Colossians 1:29 - Prayer Tents

1I, Paul, have been sent on special assignment by Christ as part of God's master plan. Together with my friend Timothy,G3972G652G2424G5547G1223G2307G2316G2532G5095G80 2I greet the Christians and stalwart followers of Christ who live in Colosse. May everything good from God our Father be yours!G40G2532G4103G80G1722G5547G1722G2857G5485G5213G2532G1515G575G2316G2257G3962G2532G2962G2424G5547

Working in His Orchard

3Our prayers for you are always spilling over into thanksgivings. We can't quit thanking God our Father and Jesus our Messiah for you!G2168G2316G2532G3962G2257G2962G2424G5547G4336G3842G4012G5216 4We keep getting reports on your steady faith in Christ, our Jesus, and the love you continuously extend to all Christians.G191G5216G4102G1722G5547G2424G2532G26G3588G1519G3956G40 5The lines of purpose in your lives never grow slack, tightly tied as they are to your future in heaven, kept taut by hope. The Message is as true among you today as when you first heard it. It doesn't diminish or weaken over time.G1223G1680G3588G606G5213G1722G3772G3739G4257G1722G3056G225G2098 6It's the same all over the world. The Message bears fruit and gets larger and stronger, just as it has in you. From the very first day you heard and recognized the truth of what God is doing, you've been hungry for more.G3588G3918G1519G5209G2531G2532G1722G3956G2889G2532G2076G2592G2531G2532G1722G5213G575G3739G2250G191G2532G1921G5485G2316G1722G225 7It's as vigorous in you now as when you learned it from our friend and close associate Epaphras. He is one reliable worker for Christ! I could always depend on him.G2531G3129G2532G3129G575G1889G2257G27G4889G3739G2076G5228G5216G4103G1249G5547 8He's the one who told us how thoroughly love had been worked into your lives by the Spirit.G3588G2532G1213G2254G5216G26G1722G4151 9Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works.G1223G5124G2249G2532G575G3739G2250G191G3973G3756G3973G4336G5228G5216G2532G154G2443G4137G1922G846G2307G1722G3956G4678G2532G4152G4907 10We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work.G5209G4043G516G2962G1519G3956G699G2592G1722G3956G18G2041G2532G837G1519G1922G2316 11We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy,G1412G1722G3956G1411G2596G846G1391G2904G1519G3956G5281G2532G3115G3326G5479 12thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.G2168G3962G3588G2427G2248G2427G1519G3310G2819G40G1722G5457 13God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He's set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much,G3739G4506G2248G1537G1849G4655G2532G3179G1519G932G846G26G5207 14the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.G1722G3739G2192G629G1223G846G129G859G266

Christ Holds It All Together

15We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created.G3739G2076G1504G517G2316G4416G3956G2937 16For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.G3754G1722G846G2936G3956G2936G1722G3772G2532G1909G1093G3707G2532G517G1535G2362G1535G2963G1535G746G1535G1849G3956G2936G1223G846G2532G1519G846 17He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment.G2532G846G2076G4253G3956G2532G1722G846G3956G4921 18And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he's there, towering far above everything, everyone.G2532G846G2076G2776G4983G1577G3739G2076G746G4416G1537G3498G2443G1722G3956G846G1096G4409 19So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding.G2106G3754G1722G846G2730G3956G4138G2730 20Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the Cross.G2532G1517G1223G129G846G4716G1223G846G604G3956G1519G846G1223G846G1535G1909G1093G1535G1722G3772 21You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got.G2532G5209G5607G4218G526G2532G2190G1271G1722G4190G2041G1161G3570G604 22But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence.G1722G4983G846G4561G1223G2288G3936G5209G40G2532G299G2532G410G846G2714 23You don't walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message—just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message.G1489G1961G4102G2311G2532G1476G2532G3361G3334G575G1680G2098G3739G191G3588G2784G1722G3956G2937G5259G3772G3739G1473G3972G1096G1249 24I want you to know how glad I am that it's me sitting here in this jail and not you. There's a lot of suffering to be entered into in this world—the kind of suffering Christ takes on. I welcome the chance to take my share in the church's part of that suffering.G3739G3568G5463G1722G3450G3804G5228G5216G2532G466G5303G2347G5547G1722G3450G4561G5228G846G4983G5228G3603G1577 25When I became a servant in this church, I experienced this suffering as a sheer gift, God's way of helping me serve you, laying out the whole truth.G3739G1473G1096G1249G2596G3622G2316G3588G1325G3427G1519G5209G4137G3056G2316 26This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open.G3466G3588G613G575G165G2532G575G1074G1161G3570G5319G846G40 27God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message.G3739G2316G2309G1107G5101G4149G1391G5127G3466G1722G1484G3739G2076G5547G1722G5213G1680G1391 28We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less.G3739G2249G2605G3560G3956G444G2532G1321G3956G444G1722G3956G4678G2443G3936G3956G444G5046G1722G5547G2424 29That's what I'm working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me.G1519G3739G2872G2532G2872G75G2596G846G1753G3588G1754G1722G1698G1722G1411