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Intention

To rejoice that we all have a part to play in God’s great mission to the world.

Scripture

“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints – the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you.”

– Colossians 1:3–6

Reflection

When the apostle Paul wrote to the saints in Colossae he told them that he regularly thanked God for them in his prayers. Although Paul had not visited Colossae when he wrote his letter, he knew of the growth of the church through his faithful co-worker, Epaphras. His letter of encouragement to these new Christians therefore began with thanksgiving to God for the work of grace in each of their lives.

Here the familiar triad of faith, hope and love are knitted together in Paul’s prayer. Faith and love spring from hope, according to the apostle, which is a way of saying that they spring from God’s promises to us in the gospel. Our hope is the joy of heaven secured for those whose lives are bound to Jesus Christ. He is our righteousness and through him, God freely forgives us, since we would otherwise be condemned.

Faith and love are therefore our response to God’s grace and the hope that is ‘stored up for us in heaven’. Faith highlights our trust in God, not just for our salvation but for every aspect of our lives, expressed in humble dependence upon His word. Love highlights our obedience to God in all that we do, honouring God by our lives in the power of the Holy Spirit (Col 1:8) in accordance with His word.

This, as Paul declares elsewhere (Rom 1:5), is the “obedience of faith”. Not an obedience that is dependent upon our own efforts. Nor a faith that is barren. But “faith expressing itself through love” (Gal 5:6).

Epaphras brought this good news to the city of Colossae. Who was your Epaphras? Who first shared with you the hope of heaven, the joy of sins forgiven and the liberating declaration that you were righteous in God’s sight solely through the work of Christ? Perhaps it was your parents, your minister, your Sunday School teacher, a relative, friend or neighbour. Whoever, it was, I trust that you thank God for them sharing this news with you.

Another, and perhaps more interesting, question is: Who could say that you were their Epaphras? Who could thank God that you shared the hope of heaven with them? Paul expected every Christian to be a partner in the gospel. He expected every believer to “redeem the time” (Eph 5:16), or as he says to the Colossians:

“Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders, make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everybody.” (Col 4:5–6)

The gospel was growing among the citizens of Colossae, for they shared in the joy of seeing gospel growth among them (Col 1:6). Their activity was a delight to the apostle and a cause of much joy and thanksgiving to God.

We are almost halfway through the calendar year of 2024. We are also now in the middle of this special month of outreach. We can rejoice that we all have a part to play in God’s great mission to the world.

May we be as earnest and as prayerful as Epaphras and those early Colossians, making the most of our time with those who do not know God, so that Christ might be honoured as Lord and Saviour in every community throughout the world.

Video

Prayer

Father, give me a heart for those who do not know You. Let me become an Epaphras to my friends and family members. Help my conversation be full of grace and seasoned with salt so that I can give an answer to those who need to hear.

Everyone needs to know the word of truth and the story of Your love expressed in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” I pray this prayer in the glorious name of Jesus. Amen.

Author Bio

Bishop Glenn Davies has served as the bishop of the Diocese of the Southern Cross since August 2022. Ordained in 1981 in the Anglican Church of Australia, he served as a Bible college lecturer and the Bishop of North Sydney before becoming the Archbishop of Sydney in 2013 until 2021.

Prayer Points and Purpose for GO Month 2024

1. To worship Jesus and give extravagant praise to God. 1 Chron 16:23–31.
2. To pray for revival, repentance and deliverance for Australia and for millions to find Christ. Acts 2:1–41.
3. To pray for five people by name to find Christ and share the gospel with those five in May. Matt 28:18–20.

We invite you to support this prayer campaign to multiply prayer in Australia for revival and see millions come to Christ. Every donation to the Canberra Declaration helps us promote prayer and make a stand for family, faith, freedom, life, and the good news of God’s love through Jesus Christ His Son.

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DATES: Every night in May

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Daily devotions are brought to you by the Canberra Declaration.

View GO Month 2024 devotionals on the Daily Declaration website.

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