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COMMUNITY GROUP STUDY 2
COLOSSIANS 1:3 PRAY ABOUT WHAT YOU TREASURE
In the story of scrooge by Charles Dickens, we see a man obsessed with his treasure – his money. We have the enduring image of him counting his money into huge coin towers. If you know the story he has to undergo a night of meeting various ghosts and seeing various visions in order for him to change what he is treasuring- from money to kindness.
What you treasure will be on your mind and be the focus of your life – you will constantly ‘count it’. It is a great thing when we make God’s treasures our treasure and devote ourselves to counting, admiring and wanting more of (in other words praying for) things of true worth.
Read Colossians 1:3
· What are the 2 main things that Paul ‘treasures’ (gives thanks for) in 1:4?
· Thinking of any local church, what are the things that God loves to see among them and how regularly do you look for and give thanks for such things?
· Who does Paul treasure in 1:3 and how much of your praying is devoted to worship?
· Paul is always praying for them; what does this say about the importance of prayer in order to see the church and Jesus’ mission flourishing?
· What does Colossians 4:12 say about how to, and the effects of prayer?
· How prominent was thankfulness in Paul’s prayers and why is this important? (See Ephesians 1:15-16)
· Colossians 4:2 tells us to be ‘watchful and thankful’. Are you more inclined to be watchful – looking for dangers, or thankful – looking for what God is doing, and why is this balance important for spiritual health?
· Paul usually addresses God as Father in His prayers as does Jesus (See Matthew 6:9) Why is this a helpful habit?
· Paul is diligent to include Jesus. Only through Him is one at peace with God and able to pray. How are you doing at including the gospel in your prayers?
Response
We are learning to pray throughout our lives. It’s important to pray the bible which is God’s word and it stops us falling into ruts of praying the same things with the same language. Over the next week use biblical prayers as a guide for your devotions, they will help you to see what God treasures and how to pray in that. Here are a few examples: Col. 1:9-14, 4:2-4;Rom. 15:13; Eph. 1:15-17, 3:14-21, 6:19-20; Phil. 1:9–11;1 Thess. 3:9–13; 2 Thess. 1:11-12.
Pray and worship as a group. Perhaps you would like to use one of these biblical prayers as inspiration
DAILY DEVOTIONAL WEEK 2
COLOSSIANS 1:3 PRAY ABOUT WHAT YOU TREASURE
This week we will look at some examples of biblical prayers and use these to teach us how to see what God treasures and to pray effectively.
MONDAY – PRAY ABOUT THE TREASURE OF GOD CHOOSING US
The grace of God does not just extend to Him giving us His Son to die for us. It also extends to His choosing us in eternity past. The teaching of divine election is mysterious, but, ultimately, is to be a source of amazed worship; that the holy God should have chosen us by His grace alone! This is the kind to thing that we see in biblical prayers and is to be a regular feature of our worship.
Use these prayers, restating it in terms of what God has done for you (I’ve added a few prompts in brackets to the first text to get you started). Allow the Spirit to inspire you in any direction that He wants to guide.
John 17:9-11I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me (“thank you Father for choosing me and giving me to Christ…”), for they are yours (“thank you I’m your possession…”). All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them (“ My salvation brings you glory…I pray that my life would bring you glory…”. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name (Father, thank you for your protection…”, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one (Bless my church with unity…bless your church in this nation…”).
Ephesians 1:3-8Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love hepredestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,
RESPONSE
Let’s treasure that God chose us. Let’s continually look on the beauty of this truth in prayer.
TUESDAY – TREASURE NEW LIFE
This week we are looking at some examples of biblical prayers and using these to teach us how to see what God treasures and to pray effectively.
New life or regeneration is the hidden work of God’s Spirit in our souls that imparts new spiritual life. This life will be evidenced by our faith in Christ and desire to follow Him. How does one get this new life? The biblical answer is that it is the gift of God that comes to those who are dead in sin. Any other answer such as, “I put my faith in Christ and so He gave me new life” gives us some credit for our salvation and sets us as more righteous than other people. Let’s learn to treasure and praise God for our own and pray for others to have new life.
Use these prayers, restating them in terms of what God has done for you (I’ve added a few prompts to the first text to get you started.
Ephesians 2:1-7As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath (“Father thank you for your mercy even though I was once far from you….”). But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved (“I thank you for new life…you broke in by your power…”. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (“My salvation is, and will be eternally, to the glory of your grace…”)
Philippians 1:3-6I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Note – God has begun a good work in us. This work is our salvation and regeneration and by His Spirit.
RESPONSE
Let’s treasure that God has given us new life. Let’s continually look on the beauty of this truth in prayer.
WEDNESDAY – THE TREASURE OF GOD’S PRESENCE AND POWER
Our culture tells us that we can live the successful life if we are disciplined and aim for the right goals. Even Christians can be tempted to put faith in effort, style and pop-phycology rather than God’s word and the promise of His presence and power; the truth is, without Him we can do nothing! Let’s treasure, through prayer, His promise. Use these prayers, restating it in terms of what God has done for you (I’ve added a few prompts to the first text to get you started).
Exodus 33:15-16Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here (Holy Spirit, I can do nothing without you…”). How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” (“Holy Spirit, it’s you that makes us different for any other group…”)
Romans 15:13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 3:14-21For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Philippians 4:5-7The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
RESPONSE
Let’s treasure the Spirit. Let’s make it a habit to depend upon Him in prayer.
THURSDAY – THE TREASURE OF GOD’S PEOPLE
This week we are looking at some examples of biblical prayers and using these to teach us how to see what God treasures and to pray effectively.
The book of Colossians shows us how much the people of God are to be treasured. Paul says that they are ‘God’s holy people…faithful brothers and sister…God is their Father…’ He says that ‘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 God’s people’; Paul treasured the people of God and he loved to see the church taking on God’s loving attitude toward one another. Let’s join God in treasuring the church in our prayers. Use these prayers, restating them in terms of what God has done for you (I’ve added a few prompts to the first text to get you started).
I include this interesting first text that is spoken by an enemy of God’s people, but when the Spirit comes we speak of the beauty of God’s church.
Numbers 24:2-8When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him and he spoke his message…“How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel! (“You love your church, she is beautiful in your sight, Holy spirit give me a vision for your people…” “Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river, (I thank you Holy Spirit, you are like a river running through your people…” like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters. Water will flow from their buckets; their seed will have abundant water (“Holy Spirit, it’s you that makes us fruitful come an flow into our lives…”). “Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted. (“Lord Jesus, you are the Lord of Lord to whom this text points I praise you…”)
1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual houseto be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
RESPONSE
Let’s treasure God’s people by praying for them with thanks. Love is shown and grown as we pray for our brothers and sisters.
FRIDAY – THE TREASURE OF GODS’ MISSION
Someone’s last words point to what’s important to them. Jesus’ last words on earth are a commission to His mission. Jesus came into the world to die for sinners, and this is His primary work in these last days. If one is ill, we treasure the medicine that will help; if we understand the plight of those without Christ we will treasure the mission that God sends us on to seek and save the lost.
Matthew 9:36-38When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Use these questions to help you to meditate on this passage and then to pray:
· What was Jesus’ attitude to the crowds?
· What didn’t they have that they needed?
· Jesus uses two metaphors to speak of his mission – shepherding and harvesting. How do each help us to understand the mission of the church?
· What are we to ask for and why are their so few?
· Now pray out of your meditations.
Romans 10:13-15“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
Use these questions to help you to meditate on this passage and then to pray:
· Who needs salvation and how is this achieved?
· What is God’s normal means of spreading the gospel?
· What is beautiful in God’s sight?
· Now pray out of your meditations.
We pray about what we treasure, and what we pray about becomes our treasure also. Most of us feel that we are not very good at sharing our faith. Don’t be disheartened, start praying and we’ll all be surprised at what He does through us.
RESPONSE
Evangelism is hard and so we need to God’s grace through prayer. Write a list of friends who, as yet, don’t believe. Commit to praying for them every day.
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