Plainly Speaking
 with Karl J. Forehand

 

 

A Prayer for the Small Church

(Colossians 1:9-14)

by Karl J. Forehand

 

  Colosse was probably the smallest church that Paul wrote.  It was once a thriving trade town, with traders from the east and the west passing though.  When the trade route was altered, the town dwindled.  The church there was so small that it met in a home.  Yet Paul wrote two letters to this tiny church (can you name the other one?)

 

  Ron Klassen says, “Perhaps the most famous Christian of the day took time to write what many scholars consider to be one of the most eloquent of his letters.”  That tells us that Paul value the small church.   Rural ministry can often be frustrating because it is real “face-to-face” ministry.  You can’t get away from people – you have to deal with them.  But, that is also the blessing – we get to more real ministry – we have more real challenges. 

 

  The pastor at Colosse was an unknown.  He might have studied at Ephesus. His name was Epaphras.  Epaphras went to Rome to visit Paul and share the problem of heretical teaching with Paul.  The heresy was a mixture of Jewish legalism and Eastern mysticism, which later became known as gnosticism.  Colossians is Paul’s answer to Epaphras’s visit.   

 

  Colossians has been described as a “Full length portrait of Jesus Christ.”  Although there are some instructions in Colossians, it’s main focus is spiritual understanding.  A one-word challenge might be “Understand what you’ve got.” 

 

                                    Paul’s Prayer for the Small Church

 

1.  Spiritual Understanding

 

For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,  (Colossians 1:9)

 

   Since Paul first heard of their conversion, he had been praying (continually) that they would come to have spiritual understanding.

 

   A knowledge of His will.  This type of knowledge is not just head knowledge.  It is described as a “full knowledge.”  It is the type of knowledge that makes a difference in how you act.  We would say someone has this type of knowledge if they actually do what they know.  It is participating in the thing that you know about. 

 

  In Wisdom.  Of course, wisdom is what we learn when we act.  When we do the thing we know to do, then we gain wisdom.  In other words, wisdom is knowledge applied. 

 

  In Understanding.   Understanding is what you learn when you struggle.  It how you evaluate the things that happen around you.  When you scrape you knee, how you evaluate the incident is understanding.  Of course, we can have right and wrong understanding of things. 

 

  Filled with…   Paul also stressed that they be filled with this knowledge.  To be filled with means to be controlled by.  To be filled with the Spirit is to be controlled by the Spirit.  We sometimes are said to be filled with anger or jealousy or joy. 

 

  Why should we be filled with a knowledge that is the kind that produces action and wisdom and understand? 

 

                                                            So that you may…

 

2.  Walk in a worthy manner

 

so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously  (Colossians 1:10-11)

 

  There has to be a connection between learning and living.  But, living out the word of God is not just what we do for Him.  There is a misconception.

 

  We do not work FOR God.  We don’t have a third job when we become a child of God.  We do not work for our boss, then work for our family and then work for God in our spare time.  We assume that though.  We assume if we do the right things and somehow please him; then we will get a better performance evaluation, be approved of and maybe get some spiritual rewards (a raise?).  The truth is:

 

  When we walk with God, He works IN us.   The list of attributes that follows, in this passage, are not things we do; rather, they are things He does in us.  We can try to produce them, but we usually end up frustrated.  Why?  Because, we have the formula backward. 

 

  Our abiding in Christ is what produces the fruit.   Have you ever thought about trying to build an apple?  Do you think you could manufacture an apple that looks like an apple, tastes like an apple and smells like an apple?  Good luck!  But, you know, when the branch of an apple tree is rooted in the trunk of an apple tree, the apple is produced automatically.  When we start with actions and forget about the abiding, we will soon shrivel up and stop producing.  The walk is what pleases Him – it causes Him to work in us – it’s a natural process when we are abiding. 

 

                                                            The Evidence of Abiding:

 

  Bearing Fruit.  Did you know you could actually do good things and not be bearing fruit?  Things like love, joy, peace, patience and kindness are hard to “do.”  They must be produced by the Holy Spirit when we are abiding in Christ.

 

  Increasing in Knowledge.  Specifically, this is the knowledge of God.  It is now knowing who Moses’ second cousin was.  It is knowledge of God.  I pray that we would understand more about who God is and how He works.  We should have a real, growing understanding of God.

 

  Strengthened with power.  Most of us guys are quick to misinterpret the word power (dunamis).  We even say sometimes that it means “dynamite.”  That is not a very good interpretation of the word.  It very simply means “ability.”  That may seem a little less impressive, but ultimately what we need is the ability.  The fact that Christ has the ability to forgive sins is everything.  If I have the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound; it matters not how impressive I am.  This power is “by His might” and for “attaining steadfastness.”  In other words, it is the ability to stand or withstand for the long haul, by God’s might.  His ability produces ability in me.

 

 Joyfully Thankful.  In the NIV and NAS translation the last word of verse 11 and the first word of verse 12 are connected.  I believe this is appropriate.  Together, they are joyfully thankful.  We ask did I do enough to be joyful?  Did I get it right?  Am I good enough?  Those questions never get a sufficient answer.  But, when we are abiding, we can be joyfully thankful. 

 

  The main reason we can produce fruit and be joyfully thankful is because of:

 

3.  Who we are in Christ

 

giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.  For He 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.  (Colossian 1:12-14)

 

  We are qualified.  The tense of the verb here stresses that this happened in the past.  It is because of verses 3-8 (their acceptance of the Gospel), that they are qualified.  We are given an inheritance.  God qualifies us for this inheritance.

 

  In the movie, “The Patriot,” the evil British colonel is inquiring about whether he will receive a land grant because of his service.  To make a long story short, the general basically tells him, “You might as well forget about any inheritance – your performance has not merited an inheritance.”  We have that same dilemma as sinful people. 

 

  Christ has made us sufficient.  We are afraid to abide in Christ, because we feel like we haven’t earned it.  The only thing Paul praised the Colossians for was that they accepted the Gospel (3-8).  They didn’t qualify – Christ qualified them.

 

  We are delivered.  The word saved, in the New Testament, means “delivered.”  What are we delivered from?  The domain of darkness.  We are literally rescued from danger.  We can’t keep returning to the domain that we have been delivered from.

 

  We are transferred.  When we are delivered, we are not just left homeless.  We were relocated to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.  We have to learn to adjust to our new home.

 

  We are redeemed and forgiven.  We have a new master – we have been bought back from the marketplace.  He paid the price for our ransom.  We can’t let Satan claim ownership of something that he has no rights to.   

 

I pray that you will come to gain spiritual understanding that translates into living.  I pray that you will walk with the Lord and allow the fruit to be produced IN you.  I pray that you will understand the inheritance you have.

 

 

                                                Karl J. Forehand

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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