1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
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 God’s people— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 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.
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and 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, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 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.
I prefer to leave things better than I found them for two reasons. First, I want to feel like I accomplished something, and second, I spend time thinking about the future. Whenever I buy something, I want to ensure that I don't have to make another purchase immediately if I grow. For example, when we purchased a new audio mixer for the church, even though we use about 20 inputs or less, I selected a 32-input mixer because I was thinking about future expansion. We have three cameras connected to the video mixer; I chose a video system that supports eight cameras because I was thinking about the future. I try to take that kind of approach to everything I am involved in, don't just plan for what we need now, plan for what we need in the future.
We all make plans, and even if we assume nothing will change or stay the same, we plan for the future.
When he wrote this letter to the church, Paul was planning for the future in Colossians.
Based on the first verse, some scholars think that Paul and Timothy wrote this book together. Paul did not start the church in Colossae, modern-day Turkey; Epaphras did. However, Paul had a close connection to the church, which is why he wrote a letter to them. Paul is an apostle, meaning someone sent out, and he is writing to the saints, which means someone set apart for holiness.
Paul wants to tell the Colossians how they are supposed to operate as a church; he is thankful for them and prays for them regularly.
The problem is that people are spreading false teaching around the area, telling the people that they missed the resurrection and there will not be another one.
In the apostle Paul's prayer for the Colossians, he asks that they "may be filled with the knowledge of God's will" so that they "may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work" (1:9-10).
We have to be able to pray for more things than just asking God to fix something; we can pray as a form of thanksgiving, we can pray just to be in the presence of the Lord, and we can do more than just bring our petitions to God.
Paul does not long for "the good old days." He is not fixated on the past. He does not ruminate on what happened last week, month, or year. Instead, he looks to the future, praying that the followers of Christ in Colossae will be equipped to face the challenges. He wants them to continue to be filled "with the knowledge of God's will." He prays that they "may lead lives worthy of the Lord." And he hopes they will "bear fruit in every good work."
Paul is creating a ministry for the future based on the conviction that decisions should be made today with an eye toward people's needs tomorrow.
Paul's prayers for the Colossians invoke the three theological virtues of faith, which initiates and sustains their friendship with Christ, love, which guides the ordinary life of the congregation, and hope, which directs them to their ultimate end in Christ.[1]
So why are so many Christians reluctant to pray? For some, the reluctance results from experiencing persons who use prayer to portray themselves as "holier than thou." After all, Jesus warned against the hypocrites who prayed publicly to bring attention to themselves. Others may fear imposing their spiritual practices on friends and family members who may not believe as they do. Some view prayer as a quaint and outdated display of personal piety that more "mature" Christians have outgrown.[2]
Either way, we must pray and keep praying.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 New King James Version (NKJV)
17 pray without ceasing,
Philippians 4:6-7 New King James Version (NKJV)
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Holy people are missional people.
Paul prays they may "be filled with the knowledge of God's will." This is not philosophical knowledge; but instead, it is practical knowledge. This wisdom is "the ability to choose right conduct," says New Testament scholar Andrew Lincoln;
At the same time, we are challenged to "bear fruit in every good work" (v. 10). This means following Paul's guidance to the Colossians in showing each other "compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience." It means bearing with one another, forgiving each other, and — most of all — practicing love, "which binds everything together in perfect harmony" (3:12-14).
Paul doesn't want us simply to talk the talk. He wants us to walk the walk. That means you honor your marriage commitment, care for the children in your family and the wider community, try to see God's image in people with a different point of view, and then work together for the common good.
That's the kind of ministry that will make for a better future. Ministry is based on the right conduct, grounded in wisdom with an ethical dimension.
So, where are we going from here? We need to make decisions as a church not just for Sunday but for the years to come, even if we don't think we will still be around during that time.
Christ redeemed us.
[1] Gaventa, Beverly Roberts. The New Interpreter's Bible One-Volume Commentary . Abingdon Press. Kindle Edition.
[2] Bartlett, David L.; Barbara Brown Taylor. Feasting on the Word: Year C, Volume 3: Pentecost and Season after Pentecost 1 (Propers 3-16) . Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition.