Great Chapters of the Bible
Ecclesiology and Christology - Colossians 1
Part I

A Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick

Christian Theology has developed its own terminology which unfortunately often needs to be interpreted for the common reader. Two of these terms are, Ecclesiology and Christology. The letters at the end of these words simply mean "words about," or "study of," so that these words refer to the study of the church (the Greek word for "church" is "ekklesia"), and of course, the study of Christ. In the first chapter of Colossians, more than any where else in Scripture, these two come together. Christology reaches its pinnacle in this chapter, but first let's learn what we can concerning the Church, a teaching which you will notice brackets the teaching concerning Christ - He is at the center of His Church. There are several things we can learn about leadership and membership in Christ's Church. Because Paul opens his letter by referring to his leadership role as Apostle, the first topic that we will discuss related to Ecclesiology is that of leadership. Here are a number of valuable teachings, some at the beginning of the chapter (verses 1-3,9), others at the end (verses 23-28). 1) In Christ's Church, leaders are commissioned by Christ according to the will of the Father (verse 1). Paul makes this abundantly clear throughout his teachings, he was not selected and appointed by man. This idea of divine appointment causes problems for democratically minded Americans. We believe leaders are chosen by the election of the people, are therefore accountable to the people, and can be dismissed from their leadership position by a recall of the people, even as Californians are now doing with their Governor. In Christ's Church there is a higher form of accountability which is taken very seriously. In the Book of James, he may be addressing "teachers," but the same principle would certainly apply, leaders come under a higher standard for judgment - "Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." (James 3:1) The problem for us is that we are concerned about people who make claims about getting their directives directly from God, so who would dare criticize, because they would be found to be fighting against God. Furthermore, if someone does call into question ideas or actions of these self-proclaimed leaders, who do what they do in the name of God, they quickly cry "persecution" and use that for further vindication; after all, prophets have always been persecuted. Consequently, when someone comes along and says, "God called me to do this," we are not gullible enough to immediately line up to follow his or her leadership. We know that in some cases, sincere people have followed leaders such as David Koresh and Jim Jones - followed them straight to their own suicidal deaths. We don't follow Paul simply because he claimed to be appointed by God, but also because we've studied his teachings enough to know that they line up with the rest of Scripture, and his preaching and teaching resulted in lives that were changed by the power of the Gospel. So it's "fruit, not toot" that assures us of Paul's, or any other leader's appointment by God. 2) However, we also quickly notice that Paul's leadership was not acted out in isolation, but was accomplished in company with other leaders, in this case Timothy and Epaphras. This is clearly the pattern of the New Testament. In contrast to the top-down hierarchies and monarchies of Old Testament leaders such as Moses, Joshua and David, the New Testament Church produces leadership in plural form. Whatever you call them, Apostles, Elders, Deacons or Bishops, they never seem to stand alone in the bearing of their responsibilities of leadership. So there's always accountability, but it's not legal in nature, but relational. Leaders work together in groups of brethren who love one another, respect one another, and pray with and for one another. 3) Of great interest is the comment Paul makes about his praying, with thanksgiving for the church (verse 3, 9). He states that he has "not stopped praying" for them. This is what Christian leaders do, pray for the people under their care. What do they pray for - material prosperity? Perhaps. Do they pray for healing and health? Probably, when such needs arise. Here in this passage, none of these things are on the prayer list. Instead, Paul prays that they will know God's will, develop spiritual wisdom and understanding, live lives that are worthy and pleasing to the Lord, and that they will bear "good works" fruit, and have strength to endure. Quite an impressive prayer list, one which we would do well to include at the top of all our other requests. 4) The fourth church leadership item is one which was clearly taught by Jesus and passed on by the first disciples. Unfortunately, a few short generations later the principle was forgotten and abandoned when the church developed a structure emulating that of the Roman Empire by having what could, and should, be called "Monarchical Bishops" and ultimately a "Pope." We can confidently say that Jesus never intended leadership to be anything other than servanthood, a role He modeled in the upper Room when He washed the Disciples' feet. Paul clearly understood this when in verse 23 he wrote, "I, Paul, have become a servant." 5) The next item in the Colossians 1 list for leaders has caused some confusion. Paul's experience showed him that Christian leaders suffer with Christ for the sake of the church (verse 24). It's important to distinguish between the suffering of Christ which purchased our salvation, and the suffering which Paul and others have endured for the sake of the Gospel and the Church. When Paul says that he is completing "what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions," he doesn't mean that the suffering of Jesus was not quite enough, and someone else had to make up the lack. Paul understood that all who ". . . live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." (II Timothy 3:12) If Christ suffered and died, and no one told the story, His death would have been useless. In order to complete the work, witnesses and preachers had to be willing to also suffer - not to save their listeners, but to bring them the message so they might have the chance to believe and be saved. Therefore, those who are eager to answer the call to be leaders in Christ's Church must be willing to "count the cost" - it will involve suffering. 6) Paul's idea of leadership also had to do with the teaching function. In verse 25 he points out that leaders are responsible to present the Word in its fullness through the activities of proclaiming, admonishing, and teaching, the goal being to present everyone perfect (complete, mature) in Christ (verse 28). If I may say so, I believe this is somewhat at variance with what many people expect of the contemporary American Church Pastor. What is it that people want to hear? Pop-psychology and motivational speeches. On the one hand, we want the preacher to give advice about how we can find peace of mind, reduce anxiety, get along with others, how to manage our money or be a good spouse or parent. On the other hand we want (or perhaps want others) to be stirred to action on behalf of our pet cause or concern. We want to hear preaching against racism, abortionism, liberalism, and the sexual revolution, and we want to hear rousing sermons supporting home-schooling, inerrancy, Zionism and a list of other worthy ideas and causes. Most importantly, we want the preaching to be humorous and stimulating - we want to walk out feeling charged up like team members leaving the locker room after a half-time pep talk form the coach.. Interestingly, according to our text, this didn't seem to be Paul's idea. He intentionally abandoned oratorical tricks and methods, and simply told people about Jesus and the meaning of the Gospel, warned them about the consequences of sin, and taught members in his churches how to live their lives in a way that would be pleasing to God. No shouting, no tear jerking stories, no funny one-liners to get the crowd loosened up or doubling over. Just explanations about who Jesus was, what He came to do, how it fit into the larger plan of redemption and that God's favor could not be earned but simply received by faith. (Of course it may also be pointed out that Paul didn't use amplifiers, or video projectors, which may be called our accommodations to contemporary mental laziness.) 7) In this passage, there's one last, but very important point. The work of leadership in Christ's Church is done in the energy supplied by Christ (verse 29). When in the letter to the Philippians Paul wrote, "I can do all things" he was saying that in the context of having plenty, or being in need - he would have the strength to go on regardless of his circumstances. However, the principle applies to all matters related to his work in the Gospel. I recently talked to a friend who is building his own airplane - is he doing that in the strength of Christ? Not necessarily, for whether or not he is a Christian, he will succeed in his ambitious project if he has the resources to acquire the materials and parts, a couple of years of free time, and if he has the skill to put it all together properly. Paul is not asserting, I can do what ever I want through Christ, rather, he is saying that the work he has been commissioned by Christ to do will be accomplished only in the strength Christ provides. In short, leadership in Christ's Church begins with Christ and continues in Christ's strength. Christian leaders pray for the saints, consider themselves to be servants and accept suffering as par for the course and faithfully preach "all the counsel of God." (Acts 20:27) Discussion Questions Colossians 1 - Ecclesiology and Christology Part I 1. What is studied under these two terms, Ecclesiology and Christology? 2. Who appoints leaders in Christ's Church, and does that mean they work in isolation? 3. Rather than legal, what kind of accountability do Christian leaders have? 4. Why is it important for Christian leaders to be people of prayer, interceding on behalf of those they lead? 5. Throughout history, Christian leaders have suffered greatly for the Gospel. Why is this so, and is it also true today? 6. Many people make a distinction between "preaching" and "teaching," and prefer the former. Why is that? 7. What might be the results and consequences if church leaders performed their ministry in their own power rather than Christ's? - - Return to Top of this Page - Email a Link to this Page - - Go to Christology Part II - Go To Next Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick - Back To Sermons Page or to the Sermons Alphabetical List - - Download This Sermon This Page's Title Is: Your Name Is: Your Email Address Is: Your State and Country: Please identify your vocation: Senior Pastor. Associate Pastor. Youth Pastor. Lay Minister. Church Member. Which section of this site would you most likely return to? Sermons Articles Stories Poems Hymns Articles for Leaders Marriage Articles A Bit of Humor Would you like to receive the free weekly E-mail Circular? YES If you have a web page, would you like to establish a reciprocal link? YES Feel free to add a comment or prayer request: