RodR

I like this. You are right. What keeps us from fulfilling it? How can we re-connect to the head?

I responded to this question in a private message but decided to share it here after I've seen others doing the same. This way we all can participate. In Colossians: Angel worship appears to have been part of the Colossian heresy. Apparently, some believed that God was too high and lofty to worship directly and that some of His created beings (angels) would serve as an intermediary. Paul wants to assure them that Jesus is the intermediary and that He is far superior to angels. The writer of Hebrews chapter 1 compares Jesus with angels and comes to the same conclusion. Jesus is supreme. Therefore, there is no reason to fear or revere angels. There is also no reason to pray to anyone other than the One God who is creator of all - in Jesus name, amen! In other Scriptures: Your question regarding good and bad angels is a little more difficult. I think what Paul says in Colossians and Hebrews (some don't think Paul wrote Hebrews) still applies. God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are still superior to the angels when it comes to leading, guiding, protecting, encouraging, teaching, challenging, and a host of other "ings". However, there are a few instances in scripture that seem to indicate that angels are involved in our lives to some extent. Matthew 18:10-11 – children have angels who "see the face of my Father in heaven." Acts 12:7-10 – An angel of the Lord helped Peter get out of jail. Hebrews 1:14 – talks about angels as "ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation." Matt 4:11 – Angels came and attended Jesus after His temptation Revelation – The 7 churches in Revelation have angels 1 Tim 5:21 – Angels serve as witnesses There are probably more but this is a start. Thanks for challenging me to check it out.

I like your comparison of the church as a body with an impaired connection to the brain. Thanks!

Jesus is the head of both the universal church and the local congregation. He has appointed local leaders with certain responsibilities (1 Cor 12:28) but He is still the supreme authority. Knowing this, we should respect church leadership, we should be the hands and feet of Jesus in the community, and we should love and serve one another as Jesus would. Unfortunately, we often fall short of this challenge and expect the church to meet our selfish expectations instead. When we do, we lose connection with the head and become misguided, self-centered, and ineffective for the Kingdom.

Jesus is supreme over all created things in heaven and on earth both physical and spiritual. Hebrews chapter 1 confirms the supremacy of Christ, echoes Colossians in proclaiming His authority over all of creation, and verifies His unique relationship with God and His eternal qualities. Therefore, we should fear nothing brought about by human authorities; and pray only to the One who is the Author of creation. He loves us unconditionally and has the power to answer our prayers according to His will. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." – Rom 8:38-39.

Jesus is not a created being. According to His own words in John 8:58, "before Abraham was born, I am!" Christ is "preeminent" or superior to all created things. Not only was Jesus present at creation, "all things", physical and spiritual, "were created by Him and for Him." More than that, "in Him" all things are held together. He is the glue that keeps it all in place. I remember hearing of something called "laminin" a protein that holds the body together. Electron microscopes have given us an image of this protein. It's shaped like a cross. - Look it up! In re-reading Col 1:15-20 I noticed the repeated use of the word “all.” Sometimes little words are important. In my dictionary, “all” means “all.” Jesus is supreme over ALL. 15 - Jesus is “firstborn over all creation.” 16 – “by Him all things were created.” 16 – “all things were created by Him and for Him.” 17 – “He is before all things.” 17 – “in Him all things hold together.” 19 – “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Him.” 20 – “Through Him God will reconcile all things.”

According to every translation I have read, in John 10:30 Jesus clearly says, "I and the Father are one." The Jewish leaders who heard Him say those words certainly believed that Jesus was claiming to be God in the flesh because they would have stoned Him for blasphemy. Matthew, in his gospel (1:23) quotes prophecy and defines Jesus' name "Immanuel" as "God with us." Here in Colossians, vs 19, Paul tells us that God was pleased to have all of His fullness living in Christ. These scriptures all lead me to believe that Jesus is actually God in the flesh. I have always believed that Jesus had to be fully human (in order to be the sacrifice) and fully God (in order to be perfect). However, in studying the scriptures for the answer to this question, I read in John 17:11,22 where Jesus prays that "they, (meaning His disciples/followers/us). may be one as we, (meaning He and the Father), are one." It's easy for me to accept Jesus' "oneness" as God in the flesh. It's a lot harder to accept the same kind of "oneness" for myself. Does Jesus mean something different in His prayer, or is He actually praying for the same kind of "oneness" that He has with the Father?

We have redemption and forgiveness in His kingdom. Jesus

God qualified us, rescued us, and brought us to Himself. All of the action of salvation was accomplished by Him once and for all through Jesus

Paul includes himself (us) in contrasting where we were and where we are. I think he uses darkness and light to emphasize the extreme difference the Gospel has made and is making in our lives. I think he reminds us where we came from in order to help us better appreciate where we are and to evoke thankfulness. We share in the “inheritance of the saints in light” because we are children of God and co-heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17; Eph 1:18;3:6; Gal 3:29). This is the hope of eternal life from which springs the faith and love that we, and the Colossian Christians, have in Christ (Col. 1:5). We are delivered from the dominion of darkness and brought into the kingdom of the Son. Though both dominions and kingdoms are subject to the one who rules, the two terms are contrasted by the one who has the authority in each. The dominion of darkness is ruled by everything evil (darkness) and the kingdom of the Son is ruled by God Himself (light). We who are Christians are no longer under the malevolent authority of evil but under the benevolent authority of God.

Paul prays that God will fill them with knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. He wants them to have the facts (knowledge), be able to apply the facts to their own lives (understanding), and to make choices that demonstrate Godliness (wisdom). I think it is interesting that Paul prays for what God is already anxious to give. Prov. 2:6, 10; 9:10; 24:3-4. It appears that, in combination, they produce a measure of fruitfulness, growth, strength, power, endurance, patience, thankfullness, and joy. A Christian disciple desires to live a life that pleases God and Glorifies Him. All of these characteristics should be evident in response to the fact that He has rescued, redeemed, forgiven, and welcomed us into the kingdom of His Son. If any are missing, it will reduce the effectiveness of our witness and indicate that we need to strengthen our relationship with Him.

Paul tells the Colossian Christians that the same gospel (word of truth) that came to them is bearing fruit and growing throughout the entire known world in the same way and with the same results as when they heard and understood God’s grace. Apparently, the church needed to hear that Epaphras was a faithful minister of God’s truth in Christ and that there was no need for them to seek another religious philosophy. When a church loses confidence in the power and effectiveness of the Gospel, they begin to doubt what they believe and seek answers elsewhere. The church opens itself up to false teachings and misinterpretations that cause it to become ineffective and unproductive. Believing anything, they believe nothing and turn away from the truth for lies.