The Peace of Christ--the Umpire of our Hearts (Col. 3:15)

God is setting the world right in Christ. The state of being set right is the peace of Christ. Our hearts and our relationships ought to be ruled--umpired--by Christ's peace. That should shape all the motions and actions of our hearts. In this world of fear, anger, and self-centeredness, Christ's peace will make us a distinctly different sort of people...if we will allow it. Produced September 11, 2020

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Rightly ordered and oriented love is the heart and soul of the Christian life. Here in Colossians 3, Paul tells us that to become a disciple of Jesus is to die and be raised up to new life in him. That is a transforming event in our lives, and it will result in a whole new pattern of living. In Colossians 3:14, Paul tells us that it is love that will be what molds and motivates that new life. That is, of course, exactly what Jesus has said as well (see Matthew 22:34-40). Paul is telling us that love looks like compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness (Colossians 3:12-13). Produced September 8, 2020

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One of the most important ways the Christian character will show itself in our lives is through our willingness to forgive the people who hurt us. Paul sees forgiveness as a natural outgrowth of the kind of Christian character that he describes to us in Colossians 3:12. The foundation of our willingness to forgive should be the fact that we have experienced Christ's forgiveness of us. When we forgive, it results in healing: our own healing, the healing of our relationships, and the healing that comes as the gospel of forgiveness is spread throughout the world. Produced September 4, 2020

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Here in Colossians 3:12, God calls on us to clothe ourselves in the character trait of patience. He uses a Greek word here that explains exactly what that means, and I explore that word a bit with you here. Over and over God tells us that he is slow to anger (for example Exodus 34:6). Paul tells us that we are to be like God in that. In this angry, hostile, quick-tempered world, we are called by God to show people what his patience and mercy look like. Let's ask him to make us his special patient people. Produced September 1, 2020

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Paul calls us to become famous (to "clothe ourselves") with a set of character traits that he lists here in Colossians 3:12. Today I take us on a deep dive into the Greek word that is translated often as "meekness." The Greek word "prautes" is often translated as "meekness," but is that really what it means? Jesus says that he is the embodiment of "prautes." In this video, I offer a definition of what that means and a challenge to live it out in your life, a life of non-domineering gentleness. Produced August 27, 2020

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In this video, I step back and take a big picture look at what it means to become a disciple of Jesus. Paul says that means that we've been dead, and Christ has made us alive. Being a Christian is much more than just adopting a new set of ideas or a new creed; it's much more than just adopting a particular code of moral conduct. Becoming a Christian means being changed inside and developing a new character, a new approach to life. Then Paul describes what that character looks like. It is defined by compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. That more than our ideas and more than our moral code should be what Christians are known for. Only when what we are doing is colored and shaped by those characteristics is it genuinely Christian. Produced on August 25, 2020

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Humility is a wonderful and tremendous challenging calling for those who want to be disciples of Jesus. In this video, I explore the virtue of humility at Paul refers to it in Colossians 3:12 and also in Philippians 2:3-4. In a nutshell, humility does not mean thinking badly of ourselves. Humility means not thinking about ourselves at all but focusing all our attention on others. In that, Paul is calling us to follow the model that Jesus set for us. In that way, humility sets us free. Produced August 6, 2020

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Christians should be known as kind people. Kindness should be one of the defining traits that Christians are known for. Why? Because we are the children of a kind God. In Colossians 3:12, the apostle Paul says that we are "chosen by God, holy and dearly loved." God has made us his own and is filling us with his holiness and his love. If that's who we are, then we should show the character of God in the way we live our lives. That's where kindness comes in. In this session, I briefly trace this word "kindness" through the Bible and explain why it is so important for us to live lives of kindness. Produced August 4, 2020

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The Christian witness isn't just words; it's a way of living. Here in Colossians 3:12, Paul describes what the Christian life ought to look like in us, not only in the good times but especially in times of stress and challenge when the world squeezes us hard. He lists a set of characteristics. In this session, I explore what Paul means by "compassion" or, as he literally puts it, "a caring heart of compassion." In those hard, stressful times, does anger, resentment, and hostility come out of you? Or does this caring heart of compassion show itself in your life? Produced July 31, 2020

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The Christian faith is not merely accepting a set of ideas or doctrines. The Christian faith comes about in us because God does something in us, to us, and with us. When God enters our lives, our lives change. The way we approach life and the way we respond to the world changes. We begin to become like Jesus in that. Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience become defining characteristics of our lives. And because of that, people are able to see Jesus by looking at us. In Colossians 3:12, Paul challenges us to strive to develop habits of life that reflect the presence of Jesus in us. Produced July 28, 2020

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