First Nations Version

by Terry M. Wildman

  TWO FAITHFUL SPIRITUAL BROTHERS

  19I want to hear how you are doing, so I am trusting in our Honored Chief Creator Sets Free (Jesus) to send He Gives Honor (Timothy) to you soon, so that he can encourage me with good news about you. 20I know of no one else like him who truly cares for your well-being. 21For all the others care only for their own things, not the things relating to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One.

  22But you know the good reputation of He Gives Honor (Timothy). He works side by side with me, like a son with his father, as we tell the good story. 23That is why I hope to send him to you as soon as I see how things turn out for me. 24Our Honored Chief gives me hope that I will be coming to you soon.

  25Until then, I feel the need to send Walks with Beauty (Epaphroditus) back to you. He is a member of our sacred family and warrior who has fought side by side with me in serving the Chosen One. He was your message bearer to help me in my need, and now I am sending him back to you. 26He has a deep longing to see all of you again. His heart has been on the ground ever since you heard he was sick. 27It is true that he was so sick he nearly died. But Creator had pity on him, and on myself as well, to keep my heart from falling to the ground, heavy with sorrow.

  28This is the reason I so desire to send Walks with Beauty (Epaphroditus) to you, so that, when you see him, your heart will be glad and my own heart will be free from worry. 29So when he arrives, welcome him in our Honored Chief with glad hearts. Show great respect and honor toward people like him. 30For he came close to death working for the Chosen One. He risked his life to give me the help you were not able to give because you lived so far away.

  BEWARE OF THE FLESH CUTTERS

  1So then, my sacred family members, dance with glad hearts in harmony with our Honored Chief. I never grow tired of writing these things to you again, for they give you a safe path to follow. 2Be on the lookout for those wild-dog men—the flesh cutters and troublemakers who require others to participate in the cutting of the flesh ceremony.

  3We are the people of the true cutting of the flesh ceremony. For we stand tall in Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One and put no trust in a ceremony done with human hands. We honor and serve Creator in the way of his Spirit, as he cuts from our hearts the worthless and broken ways that dishonor him.

  4I used to trust in outward ceremonies and had a better reason than others to do so. 5When I was eight days old, the cutting of the flesh ceremony was done for me. I was born a member of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel). I am of the tribe of Son of My Right Hand (Benjamin). I am a full-blood Tribal Member (Hebrew). As for our tribal law, I was of the Separated Ones (Pharisees). 6I was so on fire for our law that I hunted down and brought harm to the sacred family. When it came to doing what is right according to our tribal law, I was faultless.

  THE GREAT BEAUTY OF KNOWING THE CHOSEN ONE

  7But now, because of the Chosen One, I have let go of those things in which I took so much pride. They now mean nothing to me. 8Even more than this, I now count all things to be worthless compared to the great beauty of knowing the Chosen One, Creator Sets Free (Jesus), as my Honored Chief. Because I follow him, I have lost everything, but compared to knowing the Chosen One, I now count them as dog droppings.

  9To be in full harmony with the Chosen One is my desire. I do not want to gain my own good standing with Creator by keeping tribal law but by trusting in the Chosen One. This good standing comes from the Great Spirit by trusting in what he has done, not what I can do. 10I want to fully know the Chosen One and the power that raised him from the dead. I want to know what it means to participate in his sufferings and to become like him in his death, 11living in the hope that, like the Chosen One, I will also rise from death to life.

  FOLLOWING THE CHOSEN ONE TO VICTORY

  12I do not mean to say that I have won the victory or have already arrived at the end of the good road. But I keep dancing the victory dance, staying in step with the Chosen One, who is the headman dancer leading the way. In this way, I can fully become what the Chosen One, Creator Sets Free (Jesus), has made me to be.

  13My sacred family members, I do not represent myself as one who has finished the victory dance. My one aim is to forget what is behind me and to keep moving forward, dancing the victory dance with firm steps to the drumbeat of Creator’s heart. 14I keep my eyes straight ahead while I dance toward the high honor the Great Spirit has called me to through the Chosen One, Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

  KEEP WALKING THE GOOD PATH

  15Those among us who have grown spiritually strong should see these things in the same way. If any of you sees differently, Creator will make it clear to you. 16Until then, let us keep holding true to the path we have already been walking. 17My sacred family members, I call on you to join with the others who follow me as I walk this road. Keep your eyes on those who walk in the same manner and follow them also.

  18I have warned you many times that there are a great number of people who walk as enemies of the cross of the Chosen One. And now with tears I warn you again. 19A bad end awaits these people. They have made their weak human appetites the spirit they follow. They take pride in doing things they should be ashamed of. They have set their minds on the ways of this world.

  THE WAY OF LIFE FROM ABOVE

  20But the way of life of the tribe we belong to is found in the spirit-world above, and it is from there that we eagerly wait for the one who has set us free and made us whole, our Honored Chief, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One. 21When he appears, he will take our weak, death-doomed bodies and change them into a body like his, a body that shines with beauty and honor. For he is the one who has the power to bring all things into harmony with himself.

  1My sacred family members, how I long to be with you. You are like feathers in my headdress, making my heart dance. I have shown you how to stand firm on the solid ground of the Chosen One. So now, my much-loved ones, stand firm!

  URGENT COUNSEL FOR TWO WOMEN

  2My strong counsel to Good Journey Woman (Euodia) and Blessing Way Woman (Syntyche) is for them to walk hand in hand in their life together with our Honored Chief. 3I also ask you, Burden Bearer (Syzygus), to be true to your name and help these women who have shared my struggle in the telling of the good story. These women have also worked side by side with Walks with Kindness (Clement) and all the others whose names are written down in Creator’s book of life.

  DANCING FOR JOY AND WALKING IN PEACE

  4Always dance with joy before our Honored Chief! I will say it again: dance with joy! 5Let everyone see how kind and thoughtful you are. Our Honored Chief is close at hand. 6Do not let your hearts be weighed down with anything. Instead, with every step you take, send your voice to the Great Spirit, asking him for the things you need. And in all your prayers remember to give him thanks. 7Then the peace and harmony of the Great Spirit, which goes far beyond our small and weak ways of thinking, will watch over your hearts and minds through the Chosen One, Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

  8Last of all, my sacred family members, if anything can be seen as good and honorable, think deeply about these things. Things that are true and noble, upright and pure, full of beauty and worthy of respect. 9Follow the way of life you have seen in me, the things you have learned from me, heard from me, and received from me. Keep walking in the traditions I have passed on to you. Then the Great Spirit of Peace will continue to walk with you on this road.

  CREATOR WILL TAKE CARE OF ALL OUR NEEDS

  10My heart is dancing for joy before our Honored Chief! For even though in the past you did not have the chance to show how deeply you care for me, you have shown once again how much you truly care.

  11You should not think that I am looking for you to take care of my needs, for I have learned how to be at peace with whatever the Great Spirit has provided. 12I have lived with less than I need, and I have lived with more than I need. I have learned the secret of walking the road of life. Whether I am well-fed or hungry, whether I have more than I need or no
t enough, 13I can do all things through the Chosen One who gives me strength! 14All the same, you have done well to help me during my time of trouble.

  15My friends who live in Village of Horses (Philippi), you remember those early days when I first told you about the good story. How that after I left Land of Tall People (Macedonia), you were the only sacred family that walked together with me in giving and receiving. 16Even when I was in the village of False Victory (Thessalonica), you sent gifts to me more than once. 17It is not your gifts that I am seeking after but all the good things that giving will add to your lives.

  18But now I have received more than I need. My blanket has been filled with good things. The gifts that Walks with Beauty (Epaphroditus) brought from you are like a sweet-smelling smoke offering —a sacrificial gift, pleasing to the Great Spirit. 19And I know that my Creator will take care of all your needs from the great treasures of his beauty through the Chosen One, Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

  LAST WORDS

  20All honor and beauty belong to our Father the Great Spirit to the time beyond the end of all days. Aho! May it be so!

  21Greet all of Creator’s holy ones among you, each one who belongs to the Chosen One, Creator Sets Free (Jesus). The sacred family members who are with me send their greetings. 22All of Creator’s holy ones send their greetings to you, most of all the ones who serve in the royal lodge of the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar).

  23May the great kindness of our Honored Chief, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One, guide your spirit on the road of life.

  Aho! May it be so!

  SMALL MAN TO THE SACRED FAMILY IN VILLAGE OF GIANTS

  COLOSSIANS

  GREETINGS

  1From Small Man (Paul), chosen by the Great Spirit to be a message bearer for Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One, and from He Gives Honor (Timothy).

  2To the Great Spirit’s holy people and sacred family members1 who live in Village of Giants (Colossae) and have been faithful to walk the path of the Chosen One. We greet you with the great kindness and peace that comes from our Father, the Great Spirit.

  GIVING THANKS TO THE FATHER

  3When we send up prayers for you, we always give thanks to the Father of our Honored Chief, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One. 4We thank him for the good words we have heard about your trust in Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One and your deep love for all his holy family members. 5This love and trust come from the hope you have in Creator’s promises kept safe for you in the spirit-world above. It is the same hope you heard about when you were told the words of truth found in Creator’s good story.

  GOOD FRUIT COMES FROM THE GOOD STORY

  6The seeds of this good story have been planted throughout the whole world, and now the message is growing and bearing good fruit. In the same way, it took root and began to grow in you, when you first heard and understood the truth about the gift of Creator’s great kindness.

  7Walks in Beauty (Epaphras) was the seed planter who first taught you these things. He is a faithful servant of the Chosen One, for your sakes, and also a much-loved helper who walks beside us on the road of life. 8He is the one who told us about the love of the Spirit that is in you.

  SENDING UP PRAYERS

  9Ever since we heard about you, we have never stopped praying for you. When we send our voices to the Great Spirit, we ask that he will fill your heart and mind with the knowledge you need to walk in his ways with all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10That you will walk in a manner that is worthy of our Honored Chief, making his heart glad and bearing good fruit as you walk the path he has chosen for you. In this way, you will grow wise in your understanding of our Great Creator.

  11-12We pray that you will grow strong with the strength that comes from the honor and shining-greatness of his power. Then you will be able to stand firm in a calm and unhurried manner, as you give thanks with glad hearts to the Great Spirit who is our Father from above. For he is the one who has made you ready to take your place on this road of life, a place he prepared for you among all the holy ones who walk in his light.

  SET FREE BY THE SON

  13The Giver of Life has set us free from the dark ruler of this world. He has brought us safely onto his good road to walk it together with Creator’s much-loved Son. 14He is the one who paid a great price to release us from our bad hearts and broken ways.

  15He is the visible representation of our invisible Creator. All that the Father has belongs to this Son. He existed before creation and is above all created things. 16For it was in him that all things in the spirit-world above and on the earth below were created, all things seen and unseen. Yes, even governments, rulers, powers, and authorities were all created by him and for him.

  HE GIVES ALL THINGS THEIR FULL MEANING

  17He is the one who is in first place and the head of all things. It is in him that all things come together and find their full meaning and purpose. 18He is also the head of his body on earth, the sacred family. He is in first place before all other things, the first2 to rise to life from among those who have died. In this way, he remains chief in all things.

  19It made our Great Father’s heart glad to have all that he is living in his Son. 20Through his Son he brought together everything in the spirit-world above and on the earth below into harmony with himself, making peace through his lifeblood poured out on the cross.

  OUTSIDERS BECOME INSIDERS

  21At one time you were outsiders, separated from Creator by your hostile thoughts that led to evil ways. 22But now in the physical body of the Chosen One, through his death, he has turned you from an enemy into a friend. He did this so that you can stand without shame before the Great Spirit as a people who have been made holy, washed clean from guilt and free from all accusation.

  23Yes, all this is yours as you make your path straight on the road that leads to this hope, trusting in the good story that you have heard. This is the same story that is being told to all in creation who live under the spirit-world above. And I, Small Man (Paul), have dedicated my life to serve this good story.

  SUFFERING WITH THE CHOSEN ONE

  24Even though I have been suffering for you, it makes my heart glad. There are still many things that the Chosen One must suffer through his sacred family in his body on earth.

  My suffering, in my human body,3 is my part in bringing full meaning and purpose to these remaining afflictions. This I gladly do for the sake of the sacred family, the body of the Chosen One.

  A GREAT MYSTERY REVEALED

  25The Great Spirit has given me the solemn task of serving his sacred family, the family you are now part of, by teaching you the full meaning and purpose of Creator’s message. 26This message is a mystery that was hidden for many ages and generations but now has been made clear to his holy ones.

  27Creator also did this to show the Outside Nations the mystery of the beauty and honor he has bestowed on them. This mystery is that Chosen One also lives in you, the Outside Nations. For the Chosen One in you is the hope of this beauty and honor.

  28Yes, he is the one we tell others about, teaching and instructing them with wise counsel, so that they may stand tall as mature human beings, like the Chosen One. 29I give all I am to this task, drawing my strength from the Great Spirit who works so powerfully in me.

  SPIRITUAL WARFARE

  1I want you to know about the fierce spiritual battle that I fight for you who live in Village of Giants (Colossae). I also fight for you who live in the village of The People Will Decide (Laodicea) and for all who have never seen me face to face. 2I pray that all of you would have strong hearts that beat together with the love of the Great Spirit. Then your understanding will grow strong and you will see clearly into the mystery of our Father the Great Spirit, and this mystery is the Chosen One.

  TREASURES OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE

  3For the Great Spirit has hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in the Chosen One. 4I am making this known to you so that no humans behaving like tricksters w
ill fool you with their smooth words and sly arguments. 5For even though my body may be far away, in my spirit I am close to you. I can see you standing strong and walking a straight path with firm steps as you trust in the Chosen One.

  WALKING THE GOOD ROAD

  6So, in the same way you welcomed the Chosen One, Creator Sets Free (Jesus), to be your Honored Chief, continue to walk with him on this road of life. 7Let your roots grow deep into him, and then your faith will grow strong and your steps will become firm on this path that you have learned to follow, always giving thanks to the Great Spirit.

  WATCH OUT FOR LYING SPIRITS

  8Make sure no one steals your faith from you with fine-sounding words spoken with hollow tongues. These people make up their own traditions as they follow the lying spirits of the ways of this world,4 instead of simply trusting in the Chosen One. 9For all that the Great Spirit is fills the physical body of the Chosen One. 10He is the one above all other powers and forces, and you have been made complete in him.