Praying for Fellow Believers - September 11, 2022 Sunday Sermon

Praying for fellow believers

When individual Christians in a church don’t seek to know and live by Biblical truth, they wind up parroting back to each other the cultural attitudes and actions around them. They often wind up convincing themselves that unbiblical attitudes and actions are okay with God, because they are okay with each other.

Read Colossians 1:9-14 Praying for fellow believers Let’s Pray!

Three Main Thrusts of Praying for fellow believers:

1. Pray believers through “the ongoing circle of growth.” V. 9-10

What was Paul’s first prayer request for these believers?

To be filled with spiritual knowledge.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching (what you should believe), for reproof (what you should not believe), for correction (how you should not behave), and for training in righteousness (how you should behave), that the man of God may be complete, equipped in every good work. -2 Timothy 3:16-17

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. -James 1:22

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. -James 1:26

2. Pray for believers to rely on God’s power to joyfully persevere V. 11

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence. -2 Peter 1:3

The word for endurance is for perservering when facing difficult circumstances; The word for patience is for perservering when facing difficult people!

Believers do not face difficult circumstances and people alone – God is with us as we face those circumstances and people.

A lot of our bad reactions to our circumstances happen because we feel helpless – Paul is trying to relate to us here that the believer is never without help – we can do all things God has called us to through Christ who gives us strength.

3. Pray for believers to have God’s perspective on their identity V. 12-14

We are no longer sinners bound for Hell; we are now redeemed and forgiven saints who are Family Heirs of Christ’s Kingdom!