“I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally. I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments. For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.”
Colossians 2:1-5 NLT
How often do we see a Christian reach out to another Christian they do not know? In our western culture, we erroneously view privacy as an ultimate virtue. We’ve worshipped it by outmoding interactions everywhere we can. In everything from communal living to the checkout stand at the grocery store, we are uncomfortable with interacting with others. It is seen as inefficient and awkward. Paul highlights a different path. As he calls us to be one body God, he models this by reaching out to communities who he doesn’t know, in order to strengthen them in what resources he has. If a church today were to receive this letter from Paul, I wonder if they would cherish it or be appalled at the gall it must take to write a bold letter that assumes something of a people that Paul doesn’t personally know. I wonder how quick this epistle might be dismissed as evil because it is a form of gossip? Christian’s ought to love wisdom in any form. Christian’s ought to be bold about sharing the blessing of scripture and wisdom. This call for solidarity should be viewed as an act of grace rather than an act of impudent gossip from a man who should, “mind his own business.” In the church, there should be less walls for this type of communication.
JOSH McGARY. COM 