You can tell what a person really values over what they are prepared to fight over
What really matters to us
What are we prepared to fight over (in a good sense)?
Paul has a great conflict
The Greek word means striving
The conflict is to do with the situation of the Lycos Christians
Paul had not met the majority of these people
Paul's great burden was that the church would be knit together in love and attain to the full understanding in Christ
How much does the church, the family and the body matter to us?
How concerned are we with other churches that we do not see on a daily or weekly basis?
Paul's burden is a great challenge to us
Paul's burden for the Life of the church
(v1) When we see other Christians wavering in the faith - how does this affect us?
Paul was really concerned about false doctrines
Others might have bad mouthed Paul who was far away in Rome
Paul states that he has a real burden for them
Paul doesn't state that he is concerned with their numbers, but their heart and spiritual well being
Example of the walkers on Pen y Fan
What is our attitude towards those in the church?
Do we look out for each other?
Do we go into groups?
Do we carry one another's burdens?
What is the climate/environment in church?
Paul was concerned for the believers in Laodicea
We need to be knit together in love
Love trumps knowledge
(v2) God speaks to us by His Spirit, through His word, through the Sunday service
Mystery in biblical terms refers to something that was hidden in times past but now has been revealed to us
The mystery is that God has come in the flesh
The mystery is that the Messiah has come not as a military figure but as a servant
The mystery is that Christ would save both Jews and Gentiles
The mystery is that Christ would indwell us, 'the hope of glory'
We need to understand these things
(v3) Speaks of hidden knowledge
Hidden in the sense that this knowledge must be explored, not hidden that it cannot be found
Mercy and wrath met at the cross - sin was punished
The wonderful wisdom of God in doing all this
Paul is concerned that the people will attain to this full understanding
He wants them to be built up
He doesn't want them to be grow stagnant or be side tracked
Paul's burden for the Doctrine of the church
(v4) Paul is concerned for those who would come in with a false teaching
They are deceptive and persuasive
They teach extra commands, extra requirements, extra experiences
They people spoke about extra knowledge
About secret knowledge (Gnostic's)
About visions and worship of angels (2:18)
(v5) Paul although absent in the flesh was present in spirit
Praying for them
Do we have this sense of spirit for our persecuted brothers?
Paul encourages them
He rejoices in their steadfastness of faith and their good order
He encourages them in the face of attack from the devil
(v6-7) Paul speaks of the time when they first became a Christian
Paul is challenging the people about this experience and time
Paul encourages the people to continue to remember this love, repent of sin, keep the Lord as master of their life
The church sometimes minimizes conversion
Saved people have been brought out of the kingdom of darkness
Conversion is an amazing miracle and a wonderful act of God
We must not look for extra experiences
Are roots are in Christ
Roots can only go down once and need to be nourished
We are to be established in the faith
We are to remember what we were taught
Do not abandon this to other teaching
(v8) Paul repeats himself but in a different form
Our teaching begins and ends with Christ
False teaching so often focuses on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and that He is not enough
There were Judisers who were leading disciples astray: 'touch not, taste not, handle not'
A large demonination in Brazil is teaching similar rules about what can and cannot be eaten, but this is a misapplication of the Old Testament
They are saying that Christ is not enough and that holiness is by works
These teachings are all philosophy
The teachings are all from men
These teachings are 'earthy, sensual, demonic'
"Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth." 1 Tim 4:1-3
This teaching comes from the evil one - from deceiving spirits and demons
(v9-10) Finishes on a positive note
Fullness - totally full, no more can be added
Christ is all the fullness of the Godhead - yet He came as a man
Paul states that all Christians are complete in Christ
Paul is concerned for the life and the doctrine of the church
We will endure attacks from the devil
When we see such going through these times we must pray for them
We are to pray for one another and stand upon the Word of God
