Thursday 5/12/2022

Hello friends, today we are going to look at Col. 2:6-12. Go ahead and give it a read.

6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so [e]walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established [f]in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing [g]with gratitude.8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, [h]rather than according to Christ. 9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made [i]complete, and He is the head [j]over all rule and authority; 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

Here we have Paul writing the church in Colossae. Paul points out early in the chapter (before vs. 6) that he is proud of the church for their self-discipline and the stability of their relationship with Christ. Yet, in the above verses, Paul is warning the people to stay away from faulty doctrine and beliefs that do not measure up to the Gospel they have been taught. 
I believe that faulty doctrine and deceptive practices have plagued the church since it's very founding in the book of Acts. Those who have been a part of "the church" for a long time have seen certain fads come and go. Unfortunately, these false beliefs and doctrines can cause great division within the body. The most recent example, and one that has cause me great distress is that of politics within the church. I realize that a certain amount of politics have always been prevalent within God's house, but it has exploded since 2016, and shows no signs of slowing down. Internet "prophets" who have no system of accountability have been spouting off predictions left and right over the past 5 or so years. This is so sad to me, mainly because it give the charismatic "movement" a really big black eye. 99% of these so called "prophets" are VERY political and divisive. I feel sorry for the people who have been deceived into following these men and women-they are being led astray and do not realize it. My prayer is that God would open the eyes of those who have been captivated by these false "philosophies," and turn back to the solid teaching of God's word.