Daily Devotional

-April 25, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-Paul’s Goal For Everyone: To Present Them Perfect In Christ-

“To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”

(Colossians 1:27-28).

The Apostle Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles. The mystery he is speaking of is the mystery among the Gentiles. A mystery in the NT is something that was previously unknown in the OT that is now revealed. We as believers now have the understanding of gospel. Our greatest blessing is Christ in us the hope of glory.

Paul was not just a great evangelist, missionary, and church planter, but he was a wonderful teacher of the Word of God. Despite his imprisonment for the cause of Christ, he kept pressing on to present everyone perfect in Christ. To do this effectively he had to preach, warn, and teach all the saints.

• Preach – to preach is proclaim the gospel so that souls will be saved. It is the first step, without which nothing else will matter. Paul wrote in Romans 10:14-15, “How shall they call on Him whom they have not believed? And how shall the believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?”

• Warn – A warning to warn someone of impending danger. For example in the world, there are warnings of fires, and other natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, and other dangers. In the spiritual realm we are warned of the devil’s attacks. The person who is is warned must heed the warnings. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:14, “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.”

• Teach – Teaching the Word is vital. Paul taught others so they could teach themselves teach others. Paul had a heart for young men in the ministry, such as Timothy, Titus, John Mark, and others. Paul wrote to Timothy, “Meditate on these things; give yourselves fully to them, that your progress may be evident to all” (1 Timothy 4:15).

By preaching, warning, and teaching, Paul could present everyone perfect in Christ. The word perfect does not mean sinless perfection, but rather to be complete and mature in Christ. May the Lord help us to serve as Paul and the early believers did. There is so much to do in the Lord’s work.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day serving our Savior. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean