Nelsonville Assembly

In this week, Pastor Isaiah unpacks the words of Paul in Colossians 2:16-23 about how we approach eating, drinking, celebrating, resting, self-discipline, and even spiritual experiences as mere shadows designed to point us to the true substance - Jesus Christ Himself.

Everything changes when a person meets Jesus and understands who He is and what He has done. In this message, Pastor Isaiah pushes us to grasp the powerful implications of Colossians 2:9-15 in understanding how God has made us alive, forgiven our trespasses, canceled our record of debt, and conquered over everything and everyone else all at the Cross of Jesus Christ.

True Knowledge - the kind that impacts our heads, hearts, and hands - is a key theme in the Letter to the Colossians. Pastor Isaiah explains the importance of this in light of Paul's encouragement and warnings in Colossians 2:4-10. Christians need to be deeply rooted, built up, and established in the truth so we can resist the false teachings that are all around us today.

Suffering is a reality that we all face. As Christians we understand that suffering is not just a reality, but actually something that God is using to accomplish His plans in this world. No suffering is meaningless or pointless... God is at work in all things.

The Bible doesn't just reveal who Jesus Is but also exalts what Jesus Has done. In this week, Pastor Isaiah reminds us of the clarity that the Bible gives about the condition of humanity being alienated, hostile in mind, and doing evil deeds because of our fallen nature. The need is insurmountable on our own, but when we understand that and turn to Christ, the beauty and power of His Gospel to redeem and reconcile sinners is made all the more beautiful.

Colossians 1:15-20 is one of the most highly Christ-exalting and clarifying passages in the New Testament. In this sermon, Pastor Isaiah unpacks who Jesus Is and what it means that He is the highest authority over all other authorities, especially in this day and age that we are living in right now. We conclude this service with taking the Lord's Supper together as an act of obedience and worship to Him!

As Paul prayed for the believers in Colossea, he stressed the connection between truely knowing God and applying that knowledge of Him in our lives. Pastor Isaiah picks up the prayer in verse 10 and unpacks the phrase "bearing fruit in every good work" and how God works in His people even today who focus upon Him and His great work of providing salvation to His people.

The connection between knowledge of God and living in light of that knowledge is crucial for a Christian to understand. From Colossians 1:9-10, Pastor Isaiah begins to explain Paul's prayer for the believers in that city and emphasizes the foundation of all true growth in godliness being our knowledge of Him and our lives in light of that knowledge.

n Week 2 in Colossians, we consider the details of what Paul says in his extended greeting to the believers at Colossae and the theological truths that he reminds them of and commends in them. Pastor Isaiah then reminds our church of the role we have had in continuing the mission and seeing the continued Gospel Increase throughout the world up to this very day.

In the first week of our new series studying through the Book of Colossians, Pastor Isaiah focuses us upon Colossians 1:1-2. There is much to see from the greeting of Paul & Timothy to the church at Colossae though we often rush through it. By really understanding some of the background and the meaning of these intentional words in the Scripture, we are challenged to look forward to unpacking all that God has to say to us from this incredible New Testament letter in the coming weeks.