"And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only Begotten from the Father), full of grace and reality." (John 1:14) "This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Jehovah. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and I heard the voice of someone speaking." (Ezekiel 1:28) Christ in us has a Hugh Hope. It is the hope of glory! Glory is a word we use to describe the expression of God. We can’t just put this glory in a future tense as if it’s something we’re going to experience one day in heaven. Nor can we file it as the doctrinal endgame: j ..read more

Christ in you the hope of glory. I would say most believers have this underlined. Why is it underlined or highlighted? What does this mean to you? This meant everything to the apostle Paul. This is why he prayed without ceasing and rejoiced in all his sufferings, this is why he was “announcing, admonishing to every man and teaching every man in all wisdom “ This is why he “labored and struggled” (Colossians 1:28-29) He wanted the saints “to know how great a struggle” he had for them. (Colossians 2:1). That this Christ would be known in them, and grow in them. Christ is actually not a name but ..read more

"So then we, from now on, know no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him so no longer." (2 Corinthians 5:16) This verse indicates that Christ “from now on” is not merely known historically. And actually, from now on, we don’t know any man merely according to the old creation. Now that we are in Christ, we are new creations, and we perceive everything from that perspective. (2 Corinthians 5:17). The new creation is that we are in Christ and he is in every believer. Praise the Lord for the historical manifestation of Christ! We ne ..read more

It is certainly “Pauline” of Paul to write about suffering. You can find a laundry list of his personal sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11, and in chapter 12 regarding his “thorn in the flesh” the Lord responds, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness”. Most gladly therefore I will rather boast in my weaknesses that the power of Christ might tabernacle over me." (2 Corinthians 12:9). Here in Colossians 1:24 he rejoices in his sufferings. That’s not natural! Who talks like this? But this is his declaration especially after sharing the revelation of our Christ in chapt ..read more

"For in Him all the fullness was pleased to dwell" (Colossians 1:19-23) God is so happy that there is a place on the Earth where his fullness can be expressed. Oh, that all the saints would see that they express His fullness. And as the body enjoys this fullness the church surely is built. This is the hope of the gospel. This is why we’ve been reconciled unto God, this makes him so happy. Oh, I pray that you have light to see that every, every disruption, every trial, every conversation, every interaction, every thought, and every emotion, etc. is an environment to help open your eyes to see t ..read more

There is a place on the Earth where Christ can be expressed. Yes, your individual life can have an expression, but we alone are not His full expression. He is the Head, and just like your head needs a full expression so does He. It’s the Body! A head without a body would not just be lacking, it would be monstrous!. The body is the completion, expression and the fullness of a person. The church (the body) is the full expression of Christ (the Head) on the Earth today (1:19). This is quite a revelation of the church. This alone should stir us to examine what is it that we call the church, what a ..read more

"As therefore you have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in Him," (Colossians 2:6) What a verse! It sums up the commission that Paul was given to share with the whole world. Two big items: 1) open the eyes of the world and tell them they need to receive Jesus, salvation. This is primarily shared by Paul in the book of Acts. 2) Paul, you also need to help open their eyes that they might see that I am in them to “walked in” or enjoyed as their rich inheritance in their daily life. This burden we see primarily expressed in the epistles. In Colossians 1:15 Paul begins to share the believer ..read more

"To open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light and from the authority of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me." (Acts 26:18) "Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the allotted portion of the saints in the light; "Who delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love," (Colossians 1:11-13) Get into these verses, and you will see that what Paul utters to the Colossians was exactly what Jesus uttered to Saul at the ..read more

Giving thanks to the Father (1:12) is the natural response if we are God’s children , especially upon seeing His Big Will for us. John says, "Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and we are.” (1 John 3:1) . In other words , “Just longingly look at the quality of love the Father gives us!” It is the identical quality of love that the Father and Son enjoy! Because we have the Son we have this love life in us. This love in us unequivocally qualifies us to receive our inheritance—Jesus! He is the reality of the Good Land full of milk and ..read more

As a Christian and student of the Bible you have to see that Paul’s burden and prayer is not simply meant for an ancient group of believers in a forgotten village, but for you today! That statement may seem like “duh, we know that already” but saints often enjoy Paul’s writings historically or seek to only apply principles from his writings. But like Colossae we need such an unceasing prayer over us. A prayer according to Paul’s vision of the church. Do you meet and handle all believers as actually handling Jesus Himself ? Do you live daily in the light that Jesus is really living in you? Reli ..read more