Opening the Bible in Discipleship and Training
Paul expected much of the earliest followers of Jesus.
The Dublin Bible Talks have begun working through Paul’s letter to the Christians in Colossae. We share much with that little group of believers who met in Philemon’s home. They had never met Paul but had come to know his gospel through someone who’d become convinced of it. The majority of them were Gentiles like me (and probably most of you)–not born into Israel, the nation chosen by God to be His by covenant promises. Without the Law, the Prophets and the Writings, they were excluded from citizenship–without hope and without God in the world.
Yet Paul writes them a letter brimming with references and allusions to the Old Testament. He expects them to spot and understand them–or perhaps anticipating the few Jewish folk in the congregation will do that work of discipleship. Let’s have a brief look at some that we find in the opening prayer of Colossians and let that direct our own efforts in discipleship. Grab your Bible, turn to Colossians and look at this with me!
Before we turn to Paul’s thanksgiving and prayer (1:3-14), notice how Paul expects them to think of him. He is “an apostle of Christ Jesus” (1:1). That is more than a claim to authority. It is an expression of care by King Jesus. Our Lord has sent a messenger to us for our benefit, to carry and confirm His message. This is Christ’s gracious message to us by his chosen messenger, Paul. Friends, how should that detail impact the use of the Bible in discipleship?
Look now at verses 3-14 with me and notice quite how much Old Testament knowledge Paul expects these gentile believers have if they are to grow and walk as His disciples.
Paul begins with thanks to God for the extraordinary gospel that has brought gentiles and Jews together. In Jesus, these two who were divided and hostile are now characterised by love for the saints (i.e. Jewish believers), because they now share an eternal future by hearing ‘the word of truth, the gospel’ (5). Notice, they did not just hear it, they ‘understood the grace of God in truth’ (6).
Pause and note with me that this salvation that unifies Jew and Gentile in love is a message. It is verbal and can be written. It is something that is heard/read and understood. It is not spread by mystical experience or individual spirituality, but by words that can be heard and understood. God made us capable of hearing and understanding – Christian spirituality involves the mind! This is not elitist – a child can understand while scholars my not. We must not, however, diminish the fact that God’s gospel of King Jesus is an announcement to be heard and understood. The Colossians learned it from Epaphras (7), we learned it from others and came to understand it, and we can carry that same word in our mouths to others that they might understand.
The first allusion to the Old Testament in this letter develops this theme. Look at 1:6 where Paul speaks of ‘bearing fruit’ and ‘increasing’. He repeats these words in vs. 10. Paul expects
Gentiles recall these words from Genesis 1:28. There we find God’s creation purpose for humanity: “increase and multiply and fill the earth... and rule over... all the earth’. Paul draws their eyes back to creation and shows the wonderful truth that the work of the gospel among them and throughout the world is fulfilling God’s purposes in creation. He expects them to know their Bibles that well. I wonder, did you pick up on it?
Paul’s prayer that begins in verse 9 also prioritises knowledge – ‘knowledge of his will’. I suspect that we tend to think of God’s will in very personal terms; What work should I do? Who should I marry? What should I do in retirement? Answering such questions often drives our discipleship. They are good questions, and perhaps even important, but quite different to what we are encouraged to consider by Jesus’ messenger Paul.
Look back at what Paul gives thanks for in verses 3-8. It was for: what Epaphras had spoken to them (7); the grace and truth they had heard and understood (6); about the hope of heaven (5); trust in the Jewish king and love of His people (4); something happening all over the world (6). Paul defines God’s will clearly in Eph 1:9-10 as ‘bring[ing] unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ’. That’s what properly discipled Christians will know because we know the Scriptures. From Genesis 12:1-3, through Isaiah 2:2-5 and throughout the Old Testament we see God’s constant intent is to bless people of all nations through Israel, through Israel’s Davidic king.
What Paul saw happening in Colossae and gave thanks for, is the extraordinary reality that this little group of Christians, in a valley of Turkey, meeting in Philemon’s house, as unimpressive and remote and Gentile as they were, as evidence of God keeping His promises. Paul expects them to see this too because they know their Bibles!
Even the reference to the work of the Spirit in verse 9 is something Paul expects the well-discipled believer will recognise. Isaiah 11:2 speaks of the work of the Spirit on the Messiah–the Spirit of wisdom and understanding. The spiritual wisdom and understanding a disciple has is the same as their King’s. It is knowledge and fear of the one true God, finding delight in the fear of Him.
We could point out more: the redemption (cf.Ex 6:6; Isa 44:22), the inheritance (cf.Num 26:53; Isa 19:23-4) , the ‘beloved son’ (cf. 2 Sam 7:13-16; Ps 2:12); rescue from darkness to light (cf. Isa 42:6-7), glorious might (cf. Ex 40:36-8; 40:34; 1Ki 8:11). Even reference to God as “Father” and the title “Christ” are concepts that only make any sense if knowledge of God’s word has made a disciple part of their vocabulary.
What does Paul expect to be going on among this little group of predominantly Gentile believers meeting in Philemon’s house? Concentrated discipleship by detailed study of God’s word! It is by hearing and understanding this message that people are made disciples. It is by that biblically-sourced knowledge of God’s will that we are prepared ‘to walk in a manner worthy of the lord, fully pleasing to him”(10)!
We are much like the Colossians, and so we work hard to deepen our knowledge of God’s will by study of God’s word. This is as essential for Christian discipleship today as it was for the believers in Colossae. Christian discipleship is founded in the study of God’s word.