Declaring the Mystery of Christ

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.” (Colossians 4:2-4 ESV)

If we continue steadfastly in prayer, this is not something scheduled for a certain number of minutes one time each day. And prayer is not some formality we go through so that we can say that we said our prayers. Prayer is open communication between us and our Lord 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, to where, at any moment, and without regard for whatever else we have going on in our lives, we can speak with our Lord and he can speak with us, and he can give us guidance and direction in our lives.

And being watchful has to do with being spiritually alert to all that is going on around us and in the world and in the church at large, and in the lives of the people that we love, so that we know how to pray for them with the wisdom of God, and so we are not just mumbling words or saying random stuff with no meaning to it at all. So we need to pray to the Lord that he will make us aware of our surroundings and that he will give us discernment to understand the times in which we now live, so we know how to pray.

And, as those who claim to know him, and to be those who believe in him as Lord and Savior of our lives, we should be praying to the Lord for guidance and direction in how we are to live to please him, and with regard to the things he would have us to do and to say and to whom and when and where. For he has a mission for all of us to fulfill, and all of us are to be taking the message of the gospel of Christ to the people of the world, and we should be helping one another to walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands.

So, not only should we be praying for others as they share the gospel that the Lord would open doors of opportunity for them to share the truth of the gospel, and that they would declare the gospel clearly, and in its fullness, and in its truth, according to the teachings of Christ and of his NT apostles, but we should be praying the same for ourselves, for we, too, should be sharing the gospel and not relying on others to do that instead of us.

“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (Colossians 4:5-6 ESV)

Then, as we serve the Lord Jesus as ministers of the gospel and as those who minister to one another within the body of Christ, in accord with God’s word and what it teaches us that we must do for one another, we should also pray for wisdom to know how to speak with and respond to and to talk with those who are outside of faith in the Lord Jesus. But we should be walking the walk and not just talking it, for our actions speak louder than our words. This doesn’t mean we will be perfect in every way, but not live as hypocrites.

And we should be those who are making the best use of the time that we have been given on the earth. We should not be wasting away our days on the pleasures of the flesh, just doing what makes us feel good, always thinking about self and self-pleasure. But we should be servants of the Lord Jesus who are walking in his ways and who are spreading the truth of the gospel and who are speaking the truth in love to one another, too, so that we can all grow to maturity of faith in our Lord Jesus.

For Jesus Christ died on that cross so that we would be crucified with him in death to sin and raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to righteousness. So we are not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires, for if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it leads to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with Christ our Lord.

[Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:18-20; John 4:31-38; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 26:18; Romans 6:1-23; Rom 10:14-15; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 John 2:6]

In Harmony  

An Original Work / September 2, 2012

Based off Ro. 12:9-21; 1 Pet. 3:8-17

Love each other truly. 

Cling to what is good.

Hate all that is evil. 

Never lack in zeal.

Serve the Lord with fervor. 

Joyful in hope be;

Patient in affliction; 

Praying faithfully.

Honor one another. 

Live in harmony.

Share with all God’s people

Who are found in need.

Do not be conceited.

Sympathetic be.

Love, and show compassion

In humility.

Keep your tongue from evil.

Peaceful you must be.

Honor one another.

Live in harmony.

God sees who are righteous;

Listens to their prayers.

But He’s against evil – 

Is His to avenge.

Do not fear what they fear.

Suffer patiently.

In your hearts, make Christ Lord.

Serve Him faithfully.

Honor one another.

Live in harmony.

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