There are so many blessings that became available to the believer as a result of his salvation. Keeping us out of hell is wonderful, but so is the prospect of an eternity with Christ in Heaven. We will be exploring the myriad of blessings throughout eternity. One such blessing, one that is easier to experience than to explain, is found in Paul’s letter to the church at Colosse.

One of the dreadful aspects of our life before Christ, is the bondage we were in to the powers of darkness. As the prince of the power of the air, Satan rules his domain with a diabolical rod of iron. He is determined to destroy every person who has ever lived. His introduction in the Garden of Eden revealed enough to realize that not only could he not be trusted, but that his ultimate goal for the earth’s first couple was death.

Ever since his first victory in the affairs of man, the devil has developed a ravenous appetite for controlling humanity with his powers of darkness. Those powers are many, but can be categorized by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. His temptations can all find a commonality around one of those three categories. His endgame has never changed in his aggressive temptations; he wants to see lives bound in sin and eventually die.

God’s power is so much stronger than that of the devil. The power struggle between the two has never been a fair match, as God’s power is infinite, and the devil is bound by the established sovereign rule of his Creator. Man empowered Satan by his choice to follow him into sin. Man has ever since been choosing to believe his lies, and fall into his sinful traps. So headstrong was man in following his fleshly cravings, refusing to submit to his God, that Satan became man’s ruler. Sin ensnared man, keeping him in bondage to sin, without any hope of freedom; until, however, Jesus Christ broke that bondage forever by rising from the dead.

Paul told the Colossian church in…

Colossians 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

What Jesus did on the cross, and as a result of His resurrection, was to break Satan’s iron grip of control. No longer is man forced to be directed by Satan and his evil cohorts. He does not have to wear the shackles of darkness any longer. Jesus broke those shackles, and freedom is now freely accessible in Christ.

Therein is the solution to man’s problem. Sin is man’s problem; it began in the Garden, condemning him to death and Hell. Jesus is the solution to that problem. His blood paid for man’s sin, and His resurrection broke Satan’s death grip on humanity.

Freedom is now available, and it is now free. However, that freedom is only found by faith in Jesus Christ.

Of all the churches that Paul started throughout his vast missionary journeys, none received as much of his praise than that of the Macedonian churches, especially the one in Thessalonica. Many had eagerly responded to his preaching and teaching there, and a new church was begun. Even during his short time with them persecution arose, forcing him and his co-laborers out of the city.

Apparently, the young church continued to suffer frequent attacks and pressures long after his time there. Paul referred to their tribulations, along with their growth that seemed to flourish in spite of their difficulties in his second letter to them. He wrote in…

2 Thessalonians 1:3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;
4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:

This church comprised of new believers, and likely pastored by a relatively new believer, was demonstrating a level of spiritual maturity that far surpassed many churches that had existed for years. How could it be that the constant persecution they were forced to endure had not caused them to shutter their doors long before? How could they have continued to trust the Lord, and even grow in their faith seeing the intense pressure around them?

It is not uncommon in our modern, well-established, and ‘respectable’ churches to find congregations who are characterized by weak faith and little tolerance for any kind of pain. When the least wind of resistance begins to blow, all of a sudden regularly filled seats in the auditorium are found empty.

When most of a church leader’s time is spent trying to keep his flock getting along with each other, something is dreadfully wrong. And yet, the message the world has received from the church is ‘stay away the air is toxic!’

How did the church devolve from strong believers, thriving under persecution to the lazy and fragile state of the average church goer today? Is it possible that because we no longer face the constant antagonism and intrusions the early church was forced to endure, we have grown soft, and our stand for Christ weak?

When a coach receives a new group of young players, one of his first concerns is the physical condition of each. He knows that to make them successful and competitive, they will have to be pushed, and pushed hard. The players may have joined with dreams of playing their sport, but what they initially face is pain and a coach seemingly determined to push them beyond their abilities. The final result is a team who becomes capable of effectively competing.

I have no desire for persecution to come to the church, but we are in desperate need of getting stronger. Either we exercise on our own, or we should expect persecution to come.

We sometimes have a hard time comprehending what Paul is trying to teach in his writings. We have evolved into a microwave mentality; expecting solutions to problems immediately. When an answer to a problem doesn’t pop right out, we get impatient and typically walk away. Of course, a better way when studying Scripture, is to slow down and carefully analyze what is there, allowing the Holy Spirit time to guide us in the truth.

Such an opportunity is afforded us in the opening chapters of Romans. Paul writes in…

Romans 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

The discussion here is concerning the debate between a works salvation or a faith only salvation. Paul gives an illustration of a person working towards a goal. When the goal is reached, and the reward for reaching that goal is handed out, the recipient can glory in his accomplishment. His works led to the award at the end.

Think of the simple example of a person going to work. A teenager begins work at a McDonalds. He begins his career there by frying French fries all day. If he is paid bi-weekly, he can expect for his labors an agreed upon paycheck after two weeks of dumping frozen potatoes into a hot fryer. His paycheck reflects the work he put in.

In essence, his labors as a fry ‘specialist,’ created a debt to be paid in the form of a paycheck. It is the typical means by which society provides for its needs. Work is repaid with some form of remuneration.

When it comes to our sins, and the debt that we have incurred before God, that formula is not accurate. Our sins created such an offense before God, there is no possible way that we can pay God to suffice the debt.

When man first sinned in the Garden, he was immediately condemned to death, for there is no unrighteousness with God. No matter how hard Adam and Eve tried, they could never pay for their sin; their spirits had died, and their best intentions could not revive them.

Thanks be to God, He loved man so much He set in motion a plan of redemption even in the Garden. He prophesied that one day, Satan would be destroyed and the Seed of the woman would prevail. Paul in our text taught us that our sin debt cannot be paid by our works, but by believing on ‘Him that justifieth the ungodly.’ That is Jesus Christ.

By simply believing on Jesus to both forgive our sins, and save us, our faith is counted for righteousness. It is a truth that is so incomprehensible, it defies all reason. However, it is the only means whereby sinful man can be saved.

Praise God for His free gift of salvation!!

Philemon is a touching story of the conversion and transformation of a runaway slave, and Paul’s attempt to successfully reunite him with his master. Philemon was the injured party, as his slave had forsaken him and fled. Paul had met the slave while in prison and after sharing the Gospel with him, he was gloriously saved.

Paul knew that in order for his spiritual growth to continue unhindered, he would have to make things right with his master. It was to that end that Paul wrote a letter to accompany the slave. It began with an uplifting, cordial recognition of Philemon’s faithful testimony for Christ. He had opened his home for a church to meet, and was likely one of its leaders.

As an apostle, Paul held spiritual authority over the churches. He knew that he could demand that Philemon receive his slave, but he thought better of using force. He instead chose to reach out with grace. His letter said in…

Philemon 1:8 Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient,
9 Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.

Paul declared that he could be bold in his position before the Lord, and enjoin him (meaning to charge or command) Philemon to take his slave back, seeing that course of action would be the proper thing to do as a Christian.

He chose rather to show love to Philemon, not commanding him, but ‘beseeching’ him. The word is used to describe the work of the Holy Spirit of inviting, pleading with, or comforting. In essence, Paul was gently and humbly trying to get Philemon to do that which would best soothe his spirit, and put him in a position of spiritual blessing.

Paul referred to his advanced age in appealing to Philemon. As an old man, in prison for the cause of Christ, Paul had little time and tolerance for wasting relationships. He was intent in seeing the right thing accomplished for both Philemon and his slave. Paul’s motives were pure, and he was desirous that Philemon see his heart in the matter.

Paul demonstrated to us the ideal manner in dealing with people needing to make a spiritual decision. Love was, and must always be, the motivator behind any effort to effect a change. People are easily offended, and if they perceive any pride or judgmentalism, they will immediately become resistant to everything you try.

When you are burdened over a need you see in another’s spiritual life, begin by praying for them. Then, proceed to show them much love and grace as you humbly share with them your concern.

At that point, you must leave the results to the Lord, faithfully praying for them to make the right decision.