Introduction

One of the biggest challenges facing the church today is the struggle to stay faithful to the truth of the Bible. In theory, the church of Jesus would always adhere closely to the Word of Jesus, but in practice it can be difficult to stand for truth. Basic fidelity to the Bible, which ought to be a given in any local church, can often get watered down or even lost in the midst of a changing culture.

This, of course, is not a new dilemma. Churches have always been called to contend for truth, and often there are competing voices. Such was the case for the first-century church in Colossae. Based on a normal reading of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, it seems obvious that some poor theology found its way into their community of faith. Once Paul became aware of this threat, he quickly penned a letter to remind them of the roots of their true faith in Jesus. The result of Paul’s efforts is the book of Colossians, a powerful and precise depiction of the person of Jesus Christ and His preeminence in our world.

As with Paul, my hope with this book is to challenge to you toward faithfulness to the Biblical text. The first step toward living the Word is knowing the Word. Grab a few others who want to be intentional about committing themselves to the truth of the Bible. This might be your Life Group, your family, your ministry team, or just a random group of friends. Just find some people. Then, find a regular time when you can get together to read and talk about Colossians, maybe eight to ten verses at a time. Nothing fancy, just read and discuss, and feel free to use the articles and questions on the following pages to spark your conversation. Finally, and here’s the key, yield yourself to God’s Word. When you dig into God’s Word, God’s Word will dig into you. The truth and wisdom that the Colossians struggled to obey is the very same truth and wisdom that will encourage you, challenge you, and even convict you, because God’s aim is to change you for His glory.

Early in Colossians chapter one you will find Paul’s prayer for his friends in Colossae. He writes:

“Since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.”
Colossians 1:9-12

It is this same prayer I will be praying for you and for anyone else who picks up this book.

For Christ,
Pastor James Granger
Riverview Church
February 3, 2019