MSG 1 I, Paul, have been sent on special assignment by Christ as part of God's master plan. Together with my friend Timothy, NIV 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, MSG 2 I greet the Christians and stalwart followers of Christ who live in Colosse. May everything good from God our Father be yours! NIV 2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. MSG 3 Our prayers for you are always spilling over into thanksgivings. We can't quit thanking God our Father and Jesus our Messiah for you! NIV 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, MSG 4 We keep getting reports on your steady faith in Christ, our Jesus, and the love you continuously extend to all Christians. NIV 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— MSG 5 The lines of purpose in your lives never grow slack, tightly tied as they are to your future in heaven, kept taut by hope. NIV 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel MSG 6 It's the same all over the world. The Message bears fruit and gets larger and stronger, just as it has in you. From the very first day you heard and recognized the truth of what God is doing, you've been hungry for more. NIV 6 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. MSG 7 It's as vigorous in you now as when you learned it from our friend and close associate Epaphras. He is one reliable worker for Christ! I could always depend on him. NIV 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, MSG 8 He's the one who told us how thoroughly love had been worked into your lives by the Spirit. NIV 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. MSG 9 Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. NIV 9 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, MSG 10 We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. NIV 10 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, MSG 11 We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul - not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, NIV 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, MSG 12 thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us. NIV 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. MSG 13 God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He's set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, NIV 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, MSG 14 the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating. NIV 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. MSG 15 We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. NIV 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. MSG 16 For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels - everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. NIV 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. MSG 17 He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. NIV 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. MSG 18 And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. NIV 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. MSG 19 So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. NIV 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, MSG 20 Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe - people and things, animals and atoms - get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the Cross. NIV 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. MSG 21 You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. NIV 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. MSG 22 But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. NIV 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— MSG 23 You don't walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message - just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message. NIV 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. MSG 24 I want you to know how glad I am that it's me sitting here in this jail and not you. There's a lot of suffering to be entered into in this world - the kind of suffering Christ takes on. I welcome the chance to take my share in the church's part of that suffering. NIV 24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. MSG 25 When I became a servant in this church, I experienced this suffering as a sheer gift, God's way of helping me serve you, laying out the whole truth. NIV 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— MSG 26 This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open. NIV 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. MSG 27 God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message. NIV 27 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. MSG 28 We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. NIV 28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. MSG 29 That's what I'm working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me. NIV 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
NIV 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, NIV 2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. NIV 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, NIV 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— NIV 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel NIV 6 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. NIV 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, NIV 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. NIV 9 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, NIV 10 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, NIV 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, NIV 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. NIV 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, NIV 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. NIV 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. NIV 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. NIV 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. NIV 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. NIV 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, NIV 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. NIV 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. NIV 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— NIV 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. NIV 24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. NIV 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— NIV 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. NIV 27 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. NIV 28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. NIV 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.