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Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
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To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
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Thanksgiving and Prayer
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
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because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—
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that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.
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For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,
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so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
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The Supremacy of the Son of God
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
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For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
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Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.
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I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—
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To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
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My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,
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having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
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When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
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They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
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Living as Those Made Alive in Christ
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
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For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
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Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
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Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
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Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
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And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
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And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
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Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me.
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Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.
