Thank You Notes - Part 3: Thank You for Your Love for All the Saints. Colossians 1:3-14

I can walk into any church and worship the Lord as if I was in my own church home. I believe that where God is worship, I can be at home. I also feel very comfortable talking to strangers (which often makes my family laugh), but when I find out that they too are followers of Christ, I experience a certain relaxation and bond. I am thankful for the bond of believers. I believe that this bond and ability to worship in various places is one possible way that Christians can bring healing to our divided society. It is time for the church to display unity as our nation continues to fracture due to the widening political divide.  

Loving the world outside the church in this way is an important aspect of our faith. But this love may only be as healthy as the love within the church. May I remind you that within a relationship united in love, there is room for disagreement. However, disagreements need not lead to disunity. As we continue with this series “Thank You Notes”, may we be thankful for Christians both near and far. One possible avenue is to be thankful for love shared among Christians as displayed in Colossians 1:3-14.

In this text, the Apostle Paul speaks of his prayers of thanksgiving for the Colossian church. It appears that there is a unique love shared among those who believe. Note that the word Paul uses that has been translated in the English word “all” implies absent and present. These Christians were loved those of their own culture and those far from it. The key for this love is that they were all “saints”. This term implies union with God. Today we can see this Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox Christians. This type of love is also spoken of by Peter. The love for the saints is unique, but within our relation to all (1 Peter 2:13-17).

“13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the    emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor (value as precious) everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.”

Moving along in the text we see how hope is a motivator for this unique love. Paul states that there is a “hope that is laid up for you in Heaven”. This hope is the source of their inspiration, ethics, and love. In his words to Timothy, Paul points out that this hope shapes how we live out our calling to love others (2 Tim 4:1-8)

1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and    the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

A third helpful point that Paul makes is that Christian love is in cooperation with the Holy Spirit.

The phrase “in the Spirit” refers to love in cooperation with the Holy Spirit. This is something that is often difficult for us. At times, we want the Holy Spirit to cooperate with us. There is a huge difference between the two. It is a matter of will. Is He interested in our will or are we interested in His? The goal of our love for one another should be the realization of God’s will. Anything other than this is not in cooperation with the Holy Spirit. Please consider Paul’s words to the Romans that help make this point (Romans 13:8-14).

8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall     not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.  

Finally, thankful Christian love prompts prayer. Note the four things that make up Paul’s prayer for his readers. They are: spiritual infilling v. 9; ethical responses to others v. 10; Divine enablement v. 11; appreciation for Divine Grace V.12-14. With this in might, I want to challenge you to write thank you notes containing a prayer for the Christians in your life both near and far.