PRAYING FOR THE GOSPEL – Colossians 4:2-4

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on February 16, 2020 under 2020 |

Bethany Bible Church Sunday Message; February 16, 2020 from Colossians 4:2-4

Theme: We serve the cause of the gospel when we pray as we should for its spread.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

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Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word,
to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains,
that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak (Colossians 4:2-4).

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These words speak to us of one of the most important things that we can do to advance the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not all of us are called to be preachers. Not all of us are called to be evangelists. Not all of us are called to be missionaries. But we’re all called to spread the gospel. And we support its spread greatly through our prayers.

Being a supporter of the gospel through prayer is not merely ‘second best’ to a preacher or an evangelist or a missionary. It’s a very vital role. As important as anything else might be that anyone can do to reach people for Christ, none of it will produce the fruit that God wants it to produce unless it is supported by the prayers of God’s people.

Think of Charles Spurgeon—the great British preacher from over a century and a half ago; and the importance he gave to prayer in his gospel work. Someone once asked him why it was that his preaching seemed to lead to the salvation of souls every Sunday. And so, he took the person who asked this question down to the basement of the large Metropolitan Tabernacle in London where he preached; and showed them the prayer meeting that was going on. He called that prayer meeting “the powerhouse of the church.”

Or think of Billy Graham. Whenever Dr. Graham would hold a crusade, astonishing numbers of people would come forward to receive Jesus as their Savior. Was it because he was an astonishingly great preacher? Well; he certainly was a great preacher. But that wasn’t the thing that he depended on. Whenever he would hold a crusade in a major city, the first question he would ask of his associates on the ministry team was, “Are the people of God praying?” That lets us know what Dr. Graham believed gave his evangelistic meetings such Spirit-empowered success.

And think also of the Lord Jesus Himself. When He once looked at the multitudes of people who were gathered around Him, He was moved with compassion over the depth of their need. They were all weary and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd. And He turned to His disciples and told them what He saw. “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” And yet, He didn’t then say, “So; hurry up, men! Get out there right away and harvest them!” Instead, He said, “Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:38). In other words, when looking over the urgent need, He called for prayer.

Or think of the man who was the greatest missionary and evangelist that ever lived. Think of what the apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians. When he gave his powerful discourse on spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6, he concluded it with an appeal for two important things that he joined together—prayer and proclamation. He made the success of the proclamation of the gospel dependent upon the prayers of God’s people. He urged them to put on the whole armor of God and stand faithful;

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak (Ephesians 6:18-20).

The principles of prayer that the apostle Paul stresses in our passage this morning—in Colossians 4:2-4—can certainly apply our prayers in general. But Paul meant for them to apply—most specifically and most crucially—to our ministry of prayer for the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people in the world around us. Our wise heavenly Father has so designed the spread of the message of the gospel of Jesus that it is not only to be spoken forth by us, but also to be empowered by our prayers.

Your prayers and my prayers are necessary, then, for the spread of the gospel. And that means that among all of the other things that we can pray about together—and that we should pray about together—the most strategic thing to pray is for the spread of the gospel and for doors to be opened for it to be heard.

We greatly serve the cause of the gospel when we faithfully pray—in the manner we’re told—for its spread. So; let’s learn from this passage how we are to fulfill our ministry of gospel-empowering prayer.

* * * * * * * * * *

Notice that Paul’s concern for prayer in this matter was practical and personal. The preaching of the gospel had cost him a great deal. He mentioned that, at the time of the writing of this letter, he was in chains for preaching it.

But Paul being in prison didn’t stop the gospel from spreading. And in fact, it didn’t stop Paul from proclaiming it. It’s very evident, from what Paul said, that the prayers of God’s people can cause the preaching of Jesus Christ to bust through the prison walls. And so, after giving his believing brothers and sisters several instructions on living the Christian life, he finished off his practical section with a call for prayer for the spread of the gospel.

If we look at verse 2, we read these words: “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” And here, Paul teaches us …

1. HOW WE’RE TO PRAY FOR THE GOSPEL.

Paul gives us three ways that we are to pray for the cause of the gospel. And the first is that we are to pray persistently. He says, “Continue earnestly in prayer …”

The phrase “continue earnestly” is the translation of one Greek word; and this single word itself is composed of two Greek words joined together. The first is a word that means ‘to continue without wavering’ in something—to ‘endure’ in it. And the other word is the preposition ‘toward’. To ‘continue earnestly’ in prayer, then, means to be persistent or to adhere steadfastly or earnestly toward a goal in our prayers.

Jesus taught us a great story about not giving up in our prayers.n Luke 18:1-8, we read;

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’” Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:1-8).

Obviously, we’re to be persistent in all of our prayers. But in our passage this morning, the apostle Paul is stressing to us that we need to especially be persistent in our prayers for the salvation of those around us—that they will hear the gospel and believe it. I remember hearing from some elderly friends once that one of their relatives finally trusted in Jesus. They said, “We’d been praying for him for over fifty years!” May God help us never to give up on lost family members and friends. May He help us to be persistent in our prayers for the salvation of others—even if it takes half a century!

In addition, we’re to pray watchfully. Paul says that we’re to continue earnestly in prayer, “being vigilant in it …” or as the New International Version has it, “being watchful”.

I happen to very much like the word that Paul used in the original language. It’s the Greek word that my name comes from: gregoreo. It means “to be awake” or “to be alert” or “to be watchful”. When we apply this word to prayer, it describes the act of praying with an attitude of careful attention and observation of what’s going on around us. It speaks of an attitude of praying intelligently and accurately—in an informed way—with a keen sense of what’s happening, and to what God Himself is desiring to do in it.

Jesus commanded us, as His followers, to be a ‘watchful’ kind of people. In Matthew 25:13, He taught us to be on the alert for the day of His return; saying, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” He told His twelve disciples, “And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” (Mark 13:37). The apostle Paul also urged believers to be watchful. He told the pastors from Ephesus that there would come a time when false teachers would arise to harm the church; and he said, “Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn every one night and day with tears” (Acts 20:31). He told the believers in Corinth, “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). And very much along the lines of our passage this morning, the apostle Peter once wrote to the suffering, persecuted Christians in his day and said, “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers” (1 Peter 4:7).

We’re not to be careless people in the way that we pray. We’re not to pray in lazy generalities. We’re to do our homework—to get specific—to get accurate in our prayers. We’re to pay attention to what’s going on in the world—especially when it has something to do with the spread of the gospel; and we’re to pray intelligently. Our God wants us to be vigilant all the time; and especially in our prayers for the cause of the gospel. He wants us to pray ‘watchfully’.

And finally, Paul says that we are to pray thankfully. He said that we’re to continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it “with thanksgiving.”

Just like the qualities of persistence and watchfulness, the quality of thanksgiving is often presented to us in the Bible as a key element in prayer. The apostle Paul taught us in the letter to the Ephesians to be filled with the Holy Spirit; “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18-20). He taught us in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” And in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, he wrote, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Whenever we pray, and for whatever it is that we might pray for, we should always do so with a spirit of true, genuine thankfulness to God. When we’re faithful to add genuine thanks to God in our prayers, we’re affirming Him for who He is and what He is able to do. We’re acknowledging His goodness and faithfulness to us. And this is especially crucial when we pray for the spread of the gospel, and for the salvation of lost souls. When we thank God in our prayers for the spread of the gospel, we’re acknowledging that salvation comes, ultimately, from Him; and that He will ultimately give His gospel message success. We’re acknowledging that neither the world, nor the flesh, nor the devil, can ever stop the spread of His gospel message; and that all whom He chooses for salvation will surely be saved. We’re proclaiming our confidence in God’s sovereignty, and in His ability and wisdom to bring about His desire in the proclamation of the gospel. We’re affirming the ultimate victory of God’s saving grace whenever we give thanks in our prayers for the gospel’s proclamation.

So; that’s how we’re to pray—and particularly to pray for the spread of the gospel. May God help us to pray for its spread with persistence, with watchfulness, and with thankfulness.