Sunday Recap 10-7-12

Morning:  The sermon, "A Prayer for Fruitful Christianity," focused on Colossians 1:1-14. In this passage, Paul reminds us to ask God to increase the "fruit" in our lives. Paul is writing this letter to a church he didn't start. Although they didn't know him personally, he wanted them to know he was praying for them. Their leader, Epaphras, was likely one of Paul's converts in Asia Minor and went on to found the church. Now, Epaphras was in prison with Paul, and sharing his concern for the church. Epaphras has planted good seed and was seeing fruit come forth, but weeds were beginning to grow. Paul shows us how to pray for fruitful Christianity.

1. Thank God for the fruit you see. Every good gift comes down from the Father in heaven, so every expression of gratitude must be aimed upward to the Father. Paul points to 4 "fruits" in the life of this church. Paul expresses thanks for their faith in God, their love for all the saints, their hope in the gospel,and for the fact that the gospel is spreading and growing among them.

2. Pray that God would increase the fruit. Paul expresses the substance of his prayers: that God would fill the believers with knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. He goes on to express his reason: we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way. What does that look like: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, and being strengthened with all power according to God's glorious might.

Paul wanted them to be strengthened so that they could have great endurance which is the ability to bear up under hardship, patience which is self-restraint under trying circumstances, and joyful gratitude to the Father.

They should have gratitude to the Father because he qualified them to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light, he rescued tem form the dominion of darkness, and he brought them into the kingdom of the Son he loves.

What do we do?

Examine your fruit--Are you a believer in Christ? Do you have faith in God through Jesus Christ? Do you have love for all the saints? Is the Gospel your hope?

If you answer no to those questions: Ask the Father to qualify you to share in Christ, ask him to rescue you from the dominion of darkness, ask him to grant you redemption and forgiveness through Jesus Christ our Lord.

If you answer yes to the above questions: Ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Pray this for each other.

Evening: Business Meeting