Continue in prayer

 

COLERAINE INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SUNDAY 14 JULY 2024 – JASON CRUISE

COLOSSIANS 4 VERSES 1 – 6

The letter to the Colossians is one of the imprisoned letters which includes Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon.  The apostle Paul is writing to the early believers in Colosse.  We nevr read of them outside of this epistle.  We are never even told that Paul visited the Colosse church.  We know that up to now at this point in time had never been there – chapter 2 verse 1 “For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have seen my face in the flesh.”  It was Epaphras who came to Paul in prison that Paul knows what has been happening in Colosse.  The theme of the book of Colossians is the supremacy of Christ.  Chapter 1 verse 18 “And he is the head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”  Does Christ the pre-eminence in your life?  Is he first place on a Sunday?  But what about on Monday morning?  Or even Wednesday morning?  I trust that Christ has the pre-eminence each and every day.  That the Lord has first place.  I want us to look at verses 2 to 6 of this chapter.  Verse 1 is in connection with chapter 3.  The apostle Paul is speaking in chapter 3 first to wives – “submit unto your own husband”.  Then to husbands – “love your wives”, to children “obey your parents”, to fathers “provoke not your children to anger”, servants “obey in all things your masters” and then finally in verse 1 of chapter 4 masters – “give your servants that which is just and equal”.  Now we come to a new section starting in verse 2

“Continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving. 

Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:

That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. 

Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. 

Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”

 

Notice that the apostle Paul does not say “start to pray” or “begin to pray” but rather “continue in prayer”.  The apostle Paul means – if you are a believer, have trusted the Lord as your Saviour and are in a relationship with him then you should also be people of prayer.”  If we are in fellowship with the Lord you should be a people of prayer.  Have you that passion, burden, zeal for the place of prayer?  To see a work done for the Lord?  Paul was a man of passion.  He had a burden for prayer.  Remember what was said to Ananias in Acts 9 verse 11 “And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the street which is called Straight and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for behold he prayeth.” 

The necessity of prayer.  Prayer for the Christian is like oxygen.  It is vital in your spiritual walk.  I must be coming continually to the Lord in prayer.  1 Thessalonians 5 verse 17 “pray without ceasing.”  The word “continue” in Greek means steadfast and persistent.  Coming continually to the Lord in prayer.  I trust you and I are men and women of prayer.  If you and I are to be mirrors of Christ to have Christlikeness in our walk, we must be continuing in prayer.  Luke 6 verse 12 “And it came to pass in those days that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”  If the Lord needed to spend all night in prayer how much more do we not need to spend time with the Lord.  We need to get down on our knees and bring everything to God in prayer.  John Welsh was a Scottish minister married to John Knox’s daughter.  He ministered in Selkirk and one morning at 3 am his wife awoke and realised her husband was not in bed.  She made her way down the stairs and found John in the living room.  She saw him kneeling on the cold stone floor.  She asked him what was wrong and he replied “I have so many people under my care and I know not where many of them stand for eternity.”  He had a great burden for people, for the lost that he brought them before the Lord in the early hours of the morning.  When did you last feel that burden – to drop to your knees and bring family before the Lord?  That the Holy Spirit would bring conviction to their souls.  Psalm 109 verse 4 “But I give myself unto prayer.”  Do we bring those we know still trampling the broad road to hell?  I wonder how the younger generation measure up to the older people who had now passed on?  Do you first come to the Lord in prayer when you awake in the morning?  And what about last thing at night?  Every revival can be traced back to a praying individual.  Think of the Isle of Lewis, Evan Roberts in the Welsh Revival or even the American revivals with Charles Finney and others like him.  Many came to know the Lord.  All of them can be traced back to a praying individual.  Even here in our land in 1858 4 young men were challenged when their minister asked them “will you not do something more for God?” They began to meet in a schoolhouse in Kells.  These lands were saved for the Lord as a result.  Someone has said that prayer is like a steam engine.  It cannot pull a heavy load if you don’t light the fire.  You need prayer today.  We must be a praying people.  Philippians 4 verse 6 “Be careful for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”  Those early believers were men and women of prayer.  The necessity of prayer.  It is vital, just like oxygen for the body.  It is vital for the Christian.  Acts 1 verse 14 “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brethren.”  Can it be said of us that we are of one accord in prayer?

Prayer also demands discipline.  We have so much to do other than pray yet often sadly in our day and age prayer is pushed aside.  Make sure you are in the place of prayer corporately and individually.  “What hindrances we meet when we come to the mercy seat” William Cowper said.  I am putting all the emphasis on prayer because we must be a praying people. “Watching in the same with thanksgiving.”  We must be watchful.  We must be focused, alert, vigilant, warning believers against dullness of soul and distrction of the mind.  We are so easily distracted from the place of prayer.  We get our eyes off God.  We shouldn’t worry about other things.  We should have that burden for souls to be saved, to see his work extended.  1 Peter 5 verse 8 “Be sober, be vigilant: because our adversary the  devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”  Young people you must be on guard.  We have a mighty addversary.  He is a defeated foe but he continues her on earth prowling like a lion.  We see a world repeatedly going into the depths never before seen.  Even in our own country there are peoplee trying to bring in rules that are contrary to the word of God.  We must be people of prayer.  “With thanksgiving”.  Quite often we come to the Lord with a catalogue of requests.  I wonder do we take time to come and thank God.  Remember in the Luke the 10 lepers – only one came back to give thanks.  Nine didn’t.  We must be thankful for what the Lord ha done for us.  In verses 3 and 4 Paul gives 2 specific prayer requests.  He tells the people to pray that “a door would open, a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ”.  We should be doing this for children’s workers, preachers, pastors, evangelists and teachers of the word of God.  That they may be able to tell men and women, boys and girls about the love of God manifested at Calvary.  Paul did just that.  He used every opportunity to speak of Christ.  We should be the same as the apostle Paul – take opportunities to say a word for the Lord.  When you are talking to your neighbour over the garden fence, in the workplace.  We are living in perilous times and we need to talk about the Lord and his salvation.  Are you taking every opportunity to speak for the Lord?  Verse 4 “that I may make it manifest.”  Paul was an experienced speaker and evangelist yet he knew he had to rely on the Lord.  Charles Spurgeon said he never felt as weak as when he entered into the pulpit.  He knew he had to rely on the Lord not on the flesh.  Telling people to pray, to make the gospel so simple that others could understand it.  Billy Sunday wanted to preach the gospel that the man and woman on the factory floor would be able to understand it without opening up a dictionary.  We should ask God to make his word so simple that even a young child can understand and put his faith in the Lord Jesus.  Paul was saying this knowing that despite the fact they were so far from him, that their prayers would be heard in heaven.  We might never travel to darkest Africa or India but we can pray for those who are there, that they would see fruit in their labours. “My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2 verse 3)  You could have the greatest public preacher in the pulpit but he will have no power if not done for the Lord.  If you have someone with no education and he comes into the pulpit and he rests solely on God, God will use that person as his tool in his hand.  Paul knew he had to rely on the Lord. 

The Christian’s prayer life but also the Christian’s conduct – verses 5 and 6 “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.  Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”  He is referring to those outside of Christ, around our neighbourhood, in the shops and places of work.  They will never read a bible but they will read us every day in how we conduct ourselves and our behaviour.  We must walk in wisdom toward them that are without God.  People are watching how we live our lives.  We should be mirrors of the Lord.  We must see a work for the Lord.  We can be tools in the master’s hand.  If we are not going to do a work for the Lord then who is?  We must be walking the walk not simply talking the talk.  Paul writing to Timothy gave instructions for those who hold office in the church - 1 Timothy 3 verse 7 “Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without: let he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.” We must be continually mindful of those around us in our neighbourhood, in our town and community.  Ephesians 5 verse 15 “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”  We have to take every opportunity to witness and win souls for the Lord.  Are you redeeming the time?  Making use of that time?  The Lord has given you people to witness to.  We know that salt flavours but it also prevents corruption.  You and I in our communities should have that purifying influence seeking to prevent decay in Christian principles and morals.  Standing against those seeking to bring out country down and contrary to the word of God.  We should have a purifying influence in our town and where we live. Philippians 2 verses 15 and 16 “that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”  You and I in this day and age should be shining as lights, as beacons for the Lord.  A beacon shines best in the darkness.  We are in a very dark world in which we live.  We might leave our back yard light on all day and never notice its light until it becomes dark.  So we should be shining brightly in the day we live in.  Tychicus would take this letter back to Colosse.  What an encouraging and challenging word this would be to them.  To be men and women of prayer.  What a challenge for us as we go into this new week.  To be witnesses and ambassadors for the Lord.