Have you ever dreamt of helping others? Have you ever felt you could do something to make a change in another person’s life? The Bible says we can become a catalyst for change. Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”[1] This morning we resume our series on the “one another” statements in the Bible. Now, we will look into “teach and admonish one another”. We will see how we can become change-agents.
Paul wrote Colossians to defend the truth about Christ. He also warned about the dangers of wrong teachings. In Colossians 2:4 and 8, the apostle wrote, “I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments… See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” Note the words “deceive” and “captive.” The truth sets us free. But false teaching do not set us free but take us captive through its deceptions. Note also the words “fine-sounding” and “hollow.” False teaching does not satisfy our soul but leaves us empty.
Colossians 2:16 tell us, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day” Note the words “do not let anyone judge you”. False teaching makes us critical and proud. It leads us to think that we are superior to others. But, look at what Colossians 2:23 says, “Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.” Note that false teachings “lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.” False teaching does not help us overcome sin but only deludes us into thinking that we are spiritual. In short, false teachings negatively affect our relationship with God and with others.
That’s why we are commanded in Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly”. Only the truth can set us free. Only the truth can satisfy our soul. Only the truth can make us care for others. Only the truth can make us grow spiritually. So, to become a change-agent, we must first experience change through the Word. The word “dwell” means, “to be at home.” We are to make sure that the word of God would take permanent residence in our lives.
The command is in the present tense. That means that we must keep on doing so. That it should be our lifestyle to let the word of God dwell in us richly. Look at how Acts 2:42 described the early believers: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”[2] Note that “they continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine,” that is, the Word. They persevered and remained faithful to the Word.
It is also in active voice. That means it is our responsibility to make the word dwell in us richly. Let’s jump to Acts 17:11. “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Not only that the Bereans received the Word with gladness, but they also “examined the Scriptures every day.” The word “examined” means “to sift up and down, to make careful research as in legal processes; to try to learn the nature or truth of something by the process of careful study, evaluation and judgment.”[3] Imagine, they double-checked everything even if it was the Apostle Paul himself that taught them! For that they were commended as “of more noble character” than others. To become a catalyst for change, we must enjoy the richness of His word.
That’s why we should really listen when the Word is preached. We should not just sit and listen passively o the message. We are to take notes. Then, don’t just stick them in the pages of your Bible. Study them. Get a copy of the DVD and listen to it again. Wrestle with what it means and how it applies to our lives. And let us not be content with the messages in the worship service. Join our Sunday school classes. We have a class for adults, for example, that goes through the life of Christ verse by verse through the four Gospels. We should feed on the Word not only Sundays but day after day, throughout the week. Read a chapter or more a day. Join a small group. Download podcasts of messages from excellent teachers of the Word. Surf the net for good Christian websites. We have no excuse at all to be ignorant of the Word. The problem is that we are like people who go hungry in a buffet. We starve in the midst of a feast.
I read that people starve to death in famine-stricken countries not because there was no food. But, they got so used to the hunger that, when relief goods arrive, they just look at the food and have no desire to eat at all. I believe Christians starve spiritually because they sought to be entertained rather than edified or built up in the Bible. That’s why we should not just study the Bible to be informed but much more to be transformed. God gave His word not to increase our knowledge but to change our lives. We should allow the Bible to change the way we think. The reason why we worry a lot, for example, is because we have little faith. And Romans 10:17 says, “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” We must let the Word shape our opinion, our perspective, our ideas, our judgment and our thought patterns. We should also obey the Word. Some of you may be thinking, “I know Christians who know a lot about the Bible. But their lives are still trapped in sin.” Let’s read John 8:31-32. “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” We usually hear that last portion, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” But, how come even if we know what the Bible teaches about a certain sin, we still do it? That we are still in bondage to it? Circle the conjunction “then.” We will only know the truth and experience the truth setting us free if we hold to the teachings of the Lord. What does it mean to hold to His teachings? The New Living Translation goes this way: “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, ‘You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings.’” So, obedience is the key to experience freedom through the Word. That is what the Bible meant when it commanded us to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly.
Now when we experience change through the word, then it also changes the way we relate with each other and with God. Let us read Colossians 3:16 again. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Let’s look at the clause, “as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom”. Though not all are teachers, we can all teach and admonish one another. “Teaching is the impartation of positive truth. Admonishing is the negative side of teaching. It means to warn people of the consequences of their behavior. Both are the result of a life overflowing with the Word of Christ.”[4] How do we do that? Parents can teach their children. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 command us, “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Don’t turn over to the Sunday school the responsibility of teaching our children. We parents are fully accountable to God to do that. The Sunday school just supplements and complements what we teach them.
We can discuss what we have learned in a small group setting. Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” You can join one of the small groups that are meeting during the week. Just approach me for the schedule. Or, if you want to form one, we can help you do so. Just keep in mind that groups meet to make each member accountable to apply what he or she has learned from the Word.
We can also mentor younger believers. 2 Timothy 2:2 command us, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” For example, a mature woman can mentor a younger woman. Titus 2:3-5 outlined it for us. “Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” These are just a few examples on how we can teach and admonish one another. It can be done in either formal or informal settings. We just have to remember that we should be intentional in doing that task.
Let us look at Colossians 3:16 again. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Let us now focus on the clause, “as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” When the Word dwells in us richly, our worship becomes richer also.
The “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” are synonymous though “psalms” may refer to songs with wordings that are directly lifted from the Bible, “hymns” may refer to songs written according to the wording of the songwriter and not derived word for word from the Bible and “spiritual songs” may refer to songs we sing to each other, unlike the “psalms” and “hymns” that we sing to God. Whatever the classification of songs, the key is that we sing from a heart full of the words of God.
It means that we worship God according to the truth. John 4:24 tell us, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” The way we worship should be based on the Bible. For example, we don’t use images in our worship because the Bible specifically forbids idolatry. We clap and raise our hands because we see it as pattern of worship in the Bible. It also means that we worship God by singing the truth. I like what Warren Wiersbe wrote in his Bible Exposition Commentary, “One way we teach and encourage ourselves and others is through the singing of the Word of God. But if we do not know the Bible and understand it, we cannot honestly sing it from our hearts. Perhaps this ‘poverty of Scripture’ in our churches is one cause of the abundance of unbiblical songs that we have today. A singer has no more right to sing a lie than a preacher has to preach a lie. The great songs of the faith were, for the most part, written by believers who knew the doctrines of the Word of God. Many so-called ‘Christian songs’ today are written by people with little or no knowledge of the Word of God. It is a dangerous thing to separate the praise of God from the Word of God.” That’s why we don’t just sing songs in our church even if a well-known Christian songwriter composed it or other churches are singing it. Our music ministry screens the songs we sing in our church.
Brothers and sisters, to become a catalyst for change we must enjoy the richness of His Word that is expressed in encouraging one another and exalting God in worship. To become a change-agent, we must first experience change through the Word. Then, it changes the way we relate with each other and with God.
Let us pray…
[1]All Bible verses are from the New International Version, unless otherwise noted.
[2]New King James Version.
[3]The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament.
[4]The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Colossians & Philemon.
