Colossians – Making Up What is Lacking in The Body of The Christ
Now I rejoice in the suffering concerning you and making up the things lacking of the affliction of the Christ in my flesh concerning His body, which is the assembly, Colossians 1:24
Revelation – The Church in Heaven
And circling the throne, twenty-four thrones. And upon the twenty-four thrones elders were seated, clothed with white garments and golden crowns upon their heads. Revelation 4:4
The Definition of Love – Not Puffed Up
Love is longsuffering, love is kind, love is not jealous, love does not brag, is not puffed up … 1 Corinthians 13:4
The concept of being puffed up is typically viewed as a person that is conceited. They have and are showing an excessively high opinion of themselves. As an example to the saints in Corinth, Paul used himself and Apollos to show that no one should be puffed up about themselves.
Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. – 1 Corinthians 4:6
We are not to let our freedom in understanding of false idols puff us up, for let us not forget we also followed them before God saved us. You never followed a false idol? Never bowed down to a statue of stone or wood? Do you think that those who are idolaters are ignorant and simpletons to do such a thing? Have you ever coveted what another person has?
Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, wrong desire, and the covetousness, which is idolatry. – Colossians 3:5
Yes, it is true that idols are nothing, but let us not allow our knowledge to puff us up.
Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. – 1 Corinthians 8:1
And do not let those who follow idolatry persuade you into it also by using false humility and the worship of angels while intruding into things that are not seen and being vainly puffed up in the fleshly mind.
Let no one cheat you while desirously willing in humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up from his fleshly mind, – Colossians 2:18
Where do we see these things in the church today? Those who speak of demons and casting them out, claiming to have authority that Scripture does not give us. Those who talk about the spiritual warfare of angels and teach that our prayers influence the outcome of good and evil. Those who speak of the deep things of Satan. Those who teach that we should have what God has given others. All are vainly puffed up from their fleshly minds about things they do not see or understand.
Love has no need to make itself appear to be bigger than it really is. Even the smallest act of love is far greater than any act from our flesh. Let love just simply be love.
The Definition of Love – Does not Brag
Love is longsuffering, love is kind, love is not jealous, love does not brag … 1 Corinthians 13:4
Bragging is when someone uses adulations or employing rhetorical embellishments in excessively praising another. Love does not brag about itself. It is not a characteristic of a person’s attitude and actions that desires to be noticed and praised for what it is doing. Those who brag about how much their church gives to the poor, or the different social events and projects they are involved in, or how much they help out their community, are not expressing love. Why? Because, by their boasting they are showing that their actions are not about seeking the best for those who are loved, but getting accolades.
God’s quality of love seeks the best for the one loved, so by its very nature it will not push itself forward to be praised, and certainly will not embellish on its accomplishments. This type of trait comes from a mind that is framed correctly and humble while giving preference to others.
In the fondness unto one another affectionately giving preference to the honor of one another – Romans 12:20
Rejoice with rejoicing, weep with weeping, while considering the same unto one another, not while framing the mind on the high things, but while associating with the humble. Do not be caused to become wise alongside yourselves, while not paying back wrong for wrong, giving prior thought to proper before all men. – Romans 12:15-17
Love is going to withhold its anger against unreasonable people and make others feel at ease by its benevolent nature, while not bragging about itself. This is God’s quality of love. Remember, the world system thinks it can express love without God and many churches today have fallen victim to replacing the love of God among the saints with a worldly love for unbelievers. Along with this worldly quality of love comes bragging. A worldly love brags about accepting those who are doing wrong.
Wholly it is heard among you fornication and such fornication which is not named among the Gentiles, so that someone has a wife of the father. And you puffed yourselves up and have not rather mourned, in order that he should be taken out from your midst, the one working such malignantly evil – 1 Corinthians 5:1-2
The world is indifferent to Christians and the love of the Father is not in the world, so we should not be allowing it to take advantage of us.
Do not love the world nor the things of the world. If someone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him because all the things in the world, the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of biological life are not out from the Father, but are out from the world – 1 John 2:15-16
We can fully experientially know what God’s love is, and because of who we are in Christ live out that quality of love towards other saints showing that we truly love God.
My little children, do not love in word nor with the tongue, but in works and truth. – 1 John 3:18
Let us love out from seeing things as they truly are. Not a worldly type of love that brags about its accomplishments, but true love that seeks the best for the one loved by following God’s example, for the reason we know love is because He loved us first.
The Definition of Love – Not Jealous
Love is longsuffering, love is kind, love is not jealous … 1 Corinthians 13:4
Jealousy is wanting what another person has. It is not just being resentful or angry of another’s good fortune or achievements, but a strong desire to possess them. Unlike zeal, which is an enthusiastic devotion to a cause or goal making someone eager and determined to do something, jealousy takes this type of attitude and uses it in a way that damages others to get what they have. So one who is jealous will be zealous to obtain what another person has.
Jealousy will produce actions that are harmful to others.
“And the patriarchs, becoming jealous, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him – Acts 7:9
We also see an example of jealousy in Galatia where men came down from Jerusalem who sought to make Paul look bad to the saints there as though he was their enemy so they could exclude the saints to themselves. This is a very common tactic of false teachers and those seeking to usurp a position of authority even today.
They jealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. – Galatians 4:17
Because of jealousy for their father’s love, the brothers of Joseph sold him into slavery. Because of jealousy for the saints, false teachers came into Galatia teaching that they had to keep the law to be saved, not for the sake of those they sought to persuade but so these false teachers could look good before others and get them to only follow them. Jealousy always leads to hurting others. The Jews were very jealous of Paul when he would teach the truth of the gospel of the Christ because of all the people who accepted the message and followed him. They wanted those people to follow them, so they caused harm to Paul.
Jealousy does not belong among the saints. Rather than seeking what someone else has, if we don’t like where we are at or what we have, then change it by learning and growing, and working towards a goal, not by trying to take what someone else has. Jealousy always leads to calamity. It never produces what is sought by it.
I encountered a man many years ago that was a bible scholar, knew Scripture very well and even taught at a seminary. However, because he was jealous of the pastor of the church that ran the seminary and wanted to be a head pastor again, along with desiring to be the president, he attempted to usurp the pastor’s position by stating false and unsubstantiated claims against him before the church. Although he did not end up becoming the head pastor of the assembly or the leader of the seminary, as he sought, he did cause a lot of harm to many Christians around him and was able to persuade a few to even follow him, where others, through his actions, were scattered to live a life of sin. So much destruction to the saints because of jealousy. Of course, this individual claimed to be doing this out of love, but true love will not harm others because that is in direct contrast to how love seeks the best for the one loved. Unfortunately, due to the saints who followed him not really understanding what love is, they continue to be negatively impacted by this man who has usurped a pastoral position. This is neither beneficial for these saints or this man.
There are those who come with the intent to exclude us for themselves. Rather than earning respect and the position they hold within the assembly they will seek to take what others have. They will say that what they do is in love, while intentionally doing harm to others, typically behind their backs and in closed door meetings, so they can get the position for themselves. They may remain docile until the right time comes to strike. This is the type of person that will seek to remove someone from a position of authority so they can have it, based upon a false or unsubstantiated claim; rather than demanding that Scripture is followed and accusations are brought up properly and if found guilty seeking to restore the saint who has fallen. We need to compare the actions of others with what Scripture says and determine what is good and of value within them. What is this person gaining from bringing an accusation against a pastor without proper evidence? or any other saint for that matter in a position of authority. Understanding what true love is, in action, not words, is important for us. Many will come saying they do things in love, but their actions are contrary to what God’s quality of love is. But let us not fall into a trap and reciprocate in an unloving manner.
We should be zealous for good, doing what is proper (Galatians 4:18), which will not cause damage to others, but let us never be jealous towards each other. Be content with what God has given you and happy for what He has given others. And always remember, our jealousy will never bring us what we want, it will only harm others so we can consume what they have in the desires of our flesh. Since jealousy is a work of the flesh, when this desire comes upon us we need to take the way of escape (Know [Romans 6:6] – Reckon [Romans 6:11] – Yield [Romans 6:13]) and get our minds focused back on what God wants (Colossians 3:1-2) so that we are truly loving Him by loving the brethren and not allowing a false quality of love to mask our jealousy.
Colossians: The Workings of Our Minds
And you that existed at some time alienated and hostile in the workings of your mind by the malignantly evil works, Colossians 1:21