Closer To Heaven
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Somewhere along the way, “sharing the gospel” turned into “speeding up Jesus.” The idea usually leans on 2 Peter 3:12 about “hastening” the day of God and Matthew 24:14 about the gospel going to all the world. Fair enough. Mission matters. Faithfulness matters. But here’s the problem: we quietly turned participation into control. The message […] Source: https://atoday.org/no-you-cant-hasten-the-second-coming/
Daily Lesson for Sunday 1st of March 2026
Job asked, “Where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?” (Job 28:12, NKJV). Paul answers: in Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3, NKJV; compare 1 Corinthians 1:30). If we have Christ, we have everything, even the “full assurance of understanding” the purpose of life (Colossians 2:2, NKJV). Through Him the mystery of God, which embraces the entire plan of salvation, has been revealed.
Image © Lifeway Collection at Goodsalt.com
The Greek word paraklēthōsin means “encouraged” or “strengthened” (Colossians 2:2). Paul’s desire is not only to help the believers in Colossae recognize false teachings but also to “unite” (sumbibasthentes) them in Christian love. The tense used for both verbs—“encouraged” and “united”—indicates Paul’s confidence that this epistle will achieve its intended purpose.
He did, however, commend them for “your good order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ” (Colossians 2:5, NKJV).
The Greek term taxis, translated “order,” is used in the New Testament in reference to the priestly orders of Aaron (Luke 1:8, Hebrews 7:11) and Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:6,10, NKJV; Hebrews 6:20, NKJV; Hebrews 7:11,17, NKJV), but Paul applies it to order in the church (1 Corinthians 14:40), including here. Sometimes there is a tendency to consider church order and organization as merely an ecclesiastical institution with no theological significance.
But by prescribing proper decorum in worship (see, for example, 1 Corinthians 11:1-34), and specifying how elders and deacons should be selected (1 Timothy 3:1-16, Titus 1:1-16), Paul was very careful to preserve order in the church. Through these measures, God’s wisdom and the teachings of the Bible are preserved and promulgated.
As a result of the correct teaching that the Colossians had received from Paul’s associates, they had “steadfastness” of faith. It cannot be shaken because it rests on a solid biblical foundation that, if adhered to, would help protect them from the errors being promoted by the false teachers.
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What has been your experience with the need for “order” in your own spiritual life? |
I’ll never understand it. Whenever Seventh-day Adventist church leaders decide they need to up their game in some particular area, they don’t hire someone to do ministry with people face to face to show others how it’s done. No, they hire more people to sit in offices. A few years ago I attended a General […] Source: https://atoday.org/editorial-does-the-church-need-more-people-in-offices/
Our Sabbath School program has always been linked to the support of the Seventh-day Adventist Mission program. This video provides a little insight into this important work.
Daily Lesson for Sabbath 28th of February 2026
Image © Pacific Press
Colossians 2:1-23; Hebrews 7:11; Isaiah 61:3; 1 Corinthians 3:6; Deuteronomy 31:24-26; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 7:7.
Memory Text: “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17, NKJV).
Have you ever been asked why you keep the Sabbath? Perhaps even this week’s memory text was used as “evidence” against it. Yet, the text was written not about the fourth commandment, but in response to errors taught by some false teachers in the church. What were these errors?
First, the false teaching is described as “philosophy,” “the tradition of men,” “the basic principles of the world,” and “not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8, NKJV).
It also involved circumcision and the keeping of Jewish festivals (Colossians 2:11,16), along with Jewish purity rituals and regulations connected with food (Colossians 2:16,21). It involved the worship of or with angels or an attempt to emulate angelic worship (Colossians 2:18).
And, finally, it was based on “the commandments and doctrines of men” and possibly involved ascetic practices (Colossians 2:22-23).
These false teachers were clearly religious and sincere, but they also got the gospel wrong. This week we’ll see why. And we will see why the memory verse has nothing to do with our keeping the seventh-day Sabbath.
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