True North: Finding Christ in the Chaos

A Reflection from Pastor Loren Regier

These weekly reminders accompany our Sunday morning series at Bible Baptist Church, Rooted in Christ. Each post offers key thoughts drawn from our journey through Paul’s letter to the Colossians.

My prayer is that these reminders will take root in your heart and bring forth fruit in your walk with Christ.

Paul reminds us that the true north in the compass of our lives is Christ. He must be the Head, the First, the Best, and the End-all in our pursuit of truth. Our thoughts this week spring from Colossians 1:1–14.

“Welcome In!”

That seems to be a familiar greeting wherever we shop or eat these days. Call me suspicious, but often behind the smiling faces is a hidden agenda: “We’re glad you’re here… now what can we sell you?”

Not so with the Apostle Paul. The introduction to his letters drip with genuine concern for the well-being of others.

There’s a great lesson for us in Paul’s greeting to the Colossians. Paul has a welcoming heart to those with burdened hearts.

Epaphras, the lay pastor of the young Colossian church, came to look for Paul in Rome and eventually located the venerable apostle who was in jail for his bold proclamation of the Gospel and for the exclusive claim that Jesus alone was God.

Epaphras, the troubled pastor of Colossae, had traveled over 1,000 miles to unburden his heart about the rising tide of Greek mysticism and Jewish legalism that threatened to redefine the simplicity of the Gospel in his church. His heart was heavy and confused, but he found Paul—and when he did, he found a friend first.

As we open the study in this small epistle, we find Paul’s initial response to problems to be so helpful.

Here are three “seedlings” to plant in your heart this week:

1. Epaphras teaches us: when confused or concerned, don't be afraid to ask for help!

Someone once said, “It seems like the more lost we become, the faster we run—in the wrong direction!” Panic can be a killer. Epaphras, the church leader at Colossae, was beset by false teachers in Asia Minor and the church at Colossae was very young, but he knew enough to run to Paul. Paul had never been at this church himself, but Epaphras knew Paul personally and sought him out for answers. As the burden for truth grew greater and the presence of falsehood increased, a burdened pastor journeyed a long way to find help.

How far have you walked to get help? Sometimes our independent spirit makes us fight alone to the point of exhaustion and defeat. Battles that could be won by taking our burdens to others are often lost by our pride. Epaphras made a long journey to find Paul.

I know a phone call requires time, an email expressing a need can be presumed as a weakness, and a cry for help requires humility, but all of us need godly friends and God has placed us in a body—the church—for a reason. We need to learn early and often to cry out for help. Epaphras did, and so must you and I. We need each other. The result of Pastor Epaphras’ search was this wonderful letter from Paul.

2. Paul teaches us: if you are gifted with discernment, don’t overlook grace.

Paul was a bulldog for truth and a great “church mechanic,” but the Apostle also was a tender and gracious encourager. After listening to the very real concerns about the many false teachers who would threaten to undo the supremacy of Christ and His finished work, Paul starts the epistle with a surprise. We might suspect he’d pick up a whip or hammer. No, Paul’s first response is to thank God that there were many in Colossae who exhibited the true marks of belief.

Paul is delighted that there was now a church in Colossae where once there was not! It’s a cause for rejoicing. Regardless of how many issues are at stake, grace doesn’t overlook that God was at work in them! In vv. 3–5, he expresses gratitude for their love, hope, and faith. It is a trademark of Paul. His letters begin with an expression of love for people. He made the praise for their walk with God a matter of first importance. Problems pervaded the churches, but it was the encouragement of people that preceded the apostle’s attack on false teachers and heresy.

There is a great lesson here for all of us. How often upon hearing a problem do we as Christian leaders or parents jump into our coveralls and go into “fix-it mode”? We love to put on our scrubs and rush our patients into surgery. Instead of shepherds, we become clinicians who offer directives like, “Take two verses and call me in the morning.”

In this beloved book, Paul does not ignore or neglect the real issues, but instead continually encourages them with phrases like:

• “We give thanks for you…” (Col. 1:3)

• “We are praying always for you…” (Col. 1:3, 9)

• “We see fruit in you…” (Col. 1:6)

• “We’ve heard of your love in the Spirit…” (Col. 1:8)

• “We want you to be comforted and assured…” (Col. 2:2)

3. When you pray—really pray!

Follow Paul’s prayers in this passage and in other epistles and there is a definite heavenward pull. They are not focused on temporary pains and pleasures. I call it “praying that overcomes the here and now.”

Much of our praying sounds like:

“Lord, preserve my status on earth.
Lord, protect my wealth and health.
Lord, keep my kids safe and living close by. Lord, bless me with good weather for my golf match… Lord, let my kingdom come, let my son hit a home run, and then—and only then—let your will be done.”

Paul prays for four things for this hurting church (Col. 1:9–11):

• That they may be filled with the knowledge of the will of God

• That they may live lives that are pleasing to the Lord

• That they might be fruitful in their work for the cause of Christ

• That they might be strengthened with God’s glorious power and joy

May these prayers increase! May our prayers ascend beyond “Bless me, Lord” to “Help me to bless you, Lord!” Let’s elevate our praying.

This Week

Take time to read Colossians 1:1–14 and ask:

• What’s my true north?

• Am I asking for help when I need it?

• Do I encourage with grace before correcting?

• Do my prayers reflect eternity—or only today?

Next week we will look at Colossians 1:12–19.
So, what’s the church all about anyway?

Anchors upward,
Pastor Loren Regier