Come Alive: Philippians and Colossians: Conversations with Scripture

By Talbot Davis

Come Alive: Conversations with Scripture is a guide through the books of the Bible, providing cultural context and insights that bridge the gap between the world of the Bible and our world today. Each book includes a daily reading, a daily insight, and a daily reading prompt that will help you

• Language: English
• Publisher: Invite Press
• Release date: Mar 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781953495587

Talbot Davis

Talbot Davis is the pastor of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, a congregation known for its ethnic diversity, outreach ministry, and innovative approach to worship. He has been repeatedly recognized for his excellence in congregational development. During his 10-year term as pastor at Mt. Carmel United Methodist Church prior to serving Good Shepherd, that congregation doubled in size and received the conference’s “church of excellence” award six times. Talbot has also received the conference’s Harry Denman Award for Excellence in Evangelism. Since Talbot began serving at Good Shepherd in 1999, average worship attendance has quadrupled, growing from 500 to 2000 each Sunday. Talbot holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Princeton University and a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary. He lives in Charlotte with his wife, Julie, and they have two grown children.

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Come Alive:

Conversations with Scripture

Come Alive: Conversations with Scripture

Philippians and Colossians

Copyright 2023 by Talbot Davis

All rights reserved.

No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission can be addressed to Permissions, Invite Press, P.O. Box 260917, Plano, TX 75026.

This book is printed on acid-free, elemental chlorine-free paper.

ISBN Paperback 978-1-953495-57-0, eBook 978-1-953495-58-7

All scripture quotations unless noted otherwise are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked NRSVue are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32—10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

MANUFACTURED in the UNITED STATES of AMERICA

The map on pages 2 and 30 was created by Diana McKnight.

To Chris Ratterree, reader, friend, congregant, and document genius whose commitment to the King and his Kingdom has saved me from myself on many occasions in the Come Alive journey.

Introduction

to Paul’s Letters

The New Testament letters in general, and Paul’s letters in particular, cannot be authentically or properly read without first revealing two important truths:

Truth #1: No New Testament letter was written to you. Not one.

Truth #2: No New Testament letter was written to be read in solitude or in silence. No, not one.

I firmly believe that not only will coming to grips with these truths help you make more sense of Paul’s epistolary treasures, but when you read them on their terms (rather than yours), Paul’s words will truly come alive to you.

Let’s first look at Truth #1: No New Testament letter was written to you. Paul’s letters—and the rest of the biblical library, for that matter—have an original audience who needed to hear his original message. Paul wrote Philippians to the church in the Greek city of Philippi, and he wrote Colossians to the church in the Turkish city of Colossae. Although the letters were written to these early first-century churches, they were later lovingly and supernaturally preserved for you.

When you understand that truth, you’ll never ask the most pointless question in the history of Bible study: What does this mean to me? Guess what? It doesn’t matter what it means to you. Bible study is the thrilling process of discerning what it meant to the original audience, and then seeing how that meaning intersects with our lives today. This process doesn’t make the Bible less relevant; it makes it exponentially more relevant. By excavating what Paul had to say to real churches made up of real people going through real drama in real time, you will be better able to celebrate the message’s enduring impact on your life and mine.

Now for Truth #2: No New Testament letter was written to be read in solitude or in silence. Most of us are conditioned to open our Bibles (either the old-fashioned kind that look like a book or the new apps on our phones), turn on a reading light, and read the Word of God silently and meditatively. This Come Alive series will help you do that. However, we must always keep in mind that, in their original design, these letters were written to be heard and not simply read.

Literacy rates were extraordinarily low in ancient times, and Paul envisioned that his letters would have a designated reader who would share the contents out loud in a public commemoration with a gathered, listening congregation.

Now you know why Paul told the Romans, Faith comes from hearing (Rom 10:17), when for many of us it has come through reading. You also have clarity as to why Colossians concludes with this instruction: After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea (4:16).

Understanding how the early church used these letters makes all the difference in both interpretation and application. As you go through the pages of this volume of Come Alive, you’ll not only learn how Paul’s letters were written for the ear more than for the eye, but how our author composed them with a playwright’s flair. Many sections of his letters, starting with Romans and continuing through Titus, lend themselves to not only public reading but public performing. Paul deliberately wrote his letters in a manner that enabled his listeners to both hear and experience them. Because of this, Paul’s letters have the capacity to do much more than help prove theological points; they can dynamically help shape and impact lives.

I pray that this volume of the Come Alive series will help you love the Scriptures so that you can adore the Savior.

Introduction to Philippians

Oh, Philippians, what treasures you contain!

Philippians contains the verse that will go on my grave marker when my time comes: For to me to live is Christ and to die is to gain (Phil 1:21).

It contains the verse that Mt. Carmel Church in Monroe, North Carolina—my first pastoral assignment—used as its motto for both the church bulletin and the stylish sweatshirts: I can do all things through [Christ] who strengthens me (Phil 4:13 NRSVue).

It also contains the verse that has been in more than a few sermons about the power of the name of Jesus:

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:10-11)

It even contains a verse that inspired a Bob Dylan lyric in his song Pressin’ On: I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:14).

So many pearls, rubies, gems, and treasures abound in the book called Philippians. The great temptation for modern readers is to read it just that way, as a series of brilliant if disconnected treasures. Except that’s not what the book of Philippians is when you actually read it.

First, it’s not a book; it’s a letter. Second, from that realization comes the understanding that, instead of a collection of disconnected treasures, Philippians is a coherent whole, written while under house arrest to a motley crew of new believers in need of Paul’s unique brew of tenacity and joy. It hums with hard-won optimism and weather-tested faith.

Few pieces of correspondence link the sender’s problems with the recipients’ challenges more skillfully than Philippians. Fueled by Jesus’ resurrection, empowered by his reign, and anticipating his return, Philippians becomes the vehicle through which Paul’s tenaciously joyful spirit can become yours as well.

Introduction to Colossians

It’s not easy being Colossians. The letter, I mean, not the people. I say that because Colossians is not Paul’s magnum opus. That title belongs to his letter to