There is no ground but holy ground. There is no time but sacred time. In Colossians 3:1216 we read: “ 12 Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body, you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.”
The late Southern Baptist preacher, Adrian Rogers, once said: “. . . the curse of the 20th Century is Sunday-morning religion. Now, there’s nothing wrong with Sunday-morning religion, but the problem is that too many people ONLY have a Sunday-morning religion.
‘They’re praising God on Sunday, hoping they’ll be all right on Monday. It’s just a little habit they’ve acquired.’ We come to church to worship God on Sunday—and, well we ought. But, folks, we ought not simply to come worship; we ought to bring our worship to church. And, when we leave this building, we ought to take our worship with us, because, you see, the Bible teaches that when we’re right with God, every day is a holy day, every act is to be a sacred deed, and everything we do we’re to do to the glory of God.”
Worshipping together is an imperative to the life of faithful discipleship, and we will never worship out there until we’ve first worshipped in our local church. What happens when the body of Christ worships together is transforming and life changing.
This message to the Church at Colossae—and by extension to us—is Paul’s message of coming together. Look back to his words in Chapter Three. He writes that it “binds us all together in perfect harmony;” “as members of one body;” and to “teach and counsel each other.” He is speaking about coming together as one, and he is talking about worshipping—both corporately and separately.
However, I want to write here about something more profound . . . the deeper meaning of being present within the body of Christ. Being present as a part of the congregation is to encourage one another, mature in the faith, and disciple others. But it is also important at work, at the hospital, the nursing home, at school, and even at home around the dinner table. That is what we accomplish when we follow what Paul writes in verse 15. He iterates the following: “Let the peace of Christ rule . . . and be thankful.”
For some, peace can be elusive. When we have it, we feel great, but when it is missing, we feel lost and alone. Peace can also wear another face, as seen in verse 15 context. It’s about being thankful, and how you get along with others and even members of the same faith community.
Consequently, a by-product of peace is thankfulness. As we trust the Lord to work in our lives, His peace fills us, and we are thankful to Him. It is significant, according to Paul, that any time we invest our lives in others who share the faith, being present means living our faith in front of others so that our whole life becomes a testimony of God’s love. I challenge you to make an effort to do just that.
Always in His Service, Pastor Ron
Fellowship Church of the Nazarene