When Paul said: “let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly,†he was not commending personal Bible study. This text is often misinterpreted as a command for private Bible reading. We read ourselves into the text as if it said: “dwell in the Word of Christ,” which is important, but not what Paul is saying. Rather, he says “let the Word of Christ dwell in you.” And “you” is plural.
We could translate it: “Let the Gospel dwell in the church.” In Colossians 1:5 the “word of truth†is “the gospelâ€, which dwells in the community, takes center stage. And the community comes together over and over again to gather around the Gospel, the Word of Christ. This should change your life, your community. It should change the way you prepare mentally to attend a small group or missional community gathering. Instead of going begrudgingly, dutifully, or to get something, we should drive to CG looking for an opportunity to give and receive the gospel to one another.
We all have a responsibility to teach one another the gospel. To share Christ in community. So next time you are on your way to CG gathering, change your expectation and expect to give and receive the gospel, to be taught by one another about Jesus, who is the head of our body, and the center of your community. This means you read, meditate, and pray as an individual so that you can be a blessing to the community. Huddle around Jesus not your needs, your demands. Lets come together, Sundays, CGs, throughout the week ready to give and receive Christ to one another. Repent from a mindset of convenience and have faith in Christ for a mindset of grace. Let’s come together to forgive, love and to teach one another about Jesus.
