Exposition of Colossians Chapter One, Urbana 1990

Luis Bush

Introduction:

Jesus Christ, Lord of the universe, hope for the world. I discovered the meaning of that statement in what has happened in Argentina in recent years. An Argentine citizen, with a British mother and Argentinian father when, the Falkland Island crisis hit, I found myself in a crisis. Serving in a church in El Salvador at the time they were all rooting for Argentina. Knowing of my background they asked me: "Who do you think those islands belong to?" After thinking about it I said: "I think those islands belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Lord of the universe and the Lord of those Islands."" An Argentinian Nobel prize winner by the name of Borges who tried to capture the significance of the Falkland Islands crisis said it was just like two bald men fighting over a comb.

But that was not how the young people of Argentina saw it. To them it was a crisis of authority. Waking up to the fact that they had been misled by their earthly leaders an authority vacuum was created of enormous proportions leading to military, political and social upheaval. But in the midst of the chaos the written Word and the living Word of God were lifted up and multitudes of Argentinians came to recognize that it is Jesus who is Lord.

Carlos Anaconda was a businessman and deacon in his church when one Wednesday evening the pastor of the small church he was attending did not show up. He was invited to give a short message. Despite the encouragement of his wife who was sitting beside him, he did not budge. A second time his name was mentioned but he said to himself "I can't preach." Even with his wife's nudging he did not move. The third time his wife's nudge became a jab and he jumped up and spoke. God blessed his word and so he was invited to speak again. This time he said, "Yes." At first, he preached in the church, but it was too small, so would go to the soccer fields, set up his equipment and preach. Hundreds then thousands ... 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 50,000 came to his meetings. His message was typically on the authority and Lordship of Jesus Christ. In the meetings held in Mar del Plata, 90,000 public decisions were made for Christ. Never had anything like this been seen in Argentina. But the apostle Paul had said it before in his letter to the Colossian Church in Chapter one and verse 19, "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him," that is Christ, "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."

Take note; Carlos was a deacon and a businessman, yet God used him to bring 90,000 people to a public decision for Christ in one city alone. During your time here in Urbana you may question your ability to be a missionary or take part in some other unique opportunity to proclaim Christ at school or abroad. But with all the fullness of Christ in you there is no basis for doubt.

Just as there was a tremendous vacuum for authority and hope in Argentina, we are approaching a vacuum of a greater force. As we approach the year 2000 people all over the world are looking back at history and questioning authority. Walls are falling. The iron curtain is opening, through which Jesus, Lord of the universe, is being proclaimed. At your schools there is a vacuum in the hearts of your classmates. Looking back in American history, drugs are out, the consequence of sexual sin apparent; and they were revolutions of the youth.

Symbols of the past are being discarded as people all over the world look toward the future. John Naisbitt, in his book Megatrends 2000 states that the year 2000 is the most powerful symbol of our lifetime, a symbol of the future. Two years ago, in a Wall Street Journal article, it was stated that every major corporation would have a product with 2000 in its name. There are 2000 towel dispensers. You can fill up a Pontiac Sunbird 2000 with SU2000 gas on the way to an eye exam 2000 and the list goes on. But, more importantly, A.D. 2000 is a date that God's Spirit is using to unite his body of believers in a common goal of completing the Great Commission. You are alive at a significant point of history. The largest movement of youth in missions at a time when the world is looking at a date that tells all that our very history recorded in reference to the life of Jesus Christ. Keep in mind where you are in history, your particular situation amidst the vacuum of this generation as we go on and continue to see how God filled the vacuum in Argentina.

Into that same authority vacuum walked a man by the name of by the name of Hector Gimenez. Hector had experienced the Lordship of Christ in his life giving him victory over a drug addiction problem. He rented a theater in the heart of Buenos Aires and began to share his testimony and the fact that there is power in the name of the Lord. People would line up all around the block waiting to get in. Today meetings are held every three hours throughout the week and there are over 100,000 people attending the meetings.

Gimenez learned what Paul had said to the Colossian Church in chapter one and verse 21, "once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 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 - if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel."

Argentina has been discovering that Jesus Christ is the Lord of the universe and the hope for the world. Today in your life those around you can discover the same as you allow the fulness of Christ to be manifested in your lives daily.

JESUS CHRIST, LORD OF THE UNIVERSE, HOPE FOR THE WORLD. That is the theme of this Urbana Conference and of the first chapter of Paul's letter to the Colossian church.