In a team game called cricket, the position of a captain matters greatly which is the reason selectors or the cricket boards of teams always take their time in appointing captains for their teams. The captain is the leader of the team on and off the field of play. He is the link, the catalyst and the leader who gives the team direction, tactics,drive, motivation and sometimes,the team power source. In a word he is the connection. Remove the captain and the team may become dysfunctional and ultimately flounders. Basically, the connection is broken.
Many years ago, I bought myself a car which my children dubbed ’a banger’,although I bought this car to regain my freedom from car thieves who visited my previous car on three occasions, it however served me very well and fit for purpose. I packed it with total freedom anywhere I liked even without locking it. One day I came out of the local post office and my banger won’t start. I called the Automobile Association mechanics and he told me the fuel line was broken. The connection was broken and the car won’t run.
The same could be said for my electric shaver which I thought for days had gone unserviceable. Then at the weekend my wife was cleaning the washroom and discovered I had mistakenly plugged the charger and not the shaver. Unplugged, the electrical appliance has no power, again the connection is not established and so the shaver won’t work.
As Christians our connection to power and authority is through our Lord Jesus Christ. Removed, severed, unplugged and our connection is not established and therefore we can not effectively operate.
Paul was well aware of this as he advices the church in colosse "So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory" Col 3:1-4
The book of Colossians is one of the four prison letters of Paul(Ephesians, Phillipians,Colossians and philemon,EPCOP)written while he was in prison in Rome while awaiting trial before the emperor Nero around A.D.60. It has been called a book of connections written to advice converts of the need to combat errors in the colossian church and to show that belivers need to continue their connection in Christ in whom all their needs are met. Paul never visited Colosse, this was a church founded by Paul’s converts such as Epaphras and possibly Onesimus and others. The Church at Colosse had been infiltrated by heretical teachers, it suffers from religious relativism with some believers attempting to combine elements of Roman paganism and secular moral philosophical thinking with the christian doctrine. This spiritual malaise came to Paul’s notice and he was having none of it amongst his christian brothers and sisters. He wrote to remind Colossian Christians of their root in Christ and charges them to re-connect with Christ Jesus by seeking the things above. He told them to remember that they have been raised with Christ. He also in verse 3 reminds them that they have died, and their life is hidden with Chrsit in God.
There’s a lesson here for us, as Christians we need to realise we cannot afford to sit and look while fellow Christians suffer dangerous spiritual attack and invassion, Paul set the example of Christian and pastoral leadership here. The Church today needs to remain connected to Christ in whom all truth is embodied to rebuff the advances of the devil. Let us take note Paul twice used the word ’have’ in reminding the colossians, "you have been raised..." 3:1 and also "for you have died" 3:3 emphasising the past occurence of thier experience in Christ. They are therefore bounded with Christ and hidden as a treasure with Christ in God. As Christians we need to realise our power source is ultimate and superior and as author Neil Anderson says in his book, The Bondage Breaker,(Harvest House Pub,2000, Oregon) "we are to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ; that is,if it isn’t true, don’t believe it" It means we are to test every word we say or is said to us before we belive it, as the things we believe soon translate itself in to our minds and affect what we do.
Today many of us suffer from religious relativism and heretical teachings like the Colossian Church. Many pastors are preaching a dilution of Christ doctrine and self propagating ideologies. The media tagged ’Jesus Christ Incoporation’ that is going on in America today is spreading itself all over the world. Propagating the gospel is good, that is our great mission Matt 28:16, however, using the name of Jesus to selfishly enrich oneself materially is opposed to the Pauline charge of setting our minds on things above Colossians 3:1. The Shepherd of a flock flying in a private jet would scare and scatter the sheep on approaching them. Indeed such shepherd live a life away from the realms of the sheep and consequently cannot lead or protect the flock from the invassion of wolves, for he himself is bounded.
If as a Christian you realise you have a problem of disconnection, the is your time to reconnect, Paul has offered us a reminder of our source of power. We are to remain in Him and set our eyes on christ the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.
Three things among others to remember:
(1.) you have been raised with Christ. This means you are to do and believe the things that are life and are alive, if in doubt you must check your thoughts and deeds against the fruits of the spirit Gal 5:23
(2.) Seek the things above. This means actively seeking good things, thinking good things and doing good things. Easier said than done, you think and you are right! this part is not easy even for the saints among us, but let us remember the parable of the Rich Fool in Luke 12:13, his mistake was not solely in the planning to build a bigger ban, some would say that was a good plan. Part of his numerous mistakes was that he didn’t ’think good’ he ’think selfishly’ he was only concern about himself and himeself alone. his mind was not set on things above but on things on earth; namely, how to enrich himself here and now of the temporary world. Jesus told his listeners that the experience of the rich fool would also be that of any who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God (things above) Luke 12:21
(3.) You are Hidden with Christ; this means you are concealed and safe, salvation is sure if you remain steadfast with Christ in God. This also mean you are protected. The devil is defeated and does not have authority over you. Now this does not mean the devil will not try, it does mean that the devil’s success over you is dependent on the allowance you give him and of course, relatively less you give Jesus Christ and god in your life. There are powers of the Tempter that would come your way if you do Christ’s will. The explanation is simple, The Devil is a defeated foe, but headstrong and won’t simply go away, he tries to disrupt and attack those he considers a threat to his kingdom of darkness. In fact, if you christian discipleship is free of tests, challenges and temptations from the devil, check yourself, the chances are you are not doing something right and consequently, the devil feel you are not a threat to his kingdom of darkness. That does not mean christians must actively make themselves vulnerable to the devil, the promise of God to us is, whenever we are challenged, we are not alone, He will be with us in it.
Today, let us reconnect ourselves to Christ, live in Him and with Him. Let us do away with what I call ’Godism’ a state of mind when people think they believe in God but when probed further, realises they actually have no effective relationship with God. When some people see me and realising I am a minister, they quickly become defensive and say, "I believe in God, minister! I just don’t go to Church, I mean Jason, my son plays rugby on sunday mornings" talk about guilty conscience! but God doesn’t not want us to feel or be guilty, He wants to set us free. What matters is not so much our belief in God, the question is not whether you believe in God, the question actually, is what relationship do you have in Christ with God? God doest not seek the death of a sinner, but his repentance. That is the whole message of the prophets, and ultimately the main reason for Jesus Christ’s mission, eath and resurrection.
We need to remain connected to Christ our power and source of authority. I pray that God will continue to bless us all in our Christian pilgrimage in fulfilling His mission of establishing His Kingdom on earth. I leave you with paul’s message to the Corinthians, " Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Atletes exercise self control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable prize, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be a cast away" 1 Cor9:24
