Of
this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God
bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching
of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past
ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God
willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the
Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:25-27
A few years back, Prime Time Productions produced a
self-help video that flooded the internet and became a sensation. The video’s a
documentary that consists of a series of interviews that claims to reveal a
secret that can provide you with happiness, fulfillment and success in life all
for just $19.95. The video’s been endorsed by new age guru Ophrah Winfrey,
Ellen DeGeneres and talk show host Larry King. Now just what is this secret law that will
fulfill all your dreams and give you the keys to happiness, success and
fulfillment? Well, let me save you
$20.00. The secret can be described in four words, “The Law of Attraction.”
The law of attraction is simply this: You attract into your life whatever you think. Think negative thoughts
and you’ll attract negative forces into your life. Think positive thoughts and
you’ll attract positive forces. Millions of people have bought into this so
called secret and swear by it.
It’s interesting that something similar was happening when
Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians. The Gnostic heresy was rampant in Colossae. The Gnostics claimed to have a secret
knowledge or gnosis which would open up the way for salvation. They gained their name from the Greek word
gnosis, meaning knowledge. Having this
knowledge would separate those who were “enlightened”
from those who were not. Many Christians
were being duped by this heresy and joining these groups to be among the elite
who knew the secret.
We find the same thing happening today. Some things never
change. There are any number of individuals who claim
to have “discovered” a new spiritual truth or formula that can enhance and/or
transform the lives of individuals who will subscribe to their website,
purchase their book or pay for their seminar.
The sad fact is that people hungry for meaning in life are easy prey for
these new age, self-appointed gurus.
What many of the people who follow these vain philosophies
don’t understand is that they may have already been given what they need to
live an abundant life but have failed to access what they have. It’s not a secret word or formula that was
dreamed up by some new guru but a mystery which has been revealed by God. It’s not some process of thought founded on
some philosophical law but upon the living person of Jesus Christ. It’s not a
secret you can purchase for $19.95. Rather, if you’re a Christian, it’s a
secret that’s already within you.
Is it not amazing that most of the answers to the perplexing
issues of life are not found around us but within us. Tapping the presence of Christ in our spirit
is without question the greatest discovery a Christian will ever make. We will look at what Paul says about this and
see how a believer can realize the riches of
the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope
of glory.
Scripture to Claim:
But we have this treasure in earthen
vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not
from ourselves; 2 Corinthians 4:7
