Colossians 1:29 - Prayer Tents

1From Paul, who by God's will is an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy -G3972G652G2424G5547G1223G2307G2316G2532G5095G80 2To God's people in Colossae, who are our faithful friends in union with Christ: May God our Father give you grace and peace.G40G2532G4103G80G1722G5547G1722G2857G5485G5213G2532G1515G575G2316G2257G3962G2532G2962G2424G5547

Prayer of Thanksgiving

3We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.G2168G2316G2532G3962G2257G2962G2424G5547G4336G3842G4012G5216 4For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all God's people.G191G5216G4102G1722G5547G2424G2532G26G3588G1519G3956G40 5When the true message, the Good News, first came to you, you heard about the hope it offers. So your faith and love are based on what you hope for, which is kept safe for you in heaven.G1223G1680G3588G606G5213G1722G3772G3739G4257G1722G3056G225G2098 6The gospel keeps bringing blessings and is spreading throughout the world, just as it has among you ever since the day you first heard about the grace of God and came to know it as it really is.G3588G3918G1519G5209G2531G2532G1722G3956G2889G2532G2076G2592G2531G2532G1722G5213G575G3739G2250G191G2532G1921G5485G2316G1722G225 7You learned of God's grace from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is Christ's faithful worker on our behalf.G2531G3129G2532G3129G575G1889G2257G27G4889G3739G2076G5228G5216G4103G1249G5547 8He has told us of the love that the Spirit has given you.G3588G2532G1213G2254G5216G26G1722G4151 9For this reason we have always prayed for you, ever since we heard about you. We ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will, with all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives.G1223G5124G2249G2532G575G3739G2250G191G3973G3756G3973G4336G5228G5216G2532G154G2443G4137G1922G846G2307G1722G3956G4678G2532G4152G4907 10Then you will be able to live as the Lord wants and will always do what pleases him. Your lives will produce all kinds of good deeds, and you will grow in your knowledge of God.G5209G4043G516G2962G1519G3956G699G2592G1722G3956G18G2041G2532G837G1519G1922G2316 11May you be made strong with all the strength which comes from his glorious power, so that you may be able to endure everything with patience.G1412G1722G3956G1411G2596G846G1391G2904G1519G3956G5281G2532G3115G3326G5479 12And with joy give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to have your share of what God has reserved for his people in the kingdom of light.G2168G3962G3588G2427G2248G2427G1519G3310G2819G40G1722G5457 13He rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us safe into the kingdom of his dear Son,G3739G4506G2248G1537G1849G4655G2532G3179G1519G932G846G26G5207 14by whom we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven.G1722G3739G2192G629G1223G846G129G859G266

The Person and Work of Christ

15Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God. He is the first-born Son, superior to all created things.G3739G2076G1504G517G2316G4416G3956G2937 16For through him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through him and for him.G3754G1722G846G2936G3956G2936G1722G3772G2532G1909G1093G3707G2532G517G1535G2362G1535G2963G1535G746G1535G1849G3956G2936G1223G846G2532G1519G846 17Christ existed before all things, and in union with him all things have their proper place.G2532G846G2076G4253G3956G2532G1722G846G3956G4921 18He is the head of his body, the church; he is the source of the body's life. He is the first-born Son, who was raised from death, in order that he alone might have the first place in all things.G2532G846G2076G2776G4983G1577G3739G2076G746G4416G1537G3498G2443G1722G3956G846G1096G4409 19For it was by God's own decision that the Son has in himself the full nature of God.G2106G3754G1722G846G2730G3956G4138G2730 20Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself. God made peace through his Son's blood on the cross and so brought back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven.G2532G1517G1223G129G846G4716G1223G846G604G3956G1519G846G1223G846G1535G1909G1093G1535G1722G3772 21At one time you were far away from God and were his enemies because of the evil things you did and thought.G2532G5209G5607G4218G526G2532G2190G1271G1722G4190G2041G1161G3570G604 22But now, by means of the physical death of his Son, God has made you his friends, in order to bring you, holy, pure, and faultless, into his presence.G1722G4983G846G4561G1223G2288G3936G5209G40G2532G299G2532G410G846G2714 23You must, of course, continue faithful on a firm and sure foundation, and must not allow yourselves to be shaken from the hope you gained when you heard the gospel. It is of this gospel that I, Paul, became a servant - this gospel which has been preached to everybody in the world.G1489G1961G4102G2311G2532G1476G2532G3361G3334G575G1680G2098G3739G191G3588G2784G1722G3956G2937G5259G3772G3739G1473G3972G1096G1249

Paul’s Work as a Servant of the Church

24And now I am happy about my sufferings for you, for by means of my physical sufferings I am helping to complete what still remains of Christ's sufferings on behalf of his body, the church.G3739G3568G5463G1722G3450G3804G5228G5216G2532G466G5303G2347G5547G1722G3450G4561G5228G846G4983G5228G3603G1577 25And I have been made a servant of the church by God, who gave me this task to perform for your good. It is the task of fully proclaiming his message,G3739G1473G1096G1249G2596G3622G2316G3588G1325G3427G1519G5209G4137G3056G2316 26which is the secret he hid through all past ages from all human beings but has now revealed to his people.G3466G3588G613G575G165G2532G575G1074G1161G3570G5319G846G40 27God's plan is to make known his secret to his people, this rich and glorious secret which he has for all peoples. And the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you will share in the glory of God.G3739G2316G2309G1107G5101G4149G1391G5127G3466G1722G1484G3739G2076G5547G1722G5213G1680G1391 28So we preach Christ to everyone. With all possible wisdom we warn and teach them in order to bring each one into God's presence as a mature individual in union with Christ.G3739G2249G2605G3560G3956G444G2532G1321G3956G444G1722G3956G4678G2443G3936G3956G444G5046G1722G5547G2424 29To get this done I toil and struggle, using the mighty strength which Christ supplies and which is at work in me.G1519G3739G2872G2532G2872G75G2596G846G1753G3588G1754G1722G1698G1722G1411