Wrestling in Prayer

The book of Colossians is such a RICH text that enriches my knowledge the FULLNESS of Christ. By reading and studying the book, it gives me a glimpse of His RICHNESS. While concluding the book of Colossians, it comes to my attention that prayer contributes to experiencing the richness of Christ for others and ourselves.

Towards the end of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he acknowledges some of the faithful servants. Among them, I am especially pleased with Epaphras, for he is always ‘wrestling in prayer’ for you, that may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. (Col. 4:12) Under the threats of heresy, Paul probably is the sole theological teaching support but surely not the only spiritual support. The names appeared in chapter four, whether is Aristarchus, Mark, Justus or Epaphras, they are diligently praying for the believers in Colossi, Laodicea and Hierapolis. Though it seems simple and meaningless, that prayer is very important. While we think we are struggling alone, the reality is prayer is coming in to shield and strength us, the battle is, indeed, fight hand-in-hand with our dear fellows soldiers in Christ. The source of strength is from God who hears the prayer of His faithful servant. Prayer support between brothers and sisters is the essence of whether we can fight a good fight and gain victory over threats of the non-God culture.

Prayer is like a wrestle. The more we pray, the stronger we are. The more we pray for others, the more strength the other will receive to stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured, just like what Epaphras did for the Colossians.

I am not a good wrestler, though I believe that prayer changes all things. God will use my little praying heart and turns it to an enormous power to win the wrestling battle for people’s heart from falling into Satan’s scheme.

Let’s wrestle in prayer for each other!

Ponder upon HIS ‘richness’

In the past two weeks, I’ve been dedicating my thoughts and meditation on the word FULLNESS. The word fullness, or words with similar meaning like, riches, richness and fully are appearing throughout the entire book of Colossians repeatedly. Paul has given to the brothers and sisters in Colossi and local church in the area both theological and practically teachings. In chapter 3, there are three sets of word caught my attention.

First is ‘set our minds and hearts on the things above’.(Col. 2:1-2)
Second is ‘taken off our old self’ and ‘put on our new self’. (Col. 2:9-10)
Third is ‘let the peace of Christ rule our hearts, and ‘let the word of Christ dwell in you richly’. (Col. 2:15-16)

I started to ponder upon the RICHNESS in Christ… of how to let His word dwells in me richly…

Set our hearts and minds on things above (Col. 2:1-2) where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Christ is the essence. He is the center of everything for He is the first born. He is before all creation and everything are created by Him and for Him. Christ, He who died on the cross for sinners. Sinners can now alive with Christ. These simple words can’t fully express and articulate the entire truth and how graphically it happens in my heart. Christ died for me, a sinner, one with much transgression and fault. I am moved every time this fact touches my heart and I think every believer should. The experience of seeing Christ nailed on the cross like it is first hand, adds on to the richness of the relationship between Christ and I.

Taken off the old self and put on the new self. (Col. 2:9-10) Paul is helping believers in Colossi to grow in maturity while they are at stake of wavering faith by the heresy. Salvation is secured at the time of conversion. Yet, maturity is a process. Believers are holy in the sight of God, yet to be sanctified gradually in daily Christian walk. Taken off the old self and put on the new self is a continuous demolishing and constructing process of a healthy Christian life. Our relationship with Christ becomes richer and richer, when we put on more of Him and take off more of ours. The process of more Him and less us adds flavor to the richness and deepens the relationship.

歌羅西書 2:13-15

「你們從前在過犯和未受割禮的肉體中死了，神赦免了你們（註：或作“我們”）一切過犯，便叫你們與基督一同活過來；又塗抹了在律例上所寫攻擊我們、有礙於我們的字據，把它撤去，釘在十字架上。既將一切執政的、掌權的擄來，明顯給眾人看，就仗著十字架誇勝。」 - 歌羅西書2:13-15

十字架，十字架，永是我的榮耀。我眾罪都洗清潔，唯靠耶穌寶血。

當眼睛在短短的三節經文上重複流轉時，眼眶不禁濕潤了。我看到自己跪在十字架前，眼淚盈眶的看著為我釘死的主。釘在十字架上的主的兩旁有長長的紙張跟手腕一同被銹鐡穿破深深直入木頭裡。我看見字張上有字，噢！是一些罪狀。再仔細看，是我畢生犯過的罪行。長長的紙上滿載了不可告人的羞恥罪行，耳邊有魔鬼的控訴，心裡感到萬分的羞恥。過犯，其實是多麼具體的邪惡行為。紙張滿載一件一件羞恥的證據，垂在主釘手之下一直到地面，還拖到遠遠…不消一會，怎麼什麼也看不到？留在紙上的只有鮮紅色的血。我犯的每一件羞恥的罪行，沒有一件不被主的血遮蓋，從頭到尾都染滿了衪的寶血。我的罪行有多長，衪的血也流至多遠…眼眶再盛載不了眼淚，滴在散佈鮮血的紙張上與主的血溶在一起。

能和主一同活過來是主給我的莫大恩賜。那在十字架前的哭泣，面對自己的過犯，狠狠的感受到羞恥和罪無可恕，再被主的血完全遮蓋。生命是必需經過死亡才愆生，也是與基督一同活過來的明證。

The Fullness of Christ

For all that I knew about Christ, I know none.
For all that He is, is nothing I am.
For all that He is not, is everything I am.

Christ is…………………………I am…
The first born…………………………the creature
Image of the invisible God…………………………alienated from God
Before all things…………………………enemies to God
The head of the body…………………………blemished & accusable
All fullness dwells…………………………not at peace with Him

For all that He reconciled on the cross through the death of Christ’s physical body, is all in His fullness dwelt.

This is the kind of passage must read with imagination of how grand and majestic it is Paul is trying to describe the supremacy of Christ. It is like watching a clip with Paul’s baritone voice narrating the scripture while the clip precludes with a rolling back of the dark at the first streak of dawn while the sun rises above the horizon, and the shimmering edges of the clouds glow brighter and brighter as the dawn rolls in. The little bird breaks through the egg shell just to have the first peek of the world while the rain drops on the drought land at afar. A close up of a rose bud flourishing and dying, and a field of sunflowers turn as the sun arches across the sky at a snapshot. Then, stand at the feet of the mountain gazing at the vast creation of God. How great thou art! “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him…” (Col. 1:15-23)

Live a life worthy of the Lord

While I am coughing my lungs out these days and absorbing myself with all kinds of medication and inhaling mist days and nights, I am also submerging myself in God’ breath. Colossians is one of the favorite among the favorites.

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:9-14

It’s kind of a long passage filled with abundant substances which take quite a while to fully digest. Here are two points that I am pondering upon...

1. Pray for the spiritual wisdom and understanding
The result of praying such is that we will be living a life worthy of the Lord. The questions then will be I am living a life that is not worthy of the Lord. How dreadful and shameful it is to be a living spiritual entity, claiming and enjoying all God given blessing provident, however not living according to which that name should have acquired. I have to admit my poorness in spiritual wisdom because I am blind to see what lies beyond the presence. While the circumstance is not making sense at all, pray for wisdom.

2. God rescue us from darkness and brought us into light. In the midst of all the 'not-so-good' things happened around us that God would want us to pray in order to know His will and being strengthened with great endurance and patience. - which I decided to stop whining but to give praise to God that I am actually made qualified to the event, that requires endurance and patience, God particularly assigned to me, because those are, together with the good ones, inheritance from our loving Father.

Lord, please teach me how to live a life worthy of you, and rescues me from the darkness and bring me into your kingdom of life.