Egocentrism is the spirit of the age. Our lives as believers should be centered on Christ, loving what He loves—especially His people.
We often apply the things we read in the Bible to ourselves as individuals, as though the instructions were written to us in isolation from other Christians. But having the privilege of reading on my own does not mean that the principles of Scripture can always be fully understood or applied apart from the context of the local church.
Nine of Paul’s letters address believers as a gathered company, experiencing what some have called “body life.” Much of the instruction he gives, therefore, is best understood when we apply it to ourselves as a congregation, rather than merely individually. For example, 1 Timothy 4:13 says, “…give attendance to reading.” Now if I think of that as addressed to me and to other individual saints having our quiet times, I may come to the conclusion that I should read my Bible regularly and carefully. Not a bad idea, of course, but what the verse really refers to is the way the Scriptures should be read when the church is gathered.
The same thing needs to be borne in mind when we read “let the peace of God rule in your hearts” in Colossians 3:15. This is often taken to mean that a wise believer will wait until he or she has peace about what they consider doing before taking a step. In reality, however, it is a charge to the assembly to ask themselves as a congregation, “Will this plan make for peace in the fellowship or will it be a disturbing factor?” The use of the plural “hearts” reinforces this interpretation.
Our Focus in Prayer
A less obvious example, perhaps, is found in the words of Colossians 1:9: “…we do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” If you read that as applying to you as an individual, you may think, “Yes indeed, I need to be filled with the knowledge of His will so that I may walk worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him in every respect.” Then you might pray for His will for you that day or in the weeks ahead. But Paul, and the Holy Spirit who directed him, did not, I suggest, have such a narrow thought in mind. To apply the verse to oneself as an individual is not evil, but such an interpretation falls short and obscures the real intent of the text.
A better understanding would be gained by imagining you are in the company of the other believers of your locality as that passage is read (as was the case with the original recipients of the letter). Then you would not be tempted to focus on discovering His will regarding your own private path, so much as on the whole church being led into the fullness of God’s plan for all His children. This would put you on the right track, for you would then see that “His will” in this context has more to do with eternity than it does with tomorrow. And it is His will for the church as a whole, rather than special guidance for an individual.
Since Colossians and Ephesians are “twin” letters, written at about the same time, they tend to provide interpretations for each other. So we conclude that the understanding of God’s will, His eternal purpose as expounded in Ephesians 1:1-11, will promote the fulfillment of Paul’s prayer that the saints as a company will learn to “walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work.” This idea is expressed both in Ephesians 4:1 and Colossians 1:10. The point is: each local congregation needs to be taught God’s plan and to walk worthy of it.
The Effect of the Word
Likewise, “let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly…” in Colossians 3:16 has in mind the whole company, rather than the individual Christian. You will note in this context, “teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” is described as taking place. Paul is saying that the rich indwelling of the Word in the assembly as a whole will have this happy outcome.
Perhaps this has something to say to me about how I pray for the Word to take effect when teaching is given in the assembly. Am I hoping that I and some other individuals will take to heart the word that is spoken? That would surely be beneficial, but a faithful servant of Christ should also have the good of the whole assembly in mind. I can see not only that there needs to be a greater place given to the growth of the body in my own prayers, but that we all need to stop thinking simply of personal needs only, and strive together in prayer for the growth of the local congregation.
Oh, that together we might learn to understand His will for the Church and for our local assembly as an expression of that body. If that were the case, each member would also have a much clearer insight into His will for them individually.
Each local congregation needs to be taught God’s plan and to walk worthy of it.
Sins Against the Holy Spirit
• grieving the Holy Spirit – Eph. 4:30; Isa. 63:10
• quenching the Holy Spirit – 1 Thes. 5:19
• resisting the Holy Spirit – Acts 7:51
• blasphemy against the Holy Spirit – Mt. 12:31; Mk. 3:29; Lk. 12:10
• lying to the Holy Spirit – Acts 5:3-4
• testing (tempt) the Holy Spirit – Acts 5:9
• insulting the Holy Spirit – Heb. 10:29
• rebellion against the Holy Spirit – Ps. 106:33; Isa. 63:10