Devoted to Prayer
Unity in Community • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 5 viewsNotes
Transcript
For the last three weeks we have considered Unity in Community
The necessity to live in unity — we need each other for support, love, prayer, and fellowship
The need to be others centered — considering others as more important than ourselves
The importance of being of the same mind — taking a unified and intertwined stand on those things that are essential - Ephesians 4:4-6
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
Today we are going to learn something truly wonderful.
When we have unity in community we are devoted to prayer.
Let us read the text of our lesson today chair bible pg. 790 Colossians 4:2-6
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;
3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;
4 that I may make it clear in the way that I ought to proclaim it.
5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.
6 Your speech must always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.
Are you ready for the message God has for us today?
Cool, let’s get into it!
Paul to the Colossians
Paul to the Colossians
I think we will see as we go through this passage that there is something for us as church in what Paul says to Colossi.
In verse 2 Paul says be “devoted to prayer.”
Paul commands this action of the Colossians.
The word “devoted” is a command to be faithful, persist, hold fast to.
In the command Paul wants this to be a daily, hourly, minute by minute habit of the church.
Always be in a state or attitude of thanksgiving.
The purpose of this practice becomes clear in verse 3-4.
3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;
4 that I may make it clear in the way that I ought to proclaim it.
Paul covets their prayers on his behalf and those who labor with him.
Through their prayers the Colossians can support Paul in his Apostolic mission.
Specifically he calls them to pray for an “open door for the word.”
Thomas Schreiner, “So that Paul has the opportunity to speak the mystery of Christ and to speak it in a fitting and bold manner.”
The next command Paul gives them comes in verse 5
Colossians 4:5
5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.
Connected with this command is “making the most of.” The actions of these words are simultaneous.
I see a connection with what Paul desired in their prayers.
Paul was their example of how to conduct themselves with those outside the church, those in the city of Colossi who were not Christian.
In verse 6 the verb “seasoned” is also connected with the verb “conduct.”
They need wisdom to speak with grace and salt as they go into the community sharing their faith and the gospel of Jesus.
The connection is what he wanted is what they needed, both happens when they are devoted to prayer as a church!
The ability comes from God and not from any natural ability they had.
What are we learning?
What are we learning?
In these verses what was true for them is also true for Amazing Grace.
In the command Paul gave to Colossi there is truth that applies to us and to the church in all generations.
Like Colossi the command to be devoted to prayer applies to us.
It is a timeless scriptural principal for all churches
14 All these were continually devoting themselves with one mind to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
18 With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints,
12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
17 pray without ceasing,
8 Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger and dispute.
So I ask each of you how is your prayer life?
Share the question from Butch - the interview
Simultaneous with "devoted to” is three other imperatives:
“keeping alert” — in verse 2
“praying at the same time” — verse 3
“making the most of” — verse 5
These actions are connected with each other, you cannot have one without the others.
See how important our community prayers are?
They have a far reaching impact!
It is such a blessing to think that we can devote ourselves to praying for missionaries around the world and in that way support their work.
We also see how our prayers help us individually as we seek to respond to people.
It is so important for us as a people to be devoted to prayer.
Wouldn’t it be great to have more prayer groups?
Three Verbal Imperatives
Three Verbal Imperatives
Let’s dig deeper into the three verbal imperatives of our passage:
In verse 2 “keeping alert”
This is to be aware
Its conceived of as staying awake.
So you may not want to fall asleep in devotional prayers! haha
Seriously though he is talking about being watchful, be concerned about.
We keep alert with thanksgiving
The word for thanksgiving here is the Greek word where we get Eucharist
A term some apply to Communion.
The same word appears in Luke 22:17
17 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves;
So this is an attitude of prayer that our Lord had and as Paul points out so should we!
In verse 3 we have “praying”
This is where we can pray for missionaries and evangelists at home and abroad.
Pray that they may have an open door of opportunity
In so doing we connect with their work
Pray for ourselves as we have conversations with those outside the church in the community
In verse 5 “making the most”
The KJV uses “redeeming” — Colossians 4:5
5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
The word is to efficiently use something
In our prayers seeking assistance from God to make the best use of our opportunities in responding to people.
Coupled with verse 6 we are asking God to help us with what and how we say things.
We want our words to have grace, seasoned with salt, basically that they are palatable.
What happens when our words come from anger or hatred?
Are they palatable?
What I was struck with as I went down the path in the Greek is how many Christians do not act in the way outlined by Paul in this passage.
A thought came to mind, this is because they are not devoted to prayer!
As a church we must be devoted to prayer because it flows into how we respond to those in the outside community!
Conclusion:
We simply must have unity in community:
Live in unity
Be others centered
Be of the same mind
Be devoted to prayer
It is God’s commanded picture for the church
It effects our relationships as a church, flowing into how we respond to the community!
What a powerful reminder Amazing Grace!
Let us consider all this prayerfully and carefully