“Rejoicing To See Your Good Order”
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesIn Paul’s letter to the Colossian brethren, he encourages them with these inspired words:
“For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ” (Colossians 2:5).
As a congregation of the Lord’s people, do we give our guests reason to “rejoice to see our good order” as an assembly of God’s people, and to witness the steadfastness of our faith in the Lord?
It’s interesting to note that the single word translated “good order” in the New King James Version is the Greek word “taxis,” meaning “an arrangement; a fixed succession observing a fixed time; due or right order, orderly condition” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon). It’s the same word Luke uses to describe the systematic rotation of the priests who served in the temple (Luke 1:8; cf. 1 Chronicles 23:13; 2 Chronicles 29:11).
The writer of Hebrews uses the term “taxis” several times in reference to “the order of Melchizedek” — the nature of the divine priesthood typifying the work of Jesus as our High Priest today (cf. Hebrews 5:6; Hebrews 5:10; Hebrews 6:20; Hebrews 7:11; Hebrews 7:17).
Paul again uses the term “taxis” in 1 Corinthians 14:40, where he states:
“Let all things be done decently and in order [taxis].”
Paul enjoins the Christians at Corinth to conduct their worship in an orderly and disciplined manner, without permitting the exercise of the then-existent miraculous gifts to devolve into a mixture of confusing and non-understandable sounds (1 Corinthians 14). It is within this context that he reminds them:
“God is not the author of confusion, but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33).
Thus, the “good order” is the quality for which Paul commended the Colossian brethren. In other words, they were conducting themselves in an orderly fashion. They did not live unruly lives, but rather displayed discipline and focus befitting Christians. Seeing their orderly lives, the apostle rejoiced.
As 21st Century Christians, we too have a responsibility to seek “good order” — with God’s word being the spiritual standard. We should strive for order in our worship (1 Corinthians 14:40). We should maintain order in our labor in the Lord (2 Timothy 1:13), and we should seek order in our everyday walk of life (2 John 6).
However, as anyone who has ever undertaken a vigorous spring cleaning can attest, an orderly life isn’t always easy to achieve. Our ongoing challenge is to impose a Christ-like order on every aspect of our lives, not just those facets that are easiest to clean up. The New Testament is replete with the command for us to “walk worthy” (Ephesians 4:1; Colossians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:12). Our walking worthy requires our putting away worldly actions and attitudes thoroughly and completely (Romans 13:13-14).
Let it be our daily prayer, that all guests who visit the Lord’s church find cause to rejoice at our faithfulness “in Christ” (Romans 3:21-22 ESV). Let us so live, that our lives will be found in “good order” when our Savior returns to receive us into that heavenly realm (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
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- “He Walked With God”