Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. Colossians 4:12, ESV.
Sometimes we forget that Paul’s New Testament books were written as letters. They are so packed with theology and instruction for Christian living that we forget that they are letters written by a missionary apostle to churches that he cared about. A man named Epaphras planted a church in Colossae. He later came to see Paul, who was in prison in Rome, and told him about that church, possibly seeking Paul’s advice in dealing with controversy in the church (Col 1:7). So, Paul wrote them a letter. At the end of this letter, Paul sends greetings from Epaphras back to the church. As he does, Paul tells us something about this church planter. Epaphras, while apart from the church in Colossae, has been fighting for them in prayer—praying that they will stand mature in their faith, have full assurance of their salvation, and know the will of God. We would benefit greatly from imitating Epaphras’s prayer intensity. He was isolated from the church he loved. There were no phones (smart or otherwise). There was no Skype or Zoom. He could not blog for them or podcast on Facebook. But he could pray for them. He prayed so hard that Paul observed it as a struggle. Do we engage in prayer as a struggle for our brothers and sisters in Christ before God’s throne? We would also benefit greatly from imitating Epaphras’s prayer emphasis. This man begged God to help his brothers and sisters in Christ be mature, assured, and wise in their walk with the Lord. We are sometimes good at praying for physical needs, sometimes even fervent in praying for the healing of sick saints. But how good are we at praying for their souls? for their growth in Christian maturity? for their assurance? for their wisdom? We currently grieve the fact that we cannot gather together. This is justified grief. This time of absence is hard. Even so, our response needs to move beyond grief. If we genuinely love the saints, we will put on our best Epaphras. We will go to battle for their souls before the throne of God. Who needs you to go to battle for them in prayer today? Do it now. Follow Epaphras’s lead. I am praying for you. Pastor Don Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Colossians 4:5–6, ESV.
In these interesting days, many of us have amped up our presence on social media. Unable to stay connected face-to-face, we are taking advantage of other means for social interaction. In fact, some of us are interacting, albeit in a less intimate form, with more people than we were before this pandemic. As Christians, we need to recognize that many of these interactions are with non-Christians. Paul did not have Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Snapchat in mind when he wrote to the church in Colossae, but his words are quite fitting. Paul instructs the saints of the church on how to interact with non-Christians in the world around them. His words speak volumes to our social media life. I want to comment on four takeaways. Do interact! We are not called to isolation from the world. While we are not to imitate their sinful ways or conform to their worldview, we can only walk in wisdom toward outsiders if we are walking in places where we run into them. Nonetheless, our interaction must be distinctly Christian. Interact wisely! Paul has a specific form of wisdom in mind. This is the wisdom that sees a situation and responds to it in such a way as to proclaim the excellencies of Christ. This wisdom builds trust and guides conversations toward eternal matters. In the context of social media, this is not a five-point gospel presentation or a Jesus meme in every post. It is taking care not to unnecessarily offend. It is offering prayers for peace and hope to those caught up in emotional storms. Use your opportunities! When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When social media posts display a need for gospel hope and peace, reach out with the good news about Jesus who saves. The good news is more than a glowing Jesus portrait or a catchy Christian slogan. You may need to reach out with a private message or an old-school phone call. When social media opens a gospel door, step through it! Guard your words! This goes back to the first point. We all know that the wrong words at the wrong time can close the door to our gospel witness. There is a great danger with social media that we will share our every thought and opinion or a seemingly humorous post and offend someone. While we have that freedom, it is a great shame to use our freedom to close the door to our gospel witness. The old phrase says, “guard your tongue.” Perhaps its new corollary should be, “guard your thumbs.” What a challenging day we live in! But with its challenges come opportunities—opportunities to present the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God sent from heaven to save sinners like us. I pray that we will all have and take advantage of such opportunities today! Pastor Don P.S. If you are interested in a more nuanced discussion of the gospel and social media, have a look at the four-part series by Ronnie Kurtz here: https://ftc.co/resource-library/blog-entries/the-gospel-and-social-media-part-4. The link is to part 4, but links to all four parts are at the bottom of the page. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. Col 4:2, ESV
A one-sentence command on prayer. That is all we have in this verse. Even so, I imagine that most of you would agree, we have more than enough. This one-sentence command on prayer is a divinely inspired imperative—a call to action. It has three components. Prayer must be: Steadfast: “Continue steadfastly” is one word in the original Greek. It is a verb that expresses devotion to a task. We are not called to fit prayer in where it is convenient, we are called to devote ourselves to it, to be utterly committed to regular communication with God. Are you devoted to prayer? Are you steadfast in the practice of prayer? How long can you go without speaking to your Father in heaven? Watchful: We are to be on guard, perpetually alert, in our devotion to prayer. Our spiritual eyes need to be wide open to what is going on around us for the purpose of prayer. We should always be on the lookout for reasons to pray. Is this how you look at your family, your church, and the world? Are you ever watchful for people and events to bring before the throne of God in prayer? Thankful: Your prayers should be saturated with thanksgiving, starting with thankfulness for a God who hears prayer and moving from there to thanksgiving for the abundance of blessings in your life. Even when it feels like you have lost much, you must see that such loss could only happen to one who had been blessed with much to start with. Are you thankful at your core? Do you count your blessings more fervently than you bemoan your losses? We are in a time of social isolation during a global pandemic. Our lives have been changed and will likely never return to exactly what they were before this happened. If you were already devoted to prayer, this has been fertile ground for you. If you were already on alert, you likely have observed so many needs that you have had little time to eat and sleep because you are so busy in prayer. If you already had a thankful heart, you are probably overwhelmed with evidence of God’s grace during this time as lives are spared, technology benefits worship and communication in isolation, and you see saints actively serving others. Or not. I am sure that we all need some work in this area. With that in mind, I offer this plan: Pray about it! Read this verse to God and ask Him to help you obey it. Schedule prayer times throughout the day, alone and with others. Use technology together to pray with others. Don’t waste a phone call without praying for the person on the other end. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. I am praying for you. Pastor Don Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:12–17, ESV Even if you are still going to work or working from home, you and your family are likely spending a great deal more time together of late. This may be a bit challenging. When our routines are taken from us and we are forced to figure out how to deal with that loss together under one roof, our sanctification can be relationally tested. In Colossians 3:12-17, Paul has a message for this situation. He has told Christians that they need to “put off” the way of life that does not fit their status as alive in Christ and described that objectionable way of life in some detail (3:5-11). Now he tells them what they need to “put on”—a life befitting their status. What they need to put on are loving and peaceful relationships. And these loving and peaceful relationships have six defining features: Compassionate hearts—weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice as one who shares their sorrow and their joy. Kindness—simply doing good for the other person, whether they deserve it or not. Humility—living like a servant regardless of your official status. Meekness—being gentle and encouraging instead of bullish. Patience, bearing with one another—why Bible translators quit translating this as long-suffering, I will never understand. Carry the load, even when your loved one is the load! Forgiveness—Not holding the other one guilty in your eyes, just as God no longer counts you as guilty. These are six components to a peaceful and loving Christian “stay at home” family. Where they exist, something amazing happens. This family becomes a thankful family who worships around the Word of God and sings truth to one another. The loving and peaceful family becomes a worshipping family! It seems to me that very few of us have a perfect score by this measure. If your home, like mine, is not quite there yet, let’s make a pact. We will keep striving toward this goal and I will pray for you as you pray for me. Let’s be the church in prayer for all our families. May God give us Christian homes. Pastor Don If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Col 3:1–4, ESV.
I pray that the resurrection of Jesus is still ringing in your ears from Sunday. It seems like it never really stopped ringing in the ears of the apostle Paul! That is certainly true in the passage we are looking at today. In Colossians 3:1-4, Paul defines the Christian worldview as centered on resurrection life. A worldview is just what it sounds like. It is a way of looking at the world. We all see life through a filter of sorts. We may observe the same objects and events as other people, but our understanding of the fundamental truths that define reality shape how we think about what we observe. The next time the president makes a speech, watch a news report about it on CNN and then one on FOXNEWS. The difference? Worldview. What is the Christian worldview? It is a way of seeing the world in light of who we are in Christ. Paul sums it up for us: Who is a Christian? Christians are those who have been raised with Christ. As they place their faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, believers are granted new life. That new life is not the life of this fallen world. It is the life of the heavenlies. Christians are those who have experienced a spiritual resurrection—they are alive with Christ. What does a Christian seek? Christians seek the things above. Alive in Christ, they seek the things befitting their life in Him. Christians are heavenly minded because that is where Christ is. Living in Christ, Christians see life here as the pursuit of life there. That is why Jesus taught His followers to pray “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10). What will come of it? Someday, Jesus will return—Christ will appear. One of the things that will happen on that day is that His people will appear with Him, in glory. At the coming of Jesus, the true identity of every Christian will be made manifest. Dead or alive, they will receive a physical life befitting their spiritual life in Christ. This is worldview-altering truth! You, Christian, are living right now as one who is truly raised with Christ. You have not yet been physically changed but you have a new life that is hidden with Christ in God. So, you live in this world, here and now, in light of the fact you are alive in Him . . . and knowing that one day, when He returns, who you really are will be revealed. As He returns in glory, you will be glorified—your physical reality will match your spiritual reality. Above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God, there is no coronavirus, no social distancing, no economic fear! And you are alive there right now! Seek that life. Seek Christ. Look forward to the day of glory at His return. That is a Christian worldview—that is my prayer for you today! Pastor Don P.S. If you want to hear a Christian worldview analysis of current events, listen here: https://albertmohler.com/the-briefing. |
From Pastor DonWriting about the Bible and praying that it will be of some good for someone. Archives
June 2021
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