This blog post will be in four parts; the next part will be posted a week following this one

When I think about a fiery, in-your-face passionate guy in the Bible, the Apostle Paul is at the top of the list. Paul’s passion for Christ and for his church is evident in all his writings. In Colossians 2 , Paul is under arrest, and chained to a guard. Yet his concern is not for his own well-being, but for a church that he did not plant in Colosse.

He clearly defines the goal of his letter. He wants to encourage the people, seeing them unified in love so that they can experience the full riches of Christ in which all that is truly rich, and all that is wise and all that must be known, resides. He wants them to see how complete and firm their faith is in Jesus Christ and to discard the deceptive teachings that are infecting the church.

Everything we need for a life of authentic meaning on this side of eternity and the next is found in Christ.
Jesus is the centerpiece of the Colossians letter and of our life. But I don’t always believe that. There have been seasons in my life when I have looked for that deeper sense of purpose in success, education, unique spiritual experiences and the applause of the crowds. What I discover over and over again is that those experiences always leave me empty. I always return to the Jesus who has never abandoned me and in whom all authentic meaning is found. Paul’s passionate letter to the Colosse church is a reminder and a disciplinary rod for our lives, clearly revealing the truth that we must never lose the centrality of Jesus Christ in our life. We must never add anything to who Jesus is and what he has already done.

An “additive” simply involves adding something. It usually refers to a substance added to food. I started reading the list of ingredients in some of the common foods in our pantry and found that they are filled with additives. There have been many studies on the negative impact of specific additives. Aspartame is often connected with migraine headaches. BHT causes tumors in lab animals. Saccharin is known to cause cancer in laboratory animals. Sodium nitrite can combine with chemicals in our stomach to form a highly carcinogenic substance. Several other additives in the study I read had an asterisk next to them indicating that these substances could be toxic if consumed in large amounts.

There were people in the Colosse church who had added to Christianity and their idea of who Jesus was and what Jesus did. These “additives” were killing the church and confusing the raw power of Christ followership.

Our problem is that, according to the Bible, we are like sheep.

Mark 6:34
“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.”

Have you ever considered national animals? One of the things you’ll notice about them is that no one picks sheep. Why? Because sheep are generally weak, defenseless, and dumb animals. We are like sheep; I am dumb, and easily distracted, and so are you. Because we are sheep, it is so easy to add to Christianity and the centrality of Christ in all things.

Jason Esposito,
Lead Pastor

To be continued next week
Please post your comments, personal insights, or questions by clicking on the ‘add new comment’ link below.