WWUTT 046 Praying for Strangers (Colossians 1:9-10)

Prayer for Other Christians and the Need to Pray for People You Do Not Know

Are you a Christian? Then you must pray. And one of the things that you must pray for is other Christians. Pray that they would remain steadfast. Pray that they grow all the more in the wisdom and understanding of God.

It is an important prayer mission when we understand the text.

You are listening to When We Understand The Text, an online Bible ministry committed to teaching sound doctrine and exposing the faulty. Find videos and more at our website, www .utt .com. Now here's our host, Pastor Gabe Hughes.

Thank you, Becky. Colossians chapter 1, verses 9 through 14 is where we are today. If you want to open up your Bible and turn with me there, and then toward the end of the program, the last third, as we do with most of our episodes, we'll be taking a question from a listener concerning either something you've heard in the broadcast, or you've seen in a what video, or maybe you've read in a blog, or maybe you just have a general theology question, whatever it might happen to be.

You can submit your questions to WhenWeUnderstandTheText at gmail .com. It is true that I've pulled a few questions from Facebook and Twitter and some of those places, but the best way to get a question to us is by email, and I try to respond to all of them as well.

WhenWeUnderstandTheText at gmail .com. I'm trying something new with my microphone. So you might hear a few more Ps popping and Ss hissing as I kind of get used to this new system here. So anyway, that's just a forewarning in case that happens to get distracting.

Colossians chapter 1, beginning in verse 9. Before we get to the text, why don't we come to the Lord in prayer? Our gracious heavenly Father, we thank you again for an opportunity to come to your word.

You have said to us in Psalm 138, verse 2, that you have exalted above all things your name and your word. It is so important, this word of God. We cannot separate it from God. We can't claim that we can know Jesus without it.

The only way that we can know Christ intimately is by what we read in the Bible. So give us the spirit to understand the things that are written here. As we come to you in prayer, it's one of the things that we're going to be talking about.

So give us a mind that is prayerfully minded. That we know how to come to you and what to say when we come to you in prayer. The things that we are to pray for. We're going to talk a little bit about that today.

So we need your spirit to understand these things. And I pray that you give us that as we come to your text. Your word, which has been exalted above all things. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Colossians 1, beginning in verse 9.

For all endurance and patience with joy. Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 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. Back to verse 9. And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you. So we've already heard in the introduction, the Apostle Paul saying to the Colossians that he's been praying for them for a while.

He doesn't even know the Colossians. He's never been to Colossae before. The Colossian church was not one of the churches that Paul planted. And yet, he shows how much he cares for this group of people, though he's never personally met them before.

When in his introduction, he says, we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you. So Paul's showing that part of his investment in his ministry is for the Colossians, whom he's never met before.

So this would have been deeply personal to the Colossians to read this, to see how much the Apostle cares for them, that he prays for them. And this missions work that he is doing, even though he is under house arrest in Rome, that has not stopped him from praying for the Colossians.

The Colossians might even think, well, you've got bigger things to be praying for than us. But Paul shows how much he cares for the Colossians and that he has been praying for them for some time. Even before they had the chance to hear personally from him, he has been praying for the Colossians.

So let me encourage you in this is we're going to be talking about prayer here as we kind of unfold the things that we're looking at today in this text. Pray for people that you don't know. You've never personally met.

I think it's easier for us mentally to be praying for people that we know. Right. And we learn this as kids. I do this with my kids when we get the kids ready for bed. And we're you know, I ask them, do you have any prayer requests?

Most of the time they're praying for Omi and Opa. OK, my wife's mom and dad, because that's the grandparents they spend the most time with. So, you know, and my father in law, God bless him, has been having some health problems, too, as has been kind of weary, hasn't had the strength that he usually has.

So we've been praying for him. So it's easy for the kids to pray for the people that they know. But I also want to encourage them, and I probably haven't been as diligent to do this, but encourage the kids to pray for people that they don't know, people that they don't regularly see a good place to start.

If you're if you're thinking of, well, who can I pray for that? I don't know. Good place to start would be our missionaries. Be praying for our missionaries. You know what? Look up missionary news. Voice of the Martyrs is one place to go.

Mission Network News, International Missions Board websites, you know, those those kinds of places you can go to and find out what kinds of things are happening around the world that our missionaries are going through.

Find a story you've never heard. You've never read about a missionary going through that and pray for them. Pray for that missionary that you just read about or that group of missionaries in that region being persecuted by by the people that are very hostile to the spread of the gospel.

Be praying for them, because then your heart and your mind is invested in their work effort. Even if God is not calling you to that and you are not placed in those regions where you are having to suffer or having your safety or your life threatened for spreading the gospel.

You are investing your heart and your mind in what they are doing when you pray for them. When you read about what they are going through and you lift them up by name to the Lord in prayer, or maybe for whatever reason, the article even withholds those missionaries names.

You can still lift them up in prayer and ask that that God sovereignly would keep them steadfast and continue to grow that missions effort that they are laboring for in the region where they have been placed.

So that's an important place to start. If you're looking for people that you can pray for whose names you don't know or people you've never met before. Further along the lines of people you've never met before, pray for your elected officials.

Do you know the name of the mayor in your town? I put that before my congregation one time. Can you name our mayor here in Junction City, Kansas? I got a few people that said, yeah, sure. Good. But then I had mostly blank stares.

Do you know who the mayor is? Do you know who your representative is? Your state representative, the U .S. representative that represent your district? Who are your elected officials? Do you know that?

Do you know how to contact them in case you have any concerns, questions that you want to bring up with them? That's important stuff to know. It's important to keep them in prayer because the Apostle Paul actually says in 1st Timothy 2, I urge that prayers and supplications be lifted up.

Thanksgivings for all people, for kings and those who are in high positions. Paul specifically singles that out. I think one of the reasons this this might be conjecture a little bit on my part, but I think one of the reasons why Paul singles out kings and those in high positions is because we tend to look at them as mascots of their particular political ideals.

And less like people, more like mascots. So I think that one of the reasons why Paul singles out kings and those who are in high positions when he talks about prayers, thanksgiving supplications being lifted up for all people, he's telling Timothy, remember, they're people too.

They are people with souls. They're people that need to repent like anybody else that need to follow the guidance of Christ that has been given to us in the word of God. So we need to pray for our elected officials.

That's important. There are people I know that when I have put that forward, it's been terribly convicting because they've said, you know, I don't want so and so a politician to succeed. I want them to fail.

So you're convicting me here by telling me that I have to pray for them. Yeah, it is. It's tough because we have our political ideals and ideologies that we hold to. And we look at those that we disagree with and we think, man, I hope they fail so that my ideas will succeed.

But we do need to be praying for them. We need to pray that the spirit would break them open and they would repent and come to Christ, lift them all up in prayer for all people. Paul is saying in first Timothy chapter two prayers, thanksgiving supplications, intercessions being lifted up for all people.

So here Paul is lifting up in prayer the Colossians. Now, there is a certain objective here that he has in lifting them up in prayer. It's not so they would have nice, cushy, comfortable lives and they would never get sick and they would be blessed with all measure.

You know that those aren't the things that Paul is praying for. Those are temporal. They're earthly. That's not what he prays for. So what does he pray for when he is praying for those people whom he's never met before?

We go on. So from the day that we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

That's what he's praying for. So we have been praying. We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will. What is the will of God? That's a question that as a pastor, I'm asked fairly often, even by very mature Christians.

I will be asked by somebody. What is God's will for me? And they're a little perplexed when I quote to them, give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God and Christ Jesus for you. First Thessalonians 518.

I typically am met with some pretty perplexed looks. Pastor Gabe, what is God's will for me? His will for you is to give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

They're a little like, um, that wasn't really my question. Well, what was your question? Well, I don't know if I'm supposed to move here. I'm supposed to take this job. Or if I should date this person.

Okay, so our disposition is not to be told, be thankful in all circumstances. Our disposition, our fleshly disposition is to have our fortunes told. Typically, that's what we're asking when we say, what is God's will for me?

That was the way it was for me when I was in middle school and high school. I wanted to be the next Michael W. Smith. How am I going to do that when I am in Kansas? So I'm always looking for these different outs.

God's will for me must be to go here. God's will for me can't possibly be the same will that he had for my parents when he moved them here. I was just along for the ride. He must have a different will for me.

Thankfully, I can say that I grew up and matured in my understanding. How mature did I grow in my understanding? Well, let me just put it to you this way. My parents no longer live in the state of Kansas, nor do any of my siblings.

But I still do. So I learned to be thankful in all circumstances. And indeed, I am. I love my church. I love what the Lord has called me to do. I love the ministry opportunities that I have been presented with.

It has been a joy and a delight of mine to be able to share, minister in the word of God. It wasn't even something that I was pursuing. There was never a chapter in my life where I thought that I was going to become a pastor.

Ever. That never even crossed my mind. But I met this wonderful woman, my wife, Rebecca, who told me when we were dating that I was going to be a pastor one day. And I gave her the mother of all eye rolls.

She'll tell you that to this day, I've never rolled my eyes at her the way that I did. She said to me, I think you're going to be a pastor someday. I abhorred the idea. Absolutely did not want to do it.

But lo and behold, through various open doors and people that I knew, God was calling me into that, whether I wanted it or not. So but no, I've I've grown to love it. And God growing me in his word was ultimately going to be for this.

It was ministering with the word of God. How did I get on this? Where did I get? OK, we were talking about the will of God. OK, so so Paul's desire for the Colossians was that they be filled with the knowledge of his will.

So what is the will of God that you be thankful in all circumstances? This is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. The will of God is that you remain steadfast in the faith. The will of God is that you go and you preach the gospel.

The will of God is that you grow all the more in spiritual wisdom and understanding, which Paul talks about here in verse nine, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Romans 12, one and two tells us to present ourselves as pleasing sacrifices to the Lord. This is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by renewing your mind.

And then you will see God's good, pleasing and perfect will. You don't understand the will of God until you're no longer conforming to the pattern of this world. OK, because when I was in that state of mind of thinking that I wanted to be the next Christian pop star, that was when I was I was conforming to the world.

All right. My my concept of the will of God was just the Christian version of wishing on a star. There really wasn't any difference there. And so when I finally got over that and was no longer conforming to worldly patterns, but I transform my thinker, the spirit transformed my thinking and I was renewed in mind.

It was only then that I was able to see God's good, pleasing and perfect will that God's will for my parents when he moved them to Kansas to start a Christian radio station. It wasn't that I was just collateral damage.

He had a will for me involved in that as well. I've mentioned Act 17 before where the apostle Paul says, and he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place that they should seek God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him.

Yet he is actually not far from each one of us. So if God has determined the times and the boundaries for every person than him bringing my parents to Kansas, he had a will for me in that as well. It wasn't just something that was for my parents and I was just along for the ride, as I mentioned.

So it wasn't until I got out of the worldly way of thinking, of being selfish, of thinking that I was in it for something for myself. And when I transform my thinking and renewed my mind in the spirit, then I was able to see God's good, pleasing and perfect will.

And part of the will of God was that I would grow in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

That's also the will of God, that we would remain steadfast in the faith and that we would present ourselves as holy and pleasing sacrifices, as I mentioned from Romans 12, 1, so that we walk in a manner that is worthy of the Lord.

We are fully pleasing to him in our conduct, in our growth, in our pursuit of God. And again, as we are studying through the book of Colossians, one of the things that we want to understand or the main thing that we want to understand and what we're pulling out from the study of this book is knowing that Jesus is enough.

We are completely satisfied in our Savior. So when we behave in a way that we know is pleasing to God, we are displaying that we're fully satisfied in our Savior, that we need nothing except the salvation that has been given to us in Christ.

As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, store up your treasures in heaven where your treasure is there. Your heart will be also seek after the things that are above, and then all of these things will be added to you as well.

So if we are fully pleasing to God, if we are fully satisfied in him, we are walking in a manner that is worthy of the Lord, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Now, I want to point out something here that in verse 10, where Paul says, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, he's actually calling back to the parable of the sower.

We did this a couple of weeks ago. We did the mini series through the parable of the sower. Paul is actually referencing that here. It is mentioned in the book of Luke. And when Paul went out and shared the gospel, basically what we read in the book of Luke is the gospel the way that Paul shared it.

Luke, Dr. Luke, okay, was one of the missionaries that traveled around with Paul. So essentially what he wrote down in that gospel was the gospel the way that he heard the apostle Paul preach it. We have the parable of the sower in the book of Luke.

And so when Paul is calling back here to bearing fruit in every good work, he's talking about the seed that falls in good soil and grows up producing a harvest, some 30, some 60, some 100 fold bearing fruit and increasing.

That's the reference increasing in the knowledge of God. And that's sanctification. As we grow in holiness, as we grow in our understanding of God, that is what we refer to as sanctification. It's basically justification in action.

You have a sanctification. So this is God's will for us. And that's the next portion of this section that we're going to be looking at tomorrow. So let's basically summarize everything that we've looked at here in verses 9 and 10, because that's as far as we got.

So so, again, I'll go back to verse 9. We'll we'll read it and summarize it here. So from the day that we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Now, it got to a point where I was explaining these things that I applied it to you.

This is what is pleasing to the Lord. This is how we walk in a manner that is worthy of the Lord, that we are to bear fruit in every good work and increase in the knowledge of God. But going back to the beginning in the thesis that I started with, pray, pray, pray this for other people.

So you're praying that other saints, Christians that you know, would grow in exactly this way, as Paul has been praying for the Colossians this way. So you pray for others to grow in this way as well.

Pray for people you know, pray for people you've never met, kings and those who are in high positions. Pray for our missionaries, our fellow saints who are out there for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many of them even laying their lives down for the sake of the gospel.

Pray exactly what we read in verses 9 and 10. Exercise that today and pray for someone. In fact, I don't know you. Most of the listeners that I have on this program, I don't know. So let's conclude what we've read today, letting me pray for you.

Would you do that? So hear me praying for you these words that we've just read in Colossians chapter 1. Dear Lord, from the day that this program started, teaching the Bible, receiving listeners that would hear the word of God spoken and taught.

I've not ceased to pray for those who would listen to this program. And I am asking that you would fill them with the knowledge of your will. In all spiritual wisdom and understanding. So that they may walk in a manner worthy of you.

Christians and Political Involvement

Fully pleasing to you. Bearing fruit in every good work. And increasing in the knowledge of you. God the Father, Christ our Savior and your spirit. And it is in the name of Jesus that we pray. Amen. Should Christians vote?

Yes, Christians should vote. In fact, to be politically uninvolved is to disobey God. Wait, what did you just say? Yeah, you heard me right. Look at the scriptures. Romans 13 says that there is no authority except from God.

And 1 Peter 2 says to be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution. Wait, wait, wait a second. You might be saying these verses are talking about a government's God given appointment to uphold the law.

Yes, but what else do these verses say? They say that all governments have been established by God. If you live in the United States of America, you live in a republic. Not a democracy, which is what a lot of people think.

In a republic, the power resides with the people. The government is ruled by officials elected by the people to uphold the law drawn up by the people. You know that thing that starts we the people of the United States?

Yeah, that would be the Constitution. And because you are part of a political system established by God. With power given to the people to elect this government's leaders. For you to have a mindset that you would not participate is to go against what God has established.

Our God is a God of justice who tells us to speak up for the mute and defend the rights of the destitute. He says not to pervert justice and use every opportunity to do good. He tells us to pay our taxes and honor the emperor.

He says to pray for our leaders desiring all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. In other words, when a government is friendly toward Christianity, the gospel is able to spread more effectively.

The apostle Paul knew and exercised his rights as a Roman citizen in order to share the gospel. So we must do the same as American citizens when we understand the text. This question today comes from Albie in Michigan.

He says, Dear Pastor Gabe, I hear a lot of mixed messages on how we are to talk about our elected officials. He used different wording there, but I think that's the best way to summarize it, elected officials.

Some people are vocally outspoken against the president. And others say that because God appointed him to that position, we shouldn't say anything negative about him at all. I'm kind of torn as to what I'm supposed to believe.

Could you do a video about that? Well, Albie, I think you've asked a great question here. And to avoid being vague, I'm just going to be point blank. President Barack Obama has been the most abortion happy president in American history.

Abortion happy. I chose my words properly. He is downright bloodthirsty in the ways that he considers the unborn. And then some when he was a senator, he voted against the Infants Born Alive Protection Act.

So even outside the womb, President Obama has supported infanticide. I mean, this is downright tyrannical, the ways that he considers children. And in no way should we shrug at that. We shouldn't try to sugarcoat it or ignore that it goes on.

It absolutely should be called out. And I kind of believe that in American history, he's going to go down as a bloodthirsty president because of the ways that he has considered the unborn. So those kinds of things absolutely should be called out.

But let me give you a more discerning manner in which we consider our elected officials. OK, I want to give you two Bible verses here. One from Ecclesiastes 10 20. Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry your voice or some winged creature.

Tell of the matter. All right. There's one verse. Here's the other one. It's in Luke 13 32. Well, first, I want to go back to verse 31. At that very hour, some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, get away from here for Herod wants to kill you.

And Jesus said to them, go and tell that fox. Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow. And the third day I finish my course. There was something prophetic that Jesus was saying there.

But what I want to point out is at the start of verse 32, where he calls Herod a fox. OK, so I hope you see the contrast between those two verses. Ecclesiastes 10 20. Don't curse the king because somebody might let you know what you said, not might tell the king or a rich person what it is that you've said.

Then you're in trouble. But then you have Luke 13 32, where Jesus calls Herod a fox. Now, of course, Ecclesiastes is wisdom literature. It is general wisdom. It's not something I do this and you will get this.

OK, not every time you do this, are you going to get this response? Basically, the way that we read Ecclesiastes in discernment, there will be times when you should probably keep your mouth shut. It is not necessary for you to have to vocally express your disapproval of an elected official over a certain matter.

OK, and then there are other times when it probably would be necessary. And I've kind of displayed that myself here by talking about President Obama's bloodthirsty record. But I want to come back to First Timothy two, which I quoted earlier.

I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

This is good and it is pleasing in the sight of God, our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. So, Albie, how should you consider your elected officials?

Pray for them. Pray for repentance. Pray they would listen to godly counselors. Pray that they would understand the scriptures and walk steadfast according to the faith. Pray. That's my advice. God bless.

Thanks for your question. Join us again tomorrow as we continue our study of Colossians.

This has been When We Understand the Text with Pastor Gabriel Hughes. For all of our podcasts, episodes, videos, books and more, visit our website at www .utt .com. If you'd like to submit a question to this broadcast or just send us a comment, email whenweunderstandthetext at gmail .com and let your friends know about our ministry.

Join us again tomorrow as we grow together in the study of God's Word when we understand the text.