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The Helper

The Helper

The Comforter

The Comforter

What Will The World See?

What Will The World See?

Serenity Now and Forever

Serenity Now and Forever

Abide In Him

Abide In Him

The Proof Is In the Fruit

The Proof Is In the Fruit

Love, Obedience, Joy

Love, Obedience, Joy

He Has Called Us Friends

He Has Called Us Friends

Don’t Be Surprised

Don’t Be Surprised

Getting Started...

Getting Started...

If You Name It, Can You Claim It?

  • Mar 29, 2023

If You Name It, Can You Claim It?

Good Reasons To Believe

  • Mar 28, 2023

Good Reasons To Believe

How Can We Know The Way?

  • Mar 27, 2023

How Can We Know The Way?

Don’t Let Your Heart Be Troubled

  • Mar 25, 2023

Don’t Let Your Heart Be Troubled

Loving Like Him

  • Mar 24, 2023

Loving Like Him

Good-bye For Now

  • Mar 23, 2023

Good-bye For Now

Love Your Enemies

  • Mar 22, 2023

Love Your Enemies

Traitor or Ambassador of Christ?

  • Mar 21, 2023

Traitor or Ambassador of Christ?

Follow the Master

  • Mar 20, 2023

Follow the Master

Like Teacher, Like Disciple

  • Mar 18, 2023

Like Teacher, Like Disciple

Do You Need a Bath or a Foot Washing?

  • Mar 17, 2023

Do You Need a Bath or a Foot Washing?

January - March 2023
October - December 2022
July - September 2022
April - June 2022

The Return of Christ

  • Jun 30, 2022

The Return of Christ

Just Jesus

  • Jun 29, 2022

Just Jesus

Joy In Christ

  • Jun 28, 2022

Joy In Christ

Privileges and Practices for Christians

  • Jun 27, 2022

Privileges and Practices for Christians

Grace and Freedom

  • Jun 25, 2022

Grace and Freedom

So We Do Not Lose Heart

  • Jun 24, 2022

So We Do Not Lose Heart

Fatherly Discipline

  • Jun 23, 2022

Fatherly Discipline

The Righteous Shall Live By Faith

  • Jun 22, 2022

The Righteous Shall Live By Faith

Witnesses To the End of The Earth

  • Jun 21, 2022

Witnesses To the End of The Earth

God in The Flesh

  • Jun 20, 2022

God in The Flesh

The Great Physician

  • Jun 18, 2022

The Great Physician

Service and Sacrifice

  • Jun 17, 2022

Service and Sacrifice

The Long-Awaited King of the Jews

  • Jun 16, 2022

The Long-Awaited King of the Jews

Is It Even Worth It?

  • Jun 15, 2022

Is It Even Worth It?

A Future Perspective

  • Jun 14, 2022

A Future Perspective

Misplaced Priorities

  • Jun 13, 2022

Misplaced Priorities

Judgment and Joy

  • Jun 11, 2022

Judgment and Joy

The Righteous Will Live By Faith

  • Jun 10, 2022

The Righteous Will Live By Faith

Pride Goes Before Destruction

  • Jun 9, 2022

Pride Goes Before Destruction

Does God Care About Justice?

  • Jun 8, 2022

Does God Care About Justice?

That All Should Be Saved

  • Jun 7, 2022

That All Should Be Saved

A Battle Between Brothers

  • Jun 6, 2022

A Battle Between Brothers

The Cold Hard Truth

  • Jun 4, 2022

The Cold Hard Truth

Just You Wait

  • Jun 3, 2022

Just You Wait

Idolatry Vs. Adultery

  • Jun 2, 2022

Idolatry Vs. Adultery

The Lord Reigns Supreme

  • Jun 1, 2022

The Lord Reigns Supreme

Restored to Glory

  • May 31, 2022

Restored to Glory

The Saddest Chapter In The Book

  • May 30, 2022

The Saddest Chapter In The Book

The Bearer of Bad News

  • May 28, 2022

The Bearer of Bad News

Salvation Is of The Lord

  • May 27, 2022

Salvation Is of The Lord

God’s Plan

  • May 26, 2022

God’s Plan

What’s the Point?

  • May 25, 2022

What’s the Point?

Read the Instructions

  • May 24, 2022

Read the Instructions

A Real Relationship

  • May 23, 2022

A Real Relationship

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

  • May 21, 2022

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

God Behind the Scenes

  • May 20, 2022

God Behind the Scenes

Miraculous Reconstruction

  • May 19, 2022

Miraculous Reconstruction

Coming Home

  • May 18, 2022

Coming Home

Not Just A Building

  • May 17, 2022

Not Just A Building

The Family of God

  • May 16, 2022

The Family of God

Discipline and Destruction

  • May 14, 2022

Discipline and Destruction

A Heart and Kingdom Divided

  • May 13, 2022

A Heart and Kingdom Divided

The Greatest King Ever

  • May 12, 2022

The Greatest King Ever

No King But God?

  • May 11, 2022

No King But God?

A Love That Redeems

  • May 10, 2022

A Love That Redeems

Rebel, Rescue, Repeat

  • May 9, 2022

Rebel, Rescue, Repeat

A Literal Scarlet Thread

  • May 7, 2022

A Literal Scarlet Thread

He’s Faithful, So Be Faithful

  • May 6, 2022

He’s Faithful, So Be Faithful

Why Did It Take So Long?

  • May 5, 2022

Why Did It Take So Long?

Holy as He Is Holy

  • May 4, 2022

Holy as He Is Holy

Passed Over

  • May 3, 2022

Passed Over

The Beginning of Redemption

  • May 2, 2022

The Beginning of Redemption

The Lord Is Near

  • Apr 30, 2022

The Lord Is Near

I’ll Be Happy When…

  • Apr 29, 2022

I’ll Be Happy When…

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

  • Apr 28, 2022

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

You Can’t Hide a Lie

  • Apr 27, 2022

You Can’t Hide a Lie

The Sin Underneath All Others

  • Apr 26, 2022

The Sin Underneath All Others

Play the Long Game

  • Apr 25, 2022

Play the Long Game

Where Does Joy Come From?

  • Apr 23, 2022

Where Does Joy Come From?

Well Worth the Wait

  • Apr 22, 2022

Well Worth the Wait

Getting to Know God

  • Apr 21, 2022

Getting to Know God

Why Don’t We Just Give Up?

  • Apr 20, 2022

Why Don’t We Just Give Up?

Take Heart, He’s With You

  • Apr 19, 2022

Take Heart, He’s With You

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

  • Apr 18, 2022

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

What Are You Afraid Of?

  • Apr 16, 2022

What Are You Afraid Of?

Nothing Can Separate Us

  • Apr 15, 2022

Nothing Can Separate Us

What Has God Forgiven You For?

  • Apr 14, 2022

What Has God Forgiven You For?

But by the Grace Of God

  • Apr 13, 2022

But by the Grace Of God

A Healthy Swap

  • Apr 12, 2022

A Healthy Swap

Tell Yourself the Truth

  • Apr 11, 2022

Tell Yourself the Truth

He Hears You

  • Apr 9, 2022

He Hears You

Listen and Learn

  • Apr 8, 2022

Listen and Learn

Do You Need to Put Up Some Walls?

  • Apr 7, 2022

Do You Need to Put Up Some Walls?

Keep Your Cool

  • Apr 6, 2022

Keep Your Cool

Great Is His Faithfulness

  • Apr 5, 2022

Great Is His Faithfulness

Move on to the Meat

  • Apr 4, 2022

Move on to the Meat

Saving Faith Works

  • Apr 2, 2022

Saving Faith Works

Is Other People’s Faith Your Business?

  • Apr 1, 2022

Is Other People’s Faith Your Business?

January - March 2022
October - December 2021
July - September 2021
April - June 2021
January - March 2021
October - December 2020
July - September 2020
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January - March 2020
backtothebiblebttb2
Back to the BibleJun 29, 2022 12:00 am GMT

Just Jesus

 

June 29

 

Read Colossians 1:15-18 (ESV)

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

 

Reflect

How does adding elements of other belief systems to Christianity affect our faith? Is there anything that can be added to Christianity to make it even better than it already is?

 

Have you ever had someone try to convince you that you need some other religion or school of thought in your life? Usually, they aren’t trying to convince you to reject Jesus but rather to add something to your faith in Jesus. For example, Jesus plus eastern mysticism, Jesus plus new age philosophies, Jesus plus legalism, etc. I once heard a song by Mason Jennings that proclaimed, “Oh Jesus, I love you and Buddha, too!” The issue is, I can’t think of any other school of thought or religion that could actually add something to Christianity to make it better. In fact, adding elements from other faiths only waters down Christianity. Dr. Warren Wiersbe had this to say about people who try to add to the faith: “They are not denying Christ, but they are dethroning Him and robbing Him of His rightful place of preeminence.”

 

For this reason, the apostle Paul dedicated the first half of his letter to the Colossians emphasizing the preeminence of Christ. He wrote this letter from a Roman prison around 60 A.D. We have no reason to believe that Paul had ever even visited the church of Colossae in Asia Minor but had only heard of it. The church in Colossae was founded by a man named Epaphras. In Colossians 1:7-8, Paul referred to Epaphras as the one who had shared the Gospel with the Colossians: “just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.”

 

It is believed that Epaphras became a follower of Christ in Ephesus, where Paul had ministered for 3 years during his third missionary journey. Apparently, after accepting Christ as his Lord, Epaphras went back to Colossae, shared the Gospel there and founded the church. While visiting Paul, Epaphras gave him a report about the church. It seems from Colossians 2:4, that Paul was writing to refute false teachings he heard had infiltrated the church. He urged them not to be deluded with “plausible arguments'' and explained how Christ is exalted over everything.

 

In today’s verses, Paul emphasized the deity, preeminence, and superiority of Christ. He wrote that He is the exact likeness of God. In other words, He isn’t just a representative of God but rather, He is the visible image of the invisible God—God in the flesh. He wrote that Christ is the “firstborn of all creation” not necessarily meaning the actual order of His birth but rather that He is first in rank. Christ reigns supreme over all of creation and He is the one who reconciled even the Gentiles who “once were alienated and hostile in mind” (Colossians 1:21). It was so important that the Colossians had a deep understanding of who Christ is, otherwise, they were susceptible to being led astray by false doctrine and false teachers.

 

But Paul also wanted them to embrace the right doctrine, because what we believe influences how we live. In chapters 3 and 4, Paul transitioned to practical application. He urged them to “set their minds on things that are above” (Colossians 3:2) and to “put to death therefore what is earthly in you” (Colossians 3:5). He wanted them to “put off the old self with its practices” and “put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:9). Paul explained how our new life in Christ should affect our family life, our work lives, and our interactions with others.

 

Paul’s major point in Colossians is that who we are in Christ should impact the way we live: “If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations…according to human precepts and teachings?” (Colossians 2:20, 22). In other words, since we’ve died to the world, we shouldn’t try to add worldly things to our faith in Him. Christ is sufficient.

 

Friends, if we truly understand who Christ is and what He has done for us, we’ll realize that this world has nothing for us! All other worldviews and religions are flawed and fall short. They add nothing of value to Jesus Christ because He is totally complete and totally sufficient. He created everything, He rules over everything, He sustains everything, He is eternal, and His work on the cross and His resurrection from the dead is sufficient for our salvation and our future resurrection. We don’t need any other religion or belief system. Just Jesus.

 

Pray

Jesus, You are enough for me. You are God and You have been in charge since before the foundation of the world. You created the world and You hold it together. Your saving work is sufficient for my salvation. May I never try to add anything to what You’ve done for me. I don’t need any other religion or school of thought. Just You, Jesus. Amen.

 

~ Pastor Nat Crawford

 

 

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A
arnethiaanderson
9 months ago
Jesus, my Lord and Savior, you are enough for me.
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D
David
9 months ago
Lord Jesus, You are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, and all I ever need for my salvation is You.
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Michael
9 months ago
Does any of this matter what so ever or do we just disregard the first one because it doesn’t fit within our beliefs.
The 10 Commandments

1. You shall have no other God’s before me.

2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images.

These laws were very important. The Israelites needed them to become a strong nation amid all the people around them who worshipped idols. We are pledging in these commandments our allegiance to be loyal, obedient and respect God.

3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

We don’t like it if people call us bad names do we? They are being disrespectful. God’s name is Holy and it must be used only in a reverent way.

Some people take God’s name in vain because others are doing it and we find ourselves saying these words that dishonor God. It can take root in our hearts and mind and begin saying it and don’t realize you did. Be careful don’t allow it to take root in your heart.

4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it Holy.

Back in the Old Testament, this meant they should not work on the Sabbath but they carried it too far and wouldn’t let people pick up something heavy. Jesus changed this and said we should keep the Sabbath day to worship, remember creation, and rest so we could serve God and others.

5. Honor your father and mother.

Honor means to love and respect them. When you honor your parents you love and obey them because they are wiser. God wanted homes to be happy so he made this an important rule.

6. Thou shalt not kill. — God wants us to protect human life.

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. — This means husbands and wives should be faithful to one another.

8. Thou shalt not steal.

No one is permitted to take something that belongs to another. Not only is it God’s law but it is the basic law of the society we live in.

9. Thou shall not bear false witness.

This means do not tell a lie. Do not tell stories that are untrue about people. When you tell a lie, you hurt yourself as well as others. Soon people will not trust what you say.

10. You shall not covet.

Covet means to want something that belongs to someone else. A person who covets may be led to break all most all the other commandments.

If Jesus is the son and not the Father then the First commandment have be violated by placing God son above him. When God clearly stated don’t place no other God before Me.
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Michael
9 months ago
Jesus didn’t created everything his Father God was the one who created everything. Again if Jesus created everything then Jesus lied when he did I’m not the Father but I am the son of the father. Nor would he say that he was here on earth to do his Father Will. Was Jesus lying when he did so many time that he was not God but the son of God. Therefore if Jesus was the Son of the Father why keep saying that he was actually God. Again you can not have it both way. This is why so many people are moving away from the Bible because so many people have so many contradictions.
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joenjim7777
Joey
9 months ago
Jesus is The only Way, Truth and Life Amen
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