The Unity of believers – Expressed in words
This theme of a loving cooperation and unity continues in Chapter 4. Here, whereas the previous chapters spoke of matters of behaviour, and attitude; this section deals with words. For not only must the Spirit of Christ be seen in all our actions; our conversation also must be reflective of the one who always spoke his Father’s Word. And this is seen in 3 ways – words of Prayer (4:2-3), Proclamation (4:3-6) and Care for fellow believers (4:7-18).
That which ought to come first and foremost in the utterances of the Saints, is the offering of Prayer to the Father:
« Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; withal praying also for us, that God would upon unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds » (4:2,3).
The saints at Colosse were to pray – but not simply a ‘shopping list’ of repeated requests, rather a watchful, thoughtful petition that the Father would be with the Apostle’s preaching, opening a door of opportunity for Him that the work might continue.
And in this, we are given a significant insight into the mind of the apostle. Bound in prison, in threat of his life, in dire circumstances; his overriding concern was not for himself, and for the severe discomfort he was enduring. It was for the fact that whilst he was in chains, he was unable to preach the Gospel to the dying sinners around him. That « the mystery of Christ » was not being « made manifest » by him, as he had been divinely commissioned to do. Thus, the primary – and indeed only – thing he besought the brethren to pray for, was that he might have such opportunity presented to him, even in such dire circumstances when preaching the Word may well be farthest from the minds of many hirelings who place present advantage over future gain.
The Apostle besought the brethren to pray for « a door of utterance ». Indeed, he had been granted such a « door » several times previous to this. At Ephesus (1Cor 16:8, 9 and Troas (2Cor 2:12), so he informed the Corinthians,
« a door was opened unto me of the Lord ».
Here, a ‘door’ being an entrance or means of passing from one arena to another, the expression is used to denote the manner in which words might have opportunity to pass from Paul to the hearts of the hearers. Being alone, as when he was imprisoned at Rome, there was no-one to hear – the door was either closed, or was not even present at all. So, the ‘doors of his lips’ (cp Ps 141:3) were not permitted to allow the Gospel message to pass through them. But when it so fitted the Purpose of the Deity, opportunity was given; a ‘door’ was opened that Paul, and the message he bore, could enter beyond it, that the words of Life might not be bound.
And that the prayers of the brethren were indeed heard is evident from Paul’s Epistle to the Phillippians, for there he speaks of how his deliverance into Caesar’s palace was beneficial for « the furtherance of the Gospel » (Phil 1:12,13). And again, he refers to those who had received the word, upon the opening of the door of opportunity for it’s utterance:
« all the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household » (Phil 4:22).
So it was, even within the sufferings of imprisonment, the Gospel was preached – and received.
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Preceding
- Colossians – An Exhortation for Unity in Love #1 Separation from the world
- Colossians – An Exhortation for Unity in Love #2 Completeness of the united Body of Christ
- Colossians – An Exhortation for Unity in Love #3 Living the Truth
- Colossians – An Exhortation for Unity in Love #4 Speaking the truth
- What if’s
- Being a Prayerful Person
- Request to learn to pray
- God’s Words for the Pilgrimage #1 Twentieth Century Man and the Pilgrimage Process
- What are the obligations for a Christian?
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Additional reading
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- Conversations that Matter
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- Depths in Conversation
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- Finish each day and be done with it
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- Get up in the morning and pray for the Lord’s blessings
- When having taken a new direction in life, having become a Christian
- Light and Salt – Parables of Influence
- Nominal Friends of the Truth
- Testimony Special Issue 2018- Difficult Conversations
- The Big Conversation
- Faithful Are the Wounds of a Friend
- Faith, storms and actions to be taken
- Today’s thought “To set the mind on the spirit is life and peace” (July 31)
- Relapse plan
- Being prudent – zorgvuldig zijn
- How us to behave
- How we think shows through in how we act
- Act as if everything you think, say and do determines your entire life
- Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience
- Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal
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- A Living Faith #4 Effort
- A Living Faith #6 Sacrifice
- A Living Faith #9 Our Manner of Life
- 9 Ways to Deal with Complexity at Church
- Followers with deepening
- Relying on the Love of God
- Are Christadelphians so Old Fashioned?
- Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal
- People will never forget how you made them feel
- Pray that we will make the time to listen: listen to God and listen to each other
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