The Apostle Paul has been focusing his thoughts on his ministry to the church at large. In this section, he centers his thought on the ministry to the church at Colossae. His thoughts are more personal in these verses. It is Paul’s aim to encourage and build up the church and strengthen the members of the church. It is our plan to break down this section of scripture into four parts. The parts are as. Follows:

  1. We Must Affirm God’s People With Our Love (Col. 2:1-2a)
  2. We Must Anchor God’s People in the Truth (Col. 2:2b-3)
  3. We Must Alert God’s People To The Risk (Col. 2:4)
  4. We Must Assure God’s People In the Faith (Col. 2:5)
  • We Must Affirm God’s People With Our Love. Paul writes the following in Col. 2:1-2a,

1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, 

In this section of Colossians. Paul’s aim is to be more personal in his letter to the saints at Colossae. He uses the term “greatly struggling for you” in verse 1.  Please remember that this is a congregation that he has not personally visited. In the footnotes, of “Exalting Jesus in Colossians and Philemon,” the writer tells us about the location of the churches near Colossae. He writes:

“The church of Laodicea, along with Hierapolis (4:13-17; cf. Rev. 2-3), was also located in the Lycus Valley, and was roughly twelve miles from Colossae. While Paul’s strategic efforts and partnerships had most likely led to the formation of these churches, he was not directly responsible, as evidenced by this phrase. Despite his lack of personal interaction, he possessed a genuine attraction for these churches and likely had them in mind here.”

Colossians is one of the Prison Epistles.  He mentions that in 4:3, 18. In 2 Corinthians 11:18, writing in general about his trials in the ministry, he writes the following, “and apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.”

One of the main motivations in Paul’s ministry was that he wanted to be an encourager of those he was writing to and ministering to, whether in person or by his writings. In like manner, Christians today must cultivate that love for each other and seek to encourage each other in the Lord in any way we can.