Partners Through Prayer

As a junior high school student, I received a letter from an elderly woman in my home church. She wrote that she could not do much physically any longer, so she saw her primary ministry as prayer. She wrote to let me know that she would be praying for me daily for the rest of her life.

Paul similarly encouraged the Colossian church by affirming that he and Timothy, “always thank God . . . when we pray for you” (v. 3). He thanked God that the Colossians had genuinely embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ, evidenced in their faith, love, and hope. In this passage, Paul changed the order these virtues are usually mentioned in the New Testament. He affirmed that their faith in Christ and their love for all the believers was grounded in hope (v. 5). It was this hope of an eternity with Christ “stored up for you in heaven” that motivated their changed lives (v. 5).

Paul made another point in this opening prayer. He declared that the message they believed was the “true message of the gospel” (v. 5). There were false teachers in Colossae who had caused doubt in the minds of believers. Paul dispelled these doubts with two key points. First, the gospel message they received was “bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world” (v. 6). It was the same message that Christ followers believed everywhere. Second, it was taught to them by a faithful minister of Jesus Christ, Epaphras (v. 7).

The Colossians could be encouraged, Paul was praying for them and they were a part of God’s work throughout the world. Just as the gospel was “bearing fruit” and “growing” throughout the world, it was also bearing fruit and growing in them. The gospel, then and now, creates a community marked by faith, hope, and love.

Pray with Us

Sam Choy, chief marketing officer, welcomes your prayers for his leadership at Moody Bible Institute in providing effective communication with our friends and donors, with the Moody community on our two campuses, as well as with the public at large.

BY Ryan Cook

Dr. Ryan Cook has taught at Moody Bible Institute since 2012. He earned his bachelor of arts in Bible and Theology from Moody and his master of arts in Old Testament from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. He has worked in Christian education and served as a pastor in Michigan for seven years. During his time as a professor at Moody, he earned his doctorate from Asbury Theological Seminary. He now lives with his wife, Ashley, and their three children in the Chicagoland area.