Variety: Colossians 2v4

‘I am saying this so that no one may deceive you with plausible arguments.’   COLOSSIANS 2:4

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul expresses a deep pastoral concern: that believers should not be misled by teachings that sound great but are ultimately false. ‘I am saying this,’ he writes, ‘so that no one may deceive you with plausible arguments’. It’s a timely warning. Then, as now, Christians face a barrage of persuasive voices – some subtle, some less so – that can distort the truth of the gospel.

Paul’s letters are full of truth about Jesus and practical advice. If you stop and read through Colossians from start to finish, you’ll see the story of salvation woven through all he says.

It’s the stories we tell ourselves that shape the way we see the world, for good or ill. They shape the way we live in our ordinary places, the way we experience others, and our own sense of meaning. Paul encourages the church to gather together to tell afresh the stories of their faith, and test and discern truth together.

Meeting together as a church community isn’t just about collective worship or fellowship, important as those are. It’s where we learn about God, ready for the messages that shape our thinking on our frontlines at work, with family, at school, and in wider culture.

I’ve got a couple of good friends I can rely on to send me Instagram videos that point me to Jesus; we bounce them back and forth with a healthy discussion about what we like and what we disagree with. There’s a fair mix of silly videos in there as well! It’s this conversation alongside the videos that helps us spot when something sounds good but is just a little ‘off’. We need trusted relationships where we can test those messages together, holding them up to Scripture, listening for the Spirit’s guidance, and encouraging one another in grace and truth.

When we’re alone, it’s easier to be swayed by half-truths, ideas that sound right or feel good but fall short of God’s wisdom. But when we stay connected, meeting regularly in small groups and large, locally, and online, with familiar faces and new ones, we help each other see how Jesus is at work in every corner of our lives.

So, who are the people you can talk with about what God is doing in your daily life?

Jo Trickey, London Institute for Contemporary Christianity