What is going on? ...

Friday, Nov 25, 2016. Here is a challenge for believers. If you do not believe in Jesus - do not worry about this, you will find it crazy anyway. But if you believe, can you get it together? Can you make sense of it? Do you know what is going on?

Fullnes of Deity …

In Colossians Paul claims that in Christ we have the fullness of God. But more than that, he claims that when you believe in him, you are filled with his spirit, - you have been filled “in him”. You are filled by him who is head of all rule and authority. Read Colossians 2:

9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. (from Colossians 2)

These lines are quite remarkable - and they are also a great challenge. My main point is: we are filled by him who is head over all rule and authority. But we ourselves do not have this authority. The Christians in the first century have been persecuted, killed, tortured, crucified. They had to hide. They did not have any rights. There was no freedom of faith, but the rulers were using their power to subdue them.

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How does it work? …

Christ himself died on the cross - but with a special purpose. He could gain the justice which we all need. He was special, since there was no guilt in him. But do we have to suffer? It seems clear that we do not reign, that this rule and authority of Christ is not carried out the way we often hope it would.

I have no doubt that he is the head of all. I have no doubt that he is God, the son of God, that the fullness of deity is bodily in Christ. And I have no doubt that when we believe, his spirit comes and helps us - so see who we are, and to live with him in a deep community. Yet, it is difficult to see through it all, to see his rule in the middle of suffering and difficulties. It is a great challenge, to understand why he is not doing more here or there. His perspective is far beyond our human horizon!

So what is our way to go? Perhaps we need more prophecy in the sense that he, God, takes us into his ideas, that we understand how his way is working, and how he is doing things today, in our environment, in our neighborhood and in our country? We need a deeper understanding of his actions today, his way to reach the nations, his way to reach our own heart to let his kingdom grow, today and tomorrow! (Roland Potthast) ... more texts