Something subtle can be more dangerous than something obvious. The church at Colossae wasn't in open rebellion. Nobody was walking away from Christ. They were faithful, hardworking, genuinely devoted believers — and they were quietly being told that Jesus wasn't quite enough. That there were upgrades available. Extra rules, special knowledge, angelic beings, mystical practices that promised something deeper. This episode is the introduction to the book of Colossians, and it's one of the most quietly relevant books in the New Testament.

Where Was Colossae — and Why Does It Matter? Colossae was a small city in what is now modern-day Turkey, situated in the Lycus Valley near the wealthier cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis. By the time Paul's letter arrived, the city had already lost its former influence — politically and economically sidelined. The believers there weren't elites. They were farmers, laborers, merchants, and enslaved people trying to follow Christ in a place that felt overlooked, surrounded by Greek philosophy, Roman culture, Jewish tradition, and local religious mysticism.

A Church Paul Never Visited Paul didn't plant this church and never set foot in Colossae. The gospel came through a man named Epaphras — a local who heard Paul preach in Ephesus, believed, and took the message home. That matters. This wasn't a celebrity apostle church. It was built by someone who lived among the people, understood their pressures, and loved them. Paul later described Epaphras as a faithful minister, a servant laboring constantly in prayer for his congregation.

The Problem That Wasn't a Crisis — Yet Epaphras eventually traveled to Paul — who was under house arrest in Rome — not in a panic, but with a concern. The Colossian believers were being drawn toward teachings that sounded disciplined and spiritually sophisticated: special knowledge, angelic hierarchies, strict observances around food and festivals, mystical practices promising deeper access to God. None of it rejected Christ outright. It just quietly repositioned him — from center to starting point.

What Paul's Letter Sets Out to Prove Paul's response is theological and deliberate. His argument: Christ is not a stepping stone, not one spiritual option among many, not something that gets better when you add rules and secret knowledge on top of him. Christ created everything, holds everything together, and is fully supreme. If that's true — and Paul is emphatic that it is — then believers don't need to exhaust themselves chasing upgrades. Growth comes from deeper roots, not more weight.

The Pattern We Keep Seeing Paul draws a line that connects the Colossian problem to something older — the tendency to add burden where God never intended burden to be. The Pharisees did it with the law. The Colossian teachers were doing it with mysticism and ritual. The instinct to improve on Christ, to find the hidden layer, to earn something more — it's not new, and it's not always loud. Sometimes faith erodes not through rejection but through distraction and addition.

What Epaphras Shows Us About Pastoral Care Epaphras doesn't ask Paul to rebuke his people harshly or give up on them. He wants clarity so he can help them. And Paul tells the Colossians that Epaphras is praying constantly that they would mature in Christ and be fully assured that he is enough. That's the heart of a shepherd — not running from the problem, not panicking, but going to find the truth and bringing it back to the people you love.

Colossians is a short book, but it addresses something that never goes out of style: the quiet drift that happens not when we reject Christ but when we start treating him as the beginning of something we need to finish ourselves. This introduction sets the stage for everything Paul is about to argue — and it's worth paying attention to,...

What if joy isn’t the absence of suffering—but the defiance of it? What if a prison cell became the birthplace of one of the most hopeful messages ever written? And what if ordinary people in a divided city discovered a citizenship that changed everything? This episode explores the real people behind the letter to the Philippians and why Paul wrote to them during one of the hardest seasons of his life. Written around 60–62 AD while Paul was imprisoned—likely in Rome—this letter carries a tone of warmth, gratitude, and deep joy despite uncertain circumstances. The city of Philippi, a Roman colony in Macedonia (modern northern Greece), was proud of its Roman identity, filled with retired soldiers, merchants, and citizens who understood the weight and privilege of citizenship. Into that cultural context, Paul introduces a radical idea: their true citizenship is in heaven. The episode examines how this early Christian community formed, what pressures they faced, and how Paul redefined greatness, unity, and endurance through the example of Christ. Top Topics 1. The City of Philippi and Roman Identity Philippi was not a quiet village but a bustling Roman colony along a major highway. Many residents were retired Roman soldiers who prized status, honor, and citizenship. In a culture obsessed with rank and power, Paul’s message about heavenly citizenship would have landed with powerful clarity. Citizenship meant belonging, responsibility, and privilege—and Paul reframed that concept around allegiance to Christ. 2. The Origins of the Philippian Church (Acts 16) The church began with a strikingly diverse group: Lydia, a wealthy merchant of purple cloth; a formerly demon-possessed slave girl; and a Roman jailer and his household. These individuals represented different social classes, economic backgrounds, and cultural identities—yet they gathered together in house churches as brothers and sisters in Christ. Their unity was a testimony in a divided world. 3. Joy from a Prison Cell Paul wrote this letter while chained and uncertain of his future. Roman prisons were harsh, and execution was a real possibility. Yet Philippians is one of his most joyful letters. Joy, as described here, is not surface-level happiness. It is a settled confidence that God is at work even in suffering. Paul’s calm tone reveals a deep trust in Christ rather than resentment over hardship. 4. Redefining Greatness Through Christ (Philippians 2) In a city shaped by Roman honor culture, Paul points to Jesus—who emptied Himself, obeyed unto death, and was exalted by God. True greatness is humility. True victory is obedience. The early Christian hymn in Philippians 2 reshaped how believers understood power, rank, and success. Key Takeaways Joy is not cheerfulness—it is confidence rooted in Christ. Suffering is not failure, and hardship does not signal God’s absence. Unity within the church matters deeply, especially when cultural tensions exist. Heavenly citizenship reframes identity, allegiance, and daily living. The Christian life is not about escaping the world but living differently within it. Ordinary believers in Philippi learned step-by-step what it meant to belong to Christ—and that invitation still stands today. Download blank templates, schedules here: https://schmern2.notion.site/Downloads-Template-Word-and-Excel-Schedule-67439d14449d4c20bfe00efe069f78b8 Logos RAMPS Workflow - RAMPS Bible Study - The Bible in Small Steps in Logos Workflows Jill’s Links https://jillfromthenorthwoods.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@smallstepswithgod https://www.buymeacoffee.com/smallstepspod https://twitter.com/schmern Email the podcast at jill@startwithsmallsteps.com “Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The

Circumcision of the heart sounds strange, even unsettling—but it carries one of the deepest spiritual truths in Scripture. This ancient phrase cuts straight through ritual, tradition, and appearances to expose what God has always wanted. If faith has ever felt mechanical, empty, or performative, this conversation explains why.

This episode explores the biblical phrase “circumcision of the heart” and unpacks what it truly means for faith, obedience, and transformation. Rather than focusing on physical rituals or outward markers, the discussion traces how this concept begins with Moses, is echoed by the prophets, and finds its fulfillment in the New Testament. The heart—understood as the center of will, emotion, and loyalty—has always been God’s focus. The episode challenges the tendency to replace meaningful obedience with hollow routine and reframes circumcision as a spiritual work accomplished by God, not human effort .

Origins of Circumcision of the Heart

The phrase originates with Moses, not later Christian writers. As Israel prepared to enter the promised land, Moses emphasized loyalty and obedience that went beyond physical signs. Circumcision of the heart addressed Israel’s repeated failure to remain faithful, identifying the real issue as inner resistance rather than outward noncompliance.

Ritual Without Transformation

Physical circumcision, temple sacrifice, and other religious practices were never meant to stand alone. Over time, these acts became routine, stripped of their meaning. The episode draws parallels to modern religious behaviors—acts done out of habit, pressure, or convenience rather than love or surrender.

Prophets, Paul, and the Heart’s Renewal

Prophets like Jeremiah expanded the metaphor to include “uncircumcised ears” and lips—organs incapable of responding to God. Later, Paul the Apostle clarified that true circumcision is spiritual, accomplished by the Spirit through Christ. This explains why physical circumcision became unnecessary as a requirement, even while obedience and faithfulness remained central.

Cultural Sensitivity vs. Salvation Requirements

The episode also explains why Timothy was circumcised while Titus was not, showing how cultural accommodation differs from adding requirements to salvation. Faith adapts to context without compromising truth.

Circumcision of the heart represents inner transformation, not external conformity. It confronts pride, self-reliance, and identity rooted in performance rather than grace. Rituals lose their power when detached from genuine faith, but when the heart is transformed, outward expressions regain meaning.

Ultimately, God has always wanted hearts aligned with Him. From the covenant with Abraham to the teachings of Christ, the goal has never been labels, heritage, or ritual compliance—but a heart capable of love, repentance, and obedience empowered by God’s Spirit.