Tag: #Colossians

Does our worship please God?

All forms of witchcraft (manipulative control), are regarded by God as idolatry and therefore cursed. This includes any form of paganism such as Druidism, nature worship, New Age practices, white witchcraft, all forms of freemasonry, Christian and other cults, etc.

Adultery, sodomy, polygamy, sex outside of a marriage as God ordained, and all forms of sexual perversion and other sexual sins, and pornography, are liable to be cursed.

“Fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:” (Colossians 3:5)

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (Proverbs 18:21)

“With his mouth, the godless man destroys his neighbour but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.” (Proverbs 11:9)

“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:23)

All forms of unrepentant unforgiveness and revenge, wishing harm to someone, inordinate anger or rage, hatred and any such negative emotions can potentially bring a curse and open doorways or portals.

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15)

“To me belongs vengeance and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time.” (Deuteronomy 32:35)

Violence and all things associated, such as weaponry and martial arts, including movies and video games and online gaming esp. any that don’t glorify God.

“The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion.” (Psalms 11.5)

Anything to do with death cults, such as hell’s angels, skull and skeleton figures, zombies, especially animal sacrifice and blood, or murder, including imagery and paraphernalia, tattoos, costumes or clothing, anything to do with Halloween or horror movies.

Things can be cursed by people too, and some witches of various types and religions and peoples have a propensity for cursing things. For example, many of the Red Indian tribes practised witchcraft and cursed their sacred lands, especially burial grounds. These curses are real and can be deadly.

Places, mountain regions, or lakes, etc. with names including words like ‘hell’, ‘devil’ or ‘death’ have often been found to be dangerous.

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Bible Study Tools: Genesis 3:15 : It shall bruise thy head.

The head of a serpent creeping on the ground is easily crushed and bruised, of which it is sensible, and therefore it is careful to hide and cover it.

In the mystical sense, “it”, or “he, Hu”, which is one of the names of God, ( Psalms 102:27 ) ( Isaiah 48:12 ) and here of the Messiah, the eminent seed of the woman, should bruise the head of the old serpent the devil, that is, destroy him and all his principalities and powers, break and confound all his schemes, and ruin all his works, crush his whole empire, strip him of his authority and sovereignty, and particularly of his power over death, and his tyranny over the bodies and souls of men; all which was done by Christ, when he became incarnate and suffered and died, ( Hebrews 2:14 Hebrews 2:15 ) ( Colossians 2:15 ) ( 1 John 3:8 )

Letter to the church in Sardis

Revelation 2 begins a series of brief letters to seven churches in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) that existed during the apostle John’s time. Each of these messages includes specific information for each church, and there are lessons in each letter for believers today. The fifth letter is to the church in Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6). Sardis was one of the oldest and best defended cities in the region and the wealthy capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia.

The message to Sardis is from the Lord Jesus Christ through an angel or messenger (possibly a reference to the pastor): “To the angel of the church in Sardis write . . .” (Revelation 3:1). This was not John’s message to the church at Sardis; it was a message from the Lord. The description at the end of verse 1 further verifies the author: “These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.” Only Jesus has the seven spirits (or “seven-fold Spirit,” meaning the complete or perfect Spirit of God), and only Jesus holds the seven stars, i.e., the seven angels (or pastors) of the seven churches (Revelation 1:20).

Jesus quickly and clearly condemns the lifeless state of the Sardian church: “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead” (Revelation 3:2). This church may have had a good reputation, but they were spiritually lifeless. In other words, the church was filled with unsaved people going through the motions of religion. There were many tares among the wheat (Matthew 13:24-30).

Jesus then calls them to repent of their sin: “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you received and heard; obey it, and repent” (Revelation 3:2-3a). To “wake up” means to start paying attention to their need of salvation, to stop being careless about their heart’s condition before God.

Jesus notes the judgment that would take place if they did not repent: “If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you” (Revelation 3:3b). A dead church, and one unrepentant in its deadness, will be disciplined by Jesus Himself.

After the warning, Jesus encourages those in Sardis who had remained faithful: “Yet you have still a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy” (Revelation 3:4). The faithful remnant had not soiled their garments (participated in sin). They are “worthy.” The idea of walking worthily is also found in Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 4:1; Colossians 1:10; and 1 Thessalonians 2:12. To be “worthy” is to “match up” with something—the profession of faith in the mouth matches the reality of faith in the heart. The faithful ones are promised to walk with Jesus in white (see Matthew 22:11-12; Revelation 19:8).

Jesus makes a final promise to the believers in Sardis: “He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels” (Revelation 3:5). The one who “overcomes” is anyone who is born again (1 John 5:4). The overcomer will receive a white garment (a token of righteousness), he will never have his name removed from the book of life (a promise of eternal security), and he will be confessed by Jesus in heaven (cf. Luke 12:8).

Submission and Spiritual Growth

Embracing submission can play an essential role in our spiritual growth. By submitting to God’s authority and the right leaders in our lives, we expose ourselves to opportunities for learning and molding our character. It’s through these acts of humility that God can teach us valuable lessons about patience, love, and trust. As we grow in submission, we open ourselves up to receive God’s guidance and correction, which ultimately leads us to become more like Him, shining our light brightly in the world around us.

Hebrews 12:11
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” – Hebrews 12:11

Colossians 1:10
“So that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.” – Colossians 1:10

1 Peter 5:10
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” – 1 Peter 5:10

Proverbs 1:7
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” – Proverbs 1:7

Philippians 3:12
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” – Philippians 3:12

Submission to One Another

Submission is not only an act of obedience but also an expression of love and humility towards one another. The Bible encourages us to submit to each other out of reverence for Christ. This invitation puts the spotlight on the importance of community and belonging. When we choose to submit to our brothers and sisters in Christ, we foster a loving environment where we can grow spiritually, support one another, and uplift those around us. It’s about serving one another and developing an attitude of caring and respect that reflects our relationship with Christ.

Ephesians 5:21
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” – Ephesians 5:21

Philippians 2:3
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” – Philippians 2:3

Galatians 5:13
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” – Galatians 5:13

Colossians 3:13
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” – Colossians 3:13

1 Thessalonians 5:11
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Scriptures

Ephesians 5:22
“Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.” – Ephesians 5:22

Ephesians 5:25
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” – Ephesians 5:25

Colossians 3:18
“Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” – Colossians 3:18

1 Peter 3:1
“Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives.” – 1 Peter 3:1

1 Corinthians 11:3
“But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” – 1 Corinthians 11:3