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Col 1:11 Paul's prayer for the strength of believers: the weak & strong believer

We are continuing in our study of prayer as part of the PPOG or Predestination Eph 1:3-5; Rom 8:29; for the purpose of determining just how and what we should pray for. At the moment we are examining Paul's prayers and we have seen in that the major focus in his prayers has been for them to appropriate by Grace the spiritual resources that God has provided and advance in God's plan for their lives.

In this segment, we are examining Paul and Timothy's prayer in Col 1:9-12; where Paul is praying for the believer's spiritual growth.

9- Because of this, since the day we heard Epaphras' report we have not stopped praying for you asking that you would be completely filled up with the knowledge of God the Father's intent in the sphere of wisdom and spiritual understanding.

10- to the end that you would conduct yourselves with conduct becoming the Lord to please Him completely while being prolific by divinely good activities and growing in
the knowledge of God,

11- because of the omnipotence empowering you in accordance with the power of God's glory for maximum perseverance and patience, accompanied by joy...

Paul's prayer is for them to be filled with the knowledge of his will and all spiritual wisdom and understanding was so that they would be able to persevere or "keep on plugging” in their spiritual advance regardless of adversity, by means of Bible Doctrine through the power of God the Holy Spirit for the purpose of pleasing him in all respects, to bear fruit in every good work and increasing in the Spirit taught knowledge of God because they were enabled to parlay that spirit taught knowledge of God into the power necessary to fulfill the objectives of the spiritual life.

This Divine enablement that Paul is praying for believer's to receive provides the power or capacity for "steadfastness" or endurance and "patience" with "joy" or the happiness of God in any and all situations.

The word in this passage that is translated "steadfastness" in the NASB is the Greek word "hupomone" Hupomone literally means to “remain under” it implies not easily succumbing under the pressure of suffering and having the courage in the face of any and all opposition" because of one's confident expectation in God and his word and reliance upon him.

The winner believer abides under the pressure; and does not try to escape it because they recognize from Bible Doctrine that the suffering is part of their personal sense of destiny which leads to occupation with TLJC.

TLJC was occupied with his own personal sense of destiny which was a source of "joy" or the happiness of God for him.

When the time came, Our Lord was determined to go to Jerusalem because he knew from his personal sense of destiny what awaited him there would result in his ascension to the right hand of the Father. Luke 9:51;

Heb 12:1b; The word translated race is "agona". This "agona" is "set before" the believer is their destiny designed by God as part of the PPOG or Predestination for their life.

Heb 12:2; Believers are to be focused on Jesus (the humanity of TLJC) who for the joy "set before" him, endured the cross disregarding the shame....

The words translated "set before" in both verses is the Greek word "prokemai" which means to be appointed to or destined to as part of a predetermined plan.

In the same way that the presentation, crucifixion, burial, resurrection and ascension and session was the destiny of Jesus, the "agona" of this life in their salvation, re-presentation, resurrection, and ascension and session is the destiny of believers as part of God's predetermined plan.

Both are a source of "joy" because the personal sense of destiny which is established from Faith (Bible Doctrine) provides Divine Viewpoint which results in the believer having an eternal perspective on their temporal suffering. Rom 8:18;

When believers are tempted to quit, they have permitted the pressure of adversity to obscure their confident expectation of Divine Good that arises from their personal sense of destiny and in order to recover they must refocus on the person and thinking of Jesus and consider Him who has endured and prevailed in all trials and tests, realize that they have the same power and assets as He did, and remember that their destiny is inextricably connected with his and that it is for His glory that they are alive.

This refocusing occurs when believers turn the eyes of their soul away from the things of this earth to do this, they need the strength and enablement from God that comes from Bible Doctrine and God the Holy Spirit that Paul is praying for them to have in our passage in order for them to endure and prevail in the angelic conflict. Col 3:2-4;

Jesus Christ endured hostility and suffering by committing himself to the Father's plan which was his Personal Sense of Destiny. John 6:38-40; Matt 26:39;

Christ’s way was the way of the Father. He submitted Himself in His humanity to the plan of the Father, as a result, He was strong, courageous, and victorious. John 16:33;

Christ was able to fulfill the prototype plan of God because He learned endurance through dependence upon the prototype PPOG for his unique spiritual life in submission to the Father’s will. Phil 2:5-8;

Many believers rejoice because it appears we may be in the in the end times of the dispensation of the Church age which ends with the rapture or resurrection of the Church and exit of all believers from this planet and it's adversity, and there is nothing wrong with this because the exit resurrection is part of the believer's personal sense of destiny. 1Thes 4:17-18;

However the reason for the believer is left on this planet after salvation is to bring glory to God by becoming a witness for the prosecution of Satan in the midst of the adversity of the "world" or " Satan's Kosmic system" through the utilization of the power of God available to the believer inside the predestination of the PPOG. John 17:13-21;

Believers will face much opposition at the hands of the Satan, the kingdom of darkness, the kosmic system and their OSN Phil 1:29; and In order to prevail against this opposition, believers must continue in their acknowledgment of any known personal sin and their persistent and consistent daily intake of the Word of God in order to function in God's power system. Gal 5:16-18; (v18 "If "is in the first class condition assumed to be true)

In order to prevail over the opposition, believers are instructed to take up and put on the full armor of God that they may be able to hold their ground with endurance EPH 6:11-13; Each of these implements of spiritual warfare both defensive and offensive are taken up and put on by believers as they metabolize the Word of God under the mentorship of God the Holy Spirit.

 

© Copyright 2007, Michael Lemmon Bible Ministries. World Rights Reserved.  This document was created on 2/24/2008