Colossians and the Holy Spirit of God (Part 6) — Colossians 2:1-10: Not Philosophy But Christ

Paul was in prison, likely under house arrest, where his ability to travel and to be with the brethren and to see and hear their concerns was restricted. This caused him great conflict, great struggle! Furthermore, he had concern for those who had read his letters, or heard other members or ministers speak about him, but had never met him face to face. There was no FaceTime, no Instagram, no WebEX, no Zoom!

Paul was concerned not only about the spiritual state of the church, but also their emotional state. When you speak about someone being encouraged, you are referring to what's going on inside their head as they deal with difficult circumstances of life.  It is clearly understood by Paul that a member could have an intellectual understanding as well as emotional commitment, but their emotional state can be challenging. Paul understood what that was like.