This is a follow up article to the “Jesus came to conquer spiritual death” article so please read that first. Jesus did conquer spiritual death. But there is an apparent contradiction. 1) Paul said that the Ephesian Christians had already been raised from the dead spiritually before 70 AD (he wrote Ephesians in about 60 AD)? Ephesians 2:⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Likewise with the Colossian Christians: Colossians 2:¹² having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. ¹³ And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings.” 2) But the last enemy, spiritual death, was not defeated until 70 AD according to 1 Corinthians 15 (again read the first article if you haven’t). If spiritual death, the last enemy, was not conquered until 70 AD (1 Corinthians 15), then how could the Ephesians and Colossians be raised from the dead spiritually before 70 AD. That is the “already and not yet” of the transition period from 30 AD to 70 AD. This is an excellent article by Alex Polyak on this topic: https://thebiblefulfilled.com/the-already-and-not-yet/. Thebiblefulfilled.com is his site and he has many excellent videos and articles. He also has an excelent book, “The End is Here” (amazon prime) that is very detailed and deals with all the objections to full preterism). Why reinvent the wheel? I can’t explain this any better than Alex did, so I will simply quote directly from his article and say “Amen”.

“The New Testament is filled with New Covenant realities that had already arrived in part (pre-AD 70), but had not yet arrived in full. Consider the following examples:

Salvation had already arrived in part (2 Tim. 1:9, Titus 3:5, 1 Cor. 6:11), but salvation still had to come in full (Rom. 13:10; 1 Pet. 1:5; Heb. 9:28).

Righteousness had already come in part at the cross (1 Pet. 2:24), yet Righteousness would not come in full until “the elements burned with fervent heat” / the new heaven and earth (2 Pet. 3:13; Gal. 5:5).

Redemption had already happened in part (Eph. 1:7), yet Redemption still needed to happen in full (Eph. 1:14; 4:30; Rom. 8:23).

The Adoption had already happened in part (Rom. 8:15), but the Adoption still needed to happen in full (Rom. 8:23)

The Kingdom of God had already come in part (Col. 1:13; Luke 11:20), but the Kingdom of God still needed to come in full (Mark 9:1, Luke 21:31, Rev. 11:15).

The Gathering of Jews and Gentiles into one new body, Christ, had already begun in part (Eph. 2:12–13), but the Gathering would happen in full at the second coming (2 Thess. 2:1–2, Matt. 24:30–31).

The New Jerusalem had arrived in part (John 4:23, Heb. 12:22–24), yet the New Jerusalem still had to come in full (John 4:21, 23; Rev. 21:2).

The (General) Resurrection had already happened in part (John 5:24–25; Eph. 2:1, 2:6; Col. 3:1–2), but the Resurrection still needed to happen in full (John 5:28–29; 1 Thess. 4:16–17; 1 Cor. 15:51–52; Rev. 20:13).

The New Testament is filled with such New Covenant realities that had already arrived in part, but had not yet arrived in full. In fact, some of these events are spoken about in both the present and future tenses in the very same passage, just a few verses apart (see the redemption example above)! Either the New Testament writers/apostles blatantly and repeatedly contradicted each other–and even their own statements–or there was something more going on here. The already/not yet concept explains this nicely. The New Covenant realities had already arrived in part (pre-AD 70)…but they had not yet arrived in full. And when would they arrive in full? When the Old Covenant age of types and shadows[1] completely vanished away, which would happen at Jesus’ second coming in AD 70.[2] Paul captured this sentiment beautifully in saying (in AD 62/63): “He who has begun a good work in you [saints in Philippi] will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).

Note: Just about all Christians acknowledge the “already/not yet” concept. However, while preterists[3] contend it refers to the time period between AD 30 and AD 70, futurists [4] argue it refers to the time period between AD 30 and today–a 2000+ year time period–which would negate the purpose for using such a concept in the first place!

The time period between AD 30 (Jesus’ earthly ministry) and AD 70 (the second coming) was a time of transition. The Old Covenant types and shadows were gradually passing away…and the New Covenant realities were gradually being built up. As the writer of Hebrews said in approximately AD 60: “In that He [God] says, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first [covenant] obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away (Heb. 8:13). The Old Covenant was growing old…and the New Covenant was being built up.”

Now a few of my comments. If the futurists are correct, then we are still waiting for Jesus to return to conquer the last enemy death. Maybe they think that means that Jesus will return in the future to conquer physical death, but we have already seen that he did not come to abolish physical death. So if he hasn’t fully conquered spiritual death yet, then our redemption is not complete. I prefer to believe that he fully accomplished what He came to do, and that is to conqer spiritual death completely in my life and in the life of all believers. We are not living in the transition period (30-70 AD), still waiting for the completion of the redemption process in 70 AD. We usually read the New Testament as if we were living in the transition period, taking things written to those living in the transition period as if they were written directly to us.

I’m especially interested in the point Alex made about the kingdom. “The Kingdom of God had already come in part (Col. 1:13; Luke 11:20), but the Kingdom of God still needed to come in full (Mark 9:1, Luke 21:31, Rev. 11:15).” The spiritual kingdom of God, which is the church, was established in Acts 2 in 30 AD. Christians in the transtion period were added to that kingdom. Colossians 1:¹³ For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” But then Paul told recent converts on his first missionary journey: Acts 14:²¹ And after they had preached the gospel to that city and had made a good number of disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch, ²² strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “It is through many tribulations that we must enter the kingdom of God.” So there was another phase of that kingdom that the believers were going to enter later. Most think that is heaven, but it is referring to the final phase of the establishing of the spiritual kingdom in 70 AD. That is what Jesus predicted in Luke 21:³¹ So you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near. ³² Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place.” Luke 21 is Jesus’ predictions about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. If the kingdom had already been established in 30 AD, how could he say that the kingdom would be “near” in 70 AD. B/c the final phase of the establishment of the kingdom would happen in 70 AD at the end of the transition period. The mistake that futurists make is that they are still looking for Jesus to establish a physical kingdom. They think that the final phase will be Jesus returning some day to establish a physical kingdom, but he never planned to establish a physical kingdom. John 18:³⁶ Jesus answered (Pilate), “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

Another good point by Alex: “The New Jerusalem had arrived in part (John 4:23, Heb. 12:22–24), yet the New Jerusalem still had to come in full (John 4:21, 23; Rev. 21:2).” Isaiah had predicted the new Jerusalem. Isaiah 65:“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. ¹⁸ But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing And her people for gladness. ¹⁹ I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her The voice of weeping and the sound of crying.” Hebrews 12 calls it the “heavenly Jerusalem” and is referring to the church, not to a physical city. Hebrews 12:²² But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, ²³ to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven.” The new Jerusalem, which is the church, was established in 30 AD in Acts 2. So how does John predict the new Jerusalem coming down to earth at some time in the future after he wrote Revelation in about 65 AD?? Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” He then adds: 21:⁹ Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, full of the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” ¹⁰ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, ¹¹ having the glory of God.” Again, “already and not yet”. There was another phase of the establishment of the new Jerusalem, i.e. the church, that would be completed in 70 AD. Why 70 AD? B/c the book of Revelation was written about 65 AD about things that. were going to happen shortly, soon, near (Revelation 1:1-3; 22:1-10). The book is about the destruction of the old Jerusalem in 70 AD, just as Jesus had predicted in Matthew 24. The final phase of establishing the new Jerusalem would be the removal of the old Jerusalem in 70 AD. So the transition Christians were already in the kingdom but would enter the completed final phase of the kingdom in 70 AD. But still it would be a phase of the spiritual kingdom, the church, and not some physical kingdom. Revelation 21:1-11 says that the new Jerusalem was the “bride of Christ” which of course is the church. The Hebrew writer spoke of this: Hebrews 13:¹⁴ For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.” It was still in the future for the transtion Christians, but not for us. We live after the final phase of the new Jerusalem, the church, was completed in 70 AD.

One last point from Alex: “Redemption had already happened in part (Eph. 1:7), yet Redemption still needed to happen in full (Eph. 1:14; 4:30; Rom. 8:23).” Paul said that the Ephesians had their redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Ephesians 1:⁷ In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace ⁸ which He lavished on us.” But just a few verses later he spoke of a future redemption for them: 1:¹³ In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, ¹⁴ who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” In Luke 21 Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD in Luke 21. He spoke of the redemption of believers in 70 AD: Luke 21:²⁸ But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” So the redemption process began in Acts 2 in 30 AD when the first 3,000 were baptized for the remission of sins, but the full redemption process was not completed until 70 AD when the last enemy, spiritual death, was destroyed, when they would receive their immortality whether dead or alive (1 Corinthians 15, read the first article). BTW this is what Paul was referring to in Romans 8:²³ And not only that, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons and daughters, the redemption of our body.” There was a future redemption for the transition Christians he was writing to even though they had already been redeemed and forgiven of sins. Futurists say this future redemption has not yet happened. They say it will be a future recreation of the earth to its original Garden of Eden state at some future 2nd coming of Jesus and that believers will get some kind of a new physical body to live on earth for a millennium or maybe even forever. But notice Romans 8:¹⁸ For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory about to be (mello which always means something about to happen) revealed in us.” Their future redemption phase that Paul predicted in 8:23 was about to happen in their lifetime, so it could not refer to something that has not even happened yet some 2,000 years later! That future redemption for them was the final phase of redemption in 70 AD as predicted by Paul and Jesus. That is why the Roman Christians were so eagerly waiting for that final phase of redemption. Romans 8:¹⁹ For the eagerly awaiting creation waits for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God.” In 70 AD the identity of the true sons of God would be revealed. It would be shown once for all that God had rejected the unbelieving Jews and that the true sons of God were the Christians. The transition Christians had been told by Jesus and the apostles that all this was going to happen in their lifetime, so that explains why they were so eagerly awaiting their future redemption at 70 AD. I don’t know how much they understood all that would happen in 70 AD, but they were fully expecting it to happen within their lifetime and eagerly waiting for it. Again, we read transition passages as if they were written directly to us, but they weren’t. Romans 8:23 has already been fulfilled. The final redemption of believers has been available since 70 AD. We have that full redemption. When we die, we live on eternally in our spiritual bodies in heaven, wherever that is!

Hopefully this article explains the “already and not yet” concept. Again, I encourage you to read some of Alex Polyak’s articles and watch his videos on thebiblefulfilled.com.

One last note. Compare this transition period to our transition period in choosing a new president. We elect a new president in November but he is inaugurated in January. There is a transition period between the election and the inauguration. The newly elected president is called the president elect until his inauguration. He is the official next president once he is elected. He starts to form his new cabinet during the transition. The things of the old administration begin to b removed during the transition period, and are completely removed by the inauguration. But he doesn’t officially become the president until the inauguration. That’s the same as the transtion period in the New Testament. Jesus began his reign as king in his new spiritual kingdom in 30 AD, but he did not finalize his reign and his kingdom until 70 AD. He began removing all the remnants of the old Jerusalem, the old covenant, the old heavens and earth (i.e. the Jewish system), the old animal sacrifices, the old covenant priesthood, etc. during the last days of the Jewish Age (from 30-70 AD), but those things were completely removed in 70 AD. In about 60 AD, the Hebrew writer wrote: Hebrews 8:¹³ When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear.” That old covenant was about to disappear in 70 AD just a few years after this was predicted. Hebrews 9:⁸ The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, ⁹ which is a symbol for the present time.” The final phase of the redemption process was not disclosed (phaneroó: To make manifest, to reveal, to make known, to show openly) until 70 AD after everything in the old covenant was removed. AI: “The verb “phaneroó” is used in the New Testament to describe the act of making something visible or known that was previously hidden or not apparent.” There had to be a lot of confusion about God’s final plan during this transition period. For 2,000 years God’s presence was built around the priesthood, the animal sacrifices, and the temple. But the Paul and others start preaching about a new covenant based on the blood of Jesus. So would believers in Jesus just try to obey both covenants? Should believers in the future do that? Just a lot of confusion. But 70 AD explains it all and brings the plan all together. This is what Paul was referring to in Ephesians 1:⁹ He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He set forth in Him, ¹⁰ regarding His plan of the fullness of the times, to bring all things together in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.”

My wife suggested this one. I told her that no one was invisible b/c I can see them. But I really knew what she meant. We always eat our Egg McMuffins at McDonalds every Sunday morning at 7 AM. The one we eat at is especially clean and has great managers. They hire one man to do nothing but clean, mop, pick up trash, etc. He looks to be a very simple fellow although he might be the boss like in the TV show “undercover boss”. But he is there every week, so I don’t think he is the boss! My wife called him one of the “invisible people” that we seldom take notice of. AI: “”Invisible people” can include mentally challenged adults, disadvantaged, unwed mothers on welfare, runaway teens, ex offenders, uneducated and unskilled people, illegal immigrants who clean hotels or do menial jobs, residents in inner city projects, elderly, child orphans or foster children, homeless people or anyone who experiences a sense of being ignored or separated from society as a whole. It can include just ordinary people doing all the little jobs that make life easier for us, people that we take for granted. We might say “thank you” but that’s about it, or we might even tip a little. But often we just get our service from them and ignore them.

Jesus was good at not ignoring the invisible people. The woman at the well. Would you pay much attention to a woman who had been divorced 5 times, was living with someone not her husband, and who was a foreigner that many looked down on in society? Jesus did. He would not even “snuff out a smoldering wick or break a bruised reed”. He would try to bring out the best in everyone. He would draw out what little faith someone had. He would give hope to those struggling with life. We don’t know how that woman at the well ended up, but he gave her hope of a better life if she would accept the living water Jesus had to offer.

Jesus stopped to heal the blind men who were following him, even though they were crying out, making a disturbance. He talked with a sinful woman who anointed his feet at Simon the Pharisee’s house. Simon was appalled that Jesus would even let this sinful woman touch his feet. He laid his hands on and blessed the little children who were brought to him by their parents, even when his disciples were rebuking them for bringing the children. He stopped to heal the woman with the 12 year bleeding issue. He did not rebuke her for secretly touching his garment but praised her faith instead. Jesus took note of the demon possessed man who had been living in the tombs and cast the demon Legion out of him. The whole town nearby ignored this man and just hoped that he would stay in the tombs area. Jesus ate with the tax collector Matthew and his “sinner friends” even though he was criticized greatly for doing so. Jesus stopped to talk to the Syrophoenician woman even though his disciples were begging him to send her away b/c she was crying out loud, annoying them. He then challenged and drew out her faith and case the demon out of her daughter.

So the lesson today is for us to pay attention to the “invisible people” that we see every day. Not just pay attention to them, but seek them out. “To visit the widows and orphans is pure and undefiled religion” according to James 1:28. There are plenty of widows out there who might not need financial help but who would love to have some one come visit and talk to them. Each one has a story to tell. Go to some place like the House of the Harvest here in Huntsville on Saturday morning and you will find plenty of invisible people. Many of them speak Spanish and are delighted when I give them breakfast with a little Spanish conversation. Go offer to help someone who fosters children. They often have many challenges. Think through your own daily experiences and identify those invisible people in your life. Stop and take time to talk to them and help them if possible.

Remember, the invisible people are all very visible to God so don’t ignore them.

Are you always in a hurry? My wife and I have different hiking styles. I attack the trail to finish it as quickly as I can. She stops often, and I have to wait on her. She says that we should stop along the way to, as Jesus said, “consider” the great things God has created in nature. “Consider” in the Greek is katanoeó: To observe, consider, perceive, understand. (AI): “The verb κατανοέω (katanoeó) is used in the New Testament to denote a deep, attentive observation or consideration. It implies more than a casual glance, suggesting a thorough and careful examination or contemplation. This term is often used to encourage believers to pay close attention to spiritual truths or to the example set by others.” I am Type A: Type A individuals as outgoing, ambitious, rigidly organized, highly status-conscious, impatient, anxious, proactive, and concerned with time management. People with Type A personalities are often high-achieving workaholics.” My wife is Type B: People with a type B personality may be easygoing and laid-back, and approach tasks with less urgency. Type B personality traits include patience, flexibility, and an even temper. People with a type B personality may be more prone to procrastination or distraction from a task.” So combining a Type A and a Type B in marriage for 54 has been an experiment of patience with each other’s personality quirks. I won’t go any further in that discussion! I’m sure she has put up with a lot more of my quirks than I have hers. At least I am saying that for this article!

Back to hiking and life in general. Every day in an adventure with God if you will make it: the statement “everyday is an adventure with God if you will make it” suggests that embracing a life of faith and actively seeking God’s presence can transform ordinary days into meaningful and exciting experiences.” That means that we have to “stop along the way” and “consider” everything closely. We should ask, “What might God be doing in this situation? How can God use me in this situation? How can I be kind and help that person I see who needs help?” We can consider nature and everything God has created, and then praise God for creating it all, whether He did it in 6,000 or 6 billion years. Either way, it’s amazing to create everything from nothing with such amazing design. We can consider scriptures, looking more closely at what they meant to the original recipients and how they might apply to us today. Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” Most of us dont just quit our devotion to Jesus. We just “drift away” slowly, like a small boat drifts out into the lake when it is loosed from the dock. We are so busy with our “worries, riches, and pleasures” (Luke 8:14) that keep us from bearing fruit and spiritual growth. We just drift away from our devotion, praying less, meditating on God and His word less.

So, short and sweet. Make today an adventure with God, considering God’s presence in everything in your life today.

Please read the last article on the all sufficiency of Christ (Colossians chapters 1 and 2). Summary:Jesus is all sufficient for your forgiveness and guidance. He is the Son of God, the very icon (exact image) of the Father. He is the Creator and all things hold together by His power. He is your redemption from sin and reconciliation with God. He is the head of the church and directs every thought, word, and deed. Don’t let anyone tell you that simple faith and obedience is not enough, that you need to focus on sectarian rules or new revelation or asceticism or visions or intellectual doctrinal debates or charisms of some latter day prophet or legalism withdrawing fellowship with other believers. You don’t need those things to be “spiritual”, to be more “complete or mature” as a Christian.

So, Christ is all sufficient but what does that mean in practical daily Christian living? Since he is all sufficient, do we even need to try to quit sinning? Will the all sufficient grace of Jesus save us no matter what we do (universalism)? Do we need to do good works since salvation can’t be earned by good works? Are there any rules to keep? Are there any doctrines essential to salvation and fellowship with other Christians?

I think the Colossian letter answers all those questions. Remember, Paul is writing to house churches in Colossae who don’t have a completed New Testament. Some false teachers are trying to persuade them to focus on some new philosophy about the nature of Christ or some food laws of the Old Testament or some visions they have seen. After discussing the all sufficiency of Christ in chapters 1 and 2, what will Paul tell them to focus on.

1. 1:4 Continue “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints.”
2. 1:¹⁰ Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
3. 1:²³ Continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you have heard.”
4. 3:1 Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.” Don’t focus of all that stuff the false teachers are pushing at you.
5. 3:5-11 Put off the old sinful self and all your old sinful thoughts, deeds, and practices. Sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry, anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene speech from your mouth. lying. That list covers it all, doesn’t it? Look at each one of those and ask yourself, “How hard am I really tryin to no commit those sins?”
6. 3:10-13 Put on the new self that is constantly being “renewed”. The Greek for renewed is anakainoó: To renew, to make new again. (AI): “The verb ἀνακαινόω (anakainoó) is used in the New Testament to describe the process of renewal or making something new again. It conveys the idea of restoration and transformation, often in a spiritual or moral sense. This renewal is typically associated with the inner self or mind, indicating a profound change that aligns with God’s will and purposes.” Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; ¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving each other just as Christ forgives you, love, which is the perfect bond of unity, peace, be thankful. Let the word richly dwell within you b/c that is the main way that the Spirit renews your mind every day to put off the old and put on the new. It is a constant battle of the mind 24/7 to do that, but you have to stay in the word. Look at that list to put on. Which ones do you need to ask the Spirit to help you practice more? Ephesians expresses this same “put off the old, put on the new renewal of the mind: Ephesians 4:²² to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, ²³ and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” A great summary verse: Colossians 3:¹⁷ Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
7. 3:18-4:1. Be a submissive wife, loving husband, obedience child, gentle father, obedient slave, fair slave master. It should all start in the home!
8. 4:2-4. Be devoted to prayer with thanksgiving. ³ praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ. Pray for the spread of the gospel throughout the world. Pray and support organizations like EEM that print and distribute Bibles in many countries in many languages.
9. 4:5-6. Make the most of every opportunity that you have to influence outsiders, non Christians. ⁶ Your speech must always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” That would include handling conflicts, not returning insult for insult, defending the faith ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you about the hope of eternal life that you have, and just being kind to others in your speech, encouraging others. That would include: Ephesians 5:⁴ Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.”
10. 4:7-18 Share greetings with fellow believers and co-workers in the kingdom. Paul mentions several, including John Mark and Luike. Special mention of Epaphras who started and pastored the church at Coossae but was in Rome when Paul wrote the letter: 4:¹² Epaphras, who is one of your own, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings, always striving earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand mature 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.” Also share this letter with the Laodiceans and read the letter I wrote to them.

In closing, remember that Paul told how they became Christians and how they were saved. Colossians 2:⁹ For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Him you have been made  complete, and He is the head over every ruler and authority; ¹¹ and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision performed without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, ¹² having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. ¹³ And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, ¹⁴ having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵ When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.“

I’m still convinced that one must believe, repent, confess, and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16). These verses teach that baptism is the final “step”, being buried (the word baptizo means immersion) in the water and then raised up from the water. Still saved by grace through faith, but baptism is part of that initial saving faith. Similar to Namaan being told to dip in the River Jordan 7 times to be healed of leprosy. The water or the number of dips didn’t save him, it was the power of God. But he was given “conditions” to meet to be cleansed and he would not have been cleansed if he did not obey those conditions. The same with baptism. It’s not the water. It’s not a “work” by which we earn salvation. It’s simply a condition of faith that must be met. We were dead in sin, but after baptism we were raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:1-6). Baptism is not just something you do to join a church. It is a critical step in being saved by grace through faith.

So, if you are not a Christian, please do so. If you have not been baptized, please do so. Don’t let anyone get your focus off the all sufficiency of Jesus and what simple Christian living is.

Do you see why I made the title? If Colossians was the only book in the New Testament that you had, it would be more than adequate for you to believe in the all sufficiency of Christ and how you should live a a believer.

CHRIST IS ALL YOU NEED AND COLOSSIANS IS ALL YOU NEED!

(AI): “If you ever lose confidence in the all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ, it means you start to doubt that Jesus alone can provide everything you need for salvation and a fulfilling life, potentially looking to other sources or actions to fill the gaps in your faith, which goes against the core Christian belief that Jesus is enough on his own.”

The theme of the letter to the Colossians is “the all sufficiency of Christ”. Paul is in house arrest in Rome for 2 years around 60 AD, during which he wrote his 4 prison epistles: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. Epaphras started the church in Colossae. Epaphras was a coworker of Paul’s and a native of Colossae. He likely converted to Christianity while Paul was in Ephesus. Maybe he was converted while Paul was teaching two years in the school of Tyrannus in Ephesus. Paul would have laid his hands on him and given him miraculous gifts. He then returned to Colossae to spread the gospel. He probably ministered to the Colossae church for several years. He traveled to Rome to update Paul on the church’s condition. That’s how Paul knew about the heresy being spread at Colossae. He became Paul’s fellow prisoner in Rome. (AI): “During Paul’s three-year stay at Ephesus, “all the residents of Asia (including Colossae), both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:10, CSB). It is quite possible that Paul, while in Ephesus, had led Epaphras to Christ, discipled him, and then commissioned him as a church-planter to Colossae.”

Picture Paul in Rome writing a letter to the house church(es) in Colossae after Epaphras told him about the false teaching being spread in Colossae. Mind you that the church there doesn’t have a copy of the New Testament yet. They might have had access to the gospel. But Paul is dealing with a very specific issue that maybe Epaphras is not able to deal with. The Colossians would have respected Paul as an apostle and hopefully they dealt with the issues after receiving Paul’s letter. It makes you thankful that we have the completed New Testament “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:14).

What was the heresy being spread in the church there? This wasn’t a minor dispute over eating meats. The heresy attacked the very nature and sufficiency of Christ. (AI) “The concept of “all-sufficiency”: This means that Jesus’ sacrifice and power are enough to cover all your needs, including forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and strength to live a godly life; you don’t need to add anything else to be saved or live a righteous life.”

(AI): “The “Colossian Heresy” refers to a set of false teachings that spread within the early Christian church in Colossae, which Apostle Paul addressed in his Epistle to the Colossians; this heresy likely involved a mixture of Jewish legalism, pagan mysticism, and angel worship, essentially downplaying the supremacy of Christ and emphasizing the need for additional rituals or practices beyond faith in Jesus for salvation. 

Key points about the Colossian Heresy:

Secret knowledge:The false teachers might have presented their beliefs as a form of “secret knowledge” accessible only to a select few. 

Focus on angels:A significant aspect of the heresy was the excessive reverence or worship of angels, potentially viewing them as intermediaries between God and humans, diminishing Christ’s role. 

Ascetic practices:The heresy might have also promoted strict asceticism, encouraging practices like fasting and self-denial beyond what was necessary. 

Jewish legalism:Some elements of the heresy could have involved adherence to Jewish laws like circumcision or dietary restrictions, even for Gentile Christians.”

The false teachers were persuasive. Colossians 2:⁴ I say this so that no one will deceive you with persuasive arguments. 2:⁸ See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the elementary principles of the world, rather than in accordance with Christ.  2:¹⁶ Therefore, no one is to act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath day— ¹⁷ things which are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. ¹⁸ Take care that no one keeps defrauding you of your prize by delighting in humility and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, ¹⁹ and not holding firmly to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.”

False teachers are still very persuasive today, deceiving many Christians. Following Christ is really pretty simple. You acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior. You put your faith in His atoning death on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins. You try to stop “practicing” sin. You try to love fellow Christians and the lost. You try to allow Jesus to lead you in every aspect of your life. You try to obey his commands. You try to be a loving mate, child, worker, neighbor, and influence with everyone in your life. Then some persuasive false teacher comes along and says, “what you are doing is not enough. You need to keep some of the food and feast laws of the Old Testament”(even though they were given to the Jews and you are not a Jew, you are a Gentile Christian under the new covenant:the Seventh Day Adventists do this). “You need to have some secret knowledge that is not in the New Testament” (the Mormons do that with the Book of Mormons which they say is equal to the New Testament in authority; Christian Science does this with their special healing concepts taken from their prophetess). “You have the wrong view of the nature of Christ; he was a created being, not eternal” (the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that and then use persuasive arguments to get you to believe that Jesus invisibly came in 1914 AD to establish the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses and that you need to join).”

Or maybe a persuasive teacher (not so radical as the cult teachers mentioned above) comes along and says, “Here is a list of doctrines that you must follow: no instrumental music in worship, Lord’s Supper every Sunday, no jewelry, infant baptism, etc and you can’t fellowship with others who don’t adhere to these teachings” (the doctrines might just be honest attempts to teach the truth, but it is legalism to make minor doctrines as tests of fellowship with other Christians). “You need to come worship with us b/c we have a pastor or prophet who gets visions from God to guide us” (many cults have latter day prophets who rely on visions they have seen). “You need to speak in tongues to really be a spiritual Christian and you need to follow our Spirit led prophets” (the Bethel group does that as well as many Pentecostal groups: speaking in tongues might not be a heaven/hell issue but it can’t be used to make believers feel more spiritual than others who don’t do such practices).

Indeed we have plenty of the “Colossian heresy” today among religious groups. You might wonder why false teachers would come up with all these heretical or divisive teachings. Maybe it is just a desire for control or power over others, to make the false teacher feel more important b/c of his/her teaching. Maybe even money or sexual motives. Maybe an honest attempt to get people to believe in truths that he/she thinks other believers have missed, but even if that is the case they should not cause division.

But Paul says that the. root of the problem of the heresy is that some are not totally sold on the “all sufficiency of Christ”. Again: “The concept of “all-sufficiency”: This means that Jesus’ sacrifice and power are enough to cover all your needs, including forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and strength to live a godly life; you don’t need to add anything else to be saved or live a righteous life.” We should focus all our attention, devotion, and study on Christ and not issues, new philosophy, new rules and regulations, new forms of spirituality, new intellectual debates, new revelations, etc. Since Christ is the head of the body, he does give us all the basic truths we need. His revelation through the inspired apostles and prophets as recorded in the New Testament is sufficient for us. We won’t come up LGBQT approval if we trust in the sufficiency of His revelation. We won’t listen to a pope as the head of the church. We won’t accept extra books like the Book of Mormon. We won’t follow some latter day prophet. We might sit around in a house church and discuss issues and doctrines, and we can have minor disagreements, but we will always trust Jesus’ new covenant to keep us straight!

We will not feel like we have to keep more rules to be more righteous. We will trust in the reckoned or imputed righteousness of Christ that is given us by our faith in Jesus. We won’t feel like we need some extra secret knowledge or false spirituality to be more spiritual.

We are now ready for Paul’s doctrinal statement of the “all sufficiency of Christ”:

Colossians 1:¹³ For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: ¹⁶ for ^[y]by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. ¹⁸ He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. ¹⁹ For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, ²⁰ and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

²¹ And although you were previously alienated and hostile in attitude, engaged in evil deeds, ²² yet He has now reconciled you in His body of flesh through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

²⁴ Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am supplementing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions in behalf of His body, which is the church. ²⁵ I was made a minister of this church according to the commission from God granted to me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, ²⁶ that is, the mystery which had been hidden from the past ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His saints, ²⁷ to whom God willed to make known what the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸ We proclaim Him, admonishing every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person complete in Christ. ²⁹ For this purpose I also labor, striving according to His power which works mightily within me.“

Paul gives 12 facts about Christ in these verses:

1. He is King  (verse 13). We are translated into his spiritual kingdom, the church, which is his figurative body of the saved. Jesus is “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16) . 
2. He is our Redeemer (verse 14). The Greek is apolutrósis: Redemption:  release effected by payment of ransom. He frees us from the power of death and sin. The ransom price is paid to God to appease His wrath against our sin. His grace will cover you if you sincerely try. His blood will continue to cleanse us of our sins (1 John 1:7). Ephesians 1:⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸ which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight”.
3. The image of the invisible God (verse 15). The Greek is eikón: Image, likeness, representation, as with the image of an emperor on a coin. “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father” (John 1:9)
4. The firstborn of all creation (verse 15). The Greek is prototokos: Firstborn but in the sense that the firstborn son has preeiminence or soverignty over other sons. Jesus was the not the first thing created by God like the JW’s teach. Paul makes that clear in the next verse.
5. Creator of all things (verse 16). John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” He is the creator of all things, so he can’t be part of the creation itself.
6. He is eternal (verse 17). “Before Abraham was, I Am” (John 5:58). Micah 5:2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” Isaiah 9:For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” If he is eternal, then he was not created.
7. In Him all things hold together (verse 17). What is gravity? What keeps protons and electrons from collapsing into the nucleus of elements? What makes Newton’s laws of motion work? What keeps stars and planets in orbit? It is the power of Jesus who holds all things together.
8. The Head of the Church (verse 18, 24). The head controls every organ in the body and everything that we do. We must look to Jesus, not the pope, to direct everything we do. Ephesians 1:²² And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
9. The firstborn from the dead (verse 18). Again the Greek is prototokos: Firstborn. He was not the first one ever raised from the dead (for example Lazarus were raised by Jesus), but he was the preeminent one ever raised from the dead. His resurrection would verify Christianity.
10. The has first place in everything (verse 18). The Greek is próteuó: To have the first place, to be preeminent, the first in importance. He must be first in everything thing you think, say, and do. He must be first priority in your life.
11. In Him the fullness of God dwells (verse 19). The Greek is pléróma: Fullness, completion, that which fills. In other words, the Father filled Jesus with everything that He, the Father, is. He is God. John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 20:²⁸ Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Believed what? Believed, like Thomas, that Jesus is Lord and God!
12. He is our reconciliation with God (verse 20-22). The Greek is apokatallassó: To reconcile completely, to restore to favor. It emphasizes the total restoration of a relationship that was once broken due to sin. Romans 5:¹⁰ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. ¹¹ More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” 2 Coriinthians 5:¹⁸ All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹ that is, in Christ God was reconciling^[c] the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Christ then is all sufficient for those who trust in Him. If you are just trusting in Jesus and walking in the light, then you don’t need anything or anyone else. Don’t let anyone tell you that you need something else to be “complete in Christ” (Colossians 1:28). It is “Christ in you” that is the hope of the glory of eternal life (Colossians 1:27). Focus on who Christ is and what he provides for you instead of your religious works and good deeds.

Let’s finish where we started. (AI): “If you ever lose confidence in the all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ, it means you start to doubt that Jesus alone can provide everything you need for salvation and a fulfilling life, potentially looking to other sources or actions to fill the gaps in your faith, which goes against the core Christian belief that Jesus is enough on his own.” When you have problems, do you believe that Christ is sufficient to give you the strength to handle the problem? When you feel like you are no doing enough or that you don’ know enough, do you trust Jesus to save you anyway? When someone is trying to add things that you need to be complete in Christ, can you tell them, “No thanks. Jesus is all I need.”

I close with a song. “Jesus is all the world to me.” You can listen to the song on youtube.

1 Jesus is all the world to me,
My life, my joy, my all;
He is my strength from day to day,
Without him I would fall:
When I am sad, to him I go,
No other one can cheer me so;
When I am sad, he makes me glad,
He’s my friend.

2 Jesus is all the world to me,
My friend in trials sore;
I go to him for blessings, and
He gives them o’er and o’er:
He sends the sunshine and the rain,
He sends the harvest’s golden grain;
Sunshine and rain, harvest of grain,
He’s my friend.

3 Jesus is all the world to me,
And true to him I’ll be;
Oh, how could I this friend deny,
When he’s so true to me?
Following him I know I’m right,
He watches o’er me day and night;
Following him by day and night,
He’s my friend.

4 Jesus is all the world to me,
I want no better friend;
I trust him now, I’ll trust him when
Life’s fleeting days shall end:
Beautiful life with such a friend,
Beautiful life that has no end;
Eternal life, eternal joy,
He’s my friend.

Peter spoke of trial by fire, a fiery trial. 1 Peter 1:1 Peter 1:7 “That the trial of your faith (being much more precious than gold that perisheth, though it be tested with fire)”. Peter 4:12-19  “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you”. But I think that was figurative fire! How would you respond if you literally were thrown into a fiery furnce. Picture the fire chambers where they cremate bodies, or the iron furnaces in Birmingham, AL where they made steel. I can’t think of a worse way to die. Christians have been threatened with death by many different means over the past 2,000 years. 70 Christians were just beheaded in the Congo recently. Shelley writes, “Many Christians were even crucified. Some were sewn up in the skins of wild beasts; then big dogs were let loose upon them, and they were torn to pieces. Women were tied to mad bulls and dragged to death. After nightfall Christians were burned at the stake in Nero’s garden. The Roman people who hated the Christians were free to come into the garden, and Nero drove around in his chariot enjoying the horrible spectacle to the full.”[10] This may be what Peter was writing about, when he wrote, “Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you” (1 Pet. 4:12). [10] Shelley, Bruce L. Church History in Plain Language: Fourth Edition. Nashville, NT: Thomas Nelson. 2013. 44. Here is a good article of persecution and martyrdom of Christians: https://www.evidenceunseen.com/theology/historical-theology/persecution-of-christianity-ad-33-325/ Foxes Book of Martyrs is also good.

You probably know where I am headed with this since I started the last article with Daniel 1. Yes, Daniel 3 tells about the 3 Hebrew young men who were thrown into the fiery furnace. They had refused to bow to the 90 feet high, 9 feet wide, gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar had made and had commanded that all bow down and worship. That’s nine stories high. I can’t imagine what it took to even make that image and what it was worth being solid gold. Some Chaldeans told the king about the 3 Hebrews who were not bowing down when the music sounded. The king gave them a 2nd chance to bow down, but they would not. Daniel 3:¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” I admire the courage and faith of these 3 young men. They believed not only that God was “able” to deliver them from the fire, but that “he will deliver us”. We should believe that God is able to do what we pray for, but we don’t have to believe that he will always do what we pray for. Jesus asked the Father to remove the cup of suffering and death that he was facing, but I think he knew that the Father would not do that. He knew that he had to die for the sins of the world. John 12:²⁷ “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.” He added, “if not, thy will be done”. I believe that the 3 Hebrews would have been fine with just dying in the fire but they had that extra faith that God was going to deliver them. But even if it meant dying in the fire, they would not worship the image. That would violate the 1st and 2nd of the 10 commandments: Have no other gods and make no graven images to bow down and worship.

I honestly don’t know how I would respond if threatened with being burned to death, or beheaded or any other type of death, if I would not deny Christ. I hope I would respond as the 3 Hebrews did, but who knows what we will do in that moment facing threats of death. Many early Christians joyfully died as martyrs, refusing to deny Christ, such as Polycarp who was burned at the stake. Felicitas and Perpetua were Christian martyrs in the third century who were put to death in Carthage, Africa. Perpetua: A noblewoman who was recently married and nursing an infant son. Felicitas: A slave who was pregnant when arrested. Their martyrdom is told in The Passion of St Perpetua, St Felicitas, and their Companions Perpetua’s account is considered historical and is the earliest surviving text written by a Christian woman. According to the historical account of Saint Perpetua, her father repeatedly pleaded with her to renounce her Christian faith and offer a sacrifice to the Roman emperor, so that she could return home to her infant child and avoid martyrdom; essentially begging her to recant her faith to be with her baby. He might have told her that she didn’t even mean it if she would recant her faith and that God would surely understand her need to live and take care of her infant. I mean, Rahab lied about where the 2 spies were and God didn’t punish her for that. But no, Perpetua would not deny Christ even if it meant death and not being able to see her child again. They walked to the arena with their companions.They were placed in the arena with wild animals. A wild cow was let loose to mock Felicity as a nursing mother. Perpetua guided the executioner’s sword to her neck. Felicity and Perpetua embraced, kissed each other, and received the sword. (AI)

Who knows? Under such a death threat for my faith I might do as many did during the Decian persecution. The Decian persecution (250 AD) was a period of persecution of Christians that occurred under the Roman emperor Decius. The persecution was traumatic for Christian communities, and many lapsed in their faith and went into hiding, but later repented and asked to be readmitted into the church fellowship. The Novatian sect opposed the readmission of Christians who had lapsed in their faith during the Decian persecution. Would you have voted to allow those apostates, as they were called, back into Christian fellowship? What if your dad or mom had died under the persecution b/c they would not deny Christ? Would that change how you felt about the apostates being allowed back in?

These stories seem so foreign to us. There might be someone reading this blog who has suffered such persecution, but most of us have never suffered such, especially threats of death if we won’t deny Christ. In places like North Korea, Christians are under constant threat of being sent to labor camps or executed for their faith. Here are the 10 most dangersous places to be a Christian from the Open Doors ministry: https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/stories/10-most-dangerous-places-Christian/ I can only hope that I would have the faith and courage of the 3 Hebrew men if I faced death like they did and as many martyrs have faced.

What kind of persecution was Peter talking about when he spoke of “fiery trials”. This would about the same time period that Nero was persecuting Christians in Rome, burning some. In The Beast of Revelation, Kenneth L. Gentry argues that Nero’s persecution of Christians was empire-wide. So maybe that is why Peter called it “fiery” trials. Peter was writing to Jewish Christians scattered across the empire. The Hebrews letter affirms persecution in the empire since it was written to Jewish Christians in Palestine and Jerusalem. Hebrews 10:³² But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, ³³ sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. ³⁴ For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.” 13:³ Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”

Back to Daniel 3. They threw them in the fire but the king was astonished when he saw 4 men in the fire, he 4th like a son of the gods. Many believe that 4th man was the pre-incarnate Jesus who made brief appearances in the Old Testament such as the man who wrestled with Jacob and the angel of Jehovah. The 3 men came out of the fire, their clothes not burned, their hair not even singed. Do you really believe this miracle happened? If you do, it is a great testimony to the existence of the one true God Yahweh. The king then made a decree that anyone who spoke against the god of the Hebrew men would be killed, and promoted the 3 men.

Pray for believers who are persecuted all over the world, even facing death for their faith. Subscribe to receive the Voice of The Martyrs (VOM) magazine to read true stories of the faith of those persecuted. What if we had born born in North Korea? Why were we born in the U.S. where we are not persecuted? Would my faith be courageous in North Korea in spite of the risks? I can only hope so.

Usually I get my creative (what little creativity I get) early in the morning, I mean real early, like 3 AM. This morning I got nothing. So I fell back asleep and than at 7 AM I got a phone call I missed. It was from a man from Trinidad. He had tried to reach me a week ago and I didn’t recognize his name so I didn’t follow up to contact him. This morning something told me to call him, so I did. It was one of the teenagers that we baptized 50 years ago. Of course he is now 64, not the 14 when we baptized him in a crusade (what we called a “gospel meeting” but in a rented hall and not a church b/c there was no church in the town he lived in and where we held the crusade. We baptized several teens in that crusade and started the church in that town. I don’t think that I have seen him in 50 years. He has one grown son living in Queens, New York.I had a long talk with my long, lost brother in Christ. We talked about several of the brothers and sisters in Trinidad, some of whom I have talked to via WhatsApp recently. Many of those we worked with are now older than me and I am 75. Those guys were in their 30’s when we spent 3 years in Trinidad when I was in my mid 20’s. They are men whom we did intense Bible studies with to train them in the book so they could carry on the work in Trinidad after we left in 1976 and they have been carrying on the work in several congregations without any U.S. paid preachers and I am very proud of that. My long lost brother is still very active in the church there. I sadly learned that one of my most trusted friends and leaders in Trinidad now has advanced dementia; he doesn’t know anyone, he just sits and smiles. That church we started with that crusade is having their 50th year anniversary on April 15 of this year.

Ok, breaking news.My wife just came in and I mentioned our brother with dementia, that we should call them. The only phone we had for him and his wife was a landline, so we called it. She answered and we were able to talk to both of them. My dementia brother even perked up and I think remembered us! We chatted for a while and it was a joy. She said we made her day and it certainly made our day. From what she said, I’m not sure my bother has much longer to live.

All this is kinda personal, I know, and thank you for reading if you are reading it. I know everyone has their stories from the past but these are mine today! My mind is filled with a lot of thoughts right now. But I am so thankful that God providentially guided us to do 3 years of mission work in Trinidad back in the 70’s. It was a special, special time. But I think that I can relate more to what the apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:1 “Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.” 1 Thessalonians 2:¹⁹ For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? ²⁰ For you are our glory and joy.” That’s exactly how I feel right now.

Paul also said in 2 Timothy 4:⁶ For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” So there is a crown of life waiting for us. In the Roman Empire, crowns were often given to victorious military leaders, so the imagery of a crown carried connotations of triumph and overcoming challenges. It  signifies the reward for enduring hardship and remaining faithful to the end. In other words, eternal life somewhere with the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, angels and other believers. But Paul’s other crown he was looking for was to be rerunited in eternity with all those he had converted to Chist and mentored and taught in his 30 years of preaching the gospel of Christ to the Gentiles. My Trinidadian brothers and sisters will be our crown some day, our joy. Even our boasting. We won’t boast about our good works. We will simply tell Jesus, “Look who I helped to become your brother”. We are all brothers to Jesus and sons of the same Father. Hebrews 2:¹¹ For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, ¹² saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” That means that Jesus, having finished the word of dying for our sins and setting us apart (sanctification) from sin, would tell of the name (and character behind that name) of the Father to His brothers (those who believed in Jesus). When Jesus was raised, he told the women: Matthew 28:10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” He said the same thing in John 17:¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” I don’t think he ever called his apostles “brothers” until after the resurrection. I had never thought of that until writing this article, so the word always has something new for us.

I hope you have someone to be your crown and joy, to greet you when you get to heaven (or whom you can greet if get there before they do!). This has been an amazing day! I could hear my dementia brother’s wife after we had said good bye, and I could still hear her saing “Praise the Lord!”. Yes, praise the Lord.”