Dear Fellow Alumni,
We are coming to the end of 2023! This year has gone very fast and much has happened in our world, our church, and in our personal lives.
We are grateful to the Lord for his amazing grace, his sustaining grace and his abiding grace! What a privilege to know this awesome God and what a blessing to be a part of his wonderful Family, the Body of Christ
Paul in the Book of Colossians is celebrating the sovereignty of Christ and his work of grace in salvation, sanctification and glorification。
Paul speaks of the preeminence of Christ, and his creation of the entire universe. In sharing what his ministry and mission are, Paul underlines the following:
‘to make the word of God fully known’ (1:25)
to ‘make known among the Gentiles the riches of the glory of’?knowing Christ Jesus?– the ‘invisible God made visible’ (1:16)
to ‘present everyone mature in Christ.’ (1:28)
It was for these reasons that Paul was willing to joyfully?‘toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.’ (1:29).
As I meditated on these truths, verse 29 jumped out for me! We too like Paul, must ‘toil’ and struggle with the work that God has entrusted to us. We must work hard and do all that we can in our service to God. But the wonderful truth is that the energy that comes to us as we toil, is not ours! It is from God! It is God in Christ, through the Holy Spirit, who energizes, renews, restores, recharges, refreshes and empowers us! This is unfathomable – that the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, indwell us and work alongside us in the ministry. Without the Trinity, we can do nothing meaningful or significant. And whatever we do for Christ and his purposes, we do them in the strength and power he works within us! This is mind-boggling and beyond human understanding!
That is why Paul could say,?I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me?(Philippians 4:13). In 2 Corinthians Paul quotes the words of Christ,?‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”(2 Corinthians 12:9)!
As we approach 2024 and all the unknowns ahead of us, know this one important truth, that whatever you do for the Lord, work hard at these, and know that God through Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, will work in you and accomplish all that God wants to do in and through your life! Hallelujah and praise to our triumphant King Jesus!
