So yesterday as we worked through Colossians 1, we came to verse 24:
“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,”
Colossians 1:24 ESV. http://bible.com/59/col.1.24.esv
Unless you have studied this passage it should bother you some... HOW CAN ANYTHING ABOUT CHRIST BE LACKING OR INCOMPLETE?
I encouraged you to pray about this verse and ask the Lord to give you direction and understanding...
I aslo asked you not to research this in Bible commentaries for now, but to look up synonyms for the word “lacking.” This combined with your prayerful seeking of the Lord will help you to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit...
Please comment on this post with your ideas about what you think this means!
This will be the topic of our teaching on Sunday morning!
What’s lacking is more people honoring their sufferings the way Christ and Paul honored theirs (by rejoicing). I think the common approach to suffering is “why me” mindset
ReplyDeleteGavin... good observation! can you explain how people might "honor their sufferings?" Thanks!
DeleteI think in a way pastor Rick answered it for us yesterday when he pointed at the banners.
DeletePeople may wholeheartedly want to be disciples they just want to do it their worldly way without denying themselves and then want to complain about the weight of the cross. Biggest problem is that we are no better and possibly worse now then before. Back then they didn’t have it written down and got it right whereas we do have it spelled out for us and we still get it wrong
I think you may have just grabbed another piece of this! Keep digging into the explanation or definition of "honoring their sufferings..."
DeleteAcceptance-it’s key
DeleteHow can I be more Christ like if I can’t accept my suffering and humble myself to his power
How can Christ accept us if we can’t humble ourselves to his power
It makes it hard to be Christ like if we our out in the world being us like
DeleteOf the synonyms that I found, the one that jumps out for me is "unequal". Because God is just, and because He never changes, His sacrifice for us is exactly what each of us needs. I have different needs than (for example) my wife or any of my children. Yet, HIS grace is sufficient for me. Just as it is sufficient for everyone else. He is willing and able to meet every need for each of us individually, and to meet the needs for every group of believers who truly seek Him.
ReplyDeleteNot equal, not one size fits all, but perfect for each of us.
Steve, imagine a way that unequal sacrifice can be a shared responsibility among Christ followers in order to embody the love of Christ to various individuals exactly the way they need to experience it... Keep going with this!
DeleteLacking synonyms were many and had a negative nature, except - necessity. Using that word is thought provoking when re-examing the scripture.
ReplyDeleteGood observation... don't let those "negative" connotations of the word throw you in a wrong direction... the negative connotation of the word itself will be corrected in proper application of the truth! Good catch, Chris!
DeleteIn Christ everything is complete. What is incomplete is how we "The Church" approach Him. Perhaps Paul was speaking of his need to complete his mission to teach the the church what Christ expects of each and every member of His body. Are we willing to take His word at face value or do we somehow have to add something that makes us feel more comfortable. Are we able to humble ourselves to the point that from the heart we can truly say "not my will but your will be accomplished in us.
DeleteI think that what Paul could be referring to is the physical aspect of being alive. Since Christ’s sacrifice discontinued his physical presence here on earth this is how I could see it lacking something and for Paul to say he is filling up this need. Since he is embracing Gods grace and mercy in his own suffering we are able to see by his example what that looks like. We know that Jesus relied on his Father through his suffering but since his earthly life ended it caused those after to not witness such a thing other than through others. We also get insight of what a blessing our suffering can be through Jesus sermon on the mount.
ReplyDeleteI believe what is lacking is us seeing our suffering/ affliction as something redeeming in our lives. Without suffering there is nothing to compare our joy with. Our trials are supposed to produce perseverance in our lives, not weariness or defeat, but strength so that we may become perfect, not lacking anything.
ReplyDelete