I came across this photo taken after the morning service at Bethany Hall, Stevenston. We were all formally dressed for church. It was obviously cold weather but only the women needed coats.
[12] Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, [13] bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. [14] And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. [15] And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. [16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. [17] And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. [Colossians 3:12-17 ESV]
I have probably read this chapter more than any other chapter in the Bible. I can still remember the thrill I had when I discovered these lovely verses away back in my late teenage years. It is all about koinonia - but the word is never used. But, have you noticed that Paul talks about 'one another' and 'each other.' This passage is Paul's recipe for true fellowship in a local church. He is being extremely practical - he provides a great pattern for how we should treat each other. I am going to start with the last verse in the passage because it provides the overarching principle. Whatever you do, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. He adds the phrase, 'in word or deed' to expand on his use of the word 'whatever.' Strictly speaking, this is a redundancy. The word 'whatever' covers everything but Paul wants to highlight that it applies to what we say just as much as to what we do. And this is so relevant and important. Sometimes a careless remark made publicly or even privately can destroy a good relationship with a person. Our speech can be either constructive or destructive; encouraging or discouraging; positive or negative. Do we say everything in the name of the Lord Jesus? Do we do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus? This is not insisting on a formal ritual. It is allowing Jesus to be Lord of all our actions and speech.
How we dress when we go to church. My wife usually insists that I do not dress shabbily on a Sunday morning. I would be tempted to wear old clothes which make me comfortable. I never wear a suit or a tie but Janie likes to make sure I look ok. But when Paul tells us to put on something, he is not speaking about our clothes. This is about our conduct and our character. What a lovely list Paul gives us: compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. If we all dressed ourselves with these virtues, our church would be a warm, spiritual environment. I am tempted to talk about each of these moral attributes but I want to keep this blog brief. Just notice that as well as showing kindness and compassion, we need to deal with our pride. Our ego can cause us to hurt our fellow believers. So there are two qualities which are the exact opposite of being haughty or proud - humility and meekness. And the list ends with patience. We need an endless supply of this commodity. I love the way Paul addressed the Colossians in these verses - 'God's chosen ones' and 'holy and beloved.' This is a reminder of the standards associated with being a Christian. God has chosen us on purpose for a purpose that we should be more like His Son, Jesus Christ.
Love binds everything together in perfect harmony. In his letter to the Corinthians Paul wrote a memorable chapter about love - Greek word agape. Paul was telling us that love was essential - we could have all the gifts we dreamed of but if there was no love it was pointless. Here he uses the metaphor of love binding all the other qualities together. This is a powerful word picture - and it reminds me of my cooking. There are some ingredients which help to bind the mixture together. I often add an egg to do just that. We want perfect harmony in our churches and more importantly God wants that. So love is essential - the sine qua non. Love has been devalued in our vocabulary. Paul is not speaking of eros - sensual love or loving folk who are easy to love. Remember Paul's helpful explanation of what this love is really like.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV
So, if we demonstrate this Christian love, we will bear with one another. The word translated 'bear' literally means to hold up against a thing. In the King James Version, it is also translated as 'endure,' 'forbear' or 'suffer.' In my simple understanding, it seems to me to suggest that this is something which takes considerable effort and even pain. It is suffering and it is enduring. So we are asked to go the extra mile in our Christian fellowships to continue to love and care for those who make life difficult. I can think of one brother who is probably reading this blog. Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone was as good natured as this brother? But God does not want us to limit our love to those who are loveable and of a sweet, pleasant disposition. A friend of mine who is a minister in the Church of Scotland talks about 'grace guzzlers' - in the same way as some cars are heavy on petrol so some people demand a lot of grace. This is what is meant by bearing with one another. I feel sorry for my brothers and sisters who have to put up with Robert Neilly!
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. The word translated as 'rule' means to act as umpire. This is about arbitration and settling disputes. Are we governed by the desire for peace - the peace of Christ or are we intent on stirring up quarrels? Notice the 'one body' - we need to do everything to avoid division. This may sound easy but there are challenges involved in trying to settle disputes. Acting as a mediator comes at a price.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. This was my key verse for starting Day Share away back in 2019. It is allowing the word of Christ to take up residence in our hearts and minds. It is about sharing the Word of God rather than the latest gossip. I have always been uncomfortable with the thought of admonishing one another. What right have I to admonish anyone? I am far from perfect myself and as I write the blogs I often feel uncomfortable. That is what God wants me to feel. I apply the word of Christ to myself before I apply it to others. I also like the reference to singing a variety of hymns and spiritual songs. My daughter, Fiona is a Christian song writer and there is a real ministry there for today's church. Some of us are more likely to be moved by the words of a hymn or a spiritual song than by a sermon.
Here is my motto for any church or church activity in 2023. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
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