realizing it. And the spiritual reasons for why we come together get pushed to the side. And before you know it, we're just going through the motions of being a

church. We're not really even doing anything spiritual. And we need to, when we come together, which we don't get together that often, when we come together, we need to be, encouraging each other in the Lord, building each other up in the faith. Don't be afraid to tell somebody, dude, you're screwing up in this area and you need prayer. You know, be real with

one another. Don't be as real as I am because I get in trouble all the time for being too real. But anyway, the second aspect of genuine faith to be evident in the life of a healthy body is knit together in love. Ephesians 4, verse 15 and 16, it says, but speaking the truth of love, we are to grow up in all aspects into him who is head, even Christ, from whom the whole body being fit and held together by that which every joint supplies according to the proper working of each individual part causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. We are to speak

the truth in love, each part of the body doing its part to build up the rest of the body in love. We cannot just rely on the pastor to do everything. We're a body and the body is to build each other up. We all have a responsibility to care for one another. And not so much out of an emotional feeling of love, but out of an agape, God-given type of love where each part is genuinely concerned about the well-being of

the other part of the body of Christ. In John chapter 17, verse 20 through 23, Jesus prays this prayer about this being knit together in love. And I want to read this prayer. And then I want to look at Philippians for a minute. I want you to show you this example of what Jesus prays in John chapter 17. I want you to see how it plays out in this Philippian church. So you can see an example

of how this works out. In John 17, Jesus prays, My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message that all of them may be one. Father, just as you are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us so that the world may believe that you accept me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as you are one.

I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved me even as you have loved, that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. So it gets kind of confusing there when he prays because all of them may be one. You are in me. I am in you. They also be in us. They may be one as we

are one. I in them, you in me. You have loved them. You have loved me. All mixed together. Now I want you to see how it plays out in Philippians. Paul says, Meanwhile, I thought I should send Ephroditus back to you. He is a true brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier, and he was your messenger to help me in my need. I am sending him because he has been longing to see you, and he was very distressed that you heard he was ill. And he

certainly was ill. In fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him and also on me so that I would not have one sorrow. After another, so I am all the more anxious to send him back to you, for I know you'll be glad to see him. Then I will not be so worried about you. Welcome him with Christian love and with great joy and give him the honor that people like him deserve. For he risked his life for the work

of Christ, and he was at the point of death while doing for me what you couldn't do from far away. That same blending, that same mixing is taking place there. He says, I want to send Ephroditus back to you. He was a messenger that you sent to me. He's been longing to see you. You heard he was ill. God had mercy on him. God had mercy on me, so I won't have to worry about you. It was all this intertwining, this intermixing together.

It's the being knit together in love. Those people were involved in each other's lives.

To be knit together means to be close, to be involved with each other's lives. That means you must be real with one another. That means to love one another as you really are, not putting on a superficial front that looks spiritual on the surface. You must be aware of each other's faults and choose to love each other anyway. The third aspect of genuine faith is to be evident in the life of a healthy body

is full assurance of understanding. This comes from teaching the whole counsel of God's word. A healthy body will be feeding on the word of God, not only at church when we come together, but also in the privacy of our own homes. We'll be in God's word. He goes on and says, resulting in the true knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of God. He says, I want you to be aware of each other's

wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge means to grasp the truth that is in Christ, and wisdom has to do with the application of truth of Christ in our lives. In other words, a healthy body will be Christ-centered. You'll be encouraging one another in Christ. You'll be knit together in love in Christ, and you'll be grounded biblically, understanding who Christ is and what it means

to have a right relationship with Christ based upon faith and what he's done for us on the cross. In verse four, it says, I say this in order that no one may delude you with persuasive arguments. In other words, I want you to keep Christ number one. I don't want anything to take you away from putting Christ number one in your life. In Acts chapter 20, Paul gives this warning.

He says, I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. And from among your own selves, men will arise speaking for first things to draw away the disciples after them. Instead of encouraging people to grow in their personal relationship with Christ, there will be those who will seek to draw attention to themselves and create a following after themselves. They will claim to be the ones who will follow them after themselves.

They will try to have a level of knowledge about God that no one else has. Instead of focusing on Christ, they will draw attention to themselves. Instead of encouraging the believers, they will confuse them and discourage them. Instead of being knit together in love, they will create division. In Jude 16 and 19, he describes them. He says, there'll be grumblers, finding fault, following

after their own lusts. They speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining advantage. These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly minded, devoid of the spirit. They will not hear you. They will not hear you. They will not hear you. They will not hear you. They will not hear you. They will not hear you. They will not hear you. They will not hear you. They will not

hear you. He wants you to keep their word. He wants you to only listen to the lie of diseases that cause signs before them. He wants you to keep their word. He wants you to always listen to the lie of diseases that cause signs before them. In Jude 16 and 19, they will not even listen to the lie of diseases that cause signs before them. One mingling, for we will have the

truth of God and gaining knowledge of the miracle defence that we have to untruthful不會 about our Bible, the Prophecy of the Old Testament, and all the Arabici, the Math MVP, and we will not hear God random, but we shall imbibed in everything Oh yes, Christ and the Red Shirt. Making faith plans that we, well although the believer is under So when you're hearing teaching, you want to make sure that Christ is at the center of it all. In verse 5 and 7, it says, through 7, it says, For even though I am absent in the body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and stability of your faith in Christ.

As you, therefore, have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in him, established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. Don't let anyone take your focus away from Christ. Walk in him, be rooted and grounded in him, and build one another up in him. Verse 8 and 9 says, See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the durations of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

For in him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. In Christ all the fullness of body dwells. Christ is what? 100% God, and he's 100% man. To chase after vain philosophies and empty deceptions, based on the traditions of men, and the accepted principles of this world, is to settle for less than what Christ has to offer you. To focus on Christ is to focus on the best that God has for you.

You cannot do any better than keeping your focus on your relationship with Christ. And then verse 10 says, And in him you have been made complete, and he is the head over all rule and authority. Jesus is the head of over all rule and authority, but the part that I want you to go away with understanding is that in him you have been made complete. Your life is complete in Christ.

And I know we've all gone through a lot lately. Robbie's passed away. Glenn's passed away. My patient that I was just watching just passed away this weekend. And it seems like there's a lot of death. A lot of things that can make you down. But Christ is here with us. And as long as you keep Christ first in your life, he's going to help you through these tough times.

And I really do believe it's important that we learn to step out in faith and trust him. And when that small, still voice speaks inside of us and says, Tell that person about Jesus. Step out of your comfort zone. And take this. Take the guts. And just go say something. And just see what happens. There's a ministry that I've taken part in lately. Several churches that are involved in it.

But we just set up a table every other weekend. Right now we're meeting at the laundromat. And we just set up a table and we pass out hot dogs. And we don't charge anything for them. We just give them away for free. And we ask them if they have anything. Anything they want prayer for. And you would be surprised at how many people at the laundromat or any place you go want to talk about God.

You know, you'd think that they wouldn't want to. But they want to talk about God. They'd come to get their hot dog. They'd sit down. And they're just pouring out what's going on in their lives. And 90% of the time, everybody that comes up wants a hot dog or something. They want prayer. They've got something they want prayer for.

I just really encourage you to step out in faith and let God do something with you. Just once this week. Just ask God. Just give me the boldness to step out just once this week. And do something out of the ordinary. Step out of my comfort zone. And let you be preeminent in my life. And you be the one who leads in telling me what to do. And just see what happens.

And then I want to hear about it. So, anyway, let's go ahead and pray.

Father, you are such a good God. And you care for us so much. And you've given us your word to instruct us. And you've given us your word to instruct us. And to guide us. And I just pray, Lord, that you would help us to take your word to our hearts. And although we can't really do much on our own, we can ask you by your Holy Spirit to apply it to our lives.

To help us be more dependent on you. And allow you to move through our lives in a way that will be a refreshing living water flowing out of us to touch other people. We're living in the end times. We don't have a lot of time left. And there's a lot of people out there that don't have any hope. And I pray, Lord, that you would help us, those who know you, be able to share that hope with somebody who doesn't.

Just give us the strength, Lord. Help us to know your presence with us moment by moment. And we just ask this now in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you, guys. Like I said, Joe Burkle's back there. If you want a copy of the notes, just go back there and mob him and bother him.