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Tag: Colossians

  • Captured by philosophy

    Captured by philosophy

    Series: Colossians (Part 4)

    “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ” (Col 2:8).

    According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, philosophy is “the study of basic ideas and knowledge, truth, right and wrong, and the nature and meaning of life.” Yet, philosophy is never neutral. Whether we know it or not, we all have a philosophy of life. It’s our mindset or worldview that informs how we understand ourselves, our problems and solutions. Our philosophy answers big questions like:

    Does God exist? How did everything begin? What’s wrong with the world? What’s the solution? Who am I? Why am I here? Am I living a good life? What happens when I die?

    Paul is not condemning philosophy. He himself was a gifted philosopher. But we must learn the difference between wise and worldly philosophy, between truth and clever deception.

    In Colossians 2, Paul warns the Colossians to watch out for the web of human ideas and experiences, crediting humanity, not God, with the answers to life’s questions and struggles. A worldly philosophy is built on a pagan worldview, rather than on a sound theology of life, anchored in Scripture and centred on Christ and the gospel.

    Wise philosophy is built on a God-centred worldview that understands life within the context of the Bible’s larger storyline: God’s creation, our fall into sin, His redemptive plan, and the ultimate consummation of all things. A Biblical, Christ-centred philosophy is the only antidote to plausible lies which threaten to deceive us.

    Rooted.

    When Jesus calls each of us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him as Lord, doesn’t it all seem so simple? “Just keep going, keep growing by knowing Jesus. Keep following his leadership and living for Him. Remain rooted and built up in Him.” We nod our heads at Paul’s instruction in Colossians 2:6-7:

    “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,  rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

    But somewhere on the Christian journey we find ourselves tempted to believe those who falsely claim to have life’s answers, whose self-made solutions are not connected with Christ, the head of the Church (Col 2:19).

    Captivated.

    If we are not walking in Christ, we are easily captivated by empty ideas, following the crowd instead of following Christ; building on traditional values instead of the real Jesus; listening to those who re-interpret the Bible to suit their preferences. We may be impressed by what Paul describes as “unspiritual minds puffed up with idle notions”, rather than trusting God’s Word to guide us in all matters (Col 2:18).

    Hollow philosophies depend either on past ideas on which a culture is based (“human tradition”), or on current ideas presented as self- evident truths which cannot be challenged (“elementary principles of this world”). These man-made theories disregard God and His Word. In the mid 20th century, the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer described a “world coming of age”– a new European civilisation that was learning to manage life without reference to God. We are living in that world.

    Consider the impact of atheism and Darwin’s theory of evolution on the minds of people in the West and some sectors of South Africa today. For many decades, only one worldview—a secular evolutionary worldview— has been taught in schools as if it were established fact proven by science. Evolution assumes that human life is a product of chance over millennia and has no inherent value or purpose. Moreover, social media and screens are accelerating ideas, beliefs and practices that are out of step with what God has revealed in the Bible. According to Barna Group research, 10% of Boomers have a Biblical worldview, as opposed to 7% of Gen X, 6% of Millenials; and only 4% of Gen Z.

    In 2019, a shocking survey revealed that 89% of 16-29 year olds in Britain believe that their lives are meaningless and without purpose. The statistics of hopelessness are similar in nearly all European countries. However, this should not come as a big surprise, because ideas have consequences. The web of an atheistic worldview leads to captivity, despair and death.

    Man-centred philosophy.

    Paul describes the mindset of false philosophers who were influencing the first century church. Noting these six red flags will equip us to recognise deceptive philosophers and their methods today:

    1. Their minds are fleshly and unspiritual, set on earthly things. They have no interest in eternal priorities (Col 2:18).
    2. They present a face of false ‘humility’. In their obsession with rules and regulations, they seek attention for themselves, not  God, proving their love of the world (Col 2:18, 23). They also compel and judge others for not following their rules (Col 2:16).
    3. They invent a self-made religion (Col 2:22-23). By adding extras to the gospel, they live in the shadows instead of the glorious reality of knowing Jesus Christ. Self-made religion always has the “appearance of wisdom”, but is “destined to perish”, since it depends on human taboos, not on Christ’s grace or the Spirit’s power to restrain evil in the human heart.
    4. They value amazing experiences, special visions and angelic beings more than the Word of God (Col 2:18). They base their faith on personal stories, rather than on knowing Christ through His Word, by His Spirit.
    5. They sound as if they know Christ very well, but in reality they have lost connection with “the Head” (Col 2:19).
    6. They live by do’s and don’ts, denying true Spirit-empowered transformation of the whole person (Col 2:22-23). They lure people into the captivity of rules and regulations.

    Dead to the world.

    Instead of living as people whom Christ has set free, Christians in Colossae were tempted to obey the world’s way of thinking and give in to the opinions of false teachers. They were being entangled by a web of deceit, instead of being transformed by renewing their minds in the gospel and Scripture. But Paul asks them a rhetorical question which we should ask ourselves regularly:

    “Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules?” (Col 2:20).

    Alive with Christ.

    Today we face a similar web of empty philosophies which undermine our identity, freedom and fullness in Christ. We need to remember that since we are now alive with Christ, we are both free to enjoy all that is good, as well as freed from having to run after anything that is not. Lest we forget, we are no longer bound to the world, as we no longer belong to the world. God has given us fullness in Christ (Col 2:13; 9). This is in stark contrast to the world’s empty deception.

    When systems of thought and practice claim to prescribe a cure for the human condition, they compete with Christ (Col 2:1-15), but God’s Word teaches a way of looking at life by which we can think biblically and evaluate information and actions correctly (Col 2:2-10; 2 Tim 3:16-17). If we sit under the Bible, we are able to think with discernment and clarity.

    Cultural traditions and current ideas are often presented as self-evident truths to help us build a better life, but in reality many are what Paul calls “fine sounding arguments” (Col 2:4), rooted in the “basic principles of this world” (Col 2:20), not in Christ. Spiritual wisdom comes from trusting in the fullness of Christ and living to please Him in everything.

    Christ-centred philosophy.

    As the antidote to man-centred philosophy, Paul gives Christians six solid truths to build a Christ-centred philosophy of life:

    1. In Christ, we know God intimately and have fellowship with Him. (Col 2:9-10)
    2. In Christ, we are truly alive, forgiven and fully accepted by God. There is nothing more to add and no more work to do (Col 2:13-14). We can simply rest in the gracious provision that already belongs to us.
    3. In Christ, we have everything we need for salvation and a godly life (Col 2:10).
    4. In Christ, sin no longer has mastery over us (Col 2:11). Our sinful way of life is dead and buried, while our new self has been raised with Christ through faith. Baptism is an outward picture of this internal reality, “Not a circumcision done by human hands, but circumcision done by Christ” (Col 2:11-12).
    5. In Christ, we have freedom from sin’s penalty, since He willingly bore our guilt and the punishment imposed by God’s law. The devil cannot accuse us again. The demands of the “written code” (God’s law) have been fully met by the only One who could meet its standard (Col 2:12-14).
    6. In Christ, all powers and authorities have been defeated (Col 2:15). The power of demons, human philosophies, evil forces and world systems have already been stripped away.

    See how Paul lays out these six truths which point to the fullness we have in Christ:

    For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. (Col 2:9-15).

    Fullness in Christ.

    To counter empty philosophies, we need to embrace our complete identity in Christ (Col 2:9-15). Simply believe that we are new creatures and live the new life that Christ gave us when we died and rose with Him! Our life is not about do’s and don’ts, but about living in a way that fits who we are now—dead to the basic principles of this world and alive to Christ.

    The NIV says that we have “fullness in Christ” (Col 2:10). Do we fully grasp this fullness? Fullness means that we do not need to borrow from the world’s bankrupt philosophies or chase after worldly principles. These are empty buckets and vanishing vapour. Rather, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another…” (Col 3:16).

    As we grow in the Christian faith, let us become more and more confident that, armed with Christ and His living Word, we have everything we need to know and please God in our lives. Instead of turning to a new program, policy, podcast, or personal experience, let us turn to a person– Jesus our Redeemer– who changes people’s hearts from the inside out. Let us pursue the wisdom, hope and assurance available in His perfect Word. A Christ-centred philosophy will fortify us against “fine sounding arguments” and plausible lies that ultimately steal, kill and destroy.

    Prayer

    Father, thank you that in Christ we have died to the elementary principles of the world and are truly alive and free to serve you. Thank you for making us complete in your beloved Son. Keep our minds fixed on the fullness of Jesus and help us to take every thought captive to obey Him. Help us to embrace our full identity in Christ every day of our lives—as saints in good standing with you; as sinners fighting our sinful desires and resting in your provision; and as sufferers who face hardships and trials with Christ. Give us your discernment and wisdom, so that we will not be deceived by lies nor taken captive by hollow philosophy, but will see truth and error clearly.

    In Jesus’ name, Amen.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Why our view of Christ matters.

    Why our view of Christ matters.

    Series: Colossians (part 3)

    John MacArthur writes, “The Church today desperately needs to embrace the message [of the sufficiency of Christ]. Christians today are consumed with the trials and troubles of life. They are caught up with difficulties and sorrows and anguish. And they are desperately looking for some great new secret, some higher spiritual level, some more effective relief than they think they have in Christ…There is no need for that. His grace is sufficient. Christianity is an all-sufficient relationship with an all-sufficient Christ”(Our Sufficiency in Christ, 263, 19).

    One of the main themes of Paul’s letter to the Colossians is the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ:

    15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 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. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 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. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:15-20)

    Ancient hymn, ancient heresy.

    In Colossians 1:15-20, Paul pens this ancient hymn as one of the strongest statements of who Jesus is. It asserts the deity and Lordship of Christ in response to heresies circulating in the first century Colossian Church. These ancient heresies still abound in subtle forms today, both outside and inside the church, especially in the age of false teachings coming through internet ministries. It suits Satan’s agenda to characterise Jesus as a mere man, one of many gods, or one of many intermediaries between man and God. Paul refutes these false views of Jesus in no uncertain terms.

    Let’s look at some of these ancient heresies and see how Paul keeps the focus on Christ’s supremacy throughout his letter:

    1. Heresy one: One must follow ceremonies, rituals, and restrictions to be saved or perfected.

    Paul’s answer: Salvation comes through a person, not a system. Christ is all you need to be saved and sustained through life. Christ is sufficient for salvation (Col 2:13,) as well as for daily living (Col 2:6, 10).

    Paul reasons, “Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules?”

    1. Heresy two: One must venerate angels and spiritual beings.

    Paul’s answer: Christ alone is worthy of worship. Christ already has victory and authority over all earthly, spiritual, and demonic powers. He is the head over all rule and authority, including unseen forces of darkness (Col 2:10, 15).

    “Having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

    1. Heresy three: Jesus could not be both human and divine at the same time.

    Paul’s answer: Christ is God in the flesh, the perfect God-man. He not only reflects God, but also reveals God to us. He is not merely a prophet, good teacher or miracle worker for us to imitate. He is fully God and fully man at the same time (Col 1:15,19).

    1. Heresy four: One must find ‘secret knowledge’ to live a successful Christian life. Only some have access to this special revelation.

    Paul’s answer: God’s secret is Christ, and He is an open secret! Christ has been revealed to everyone in the pages of Scripture. Paul warns the ordinary Christians in Colossae not to be deceived or deluded by those who claim ‘secret knowledge” or special powers from God. Instead, Paul offers Christians “full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments” (Col 2:2-4).

    1. Heresy five: One must combine human wisdom and philosophies with Christian doctrine.

    Paul’s answer: Christ is our sole source of wisdom and authority. Every word Christ speaks is fully truthful and reliable (Col 2:3, 8). Therefore, every word of worldly wisdom must be tested against the Bible and rejected if it does not line up. Christ’s Word is sufficient and authoritative for our lives and our local churches. If we build on anything other than Christ and His Word, we will be building on sinking sand.

    “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ” (Col 2:8). “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs…(Col 3:16).

    1. Heresy six: One should combine aspects of several religions and Christianity. After all, surely we can gain helpful insights from other religions?

    Paul’s answer: Only Christ deserves our worship. Christ is the sole source of wisdom and knowledge. He is not just one in a pantheon of gods. He is God Himself.

    1. Heresy seven: There are many intermediaries between God and people.

    Paul’s answer: Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man who accurately represents them both. He has reconciled us to God and other Christians through his work on the cross. Peace and reconciliation has been achieved by the blood of Christ (Col 1:20).

    Supremacy and syncretism.

    Like the Colossians, we too, live in a culture of syncretism, which is the mixing of incompatible religious ideas and philosophies. Like a Trojan horse, shallow, deceptive ideas have always wheedled their way into the church and practices of professing Christians. Paul is warning us of syncretism throughout the letter of Colossians.

    For example, I know professing Christians who are heavily influenced by New Age religion. They know that their lives are broken, but instead of trusting Christ in a fallen world, they run after mystical experiences and self-help to ease their suffering. They put more faith in modern psychology than in God and His Word.

    Some in the New Apostolic or Word-of-Faith movements are obsessed with supernatural power, “words of knowledge”, and dramatic manifestations of the Spirit. Others hold onto rituals and ceremonies, like lighting candles and mindlessly reciting prayers and incantations. Others try to twist God’s Word and smuggle unbiblical ideologies into the Church, undermining Christ’s authority over His body, of which He is the head.

    But Paul keeps the focus on Christ, the head of the body, the Church (Col 1:18). It is to Christ alone that we owe homage and obedience. Christ supplies all we need for salvation and sanctification. In Paul’s ancient hymn, the living Jesus is the Lord, who reflects and reveals God to us.

    Jesus is Lord.

    In his letters, Paul’s characteristic name for Jesus Christ is “Lord”, the Greek word used for YHWH, the covenant name of God in the Old Testament (Col 1:3, 10). The Lordship of Christ was the core belief of the earliest Christians. It was not a contentious title. The apostle John talks about Jesus as “God” at the start of his Gospel (John 1:18) and Thomas confesses Him as “my Lord and my God” at the end (John 20:28). Jesus himself affirmed his deity to Phillip, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

    Christ’s deity is the central foundation of Christianity. Jesus is not a mere man but Christ the Lord! Jesus, the incarnate Son, possesses the status of God and is also the express image of His being. As the “image of the invisible God”, Jesus reflects God, and reveals God to us. In using these words, Paul combines the Greek understanding of “image” with the Jewish understanding of YHWH.

    Jesus reflects and reveals God.

    Jewish people knew all about the invisible God, YHWH. They worshipped a God who was Lord of heaven and earth. The Gentiles, on the other hand, had images and statues of gods that they worshipped. But in Colossians 1:15-20, Paul declares that “Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God”.

    In other words, Jesus is the invisible God, who appeared in the world as a human being, dying a human death, rising from the grave, and ascending to heaven where He pleads for the salvation of those who have submitted to Him as Lord.

    Jesus Christ is equal to and identical with God the Father, performing works that only God can do. We were never supposed to do the miracles Jesus performed. He is fully God and fully man. He laid the foundations of the earth and continues to hold it together. Nothing can destroy our world apart from Christ’s own will.

    Unless the Lordship of Christ is our sincere confession, we cannot be a true Christian (1 Cor 12:3). Christ alone is worthy of our worship. He is Lord over every room of our house, every corner of our life, every thought, word and deed. He will not share the space with any other idea, power or person. He is either Lord of all, or not at all.

    Why our view of Christ matters.

    For Christians in Africa, our Christology (view of Christ) has many crucial implications. In African traditional religions, the ancestors protect mankind and carry our prayers to the Creator God. The spirits of the dead and ancestors are venerated, appeased and served as mediators. When we underplay Christ’s role in creation and redemption, Jesus becomes just one of many gods. When we fail to believe His power to fully protect believers from the influences of unseen powers of darkness, Jesus becomes just one of the ancestors and spirits to whom we must pay homage.

    This emasculated Jesus is part of creation, not Lord over it! He is not the Jesus of the Bible, who laid the foundation of the earth from the beginning and will roll it up like a garment (Heb 1:10-12). This weak Jesus is not the faithful protector of His people, the reconciler who brings peace and assures the ultimate overthrow of defeated powers of evil and darkness.

    Like the Colossians, we need to be reminded that God’s secret is Christ, who has been revealed to all (Col 1:15; 2:2, 18). It is not a system or religion. We need to see Jesus as the eternal Creator, Redeemer, Judge, and Lord of the cosmos, not just the saviour of one particular race or nation. He alone is supreme. There are no other intermediaries or go-betweens to connect us to God or each other. Like the Colossians, we need to reject all false and pathetic portrayals of Christ:

    For example, the casual hipster Jesus that Pastor Keven Zadai claims he saw playing the saxophone at the foot of his bed.

    Or the Jesus who emptied himself of his deity to show us how to be a modern miracle worker. Jesus didn’t do miracles because he was God, but to show us how to do them too, if we just believe we can. This is the Jesus invented by Bill Johnson of Bethel in “When heaven invades earth.” Or the new Age ‘spiritual’ Jesus, a mere man who attains spiritual enlightenment and God-consciousness. Or the Jesus that we sing about at church on Sunday, while we follow worldly philosophies the rest of the week.

    The Jesus of man’s invention is always a diminished Jesus. He is not the Christ of the Bible who saves and pardons us by His blood, the Lord of lords, before whom every knee will bow. He is not the risen King who disarmed and disgraced all authorities and powers, and is now “reconciling all things to himself, whether things on earth, or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Col 1:19-20, 2:15.)

    In keeping with the ancient hymn, let us revere Jesus as Lord. Let us lift our eyes to the ascended Christ and magnify Him for His uniqueness and supremacy as King of the cosmos, who is reconciling all things to Himself. Let us worship Him as the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, who made the world and is directing it towards its intended goal. Let us view Him as He is: “the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth, King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev 1:5). Our view of Christ matters.

  • How to pray for other Christians

    How to pray for other Christians

    Series: Colossians (Part 2) By Rosie Moore.

    When you pray for other Christians, what do you say? Have you ever felt that you don’t have the words to express yourself? Join the club! Sometimes the best I can come up with is, “Lord, please bless the whole family and keep them safe!”

    In our intercessory prayers, it’s easy to succumb to nebulous platitudes which lack original thought, or to resort to a litany of one “gimme” after another. One of the ways to avoid shallow and vague prayers is to pray Scripture back to God, allowing the Bible to guide us as we express our own thoughts and situations. If our prayers are based on Scripture, we can be assured that they will be pleasing to God. Today, let’s look at Paul’s prayer for the Colossian Christians in Colossians 1:3-12.

    Praying Scripture.

    In this prayer, Paul says that since he heard of their conversion, he and Timothy have prayed non-stop for the new Christians in Colossae. In his prayer, Paul gives us insight into what we should most desire and therefore ask for when we pray for our Christian family and friends. Paul provides five petitions which we can personalise as a model for our own prayers:

    3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

    9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:3-12).

    1. A prayer of thanks.

    Paul starts by expressing thanks to God for their faith and changed lives after responding to the gospel preached faithfully by Epaphras (Col 1:3, 12-14). He specifically mentions the Christians’ love for all the saints. Thanksgiving for the gospel and its transformative power in the life of a believer changes our perspective and sets the scene for other requests and petitions.

    Specifically, Paul thanks God, “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” for rescuing His people from one kingdom and transferring them to another. Divine rescue from the “domain of darkness” reminds us of the horrific danger that every lost person is in before God made us saints in the kingdom of his loving Son (Col 1:12-14). Paul is boasting in the Lord for redeeming a group of people who were totally incapable of rescuing themselves from a kingdom marked by fear, slavery and darkness. He is boasting in the cross.

    It’s important to start our prayers by expressing thanks to God for the cross, because we often drift into shortsighted, insular petitions that are focused on day-to-day problems and self-centred desires. A prayer of thanks lifts our eyes beyond the ceiling to see that the greatest privilege a believer enjoys is our deliverance from the slave market of sin by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus. We can never thank God enough for the gift of salvation and the blessings attached to our status as forgiven saints in Christ.

    In his prayer of thanksgiving, Paul is reminding the Colossians that they are now ruled by different values and priorities, since they have become heavenly citizens and co-heirs in God’s household. They are now people of light, not darkness.

    1. A prayer for knowledge.

    Next, Paul prays for his Christian friends to know God’s will and grow in spiritual wisdom and understanding (Col 1:9-10).

    Here, Paul is not praying for mere head knowledge, nor for some divine download or special revelation reserved for super-spiritual, elite Christians. Paul is praying for the faith and practice of ordinary Christians to be one and the same, for consistency between their creed and deed. He is praying for practical wisdom in those who know God. In verse 10, Paul prays for a knowledge of God that translates into four specific outcomes:

    • A life worthy of the Lord Jesus.
    • A life which pleases God in every way.
    • A life of good works and fruitfulness.
    • A life which is forever growing in personal relationship with God.

    This prayer teaches us that when we pray for Christian friends and family, we should pray that their knowledge of God would lead to sanctification and fruitfulness in their lives. After all, didn’t Christ say that righteous works are the supernatural fruit of genuine saving faith (Matt 7:16)? We are saved not by good works, but for good works. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:8-10).

    Paul expressed a desire that the Colossian Christians be deeply changed from the inside out, because he understood that the greatest good of the Christian life is not the absence of pain, but Christlikeness (1 Thess 5:23-24). In his book “The Discipline of Grace”, Jerry Bridges writes that this is the goal of sanctification:

    “The goal of sanctification is likeness to our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that we “are being transformed into his likeness”. In Romans 8:29, he said that God “predestined [all believers] to be conformed to the likeness of his Son”. Christlikeness is God’s goal for all who trust in Christ, and that should be our goal also. Both words, transformed and conformed, have a common root, form, meaning a pattern or a mould. “Being transformed” refers to the process; conformed refers to the finished product. Jesus is our pattern or mold. We are being transformed so that we will eventually be conformed to the likeness of Jesus.”

    If sanctification is God’s purpose and priority for our lives, we ought to pray for a Christian to embrace his complete identity in Christ in the rough and tumble of life. For no gap to arise between a believer’s talk and walk. For redeemed sinners to rest in God’s provision as they struggle against stubborn sins. For a believer to keep on repenting and keep on believing the gospel they first heard. For a brother or sister not to be a forgetful hearer of the Word, but an obedient doer of the Word (Matt 5:24-27; James 1:21-22.)

    In view of the many Christians living in habitual sin and the recent exposure of celebrity megachurch pastors, perhaps Christians ought to pray less for the “blessed” life and more for the “transformed” or “holy” life.

    1. A Prayer for power.

    In Colossians 1:11-12, Paul prays for God’s power to strengthen the Christians. Wouldn’t every Christian love to be struck by a lightning rod of God’s power? But again, notice the reason why Paul prays for divine power on their behalf.

    Divine power is not a means to personal gain, fame, and fortune. Nor is it an escape button or an excuse to “Let go and let God”. God’s power is needed so that the Colossian Christians would develop four character traits to live a fruitful Christian life:  Endurance and Patience, combined with Joy and Thanksgiving. Only the Holy Spirit who lives within and empowers us to become like Christ, can develop godly character where it is lacking in us. “The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do it” (1 Thess 5:23-24).

    1. A prayer for endurance and patience.

    Do you, like Paul, pray for the Holy Spirit to develop endurance in fellow Christians, particularly when they are facing adversity? (Col 1:11) Another word for endurance is perseverance. Perseverance produces proven character (Rom 5:3-5).

    Perseverance of the saints is an important doctrine. In Hebrews 12:1, the writer instructs believers to get rid of everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles, to run the race of faith with perseverance. Mature believers are characterized by perseverance (Titus 2:2) which is demonstrated in doing good and in prayer (Rom 2:5-8; Eph 6:18). When speaking about endurance and patience, the Bible uses words like discipline, strive, work out, train, flee and pursue (Luke 13:24; Phil 2:12; 1 Tim 4:7; 2 Tim 2:22). The Christian life is not a passive ride. It requires great endurance.

    And so, when we pray for each another, we need to ask God for the power and patience to endure. As sinners, we are prone to look for the easy way out, and our unredeemed flesh is attracted to simplistic formulas for instant godliness such as “Just let Jesus take control”. These formulas fail because they promise victory apart from the daily grind of self-discipline, which produces endurance over a lifetime. There are no shortcuts to spiritual maturity. It requires Spirit-empowered endurance and patience.

    Patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-23), not a virtue that comes naturally to most of us. We are commanded to learn patience (1 Thess 5:14; Psalm 37:7; James 5:7-8), as it pleases God (1 Peter 2:18-20). Paul says that we are to be “joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer” (Rom 12:12). In a world of instant gratification, we need to pray for patient endurance to grow in one another.

    1. A prayer for joy and gratitude.

    “…being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 

     Do you pray for fellow Christians to have joyful, thankful hearts, regardless of their circumstances? A joyful heart is a gift from God, not something we can muster up on our own (Gal 5:22). It is a joy energized by the Holy Spirit (1 Thess 1:6). This is the kind of happiness that is not dampened by suffering or hard circumstances (Habakkuk 3:17-18; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:3-9).  And if Paul is anything to go by, this kind of joy is the fruit of investing in the lives of others (Phil 2:1-18).

    It is only the Holy Spirit who can empower us to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 2:17-18; 3:1; 4:4; Psalm 32:11).

    And so, like Paul, let’s pray for one another without ceasing (Col 1:9), using the deep prayers in Scripture to guide us in our requests. Paul’s prayer in Colossians chapter 1 is a God-given template for this purpose. Let’s remind ourselves that we are nothing and can accomplish nothing without prayer. It is also the greatest gift we can give one another.

    “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstance; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess 5:16-18).