Remember My Chains
Read the Text: Colossians 4
Memorize the Text:
Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people.
(Colossians 3:12-13, CSB)
Consider the Text: Colossians 4:18
Persecution exists in today’s world. Believers worldwide follow Jesus, with the reality of jail or death being a possibility. Churches meet in secret to overcome this threat and to remain faithful to the Lord’s call not to neglect the gathering of the saints. Often, believers in the West look and feel sorry for these persecuted Christians worldwide. The apostle Paul declared that believers who face the chains of persecution should be remembered in our prayers and used as motivation for our faith. As the apostle told the believers in Colossae to remember his chains, so must we remember the chains of our brothers and sisters worldwide.
PRAY FOR THOSE FACING PERSECUTION
The apostle asked the believers in Colossae to pray for him as he faced imprisonment because of his faith in Jesus. Paul’s request does not center on the desire to become unrestrained or for the strength to endure, but more importantly, the apostle requests prayer for the faithfulness to share the gospel and for the opportunity to do so. Paul desires to see his pain as an opportunity for the movement of Christ and seeks to live as a faithful servant.
Today, we need to pray for believers worldwide as they face persecution. We must come to the Lord and ask him to use these faithful followers to expand his kingdom. Likewise, we need to pray for faithfulness in facing persecution should we need to endure. Part of this request centers on the prayer of opportunity. We need to request the opportunity to use our positive or negative experiences to share the gospel's message and reach the world for Christ.
UNDERSTAND THE REASON FOR PERSECUTION
Paul faced imprisonment because he followed Jesus. Before his conversion, the apostle supported the persecutors and found avenues to imprison believers. After his redemption, the apostle became the target of persecution and willfully faced prison for the sake of the gospel. Nevertheless, Paul lived in the truth that following Jesus came with a cost. Thus, he met the costly nature of the strength of Christ and remained faithful.
Today, we must recognize that persecution exists because the world dislikes Jesus. When we follow Jesus, the world will attempt to silence us from declaring the truth and inviting others to follow Jesus. We need to grasp the costly nature of following Jesus and seek to remain faithful no matter what we face. When we understand the reason for the persecution, we can face the difficulty better because we face a known in the strength and power of the Great I Am.
FIND MOTIVATION IN THE FAITHFULNESS OF OTHERS
The apostle Paul challenged believers to see his persecution and use it as a motivation. When the apostle wrote to the church in Corinth, he challenged them to imitate him as he imitated Christ. Now he is challenging the first-century believers to continue this by gaining motivation from his state and to remain faithful as he has done.
Today, we can gain motivation from the persecuted church. We can see believers face and deal with the various forms of struggle and find the motivation to remain faithful. We recognize the cost of following Jesus and the joy that comes no matter what is faced through the example set forth by the persecuted church. As a result, we need to support the persecuted church in prayer and find the motivation to live in faithfulness through their testimony and witness of faith.
This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.
