Disqualified!

September 17, 2026

Disqualified!

I felt disqualified!

I had been in the game. I was eager! I was ready! I was excited!

But suddenly, I felt something I had done or said had disqualified me. I was sidelined. I was confused. I was benched. I was hurt. Worse yet, I was asked to give part of my uniform to someone else.

I was a junior in high school so it was easy to feel humiliated. I moved away from my team-mates and could not wait for the game to be over. And, I was embarrassed for my father who was watching in the stands. It must have been hard to see his son “disqualified.”

I know what it feels like to be taken out of the game. I know what it feels like to not be wanted on a team. I know what it feels like to be disqualified in something you love.

There must have been people in first century Colossae who felt disqualified in the church. Maybe a spiritual leader had asked them to sit on the bench. Maybe a religious teacher had told them they were not good enough to be a part of a ministry team. Maybe a Christian mentor had informed them they were not competent enough in matters of faith to participate in the life of the church.

Something was going on in the church at Colossae that led the Apostle Paul to address the matter of being disqualified as a Christ-follower. Because the mission of the church to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ was so urgent and so important, Paul felt compelled to address what was going on.

In Colossians 2:18-19 the Apostle Paul writes; “Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, initiatory visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking,and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons, grows with a growth that is from God.”

The words “Do not let anyone disqualify you…” captures the attention of anyone who has ever felt disqualified by something someone else has said or done or by what you have said or done. Someone might try to disqualify you from being a part of the church if you do not do what they want you to do or believe what they want you to believe.

In Colossae, some were insisting that if you did not want to be side-lined you must do the following things.

+pretend to be humble

+worship angels

+brag about seeing visions

+focus on human ways of thinking

Paul quickly shifts the focus from the expectations people are saying will keep you in the game to the real things that keep us on Christ’s team (i.e., the church!). Paul says those who are trying to disqualify Christ-followers are “…not holding fast to the head…” of the Church (i.e., Christ).

When people take their eyes off of Jesus, they will quickly develop a list of expectations for other believers that often do not bring people closer to the heart of Jesus. Some of those expectations will sound good but will not be healthy or holy.

Paul’s list includes false humility, worshipping angels, taking pride in our spiritual experiences, and adhering to humanism rather than Christ. Each of these things distract us from Jesus. Each of these things eat away at our relationship with the Lord. Each of these things ultimately disqualify us from being a part of Christ’s team.

The challenge of Paul’s list of disqualifiers is that with just a little twist each of them sound remarkably spiritual. We still hear people with their “lists” threaten to disqualify those who do not subscribe to their expectations of what makes a real believer.

+If you do not speak in tongues, you are not really saved.

+If you are not baptized my way or ever, you will not go to heaven.

+If you do not belong to my church, you are not a true Christian.

+If you do not believe _________, you are not really a Christ-follower.

I felt disqualified on a sports team when I was in high school. It was pretty tough to go to school the following Monday.

I felt disqualified in my career when I was in my 50’s. It was pretty tough to attend an annual meeting of my colleagues a few months later.

I felt disqualified as a spiritual leader when I was first retired. It was pretty tough showing up for worship with no opportunity to lead.

Paul warns us about being disqualified. Although he is speaking about being disqualified in the church, his cautionary words are just as important for all of our life. Other people will try to disqualify us. Satan will try to disqualify us. And sometimes, we will disqualify ourselves.

Paul recommends we keep our eyes on Christ who is the head of the Church. Paul also tells us that things like false humility, worshipping something other than Jesus, taking pride in our spiritual experiences, and placing our faith in human thought rather than the wisdom of God will each take us away from Jesus. Ultimately, that direction will cause us to be disqualified from being used by the Holy Spirit.

Let us not be distracted or disqualified. Instead, let your heart overflow with delight in the Lord every day.

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug