In this series we will walk through Paul’s letter to the Colossians. It is considered part of, what is commonly referred to by Christian scholars as, Paul’s prison letters. These letters – Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon – are all considered to be penned during one of Paul’s prison terms. This letter to the Colossians is often considered the oldest of these letters. It is written to the Colossians but also to the church of Lacodia. Both churches were founded as church plants or off shoots from the church in Ephesus where Paul spent three years on one of his missionary journeys. Paul is writing this letter because he has heard of trouble brewing in the church due to charismatic leaders who have assumed authority and have begun to teach a heretical type of Christianity. Does it sound familiar? Depending on which scholar you read, both locations were suffering from radical forms of Judaism, Gnosticism or Astrology. The Judaism sect was trying to convince the followers that the rituals of old are needed to really know God – believing in Jesus is not enough. Gnosticism was a heresy which preached salvation through knowledge of secret lore or myths. Astrology of that time had more to do with acknowledging and worshipping heavenly powers associated with the stars. To bring it into today’s terms, Paul was trying to get the culture and teachings of a non-Christian itinerant preacher from severely hurting the body. It would be as if a preacher was allowed to teach about a 900 number Christian horoscope line, or a preacher telling you that you could only be saved if you wore a cross around your neck, said the Lord’s Prayer both forward and backward, or a preacher teaching you to call on angels to save your soul. As such, Paul knew he needed to address the fallacies being passed around so he chose the only method of contact he could, a letter. I know it doesn’t sound like much in a day when we receive letters on our phones but in that time, it carried the weight of a presidential announcement on CNN. People listened.
Paul begins by patting the churches on the head and telling them they are doing great job. He then proceeds to tell them about his constant prayer for them. By the arrangement and the type of words used, we can really see how much Paul loves them and feels responsible for them.
Take a listen of the writing as relayed to us in Colossians 1:3-11.
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 which you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing -- so among yourselves, from the day you heard and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 as you learned it from Ep'aphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. 9 And so, from the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 to lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. Col 1:3-12 (RSV)
The most interesting point in this section of scripture is the prayer verse 9 through 11. Let me state it as if he were praying it over us. Close your eyes and imagine seeing him pray on video conference for you or hearing this on a teleconference or getting an email, text, Face Book or even a snail mail letter stating this? Paul is praying for some very significant events to transpire.
Reread 1 through His prayer as a prayer for the congregation:
Lord, I come before you to pray for my congregation. They are faithful stewards of the resources, time and talents you have blessed them with. I humbly come before you, asking that we may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will through spiritual wisdom and understanding. I also request You help us lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of the Lord. Finally, may we be made strong with all God’s power to endure and be patient in this life, knowing we have already qualified for the next one by committing our hearts to You. Lord, bless us with obedience in this life, love in all our actions and ever increasing faith in You. I ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!
Let’s break it apart into the 3 key points. Paul’s prayer:
1) May be filled with the knowledge of God’s will through spiritual wisdom and understanding
Paul is praying they come back to God’s sense. He is however using language which had permeated the church from the culture. The words “knowledge and spiritual” while inherently Christian did help those in the Gnostic and the astrology camps open up to the message which would follow.
2) May lead lives worthy of the lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of the Lord
Paul is re-establishing our purpose in the world. We are to be reflections of God and to have him honored by the way we lead our lives. It is by our actions God is then glorified and in a wonderful paradox we gain knowledge of our creator. Paul is emphasizing our actions coupled with a right intention creates a starting point of faith for others and for our own maturity
3) May be made strong with all God’s power to endure and be patient in this life knowing they have already qualified for the next one by committing their hearts to You.
Paul is asking God to provide his power to everyone listening to endure and be patient. Endurance (hupomone) is the ability to continue toward a goal regardless of the obstacles. Patience (makrothumia) is the ability to stand firm against opposition without giving up. "Endurance" is often used in relation to difficult circumstances; "patience" is often used in describing one's dealings with difficult people.—Life Application Bible Commentary
Paul knew firsthand the physical, mental and spiritual suffering we’d have to endure to follow Christ. He also knew these knew church plants would suffer corporately as well.
The point of today’s review of this scripture is to realize that if we are not suffering in sharing our faith, we may not be sharing it enough. We are all missionaries to those people in our school, neighborhood, community and work. As such, if we are actively living out our faith we will encounter resistance. For example, Last Thursday night, I asked the youth group leaders to go pass out flyers for a Corner Concert. And Yes, we all ran into some resistance. One person threw the flyer away the moment they received it. Another refused to take one. And one homeowner said she didn’t have time because she worked. Although a few moments later, she was seen walking down the same block reading a book while she walked. The reality is, if you are not experience some sort of resistance in your faith. You may not be sharing it enough. So this morning, I am asking each of us to pray this prayer for the church and for each other using Paul’s pattern for the Colossians.
