Greetings from Paul

(2 Samuel 6:12-15; 1 Chronicles 15:1-14; Philippians 1:1-2)

1Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus, by God's will, and Timotheus the brother,

2to the holy and faithful brethren in Christ which [are] in Colosse. Grace to you and peace from God our Father [and Lord Jesus Christ].

Thanksgiving and Prayer

(1 Corinthians 1:4-9; Philippians 1:3-11; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4)

3We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ continually [when] praying for you, 4having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and the love which ye have towards all the saints, 5on account of the hope which [is] laid up for you in the heavens; of which ye heard before in the word of the truth of the glad tidings, 6which are come to you, as [they are] in all the world, [and] are bearing fruit and growing, even as also among you, from the day ye heard [them] and knew indeed the grace of God, in truth: 7even as ye learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow-bondman, who is a faithful minister of Christ for you, 8who has also manifested to us your love in [the] Spirit.

9For this reason we also, from the day we heard [of your faith and love], do not cease praying and asking for you, to the end that ye may be filled with the full knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, 10[so as] to walk worthily of the Lord unto all well-pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and growing by the true knowledge of God; 11strengthened with all power according to the might of his glory unto all endurance and longsuffering with joy; 12giving thanks to the Father, who has made us fit for sharing the portion of the saints in light,

13who has delivered us from the authority of darkness, and translated [us] into the kingdom of the Son of his love: 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins;

The Supremacy of Christ

(Hebrews 1:1-14)

15who is image of the invisible God, firstborn of all creation; 16because by him were created all things, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones, or lordships, or principalities, or authorities: all things have been created by him and for him. 17And he is before all, and all things subsist together by him. 18And he is the head of the body, the assembly; who is [the] beginning, firstborn from among the dead, that he might have the first place in all things: 19for in him all the fulness [of the Godhead] was pleased to dwell, 20and by him to reconcile all things to itself, having made peace by the blood of his cross -- by him, whether the things on the earth or the things in the heavens.

21And you, who once were alienated and enemies in mind by wicked works, yet now has it reconciled 22in the body of his flesh through death; to present you holy and unblamable and irreproachable before it, 23if indeed ye abide in the faith founded and firm, and not moved away from the hope of the glad tidings, which ye have heard, which have been proclaimed in the whole creation which [is] under heaven, of which I Paul became minister.

Paul's Suffering for the Chruch

(2 Corinthians 11:16-33)

24Now, I rejoice in sufferings for you, and I fill up that which is behind of the tribulations of Christ in my flesh, for his body, which is the assembly; 25of which I became minister, according to the dispensation of God which [is] given me towards you to complete the word of God, 26the mystery which [has been] hidden from ages and from generations, but has now been made manifest to his saints; 27to whom God would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you the hope of glory: 28whom we announce, admonishing every man, and teaching every man, in all wisdom, to the end that we may present every man perfect in Christ. 29Whereunto also I toil, combating according to his working, which works in me in power.