We have focused on Paul’s prayers to the Ephesians in chapters 1 and 3.
Now we will turn our attention to Paul’s prayer for the Colossians in Colossians 1:9-12.
“For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” (Colossians 1:9-12)
“For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray and make special request for you, asking that you may be filled with the full deep and clear knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom, in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God, and understanding and discernment of spiritual things, that you may walk, live and conduct yourselves, in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God, with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance and recognition. We pray that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, to exercise every kind of endurance and patience, perseverance and forbearance with joy. Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints, God’s holy people, in the light.” (The Amplified Bible)
So we have continued praying for you ever since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what He wants to do in your lives, and we ask Him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and you will continually do good, kind things for others. All the while, you will learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with His glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father, who has enabled you to share the inheritance that belongs to God’s holy people, who live in the light. (New Living Translation)
Before we dig deeper into this prayer, let’s notice some similarities between this prayer and the prayers in Ephesians 1 and 3:
POWER:
Ø “what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.” (Eph 1:19)
Ø “to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith,” (Eph 3:16)
Ø “strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might,” ( Col 1:11)
¨ KNOWLEDGE:
Ø “may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him” (Eph 1:17)
Ø and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be fill up to all the fullness of God.” (Eph 3:19)
Ø “and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col 1:10)
¨ WISDOM
Ø “may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation” (Eph 1:17)
Ø “may be filled with knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Col 1:)
¨ WILL
Ø “know what is the hope of His calling,” (Eph 1:18)
Ø “you and to ask that you may be filled with knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,” (Col 1:9)
Paul is praying for the Colossians some of the same things he prayed for the Ephesians. Power, knowledge, wisdom, and God’s will seem to be a recurring theme throughout Paul’s’ prayers so far.
Now we are ready to dissect this prayer and find out how Paul was praying for the Colossians.
Our faith must be real, and faith becomes real when we commit ourselves to prayer.
Pastor Jim Cymbala shares his experience with us:
“After I had been pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle for about a year, the church had grown to fifty people, but we were facing problems: little money, few people coming to faith in Christ. One Tuesday afternoon I sat in my cubbyhole office on Atlantic Avenue, depressed. I knew that later that day, fifteen people, at most, would come to church to pray. How could God call me and my wife to this city not to make a difference? I wondered.
I walked into our empty, little sanctuary and recited to God a list of my problems: Look at this building, this neighborhood, our offerings are laughable, I can’t trust so-and-so, there’s so little to work with.
Then the Holy Spirit impressed upon me, ‘I will show you the biggest problem in the church. It’s you.’
In that moment I saw with excruciating clarity that I didn’t really love the people as God wanted me to. I prepared sermons just to get through another Sunday. I was basically prayerless. I was proud.
I fell on my face before God and began to weep. ‘God, whatever it takes, please change me. I would rather die than live out some useless ministry of catch phrases.
The Brooklyn Tabernacle began to turn around, and twenty-four years later, we are still learning about the tremendous power of prayer. Every Tuesday evening many hundreds of people come together simply to pray.”
How often we go through life expecting God to meet our needs! And we never grasp the critical importance of our own involvement, that of prayer, constant prayer.”
The apostle proceeds in these verses to pray for the Colossians. He heard that they were good, and he prayed that they might be better. He was constant in this prayer: We do not cease to pray for you. It may be he could hear of them but seldom, but he constantly prayed for them.
Paul was exposing a heresy in the Colossian church that was similar to Gnosticism. Gnostics valued the accumulation of knowledge, but Paul pointed out that knowledge in itself is empty. To be worth anything, it must lead to a changed life and right living. Knowledge is not merely to be accumulated; it should give us direction for living. Paul wanted the Colossians to be wise, but he also wanted them to use their knowledge. Knowledge of God is not a secret that only a few can discover; it is open to everyone. God wants us to learn more about Him, and also to put our knowledge into practice by helping others. I have learned that when I teach and share the knowledge God has given me, that I receive more, not to hoard for myself, but to share with other believers and help them in their spiritual walk. That is the purpose of this blog, to share what I have learned and experienced in my life, and in sharing what I have learned, I pray that it helps someone in their spiritual walk.
Paul was in prison in Rome when writing to the Colossian believers. At some point he had been visited by Epaphras, the pastor of the great Colossian church. Apparently Epaphras had felt a need for some advice on how to handle the false teaching that had seeped into the church. Paul, God’s chosen apostle to the Gentiles, was the natural person to ask for advice. This was the purpose for writing the letter to the Colossians: to encourage the church to get rid of the false teaching and to continue on with Christ.
Remember, Paul had never visited the Colossians church. The believers had never seen him face to face, and he was unable to visit them now because of being in prison. They needed him, for the false teaching was extremely dangerous, threatening the very ministry of the church. Being in prison and unable to reach them, what could he do? Only two things:
¨ He could write them to share the Word of God in a letter.
¨ He could pray for them.
Paul did both. The present passage covers his prayer: what he asked God to do for the Colossian believers. He asked three things; he made three great requests. All three requests are needed by every church and all believers, in particular those who face false teaching. Note how these three requests lead to a deeper experience with the Lord, a much stronger walk than most believers experience. Every believer should covet these three things and covet them diligently:
¨ Request 1: To know God’s will, to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will (vs 9)
¨ Request 2: To walk worthy of Christ. (vs 10)
¨ Request 3: To possess the power of God. (vs 11)
Let’s dig deeper into these three great requests that Paul prayed for the Colossians.
ONE: THE FIRST GREAT REQUEST IS TO KNOW GOD’S WILL. (Verse 9)
Note exactly what the passage of Scripture says: we are to be “filled” with the knowledge of God’s will. It is not enough to just know God’s will; we are to be “filled” with the knowledge of His will. What is being talked about is not God’s will for a particular thing nor for a few things. God’s will includes “all of life,” everything we do every moment of every day. The will of God involves what we do, what we say, and even think. Briefly stated, God’s will for us involves all behavior and all conduct, even our imaginations and thoughts. Imagine! Every thought is to be controlled by God’s will.
II Corinthians 10:5 tells us, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity “every thought” to the obedience of Christ.”
The point is: God tells us how to live, and what He tells us is His will. Therefore, we are to study God’s Word; we are to study to gain all the knowledge we can about His will and about how to live.
Psalm 143:10 reads,” Teach me to do Your will; for You are my God: Your Spirit is good; lead me into the land of the uprightness.” (See also John 4:34)(Romans 12:1-2)
Note a wonderful thing: the person who is filled with God’s will possess spiritual wisdom and spiritual understanding:
¨ “Wisdom” means that person knows the first principles or basic principles of life. The Amplified Bible calls wisdom “comprehensive insight into the purposes and ways of God.”
¨ “Understanding” means that a person has the ability to apply the basic principles to every day life, to the circumstances and decisions of life.
If you ever read through the Book of Proverbs, you will notice that wisdom, understanding, and instruction are always linked together. We need wisdom and understanding. One without the other is useless. Proverbs says to acquire wisdom, with our acquiring wisdom we are to get understanding. We must learn all the basic principles of life, and we must learn how to apply them to everyday life.
How can we secure wisdom and understanding?
¨ By studying God’s Word:
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (II Timothy 3:16)
¨ By prayer, praying to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will.
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5)
Consider this; Colossians 2:3 tells us that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
If Christ is in you, then where are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden?
Consider I Corinthians 2:9-16. We have been given the Holy Spirit to reveal the wisdom and knowledge of God to us.
Think about the shallow lives of so many people, going from day to day being concerned only with the moment: working, eating, sleeping, playing, and relaxing.
Think about how little most people know about God’s will. Compare this tragic fact with the kind of life God wills man to live.
Is it any wonder:
¨ That so many have been deceived by false teaching?
¨ That so much of our ministry is superficial and formal?
Are you living for God, really living for Him in every area of life? Living like He tells you to live?
In which areas do you need a change of attitude?
Are you consistently experiencing the fullness of God’s will?
What kinds of things can you do in order to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will?
What “short-cuts” do some people take in trying to know God’s will?
What are some of the natural results of missing the fullness of God’s will?
TWO: THE SECOND GREAT REQUEST IS TO WALK WORTHY OF CHRIST. (Verse 10)
This is a critical point for the believer, a point that must be taught constantly. This truth must be hammered into the minds and hearts of believers:
Ø It is not enough to “know” God’s will.
Ø It is not enough to “possess wisdom”: to possess the basic principles of life.
Ø It is not enough to “possess understanding”: to have the ability to apply the basic principles of life to every day living.
Knowing something and having the ability to do something are important, but they involve “head knowledge.” The critical point is putting what we know into practice. We are to live out the will of God; we are to practice doing the will of God. Knowing the will of God is of no value until we have committed our lives to doing it.
The word “walk” means that we set our lives, our behavior and conduct, after Christ.
The word “worthy” means to have the weight of something else or to weigh as much as something else.
This means an amazing thing: our walk is to weigh as much as the walk of Christ. Our conduct is to conform to the will of God as much as the conduct of Christ. We are to live a life just as worthy as the life of Christ. The will of God is to control our behavior as much as it did the behavior of Christ. Christ is the pattern; we are the copy. The copy is to be just like the pattern.
Now you may be asking yourself, how is such a walk possible?
We must be totally committed to do two things:
ONE: We must be fruitful in every good work; that is, we must do every good work. Note the word “every.” Everything that God says is to be done. Dealing with God is just like dealing with any other person. No person is pleased when he does only half of what he says. To please a person, we have to do all that he says. How much more true with God! If we are to please Him, we must do every good work; and we must do it faithfully, bearing as much fruit as possible.
The following were taken from Our Daily Bread:
COLOSSIANS 1:10 SUPREME MOTIVE April 15, 20062 Timothy 2:1-13
Walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work. —Colossians 1:10
A strong desire to please God is the highest incentive for doing His will and shows a true understanding of godly fear. We may have other worthy motives, such as the inner satisfaction of doing what's right or the anticipation of heavenly rewards. But we bring the greatest glory to God when we obey and serve Him because we long to do what brings Him delight.
A first-grader beamed with satisfaction as he handed me a spelling test on which his teacher had written a large "100%—Good work!" The boy said, "I showed this to Mom and Dad because I knew it would please them." I could just see him riding home on the bus, hardly able to wait for the moment when his parents would express their excitement with how well he had done. His desire to make Mom and Dad happy was obviously a very important motivating factor in his life.In 2 Timothy 2:3, Paul used the image of a soldier who serves with single-minded devotion to please his commanding officer. He wanted Timothy to know the supreme reason for serving God, even when the going gets tough. Wholehearted devotion, marked by hard work and careful attention to God’s rules, brings the greatest glory to the Lord when it comes from a yielded and loving heart.In His humanity, our Savior desired that the prospect of a cruel death and of becoming the sin offering for mankind would pass from Him. Nevertheless He prayed, "Not My will, but Yours, be done" (Luke 22:42). Jesus’ supreme motive was a desire to please His Father. That should be our incentive too. —Herbert Vander LugtIn all I think and say and do,I long, O God, to honor You;But may my highest motive beTo love the Christ who died for me. —D. De Haan
OTHERS SEE WHAT WE DO, GOD SEES WHY WE DO IT.
COLOSSIANS 1:10
MEDAL OF HONOR
They meet every year, a group of ordinary and unassuming veterans who have one thing in common - their nation's highest military award for bravery. Almost all of them agree that the Congressional Medal of Honor has transformed and redefined their lives. For many, it has thrust them into the public eye. One recipient, assessing its effect on his thought and behavior, said, "You're representing everybody and everything the medal represents." As Christians, we share a distinguishing mark more defining than any medal - the name of Christ. We profess to be followers of Jesus, servants of the Lord. For that reason, the apostle Paul prayed for his fellow believers to "walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him" (Col. 1:10). He urged Christians to be "fruitful" in good works and to be characterized by such qualities as patience, joy, and thankfulness (vv.11: 12). Our conduct should not be guided by expectations that come from ourselves or the people around us. They must come from the Lord, who has redeemed us, called us, and given us His name. Rather than feeling trapped by a set of external standards, we can celebrate the honor of bearing Christ's name and the freedom of pleasing only Him. -David C. McCasland Lord, may I live that all may seeThe love of Christ revealed in me;And help me flee all sin and shame,Lest others scoff at Your dear name. -DJD
YOU HONOR GOD'S NAME WHEN YOU CALL HIM YOUR FATHER AND LIVE LIKE HIS SON
Matthew 5:16 says, ‘let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
TWO: We must grow in the knowledge of God. But how do we get to know God; how do we gain a personal knowledge and relationship with God?
We do not know God just because we know “about” God. Just knowing the Word of God does not mean we know God Himself, not in a personal and intimate way. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day knew the Law backwards and forwards, but did not know God when He was standing in front of them.
Note exactly what the verse says: “that you might walk worthy of the Lord, increasing in the knowledge of God.” The way we get to know God is the same way we get to know anyone. We walk with the person; associate, fellowship, and share with the person. Each person’s life is like a facet in a diamond. You have to see each facet to come to know someone. Just because you work with someone 8 hours a day does not mean you know him or her. You have not seen them at home, or at play. You don’t know their hopes and dreams, their sorrows, their joys. You don’t know their likes and dislikes, and what makes them tick. You haven’t seen the other facets of their lives. Also, you will never truly know someone until they reveal things about themselves to you. So it is with God, and the more we walk with Him, the more we increase in the knowledge of Him as He reveals more and more about Himself. I have never met anyone who totally knows God. Just when you think you know Him, He will show you a side of Himself you never even thought about.
I John 1:7 tells us “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Do the things of God consume your life?
Listen for a moment to this example:
Aunt Vertie, one of the godliest women I have ever heard about, was once asked the meaning of “praying without ceasing.” She replied: “Well it means what is says:
Ø When I put on my clothes in the morning, I thank God for clothing me in the righteousness of Christ.
Ø When I wash in the morning, I ask God to cleanse me from my sin.
Ø When I each breakfast, I thank Christ for being the bread of life.
Ø When I clean house, I ask God to be merciful and cleanse the houses of the world from sin.
Ø When I talk with people throughout the day, I ask God to save and grow them in Christ and to meet their particular needs.
Ø When I see strangers or crowds of people on the streets, I pray for the salvation of the people of the world.”
On an on the list could go. Aunt Vertie prayed all day, using the events of the day to remind her of the prayer that was needed to reach the world for Christ. What a walk! A life totally lived for Christ! A life worthy of Christ! A life worthy to be called a Christian!
How do you know for sure that you are in God’s will?
What kinds of things must you do in order to grow in the knowledge of God?
How would you describe your fruitfulness in what you do?
v Abundant
v Lasting (Eternal)
v Unpicked
v Bruised
v Spoiled
THREE: THE THIRD GREATEST REQUEST IS FOR THE POWER OF GOD (Verse 11)
God’s power is an absolute essential for the believer. This is easily seen b asking two questions:
¨ ONE: What good is it if the believer knows God’s will, but he does not have the power to do God’s will?
¨ TWO: How can the believer walk worthy of Christ if he does not have the power to walk worthy?
Many in the world believe that man has the strength within himself to become spiritually strong; that is a matter of the will and discipline; that man can apply himself and conquer the circumstances of life. And to some degree, this is true. But man’s flesh fails in three critical areas:
¨ ONE: The flesh cannot become perfect, neither can it do anything about perfection. Therefore, no matte what the flesh becomes or does, it is still unacceptable to God. Why? Because God is perfect; thus God can accept only perfection.
¨ TWO: The flesh cannot conquer death. No matter what the flesh does, it all ends up as dead matter. One thing is certain: death has no part with God.
¨ THREE: The flesh cannot do what this verse says: it cannot be patient and longsuffering against all the traumatic trials and temptations of life and be joyful at the same time.
It is for these three reasons that we need the power of God. Man’s power can overcome some of the problems of life, but his power cannot overcome all the problems, especially the three mentioned in this Scripture:
¨ ONE: Only God’s power can make us acceptable (perfect) before Him.
¨ TWO: Only God’s power can conquer death, that is, raise us up to live eternally.
¨ THREE: Only God’s power can infuse enough strength in us to make us endure any and all trials with a spirit of joy.
Imagine some of the trials we have to face: disease, accident, poverty, loss, and death. There is no way for the flesh to work up a joyful spirit through some of the traumas of life. But God has the power:
¨ To give us understanding and peace.
¨ To strengthen and settle us.
¨ To give us hope and security.
Seven years ago my mother went home to be with the Lord having died from ovarian cancer. The three years prior to her death I had been seeking the Lord about her healing. Four months prior to her death I had stopped at a restaurant to get some breakfast before going to work. I had just got my coffee when the Lord spoke very clearly to me out of Ecclesiastes 3: 1-2 that says there is a time for everything, a time to be born and a time to die. Here I am standing in the middle of the restaurant with hot cup of coffee in my hand holding back the tears because I now know she is going to die. As soon as I sat down, I’m still holding back the tears, but the Lord began to comfort and encourage me through His Word. He begin giving me words of encouragement with Scriptures. He even gave me a song through a friend. He kept saying to me that her death was not the end, but the beginning. I knew she was a Christian and that she would soon be with Him. About four months later her health had deteriorated rapidly, and she got to the point where she could not get out of bed and the cancer had spread to her lungs cutting off her oxygen supply. Two weeks prior to her passing, I asked the Lord to take her now and end her suffering. But His reply was, “It is not her time.” Three days before she went to be with Jesus, on a Sunday morning as I was heading to church, the presence of the Lord filled my car and I begin to weep and instantly I knew that it would be soon. Two days later I got a call from my sister and she told me mom had passed away.
During the time between the Lord telling me she was going to die and the time it happened, and even during the funeral service, I experienced a joy because I knew where she was and I also experienced “the peace that passes all understanding.”
It was only by God’s power that what would have been a traumatic time was actually a time of joy and very peaceful.
Where does such power come from? From God. And we secure His power through prayer. This is the point of this great request of Paul. Now note the results of God’s power:
¨ ONE: God’s power gives us a spirit of patience: endurance, fortitude, steadfastness, constancy and perseverance. One definition of patience that I have come across is “being consistently consistent.” The word “patience” is not passive; it is active. It is not the spirit that just sits back; putting up with the trials of life and taking whatever may come. Rather, it is the spirit that stands up and faces the trails of life that actively goes about conquering and overcoming them. The believer knows that God is allowing the trials in order to teach him more and more about patience. Patience and faith go together. I have heard they are called the “power twins.” Patience undergirds your faith to enable you to stand in the midst of the trial. I don’t know whether you have thought about this, but Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac. Do a word study on patience.
Romans 12:12 says to rejoice in hope; patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer.
TWO: God’s power gives us a spirit of longsuffering: patience, bearing and suffering a long time, perseverance. Long-suffering never gives in:
¨ Pressure and hard work may fall upon us, but he Spirit of God helps us suffer long under it.
¨ Disease or accident or old age may afflict us, but the Spirit of God helps us suffer long under it.
¨ Discouragement and disappointment may attack us, but the Spirit of God helps to suffer long under it.
¨ Men may do us wrong, abuse, slander, and injure us: but the Spirit of God helps us suffer long under it.
¨ Longsuffering never strikes back! The Christian believer is given the power of longsuffering, to the power to suffer the situation or person for a long, long time. And longsuffering is one of the great traits of God. As Galatians 5:22 says it is a fruit of God’s very own Spirit.
¨ THREE: God’s power gives us a spirit of joy through all the trials and tribulations of life. Joy means an inner gladness, a deep-seated pleasure that gives the believer a rejoicing heart regardless of circumstances.
The joy of the Lord is not the same as the joy of the world. The world’s joy is always nagged by some incompleteness, some lack, some unfulfilling thing or missing ingredient. The world’s joy always knows that something can go wrong. But the believer’s joy is divine. Only God gives it. It is the joy of the Holy Spirit. It does not depend on circumstances or happiness but instead springs from faith. The joy of future reward, despite the sufferings of this world, fills the believer with joy, keeping him faithful.
“Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you re receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (I Peter 1:8)(NIV)
God has designed us to that we can possess His power. Unfortunately, many of us tend to run out of gas. The following is an illustration that happened at the Tournament of Roses parade years ago, but it make the point:
“On New Year’s Day in the Tournament of Roses parade, a beautiful float suddenly sputtered and quit. It was out of gas. The whole parade was help up until someone could get a can of gas.
The amusing thing was this float represented the Standard Oil Company. With its vast oil resources, its truck ran out of gas.
Often Christians neglect their spiritual maintenance, and though they are ‘clothed with power’ (Luke 24:49) they find themselves out of gas.”
What is the source of the Christian’s power?
What are the supernatural results of this power at work in you?
Have you ever heard it said that “7 days without prayer make 1 weak?
What do you need to do in order to strengthen your prayer life?
When was a time when you sensed God’s power?
What impact did it make on how you live today?
Sometimes we wonder how to pray for people we have never met, or people that we do know. Sometimes we don’t know what to pray for ourselves.
Paul had never met the Colossians, but he faithfully prayed for them. His prayers teach us how to pray for others, whether we know them or not.
All believers have these same basic needs. When you don’t know how to pray for someone, use Paul’s prayer pattern for the Colossians.
How many people in your life could be touched if you prayed in this way?
How could your life be changed if you prayed this prayer for yourself?
1. Be thankful for their faith and changed lives. (Col. 1:3)
2. Ask God to help them know what He wants them to do. (Col. 1:9)
3. Ask God to give them deep spiritual understanding. (Col. 1:9)
4. Ask God to help them live for Him. (Col. 1:10)
5. Ask God to give them more knowledge of Him. (Col. 1:10)
6. Ask God to give them strength for endurance. (Col. 1:11)
7. Ask God to fill them with joy, strength, and thankfulness. (Col. 1:11)
