Study Eight
Mystery: Part Two
Colossians 1:24-29
24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
The Church in Colossae was infiltrated by Gnostics. They were teaching that there were higher levels of spirituality and power for people to reach forms of perfection and ecstatic experiences. Early Church writers often refer to the father of this form of Gnosticism as Simon the Sorcerer, the man Peter encountered in Acts 8. Within a year of the Day of Pentecost the evangelist Philip set off to Samaria, probably soon after persecution broke out in Jerusalem immediately after Stephen was martyred. He preached a gospel of baptism into the name of Jesus Christ, but the Holy Spirit entered none of those who believed. Perhaps the reason for this was that the Lord wanted a unified Church and used Peter firstly to the Jews, then half-Jews (Samaritans) and finally Gentiles (Cornelius family).
Simon was a sorcerer; his interest was not in salvation, but power, and he delighted in people calling him the 'Great Power' (Acts 8:10). He thought that baptism would enhance his demonic power, but it didn't. When Peter and John arrived, Simon saw that the Holy Spirit entered these first Samaritan believers through the laying on of hands, however, The Holy Spirit never entered this man. He offered to buy this power, failing to understand the basic principle of death to one's ego. Simon's ego was well and truly alive. Peter told him he was 'full of bitterness and captive to sin' (8:23), a far cry from a born again man.
That bitterness led Simon on a demonic path to destroy the Church from within. The early Church writers, such as Irenaeus in his Against Heresies, go into great detail about Simon's life and influence, as Gnosticism spread like a fire. Over 30 Gnostic gospels were written, all of which were rejected by early Church leaders, and many of them still survive today. This form of Gnosticism was in its infancy here in Colossae, a religion that loved the word 'mystery', like so many New Age religions today. Paul counters their teachings by pointing to the greatest mystery of all, one that had been hidden for ages and generations, the mystery of new birth, the mystery of Christ in us.
I wonder how often we actually stop and meditate on the incredible privilege we have been given, the privilege of having, knowing and experiencing Christ dwelling in us. In the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, we can read about the Old Testament saints who never experienced what some Christians may even take for granted. These people had faith, yet at best only experienced the Spirit of God upon them for brief periods of their lives; none of them knew the privilege of Christ in us, the hope of glory. Do you remember our battle with sin before Christ came to live in us, how hopelessly enslaved we were to the demands of our fleshly desires? Could we have stood in faith as the saints of old did? Hebrews 11: 35-38 tells us that some of them,
...were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated — 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
And then the writer to Hebrews tells us the reason for mentioning them, his message to us.
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
This was the mystery kept hidden for ages and generations; that we might be made perfect through the blood of Christ, sealed in Him through the indwelling Spirit, and empowered to live for Him. God had planned something better for us, a new covenant. Hebrews 10: 5-7 records the words of Christ regarding these things:
5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,but a body you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, my God.’”
In verse 14 of the same chapter we read a beautiful, brief summary of what the mystery of Christ in us has achieved;
'Because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy'.
This precious gift Paul calls the 'glorious riches of this mystery', and we do well to meditate on God's gift every day, lest we become ungrateful children. Paul's message to the Colossians is the same message to us. It is in Christ that we are made perfect, in Him 'are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge'. In other words, He is all we need, for He is everything. Without His indwelling presence we would have no power over the sin that previously enslaved us.
Jesus' disciples failed to understand this message, even after walking with Him for three years. In John 14 Jesus comforted them, knowing beforehand what would happen when they faced arrest. He knew they would flee in fear. He told them of the Holy Spirit who was 'with them and would be in them' (17), that He would 'not leave them as orphans' but come to them personally (18) and then said;
'on that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you' (20).
On the night Jesus was arrested they all ran. Peter denied Him three times, the One he swore he would die for. But on the day that Jesus' had promised, the Day of Pentecost, God's plan and promise were fulfilled, and for the first time human beings were filled with the Holy Spirit. Christ came to dwell in us, to make His home in us. Peter was changed instantly, and fearlessly proclaimed the gospel for the rest of his life until, as tradition claims, he was crucified in the Circus Maximus in Rome before a huge crowd, while Simon the Sorcerer watched on. Simon, the one that Peter had warned was 'full of bitterness and captive to sin', in Acts chapter 8, had become a personal friend of the Emperor Nero, impressing the ruler with his satanic ability to levitate. My novel, Simon and Simon: Passion and Power tells this story.
There are some important warnings in Colossians for Christians today, especially to those who are tempted to live their lives from one ecstatic experience to another. From the perspective of one who was saved out of satanic forms of the New Age Movement, I am deeply concerned when I see elements of esoteric and Eastern religious teachings creeping into the Church. I seriously doubt that those who seek such experiences have ever known the mystery of Christ in us. Many liberals, and others, advertise yoga, visualization, martial arts, etc., in their Church notices, and all of these have roots in demonic worship, but the most dangerous trend I believe comes in the guise of a counterfeit version of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the third 'persona' of the Triune God. He is not an 'it', an energy that can be used to 'slay people in the spirit', or to give them pseudo drunken weekends such as 'Sloshfest' claims, when young adults meet to receive some 'anointing' and become 'drunk in the spirit'. Nor does He make people shake uncontrollably, utter gibberish while thrashing about on the floor, or crawl about on their hands and knees making animal noises. I have witnessed all of the above in so-called Churches, but none of these phenomena were new to me, for New Age practitioners experience such things on a daily basis. Let me state categorically that I believe they are demonic and not the work of the Holy Spirit of God!
In John 16 Jesus explains the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus message is that the Spirit will guide us into truth, that He will not seek glory for Himself, but always point us to Christ. It is only in the past several decades that people have practiced worshipping the Holy Spirit and placing Him in the center rather than Christ. He will never be in that place, but if people insist on having continual ecstatic spiritual experiences, rather than level-headed Christian maturity, Satan is only too happy to provide them with a counterfeit which they presume and insist is the Spirit of God. In Colossians 2: 9-10 Paul tells us:
'For in Christ all the fullness of Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority'.
The Scriptures declare that we have been given fullness in Christ, but, like spoiled children, so many professing Christians are running around shouting 'give me more, give me more'. They are not crying out for maturity, for maturity comes through suffering, trials and perseverance in hardships, rather, they are crying out for more ecstatic experiences. I believe that such 'faith' is either incredibly disillusioned or shallow, or has simply bypassed the true gospel which demands that we 'take up our cross'. It is 'another gospel', not the gospel of Christ. He promised that the world would hate us, that it would persecute us, but some Churches want to welcome the world and its master, the 'god of this world' (2nd Corinthians 4:4) in the door to entertain and make them feel good.
Such is the spirit of Gnosticism which was in Colossae and has resurrected in these Last Days. We must not allow such a spirit to deceive us, for we are the people of the new covenant, the people who can and do experience 'the mystery of Christ in us', the hope of glory.
Mystery: Part Two
Colossians 1:24-29
24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
The Church in Colossae was infiltrated by Gnostics. They were teaching that there were higher levels of spirituality and power for people to reach forms of perfection and ecstatic experiences. Early Church writers often refer to the father of this form of Gnosticism as Simon the Sorcerer, the man Peter encountered in Acts 8. Within a year of the Day of Pentecost the evangelist Philip set off to Samaria, probably soon after persecution broke out in Jerusalem immediately after Stephen was martyred. He preached a gospel of baptism into the name of Jesus Christ, but the Holy Spirit entered none of those who believed. Perhaps the reason for this was that the Lord wanted a unified Church and used Peter firstly to the Jews, then half-Jews (Samaritans) and finally Gentiles (Cornelius family).
Simon was a sorcerer; his interest was not in salvation, but power, and he delighted in people calling him the 'Great Power' (Acts 8:10). He thought that baptism would enhance his demonic power, but it didn't. When Peter and John arrived, Simon saw that the Holy Spirit entered these first Samaritan believers through the laying on of hands, however, The Holy Spirit never entered this man. He offered to buy this power, failing to understand the basic principle of death to one's ego. Simon's ego was well and truly alive. Peter told him he was 'full of bitterness and captive to sin' (8:23), a far cry from a born again man.
That bitterness led Simon on a demonic path to destroy the Church from within. The early Church writers, such as Irenaeus in his Against Heresies, go into great detail about Simon's life and influence, as Gnosticism spread like a fire. Over 30 Gnostic gospels were written, all of which were rejected by early Church leaders, and many of them still survive today. This form of Gnosticism was in its infancy here in Colossae, a religion that loved the word 'mystery', like so many New Age religions today. Paul counters their teachings by pointing to the greatest mystery of all, one that had been hidden for ages and generations, the mystery of new birth, the mystery of Christ in us.
I wonder how often we actually stop and meditate on the incredible privilege we have been given, the privilege of having, knowing and experiencing Christ dwelling in us. In the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, we can read about the Old Testament saints who never experienced what some Christians may even take for granted. These people had faith, yet at best only experienced the Spirit of God upon them for brief periods of their lives; none of them knew the privilege of Christ in us, the hope of glory. Do you remember our battle with sin before Christ came to live in us, how hopelessly enslaved we were to the demands of our fleshly desires? Could we have stood in faith as the saints of old did? Hebrews 11: 35-38 tells us that some of them,
...were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated — 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
And then the writer to Hebrews tells us the reason for mentioning them, his message to us.
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
This was the mystery kept hidden for ages and generations; that we might be made perfect through the blood of Christ, sealed in Him through the indwelling Spirit, and empowered to live for Him. God had planned something better for us, a new covenant. Hebrews 10: 5-7 records the words of Christ regarding these things:
5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,but a body you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, my God.’”
In verse 14 of the same chapter we read a beautiful, brief summary of what the mystery of Christ in us has achieved;
'Because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy'.
This precious gift Paul calls the 'glorious riches of this mystery', and we do well to meditate on God's gift every day, lest we become ungrateful children. Paul's message to the Colossians is the same message to us. It is in Christ that we are made perfect, in Him 'are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge'. In other words, He is all we need, for He is everything. Without His indwelling presence we would have no power over the sin that previously enslaved us.
Jesus' disciples failed to understand this message, even after walking with Him for three years. In John 14 Jesus comforted them, knowing beforehand what would happen when they faced arrest. He knew they would flee in fear. He told them of the Holy Spirit who was 'with them and would be in them' (17), that He would 'not leave them as orphans' but come to them personally (18) and then said;
'on that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you' (20).
On the night Jesus was arrested they all ran. Peter denied Him three times, the One he swore he would die for. But on the day that Jesus' had promised, the Day of Pentecost, God's plan and promise were fulfilled, and for the first time human beings were filled with the Holy Spirit. Christ came to dwell in us, to make His home in us. Peter was changed instantly, and fearlessly proclaimed the gospel for the rest of his life until, as tradition claims, he was crucified in the Circus Maximus in Rome before a huge crowd, while Simon the Sorcerer watched on. Simon, the one that Peter had warned was 'full of bitterness and captive to sin', in Acts chapter 8, had become a personal friend of the Emperor Nero, impressing the ruler with his satanic ability to levitate. My novel, Simon and Simon: Passion and Power tells this story.
There are some important warnings in Colossians for Christians today, especially to those who are tempted to live their lives from one ecstatic experience to another. From the perspective of one who was saved out of satanic forms of the New Age Movement, I am deeply concerned when I see elements of esoteric and Eastern religious teachings creeping into the Church. I seriously doubt that those who seek such experiences have ever known the mystery of Christ in us. Many liberals, and others, advertise yoga, visualization, martial arts, etc., in their Church notices, and all of these have roots in demonic worship, but the most dangerous trend I believe comes in the guise of a counterfeit version of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the third 'persona' of the Triune God. He is not an 'it', an energy that can be used to 'slay people in the spirit', or to give them pseudo drunken weekends such as 'Sloshfest' claims, when young adults meet to receive some 'anointing' and become 'drunk in the spirit'. Nor does He make people shake uncontrollably, utter gibberish while thrashing about on the floor, or crawl about on their hands and knees making animal noises. I have witnessed all of the above in so-called Churches, but none of these phenomena were new to me, for New Age practitioners experience such things on a daily basis. Let me state categorically that I believe they are demonic and not the work of the Holy Spirit of God!
In John 16 Jesus explains the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus message is that the Spirit will guide us into truth, that He will not seek glory for Himself, but always point us to Christ. It is only in the past several decades that people have practiced worshipping the Holy Spirit and placing Him in the center rather than Christ. He will never be in that place, but if people insist on having continual ecstatic spiritual experiences, rather than level-headed Christian maturity, Satan is only too happy to provide them with a counterfeit which they presume and insist is the Spirit of God. In Colossians 2: 9-10 Paul tells us:
'For in Christ all the fullness of Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority'.
The Scriptures declare that we have been given fullness in Christ, but, like spoiled children, so many professing Christians are running around shouting 'give me more, give me more'. They are not crying out for maturity, for maturity comes through suffering, trials and perseverance in hardships, rather, they are crying out for more ecstatic experiences. I believe that such 'faith' is either incredibly disillusioned or shallow, or has simply bypassed the true gospel which demands that we 'take up our cross'. It is 'another gospel', not the gospel of Christ. He promised that the world would hate us, that it would persecute us, but some Churches want to welcome the world and its master, the 'god of this world' (2nd Corinthians 4:4) in the door to entertain and make them feel good.
Such is the spirit of Gnosticism which was in Colossae and has resurrected in these Last Days. We must not allow such a spirit to deceive us, for we are the people of the new covenant, the people who can and do experience 'the mystery of Christ in us', the hope of glory.