Pray for Your Church

Context

Theme “Growing Together”. Ties to: Our mission is to see our church full of God’s people of all ages and life stations, growing together in the joy of the Lord Jesus and sharing in his ongoing mission to the word.

Guide: Paul was a missionary apostle — appointed by the risen Christ to share the good new of reconciliation with God with the Gentile world, the non-Jewish Roman empire.

He traveled and preached and founded churches. He often worked with partners, such as Epaphras, who will be mentioned in this morning’s reading.

After establishing a congregation he would continue his journeys and write letter back to the congregations behind him to give them guidance and encouragement.

This was an essential part of his ministry, because churches in the first century were the first to ever exist and they needed to figure out how to put the gospel into practice together.

The letter of Paul are meaningful to us because although we are an established congregation, seeking to take new steps and will face some similar challenges as churches did way back then. Will benefit from Paul’s guidance.

Today our reading comes from the opening of Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae. The central theme of his letter is the superiority of Christ over all things and the authority for life and faith in the church.

Text

Colossians 1:1–14 NRSV

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. In our prayers for you (PLURAL) we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit. For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Introduction:

Individualistic society. Spirituality is viewed in an individualitic way.

We pray for ourselves. We pray for other selves.

I go to a church. Pray for ourselves at the church, other selves at the church.

Each a discreet sheep. But how often do we look on the whole flock?

This passage: suggesting that we pray for our community. Our congregation as a whole.

Exegesis 1: Paul and the apostles pray for the congregations.

Paul reminds the Colossians that God is on a mission that is bringing congregations into existence.

The gospel is about transferring people’s community identity: Colossians 1:13–14 “He has rescued us (pl) from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

rescued from darkness, transferred.

People all over the empire are coming to Christ …They are being gathered out of sin and darkness, into the Kingdom of Christ, by God.

The sign of the Kingdom is the emerging congregations.

Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus…

Each one proof that God, through Christ’s death and resurrection, a people are finding a new identity and a new community based on Christ.

Colossae is a manifestation of that.

the gospel has come to you and had an impact. Colossians 1:5–6 “…You have heard of this hope …the gospel that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God.”

In short: Your community exists because God is bringing you together. Your congregation is first and foremost a spiritual reality.

Therefore the most fundamental way to interact with the church is through prayer. It is the work of God, lift the church up to God. That is exactly what the apostles do:

Colossians 1:3 “In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,…for what we have heard about you”

Colossians 1:9 “For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking things for you…”

Imagine them praying:

God you are doing great things in the empire.

Ephesus, Corinth, Galatia…signs of your kingdom.

God, now your gospel is being heard in Colossae. You have founded a church there.

What an affirmation to the Colossians. The apostles are praying for us. We are part of something that God is doing. Just us being here is a sign of God.

Application 1: we should pray for our church.

The gospel is not new anymore. It has been around for over 2000 years.

It has had staying/growing power.

Why? Not because of our cleverness or wisdom.

Because God is saving people and transferring people out of darkness into light.

We believe God is still active today just as he was long ago..and he will always be establishing churches until the kingdom is full.

Micheal Scott: Of course I believe in God…otherwise how can you explain all these churches?

But actually the explanation for all these churches is in fact God.

Why are we here? Because God has called us here. Not just to Christ, but to a congregation.

Why is Lighthouse church here.

Most essential answer is: because God wants it here.

Therefore we are part of what God is doing in the world around us. Not apart from it, hiding from it, retreating from it, fitting in to it. Here and now transferring people from darkness to the Kingdom of his Son Jesus.

What an affirmation. What an invitation: We participate in that through prayer.

Discipline of prayer for the church as a whole.

God I pray for this person, that person, myself, for Lighthouse church as a community that God has called into being.

Exegesis 2: They give thanks for the church

The content of the prayers is revealed. First component is gratitude.

Colossians 1:4–5 “for we have heard of your

faith in Christ Jesus

love that you have for all the saints,

Your hope for what is laid up in heaven for you

you have heard the gospel and comprehended the grace of God

So much to be thankful for:

Faith, love, hope, grace

Do they have money, do they have buildings, do they have programs, maybe, probably not…those things emerge later in the church.

Are they perfect people? No. But Paul’s suggesting that either.

What they have is the emerging character of Christ. What they have believed is shaping them into a new kind of community.

They have come away from superstition. idolatry. Fear of unpredictable gods. moral chaos. Despair.

Faith, love, hope, grace.

Not taken for granted, but celebrated. Not relegated to a second priority but lifted up as the most important.

Again, strengthens the community to see how they are distinctly a sign of God.

Application 2: we should be thankful for our church.

It can be easy to see a church’s faults.

But when we pray for our church, we take time to be thankful, there is a lot to be thankful for.

Lighthouse has much to be thankful for.

Mission trip. Hardwork. Trust in God.

come together for meals

Praying together

Crying and talking together

sending cards. Supporting financially. Visiting in the hospital.

Listening to the Word. Come back after half time.

Session seeking to renovate the sanctuary

Deacons

The little church in the woods has become a staple of this community.

Not to take for granted.

Thank you for my church and for its particular qualities.

what is something that you love about your church?

Strengthens the church to give thanks.

Exegesis 3: they petition for the church

It was not easy to be a church.

The apostles assure the Colossiasn they are asking God for the things the church will need.

Colossians 1:9–11 “For this reason, since the day we heard it (of your faith), we have not ceased praying for you and asking that

you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him,

as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.

May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power,

and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience

You’ve got a big mission ahead of you, you need spiritual gifts that only God can give.

knowledge

virtue

effectiveness

strength

endurance

not for an easy time, but for inward resources to overcome. When older, life is not easier, just more ability to cope. True in spiritual life too!

Paul assures the congregation that they can pray for God’s help because the establishment and up-buidling of the church is exactly why Christ came into the world.

Colossians 1:13–14 “He has 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.”

If God did not spare his own Son, will he not give us everything.

If he saved us while we were dead in sins, will he not provide for us now that we live in Christ?

So we pray. That God will give you everything you need.

Blesses the church because it is reminded who to go to get what it really needs.

Application 3: we should petition for our church

it is not easy to be a church today.

Culture, cost, how to be united, how to navigate culture, technology

We believe in the God who raised the dead and opened eternal life. What do we need? We ask God and he provides

True on an individual level

How are we going to pay for school…surprise check in the mail.

True on a church level

Renovating the sanctuary. An elder, I know a pro. The pro wants to support churches. Meant to be.

Even more deeply: from circumstance to character

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness

God we need those deeper things.

Staff meeting, someone just said the right thing and it brought up my spirit.

Nothing is too hard for God. For God nothing is impossible. For God nothing is difficult!

Keep growing up in the Lord.nor asking for easy asking for ability.

What do you want from God for our church?

Conclusion: we are in this together we should pray for our shared life.

Being a Christian is not only an individual calling. It is also a community calling.

We should be in prayer for our congregation.

God has called it to exist. This is God’s project.

God has given so much for us to be thankful for.

We need yet so much from God.