LEARNING DAILY

Colossians 4:3, “At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison.”

The message this weekend brought to a close the study of Colossians. Dr. Ed Newton made Paul’s writing very clear that Christians are to be diligent, persistent in our prayer, never giving up as “it is the work of all Believers”. The Listener Guide includes the words of Hebrews to encourage us in our prayer life. “Continue steadfastly (4:2a) “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (4;12). I need to spend more time in prayer!

Paul is writing from prison. Go back to the verse above from Colossians. Paul desires a door to be open – not the door to where he was being kept but a door that allows him “to declare the mystery of Christ”. This mystery is “all about Jesus” (Pastor Newton).  Paul is writing to the Believers at Colosse to be strong and diligent in their prayer life; he was also honest in the need for them to pray for him as well. His need was to have more opportunity to share Jesus Christ with as many people as possible. Not only did he seek more opportunity, but he desired to be more clear in the words he spoke. What a great request to ask from those who read this blog - for one who writes it.

For Paul, his life was “all about Jesus”. The points in the Listener Guide were to pray diligently (4:2), live as a missionary (4:5) and to thank those who pray and support you (4:7-18). Pastor stressed that Believers pray always to be used by God and to continue to pray to walk on the narrow way as the Lord Jesus Christ wants us to. The reason being that others are watching us as we do. He said we are not to act foolishly; instead, we are to “walk in wisdom and [walk in a way that makes] the best use of our time” (4:5).  What do “outsiders” (nonbelievers) see when they see or hear you talk? Paul writes that we should be wise in our “walk” or actions toward nonbelievers. Pastor said the walk of the Believer must match what he/she says. What we do and say needs to be consistent as we interact with each other and with nonbelievers as we present the message of Jesus Christ. You know the saying about our lives being the only Bible nonbelievers may ever read!

We must also make “the best use of our time” by making the best of every opportunity we have to share the gospel – by word or our behavior. We must make the best use of our time because the time we have is short. It has been written before, but whether it be due to accident, nature or the trumpet sounding the rapture, each of us can be face to face with the Lord Jesus at any moment! The motivation is to share the gospel with whoever we can to give them the opportunity to accept Him as their Savior and Lord. The words of the Believer are to preserve the words of the message of Jesus Christ. The words we speak should add value to what we say because it reflects the life we live (and vice versa) and should be uplifting to those who hear. What we say and do really does matter!

May I just give a word of encouragement to each of you? Be diligent in your prayer time. When you pray, pray with thanksgiving and allow God to bring “peace, joy, love, patience, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” into your life. The fruit of the Spirit will be seen by all who see you as they help you and guide you as you walk on the narrow way to eternal life with God.