A Faithful Community – Colossians 1:1-15
Part III
Next, Paul prays that the Colossians would lead lives “worthy of the
Lord,” seeking to please Him in every way.
“The spiritual life is not a theory.”
Also, it is more than mere verbal affirmation of a confession of faith
or an articulate recitation of proper doctrine.
God intends for disciples to conduct themselves in a manner that honor
and glorifies His Name in all circumstances.
I disdain the prevalent and prominent appeal to being “spiritual and not
religious” by many celebrities whose spirituality does not appear to require
any type of moral or ethical behavior.
These “spiritual” people have been married multiple times by mid-life;
they exchange partners and lovers in live-in situations with the frequency with
which people change cars. New believers
must accept that they cannot live with divided loyalties. They cannot have one foot in the muck and
mire of the world and the other in kingdom
of God
Paul proceeds to list of specific petitions with a grand purpose. He
desires that the Colossians (1) bear fruit in every good work, (2) grow in the
knowledge of God, and be given power “according to His glorious might.” Note the specific nature of these requests. Even as new believers, Paul desires that they
produce a harvest of other souls for the kingdom of God
True to his nature, Paul concludes with an expression of thanksgiving
to the Lord. If nothing else, new
disciples who fully understand God’s invaluable gift in Christ should remain
grateful. Regardless of their daily
predicaments, they can be thankful that the Heavenly Father “qualifies [us] to
share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.” More practically and magnificently, He
“rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of
the Son he loves.” In Christ, we
irrevocably possess “redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” If nothing else, we can be appreciative of
this indescribable gift. In sum, these
practical approaches and goals of intercessory prayer are vital to the
spiritual lifeline of a Church as individuals and as a whole.
Concluding Reflections
Religion and new ideologies are among the fastest growing aspects of
any culture today. This social reality
reaffirms the fact that millions, perhaps billions, of people throughout the
world are searching for truth and meaning.
Contrary to popular notions, they do find comfort solely in scientific
methods that relegate them to being a product of evolutionary chance. Instead, they desire to believe in a purpose
far greater than themselves and their finite physical existence. More starkly, some of them acknowledge that
they live in a darkness of sorts; meaninglessness and aimlessness makes them
subject to the forces of nature, trends of the global economy, and
circumstances of daily life. Whereas
they realize the worth of spiritual study of these most pressing questions,
they do not commit to it. Inasmuch as
they appreciate the answers offered by the five major religions of the world,
they remain uncertain about the worth of making a lifelong and irreversible
commitment to one of them.
These persons deeply want to have hope.
They desire lives of worth, happiness, freedom, joy and wholeness. Knowledge of how to acquire reliably these
attributes is elusive for most people.
The burgeoning self-help sections of book stores attest to the desperate
and perpetual search for meaning.
Consequently, some people simply abandon the process; thereby they live
in a “swinish bliss and ignorance” that absolves them of any responsibility
personally, politically, spiritually or morally. Further, they lack the patience and endurance
to resolve life’s daily challenges with maturity.
People in the first century faced this same dilemma. The new Colossians Christians had a golden
opportunity to share the message of Christ with the citizens and residents of
the Roman Empire who sought meaning in their
lives. However, they had to do so by
truly separating themselves from the pervasive licentiousness and debauchery
for which Rome
Three Personal Objectives
- Discover the
incredible power of intercessory prayer in the lives of believers.
- Glean
petitions from Paul’s prayer to use in praying for others.
- Discuss the
rules for Christian living in Colosse and for today’s disciples.
Prayer
Our Father, how grateful we are for Your unfailing love, unquestionable
faithfulness and unending grace!
Graciously give us your Holy Spirit so that we may lead lives that truly
honor and glorify You. With the power
and might of Your Spirit, we will fail.
Help us to be examples of our Lord.
Conform us to the character of Christ, in whose marvelous and matchless
Name we pray. Amen
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