Chris Katulka: Thanks for joining us for the Friends of Israel Today. I'm your host and teacher, Chris Katulka, and before we get started, I want to direct you to our website, foiradio.org. There you can connect with the Friends of Israel Today and let me just say that we have nearly a decade of content on our website that features great biblical teaching along with guests, various guests that teach about the importance of Israel and the Jewish people, and highlight what's going on in the Middle East today. Again, that's foiradio.org. 

Today on the program we're going to be continuing our study on Colossians. We'll be in Colossians chapter two, and last week we looked at a foundational hymn in Colossians chapter one that Paul shares with us about the supremacy of Christ, and today we're going to find out why that hymn was so important, especially as Paul was ministering to a church that he had never visited in Colossae.

You're going to want to stick around for this, but before we get to that, first let's look at what's happening in the news. There are conflicting reports coming out of Israel claiming Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei has gone into a coma. According to Ynet News, Tehran has already secretly chosen Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of the Iranian Supreme leader to be Iran's new Supreme Leader. While the Times of Israel reports Iran published photos of Khamenei claiming he's still alive and leading. This after Iran launched an attack on Israel early last month. Well, here's my take. We'll have to wait and see whether the reports about the 85-year-old ayatollah are true, but if they are, this once again is more evidence that you don't mess with Israel. The prophet Zechariah reminds us in Zechariah 2:8, “for whoever touches you, Israel, touches the apple of God's eye.”

Chris Katulka: Well we're continuing our series on Paul's letter to the Colossians, and last week we started in Colossians chapter one where we focused on an ancient Christian hymn found in Colossians 1:15-20 concerning the supremacy of Christ. And what we saw last week was that Jesus wasn't a mere man created in Bethlehem to be Israel's king. He has 100% of all the qualifications of being a man, but he also has 100% of all the qualifications of being God. Now, last week I shared about the unique Volvo station wagon from the 1990s, an ordinary car with a unique engine under the hood. In fact, that engine was a 380 horsepower Ford V8t with a supercharger and a Mustang five speed gearbox. That's right. It was a racing engine shoved into a family station wagon. It looks like a station wagon on the outside, but drives like a Formula one car on the inside.

Well, listen, Paul's hymn does the exact same thing for the supremacy of Christ. Jesus looks like a man, “but God,” Paul says, “was pleased that his fullness dwelled in him.” Now, Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians from Rome during his first imprisonment around 60 to 62 AD and Paul never actually stepped foot in Colossae. So this letter was actually an expression of care and concern for a community he knew from a distance. Paul had three main purposes in mind when writing to the Colossians. First, Paul wanted to highlight Christ's deity and supremacy countering the false teachings threatening the Colossian church. Second, he wanted to guide believers toward spiritual maturity, encouraging them to grow deeply rooted in their faith. And finally, Paul sought to update the Colossians on his own circumstances asking for their prayers and support in his ministry. Now remember, why was it important for Paul to convey the supremacy of Christ to the Colossians?

Well, in Paul's day, there was a litany of thoughts about how the world was held together, and let me tell you, the apostle Paul stood at the crossroads of many of these ideas. He was a Jewish man, Paul, a Pharisee, trained by one of the leading rabbis of his time, so he was well aware of Jewish thought on how the universe was created and held together. But Paul was also familiar with the Greco-Roman way of life. He was surrounded by gentile pagan philosophers who said that all things were held together by Zeus or maybe by divine reason. Paul stood in between Jerusalem, which is Jewish, Ephesus, which is Greek, and Rome, which is Roman. Look, Paul was ministering in a very confusing world. No longer was he in the confines of the Jewish faith in Jerusalem now he is surrounded by a pagan world ministering to Jew and Gentile alike.

Just think about it, those gentiles who came to faith abandoned their pagan ways to follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ. When they placed their faith in Christ, the pagan temples didn't come crumbling down. They were still the center of pagan life. The pagan culture they were raised in didn't just disappear. Every day they were still influenced by pagan philosophy, pagan worship, all of it. This is where I want us to settle today as we continue our conversation. Paul was tackling an issue of false teaching that could easily creep into the church. This is why Paul begins first with laying the foundational truths about who Jesus is. “He is the Son who is the image of the invisible God,” Paul writes, “the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.

Whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things and in Him all things hold together.” 

This passage from Colossians chapter one lays the foundational truth for the believers in Colossae to build their faith upon in a pagan culture that has the ability to pull them in every single direction. Listen to the beginning of Colossians 2:6. It says this, “so then just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ, for in Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.” 

See, Paul is sending out a warning to the Colossians, those believers that he's never met and couldn't share this truth face-to-face with. He's saying to them, “beware, beware that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” Now, one commentary gives definition to the concern that Paul had, that Greek word that you heard to take captive. Did you hear that? To take you captive, which is sulagógeó, a very rare word in the New Testament. In fact, it's only found here in Colossians and its literal meaning is “the capture and carrying off of spoils.” Paul's choice of that word sulagógeó was incredibly intentional. It not only indicates seduction, but also points to the evil intent of those who are trying to gain influence over those believers in Colossae.

Paul was concerned that no false teachers take the Colossian believers captive through hollow and deceptive philosophies, just as found in Colossians 2. Paul is not against, let me just say this, Paul is not against philosophy, he's against false philosophy as the Bible also speaks against false religion, as James tells us in James 1:26. The apostle to the Gentiles is describing this dangerous philosophy as hollow or empty and deceptive. That it's rooted and built on human tradition rather than Christ. Now the word philosophy is another Greek word that means “the love of wisdom” or “the love of knowledge.” There is nothing wrong with loving wisdom and knowledge. The scriptures actually give us amazing godly books on wisdom and knowledge like Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Psalms. However, if one loves wisdom that is not rooted in Christ, who is the source of true wisdom, he loves an empty vain wisdom.

This kind of philosophy is based on the world's basic principles or as Paul says, “elemental spiritual forces.” Now, in Paul's day, it was only the most educated who would go on to study philosophy, but that didn't mean it didn't trickle down to the common man. The influence of philosophies permeated the ancient world during Paul's day. Since philosophy dealt with moral and ethical issues, new Christians in the culture now struggling with the same questions would naturally be interested in hearing other philosophers ideas. This is exactly what Paul was urging believers in Jesus to be aware of. To be aware of the endless philosophical rhetoric that was vapid and to embrace the wisdom and fullness of the supremacy of Christ. This is why Paul says, “my goal is that their hearts, having been knitted together in love, may be encouraged.” This comes from Colossians chapter two starting in verse two.

He continues, “and that they may have all riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Did you hear that? This is where all wisdom and knowledge is found. They're hidden in Christ and Christ alone. Now, when we come back, I want to share why Paul starts his letter with Christ's supremacy and why it really matters to us in the world that we live in today. So stick around 

Chris Katulka: Steve, for 10 years I've had the privilege of hosting the Friends of Israel Today radio show and serving alongside you.

Steve Conover: Chris, I love working with you and the team and it's been my joy to be part of the FOI radio ministry now for nearly 30 years.

Chris Katulka: And really this is why it's an honor for both of us to ask you, our listeners today, to join on the ground level to help broadcast biblical truth all around the world. Whether Friends of Israel Today is airing on a local radio station or through our podcast, never before has it been so needed to have the truth of God's Word running throughout the airwaves.

Steve Conover: Romans 10:17 says, “so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Friends, we need your help to continue to produce and broadcast the Friends of Israel Today.

Chris Katulka: Now, the Friends of Israel Today radio program is supported by donors, listeners, and friends like you. See, we believe that if you have a passion for God's Word, then you should have compassion for God's Chosen People. And our goal is to raise $50,000 this month to continue to produce and broadcast the program that you're listening to right now with your financial gift. Today you will be taking the gospel to the ends of the earth with trustworthy, uncompromising biblical teaching.

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Chris Katulka: Welcome back everyone. We're moving through Paul's letter to the Colossians. Believers that he had never met face-to-face but loved dearly. He was actually concerned about them, he was concerned for their spiritual wellbeing and that's why he starts his letter with this truth about Christ. I'm going to read it again from Colossians 1:15, “that Jesus, He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For all things in heaven and on earth were created in him, all things whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers, all things were created through him and for him. He himself is before all things and all things are held together in Him. He is the head of the body, the church as well as the beginning, the firstborn from the dead so that He himself may become first in all things. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in his Son and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven.” 

Paul started Colossians with the foundational truths that we can build our lives upon. Remember I said that the world Paul was ministering to was full of religions and full of philosophies. Philosophies drove the Greco-Roman world and it even influenced Judaism at that time as well. Again, in a culture of vapid worldly philosophy, Paul is laying the foundation for us to find what? To find our identity. That's why Paul reminds us of our identity. He says in Colossians chapter 2:12, “that we having been buried with him in baptism, you also have been raised with him through your faith in the power of God who raised him from the dead.”

This is our identity. Our identity is in the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's why Paul says in Colossians 2:6, “so then just as you receive Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness.” Did you hear what Paul said? Be rooted and built up in him. The first word, rooted, highlights that the believer has been firmly grounded in Christ so that they will continue. It's where we find our source of life, our source of wisdom or the fullness of God. Being rooted is followed by what? Being built up. Both images Paul is describing are often joined together to describe a solid foundation which we can live our lives in Christ. Paul tells the Corinthians, “..you are God's field, God's building,” in 1 Corinthians 3:9. So the image of planting and growing, Paul says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave growth.” Here Paul connects the image of building which has been constructed on the only foundation able to support it and that is Jesus. The words rooted and built up are so closely connected with the prepositional phrase, in him, that follows. Only Christ Jesus, Our Lord is the firm foundation. Whoever stands on this foundation will not waiver. Look, the world today is no different than Paul's day. It's constantly trying to offer us answers to life's problems. If we had just enough money, we could be more happy. If we just had the right job, we could be more happy. If we just had this new technology, this new thing, I would be more happy. The philosophy of the world today has us on a constant never ending chase for happiness.

This is very philosophical, really. It demands us to find our identity, the world that we live in. Again, it demands us to find our identity in anything but Christ. The scriptures tell us in Proverbs 9:10, “the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord and acknowledging the holy one is understanding.” Look, this is foundational truth. Who is the source of our wisdom? Who is the source of our understanding? Who is the source of our knowledge? Who is the source of where we are rooted and built up? It must only be found in Christ in a world that is constantly striving to pull us away from God. If we know our identity is in Christ, we can be confident in who he is in a world that is pulling us left and right, forward and backwards. We can ground ourselves in the truth of Christ knowing that the supremacy of Christ is where we find our identity and to know our identity in Christ is to give us that firm foundation to be rooted and built up in Jesus.

Steve Conover: Now, Apples of Gold, a dramatic reading from the life and ministry of Holocaust survivor, Zvi Kalisher.

Mike Kellogg: Recently I suffered a serious heart attack while walking in Jerusalem. I was rushed to the hospital, where I remained unconscious for more than 24 hours. The doctors told my family I was clinically dead and there was no hope for my recovery. They said that even if I did survive, I would be helpless, and my memory would be gone.

My family and believers around the world began to pray. After three days, I improved, and all life-support equipment was disconnected. In another week, I was discharged from the hospital.

I had faced death many times before during the Holocaust in Europe and the wars here in Israel. I am happy to say, along with our Lord Jesus, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Lk. 23:46). I am always ready to meet my God.

While I was in the hospital, I shared a room with an elderly man. One day one of his visitors asked me in Hebrew, “What is your position?”

I replied, “When we get to our eternal home, no one will ask what position we held on Earth. We will not be judged according to our standing in society.”

He then asked, “What type of work do you do?”

“I am a carpenter,” I replied. He made a sour face and asked the others in German, “Would it be possible to change rooms?”

I responded in German, “You are free to do whatever you like, but God does not care if you are rich or poor. Everyone will have to stand alone before Him in judgment.”

My roommate was listening happily, but his family was unhappy. One asked if I had graduated from a university. I told him, “Psalm 111:10 says, ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,’ but this wisdom is far from you.” They did not know how to respond, since they were all university graduates and I was a mere carpenter.

One asked, “Do you read books such as Shakespeare?”

I replied, “The answers to the questions of life and death are found only in one Book. This Book says, ‘When [one] dies he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him’” (Ps. 49:17).

They had become very interested in what I was saying, and asked to see the Book to which I had been referring. The hospital was a very religious, Orthodox institution; and I knew it would upset them to see the New Testament. I silently prayed and then showed it to them.

They all said, “You are a Christian?!”

“I am a better Jew than any of you,” I replied.

“But you have brought a Christian book into this place,” they protested. “When the rabbi comes tomorrow, we will tell him that you want to make us Christians.”

I responded, “You can tell the rabbi whatever you like, but remind him he spends a lot of time reading the Bible, and the New Testament is an important part of the Bible. The Old and New Testaments are closely related. Your rabbi teaches you stories written by other rabbis, but now you must choose between the truth of God and their traditions.”

I believe strongly in Paul’s words to the Roman believers: “All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Because of my heart attack, I had the opportunity to witness to doctors, nurses, patients, and even the rabbi at the Orthodox Jewish hospital.

Chris Katulka: Thanks for joining us for today's episode of The Friends of Israel Today. If the Lord is leading you to support our radio ministry, would you please visit foi.org/radiosupport. Now, we've already seen in Colossians chapter one, the supremacy of Christ. We've seen in Colossians chapter two that we are to be rooted and built up in this foundational truth where we find identity is in the supremacy of who Jesus is. Well, next week we're going to see how Paul is encouraging the church at Colossae to live as those made alive in Christ. Come back and join us next week. 

Our mailing address is FOI Radio, PO Box 914 Bellmawr, New Jersey 08099. Again, that's FOI Radio, PO Box 914 Bellmawr, New Jersey 08099. Write in and let us know what you think of the show. Our web address is foiradio.org. Or you can call our listener line at 888-343-6940. Again, that’s 888-343-6940. Today's program was produced by Tom Gallione, engineered by Bob Beebe, edited by Jeremy Strong, who also composed and performs our theme music. Mike Kellogg read Apples of Gold, and Steve Conover is our executive producer. And I’m your host and teacher, Chris Katulka. The Friends of Israel Today is a production of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. Passion for God's Word. Compassion for God's Chosen People.