Working Together

A series on Pauls’ prayers
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
1 Corinthians 1:4-9 

[Paul was a controversial figure in the first century church. But it could also be argued that he was the most dynamic and influential apostle. In this series we’ll be looking at Paul’s prayers and what he has to say to us today.]

  

Coaches are not good at giving praise. What they are good at is yelling at you in front of the whole team while pointing out what you did wrong.

 

I remember a high school coach saying that if he quit yelling at us, that’s when we should be worried because that meant he’d given up on us. I could never separate being yelled at from feeling rejected. No wonder I never liked any of my coaches.

 

In the New Testament, the Corinthian church is well-known for their many struggles. In Paul’s first letter to them, he wrote about their problems of division, sexual sin, lawsuits, marriage, idol worship and spiritual gifts. It’s a virtual laundry list of what not to do.

 

Despite this, he started off on a positive note by giving thanks for how God was at work in their lives. In other words, he praised them.

 

⁴ I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. ⁵ For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge—            NIV

 

Speech and knowledge were two gifts that would have been highly desirable to the mostly Greek Corinthian church. For them, there was nothing more important than the telling of truth (speech) and the grasping of truth (knowledge). Because of this, Paul’s words would have been high praise.

 

Despite their many problems, Paul was also thankful that the Corinthian believers would finish well because of God’s work in their lives.

 

⁸ He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.      NIV

 

With his prayer of thanksgiving, Paul wasn’t just buttering the Corinthians up so that he could lay the hammer down later. He was letting them know that even though they were not perfect, that God was still at work in their lives; that He was faithful no matter what; and that He would be with them through the end.

 

Like my high school coaches, Paul could easily have started his letter by “yelling” at the Corinthians. “YOU SHOULDN’T BE DOING THAT!” Or, he could have told them that they were so messed up that he was going to invest his time in other churches. But he didn’t do either of these.

 

Instead, Paul’s prayer gave the Corinthian church hope that helped them to persevere and grow in their faith. He was working together with them. He was committed to them for the long haul.

 

The same is true for you and me. Only for us, it’s the Lord that is working together with us. 

He is committed to us for the long haul. He is faithful and will help us through the difficult times to give us hope to persevere and grow in our faith.

 

 

Feel free to share this blog with others.

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Thy Will be Done

A series on Pauls’ prayers
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Colossians 1:3-14 

[Paul was a controversial figure in the first century church. But it could also be argued that he was the most dynamic and influential apostle. In this series we’ll be looking at Paul’s prayers and what he has to say to us today.]

 

We pray the Lord’s Prayer every Sunday at my church. I have to confess that it’s easy to recite with very little thought or meaning. But the Lord’s Prayer does have profound meaning for our lives. None more than the phrase, ‘Thy will be done’.

 

For Hillary Scott, these words mean a great deal. In 2016, she released a song titled “Thy Will” which she wrote after having a miscarriage. The lyrics reflect her struggle with trying to understand why God would allow such a loss in her life. During this difficult time, she frequently prayed ‘Thy will be done’.

 

Paul understood how important it was for the Colossian believers to know God’s will. False teaching had infiltrated the church. The teaching combined several religious beliefs and valued the accumulation of knowledge for the sake of knowledge alone.

 

In his letter to the Colossian church, Paul addressed this heresy. He pointed out that knowledge in itself was empty. To be worth anything, it must lead to knowing God and following His will.

 

To this end, Paul wrote to the Colossian believers that he had been praying for them. First, he prayed for them to receive knowledge and understanding. Not just any knowledge, but to know God’s will.

 

⁹ So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.        NLT

 

The second part of his prayer was for the Colossian believers to follow God’s will. In other words, don’t just seek head knowledge about God, but also know Him in your heart and show that through your actions.

 

¹⁰ Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.    NLT

 

Finally, Paul prayed for the Colossians to receive the strength to do God’s will. He realized that this is not something that comes naturally. But it would require the Holy Spirit to be at work in their lives.

 

¹¹ We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.         NLT

 

Sometimes in life, it takes a painful experience to bring us to that point of turning to the Lord and crying out, “Thy will be done’. For Hillary Scott, this happened when she approached the Lord in faith like a child on her knees.

 

I know you see me
I know you hear me, Lord
Your plans are for me
Goodness you have in store

 

May ‘Thy will be done’ in your life and in mine.

 

Feel free to share this blog with others.

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

If you would like to listen to it, here is a link to the song “Thy Will”.

 Thy Will

 

 

 

Heart, Mind and Character

A series on Pauls’ prayers
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Philippians1:3-11 

[Paul was a controversial figure in the first century church. But it could also be argued that he was the most dynamic and influential apostle. In this series we’ll be looking at Paul’s prayers and what he has to say to us today.]

  

I recently spent the day with an old friend who is very dear to me. When we were in college at Michigan Tech, Ken shared the gospel with me one night. My life was changed forever! The rest of that summer Ken was my best friend, mentor and teacher. Wherever Ken went, I followed.

 

And it didn’t end there. The next summer, I followed him to participate in an intensive discipleship program in East Lansing, Michigan. It was another life changing experience.

 

When Paul wrote his letter to the Philippian church, he felt the same kind of love that I have for Ken.

 

^7a So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. ⁸ God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.            NLT

 

It was because of the love that Paul had for the Philippian believers, that he prayed the following prayer.

 

⁹ I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. ¹⁰ For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. ¹¹ May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.                 NLT

 

Pauls’ prayer for the Philippian believers was for love, knowledge and right living. In other words, for their heart, mind and character. Scripture tells us that Paul stayed in Philippi for only “several days”. However many days it was, he had a lasting impact on the people there.

 

Like my friend Ken, Paul invested himself into their lives. He shared the Gospel, taught them and lived out his beliefs. Then he prayed for them. For their heart, mind and character.

 

That’s a pretty good prayer don’t you think.

 

Feel free to share this blog with others.

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Diff EQ

A series on Pauls’ prayers
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Ephesians 1:15-23 

[Paul was a controversial figure in the first century church. But it could also be argued that he was not only a dynamic and influential apostle, but also a prayer warrior. In this series we’ll be looking at Paul’s prayers and what he has to say to us today.]

  

In order to take a college class in “Differential Equations”, you have to build a foundation of knowledge. You have to understand basic math, algebra, and calculus. Only then would you be ready for Diff EQ, as it was called when I was in school.

 

Paul understood the importance of having a foundation of knowledge. He spent almost three years in Ephesus teaching the new converts. He also discipled the believers to prepare them to stand on their own in a mostly pagan city.

 

Ephesus was a major commercial center and port, as well as the capital of the Roman province of Asia Minor. It was also the home of the temple of the goddess Artemis, which was regarded as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. People came from far and wide to see it.

 

Despite this pagan and cultic influence, the Ephesian church was solid. As a result, Paul wrote his letter, not because of any heresy or improper behavior, but to encourage and build them up.

 

Pauls’ prayers for the Ephesian believers are both articulate and eloquent.

 

¹⁷ I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.    NIV

 

¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people…            NIV

 

^19a I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him.  NLT

 

What more could a follower of Christ ask for than to know God better; hold more firmly to the hope to which you’ve been called; and be assured that God’s power is available to you.

 

In 2001, Michael W Smith released a song titled “Open the Eyes of my Heart”. The lyrics are actually based on Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians.

 

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
I want to see You

To see You high and lifted up
Shining in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love
As we sing holy, holy, holy

 

To open the eyes of your heart doesn’t require taking Diff EQ or even a foundation of knowledge. It only requires a childlike belief and faith to trust in the Lord who loves you and has a plan for your life.

 

But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”                                      NLT     Matthew 19

 

Please feel free to share this blog with others.

 Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com