The Good News . . . Presents Everyone Perfect

We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

Colossians 1:28

Come to think of it ladies, to present everyone perfect in Christ is the most succinct statement of purpose for the apostle Paul that we see. It begins with his relentless proclamation of Christ. Take Colossians 1:15-20 for example, a hymn to the supremacy of Jesus: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation (1:15), who reconciled all things to the Father through his blood shed on the cross (1:20). Read it in its entirety with the eyes of your heart; get a sense of its lyrical poetry.

Paul’s intensity then plays out in all his letters to all the churches. He did not want anyone to miss out on the abundance of life in Christ, and so he became totally focused on serving the gospel (1:23). It was a tall order. It required wise teaching and maybe even some speaking the truth in love with all the heresies flying around then. It requires the same today, in the midst of all our worldly ways.

While I started my story with Jesus as a kid, it was my beloved pastor Paul Powell who began the process of rounding off the rough edges, always encouraging perfection in Christ. When he passed away this winter our family added up all the times we celebrated Jesus with him: 6 baptisms, 2 funerals (parents), 2 trips (to Canada for a memorial, to Israel), 2 friends (Paul and his wife Cathy), 2 pizza parties (kids at Baylor), 2 weddings, and countless truths. Multiply that by all the other families he touched. Paul W. Powell would tell you he was not a perfect man, but his life is written perfect in the stories told by those whose lives he touched.

Just because you are not an apostle or a pastor does not let you off the hook. As men and women have written on your heart, you are called to write on the hearts of others: Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with utmost courtesy (1 Peter 3:15, MSG). One day then, your story will be written perfect in Christ!

Nancy P