How Do I Rate My Concern for Other Christians?
Colossians 2:1-5
(Children's Sheet for Sermon Interaction is at bottom. Notes are throughout sermon)Pastor Kerry Kinchen, Bridgeway Bible Church
Please turn to Colossians 2:1-5. Colossians 2:1-5 is our text we are learning from this morning. As you are finding that passage, I want to remind us of how wonderful our privilege is to be saved. We have Christ in us. We have the Holy Spirit indwelling us. This relationship is shared by all of us who are Christians. We are the body. Humbly, we must recognize that we are special. We must recognize this fact because it is the truth. We are the central focus of God's plan of redemption for eternity. We have God's word, so we are not ignorant of Who He is, what He has done, what He is doing, and what He desires from us. Christ is the center, and we are the body of Christ as God's creative project for eternity. We are the one's the God-man came and died for. We are the ones He lives in as His spiritual temple. We are important. This morning, I want us to humbly think about how important we are from God's perspective. I want us to think about how important we are for a reason. Let's read out text together, and I will explain a bit more,
"1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument. 5 For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ." Colossians 2:1-5
Please prepare your heart, to learn along with me in the preaching of God's word in this sermon titled,
How Do I Rate My Concern for Other Christians?
[prayer]
As we consider the question that is the theme for this sermon, I want us to be thinking about how important we are to Christ. I also want us to think about some other questions to get us looking at this from another angle. Let's ask ourselves something personal, and probing. Ask yourself:
Do other people know how great a struggle I have for other Christians?
The answer to this is very revealing on a whole lot of fronts. The answer has to do with how others are experiencing your concern, and so the answer helps us determine if
a) the concern is there,
and
b) if what is there is authentic.
It helps us to see that concern for other Christians is either a doctrinal theory that we happen to have merely heard along the way in our religious circles, or, it is the reality of Christ that is part of us. I want us to keep that in mind as we ask ourselves something else:
How would God rate my concern for other Christians?
This is the big question. God is the one who really knows the accurate answer, isn't He? He is the One we serve, and so He is ultimately the One we should want to base our concern upon. All these questions help us to rate where we are in our concern for the body. This morning I want us to glean four principles from our text to help us rate our concern for other Christians.
/1/
Starting out, I want us to recognize the first principle to glean. It has to do with how we compare to our Biblical example. In our context, Paul has not met anyone from the Colossian Church. They are detached from him outside prison walls and the terrain of hundreds of miles. He doesn't know what they look like. He doesn't know their personalities. And yet, Paul has a deep love and concern for them that is a pure manifestation of the Spirit. He says,
"1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face,"
Paul's burden for other Christians is evident. It is manifested in both His self sacrificial service, and in written concern. Coming into this passage Paul just explained the concern we should all have. Paul said that he rejoices in his sufferings for the sake of the Colossians. He sees it as simply doing his share on behalf of Christ's body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. Paul is a minister of the church. It is a stewardship from God that was bestowed on Paul for the Colossians benefit, and all the other churches that had been planted. It was so that Paul would fully carry out the preaching of the word of God. The word of God that Paul has for the churches is what he calls the mystery which has been manifested to God's people that He has set apart in Christ from among the nations. This kind of information is simply amazing. God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the people who are not genetic Israelites elected in the earlier covenant. God has something special for people from every tongue, tribe, and nation. The mystery is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is incredible that such a reality even exists in the first place. It is even more incredible that someone can be saved, and not realize that they have this. Paul wants to make sure nobody stays ignorant of this amazing fact. Paul's, concern, and his fellow apostolic minister's concern, is to proclaim Christ Himself, in all His fullness, in all these things, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that the members of the body may be presented complete in Christ. This is what Paul has been saying. Paul says it is for this purpose that he labors, striving according to God's power which mightily works within Paul.
Now, I want us to think about this. We already know that Paul's whole life is Christ. But I want us to consider that if we had to rate Paul's concern for the body, we would rate it very highly. We know that Paul wants the Colossians to know that he is not just somebody who has a passing interest in these things in general. Further, Paul is not having a kind of superficial interest in the Colossian people, and so he casually shares some facts. Paul is ambitious about the amazing message that he has, and Paul has a zeal for the body that is the zeal of Christ for the body, and so this is what we see. Paul wants them to know how great a struggle he has on their behalf, plus the Laodiceans, and for all those who have not personally seen his face.
We remember that Paul has not met these people. They do not know one another aside from stories from Epaphras. Paul names three different categories of people who have never personally met Paul, and Paul truly struggles for all of them. Notice that Paul mentions the Colossians, and he also mentions the Laodiceans. Laodicia is 12 miles from Colossae. Epaphras, more than likely evangelized that area too. Paul had not met those people either, but Paul has a great struggle for them too. He even prays for them continuously as we read in 1:3. Paul covers everyone in his concern, and he is explaining how great, real, and important his concern is. What I am wanting us to recognize about this is that Paul isn't saying all of this about family, or old friends, or personal acquaintances that he knows from close fellowship. Follow what I am saying--Paul is not acting like so many people who act who base their concern on contingencies. Paul is demonstrating that close, special, people are not the only ones important enough to struggle for, to cry in prayer for, to be imprisoned for, and to even die for. Paul says,
"... and for all those who have not personally seen my face," Colossians
The body of Christ everywhere is important in every respect. Paul understands God's sovereignty. Paul understands that the body is growing bigger than the beginning of his ministry. He realizes the vast separation of all the various people that God is saving, but Paul also realizes the tight interconnectedness of the whole body as one growing spiritual organism of people who each individually have great importance, and worth for being loved in ministry nurture. Everyone around the world who is in the Lamb's book of life is just as real and just as important as you and me, which means that all Christians should matter to us in a profoundly deep way. In other words, what matters to Christ, is what should matter to us too. What the Spirit would say to us through His word, is that concern for those outside our neighborhood, family, sports, hobby, and business, zones, is not supposed to be a kind of concern that is something unique with only Paul, Timothy, Epaphras, and the first century Christians. It is a burden that God wants all Christians to have for all Christians in each generation. This is body life in an expansive scale, and this is the way God made it from the beginning. In Chapter 4, Paul urges the local Christians as a local church, to be involved, caring, concerned about the other Christians who are spread abroad. Paul says that he wants the part of the body of Christ in Laodicea to be greeted by the part of the body that is the Colossian Christians. Paul wants intermingling action. He says he wants this letter to be read to the Laodiceans. This means some people are going to have to go 12 miles by foot, to Laodocia and love them, and love God, and love God's word, love God's mission, and love God's purpose in respect to the mystery enough to put actions to their confessions. We read that apparently Paul had sent a letter to the Laodiceans that he, likewise, wants read to the Colossians too. This snapshot right here of body life in the emerged church, is just one immediate demonstration of how the body is connected, though it may seem to natural eyes like it is disconnected. The question that the Holy Spirit would have you ask yourself is:
Are you acting like you are disconnected?
The point is that from Paul's perspective, in one sense, he does not know the Colossians; He doesn't know the Laodicians; He doesn't know the others across the regions there; but in another sense, he does know them. He knows them according to the Spirit, and the revelation of the mystery. He knows them as the body of Christ that is connected to him. In turn, they know each other the same way. He ministers this Scripture to them in their own local fellowship church community of the group dynamic. They likewise, learn, and then build one another up according to the same ministry, truth, and love connection to one another in Christ; and then they go on and minister their letters from him, as the word of God, to surrounding Christians as if presenting rare insights that are needed for growth. This is concern from a to z in the broad spectrum of God's design: First the local body nurture which is knit together in love, and then, the concern for the vast expanse. This is what the early church looks and acts like. It acted like the body, for the body, because it is the body as more than a trite doctrinal pronouncement. How many of us realize that if the body did not interact this way, then we would not have a Bible today? In our own generation, we are the body of Christ that God has created for His glory to consider all of our brothers and sisters in the church in the exact same way. In one sense, we do not know all the Christians everywhere, but in another sense we do. We especially know those in our own local church fellowship, right? At least we should. So, the questions remain:
How do I rate my concern for other Christians?
Do others know how great a struggle you have for other Christians?
How would God rate your concern for other Christians?
The only way to even attempt to answer this is for us to compare our lives with those in the early body who are written into the word of God for the instruction of the body in every generation. We don't know much about Epaphras, but something important that we do know is that this obscure man took it upon himself to spread the gospel and raise up churches across northern Asia. In chapter 4, Paul says that Epaphras is;
"always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis." Colossians 4:12
Earnest, continuous, ongoing, caring, labor in prayer for the spiritual growth of scattered groups of Christians. Deep concern. This is what I am preaching about: Deep concern, which comes from being Spirit filled, manifested in the doing side of your Christianity. There's someone else too. God wants us to look at Paul to discern how to rate ourselves. The Holy Spirit directs us, where Paul says,
"Brothers, join in following my example," Philippians 3:17
"The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things,." Philippians 4:9
"I exhort you, be imitators of me." 1 Corinthians 4:16
"Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1
@1 God wants us to be _________________ of the early Christians, particularly the apostles. (1 Corinthians 4:16)
The first converts in Europe learned it. Paul reminded them,
"6 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord," 1 Thessalonians 1:6
Paul is talking about the apostolic group, which was Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy. They also imitated the Lord. The Lord is the one who has deep concern for His body. We are just imitating Him when we are submitting to the Spirit's leading according to His heart. Paul said that the apostles worked hard in a disciplined manner,
"9 ... in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example." 2 Thessalonians 3:9
@2 God gave us the example of the apostles as a __________________ for us to follow. (2 Thessalonians 3:9)
The big point in what I am saying is that to manifest the role, and the deep concern, we need to have deep concern in the role models that God has given us. There is no reason for us to act like we don't understand. There is no excuse for having a lack of concern. God has given us a biblical standard in His word in the form of precepts, and He has also given us a standard in the form of examples, for rating our concern for other Christians.
/2/
This leads us to recognize the second principle to glean for rating our concern for other Christians. It is encouragement in hearts that should already be knit together in love. Paul says that the struggle that Paul has on behalf of the body, is
"2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love,"
This is really easy to understand because it is the heart of Christ toward His body that we see here. Christ has loving concern for His people, doesn't He? Part of Christ's loving concern for his body is that we be encouraged. He wants us to be encouraged, but He expects us to already have been sewn together in the love of the Spirit spread abroad in our hearts. God hates factionizing, divisiveness, lack of commitment, lack of care, and manifestations of lack of love. Now listen to me: How are you going to encourage a Christian who is factionizing, divisive, and manifests lack of love? And so we see that Paul has loving concern for the Christians to be encouraged, while they are already in their loving concern for one another. The check in this principle that we need to examine ourselves by is to ask;
Are we actively wanting to see the hearts of other Christians encouraged?
Does it matter to us whether the hearts of our brothers and sisters are knit together in love?--which means your heart must be knit together in love with others too, which means the difficult people that you don't easily get along with. Be honest:
Is this one of your driving ambitions in Christ?
It needs to be because this is a pure manifestation of the mystery. It is Christ in you the hope of glory. The manifestation of the mystery is Christ shining out of you where you bathe the rest of the body in the glory of His care, love, unity, and nurture. It is where we manifest Christ the miracle worker, where we are His miracle to others. There is no doubt about it; this is a high standard, because the standard is Christ Himself; but it is the standard that Christ has empowered us to accomplish, and it is the standard that He has taught us to achieve;
"4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus" Philippians 2:4-5
@3 God wants us to look out for the interests of __________________ who are our brothers and sisters in Christ. This was Christ's attitude. Philippians 2:4-5
To obey the Spirit in this, takes true conviction that embraces the body for what it is. It takes humble self sacrifice each and every day in each and every moment. It takes fighting the tendency to be a loner, a selfish Christian, a brooding Christian, a snob, and someone who thinks their Christian life is all about their own self, or their own family. What Paul is saying about the Colossians is that their hearts are already knit together in love. He is using the aorist tense in the Greek, which just means that they are already expressing the love of Christ that they supernaturally possess. My goal, and your goal, is to see the hearts of all our other brothers and sisters encouraged. When we do this, love is coming out of us too, and so we are showing that our heart is knit together with the other members of the body. Notice the heart. Paul is concerned with wanting,
"their hearts to be encouraged, ..."
When Paul talks about the heart here, he has a particular meaning. In Romans 1:21, Paul describes the heart as being able to understand. In Roman's 10:9-10, he speaks of the heart as having the ability to believe. In Romans 16:18, he speaks of the heart as being deceivable. What is Paul talking about when he refers to your heart? This same Greek word is translated as "mind" about 50 times in the New Testament. Paul is saying that his desire for the Asian Christians, is that their minds be encouraged, having been knit together in love. This is important to understand in rating our concern for other Christians--our primary encouragement is not to affect an emotional center. It has to do with affecting the way we think. They are already knit together in love, as we are all expected to be as the body. Now the growth comes in the mind where we grow by the milk of the word. Our minds need renewing on a continuous basis. We take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. What Paul wants is that the Colossians would grow from their bond of love through thinking with a biblical world view according to the mystery where everything they do is focused upon the glory of Christ. It is the same unity and mental cohesion that God wants for all Christians everywhere in all generations of the body. You get away from this, then you get away from God's design for the body, whether it be in how we relate, what our church dynamic looks like, and what we all believe. Your mind needs to be encouraged because your mind is what controls how you view your situation. Whenever our minds are saturated with God's word, and we literally think His principles, and we think His principles in faith as part of daily operation, then we are being encouraged. This is how Paul's letter is used by God thousands of years after the Colossians have been buried, where God is still ministering to His body through His word, and through his servant by the Holy Spirit, and through preaching of the same word according to the same Spirit, and it goes on and on. Paul said basically the same thing to the Philippians;
"conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, ... standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;" Philippians 1:27
@4 God wants us to stand firm with __________ mind striving _____________________ for the faith of the Gospel. (Philippians 1:27)
We should already be knit together in the bond of the love of Christ in a local fellowship of Christians that is according to the biblical model. Now, we strive together with our minds to achieve excellence in understanding, and practice of the faith. So we see the two things in this second principle and we sum it up in easy to understand terms:
God wants us to encourage the body.
The body is expected to already be knit together in love.
This brings us into gleaning the next thing. When Paul wants the Colossians to have a certain kind of thinking in their unitedness as the body, he explains what the substance of our encouragement is. He wants their hearts, as their minds, (not emotions) to be partaking in the wealth; the riches; the treasure; of understanding the doctrines and precepts of the faith.
/3/
This is done according to the next principle, which is the the third principle to glean for rating our concern for other Christians.
"... and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument." Colossians 2:2-4
@5 __________________ knowledge of the mystery of Christ will keep us from being deluded with persuasive arguments. (Colossians 2:2)
The concern is that the people in the body get all the wealth that comes from being grounded in the actual facts of God's mystery revealed, which is Christ Himself. This is so important, and is why the word of God is central to our faith. As we grow in these things, the governing thought supervisor of our emotions grows. Our minds reflect spiritual thoughts of stability. But we need the right knowledge. When the body understands, with sureness, right doctrinal facts, then the result is a true knowledge that drives your actions. In Colossae, if the scholars are right on how far gnosticism had developed, the so-called secret knowledge of the proto-gnostic cults was being touted in their midst. The gnostics claimed to have the mystery message from men who claimed to be the revealers of the secret knowledge. But, we have the true mystery revealed. Paul knows this, and so he says that the true knowledge of God's mystery, is Christ Himself, because it is in Christ that all the valuable treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. This Greek word for hidden that Paul uses here is apokruphoi. The false teachers of gnostic like sects, in much the same way as all the multitudes of false teachers in our own day, believed that there was special knowledge necessary for a kind of spiritual salvation. They claimed that the knowledge was hidden in secret books that were called by the same name, "apokruphos." They claimed that those books could only be opened by people who had special insight. Paul is saying, in a sense, that all of that hokus-pokus-apokro-focus false religion con man hype is not really wisdom, but stupidity. It is really anti-apokruphos, or anti-wisdom. The only true apokruphos, where all of the real spiritual knowledge is hidden, is Christ Jesus. The bottom line is that it all comes back to the real mystery of the Christ God man who lives in us, and we live in Him. When we know the fullness of what it means to be in Christ, and Christ in us, then it is impossible for people to persuade us with cultic heresies like gnosticism, or Mosaic Law Judaism, or fall from grace lose your salvationism. But this goes beyond ourselves. It goes to the whole body focus. Our concern for others should be that they experience the riches of the treasure of all wisdom and knowledge for life and godliness in respect to the mystery. This means that we should not be content with making dismissive statements like, "Well, they are saved, and so they seem to be doing fine for the most part so that is enough." This is exactly what the state of the Colossians were in when Paul wrote his letter. They were saved. Their hearts were knit together in the love of Christ. They seemed to be doing fine for the most part. Isn't that enough? but the fact of the matter is that it was not enough, and Paul knew it. This reminds me of years ago. I had already been saved for over 15 years, and I did not realize that understanding the mystery of Christ in people as the body of Christ is an understanding that God wants us to have in realizing salvation. Through discipleship in the aspects of the mystery revealed, mainly from Paul's epistles, I began seeing that when our minds are renewed with the realization of our positional salvation of being in Christ, and Christ being in us, according to scripture, then everything about my Christian life was grounded in the mystery of Christ in me the hope of glory. He is everything. He is my all in me. This is how we rest in the surety of our salvation, even when we come into times that our faith is tested, stressed, and faltering. The feeling aspects of Christianity became eclipsed in the pure truth of Christ as the summation of being all your propitiation, all your debt payment, all your atonement, all your reconciliation, all your righteousness, all your life, and all your purpose, in all of you, me, and all the whole body of Christ by grace through faith. I have heard people say that they do not feel saved anymore. Or they say that they have lost the feeling of elation, or a somewhat mystical sensation that they had like when they first received Christ. Personally I never had a mystical feeling when I received Christ; but I know numerous people who speak of their sensations in being saved spiritually--and now, the feeling part is gone, and because the feeling is gone, they wonder what has happened. They think something is wrong. The riches of the truths of the body of Christ answers that with true encouragement to the mind planted in the mystery. The treasure is in Christ, and Christ is in us as our hope of glory. And listen, this doesn't mean you are going to feel Christ in you, like Laura feels our daughter in the womb right now. She kicks and Laura says, "She's saying hello." It is not like that at all. Real spiritual knowledge of the mind, says,
"Do not look at the way you feel. Look at the way Christ feels about you, in you, for you. You are eternally loved by Him as His body which He cherishes and nourishes."
Mystery truth of the body of Christ is not talking to me about how I feel. It is talking to me about how Christ feels about Himself. Christ is in you in salvation, and He is also sitting at the right hand of the Father. Everywhere that He is, He is feeling very good about Himself, about who He is, and about all He has accomplished. When God tells us that He raised us up with Christ, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus in Ephesians 2:5-7, we realize that Christ is feeling just fine. Well, we are seated there in Him, so what does that mean about us? Since we have been raised up with Christ, true wisdom is to keep seeking the things above, Paul says, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. We set our minds on the things above, not our feelings on the things that are on earth. Why? Because you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God, Colossians 3:1-4. This is the truth that eclipses feeling based salvation experiences. And every single Christian is in the same place that you and I are. So, the question to asks is:
"In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge?"
We know the answer. The answer is;
"In Christ Jesus."
But the next question to ask is just as important:
"In whom is my life, and the life of all the other members of the body hidden?"
The answer is;
"with Christ in God."
This is the true secret gnosis that is treasure that has been revealed that has so much value that you can not put a price tag on it. So, we don't look at our feelings, and in our ministry to the body, where we care for the body, we need to be encouraging one another not to look at our feelings. Emotionalism can never be the standard for God's propositional truth. We have the mystery of Christ in us revealed. With the riches of the Christ of the mystery, we don't look at commandments of men, and humanistic religion; or our works either. We don't look at how much we sin, and so we think we are so sinful, we are second class Christians. We don't look at our mistakes and camp out there. We don't look at the mistakes of the other members of the body and camp out there either. We admit, repent, forgive, encourage, and move on to higher heights of glory together in real love according to real riches in the Son. We encourage one another in real, real, real, concern. We look up to where we are--in the heavenlies at God's right hand in the very perfect one who is our perfect life. When our minds are full of the treasure of Christ, then we are so heavenly minded in our heavenly view that we are nothing but earthly good as a member of His body.
/4/
This leads to the fourth principle to glean for rating our concern for other Christians.
5 For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ."
@6 God wants us to have good discipline and _________________ in respect to our faith in Christ. (Colossians 2:5)
In a sense, the whole body of Christ is connected Spiritually, and in another sense, we can be "with" one another in spirit. This is the fourth principle; God wants us to be really "with" one another--not detached from one another--in spirit. You can be in the same room with someone, and not be with them. Paul was with the Colossian fellowship, and Paul was in a prison cell. The Colossian church is a distinct group of Christians. They are knit together in love. The apostle is with their church community in spirit, as they should be with one another in spirit too. You and I need to be interested in, involved in, and focusing our lives in, a specifically distinct group of Christians. I'm talking about a local body of specific people you are to be "with" in spirit, that you "knit together" with, in real, actual, doing, love--a group that you are committed to in regular, consistent, ongoing, fellowship. God designed this as the local church fellowship. It is biblical, and it is God's will. True concern for the body of Christ comes supernaturally from being united with a local church group in spirit--where you are really "with" them in mind and actions. When you are really "with" the body in spirit, then you will nurture that ministry care that God expects out of you. You will rejoice in nothing less than stability in good discipline, and stability of Christian faith in Christ of those people. Paul is in prison because he's following in the footsteps of Christ as an apostle. But, Paul has a joy about suffering for the gospel that reflects the sober reality of what he's doing for a body that he is connected to and truly with in spirit. This prompts Paul to rejoice in the fact that the Colossians are following in the same footsteps of Christ. There is no greater joy than to see the body being stable in Christ. Here is the point: God wants you to be with the body, with the joy, and with the stability in Christ too. So, this would be another check. Ask yourself:
Am I with my church in spirit?
Is this what you rejoice in too? Brothers and sisters, I urge us all to continually be checking ourselves in respect to the mystery. Consider the first principle: What does being the body really mean in all areas? How do you rate your concern for other Christians? Do you compare to the biblical example? Do we reflect the example of the early Christians? De we reflect the precepts taught to us from God's word? Abide in the second principle. Are we encouraging the minds of those around us that we are knit together with in love? Are we looking out for our own personal interests alone? Or, are we concerned about the mental state of the rest of the body? The mind of Christ governs us. Our mind, in Christ, should govern our emotions. True concern requires the humble self sacrifice of Christ to be manifested out of you. Is your concern that the people in the body get all the wealth that comes from being grounded in the actual facts of God's mystery revealed, which is Christ Himself? Finally, are you really "with" your church in spirit? Yes, we must be knit together in love; but I am talking about being really connected, and truly committed. These are all necessary things for manifesting the concern for the body that Christ has for the body. Amen.
@1 God wants us to be _________________ of the early Christians, particularly the apostles. (1 Corinthians 4:16)
@2 God gave us the example of the apostles as a __________________ for us to follow. (2 Thessalonians 3:9)
@3 God wants us to look out for the interests of __________________ who are our brothers and sisters in Christ. This was Christ's attitude. (Philippians 2:4-5)
@4 God wants us to stand firm with __________ mind striving _____________________ for the faith of the Gospel. (Philippians 1:27)
@5 __________________ knowledge of the mystery of Christ will keep us from being deluded with persuasive arguments. (Colossians 2:2)
@6 God wants us to have good discipline and _________________ in respect to our faith in Christ. (Colossians 2:5)
