THANKING GOD AND APPRECIATION (COL 1: 3-8)

THANKING GOD AND APPRECIATION (COL 1: 3-8):

After the greetings, Apostle Paul moves on to the body of the letter by first writing some of the good qualities and attributes. It is customary in most of the Paul epistles to provide smoothening exhortation to the readers. Apostle Paul writes that He along with Timothy always thank God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ when they pray for them since they heard of their faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that they had for all the saints. There is a little unusual way of giving thanks to God by mentioning God as the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ which could be to present that God the Father is in line with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as the author next stated that they heard of their faith in Christ Jesus. Giving glory to God and acknowledging Him is necessary to be complete in worshipping God. The Colossians also seem to have a very good relationship with one another, especially fellow believers.

The Faith in Jesus and the Love for others is strong because of the hope laid up for them in heaven. Of that, they had before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which had come to them, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing, as it does among them since the day they heard it and understand the grace of God in truth. The Word of truth is cascading and spreading throughout the world because of its essence of worthiness and the greatest power to transform. The Colossians received it and had an eternal perspective of treasures in heaven where nothing could perish anything that is material and immaterial. The eternal perspective could be possible only with hope and belief in the unchanging Word of God, as no one had ever died for a longer time and come back to life suddenly. The Word of God had not only come to the Colossians but to the entire world, and it is transforming many lives day by day, and making a wonderful impact since the people really understood and utilized it.

The anticipation of entering into God’s kingdom and understanding of the grace of the Word of God was learned by the Colossians from Epaphras their beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on Colossians’ behalf and had made known to them their love in the Spirit. Epaphras is an unknown person through the other biblical or extra-biblical sources as Epaphras was mentioned only in the letter to Philemon by Paul, as a fellow prisoner of Christ Jesus who sends greetings to him. Still, he could be from the Colossians and be committed to serve the Lord. He would have been with Paul and Timothy, and thereby they call Him a fellow servant. He is a genuine, loving, and trustworthy person and in appreciating his goodness, Paul mentions him as the whole representation of Colossians’.

Stimulations for Self-Reflection:

1.      Whom does Paul thank? When?

2.      Why does Paul thank God for Colossians?

3.      Why the Colossians had good faith in Jesus and love for all the saints?

4.      What is the word of the truth? Explain it?

5.      What is the Characteristic of the word of truth?

6.      From whom did the Colossians learnt? What they learnt?

7.      Who is Epaphras?

8.      What had been made known through Epaphras?

9.      How we could have an appreciable faith in Jesus and love for all the saints? 

10.  How we can allow the gospel to bear fruit and increase in us?

11.  How we can make know the love of our fellowship people?