In his letter to the Christians at Colossae, Paul is emphasizing the person of Jesus and what He has done for us. In these last verses of chapter 1, Paul says that God has chosen to reveal His great mystery in verse 27—“the glorious riches of this mystery which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” This revealing is not only to the saints but also to the gentiles as well.

It is in verse 28 and 29 that will be our focus this morning. The Living Bible has it this way, “So everywhere we go we talk about Christ to all who will listen, warning them and teaching them as well as we know how. We want to present each one to God, perfect because of what Christ has done for each of them. This is my work, and I can do it only because Christ’s energy is at work in me.”

Paul lived, breathed, ate and slept the Good News of Jesus Christ and for him the Gospel was all consuming. While we are not all like Paul there are some great lessons in these verses for us as people who call ourselves Christian.

The first lesson we see is that Paul was very comfortable in talking to people about Jesus. Oft times that produces in most Christians a lot of guilt because most of us are uncomfortable sharing our faith with friends or strangers. The example of Paul was that ‘everywhere we go’ we talk about Christ. This was the extent, the breadth, of Paul’s witness and it was not limited to geography, race, culture, or social class.

Now there was a caveat to Paul’s talking about Jesus. While he talked to everyone, “teaching them with all wisdom” and the implication is that he continued talking to all would listen. There is nothing worse than for Christians to button-hole people ‘forcing Jesus down their throats’ when it is obvious that they are not interested in hearing. That is the big reason I like William Fay’s style of Sharing Jesus Without Fear because he is looking for signs that God is at work in a person. He talks to them about Jesus as long as they have an interest. It does take God’s wisdom and discernment and the sensitivity of the Holy Spirit to know how far to go in sharing your faith. Some people are open, others are tolerant and still others are antagonized by your faith in Jesus. And yet Paul was burdened that everyone come to know Christ and know the joy of His salvation.

The gospel message is both bad news and good news. The bad news is that sin has infected every person and its consequence is eternal separation from God. We call that Hell. The Good News is that God loves us so much that He created a way out for us to escape Hell and enjoy eternal life with Him in Heaven. We call that salvation.

The second thing we notice is that the end result was not the witness. The end result was so that Paul could present each one perfect to God because of what Christ has done for each of them. The purpose of our witness is that people who do not know Christ can come to know Him for themselves.

In verse 29 Paul says that this is his goal, his work, his calling, “To this end I labor.” Paul adds something very revealing and powerful. The Living Bible puts it more descriptively, “And I can do it only because Christ’s mighty energy is at work within me.”

That is the key, the cornerstone, the fulcrum of our labors for Jesus whether that work is witnessing or something else. Serving the Lord, doing His will, laboring for the Kingdom is possible only as the dunamis, the dynamite, the power of the Holy Spirit enables us by working in and through us as we are plugged into the Source of power.

Paul knew what his job was, “This is my work,” he wrote. He also knew where he got his strength—from “Christ’s mighty energy at work within me.”

As Christians we are called to be his followers and we are responding. Do we know the work He has for us? Are we being empowered and energized by His Spirit for that work?

Thank You for Taking The Time to Read This Message.
May God Use These Words to Help You and Strengthen You.