Living Wholeheartedly Today

A friend of mine sent me this quote by Charles Spurgeon yesterday, "We have no other time in which to live.  The past is gone; the future has not arrived; we never shall have any time but time present. Endeavour now to bring forth fruit. Serve God now. Do not fritter away your life in thinking of what you intend to do tomorrow as if that could recompense for the idleness of today. No man ever served God by doing things tomorrow. If we honour Christ and are blessed, it is by the thing which we do today. Do not give Christ a little slurred labour; but when you do serve Him, do it with heart, and soul, and strength."

It's so easy for me to think of the future, to think of what I want to do down the road. I so often desire to be in the future rather then in the present, but then I remember I'm exactly where I wished I was 2 years ago. I'm in the future of my past and now I'm wishing for something else.

I don't want this to be true of me anymore. I want to live today serving God wholeheartedly where I am. I don't want to look back in a year or two and be thinking of time that I wasted. Time that I frittered away thinking of the future. Let us us honor Christ in all that we do today and at this very moment. Let us serve God today with our whole heart, our whole soul and all the strength we can muster! Let's go to bed tonight tired from serving God wholeheartedly today.

Tempted to Complain? (Two truths to remember)

This morning, I awoke to a calm after a storm. Hurricane Sandy came through Maryland last night and did some damage. Not as much as expected, but still caused some inconveniences such as roads being closed, basements being flooded, power outages, lack of sleep.

After about 5 hours of sleep and a shower, I headed out to the local Starbucks to start prepping for two bible studies I will be leading in the next two days. So after I got my cup of coffee, I opened up my bible to Philippians 2. 

Verse 14, “Do all things without grumbling or questioning,”

It was like a slap to my face, like a bucket of ice cold water being dumped on my head. I have constantly been tempted the last few months to grumble/complain about or question my circumstances. And not only have I been tempted, but I have been complaining and questioning my circumstances. Then last night happened, and I got minimal sleep and spent hours making making sure two basements didn’t flood. I complained this morning in my heart and started complaining even more this afternoon as I sat down in Starbucks trying to work and study without my eyes shutting. But then I read this verse and took a punch to the gut. I have no place to complain or grumble at all. Ever.

I have every reason to be happy, content and satisfied in my dear Lord this morning. And even though there are some inconveniences here and there. I’d still have every reason to be happy, content and satisfied in the Lord this morning.  There is a single truth that cannot change about me: I am a Son of God and this does not change based on how I feel or change because of circumstances. I am a Son of God because my faith is in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

Philippians 2:5-8, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

This is the reason we are to do everything without grumbling or complaining. . If Jesus didn’t grumble and complain about becoming a man and dying a death he didn’t deserve. Then I have no right to question or complain about anything.

Although this is the primary reason, Paul also gives us another reason to do everything without grumbling or questioning. Verses 14-15 together say, “Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”

We live in a crooked and twisted generation. And when we grumble or complain, we are just going with the flow of this world. Let us shine as lights in the world.

So, today, tomorrow and the every day to follow let us remember these two truths no matter your circumstance and no matter how you feel:

Remember the truth of the gospel.  

Remember we are representing Jesus Christ. 

Let us fight to live in a way that we can say what Paul did in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ."

Can Someone Be a Believer and Not Read God's Word?

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A few years ago, I went through a period of really doubting God and my faith. I had a lot of questions about what I believed. One of the biggest ones was: How do I know the Bible is reliable and real?

I’ve included a few resources on the bottom of this post that were very helpful to me in helping me gain a understanding and trust in God’s Word. But to be honest, the biggest way I’ve gained faith in God’s Word is by diving into it and studying it for myself! I remember two years ago, I hardly had any desire or hunger for God’s Word. I’d grown up reading it, but I did this more out of duty and because my parents told me too.

Two years ago, when I started walking in the light (See my last post), I was a part of a small group led by a man with a passion and knowledge of God’s Word that I so desperately wanted. Tonight as I write this, I can say with 100% honesty that God has been faithful in giving me that passion for His Word.

The other night in a small group I was leading, one of the guys in my group asked the following question, “Can a person be a believer and not read God’s Word?”  

This of course started a pretty long conversation with a lot of thoughts that were thrown out. But I truly believe this question can be answered by realizing who we have become when we place our faith in Christ's death and resurrection. If God has cleansed us with Jesus’ blood, if we are living in the good of what He has done for us, we are going to have some type of desire for God’s Word. Even when I didn’t have a complete hunger, desire and awe for God’s Word, I knew that God’s Word was written for my good and I recognized that I needed it more.

Ezekiel 36:25-27 says, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.  And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”(ESV)

When this was written, it was a promise of what was to come. It was a foreshadowing of when Jesus was going to die on the cross and atone for our sins. It's saying when we put our faith in the blood of Jesus, we are then cleansed. Then look at what it says God will do, “I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” You literally are getting a new heart at conversion. This new heart knows what is from God and has discernment as to what is from the world. Not only do we receive a new heart, we now have a new spirit that causes us to walk in God’s ways. So to answer the question, “Can we a believer and not read God’s Word?”

Yes and no. Yes, if you have no access to it. A lot of believers don’t have God’s Word in their languages, but they would give a lot to get it. But no, if you do have access to it. Because you are going to have some sort of desire for it. You may not have a deep burning passion to study it for hours each day, but you’ve been given a new heart.  Therefore you know that the Word of God is one of the biggest means for you as a believer to know Him.

I want to challenge you. Don’t take God’s Word for granted. Most of us have 5 copies in 5 different translations on our shelves and read it because it’s what a believer is suppose to do. That's what I did for a long time. When I saw my small group leader’s passion and desire for God’s Word and was jealous of it. I started praying every morning for that same kind of passion and desire. I cried out to Him every morning to give me a hunger, to show me new things, to make me fall in love with His Word. And after about two weeks of doing this every morning, God answered that prayer. The last two years, God has taught me so much through His Word and I can’t go a day without opening it and God revealing Himself to me.

If you currently have no desire or hunger for God’s Word, if you currently look at it as a check box on your daily list of things to do. Stop for a second and consider what you are holding in your hands. It is the Word of God. God has revealed himself to us and we now have access to growing in our understanding and knowledge of Him.

I think the most important thing we need to understand is that the Word of God is one of the most vital ways for us as believers to deepen our relationship with God. It is the key for us as believers to be able to understand how God has called us to live in this life. It is the way we as believers can understand and gain a greater image of just how great the God we really are serving. Dive into God’s Word and find satisfaction that is not found in this world.

A couple resources that have served me immensely in doubting God's Word a couple years ago:

1) “The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?” by F.F. Bruce.

http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Testament-Documents-Reliable/dp/0802822193/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348004806&sr=8-1&keywords=are+the+new+testament+documents+reliable

2) MP3 “Can We Trust Our Bibles?” by Peter Williams

http://sgm.edgeboss.net/download/sgm/next/2011/next2011.s3-williams.mp3

Pornography: Addiction? (My Testimony of God's Power)

Note: I talk about how God  helped me overcome an addiction to pornography. But the reality is, you can substitute any sin you struggle with into this story. Pornography is something that affects so many in my generation, but if it's another sin for you, I just want you to see the power of Christ. Any battle with sin is able to be won through Jesus' death and resurrection. It’s not a lost battle, don’t give up, press on!

I grew up in church. My dad became a pastor the year I was born and I was homeschooled through my sophomore year in high school. In my junior year I started going to a private school in the basement of my church.

I always put on a good front and looked like I was doing well. But inside, there was always a deep shame. I went through all the hand motions, raised my hands in worship, read my bible for 5-10 minutes in the morning, went to church every Sunday. But never really had a deep passion or love for God.

During my 10^th grade year of high school, I broke my femur bone into 3 pieces. During that crisis I learned what it truly meant to cry out to God in a time of need. But once I recovered and got back to hanging with my friends, God once again fell to the background and I was back to the hand motions.

During my junior year I started deceiving my parents on a consistent basis. I was constantly lying to them. Not only that, in the middle of that year I got addicted to pornography. I was entrenched, I couldn’t get out and it became a habit for the next 2-3 years. I didn’t let anyone know, I constantly was living in a deep inward shame, and I was believing two lies:

1) “I’m the only guy around here that struggles with this sin.”

2) “My parents, pastors and friends are all going to look down on me for this sin.”

Let me just say, those are both the complete opposite of the truth and pretty stupid looking back. First, no matter what sin you are currently fighting; you are not the only one struggling with it. This is very clear in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.”(ESV)

Secondly if your parents, pastors and friends are disciples of Christ, they will respect you for confessing. Because you are following God’s commands to walk in the light. 1 John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”(ESV)

About 2 years ago after my freshman year in college, I confessed all my sins to my dad and good friend. The inward shame that I had been experiencing for so long was immediately lifted. I was now obeying what God has called me to as a disciple of Christ. It definitely wasn't easy to confess and wasn't an easy path to overcome. But there was freedom in confessing and having other people know your darkness. It hasn’t been a perfect road since I confessed  2 years ago. The temptation doesn’t immediately stop. (If it does for you, teach me your ways!) But God’s grace is there. If I'm struggling with lust in any way I now have my go to friends that I can call up. They point me back to the truth about God and His Word.

The same month of my confession, I asked the Lord to give me a hunger and thirst for His Word and help me to understand what He is calling me to as His disciple. God has been so faithful to answer that prayer! Each day, His Word becomes sweeter and sweeter and he shows me new things about himself and about myself. It takes a constant feeding of God’s Word and prayer to be able to fight sin.

I want to share with you just a few verses that God has used to help me fight this sin of lust.

1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit.”

What hit me here were these three words, “Christ also suffered.” What? Why would Christ suffer for me? Didn’t he create me? Why would he want to bring this filthy sinner to Him? And this is when I really wanted to know who Jesus really was. I wanted to find scriptures that told me about Him. So I opened up to another passage and it was Colossians 1. Read this,

Colossians 1:15-20, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” (ESV)

So Jesus is the creator of this world. And he came down here to die for my sins. I had always known that, but Colossians hit me in a fresh way. I wanted to understand even more, and that’s when God took me to Revelations 4 and 5. We get a glimpse of the type of worship that Jesus was encountering on a eternal basis from the angels and seraphim.

-“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (4:8)

-“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (4:11)

-“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” (5:9)

Jesus was being worshiped 24/7 by the angels, seraphims and heavenly beings and he left that worship to come down amongst sinful man. This also hit me in a new way, why would he do that? It's simple yet not humanly comprehensible, it's because of his grace and love. 

I went back to 1 Peter and read the verse again and now the last sentence hit me when I read we are not only put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit. What? So I how could I stop looking at these pornographic images? How could I fight my lustful desires. Because I am a new creation through faith in the death and Resurrection of Jesus and now am able to fight sin with the Power of the Holy Spirit..

Romans 8:11, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

The same Spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is the same Spirit that helped me overcome this addiction and sin. And is the same Spirit that wants to help you overcome the sin that you are currently fighting on a daily basis.

The last passage of scripture that hit me hard was Colossians 3. Because it’s not only clear that we are new creations and therefore must put off the old self and put on the new self. It tells us why. The last 3 words of verse 15 says, “And be thankful.” This is why we seek to kill our sin and fight it. Not because it earns our salvation, but because we realize just how much Jesus went through to die on that cross for our sins. It’s out of gratefulness in my heart for what Jesus went through for me that I’m seeking to kill this lustful sin on a daily basis. It’s out of gratefulness in my heart for what Jesus did on the cross for me that I’m seeking to live a life of speech and conduct in a way that honors God. 

When we are constantly giving into sin of any kind and not trying to fight it. We are making a statement that we are not grateful for what Jesus did on the cross. We'd rather have this momentary pleasure then having eternal pleasure in Jesus.

I have a lot more I could say and share, but right now have the absolute privilege to work in the public schools. One of the highlights for me is getting to lead a weekly bible study where we just study the truth of scripture and come together. Not only have multiple guys come to me struggling with pornography. I’ve had multiple girls struggling with the same thing. God wants to give freedom to you today if you are battling any hidden sin. He wants you to experience the grace that he offers. I want each person who daily bears the burden of hidden sin to experience the joy and hope I’ve experienced from opening up my life to others. God will bless you immensely with a new hope and joy that you have not experienced in a while. Earlier I shared 1 John 1:7. Two verses later in verse 9 it says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  (ESV)

Come find forgiveness and cleansing in the blood of Jesus!

It's a Command, Not a Calling

What am I suppose to do? Where am I to go next in life? What’s the next step?

These types of questions have often dominated my thinking and thoughts over the last few years and I know it is common to most human beings. I believe though that most of the times, we are not thinking the right way, these types of questions often turn in to self-centeredness. It makes life about ourselves and what we can get next. It turns into questions such as, “What am I suppose to do next so that I can get more money, so that I can buy a house, and get the next awesome Apple product?”

I’ve caught myself thinking in this fashion on multiple occasions.  I’ve often had to re-direct my thoughts back to the truth of scripture and what God has called me to as a believer. Over the past month, I’ve read “Kisses From Katie” by missionary Katie Davis. I participated in Local Missions for a week. I’ve lead around 10 bible studies with hundreds of unbelievers. I’ve had multiple teens come to me confessing that they are addicted to pornography, drugs, or alcohol. All of this leading me to once again be awakened to the utter destitution and lostness that surrounds me in this world.

It reminded me of not my calling as a disciple of Christ, but of my command as a disciple of Christ. Matthew 28:19, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” There is no calling involved here. If you are a disciple of Christ, you are commanded by our heavenly Father to “go and make disciples” not only of your county, but of “all nations.”  People can often say, “There is plenty of work to be done here where I live in the United States.” But isn’t that often used as an excuse. What are you actually doing to share the gospel and help those in need around you? Would you be willing to go spend the rest of your life somewhere in a third world country for the sake of the gospel?

I am commanded as a believer. I am commanded because I am a recipient of God’s saving grace. And because I'm grateful in my heart that Jesus would leave his throne on high and die for me sins on that cross. I want to strive to be faithful to obey the command of my Lord. I know that I am going to fail to live according to what God has commanded me too at times. But we have the promise that, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful.” (2 Timothy 1:13 ESV)

Shouldn’t we strive to be like the early disciples in Acts 2:45, “And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.” I want my faith to be so bold that I will give my meager amount of money and possessions to those in need. I want my faith to be so bold, that I will show love to the sickest people and have faith God will keep me healthy. I truly want this desolate and dying world to experience the hope and love I’ve experienced from my Lord and Savior.

I want to start small and pray God uses my deeds to glorify His name in huge ways. I want to love one needy or sick person at a time and pour out love on them in my county. It doesn’t have to be anything big, but showing love to those in need and praying God works in mightier ways.

Luke 14:33, “So therefore, any of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” Have I renounced all that I have? Seven verse before in Luke 14:26, it says, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple."

God is after a heart that recognizes everything comes from the Lord and therefore is willing to give everything up for the Lord. God wants us to be so confident in His love and control over our lives that we would be willing to forsake everyone and everything dear to us if that’s what it takes to bring Him glory. So are you willing to obey God's command to "go and make disciples of all nations?" Even if this messes up what you want in life. Think about it. Pray about it. And ask God to help you obey Him, not your fleshly desires.

Local Missions: Is there something wrong with the way we are living?

I want to say my experience this past week at doing “local missions” was exactly what I expected. But honestly, what I experienced was not what I imagined in the least bit.  I need to start this post off by saying; I was completely oblivious to what was 5 minutes from my house. I knew there was poverty in my county. I knew that people were in bad circumstances. But, I had no idea that there were whole communities like the one we served. I had the privilege of leading a team of 20 youth to serve the kids of the Washington Square HOC community.  HOC stands for “Housing Opportunity Commission.” After a little research, there are 26 different HOC communities throughout Montgomery County.

So for one week, we had the privilege of serving this one HOC site.  The atmosphere felt so similar to an atmosphere I’ve experienced before. It felt exactly like the orphanage I’ve been privileged to serve on multiple occasions in Mexico. Most of these kids are just as neglected as the orphans in Mexico and need just as much love poured out on them. Yet, as I’ve thought about it for the past few days, most of these kids are in even greater need then the Orphans in Mexico.

While these kids have a house to live in, they are often without food, often surrounded by parents that are either drug addicts, alcoholics, or abusive, and they are not shown love at all.  What’s different in the orphanage in Mexico is the fact that a staff that loves the Lord surround the orphans on a daily basis. Most of these kids in these HOC communities have never experienced the love of Jesus.

So for a whole week, we had the privilege of pouring out the love of Jesus on 38 kids at Washington Square. We hung out with them for hours each day, playing kickball, four square, basketball, football, going on nature hikes, going to see a concert. And then each afternoon we headed over to the park to do “joy camp.” Because a storm destroyed the park that the Emory Grove HOC community would typically use, the team of youth would bring their 25 kids over to our park and we would do camp together.

Joy Camp consisted of crafts, games, skits, teaching a lesson and memorizing Hebrews 12:1-2 together. For two hours each afternoon for five straight days, we taught around 60-65 kids about Jesus. We taught them how we are sinful and need a Savior and that Jesus has authority over everything and therefore can help us in any situation of life. One of the highlights for me was having the kids memorize Hebrews 12:1-2 together with hand motions. We practiced it over and over again, making sure we had it down.

On Friday night, we threw a cookout for the community. The kids brought a lot of their parents and other people showed up for hot dogs and some games. An awesome moment happened when the kids performed/shared the verse for all the people who came that night. They not only memorized the verse, but they shared the gospel with a hundred or so people that came to the cookout that evening.  

Now, while one week of constant camp is an awesome experience for those kids. I have a concern that we would hurt them more then help them if we were not to follow up with ongoing ministry. I’m excited about leading a team over there each week for the rest of this year to show them Jesus’ love, but I think there is even more that we can do. We have 26 communities like these in Montgomery County, with multiple other poor communities that aren’t even classified as HOC. God calls us to serve the poor and bless them. We have been blessed immensely, shouldn’t we be seeking to serve those in need around us? A few scriptures that came to my mind are below:

Matthew 19:21, “Jesus said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’” (Mark 10:21 and Luke 18:22 say the same thing)

Matthew 16:25, “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

James 1:27, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this; to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

            These children and these communities need Jesus love poured out on them. They need grandparents, men, women, boys and girls that have experienced the grace of God to come and bless them. It could be in small ways such as hanging out with them once a week, or in bigger ways like spending Christmas morning with them. I don’t know, God will make it clear in which ways we can continue to bless and show the love of Jesus to them. But, I think we all need to re-evaluate the way we are living our lives day to day. We need to seek God and see if He is calling us to something more. He not only is calling you as his son and daughter, he is commanding you as his son and daughter to go and make disciples.

 There is something terribly wrong with the picture of us living five minutes from these communities in the comfort of our homes and 3 cooked meals a day and not doing anything about helping those in need.

 I want to end this with the familiar verses of Philippians 2. I think it will serve as a good reminder that we are followin in Jesus’ footsteps. It’s his example and it’s his death that even enables us to serve those in need.

Philippians 2:4-8, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Let us stop living for ourselves and look for ways to be servants and serve those in need. Starting with our communities and then overflowing into the world. For Jesus last command to us was “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”

Let’s continue to seek hard after the Lord and ask Him what He wants us to do to spread his kingdom where we live.

Colossians 1:1-14 (Prayer)

So I’ve really missed writing things for this blog. As much as I have been enjoying putting 2-3 bible studies together a week, there’s nothing like sitting down, opening the Bible and having a blank document open to write your thoughts out on.  Now, I truly believe Colossians has been the most instrumental book in shaping my Christian walk over the last 2 years. God has really spoken to me through it. As I’ve talked to numerous people on different occasions about this, they always ask the question, “why?” I’ll try to give them a brief 60-second recap of the book, but I just can’t give it justice. So my desire is to slowly make my way through the book of Colossians and write out why it’s been so crucial to my walk with Christ. The goal is to try and flesh out my thoughts on why Colossians has been key to my walk in Christ. The key word here is “try.” I’m no scholar, just a 20-year-old guy trying to live a life that brings honor to my Lord and Savior.

Colossians 1:1-14

Take some time to read it before diving into what I have to say.

A quick background of the Colossians church: The book of Colossians was written around 60-61 A.D. by Paul; and was written to the church of Colossae. The church was dealing with a lot of false worship (Colossians 2:18, and 2:20).  Paul is trying to draw their attention back to the truth of the gospel through this letter. He wants them to understand they cannot add to their salvation by worshipping anything else.

So how does the book of Colossians really apply to our Christian walk? In this first chapter, Paul draws the attention to prayer and who Jesus really is. He starts out by calling the members of the church “saints and faithful brothers” (vs 2). He wants to encourage them in the beginning even though he is writing to correct them. He knows they still love the Lord, they just need to be challenged in their thinking. That’s when we get to verse 3 and we find now Paul’s train of thought.

1) Paul is thankful (Verse 3-8)

In verse 3, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.” So we see here again that Paul is starting off his letter not with correction or a to-do list, but by telling them “we always thank God” for you! This has challenged me in the way I pray. I can so easily drift straight into praying for myself or things I want. Even when I pray for other people, I don’t usually start by thanking the Lord for them! But yet, all of us have friends that are blessings! Let us follow Paul’s example of always thanking God first and foremost when we pray for each other.

The thing here though, is why does Paul always thank God for them always first and foremost? We find the answer in verses 4-7, “we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus” (Vs 4). “Because of the hope laid up for you in heaven” (Vs 4) “You have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing” (Vs5-6).  We clearly see through these verses that Paul has heard of their faith in the gospel and the gospel advancement work they are doing. Even though Paul knows they are struggling with false worship in ways, He doesn’t want to start off by correcting them. But rather through encouraging them by bringing to the forefront of their minds the good fruit that is coming from their ministry.

2) Paul prays for their lives (Verse 9-11)

In Verse 9 Paul writes, “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you…” So just like Paul tells the church they are always thanking God for them, he also wants to let the church know he is also praying for them in 4 different ways.

Before I dive into what the 4 different ways are though, we have to understand here that Paul knows the Colossian church had a solid and firm grasp of the gospel.  That this was their motivation in all that they did. They had received a “hope laid up for you in heaven” (Vs. 5) And because they had received this, Paul is laying out for them what it means to live their lives in a way that glorifies the Lord.

First, Paul prays, “that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Vs 9). This is the first thing Paul prays for because it is crucial that that believers understand what the Lord’s desires are for us. We must understand what God is teaching us through His Word to have “spiritual wisdom and understanding.” There is no excuse for being ignorant as to what God is calling us Christians too. For it is all laid out clearly in His Word.

Secondly, He prays, “to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him” (Vs. 10). Paul understands if the Colossians have an understanding of what the Lord’s will is for them, they will understand what it means to live a life “fully pleasing to him.” We must first understand God’s will through His Word to understand the way God is calling us to walk.

He then prays, “bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Vs 10) Paul wants them to understand that they will be living a life that is “fully pleasing” to God if they are bearing fruit in their actions and gaining knowledge of God. So as we seek God’s Word to find his will for our lives and we put this into practice, we will be “bearing fruit” and “increasing in knowledge.”

Lastly, Paul prays, “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might” (Vs 11). Paul is reminding them through this prayer that they are strengthened through the Holy Spirit. He wants them to be constantly remembering they do not have to do any of this on their own. God is going to help them with “endurance and patience with joy” (Vs 11).

So it is key to see how these four things work together. They first must understand God’s will in order to live a life that honors the Lord. And as they seek to honor the Lord and live a life that pleases Him, they are going to bear fruit and increase in knowledge. But, Paul wants them to remember it is not always going to be easy, so he is reminding them that it is through God’s power and strength that they will be able to endure!

3) Paul points their attention to the Father (Vs 12-14)

So Paul follows up praying they may be strengthened with God’s power by saying, “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

So Paul starts with thanking the Lord and ends with thanking the Lord. This is crucial to see. Paul realizes the only reason any of the life he is living in verses 9-11 is possible because of Jesus death on the Cross. He starts by thanking the Lord for the Colossian church and ends by thanking the Lord for his glorious gospel that allows not only Him, but the entire Colossian church to have eternal life. It is the “Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints.” Praise God that this can still be true of us today. For it clearly says in John 3:36, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on Him.”