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One of the annual bills in our house is our AAA membership. AAA offers roadside assistance in case your vehicle is unable to function and take you to your destination. Regardless of your dysfunction, they offer some sort of help.

• Out of fuel: They’ll bring you gasoline.
• Flat tire: No problem, they’ll put on a spare.
• Dead battery: They’ll provide and install new.
• Lock keys in car: After your embarrassing explanation, they’ll open your vehicle.
• Inoperable or unworking vehicle: Unfortunately, things happen that we can’t control or quickly fix. So, they’ll provide a tow to your choice with the first 60 miles free of charge with your membership fee.

AAA offers 24/7/365 friendly customer service and swift, award-winning roadside assistance. Further, your membership provides other renown perks and can unlock discounts on many other services at no extra charge just for being a AAA member. Your purchased membership card is the key to a better life and safe travel with AAA.

While I am an AAA member, I do not receive kickbacks for this promotion. However, I have made an observation that many Christians treat God and church family like AAA members do their membership.

You see, while I’m a AAA member,

• I don’t show up at the organization’s doorstep.
• I don’t make any phone calls to check in with the organization’s leadership or other members.
• I don’t offer additional generous financial support, just the bare minimum for what’s needed to become a member.
• In all honesty, I’m only a AAA member because I might need to use it in emergency situations – and half of those emergencies are not my fault 🙂

You might see the similarities for how Christians may treat prayer to God or participation with their church. But in today’s message, I want us to explore the value for prayer and the vision for participation in God’s church. Let’s open our Bibles…

EXAMINE Colossians 1:9-14           
In this letter, Paul writes to a church in Colossae, which was part of a tri-city area with Laodicaea and Hierapolis (cf 4:13-16). We know Paul did not start the church, but his mission work in Ephesus (100 miles away), likely influenced a man named Epaphras, who began a gospel work in the city (cf Ac 19:10; Col 1:7; 4:12). Paul writes this letter undoubtedly during house arrest awaiting trial. Yet, Paul makes good use of his time writing letters: Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon.

So, before we reflect on our specific passage let me ask you two questions that will challenge our gospel vision:

1. Who’s your Epaphras? Everyone should have an Epaphras. Paul’s gospel friendship with Epaphras resulted in planting a church in an ungodly and unreached city; and eventually a book of the Bible. We may never realize all God does just by sowing a single seed in the life of another person. Another perspective – though God does not have grandchildren (direct faith only), God delights in His children becoming spiritual grandparents! Regardless your age, you can become a grandparent when those you reach for Jesus begin reaching others for Jesus. There is no greater joy!
   
   
2. When you’re experiencing negative circumstances, do you look for ministry or misery? Paul used jail time to glorify God. I’m not saying we should gloss over grievous situations. I’m merely suggesting there are some life challenges that God calls us to persevere and grow, learning how to glorify God in everything.
   Wherever God has you, are you staggering in self-pity, or are you serving God as faithfully as you can and leaving the result to Him?

Overall, this little letter of Colossians reminds us a few key principles

The book of Colossians emphasizes the centrality of Jesus Christ, deception is prowling, and the local church has significance.

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• Centrality of Jesus Christ. In Colossians, Jesus is
  • the Lord who gives us hope of heaven (1:3-5)
  • rescuer from darkness and transferring us into His kingdom (1:13)
  • the redeemer and forgiver of our sins, reconciling us to God (1:14, 20)
  • the image of the invisible God, the eternal Creator of all (1:15-18)
  • the fullness of God (1:19; 2:9)
  • the head of every spiritual power and authority (2:10, 15)
  • the one who will return & appear in glory (3:4)

Colossians is a central record of early history testifying to high Christology. Undoubtedly, Jesus is the center of the church and all human history, and like the spokes of a wheel, every other topic radiates from the hub. Our beliefs, our behaviors, our attention, affections, and aims exist for the glory of Jesus and no one else. Our faith informs how we live, whom we love, and where our ultimate hope resides.

• Deception is prowling. Paul’s primary aim in writing to the Colossians is to ensure an accurate understanding of the gospel and truth.

Today, false teachers and deceptive worldviews are prowling to devour you, your family, and disrupt the work of God.

Paul says, “See to it (Βλέπετε – look out!) that no one takes you captive (word indicates being made a victim or prey) by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ” (2:8).  

• The local church has significance. Paul was in jail and chose to spend his time writing to a small church that met in at least three different homes (Colossians 4:15-16; Philemon 1:2), which were connected across cities; approximately 10 miles apart. Archaeological evidence reveals that most homes could host about 30-50 people, though large villas of the wealthy elite could certainly hold more.^[1] So, we’re talking <200 people. The overwhelming majority of churches (90+%) are under 500 and most under 200.[2] While these numerically small churches sometimes feel inferior, Jesus views them as invaluable. In Colossians, the local church is described as “saints” (1:2), qualified for the kingdom (1:12-13), Christ’s body (1:18, 24; 2:19), raised with Christ and preparing to appear with Him in glory (3:1-3); a reconciled people from many diverse backgrounds (3:11); God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved (3:12), brothers and sisters – family (1:2; 4:15).

In today’s passage Col 1:9-14, Paul provides us with a pattern of prayer and a model for maturity.

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 May you be 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.

A pattern of prayer – 1 focus

1. Praying for others to be ⁹ filled with the knowledge of God’s will. Now, Christians pray for a lot of things. Most things we pray for are temporal – things of the earth: jobs, dating advice, solving marital conflict, healing or helping family or friends; or even a parking space at the ice cream shop. All of these temporal requests are indeed worthy things to pray and for which God cares.
   Yet, we also should note that God’s greatest goal for our life is to know His will.
   1. Jesus came to do the Father’s will (Jn 4:34; 5:30; 6:38).
   1. Jesus taught disciples to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” And “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these other things will be given to you.” (Mt 6:33)
   1. Jesus surrendered in prayer to the Father’s will (Mt 26:39).

Interestingly, this is the difference between Christianity and other worldviews. Ancient paganism and sometimes modern religion is the ambiguity of truth or uncertainty of hope. For Christians, our God not only exists, He speaks. God has revealed His will, His commands, and expectations through Jesus. In fact, later Paul says to the Colossians, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (3:17).

Illus: There are many hard lessons for teaching a person to drive. One of the most challenging is learning how to merge. When merging onto a highway, we must balance slow and swift speed while peeking into the mirror to see beside and behind if traffic is moving forward. People who are merging want the traffic to clear the lane or even stop! But that’s not how merging works. You are merging onto the highway; they are not merging with you. LIKEWISE, God’s purposes are moving forward and God is not going to stop His plans and purposes to merge with you. God wants us to merge with Him and it starts with us seeking and submitting to His will.

• Commit to obedience first. Sometimes we say we’ll obey but then we don’t once we realize the cost or discomfort. Knowledge of God is measured by our understanding He is Lord and you are not. 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.
• Pray Psalm 143:10 “Teach me to do your will, For You are my God; Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”
  
  

A model for maturity – 4 effects
The apostle Paul prayed ordinary prayers of spiritual growth for other believers. Yet, we know that God answered Paul’s prayers in extraordinary ways because of how the church endured 1^st-2^nd Century persecution and expanded rapidly despite its varied hardships and opposition.

So, we too are called to pray ordinary prayers for our own growth and that of others spiritual maturity.    

• Pastors praying for church members.
• Christians praying for one another.
• Parents praying for their children.

Such prayers are not trivial but vital to the maturity and multiplication of the Christian faith. I shudder to think where I would be without the prayers of my parents and church adults in my life. What about you – where would you be without the prayers of Christian friends?

So, Paul explains four effects of praying for others to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will and to walk worthy of the Lord and strive toward Christian maturity.

1. Bearing fruit
2. Increasing Knowledge
3. Being strengthened
4. Giving thanks

Bearing Fruit

A person is not saved by works but by grace. Christianity is salvation from sin and unto good works. We are God’s workmanship, created to glorify God with our words, our works, and our witness (Eph 2:10; Titus 2:14; Mt 5:16; Ja 2; etc.). Fruit bearing includes a broad range of inward character (Gal 5:22-23) and outward conduct (Mt 12:33), but ultimately it’s that we are living like Jesus and abiding in His word (Ps 1:1-3).

• Ask 3 people close to you for 3 ways you can grow to better represent Jesus.

Increasing Knowledge

Paul is not content with status quo Christianity. Certainly, all you need is the simple gospel message of Jesus Christ crucified. But, believer, you are exhorted to be a student of God’s word, knowledgeable about the Scriptures, and prepared to give a reason for the hope within (2 Tim 2:15; 1Pet 3:15). If not, you can be assured other faiths are training to deceive you, along with the world’s indoctrination with cultural views and values.

• Review and study our doctrinal statement, accessible on our church website.[3]
  • Understand inerrancy and NT canon.
  • Learn Trinity
  • Understand how imago dei impacts personal identity, faith, relationships, and ministry.
  • Recognize God’s role and gifts for individuals in the church.
  • Distinguish different end time views and a biblical basis for your convictions.
  • Become equipped as a Jesus-confessing, Bible-believing, hell-plundering, heaven-populating Christian.
• Knowledge leads to understanding and obedience; otherwise you’re a religious pharisee and spiritual narcissist (Jn 5:39-40).

Being Strengthened

¹¹ be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience. Many people pray for and promote God’s power but it is often for the aim of miraculous intervention to bring about personal comfort. But what if the greater miracle was God strengthening you to give you patient endurance amid a bewildering and demanding circumstance?
Remember, Paul is writing this letter from a Roman prison – likely a dark pit with hands and feet shackled (Ac 16:24), and certainly not sanitary or having comforts from home. Paul understood that suffering for righteousness in a God-glorifying manner can be a powerful witness to a watching world (cf. Php 1:12-14; Mt 5:10-16).

• One of the ways we can pray for others to be strengthened is to sit with them in weakness and sympathy rather than offering solutions. When we attempt to offer fixes, we can unintentionally send the message that the person has followed a wrong life formula or that their situation has an easy solution. Instead, we serve others better when we weep with those weeping, and help them to breathe in God’s steadfast love and faithful presence while exhaling the weight of being alone.

Do you know someone who needs this ministry? God is likely calling you to pray for strength and then sit with them while they attempt to understand what it means to experience patient endurance in the Lord.

Ps 56 “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise – in God I trust… You have kept track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in a bottle and recorded them in a book.”

Ps 55 “Listen to my prayer, O God, and do not ignore my plea… I am restless in my complaint and distraught at voices of the enemy… My heart murmurs within me, and terrors of death assail me. Fear and trembling grip me, and horror has overwhelmed me. I said, ‘Oh that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and find rest. How far away I would flee! In the wilderness I would remain… But I call to God and the LORD saves me. Morning, noon, and night, I cry out in distress and He hears my voice. He redeems my soul in peace from the battle waged against me… [O] cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.”

Giving Thanks

¹² with joy, 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.

Paul obviously believed the Christian life thrives with thanksgiving, otherwise he would not have spoken about and commanded it so much. From the opening to closing of his 13 letters, he referenced giving thanks 82x. Mostly, he gave thanks to God for His grace and to people for their spiritual growth and generosity.

In Colossians alone,

• 1:3 “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.
  • So, in other words gratitude for people is the corrective to grumbling about problems.
• 1:12 “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”
  • So, in other words thankfulness is antidote to unhappiness and hopelessness. Every person belongs to the domain of darkness and desperately needs a regime change of God’s heavenly kingdom. We are unqualified – lacking any potential and unmistakably hopeless – – – until God qualifies and saves us from darkness into light. Friend, if all God did was save us and never bless us with more, we would still have an eternity to praise and thank Him… but He’s done so much more!
• 2:7 “rooted and built up… abound in thanksgiving”
  • So, in other words thanksgiving keeps us tethered to the truth.
• 3:15-16 “let the peace of Christ rule your hearts… and be thankful… sing songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
  • So, in other words, a peaceful mind is a result of a thankful heart.
• 4:2 “be watchful in prayer with thanksgiving”
  • So, in other words appreciation in prayer keeps us alert and protected against the enemy.

Do you understand how central and critical thankfulness is to your life?

• Look people in the eye and tell them why you are thankful for them.
• In prayer, before rushing to intercession, spend time in appreciation to Jesus and adoration of God.

• Gratitude for people is the corrective to grumbling about problems.
• Thankfulness is the antidote to unhappiness and hopelessness.
• Thanksgiving keeps us tethered to truth.
• A peaceful mind is the result of a thankful heart.
• Appreciation in prayer keeps us alert and protected against the enemy.

@dave_dwb observations on thanksgiving from Colossians

So, a pattern for prayer is to pray for others to know God’s will so that – their maturity might walk worthy of Jesus by bearing fruit, increasing in knowledge of God, be strengthened with God’s power, and giving thanks & praise to Jesus.   

Before we close the message today, I want to share with you a video testimony. I pray it’s an encouragement to you and points you to walk in faith and obedience to Jesus.

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^[1] Dunn, J. D. G. (1996). The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 285). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: William B. Eerdmans Publishing; Paternoster Press.

[2] http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/fastfacts/fast_facts.html#sizecong

[3] https://www.spbcmd.com/connect/story-beliefs, pp.13-20. Read Paul Tripp: Do You Believe?, Mark Driscoll: Doctrine, Paul Little: Know What & Why You Believe. Wayne Grudem: Christian Beliefs.