Chu Thanh
Colossians 2:1-7
1) Passion V1: You have to have passion to pray for the church. Paul prayed earnestly for the church. He said that he “was struggling for those in Laodicea”. He prayed for them with a heavy heart because that’s how much he yearned for God’s hand in them.
2) Prayer V2: We are easily discouraged in our walk with God sometimes. We live in a world with fallen human beings. The looks that we give or the way that we act will somehow discourage someone. We ignorantly do things that discourage one another. Things that come into our life will bring burdens to our hearts. The best thing you can do for a person who is discouraged is pray for them. Paul said that his “purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love”. Those who are being prayed for are being knit together in love.
3) Purpose of Prayer: The purpose of prayer is so that we would have knowledge and wisdom (V3). Praying for the people in the church will give them knowledge of right and wrong and wisdom to apply it in their lives. Praying also gives us love of God’s word (V4). We need to pray for the church to have a love for the bible. Only then can their faith be firmly founded and established.
4) Principle V6: We must pray that the church of God will have desire to continue witnessing, worshipping, learning, and growing. Paul says to “continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith”.
