Don’t be bashful
Colossians 1:1-8 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; 5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; 7 as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.
Paul was in prison writing this letter to the Colossian church. It is believed that on his third missionary journey to Ephesus, a person named Epaphras was converted and returned home to Colosse to begin evangelizing his hometown. We are told that the church was composed mainly of Gentiles, and just like many early churches it had it’s problems. There were many that were leading others astray, preaching and teaching different ways to heaven; mixing the Jewish beliefs and forms of mysticisms that placed Jesus at a higher plain, but not as Deity, not as God. Paul starts out his letter to the Colossians to refute those false teachings. Paul begins speaking of their faith, hope, and love.
Do you see this as the prayer that it is? Do you see how Paul was praying for those that had just come to faith in Christ? He was interceding for them, he was going before God and praying for His strength for them. Paul knew that when they came to know Christ, they were going against the world. They needed other believers to pray for them. They needed the strength to endure the trials, the discernment from the Holy Spirit to recognize the false teachings; the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth. They must take that which He gives them, and spread the hope that lies within them. When we pray for, and are prayed for, God grants us wisdom through His Word and our prayer.
Do you have that faith? Do you have that hope, and that love? If you do have genuine faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, there will be a natural outpouring of love, spreading that hope that lies within you. The book of James puts it bluntly; 2:17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. Is there evidence in your life of that faith? Epaphras had heard the Gospel, and returned home to tell everyone, He had sought to share that hope that lied within him, for others to have what he now possessed. Don’t be bashful, tell someone the difference Christ made in your life today, the same thing He can do for them.
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