Title Colossians 01:3-8 This autumn we
Contents
This fall we
(Colossians 1:3-8)
One of the Dutch philosophers was Kierkegaard. This man was always a philosopher who wandered the streets reciting existentialist philosophy, soaked in excellence. It's also very strange to look like the Quasimodo from Hunchback in Notre Dame. It was Kierkegaard, a friend who walked around Copenhagen, always engulfed in fog with sad eyes and naive to his fianc e. The friend said this in a poem called 'Spring Letter of Love'.
The beauty of cherry blossom viewing, always wet in the mist/ But it lasts only three days/ Before the roses wither/ Decorate the one you love/ Sharing drinks and thinking/ Sing that joyous song/ Beauty of cherry blossom viewing/ But only three days does not continue/
It is a song about the life of a flower that is too short. 1 Peter 1:24 says, "Therefore, all flesh is like grass, and all its glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall." In our proverb, there is a saying called “Hwamu 11 Hong”.
There are many negative expressions about flowers in the Bible. The futile and short-lived things of life are compared to this flower. In Job 14:2, it is also said, “Its emergence is like a flower, it withers away, and it is swift like a shadow, and does not remain.” Isaiah 28:1 says, “It is like a flower that withers. So, rather than focusing on the splendor of flowers, the Bible focuses more on the appearance of the declining flowers.
The fruit, on the other hand, is always portrayed in the Bible in a positive way.
Micah 6:7 "Will the LORD take pleasure in oil like a thousand rams, or ten thousand rivers of water, or my firstborn for my transgression, and the fruit of my body for the sins of my soul?" The Bible draws positively when expressing the sacrifices accepted, or the aspects of faith or practice that can enter the kingdom of heaven as fruits.
However, this season, autumn, is the season when flowers fade and only fruits are produced. The splendor of flowers is gone, and it seems that autumn, when we have to prepare for winter, is so lonely. People who are lonely like this ride autumn. It is said that autumn is the season for men,
But autumn is a season of fruit. Red jujubes are opened on the persimmon tree, and jujubes are hanging on the jujube tree, and at some point there is a red jujube. As you drive along the country road, you can see that the ashes are lying yellow, and you can tell that it is autumn and it is time to harvest. Autumn is the season to bear fruit.
Dear Donggwang Saints,
The truth of the gospel as we know it and believe it has a fruitful quality. Verse 6 of today's text says, "From the day I realized the grace of God, it grows and bears fruit as among you and also in the whole world." When the truth of the gospel is sown like this, if you hear the word, accept it, and realize the grace, then the seed of the truth of the gospel will mature and begin to grow incredibly quickly.
Therefore, the gospel truth causes the amazing work of saving people's lives and changes people. That is why, by throwing away all the things of the past that were in sin, and becoming a completely new person, a tremendous change takes place and bears fruit. Galatians 5:22 speaks of that very fruit, bearing fruit in the Spirit. It speaks of love, joy, peace, gentleness, self-control, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness.
The Lord also told us that if we sow a seed, it must bear fruit. If it does not bear fruit, you can see that Jesus even cursed. If you look at Mark 11:14 and below, you can see that he "cursed the fig tree that did not bear fruit." Matthew 3:10 also said that if the tree does not bear fruit, it will be cut down and thrown into the fire. We must bear fruit, but if we do not bear fruit, our Jesus is angry and punishes us.
In today's text, the apostle Paul is talking about the many fruits of the gospel truth. In other words, He is saying that the gospel truth was revealed to Epaphra and the church in Colossae was bearing fruit.
First, let us consider Epabra, the character in today's text. This Epaphra is the person who has sown the seeds of the gospel truth and bore fruit. The name Epaphra appears frequently in Paul's epistles in the New Testament. Epaphras or Epaphroditus is the name that appears most often in Paul's letters along with Timothy.
When the Apostle Paul appointed a leader named Epaphroditus, the church became strong and many fruits were borne through the church in Colossae.
How important a leader is. When we raise a leader like Epabra in the church, a strong church is established, the church is strengthened, and the kingdom of God is strongly expanded. When one leader bears fruit, such an amazing work happened. We raised one right leader in the church, Epabra, and by bearing this fruit, we were able to bear many fruits through that leader.
First of all, Apostle Paul gives thanks to God for the fruit produced by the Colossian Church in verses 4-6.
It may sound strange to us, but Bible scholars say that Paul never went to the Colossae church. The reason is that Colossae was a small city located on the south bank of the Lucus Valley in inland Asia, which was a colony of the Roman Empire, and Ephesus is 160 km to the west, and Laodicea is nearby. is. This means that Paul had never been to the Colossae church and had never met the saints. But Paul gives a prayer of thanks to God for the Colossian church and the saints.
They are talking as if they were the fruits of their own. Since the apostle Paul bore the fruit called Epaphras, and Epaphras bore the fruit of the Church of Colossae and the saints, the apostle Paul thought as if he had brought forth fruit. It was produced and reproduced again and again, and fruit continued to bear fruit.
Paul bore a fruit called Epaphras, which was called the Colossae Church, and that Colossian church was a strong church in today's Bible.
They are people who have unwavering faith in the fact that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead and is still alive today. Therefore, the church that lives in close fellowship with the living Lord and walks with Him was the Colossae Church. We pray that Donggwang Church will become a church that lives in close fellowship with the Lord and walks with Him.
The Colossae Church was also a church rich in love. It was a church that loved God and Jesus Christ, and it was also a church that loved other members and neighbors. Because of the abundance of love, it has become a harmonious church and a church that is praised by unbelievers.
The Colossae Church was also a church with hope. Because we have a clear hope that Jesus Christ will come again and that when Jesus Christ comes again, we will receive our believers into heaven and come out in glory, because of that hope, we became a clear and abundant church in faith and love. is.
Paul was very grateful and proud when he heard this news from the Colossae church community and its members because they had such clear faith, love, and hope.
A man went out and looked at a pumpkin vine and thought this. 'How did God put such a large pumpkin on such a weak vine? What should I do if the pumpkin falls from the vine?' Then he lifted his eyes and looked up and saw the walnut fruit hanging from the walnut tree. 'How did God put such small fruits on such a large tree? tttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt... God is not enough to think like that?' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . After thinking about it, I fell asleep. While I was sleeping, something suddenly hit my face and when I woke up, I found that a walnut had fallen on my face. Then he thanked God. “Oh God! What would have happened to me if God had put a walnut like a pumpkin on the walnut tree up there? If a fruit that was hard like a walnut until it was beaten with a hammer was as big as a pumpkin, and if something like that fell on my face, my face would be What happened? My thoughts were short. Forgive me. God, thank you for the small walnuts."
However, there were many people in Colossae Church who not only produced faith, hope, and love well within the church, but spread all over the world and bore fruit. Since the Apostle Paul bears one fruit called Epaphras, many fruits of the Colossian Church can be obtained through Epaphras. Also, through that Colossian church, many uncountable fruits have been produced throughout the world. When one fruit was produced, the fruit reproduced another fruit, and the fruit reproduced other fruits expanded and continued to bear many fruits. That is why I am thankful and proud of God.