Here is the third part of my church "business" meeting
devotional, word-for-word. You can find the first post here.
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3. My third observation from this passage for us is this: The reason we are here today, gathered together as a church, is because Jesus Christ wants us to continue living in this truth. We are changed forever because of who Jesus Christ is and because of what Jesus Christ has done. Our job today is to rejoice in his awesomeness and rejoice in his gracious suffering and to rejoice in his mission to make friends of His enemies. Colossians says, “You must continue to believe this truth and stand in it firmly. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News.” Colossians goes on to say that “since we have been raised to new life with Christ” we are to “set our sights on the realities of heaven… Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. For your… real life is Christ… So now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds. Yes you have! In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you!… Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. (We have been and are continually are being recreated by the Creator!) So, it also says in Colossians, “since God chose you to be the holy people whom He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony.”
Brothers and Sisters of Brentview, the words of Scripture in Colossians say: “Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of His body you are called to live in peace… always be thankful… Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel one another. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.”
Lord God, the reason we are here today, gathered together as a church, is because You are amazing, and because You have saved and changed our lives, and because You are still at work renewing us constantly by Your Spirit so that we will be spurred on to represent You to the world. Let what we do here today honor Your purpose for this gathering as a church. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, this we pray. Amen.