The Bible Study Podcast, episode 297.

Today, the Bible Study podcast continues the study of Colossians.

Welcome to the Bible Study podcast.

I'm your host, Chris Christensen.

If I paused a little bit after I said 297, that's because I'm

starting to realize that's getting to be a pretty big number. We're continuing on in

Colossians 1. We've done Paul's introduction, and we've talked about the supremacy of Christ,

and now Paul talks about his labor for the church, starting in verse 24. Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you,

and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions for the

sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me

to present to you the word of God in its fullness. The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations,

which is now disclosed to the Lord's people. To them, God has chosen to make known among the

Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

He is the one we proclaim admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may

present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end, I streniously contend with all the energy Christ

so powerfully works in me. I love that last sentence there, and I think it's a wonderful

thing to say to yourself when you get out of bed in the morning.

Paul who is suffering for the gospel, Paul who has been beaten, Paul who's been left for dead,

Paul who's been imprisoned and scourged, says that he's doing all this for the church as if a continuation of the suffering that Christ suffered for the church. Not that Paul

is considering himself to be Christ, certainly not, certainly not after that last whole section

about the supremacy of Christ and how Jesus is over all things, visible and invisible,

thrones and powers and rulers and authorities. But Paul says, I've been commissioned. We give people in the

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