As we grow up, we need to learn how to deal with peer pressure and with people's opinions, including their opinions about us.
The apostle Paul often opens his letters by assuring his readers that he has been praying frequently and fervently for them.1 As I was reading his epistle to the Colossians, I saw not only Paul's constancy in prayer but also his content—what he prayed for the church. This assembly in Colosse was not without its problems. The gospel was competing with a particular form of Gnosticism, a heresy that promoted theological division in the church, so it would have been natural for Paul to allow the problem in the church to direct his petition to the Lord.2 Yet Paul's focus in prayer is not on the church's problem but on its potential. Turn to the first chapter of Colossians, and we will examine the substance of Paul's prayer, both his thanksgiving and his petition for this church.
After his opening salutation, we read about...
He says in vv. 3-6...
For example, in his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul warns them to correct their behavior, lest they give themselves and Christianity a bad name. He says, "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans" (5:1). And again: "One brother goes to law against another—and this in front of unbelievers" (6:6). News of the church at Corinth has reached Paul, who is writing from Ephesus, which is 200 miles away and across the Aegean Sea. The Corinthians did not have a good reputation.
The Colossians also had a reputation, but it was quite different. Instead of immorality and strife, they were known for faith and love.3 As Paul says in v. 4, he has heard...
When someone tells you about a church he has visited, you realize that—however valid—it is just the opinion of one person. When you hear the same report from different sources, it assumes greater authority. So, when more than one person told Paul about the faith and love of the Colossian church (cf. v. 7), he realized that these must be characteristics of the congregation, and he thanked God for it...repeatedly.
Why did all churches not have this same reputation for faith and love? What made the Colossian church different? According to Paul in vv. 6-8, it was...
In this first section (vv. 3-8), we see Paul's thanksgiving for the reputation of the Christians at Colosse. They are known for their faith in the messiah and their love for the saints, because they have given these features of the gospel primary place in their church.4 These are not, of course, the only elements that can characterize a church, but they should be prominent in every church, including ours. I hope these traits are part of what attracted our new members to us.
The church Linda and I attended in Madison was a small congregation...very small, in fact. We rented a classroom in another church. There was no organ, no choir, no music program at all. We just had a piano and a pianist, but those few people could sing. They also believed that worship should be thoughtful not merely emotional. There were four leaders who rotated the responsibility of planning and conducting worship, determining the focus of each service and directing the congregation in expressing devotion to God. It was a Baptist church but not a typical Baptist service, employing more music, scripture, time, and deliberation in worship than is usually the case.
A few years ago, the denomination elected one of those worship leaders as conference president. His primary responsibility was to organize the annual meeting, including a service each night during the week. These he delegated to representatives from different congregations, but he gave the final service to one of the worship leaders from the Madison church and was pleasantly surprised at the general response. People came up to him afterward, expressing their appreciation, and asking if the congregation in Madison worshiped like that every week. The following year, the next conference president asked that same worship leader to plan and conduct all the services at conference. Although one of the smallest in the denomination, the Madison church became known for the quality of its worship.
What kind of reputation does this congregation have? What things impress people who visit? What do people in the community say? Is it the history of the church or the beauty of the country setting? ...Do you know? If you were to name one quality that should be obvious to those who visit the church, what would it be...or, perhaps more important, what would you like it to be? ...What particular strength do you see here that you should be promoting? ...Perhaps most important, what are you doing to make that quality prominent?
There is more in this passage than we can cover now, so I will leave the rest for next time. Until then, be thinking about these last two questions.
Churches are often known for some particular activity. It may be a missions program or a children's ministry. It may be something one of the members develops or a particular interest the minister promotes.
In Paul's letter to the Colossians, he says not only that he is praying for the church but also what he is praying, beginning with...
He says in vv. 3-6...
Faith and love are not the only elements that can characterize a church. At the close of our last session, I posed two questions for you to consider. What particular strength do you see here that you should be promoting? ...Perhaps most important, what are you doing to make that quality prominent? Your answers will, in part, determine your approach to the ministry here.
After Paul's thanksgiving to God for the reputation of the church at Colosse, his prayer continues—and we pick it up this morning—with...
...first, in vv. 9-12...
I mentioned earlier that the Colossian church was not without its problems, that heretical elements were attempting to gain adherents among the believers there. These Gnostics held that a person needed special knowledge to reach God, a secret knowledge not found in the scriptures and which they alone possessed. (How convenient...to have a corner on the truth!) This secret knowledge (gnosis) included how a person could ascend safely toward God through various levels of the heavenly realm, each of which was controlled by angelic beings who might or might not be friendly but who could be placated if one observed certain rituals or offered them worship.5 This is not what the Bible teaches, but it is what the Gnostics believed.
The Gnostics were right in one sense: Knowledge about God should affect a person's behavior, just not the way they thought. According to Paul, that affect should be two-fold. It should motivate a person...
The eight years I waited between finishing high school and beginning college made me older than most of the other college students. It also gave others the impression that I had made that most elusive of discoveries: I knew God's will for my life. Many of the students who entered college immediately after high school had no real direction. Yet God had given me a specific goal, and I was working toward it. As a result, students would occasionally ask me how they could know God's will. They assumed that God had a special plan for them and that, as soon as they found out what the plan was, they could get on with life.
Well, sometimes, God does have such a plan, and a person usually needs a hint of that plan in order to accomplish it. For instance, I probably would not have gone to Bible College if I had no idea that God wanted me to teach the Bible. But this kind of advanced knowledge is not always necessary to do what God wants. God places more importance on your understanding His general will, that which He has given to everyone, than His special will, that which He reveals to the individuals whom it concerns. It is an awareness of this general will that Paul petitions for the Colossians. He prays that they will be filled with the knowledge of God's will, not to accomplish some great and mysterious task but, as he says in v. 10, "to live a life worthy of the Lord and to please Him in every way."
The Gnostics did not care about the same issue as those college students who came to me, but both groups shared the same assumption; namely, that God has hidden what you need to know. The students believed that God had hidden what they needed to know in order to serve Him. The Gnostics believed that God had hidden what the Colossians needed to know in order to reach Him. Neither of these assumptions is true.
Look again at Paul's description in vv. 10-12 of a life that is both worthy of the Lord (i.e., commensurate with what He has done for them) and pleasing to the Lord. It has four characteristics.
Consider how you would answer as I rephrase each of these four characteristics into a question.
After listing these features, Paul reiterates in v. 13 the cause for giving thanks in v. 12. Not only is their entrance into the kingdom of light the reason they should want to live worthily; it is the very reason they can live worthily...
The Gnostics believed God had hidden what the Colossians needed to know to reach Him, knowledge only the Gnostics possessed. Paul says their knowledge is faulty, and he prays for the Colossians to receive the full knowledge of God. Paul wants them to realize that they do not need to reach God, for God has already reached them.11
After church one day, some were discussing how their lives would change if they won the million dollar Publishers' Clearing House Sweepstakes. The general question was: "What would you do with all that money?" Although their particular aspirations varied, they all viewed winning as marking a definite improvement in their lifestyle. But the change in your life of suddenly attaining millionaire status in no way compares with the change in your life when God supernaturally transferred you from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of light. The words of a familiar hymn should come readily to mind: "What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart."
My final challenge to you is in the form of two questions, the same two I ask myself. The first question is relatively straightforward:
[3] Jesus indicated that faith and love are primary features of the gospel. About faith, he said,
[4] The news of their reputation for love comes from a member who is praying for the church.
[6] This strengthening is not necessarily for some great task, but for great endurance and for great patience.
[7] He qualified them "to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light" (v. 12).
[8] Paul calls this "fruit," for good deeds are the result and not the root of a relationship with God.
[9] There is a natural order, however, to these first two characteristics. "For obedience to the knowledge of God which has already been received [that is, acting on what you or we know is good] is a necessary and certain condition for the reception of further knowledge" (Bruce 1984:47).
[10] As one commentator said, "If God's action and attitude toward his people have been characterized by grace, their response to him, in life and conduct as well as in thought and word, should be characterized by gratitude. Nothing less is fitting, considering how he has qualified them to share in the inheritance of his holy people" (Bruce 1984:49).
[11] The Gnostics may worship "the powers of this dark world and...the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms," as Paul refers to them in Eph 6:12; but the Colossians serve a different master, one who dwells in light and redeems the subjects of that other kingdom by forgiving their sins.
[12] The biblical writers often encourage people to pray but seldom rebuke people for not praying (as they do in the following references), perhaps for the same reason I give here: they do not know when people are praying and when they are not.
[13] This is so even with the church at Corinth (see n. 1).
[14] Prayer is not optional; it is essential, and I recommend to you Paul's example in Cot 1 as a guide for your intercession here.
On Sabbath morning a mother knocked on her son's bedroom door and said, "It's time to get up and go to church." "I'm not going to church this morning," came his sullen response. "You have to get up and go to church," his mother insisted. "No, I'm not." "Yes you are." "No, I'm not," This was getting her nowhere. Trying another tack, she said, "Tell me why you don't want to go." "They don't like me," her son replied, "and I don't like them. Give me one good reason why I have to go." His mother said, "I'll give you two reasons. First, you're 55 years old...and second... you're the minister!"As we grow up, we need to learn how to deal with peer pressure and with people's opinions, including their opinions about us. Nevertheless, staying in bed is not the way to deal with them. God has given us other means to address individual and corporate concerns, one of which is appealing to Him for help. That is the apostle Paul's advice as he writes to believers at Colosse and asks, in light of the difficulties you are facing as a congregation, What Are You Praying for the Church?
The apostle Paul often opens his letters by assuring his readers that he has been praying frequently and fervently for them.1 As I was reading his epistle to the Colossians, I saw not only Paul's constancy in prayer but also his content—what he prayed for the church. This assembly in Colosse was not without its problems. The gospel was competing with a particular form of Gnosticism, a heresy that promoted theological division in the church, so it would have been natural for Paul to allow the problem in the church to direct his petition to the Lord.2 Yet Paul's focus in prayer is not on the church's problem but on its potential. Turn to the first chapter of Colossians, and we will examine the substance of Paul's prayer, both his thanksgiving and his petition for this church.
After his opening salutation, we read about...
I. Paul's Thanksgiving for the Reputation of the Church
He says in vv. 3-6...
A. That others have reported about them (vv. 3-6a)
Col 1:3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints—5 the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6a that has come to you.Each of us has a reputation, an opinion that others have in common about us, be it good or bad or mixed. A church also has a reputation, some characteristic that makes an impression on people who have contact with it. Paul had never visited the congregation at Colosse, but he had heard about it from others who had been there. A church's reputation is important, because it reflects on the people's collective relationship with God to others, be they other Christians or non-Christians.
For example, in his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul warns them to correct their behavior, lest they give themselves and Christianity a bad name. He says, "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans" (5:1). And again: "One brother goes to law against another—and this in front of unbelievers" (6:6). News of the church at Corinth has reached Paul, who is writing from Ephesus, which is 200 miles away and across the Aegean Sea. The Corinthians did not have a good reputation.
The Colossians also had a reputation, but it was quite different. Instead of immorality and strife, they were known for faith and love.3 As Paul says in v. 4, he has heard...
1. About their faith in the messiah andNews of this church has also spread, and much farther. Paul is writing this letter from Rome, which is 1000 miles away and across two seas (Aegean and Adriatic).
2. About their love for the saints
When someone tells you about a church he has visited, you realize that—however valid—it is just the opinion of one person. When you hear the same report from different sources, it assumes greater authority. So, when more than one person told Paul about the faith and love of the Colossian church (cf. v. 7), he realized that these must be characteristics of the congregation, and he thanked God for it...repeatedly.
Why did all churches not have this same reputation for faith and love? What made the Colossian church different? According to Paul in vv. 6-8, it was...
B. Because they responded to the gospel (vv. 6b-8)
Col 1:6b All over the [known] world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.Paul describes the gospel as that...
1. Which is prospering in the church, andSo, the Colossians were not the only ones responding to the good news, but the quality of their faith and love was apparently a cut above the rest, because others had taken notice of it.
2. Which is prospering in the world
In this first section (vv. 3-8), we see Paul's thanksgiving for the reputation of the Christians at Colosse. They are known for their faith in the messiah and their love for the saints, because they have given these features of the gospel primary place in their church.4 These are not, of course, the only elements that can characterize a church, but they should be prominent in every church, including ours. I hope these traits are part of what attracted our new members to us.
The church Linda and I attended in Madison was a small congregation...very small, in fact. We rented a classroom in another church. There was no organ, no choir, no music program at all. We just had a piano and a pianist, but those few people could sing. They also believed that worship should be thoughtful not merely emotional. There were four leaders who rotated the responsibility of planning and conducting worship, determining the focus of each service and directing the congregation in expressing devotion to God. It was a Baptist church but not a typical Baptist service, employing more music, scripture, time, and deliberation in worship than is usually the case.
A few years ago, the denomination elected one of those worship leaders as conference president. His primary responsibility was to organize the annual meeting, including a service each night during the week. These he delegated to representatives from different congregations, but he gave the final service to one of the worship leaders from the Madison church and was pleasantly surprised at the general response. People came up to him afterward, expressing their appreciation, and asking if the congregation in Madison worshiped like that every week. The following year, the next conference president asked that same worship leader to plan and conduct all the services at conference. Although one of the smallest in the denomination, the Madison church became known for the quality of its worship.
What kind of reputation does this congregation have? What things impress people who visit? What do people in the community say? Is it the history of the church or the beauty of the country setting? ...Do you know? If you were to name one quality that should be obvious to those who visit the church, what would it be...or, perhaps more important, what would you like it to be? ...What particular strength do you see here that you should be promoting? ...Perhaps most important, what are you doing to make that quality prominent?
There is more in this passage than we can cover now, so I will leave the rest for next time. Until then, be thinking about these last two questions.
- What strength do you see here that you should be promoting?
- What are you doing to make that quality prominent?
Part 2
Churches are often known for some particular activity. It may be a missions program or a children's ministry. It may be something one of the members develops or a particular interest the minister promotes.
When Pastor Jim moved from a church in MN to one in TX, he met with his new deacon board and announced, "While in Minnesota, I learned to enjoy bungie jumping, especially with members of the deacon board. It helped to build fellowship and trust, and I would like to do the same here. Let's meet next weekend on the high bridge over the Medina River. I will make a jump and show you how it's done, then perhaps you might try."
The next weekend, the board along with the whole church were at the bridge over the Medina River. There was a Mexican-American family having a reunion below, but Pastor Jim said, "That shouldn't be a problem, I know the stretch on the cord and I'll tie it off so we don't disturb them." Pastor Jim tied off the cord, put on the harness, climbed to the top of the handrail, and jumped....
The whole church was leaning over the rail, looking with a mixture of dread and wonder. As Pastor Jim got close to the bottom a huge cloud of dust arose with a burst of laughter and shouting. When the cord snapped him back, the congregation heard him yell, "Help!" The deacons reached out for him but missed. Pastor Jim went down again, followed by another cloud of dust, more laughter, and more shouting. As Pastor Jim came back up, the deacons managed to grab him. Standing once again firmly on the bridge, he asked them..."What's a Piñata?"Churches and even ministers are often known for some particular activity. Neither this congregation in Salemville nor its minister is known for bungie jumping. What are we known for, and how might you enhance that reputation? What Are You Praying for the Church?
In Paul's letter to the Colossians, he says not only that he is praying for the church but also what he is praying, beginning with...
I. Paul's Thanksgiving for the Reputation of the Church
He says in vv. 3-6...
A. That others have reported about them (vv. 3-6a)
Col 1:3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints—5 the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6a that has come to you.The Colossians had a reputation. As Paul says in v. 4, he has heard...
1. About their faith in the messiah andWhence did this reputation come? According to Paul in vv. 6-8, it was...
2. About their love for the saints
B. Because they responded to the gospel (vv. 6b-8)
Col 1:6b All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.Paul describes the gospel as that...
1. Which is prospering in the church and thatSo, the Colossians were not the only ones responding to the good news, but the quality of their faith and love was exemplary, because others had taken notice of it.
2. Which is prospering in the world
Faith and love are not the only elements that can characterize a church. At the close of our last session, I posed two questions for you to consider. What particular strength do you see here that you should be promoting? ...Perhaps most important, what are you doing to make that quality prominent? Your answers will, in part, determine your approach to the ministry here.
After Paul's thanksgiving to God for the reputation of the church at Colosse, his prayer continues—and we pick it up this morning—with...
II. Paul's Petition for the Potential of the Church
...first, in vv. 9-12...
A. That they be filled with the knowledge of God's will (vv. 9-12)
Col 1:9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.In v. 9, we again see Paul's constancy in prayer: "...since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you." His request is that they know God's will—that they be filled with the knowledge of God's will. Paul does not use the Greek term gnosis here, the common word for knowledge and the one from which the Gnostics, the ones troubling the church, got their name. Instead, he chooses epignosis, which (in NT) denotes a thorough understanding of moral or religious issues (Vaughan 1978:177).
I mentioned earlier that the Colossian church was not without its problems, that heretical elements were attempting to gain adherents among the believers there. These Gnostics held that a person needed special knowledge to reach God, a secret knowledge not found in the scriptures and which they alone possessed. (How convenient...to have a corner on the truth!) This secret knowledge (gnosis) included how a person could ascend safely toward God through various levels of the heavenly realm, each of which was controlled by angelic beings who might or might not be friendly but who could be placated if one observed certain rituals or offered them worship.5 This is not what the Bible teaches, but it is what the Gnostics believed.
The Gnostics were right in one sense: Knowledge about God should affect a person's behavior, just not the way they thought. According to Paul, that affect should be two-fold. It should motivate a person...
1. To live a life worthy of the Lord...and...
2. To live a life pleasing to the LordThe error of the Gnostics was in thinking that a person must live worthily in order to reach God. On the contrary, Paul says, a person should live worthily in order to please God. (Do you see the distinction) So in vv. 9-10, Paul prays not that the Colossians will have gnosis, the faulty knowledge of these mystics, but that they will have epignosis, the full knowledge of God's will that is "the foundation of all Christian character and conduct" (Vaughan 1978:177).
The eight years I waited between finishing high school and beginning college made me older than most of the other college students. It also gave others the impression that I had made that most elusive of discoveries: I knew God's will for my life. Many of the students who entered college immediately after high school had no real direction. Yet God had given me a specific goal, and I was working toward it. As a result, students would occasionally ask me how they could know God's will. They assumed that God had a special plan for them and that, as soon as they found out what the plan was, they could get on with life.
Well, sometimes, God does have such a plan, and a person usually needs a hint of that plan in order to accomplish it. For instance, I probably would not have gone to Bible College if I had no idea that God wanted me to teach the Bible. But this kind of advanced knowledge is not always necessary to do what God wants. God places more importance on your understanding His general will, that which He has given to everyone, than His special will, that which He reveals to the individuals whom it concerns. It is an awareness of this general will that Paul petitions for the Colossians. He prays that they will be filled with the knowledge of God's will, not to accomplish some great and mysterious task but, as he says in v. 10, "to live a life worthy of the Lord and to please Him in every way."
The Gnostics did not care about the same issue as those college students who came to me, but both groups shared the same assumption; namely, that God has hidden what you need to know. The students believed that God had hidden what they needed to know in order to serve Him. The Gnostics believed that God had hidden what the Colossians needed to know in order to reach Him. Neither of these assumptions is true.
Look again at Paul's description in vv. 10-12 of a life that is both worthy of the Lord (i.e., commensurate with what He has done for them) and pleasing to the Lord. It has four characteristics.
- "Bearing fruit in every good work"
- "Growing in the knowledge [epignosis] of God"
- "Being strengthened... so that you may have...endurance and patience"6
- "Giving thanks to the Father"7
Consider how you would answer as I rephrase each of these four characteristics into a question.
- First, "bearing fruit in every good work"—Are you doing good things for each other?8
- Elsewhere, Paul writes, "as we have opportunity, let us do good...especially to those who belong to the family of believers" (Gal 6:10).
- A congregation that is pleasing to God is productive for God; it bears the fruit of good works.
So, are you doing good things for each other?
- Second, "growing in the knowledge of God"—Is your understanding of God maturing?9
- You should notice an appreciable increase in what you know about God and His will now over what you knew at this time last year.
- That was, in part, my responsibility, but it is yours as well. Do you study the Bible on your own or only when you come here?
So, is your understanding of God maturing?
- Third, "being strengthened... so that you may have...endurance and patience"—Are you finding it easier to endure difficulties of various kinds?
- This is no light matter. Every congregation has problems of one sort or another, some of which have the potential of being quite divisive, and you must deal with them...on top of whatever personal problems you may face.
- Paul says that when a church is able to weather hard times, it is proof of God's "glorious might" at work, evidence of His presence in our midst. So, are you finding it easier to endure difficulties of various kinds?
- Fourth, "giving thanks to the Father"—Do you tell God you are grateful to be part of His kingdom?
- All of us were trapped in an oppressive spiritual realm. We could not walk out, sneak out, or buy our way out. One day, the king of another realm mounted a major offensive to free us. He made us citizens in His kingdom, which differed from the one we had known as light differs from darkness.
- It is only right that you should express your appreciation to Him in every way possible.10
So, do you tell God you are grateful to be part of His kingdom?Living worthily for God and pleasing to God involves these four characteristics. Do they characterize your life? That is what will determine if they characterize our life as a congregation.
After listing these features, Paul reiterates in v. 13 the cause for giving thanks in v. 12. Not only is their entrance into the kingdom of light the reason they should want to live worthily; it is the very reason they can live worthily...
B. Because they were rescued from the domain of darkness (vv. 13-14)
The Gnostics believed God had hidden what the Colossians needed to know to reach Him, knowledge only the Gnostics possessed. Paul says their knowledge is faulty, and he prays for the Colossians to receive the full knowledge of God. Paul wants them to realize that they do not need to reach God, for God has already reached them.11
Col 1:13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.God rescued the Colossian Christians, transferring them from one way of life to another way of life, from the realm of Satan...
1. Tobe part of Jesus' realm...and from the penalty of their sin...
2. To be pardoned for their rebellionIn the same way and to the same end, God has also rescued you. Think about that: You do not need to reach God, for God has already reached you.
After church one day, some were discussing how their lives would change if they won the million dollar Publishers' Clearing House Sweepstakes. The general question was: "What would you do with all that money?" Although their particular aspirations varied, they all viewed winning as marking a definite improvement in their lifestyle. But the change in your life of suddenly attaining millionaire status in no way compares with the change in your life when God supernaturally transferred you from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of light. The words of a familiar hymn should come readily to mind: "What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart."
My final challenge to you is in the form of two questions, the same two I ask myself. The first question is relatively straightforward:
- Are you praying for this church, for our church...not just for one or two individuals but for the congregation as a whole?
- You do not have to pray for the church. No one will know if this is a deficiency for you, and no one will blame you if something goes wrong because you did not pray.12
- But consider Paul's example—and godly people should be models for us. The Colossian church was not his church. Paul had not even visited the congregation when he wrote this letter, yet he prayed often for that church. How much more should you pray on behalf of your own assembly!
Are you praying for this church?The second question requires a bit more reflection.
- What are you praying for this church? (The two aspects of Paul's prayer may help here.)
- Paul sees in the Colossian church an opportunity to thank God: He is grateful for the Colossians' reputation. Should you not be thanking God for some aspect of this congregation?
- You will inevitably think of problems in the church, and they are legitimate matters for prayer. After all, no congregation is perfect, and Paul is aware of the problem at Colosse, but he does not fixate on that. Never get so caught up with a church's problems that you lose sight of a church's potential.13
- Paul knows that, despite the Colossians' good reputation, they could have something more. Faith and love are just the beginning. A fuller knowledge of God would enable them to live a life that is increasingly worthy of the Lord and pleasing to the Lord, so Paul petitions God accordingly.
What are you praying for this church?14
- Should you not be making a similar petition for this congregation? This week, pray for the various people here. You may not cover everyone at once, but the congregation is not so big that you cannot get to everyone eventually. Pray that they will live worthy of the Lord and pleasing to the Lord. That would be a good answer to the second question.
Bibliography
- Vaughan, Curtis, 1978, Colossians. EBC. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House.
- Bruce. F.F., 1984, The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians. NICNT. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Endnotes
[1] The relevant examples are:Rom 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 ...constantly I remember you 10a in my prayers at all times....
1 Cor 1:4 I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.
Eph 1:16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ... may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19a and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
Phil 1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,
1 Thess 1:2 We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. 3 We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thess 1:3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.
2 Tim 1:3b ...night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.
Phlm 41 always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. 6 I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.[2] That is often the way we operate. For instance, if there is disagreement in the church over some issue, we pray that God will resolve it—and, indeed, we should. If the problem persists, though, it may consume so much of our attention that soon we lose sight of other things, the good things God has in store for us.
[3] Jesus indicated that faith and love are primary features of the gospel. About faith, he said,
John 3:36a Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life....
John 6:40a ...everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life....About love, he said,
John 13:35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
John 15:17 This is my command: Love each other.Apparently, the Colossians kept these principles central in their fellowship.
[4] The news of their reputation for love comes from a member who is praying for the church.
Col 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you... .is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.[5] T'he relevant passages include:
- Ritual
Col 2:16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.... 21 "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? ...23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
- Worship
Col 2:18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.In chapter 2, Paul advises the Colossians not to be deceived. He says the regulations of the Gnostics "are based on human commands and teachings" (v. 22). They "have an appearance of wisdom" but "lack any value in restraining" sin (v. 23). Those who delight in "the worship of angels" (v. 18) have no special divine insight. On the contrary, they have obviously "lost connection" with God (v. 19); their knowledge is deficient, because they are ignorant of the fact that Jesus "disarmed" the heavenly powers who opposed him (v. 15). As Paul says elsewhere, we may struggle against "supernatural forces" in living for God (Eph 6:12), but no angel can ever "separate us" from God (Rom 8:38-39).
[6] This strengthening is not necessarily for some great task, but for great endurance and for great patience.
[7] He qualified them "to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light" (v. 12).
[8] Paul calls this "fruit," for good deeds are the result and not the root of a relationship with God.
[9] There is a natural order, however, to these first two characteristics. "For obedience to the knowledge of God which has already been received [that is, acting on what you or we know is good] is a necessary and certain condition for the reception of further knowledge" (Bruce 1984:47).
[10] As one commentator said, "If God's action and attitude toward his people have been characterized by grace, their response to him, in life and conduct as well as in thought and word, should be characterized by gratitude. Nothing less is fitting, considering how he has qualified them to share in the inheritance of his holy people" (Bruce 1984:49).
[11] The Gnostics may worship "the powers of this dark world and...the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms," as Paul refers to them in Eph 6:12; but the Colossians serve a different master, one who dwells in light and redeems the subjects of that other kingdom by forgiving their sins.
[12] The biblical writers often encourage people to pray but seldom rebuke people for not praying (as they do in the following references), perhaps for the same reason I give here: they do not know when people are praying and when they are not.
[13] This is so even with the church at Corinth (see n. 1).
[14] Prayer is not optional; it is essential, and I recommend to you Paul's example in Cot 1 as a guide for your intercession here.
Dr Manuel, this is a very scholarly and erudite treatment of the subject of what we are praying for with regard to the Church. I've accessed the PDF file and it will take me some time to read and comprehend this more fully. Still, I wanted to thank you for sharing this analysis with us. God bless you.
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