Continuing our meditation in Colossians, if we don’t live by religious do’s and don’t’s, how do we live?

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (Colossians 3.2, ESV)

What are “things on earth”? We often think “worldly” things, don’t we? But that’s not it. Things of the earth are the legalisms. That’s the idea in Colossians 2.16 – 23, “the elemental spirits of the world,” the immediately preceding passage that we wrote about yesterday.

And go back and look at the condemnation in Philippians 3:

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. (Philippians 3.17 – 19, ESV)

“Who mind earthly things.” 

Does that mean we’re free of all rules? Certainly not. Paul is clear: we “put to death” and “put off” the old self. Here’s the list of things to put off from Colossians 3.5 – 11:

• Sexual immorality
• Impurity
• Passion
• Evil desire
• Covetousness, which is idolatry
• Anger
• Wrath
• Malice
• Slander
• Obscene talk
• Lying
• Prejudice (no Greek or Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, slave, free, etc.)

And the whole thing is wrapped in Jesus:

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory…Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. (Colossians 3.2 – 4, 11, ESV)

I quoted Beth Moore last Sunday.

The ways & means of Jesus. Teach people to follow Jesus. If you’re a Christian minister, pastor, teacher or leader, …walk with Jesus. Seek to know him with all your heart. Consider everything loss for the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus the Lord. Then teach others to do the same. Jesus, Jesus. His ways. His means.

“His ways. His means.” That would preclude a lot of behaviors on the “put off” list, wouldn’t it? I remember years ago when our daughter was 3 or 4 years old, there was a television preacher on. I was listening for his content, checking the accuracy of his message. Melody looked at me at said, “Daddy, why is he so angry?” A good observation. A famous mega-church pastor was known for preaching against sexual immorality, trying to challenge young men to live responsibly, but he did it with anger and obscenities.

Jesus is our life. We have to do things his way. Tomorrow, we’ll look at the positive list.

So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8.12, 13, ESV)

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. (1 Peter 5.1 – 4, ESV)

Colossians abounds with Jesus, as we’ve already seen in the very rich Colossians 1.15 – 20. But what’s the “so what?” It turns out that getting a firm fix on Jesus delivers us from legalism, which I write about often, most recently a few days ago. (I write about it because Paul wrote about it!)

Anyway, here’s the setup in Colossians:

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. THEREFORE…(Colossians 2.8 – 15, ESV)

Therefore, what? We are complete in Jesus. We are spiritually circumcised in Jesus. We are baptized in Jesus. We are made alive in Jesus. Our sin debt has been canceled in Jesus. And what’s the first so what? The “therefore”?

Therefore

• Let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
• Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
• If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—“Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings?

These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. (Colossians 2.16 – 23, ESV, bulleted for clarity)

How did we or any so-called Christians read Colossians and then come up with a list of do’s and don’t’s? Rules about food and drink – Jewish or otherwise. Demanding people have certain experiences. “Don’t handle; don’t taste; don’t touch.” As with any “religious” observance, this stuff looks good on the outside without doing anything in “stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” Hence, some of the strictest, rule-keeping denominational leaders have been caught in precisely that – indulgence of the flesh.

Tomorrow we’ll start looking at the kinds of things we do need to avoid, followed by the kinds of things we need to “put on.”

Paul’s message is consistent: understanding Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins should protect us from a works-based, legalistic way of life. Here’s what he said to the Galatians:

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? (Galatians 3.1 – 3, ESV)

We now move into Colossians: our reading plan after Romans took us through Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon (related to Colossians). I closed our second meditation on Philippians 3 with Paul’s reminding us that Jesus is our focus from Colossians 1.15 – 20.

And we’ll see tomorrow that a focus on Jesus prevents our falling into legalism. For now, let’s look at yet another of Paul’s prayers. Maybe that’s why his ministry was so effective!

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be 

• filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to 
• walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, 
  • fully pleasing to him, 
  • bearing fruit in every good work and 
  • increasing in the knowledge of God.
• May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all 
  • endurance and 
  • patience with joy,
• giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. (Colossians 1.9 – 12, bulleted for clarity)

Walk worthy:

• Pleasing him
• Bearing fruit
• Increasing in the knowledge of God

Strengthened with all power for:

• Endurance
• Patience

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. (Colossians 4.2, ESV)

After the in-your-face diatribe about legalism in Philippians 3, Paul closes with some positive instruction. How shall we live?

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4.4 – 8, ESV)

When I read the Bible, it’s a glimpse of how things should be. Lives characterized by…

• Joy
• Reasonableness (we could use a bit of that in our society, yes?)
• Prayer, resulting in peace (don’t worry!)
• Meditating on what is:
  • True
  • Honorable
  • Just
  • Pure
  • Lovely
  • Commendable
  • Excellent
  • Praiseworthy

One of our sons went to Northwestern University near Chicago. Look at the shield closely: the middle ring is QUAECUMQUE SUNT VERA. “Whatsoever things are true” (from the King James Version). We could stop right there, couldn’t we? How many folks spend a lot of time meditating on things that aren’t true? Fake news on all sides.

And if it is true, is it honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, praiseworthy? If not, let’s quit filling our minds with it!

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. (Philippians 4.23, ESV)

Yesterday I pointed out some of the highlights in Philippians 3 about the evils of legalism. Maybe I’m drawn to this subject so much because, like the Apostle Paul, I was raised in a legalistic environment. We were defined mostly by what we didn’t do. In our tradition, this included prohibitions against dancing (I’m still a terrible dancer) and the movie theater. It’s OK not to dance and to choose not to go to the theater. The problem is when we impose these rules on others or, worse, judge others as inferior if they do things on our no-no list. (And every tradition has its own list!)

The biggest problem is that such teaching takes the focus off of Jesus. We were promoting a “Jesus and” gospel. In our day growing up, it was Jesus and a certain set of behaviors or taboos. In Paul’s day, it was Jesus and circumcision and dietary laws (we’ll see this come up again when we get to Colossians). Today, it’s more likely to be Jesus and politics, either left or right.

Beth Moore has just tweeted a stunning thread on this very subject. She calls “Jesus and” a “hybrid gospel.” Here’s part of it:

I’m no longer Republican or Democrat. I’m neither a conservative nor a liberal. I’m not a complementarian or egalitarian. I’m a Jesus follower. Period. I’m on the side of the sinless life, death, resurrection, reign and return of the Lord Jesus Christ. I’m not a political pundit. I’m a Bible teacher. Whether a poor or an adequate one, I’m a devoted one & this is the task to which I’ve been called: to disciple people in Christ. (From a July 6, 2022, tweet)

Christian leaders in your 30s-50s, you’re the ones who’ll raise the next couple of generations of faith. It is crucial—needful—that you disciple them from the start on the values of Jesus. Not political or cultural hybrids. The ways & means of Jesus. Teach people to follow Jesus. If you’re a Christian minister, pastor, teacher or leader, …walk with Jesus. Seek to know him with all your heart. Consider everything loss for the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus the Lord. Then teach others to do the same. Jesus, Jesus. His ways. His means. PS. Many of you are in full-on crises of faith. I’d like to suggest that it’s hybrid versions of Christianity that put you there. Not Jesus. Don’t walk away from Jesus. Walk away from hybrid gospels. You can’t replace Jesus. He remains the One & Only. He alone is Savior & Lord. (From a July 5, 2022, tweet.)

Amen.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1.15 – 20, ESV)

We need to pick up a few more nuggets from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Chapter 3 is another diatribe on legalism – the idea that we can please God by keeping a set of carefully defined rules. The Pharisees excelled at it! Paul opens with a clear warning:

Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. (Philippians 3.2, 3, ESV)

Who are the dogs and evildoers? Legalists! Church members who are dividing the body over do’s and don’t’s. In Paul’s day, Jewish legalists were insisting that Gentile men be circumcised. Andy Stanley said, “That will put a damper on your new-member orientation program!” Sadly, it was an issue that was already decided in Acts 15. James said:

It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. (Acts 15.19, NIV)

Legalism is alive and well today, each tradition with its own set of rules. I write about this frequently (maybe because it’s in the Bible frequently!).

Paul continues with strong language:

For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 

• Their end is destruction, 
• their god is their belly, and 
• they glory in their shame, 
• with minds set on earthly things. (Philippians 3.18, 19, ESV, bulleted for clarity)

Legalists “mind earthly things”

• Their god is their belly – foods they eat and don’t eat
• Their glory is in their circumcision

They are enemies of the cross of Christ – the cross by which legalism was put to death.

This is the chapter with the famous “press toward the goal” verse:

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3.13, 14, ESV)

I press toward the goal. I have not attained the real goal – that requires perseverance. On the other hand, legalism can be attained as Paul explains in verses 5 and 6:

Circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. (Philippians 3.5, 6, ESV)

I’m having trouble landing this plane… Let’s give it one more day.

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. (Galatians 5.1 – 6, ESV)

Last week we visited our daughter Melody Gifford and her family at their lake house in rural Arkansas, near Clinton. Melody and Cody teach music in international schools, and they have been in Dalian, China, for the past four years. We haven’t seen them since Christmas 2019 since COVID restricted travel. Since they’re off to their next assignment at Grand Cayman Island in early August, it was a trip we needed to make!

One evening they were hosting members of Cody’s family: his mother, his brother, Casey, and his Uncle Tony, a retired Freshman Writing professor at the University of Central Arkansas. The picture shows Casey, a mountain of a man at 6 feet 6 inches talking with Cody and Uncle Tony.

The evening was going very well until someone commented that the air conditioner didn’t seem to be keeping up. Oops. No A/C is not something you want to try in Arkansas this time of year!

So the guys were out poking around, alternating between the outside and inside units. I stayed out of the way, having nothing to contribute. Casey’s 7-year-old son Bentley confidently told me, “My daddy can fix anything.” And you know what? Bentley was right. The A/C came back on at 7am the next morning.

It turns out that Casey was troubleshooting the system with the help of his former colleague at the school where Casey is now head of maintenance. The colleague, now retired, used to work for Trane Air Conditioning systems. It turns out that a capacitor that tells the system what to do, which way to blow the fan, when to turn on the compressor, etc. was bad. “But no problem, I have one of those on hand!”

So at 11p, Casey drove out to another town where his friend lived, picked up the part, and returned to Melody’s house at 6a the next morning to install it.

I admire good work wherever I see it and also a servant’s heart. What makes this story even better is that I have an earned doctorate in education, Cody has an earned doctorate in instrumental music conducting, and Tony is a retired college professor. All that education. Casey? Two years of trade school for surveying.

The real difference is that Casey is a learner. I remember little of most of the courses I took and use very little from them. Casey, on the other hand, is continuously learning. He didn’t know anything about air conditioners until he started working at the school a couple of years ago, where he learned from his now-retired colleague.

Asked to bless breakfast, I opened my prayer thanking God for Casey!

Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. (1 Corinthians 8.1, ESV)

Observe people who are good at their work— skilled workers are always in demand and admired; they don’t take a back seat to anyone. (Proverbs 22.29, MSG)

I preached at my church on June 26, talking about “hearing from God” or “The Living Word” as I wrote in a 3-blog series back in April. My pastor, who asked me to speak because he would be out of the country on a mission trip, asked me to throw in the story of Jim Downing and Dianne Derby, which I have never told in this blog.

I’ve written about Jim before: “Navigator #6,” Jim served 24 years in the Navy – he was a Pearl Harbor survivor – then 27 years on staff with The Navigators and another 35 or so years “retired” while accepting speaking engagements around the world. He passed away in February 2018 at the age of 104. Here’s a picture taken at his 100th birthday celebration:

Jim is posing with Dianne Derby one of Colorado Springs’ television news anchors. She told a story that went something like this:

I had just moved to Colorado Springs a few months ago, and I was covering a function when someone said, “That man over there is Jim Downing, a Pearl Harbor survivor.” So I went over to talk with him. The next day he sent me an email – it’s not every day you get an email from someone 99 years old! Jim said, “Dianne have you seen Glen Eyrie?” I said that I hadn’t and so he took me on a tour of the castle and grounds. Then he said, “Dianne, would you do Bible study with me?” I was raised in church, but I had never studied the Bible. I checked with my husband, and since Jim was 99, we thought he would be harmless. So we started meeting. I’ve always believed, but I became a real believer on March 31 (2013). – Dianne Derby at Jim Downing’s 100th birthday celebration, August 2013.

Jim was 100 years old, and he was still investing in the lives of people! Dianne and Jim met for more than 4 years, and she has written a book about what she learned: Two Hundred Tuesdays: What a Pearl Harbor Survivor Taught Me about Life, Love, and Faith. So Dianne is also passing on what she learned.

Relational disciple-making is something anyone can do…at any age!

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2.2, NIV)

Yesterday we looked at Paul’s prayer for the Philippians to “approve what is excellent.”

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ… (Philippians 1.9, 10, ESV, emphasis mine)

There’s an everyday application, popularized by Stephen Covey. He categorized tasks as important (or not) and urgent (or not).

Some leaders have said that you should only work on tasks that are urgent AND important. That sounds good, but Covey saw it differently. He argued that if all your important tasks are also urgent, you haven’t planned very well. Hence our prayer,

Lord, help me approve things that are excellent. Help me not be distracted by the urgent but unimportant things. Help me decide to do important things even when they’re not urgent, especially when they’re not urgent.

A couple of quick examples. When one of our sons was a teenager, he had a hot little car that he enjoyed roaring around in. He kept gas in it, of course, an important and urgent task. But he didn’t pay attention to the oil – an important but generally non-urgent task. When it becomes urgent, it’s too late. Yep, he blew out the engine.

We all know that taking care of our bodies is a very important goal! But often the tasks associated with that goal – exercise, appropriate rest (Sabbath anyone?), recreation, etc. – are quadrant 2, important but not urgent, often overwhelmed by urgent tasks. Then we get sick or, worse, experience burnout. The late Dr. Howard Hendricks used to say:

Some people say, “I’d rather burn out than rust out!” Fine, but either way, you’re out! – Howard Hendricks

Robert Murray McCheyne illustrated that concept tragically:

Robert Murray McCheyne, after graduating from Edinburgh University at age fourteen in 1827 and leading a Presbyterian congregation of over a thousand at age twenty-three, he worked so hard that his health finally broke. Before dying at age twenty-nine he wrote, “God gave me a message to deliver and a horse to ride. Alas, I have killed the horse and now I cannot deliver the message.” – Retold at Bible.org

Again, Paul’s prayer that we “approve what is excellent” and Stephen Covey’s encouragement to focus on important, but NON-urgent tasks are good words for us all.

It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don’t you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves? (Psalm 127.2, MSG)

As we move into Philippians in our New Testament reading plan, we come upon another fine prayer:

And it is my prayer that 

• your love may abound more and more, 
  • with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may 
• approve what is excellent, and so be 
• pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 
• filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1.9 – 11, ESV, bulleted for clarity)

The challenge is always to “approve what is excellent.” To discriminate between good and excellent. For example, I probably waste too much time on word and math problems!

Some excellent things Paul wants the Philippians to approve are found later on in this letter:

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are

• standing firm in one spirit,
• with one mind
• striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. (Philippians 1.27, ESV, bulleted for clarity)

Stand united, singular in vision, contending for people’s trust in the Message, the good news. (The end of the same verse from the Message)

Maybe we need to care more about the good news than the bad news that floods our media these days!