1 Colossians Chapter One

Verses 1,2 - The Author and The Recipients
This letter is written by Apostle Paul, who introduces himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ as God willed he be and introduces Timothy as well as their brother. The letter is written to the believers in Jesus at Colosse, whom he refers to using two distinct words. The first word he uses to describe them is Saints. All those who've put their faith in Jesus have been made holy (sanctified / made saints) by God. The word Saints is not a title conferred on a select few after they die, but it's a description of an act of God towards those  who trust in His Holy Son Jesus - they've been made holy (by God). The second word he uses to describe them is 'faithful brethren,' referring to the strong and ongoing faith of the believers in the Lord Jesus.

He then goes on to say that when he prays for them to the Father of Jesus, he always thanks Him for three things concerning them - their Faith in Christ Jesus, their Love for all the saints, and thirdly, their Hope (Assured inheritance) that is stored up in Heaven. He adds that it's this Hope that is the foundation for both their Faith in Jesus as well as the Love they have for one another. 

Verses. 3-5 - Paul's thankfulness for the Colossian Church
Paul seems to say he's glad that the Colossian Church looks at life from an eternal perspective,  and not a temporal one, something that each one of us needs to have today as well. When we look forward to the heavenly inheritance that's been promised us, it will certainly have an effect on the way we live our lives here on earth. It will affect and spur us on in our Faith in Jesus, despite trials, suffering and persecution and it will also have it's effect on the way we relate with one another. As fellow-believers in a loving Father and Master, we will love one another as well. 

Verses 6-8 - The Gospel is bearing fruit globally
Paul then mentions that this Gospel is bearing fruit across the globe. He gives the reason for the growth - "hearing and understanding God's Grace in all it's truth." The understanding of God's Grace in all it's truth leads to the growth of the church and the lack of understanding or the misunderstanding of it leads to the decline of the church. The same applies to our times today, where there's so much of either a lack of understanding or a misunderstanding of God's Grace in all it's truth, hence the decline of the church in many parts of the world. Paul goes on to mention the name of the person who shared the Gospel with the Colossian Church - Epaphras. We sometimes overlook or forget to mention the people who led us to Christ, but not Paul - he never hesitates to mention names of people.

Verses 9-14 - Paul's Prayers for the Colossian Church
Paul mentions that since the day he heard of the faith of the Colossian Church he didn't cease to pray for them and here's what he prayed for - one can't help compare his prayer with our prayers today:

1. Knowledge of God's will through all spritual wisdom and understanding - it's so important to know what God wants for our lives, rather than we just go about doing what we think is best for ourselves. Knowing God's will comes with wisdom and understanding that comes from the Spirit of God - not from the world. We should be cautions to not equate that which is wordly with that which is Spiritual. 
2. That you may live a life a life that is worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way - Once we know what is God's will, it should results in us wanting to live accordingly. Jesus, after His Sermon on the mount, said in Matthew 7:21: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father in Heaven." It isn't in the knowing, meditating, memorising, teaching, preaching and training of The Word that the  Lord is please with as He is with the doing of the Word. We are called to live out the word, 'in every way.'
3. Bearing good fruit in every good work - We need to be involved with things that have a positive and lasting impact on the lives of people. Our work needs to be ongoing and effective, not merely sporadic and ineffective. 
4. Growing in the Knowledge of God - the one thing that all of us were meant to grow in is knowing God personally (not merely knowing about God). It's the knowledge of God that transforms us into His likeness - knowing about Him only creates that desire. It's in growing in our knowledge of God that we also grow in the knowledge of ourselves in the process. (Our identity is locked up in the knowledge of God - the more we know God, the more we know ourselves as well, since we were created in His image - to reflect His character.
5. Being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might - we can't live the life the Lord has called us to live in our own strength, as this is a spiritual battle we're in - we need the power of God in our lives and that's why the Lord gave us His Holy Spirit to live within us, so we might be empowered to live the life we've been called and chosen to live. 
6. So that you may have great endurance and patience - when we're empowered by the Lord's Spirit we're able to endure hardships and trials. We learn to endure patiently knowing that our faith will be rewarded one day. We're not called to give up, despite the many temptations to do so, but to endure till the end. 
7. Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light - Paul is thrilled that the Gentiles are also called by God to share in the inheritance with other believers, and who are also now citizens in the Kingdom of light. God has rescued all of us from the dominion or rulership of darkness (sin) and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves - Jesus, who has both redeemed us (by taking the penalty for our sins) and forgiven us of all our sins.

Verses 15-18 - Who is Jesus? 

1. Image of the invisible God - Since God is invisible, Jesus came in human form and was the explicit image (Character/Nature) of God in every way.
2. Firstborn of all creation - Jesus was not created, so the term does not refer to the fact that He was the first one created - it means He is the most important of all creation.
3. For by Him all things were created - all things in heaven and on earth were created by the Word (John.1:3) of God and Jesus is that Word made Flesh. 
4. Things in heaven and on earth, - the universe (sun, moon, stars, planets) and also all the host of heaven - angels (some of which became demons afer the rebellion in heaven - 2 Peter 2:4, Jude 6
5. Visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities - there are things that can be seen and things that can't be seen, and all of them have been created by Jesus. There are spiritual powers and there are earthly powers, some can be seen and some can't be seen, but all were created by Jesus, and all are subject to His authority.
6. All things were created by Him and for Him - Just like everything that's been invented has an inventor and a purpose, so also, all of creation has a Creator and also has a purpose - to glorify the Creator. It's only when we discover that we were created both by God and for God, that life can take on any meaning. Many of us might not question the creation part of our lives, but often, the purpose behind our creation is questioned or remains a mystery. We find it hard to accept that we were created to live to honour God. It's only in living to honour God that our own lives take on any meaning. This is not debatable - it's a fact and the sooner one accepts and embraces it, the sooner one discovers his or her own purpose in life. 
7. He is before all things and in Him all things hold together - He was never created and existed from time immemorial. Not only were all things created by Him, but it's He that holds them all together every second - if not for His sustaining the universe, things would go haywire.
8. He is the head of the body - The Church - Jesus instituted the Church in the New Testament., which He referred to as His Body, of which He is the Head. In the Old Testament there was no reference to the church at all. The head of the church is Jesus and those who believe and trust in Him are members of His body - the church. This means that Jesus is the sole Leader of the church and we are all followers of Him. We need to be careful that we don't pay allegiance to and worship any human as God. The word, 'Church' refers to a group of people (local or global) who follow Jesus - it never refers to a building, as is commonly done in many places in the world today. 
9. Who is the beginning, and the firstborn from among the dead - Jesus began the whole process of resurrection from the dead and was the fist person to rise from the dead and never to die again. One day everyone of us who believe in Jesus and die believing in Him, will rise again, never to die again.
10. So that in everything He might have the supremacy - since Jesus is the first and only one to have been resurrected from the dead so far, He is undoubtedly and irrvocably the Head of the Church. No one else, (Mary, so-called saints, Popes, Bishops, etc) can claim authority over the Church. 
11. For God was pleased to have all His  fulness dwell in Him - When Jesus walked the earth, He was in every way God, (though He was in every way man as well). He was the real God-Man - unlike the many self-proclaimed God-men of our time.
12. And through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven by making peace through His blood shed on the cross - He is both The Reconciler and The One with whom all things on earth and heaven were reconciled. It's not entirely clear what Paul means when he says, 'or things in heaven,' but what seems like a plausible explanation stems from Paul's words in Romans 8:18-25, where he talks about all of creation being subjected to bondage, waiting to be set free when the sons of God are revealed. Since all of Creation was affected by the alienation between God and man, so also, all of creation will be impacted positively when the Lord returns and the sons of God are revealed.

Verses 19-23 - Reconciled to Stay Reconciled
Paul then goes on to remind them (and us now) that we were all alienated from God and were enemies in our minds because of our evil behaviour, but we've now been reconciled by Jesus' physical death so we can be presented holy in His sight without blemish and without accusation, provided we continue in the faith established and firm not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. He seems to say, that merely believing the gospel at one time does not guarantee anything - we need to conitinue and grow firm in our faith, not straying away from this hope (assurance) we have. It is this gospel that is being shared across the globe and that Paul had committed his life to propogate.

Verses 24-27 - Paul's rejoicing in his suffering
Paul goes on to say that he rejoices in the suffering he experiences as it helps complete the sufferings that Jesus' body (the church) was called to bear for the sake of proclaiming Christ. He refers to himself as a servant of the gospel in all it's fullness, as commissioned by God. The mystery that was in God's heart to save mankind was hidden for generations, but has now been disclosed to the saints, to whom God has chosen to make known to the unbelievers the great riches of this mystery. What is this mystery? Christ in us - that's the great mystery that has been revealed to us - He is our hope (assurance) that we will one day be united with Christ in Heaven forever.

Verses 28,29 - Paul's labour to preach Christ
It is Christ that Paul proclaims to everyone, teaching and admonishing them with all wisdom so that everyone will be presented perfect in Christ when He returns. (We are not yet perfect - we are being perfected). With this goal in mind Paul labours and struggles with all the energy and power of God that works in Him. What a consolation we have to know that we don't need to strive in our own energy to become all that God intended for us to become but that He is at work within us to perfect us.

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Michael Collins