Rooted and Grounded II

Colossians 2:8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22 There were innate differences and preferences between the world in Colossae and the Christian life. There were Jewish, Greek, and Roman communities. Paul instructed them, “Don’t let anyone judge you because of where you’ve come from. Don’t let the things and practices around you interfere with the gospel you have learned.”

Vain decent is clever, but pointless, knowledge. What percentage of my thinking is taken up with vain decent and philosophy? How much time am I spending with the wisdom of God?

Voluntary humility is aestheticism. Sometimes it’s a cave or monastery; sometimes it’s just a constructed bubble that keeps one from the world around them. This is a false humility. God sent his Son into a place where people were not righteous. Don’t imbibe, but serve the world, protected by the Gospel.

Gnosticism saw the physical being as the source of evil. There is no evil in what God created, including fleshly bodies. The evil comes from the misuse of what God has created. They emphasized hidden truth and cleverness. If I am complete in Christ, I don’t need hidden knowledge.

The identity of the church is not the shadow things (human teachings). These are things that separate me from other people or from the Gospel.

In the philosophy of humanism, happiness is the highest aim. When this concept enters into church, the goal becomes eternal happiness after I die. The Gospel does not say this is the purpose of man.

Isaiah 43:1,7 We are created to reveal the glory of God. It’s not for my personal happiness. Am I practicing seeker-centered worship or God-centered worship? Happiness is a byproduct, not the reason why I serve Christ.