Are we devoted to prayer and acting wisely?
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For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,
so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,
and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.
He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
Devote yourselves to prayer
Devote yourselves to prayer
What does it mean to be devoted? How do we typically use the term.
Persist. Continue.
Why pray?
Why pray?
R. A. Torrey said:
Because there is a devil, and prayer is a God-appointed way to resist Him (Eph. 6:12, 13, 16,18).
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Because prayer is God's way for us to obtain what we need from Him (Lk. 11:3-13; Jas. 4:2).
Lord’s Prayer
Because prayer is the means God has appointed for us to find "grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16).
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Because prayer with thanksgiving is God's way for us to obtain freedom from anxiety and to receive "the peace of God" (Phil. 4:6, 7).
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Jesus spoke about it:
Widow, Luke 18:1-8
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.
And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think,
yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ ”
And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says.
And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Jesus commanded it.
God desires it for our good.
How should we pray?
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
Being watchful and thankful
Being watchful and thankful
Watchful - alert, aware
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
Be Thankful Col 1:12; 2:7; 3:15-17
What should we be devoted to praying for?
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
That God may open a door
That God may open a door
a door?
But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost,
because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.
the mystery
the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people.
To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.
Proclaim it clearly
Proclaim it clearly
as I should… (need, necessity)
Duty
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
What is right - unmerciful servant
Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’
Duty to do what is right...
I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.
That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
do we have that sense of duty that Paul had?
Follow up prayer with...
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.
Act with wisdom
Act with wisdom
This is what Paul prayed for in Col 1.9-12...
What is wisdom?
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.
Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
disorder - defiance, unruliness, tumult, rebellion against authority
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 11: Ephesians through Philemon b. The Duty of Witnessing (4:5, 6)
Paul’s words imply that believers are to be cautious and tactful so as to avoid needlessly antagonizing or alienating their pagan neighbors. In a positive sense, they also imply that believers should conduct themselves so that the way they live will attract, impress, and convict non-Christians and give the pagan community a favorable impression of the gospel.
and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,
so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
We need to pray, and then act…
But there is more… We need to speak properly.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Let your conversation be always full of grace
Let your conversation be always full of grace
But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.
but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.
Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.
Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?
My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.
May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Seasoned with salt… A few Scripture verses tell what it means to be "salty."
Salt enhances flavor (Job 6:6).
Salt indicates purity in speech (Colossians 4:6).
Salt symbolizes keeping a promise (Numbers 18:19).
Salt speaks of goodness (Mark 9:50).
The way we act and speak should be a clear testimony so that when we do have a door to present the hope that is only found in Christ, it will be attractive to the hearer.
Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.
In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness
and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them,
and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.
Be devoted to prayer
Be devoted to prayer
Act with wisdom
Act with wisdom
Speak with grace
Speak with grace