TEXT: Colossians 4:1-4
1 Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.
2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
— PRAYER —
We are in a series of messages titled “Praying Through the Bible: A Series on Every Passage and Verse Regarding Prayer in the Bible.” The purpose of this series is to encourage and motivate you to pray to the God of the Bible. We highlighted each of these over 500 verses and passages in the Prayer Motivator Devotional Bible. So far, we have completed 334 messages in this series.
This is message #335 titled, Prayer and the Gospel, Part 3.
John Piper said, “Not only has God made the accomplishment of his global purposes of salvation hang on the preaching of the Word; he has also made the success of the preaching of the Word hang on prayer. God’s goal to be glorified in a world full of white-hot worshippers from every people and tongue and tribe and nation will not succeed without the powerful proclamation of the gospel by people like you and me. And that gospel will not be proclaimed in power to all the nations without the persevering, earnest, global, faith-filled prayers of God’s people.”
In his closing words to the church at Colossae, Paul encourages them to continue in prayer and thanksgiving on their own just as he and his ministry companions continued in prayer and thanksgiving for these believers as described in chapter one. Then, Paul asks for prayer for himself and his co-laborers in the Lord’s work. “Withal praying also for us…” The word “withal” means “meanwhile” or “with all that you are already doing.” Isn’t it interesting that the aged, experienced apostle calls on these babes in Christ to pray for him? He entrusts his own well-being to their prayers — not for them to attend to him exclusively, but for them to add him to their prayer list, as it were, as one request among others.
This shows us the humility of the apostle. He did not think of himself so highly that he could not request prayer from those who were considered his grandchildren in the faith. This also shows us that, when it comes to prayer, God is no respecter of persons. The prayers of Paul were no more powerful than the prayers of a new believer who did not have his level of experience or knowledge. Prayer is not a competitive sport. And, sometimes, the most unlikely individuals have a way of getting ahold of God through prayer.
In verse three, we also find that Paul did not request prayer for his personal needs. The man was in prison and he did not even ask that they pray for his freedom. Instead, Paul asked them to pray “that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.” Paul wanted these believers to pray for open doors to preach the Gospel. Even in prison, that was Paul’s goal — to preach Christ. That was what he cared about the most, even beyond his own comfort and well-being.
Not only did he request prayer for the preaching of the Gospel, but he requested prayer that he might live in a manner in accordance with the Gospel message. That is what he means when he says, “that I may make it manifest.” To make something manifest means to show what something is. When a cargo ship travels across the ocean and docks in another country’s port, it carries with it a document called a manifest. The document details the passengers, the crew, and the cargo on that ship. Paul wants to live his life in such a way that he is a manifest for the Gospel message. He wants people to look at him and be able to see Christ and the redemptive work of Christ in his life.
Isn’t that what we all ought to be praying for ourselves and our fellow believers? We all ought to pray for opportunities to share the Gospel, and we ought to pray for the power to manifest the message of the Gospel in our daily living. Above all others, these are the two greatest requests one can make in prayer.
Fanny Crosby wrote:
Glory to God for the joy to meet
Here at the hour of prayer;
Welcome the bliss of communion sweet
Here at the hour of prayer!
Far from the world we may turn away,
Here at the hour of prayer;
Gladly we rest from the toils of day
Here at the hour of prayer.
Rich are the blessings that all may seek
Here at the hour of prayer;
Grace for the weary, the faint, the weak,
Here at the hour of prayer.
Oh, what a holy and calm repose
Here at the hour of prayer!
Love in its fullness the heart overflows
Here at the hour of prayer.
Nearer the gate to the soul’s bright home,
Nearer the vales where the faithful roam,
Nearer to God and the Lamb we come,
Here at the hour of prayer.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Now, if you are with us today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, your first prayer needs to be what we call the Sinner’s Prayer. First, please understand that you are a sinner, just as I am, and that you have broken God’s laws. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now this is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! Congratulations on trusting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. You have done the most important thing in life. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door, by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry.
He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree.
He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.
BCNN1 WP 