In Colossians 2:6 the apostle Paul encourages us to walk in Christ Jesus. This walk must begin by receiving the free gift of salvation and must be motivated by Christ Himself. Our spiritual walk should be defined by being rooted in and building on Christ, established in faith, and abounding in thanksgiving. Listen as Pastor Chris expounds on how to successfully complete this spiritual journey and find rest and fulfillment in Jesus along the way.

Burn out is a problem seen too often in the midst of Christian ministry. In Colossians 2:2, Paul expresses a desire for the hearts of the Colossians to be encouraged, not discouraged and burned out. So, how do we avoid this common pitfall? Listen as Pastor Chris outlines three essential ways and encourages us to maintain the mindset that the ultimate purpose of our ministry is to glorify Jesus.

We finished up our mini-series on Christian ministry by looking at John the Baptist. By studying his ministry, we learned three important steps we can take to imitate him: we must know our purpose is ultimately to point to Christ, we must rejoice in that purpose, and we must work to fulfill that purpose by putting Jesus on display in all aspects of our lives. Listen as Pastor Chris challenges us to assess our own ministry and hearts so that through serving our joy may be complete.

This week we continued our discussion of Christian ministry in Colossians chapter one. The goal of Christian ministry is to help others reach spiritual maturity by proclaiming Christ through warning against sinful conduct and teaching the Word of God. Christian ministry requires effort so we must stay connected to Christ and rely on His power to sustain us, not our own. Listen as Pastor Chris encourages us to evaluate, explore, and engage in ministry opportunities to proclaim Christ.

This week we began a three-part series within our Colossians study that will look more in-depth at church ministry. We see in Colossians 1:24-27 that church ministry is hard work and in ministering to others we open ourselves up to suffering and persecution. But, we persevere by relying on God’s power to work through us, knowing that the ultimate goal of our efforts is to make the message of the Gospel fully known. Listen as Pastor Chris helps us to see ourselves as stewards of God’s Word and encourages us to put forth extra efforts to speak the truth of the Gospel to others.

This week we looked at Colossians 1:19-23 and discussed how God brought reconciliation between Himself and sinful men and how God will bring reconciliation to our broken universe. In the time before the Fall, God’s creation and mankind were perfect, but now we live in a fallen and fractured universe, groaning for its return to perfection at the second coming. For those who follow God, Christ’s death allows us to be presented holy and blameless to Him even though we once were alienated and hostile. Listen as Pastor Chris elaborates on this reconciliation and encourages us that our faith will endure by the strength and grace of God alone.

This week we took a deep look at the unrivaled supremacy of Jesus. Colossians 1:15-18 gives us three evidences that Jesus is absolutely Supreme: Jesus is God, Jesus is Creator, and Jesus is Lord. He is over all creation, Sustainer of all things, the Head of the Church, and the One who should be glorified by everyone and everything. Listen as Pastor Chris presents this truth and challenges us to respond by making Jesus first place in our lives.

Colossians 1:12 introduces the idea that we are qualified by our Heavenly Father to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. But, how is that possible? The following two verses provide us with the answer: God rescued us from the domain of darkness through the sacrifice of His Beloved Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. This rescue was necessary, complete, costly, and merciful. Listen as Pastor Chris discusses how this salvation was made possible for us and how we should then respond to this amazing truth!

As we continued our series in Colossians, we looked at how Paul consistently prayed for the saints of Colossae. Using Paul’s example, Pastor Chris outlined four ways that we, too, can be praying for other Christians: for increased knowledge of the Bible and of God, that their knowledge will lead to holy living, that they will depend on God’s strength in trials, and that they will maintain a heavenly perspective. Listen to learn how to take specific action steps to grow in your prayer life and encourage your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Gospel is no ordinary message. It is a global, grace-filled message about a grace-filled Savior bringing spiritual resurrection to a broken world. It is a message of absolute, verifiable truth. Do you treasure the Gospel and does your love for it motivate you to share this message? Listen as Pastor Chris preaches through Colossians 1:6-8 and uses these verses as motivation to thank God for the Gospel like Paul and proclaim the Gospel like Epaphras.