Anchored Day 1 Saints, Apostles, & Brothers

Colossians 1:1-3
John 17:20-26
Romans 12:1-21

Anchored, Day 1

“Quien son la iglesia?”
He was a quiet man standing before a gathered few, Bible in hand and a passion in his voice that belied his calm persona. His was a new church plant in my city and me, with my meager Spanish, had decided to join them for a Sunday. His question asked, “Who are the church?” In both English and in Spanish, the grammar is incorrect, matching a plural verb with a singular noun. But the audience responded loudly, with a veritable boldness that struck me deeply.

“Nosotros!”
Us.
We are.

No questioning. No pause while the pastor explained what he meant. No exhortation to let the believers gathered there realize they had an identity as Christ’s Body as a whole called Church linking all believers across all culture, tribes, languages, and time through the precious blood of Christ. Simply an immediate response: Nosotros! Us! We are!

To read Scripture is to hear the heartbeat of the triune God as His Spirit breathed out His inspiration to every human author. God, eternally existing in three persons, perpetually delights in beautiful community within Himself. God, the fullness of Him as Father, Son, and Spirit, longs for us to enjoy that same community between fellow believers and with Himself.

Not only is our harmonious unity as believers the very desire of God, He also created our hearts to long for it as well. It’s why we want followers on Instagram and likes on Facebook, while also aching for people to really, truly know us, love us, and walk with us. Relationships, deep, meaningful ones, are important because God designed us for them.

This clear need for genuine community is vividly depicted throughout the pages of Scripture from Eden to Revelation, but Paul’s letters hearken back to this theme of unity within the church again and again on repeat. As Paul opens Colossians, this grand book describing deep mysteries of the triune godhead and the centrality of Christ in all things, he humbly begins in familiar, but fundamental territory: the familial unity of all believers.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
and Timothy our brother,
To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father. (Colossians 1:1-3)

Paul, an apostle by Christ.
Christ, the very author and original eternal participant of community, willed that Paul would become an apostle to build His kingdom and participate in the riches of biblical community known as Church.

Enter Timothy, our brother.
Not named for his role in the church as pastor, or for his age, or by his abilities, but by his identity as a brother in the sacred fellowship of Church.

Breathtakingly, on this stage of the greatest apostle and his coworker for the gospel, suddenly all believers are welcomed to join them.
Saints and faithful brothers in Christ.

Yes, this letter was originally penned to a fairly small town house church in Colossae, but it also carried instruction to have it read at other churches, broadening the scope of “saints and brothers in Colossae” to include all believers.

All believers.
Saints every one.
Brothers and sisters, each of them.
Each partaking of the other for the mutual benefit of all; Church. (Romans 12:5)

“Quien son la iglesia?”
Who ARE the Church?!

“Nosotros!”
We are!

Paul knew his recipients weren’t blood relatives of Timothy.
He didn’t declare them saints because they had all been baptized or taken communion, followed the ten commandments, or sold their belongings to give to the poor.
The believers were saints and brothers in Christ.

As we dive into this extraordinary letter, we will encounter incredible truths to shape our everyday life, but we must keep it all in the framework of unity within the Body of Christ. The church in Colossae was just a small gathering of believers Paul had only “heard about” from Epaphrus, another pastor Paul had likely trained and discipled from his time in Ephesus (Acts 19:8-10). There were other churches, seemingly more important ones, bigger ones in larger cities Paul had written to also, but this letter to the Colossians was preserved and accepted into the whole of Scripture.

Its truths are deep and applicable to us today.
As we gaze into these mysterious beauties, we must hold up the lens by which it was intended to be seen through, unity within the Church.

“Quien son la iglesia?”
Who ARE the Church?!

“Nosotros!”
We are!

Don’t miss out on Church, Sister!

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