It is certainly “Pauline” of Paul to write about suffering. You can find a laundry list of his personal sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11, and in chapter 12 regarding his “thorn in the flesh” the Lord responds, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness”. Most gladly therefore I will rather boast in my weaknesses that the power of Christ might tabernacle over me." (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Here in Colossians 1:24 he rejoices in his sufferings. That’s not natural! Who talks like this? But this is his declaration especially after sharing the revelation of our Christ in chapter 1.

Notice he says “Now”. This is a present tense statement meaning right now while writing this, in this environment, in prison, in chains, NOW in the middle of this suffering I just rejoice because out out of this present suffering I see it is for your sakes so that the life of Jesus may be imparted to you .

Did you know that as a believer, living under the revelation of this Christ in you, all of your suffering is a supply for the body? ALL suffering! Of course the big items are what we think of in regard to suffering, but Saints, as long as you remain in this flesh, and like Paul seek to crucify it, you will suffer daily. The flesh and Satan will oppose such a Christ life. Just recognize every frustration , every obstacle, every reaction to life’s problems that exposes the flesh is a suffering in this present world, and in the middle of it just say Now, right now I rejoice in this struggle because this will turn into a supply for the body. This is not a natural response for our flesh, but this is normal for the gaining of Christ in all things.

Dear brother and sister,, everything that comes your way, is an opportunity to take the cross, and say, NOW I rejoice in this suffering, I take it, I die to this self, and thus turn a suffering loss into a joyous occasion because life is supplied in you, and to the Saints, Amen.

“To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death," (Philippians 3:10)

"By faith Enoch was translated so that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God had translated him. For before his translation he obtained the testimony that he had been well pleasing to God. But without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to Him, for he who comes forward to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:5-6)

So God is well pleased, happy with the saint who lives by faith. Jesus said his desire is to find such persistent, diligent faith on the Earth when he returns. (Luke 18:8)

Faith is our response to revelation. Paul’s ministry was opening the eyes of the sinner to receive Jesus. Then he spends 13 epistles opening the eyes of the church that they would see that the Christ in them is their hope of glory. Faith should be our response. In Colossians 2:5-6 Paul states he is joyous in his spirit as he is seeing their order. The order means what we see in verse 6, which is the Colossians saints having a steadfast faith in Christ, evidenced in their receiving him as Savior, and now that same steadfast faith is needed in their Walking in Him.

Colossians 1:23, “continue in faith”follows on the heels of what Paul just revealed in the previous verses: the incomparable Christ who is all, and in all, and desires, to have preeminence in all things, especially the Saints and the church. In other words, they are to walk by faith in light of this revelation.

Hebrews 11 says Enoch by faith, lived in light of what was revealed to him. Well, he did not have a Bible, but he had family members who were living almost up to 1000 years old. This means he knew it was important to outwardly cover our naked bodies. Or more importantly, he knew that blood had to be shed for the remission of sins inwardly, as seen with Adam, Eve, and Able. And then he saw, when Enos was born, that men began to call on the name of the Lord. Surely he did all of these things. He also had revelation from Adam‘s testimony. Did you know that when Enoch was born Adam was 782 years old?! That means Adam was able to share revelation about God with his great x6 grandson for over 150 years. God had a walking fellowship with Adam in the garden. Is it possible with the blood offering that man can walk with God every day even outside of the garden? He began calling on the name of the Lord, not just at the altar, but in every step of his life. Enoch by faith walked for 300 years in his daily life. Whatever revelation God gave him, by faith he diligently pursued God. This please God so much that God raptured him off the earth. Wow!

Enoch is highlighted for a reason. Well, we certainly have revelation. Christ is showing us that he is in us and he is our only hope of glory! The church today knows that Christ is in them objectively. At salvation, we describe the need to ask Jesus to come live in our heart! Where has he gone. Nowhere. Subjectively we need to believe that he’s in us to live out of us. We need to continue in faith , do not be moved away from the hope of the gospel.

The same way you received the Lord, walk in him , by faith, because without faith, it’s impossible to please Him, and God is a rewarder of those who steadfastly are walking in the light of the revelation he has given unto them.

We have so much light , so much revelation. Do you believe it? Walk in it!

"Therefore let us ( after looking at all, the brothers and sisters, who lived by faith) … put away every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and run with endurance the race which is set before us, Looking away unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith…" (Hebrews 12:1-2)

"For in Him all the fullness was pleased to dwell"

(Colossians 1:19-23)

God is so happy that there is a place on the Earth where his fullness can be expressed. Oh, that all the saints would see that they express His fullness. And as the body enjoys this fullness the church surely is built. This is the hope of the gospel. This is why we’ve been reconciled unto God, this makes him so happy.

Oh, I pray that you have light to see that every, every disruption, every trial, every conversation, every interaction, every thought, and every emotion, etc. is an environment to help open your eyes to see this wonderful word of reconciliation. Romans 5:9-10 says If we have been reconciled to God by the death of Jesus, how much more shall we be reconciled by His life.

II Corinthians 5:20 tells the church “Be reconciled to God” We are admonished to enjoy the life of constantly being reconciled, going deeper into the Father, pressing from the Holy place where we have been forever washed by his blood, and are saved, now going forward into the Holy of Holies where we enjoy his constant presence.

All things are meant to ignite the reconciliation of His life in you . When this happens He’s happy, I’m happy, You’re happy! The church is happy in the Lord! Praise the Lord. Open the eyes of the saints around us, through us. May this continue in us all, through His life.

There is a place on the Earth where Christ can be expressed. Yes, your individual life can have an expression, but we alone are not His full expression. He is the Head, and just like your head needs a full expression so does He. It’s the Body! A head without a body would not just be lacking, it would be monstrous!. The body is the completion, expression and the fullness of a person.

The church (the body) is the full expression of Christ (the Head) on the Earth today (1:19). This is quite a revelation of the church. This alone should stir us to examine what is it that we call the church, what are we bringing into it, what do we expect from it, and to what degree do we live in it. Instead we have seen the church simply become a part of our culture and community life.

Paul’s urgency is for the saints to see that Christ has a Location on the Earth, and it is in the town of Colossae. They are his body, his expression, his fullness, and they all are to be cohesively joined together in him (1:17).

Today, Christ has such an expression where you live. Where saints are gathered together in His name there is an expression of his body. Do not just doctrinally check this off and toss it into the “OK I know that” box in your brain. This is the ongoing life of the church. The hope of the gospel is that he would be fully expressed and known in Colossae. Where? His body, the church, where His body is living and gathering to display the riches of Christ to one another and the world.

This is what your individual enjoyment of Christ and all your life is all about. We come together and we enjoy and share this life in Christ. This then becomes his fullness in whatever city, town, village you live in.

There is a place on earth today where Christ can be exalted and expressed. Where Him practically having first place in all things (1:18) in our daily practical life is shared, testified, sung about, praised, preached etc. This is the church! Not a preacher , group of elders, or a worship team. The Body is meant to bring and be the full expression of the Head. Anything else becomes a monstrosity.

Jesus, as the Firstborn of Creation, (15) did what Adam could not do. He lived by God as His life in all things. Adam could not properly multiply and fill the earth with many brothers and sisters and neither could he have proper dominion over the earth. He did not do it , he instead brought sin and death.

Jesus, however, demonstrated real dominion over the earth and Heaven, both visible and invisible powers. Political and religious powers, Satanic and demonic powers. (16)

Jesus also multiplied His life and became the firstborn of many brothers and sisters. We have received his life and have been brought into his identical relationship with the father. Praise the Lord! (Romans 8:29).

He is also the first born from the dead end (verse 18). This is how he did it. He brought that life that pleased the father in all things to the cross, was resurrected, ascended, as a man presented his accomplishment to the father, and thus has dispensed this life into the Holy Spirit, who now lives in us Enabling us to be the many brothers and sisters. This, we shall see, is how he is gaining first place in all things in the universe through the church! Amen!

Paul did not simply preach Christ in you, the hope of glory, but he enjoyed the Christ in him. He said in Galatians 2:20 “I’m crucified with Christ. It is no longer I,but Christ lives in me.”

Our inner being longs to live such a life, but on the surface, it appears too costly , too difficult. Especially if you look at Colossians 1:18 At the very end of this verse Paul shares the goal of Christ living in us, which is “ that he might have the first place in everything!”

Our flesh certainly says, whoa!, this is impossible.

Paul shares with the Colossians how this is not only possible, but this is the normal , natural life of the church. There is no other kind of living that will produce the church.

So it is important we dig in here to see what Paul is saying: first, do you not know that the one in you is the image of the invisible God? Jesus said if you’ve seen me you have seen the father. We know that Jesus is the son of God, divinity himself, but listen to what he says in Philippians:

"Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal with God a treasure to be grasped, But emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming in the likeness of men; And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and that the death of a cross." (Philippians 2:6-8)

Although the image of the invisible God, Jesus became flesh and dwelt among men as a man. As a man fully, he did not just live an exemplary, perfect life for you to emulate, but he lived by the father in absolutely everything as a man. This is why he is called in Colossians 1:15 the firstborn of creation. not Adam, Adam did not live by God as his life, the tree of life. Adam is the first born of sin and death, which we all share. Creation is longing for the firstborn of creation, which means the one that will restore creation to what it was made for. Sin and death does not match what God made all things for. Jesus matches the goal of all creation. He is the man who lived by God’s life in all things perfectly. In other words, Jesus gave God the father first place in absolutely everything as a man.

Now, saints, where does this Christ live? He lives in you! You cannot live a life that lives by God in everything and gives him first place in absolutely everything, but you need to rejoice because there is one. a man, who lives in you that accomplished the impossible. We can therefore live by him. Amen.

"As therefore you have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in Him," (Colossians 2:6)

What a verse! It sums up the commission that Paul was given to share with the whole world. Two big items:

1) open the eyes of the world and tell them they need to receive Jesus, salvation. This is primarily shared by Paul in the book of Acts.

2) Paul, you also need to help open their eyes that they might see that I am in them to “walked in” or enjoyed as their rich inheritance in their daily life. This burden we see primarily expressed in the epistles.

In Colossians 1:15 Paul begins to share the believers rich inheritance, but before we explore these riches we need to make a clear connection between these two items.

Today we preach the good news of salvation and receiving of Christ! Amen! However preaching among saints today does not often make the practical connection that the indwelling Christ is meant to be our daily supply and enjoyment for the building of the church. Preaching in these last days urges us to wake up! Read the Bible more, pray more, be filled more, exercise the gifts more, and participate more. The challenge given to us is to strive to live the kind of life as Jesus lived, just ask God to empower you through the Spirit. In short we need to start living the Christian life! These sincere things are being uttered with passion, fervor, and urgency in these last days.

But, dear saints, we need to make a connection between the Christ we have received and the Christ we can now walk in and enjoy. Jesus said the Spirit in us is “the Spirit of truth” or reality. Jesus also assured the brothers that he would not abandon them, but he would come and be with them, and the Spirit would be with them. This would be their new reality, and instead of walking around bodily with them He plainly said, “I am going to come as the Spirit of reality in you, so you, (and millions more), can just abide in me and I will abide in you.” We know He says “I will never leave you or forsake you.” And while ascending He cried “ Look, I am with you always even to the end of this age” He’s saying “You may see Me ascend into the heavens, but I will be in you, as the Spirit.”

Saints, Jesus is really in our spirit as the Holy Spirit! Paul saw this revelation and he uttered to the churches that the Spirit of Christ must be in us, and that Jesus became a life-giving Spirit, and that he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit, and “for me, to live, is Christ”, and that Christ in you is your life and is the hope of glory! IS CHRIST IN YOU OR NOT? HE IS!

These are the two basic items on God’s heart Jesus gave to His steward, Paul, to share with the world. Are you in the world? Of course you are! May you receive Jesus and then make the connection and realize He is really in you supplying his life as your rich inheritance on the Earth today. When the church sees this, Christ becomes the church! What a lampstand! What a testimony!

Open up your heart to this vision. Speak to this reality that Jesus is in you right now. Thank you Lord, I love you Jesus, and just rest in this revelation and pray “Lord I’m blind, open my eyes and help me see what brother Paul saw. Thank you! You are my Savior, I have received you, now, help me Lord to just live by your life that is in me and enjoy you as my constant Daily Supply” What a relief! The pressure is off with the revelation that you cannot live the Christian life. The Christian life is not a life that you live. He already lived it, and this life is now available as a moment by moment by moment bountiful rich supply from the Christ that is living in you. This is your inheritance, Your portion of which you are qualified to enjoy. This is what you’ve received. Now make this connection and live according to this revelation.

"To open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light and from the authority of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me." (Acts 26:18)

"Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the allotted portion of the saints in the light; "Who delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love," (Colossians 1:11-13)

Get into these verses, and you will see that what Paul utters to the Colossians was exactly what Jesus uttered to Saul at the beginning of his ministry. Saul, or Paul, got a lot of light in Damascus. And Jesus gives him the burden and commissions him to be an apostle and steward, who opens eyes that the hearers might receive his identical vision, which is simply summarized as, get Jesus in you, (salvation) and allow this Jesus to live out of you (enjoy your inheritance).

For our eyes to be opened, light needs to have a way to shine into us. That way is Jesus. He gets into us, and he is deposited as the very light and life of God. We are now called saints in the light. This means, if we are a saint darkness should not in anyway be allowed as a controlling factor in our living. Do you know what darkness is? It is anything that is not Christ. Anything saints! Do not justify anything. Find Christ in your morning find him all day long and in everything in every relationship because this is what it means to truly enjoy our inheritance which is Christ. Then this enjoyment is truly what makes the church enjoyable. That’s why believers gathering together are called a lampstand. We are light bearers. When you have multiple saints gathering together to enjoy and share their inheritance with each other you have a bright shining Lampstand. We may attend a place, a time, and enjoy religious things, but do we find open enjoyment of Christ being expressed in a fellowship. Is there a care for the Christ in them? There’s a teaching, there is activity, there is a good motive, there is a Christian culture and social construct in the name of Jesus, but is the very real Christ enjoyed, and expressed and testified amongst the members. Most fellowships won’t allow any open sharing. There’s a risk to that, but that is the church. And the reason it cannot be allowed much is because so much is shared other than Christ. That practically makes sense, but this is so sad. Revelation of the light in us causes us to beg for an open sharing of Christ enjoyed.

Just ask yourself, how many believers do you know actually care for Christ in their daily life? Cultivate and weave his life into everything.? Share, rejoice and deliver the person of Christ upon encountering them? Or conversations with other believers is often in the realm of things in the world. Saints, the whole world lies in the hands of the evil one. He is the dark one. He wants to devour mankind. The deceiver wants us to exclusively share our good life and enjoyment of this world. The liar also wants to condemn us and tell us we are failures. Saints, he no longer has control or authority over true believers, but he is a schemer. He uses the very pleasant things of this world and normal things of this world to hide the light. This is the warfare in Ephesian 6. Wake up oh sleeper and Christ will give you light! Win the first battle of the day. Spend time with Jesus. Put Jesus on, and Take him into your life and call on him at every juncture that you face. Then take that enjoyment to the fellowship and share the spoils of Christ and victories over the enemy with the Saints. This means share our enjoyment of our inheritance. This is to live as a saint in the light. This was the light that was seen on the road to Damascus, this is the light that Paul is sharing with the saints in Colossae (1:9-14) and the light that we are to enjoy today. Let us say with Paul, that we are obeying that heavenly vision!

Giving thanks to the Father (1:12) is the natural response if we are God’s children , especially upon seeing His Big Will for us.

John says, "Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and we are.” (1 John 3:1) .

In other words , “Just longingly look at the quality of love the Father gives us!” It is the identical quality of love that the Father and Son enjoy!

Because we have the Son we have this love life in us. This love in us unequivocally qualifies us to receive our inheritance—Jesus! He is the reality of the Good Land full of milk and honey! Our allotted portion full of riches that we can enjoy in our daily living. The Father has "delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love," (Colossians 1:13) The church is in this realm - A kingdom of the Son of the Father’s love. Our realization of the church is in the content of this Divine love, so for us to practically handle all the saints and situations in this Love-Life deems us as “Saints in the Light” Beloved, may we long for constant opportunities to express this love- life the Father has given us! Thank you, Father!

As a Christian and student of the Bible you have to see that Paul’s burden and prayer is not simply meant for an ancient group of believers in a forgotten village, but for you today!

That statement may seem like “duh, we know that already” but saints often enjoy Paul’s writings historically or seek to only apply principles from his writings. But like Colossae we need such an unceasing prayer over us. A prayer according to Paul’s vision of the church.

Do you meet and handle all believers as actually handling Jesus Himself ? Do you live daily in the light that Jesus is really living in you? Religion has robbed us of this reality and Satan has certainly been busy. So, when Paul heard that the Colossian saints shared love in the Spirit, he knew they were abiding in the love of the Son in them (John 15:9-10) , and enjoying a inward reality that we often miss. Having heard Epaphrus’ testimony He then could pray for them without ceasing for further revelation. Such things that Paul prays for are covered in this book of Colossians and are mentioned in Ephesians 1:15-23 where he also prayed without ceasing for the church. He’s praying that God would open their eyes to see His big will over the universe and how this big will is centered in Christ and the church, and then he prays that they would walk in light of this revelation, and that Christ would become their subjective experience in all of their daily living, and finally he prays that God would strengthen them with the mighty power and endurance to not give up. Hope to the end. Fight to the end, because this life, this church life will cost something, and Satan hates the church in this realm where Christ is being enjoyed and expressed amongst the members. Don’t shrink back, certainly don’t go back to the world, but don’t become satisfied with religions idea of the church. After Seeing the church in the light of Paul’s revelation do not become fooled with the emptiness of the easy religious church experience. Paul’s praying is for us to be strengthened according to the might of His glory! What language! Glory means expression, so contextually this means the power is for the expression of His big will, which means the expression of His Son in you through the church because this Christ in you is the hope of Glory! (1:27) See it and don’t give in, don’t cave! Enduring for this expression results in unspeakable joy flowing out of saints, the church, who live in the light of this prayer. Amen.