Title: Faith, Love, Hope/Colossians 1:3-5
Contents Faith, Love, Hope/Colossians 1:3-5
Who is this letter addressed to? The address of the recipient is revealed, "To the saints in Colossae, the faithful brethren in Christ." Here is the double address of the saints living in the world. They are people living in Colossae but living in Christ. It shows not only a temporary and variable address, but also an immutable and proud identity. Remember your address. Always keep both addresses. Believers can be faithful to the end when they remember that they are citizens of heaven wherever they live.
The apostle Paul greets the Lord's people in Colossae. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father.” May the grace that is the source of all the blessings we receive and the peace that results from those blessings overflow in your life as well.
Now, verses 3 to 8 record the thanksgiving from the Colossians.
This part filled with thanks after greetings is the same as the introduction to the book of Colossians. Paul did not write the book of Colossians for nothing. Paul has something to say, so he writes to the church in Colossae. Nevertheless, before starting the main body, please note that the words of thanks from the Colossians are given first as an introduction. I wrote the letter for the purpose of instruction and warning for the Colossians, but I start the first part with thanks.
“Whenever we pray for you, give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Although the Colossian church was not in all good conditions, Paul does not deal with this first. First of all, I am giving thanks to God for the strengths of the Colossae Church. Usually Paul's letters begin with this kind of thanksgiving. (The exception is Galatians and 2 Corinthians.)
What's the benefit of starting a letter like this? It is easy for everyone to close their hearts to those who approach them with reproof. Any advice can be accepted only if the strengths outweigh the shortcomings and after both hearts have confirmed their love. It is also the wisdom of our ancestors to start the new year with blessings. It is not like the people of God to complain and criticize from the beginning of the new year. On the premise of good words and the basic recognition of the other person's strengths, friendship can be opened. That's why the Bible exhorts us to "speak the truth in love." Because even if a word is right and true a hundred times, it is of no use unless it is spoken in love.
Or do you not immediately point out your mistakes when giving advice to others? First, consider his good points. Be grateful to God for his strengths. Paul is actually giving thanks continuously for the work of God that has begun in the lives of the Colossians. We are giving thanks not because of innate merits or acquired things, but because of God's work of grace. That is why Paul gives thanks “to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Thank you to the God who revealed you as the Father through Jesus Christ.
Dear Ulsan Church members in the Lord! How do you view each other? Do we look at each other with love and gratitude? I hope that the hearts of thanks and praise will spring up because of God who has worked in the lives of our brothers and sisters. The single fact that the other person is a Christian can give us lasting gratitude to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the new year, I hope that we will treat each other with a happy perspective. It's not about flattering people and praising people. However, do not pretend to be blind to God's grace to the saints. I hope there will be a prayer to thank God first for the glory of God shown in the lives of our brothers and sisters. If you pray like this, prayer is gracious.
After you became a Christian, you may have had the experience of praying for other saints. But if done wrong, our prayers can be as wrong as the prayers of accusing others. Praying for the other person can degenerate into a prayer of accusation against the other person. This is a story I heard directly from missionary Hyung-gyu Kim, who is supported by our church. While attending seminary, when I was a evangelist, at a church in Gimhae, I couldn't sleep that morning, so I came out early and sat down. An elder came out from the gathering and made all sorts of accusations against God, saying, "These days, young ministers come out early in the morning and do not know how to pray." It was now 5 o'clock and I got up and started worship. That day, the deacon, who was on the prayer duty, prayed and said, "God! Everything the elder prayed before was wrong. Please cancel it." Go to the place of prayer with thanksgiving for your brothers and sisters. Gratitude will make the fire of prayer more hot. That is why 4:2 advises, "Be steadfast in prayer, and be watchful in prayer with thanksgiving."
The same exhortation is given to the Philippian church. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Paul's gratitude continued whenever he went to the place of prayer. “Whenever we pray for you . It seems that Paul and his companions met regularly for prayer.
When did we meet? No mention of time. But if we prayed, we think of morning prayer. It is understandable in our tradition of making morning prayer a regular thing. But there's no reason to read it that way. It is dangerous to read in and then make it a new tradition. You can make time to pray in the morning as well as in the middle of the night. Housewives can also use their morning hours to pray. If you are an office worker, you may have a midday prayer meeting. Our students can join the 10 p.m. student prayer movement.
Surprisingly, if you look closely at the Bible, there is no command to pray at a certain time in both the Old and New Testaments. Some of the saints make a personal confession, saying, 'We will wake up in the morning' and seek the Lord in bed at night. Perhaps, considering our various circumstances, there are many advantages of early morning prayer. So, we meet twice in the morning as a church, but remember that the New Testament teaching is 'Pray without ceasing' or 'Ignore and watch and pray in the Holy Spirit'.
At any rate, Paul and his companions gathered at prayer time and gave thanks whenever they remembered the Colossians. Although they had many shortcomings, they first remembered the good points and gave thanks 'every time they prayed'.
Then how and what did you pray for the other saints? In fact, Paul had not yet met the majority of the Colossians. He is actually praying for "those who have not seen the face of the flesh." In other words, although I did not know the Colossians personally well and were far from each other, I prayed earnestly for them. Familiarity or distance could not be barriers to prayer and fellowship. It's not just a brief mention, but after verse 9, you can see that he prayed very specifically and earnestly.
Paul did not regard prayer as the business of an idle man. He is the busiest man among us. He is a man who passionately carried out the work of the Lord. I did not stop praying in my very busy life. In fact, prayer is not as easily apparent as evangelism or service. So it is easy to underestimate or devalue. But Paul gives priority to the ministry of prayer. Notice that instead of preaching right away on the excellency of Christ, we begin with prayer, thanksgiving and supplication. The apostolic tradition has always been that way. “There will be no prayer or preaching of the word.” Please pray that the ministry of prayer will be the first priority for all of our ministers.
"Help ye by intercession for us, so that many may give thanks for us for the gift that we obtain through the prayers of many" (2 Corinthians 1:11). Saints can help each other by praying. Therefore, the pattern of prayer shown by the apostle becomes an important channel for the fellowship of the saints. The Gospel of Luke tells us that Hannah fasted and prayed. Prayer is not a noticeable fuss, but it is serving God and helping the saints. Paul is not face-to-face with the Colossians right now, but he is helping them through prayer. In the new year, I hope that the whole church will be faithful to the ministry of helping the saints in prayer and serving God.
Start planning the right time for the new year. Is a morning prayer time right for you? Pray together in the morning. Do you want to have a cup of coffee and quiet time in the morning leaving the kids behind and leaving everything behind? For such people, the office sells a Q.T. textbook called “Blessed One”. You can meditate on the Bible by yourself. When you meditate, hymns and prayers are bound to come out. Would you like to have a prayer time with your children in the evening? Make time for that. Those may be the best times when your children are young. I hope that you will become saints who help the saints with prayer and serve God, whether on the bus to work or in the car they drive. Check out the time and place that is right for you and decide. Enliven your prayers with gratitude every hour. The fellowship of prayer will make you feel close to each other and you will enjoy fellowship that transcends distance.
Now let's take a look at the specific reasons why Paul was thankful for prayer. “For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints” “For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints. It is based on the hope you have stored up in heaven for
Here Paul reveals the rationale for giving thanks to God. Paul heard the situation of the Colossians through Epaphras. Thank you for hearing the good news that they have faith in Christ Jesus and love for all saints.
Let's go through them one by one. Paul is thankful for the Colossians for their faith in Christ Jesus. I am thankful not simply for believing in Jesus Christ, but for the living faith in Jesus. In other words, faith is spoken of here as life that comes from Christ, rather than faith in Christ.
It is the power of life supplied as a result of union with Christ. Faith itself is the dynamism of life. A believer who is united with Christ has a dynamic life. It's not like you're living a life of faith. As long as there is a connection, it is normal to be overflowing with the life supplied by Christ. Therefore, healthy faith contains true love for brothers and sisters in it.
Faith in Christ is never isolated or exclusive. You cannot live a life of faith alone or without others. The moment we call God our Father, we meet brothers and sisters of faith. Faith in God dispels selfishness and gives us a new perspective on our relationships with others. Faith in the Father opens hearts to all who have experienced sonship of God.