Good day, let's turn to Colossians Chapter 4. After reading this chapter, what will you find? The theme of this chapter is Let us comfort one another. Why is it called Let us comfort one another? The times were different then compared to today.

Back then, when you missed someone, there was no easy way to connect. You were simply unaware of what was happening to them, and your heart was filled with worry. Not too long ago, just 30 or 50 years back, if something happened to someone in your family, you wouldn’t know unless you went back to see them. But going back could be a real hassle, especially if it involved traveling thousands of kilometers and struggling to get a train ticket.

In Paul's time, they had to walk to see each other, which was very difficult. Today, it's much more convenient. If I'm concerned about you, I can just use WeChat to call you and ask, Are you doing well? How have you been? And if you're doing fine, I feel comforted. But in those days, it was much harder. Then he heard that the Colossian church was embracing some very evil teachings.

Starting with their pastors, they began to believe something very evil, which we discussed in the first three chapters. So, when Paul wrote the Book of Colossians, he said at the end, let us comfort one another – by ensuring we remain in the grace of Jesus Christ. If people can stay in the grace of Jesus Christ, that's truly good. But once people leave the grace of Jesus Christ, those troubles can be devastating.

Yesterday, I saw one of our sisters who said she was trying to rent an apartment but was unsuccessful; someone else rented it. She felt terrible about it. When I saw her distress, I also started to feel bad. So, in the morning, I quickly scheduled a time to call her. After talking to her, I felt very comforted.

Because I listened to her tell me about the grace she had received in Jesus Christ over the past few years, and I once again strengthened her faith, knowing that living is a simple matter. Her family had experienced financial problems; her husband had maxed out his credit cards and had to slowly pay them off, but couldn't, so the debt kept growing.

In the past two years, I often said, If you can't pay it off, then don't pay it. Not being able to pay is actually a good thing. She listened to my advice and filed for bankruptcy, unable to pay. As a result, her husband found a job, which used to be very unstable, but now it's stable. Then his income increased from $40,000 a year to $90,000 a year. Such things are quite common among us.

This is why I often say to those among us who are in debt, bankrupt, or blacklisted, don't worry. It's because we love money too much that we end up in this situation. After listening to her story, I felt very comforted. Indeed, my God is so faithful, as long as we are in His grace.

There are many such cases. Last year, one of our sisters lost her job. Over the past year, she has removed many of her poverty mindsets, but the root is still there. Even though the root is still there, after removing so many poverty mindsets, this year, not only did she find a job, but the salary was also good. Recently, she switched jobs again, and her salary doubled, plus commissions, earning a lot. I felt particularly comforted after hearing this.

So, I hope everyone is in the grace of Jesus Christ. What is impossible for you, is possible through God. You can certainly escape poverty, because this gospel is for the poor. Brothers and sisters, do you share comfort with those you shepherd? This is serving with the heart of a father and mother.

Our pastors, do not only care for yourselves. Because if you only care for yourselves, that is not being in the grace of Jesus Christ. How can we solve this problem? We must always pray earnestly and have wisdom.

Be persistent in prayer, and in it keep watch with thanksgiving

Verse 1 of Colossians Chapter 4 belongs to the previous chapter. The chapter divisions are not quite right, leaving a sentence from the previous chapter here. Let's now look at verses 2-4 of Chapter 4.

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. (Colossians 4:2-4)

Praying earnestly is very important. If someone gives up halfway through praying, that's the end. Why give up? Because they lose faith inside. People need to be constantly vigilant inside, to avoid any confusing elements creeping from the outside, anything that sows doubt. For example: if your prayer is not answered, it doesn’t mean that it will never be answered; it may require practice and strengthening your own faith.

Then someone comes along and says, That's not how it is, because you don't observe the Sabbath. And what day is the Sabbath? The Sabbath is not Sunday; it's Saturday. So, they change the Lord's Day to Saturday. Then someone else comes and tells you, You haven't been circumcised. So, we go for an operation? But that doesn't work; more problems arise, and ultimately, you will lose the grace of God, so we must be vigilant with thanksgiving.

Everyone needs to slowly learn to pray earnestly, be vigilant, and be thankful. With faith, whatever you ask for, believing, the Lord Jesus will give it to you. Someone might say, Are you sure that’s correct? How can that be incorrect? It’s there in the Bible - everything is possible through God/Jesus Christ. But it's the matter of faith that often isn't in accordance with the truth, and that's what's deadly.

The most important effect of prayer is to gain comfort. When you pray, your heart becomes clear. When you pray, the original problem doesn't seem so serious anymore. When you pray, you start to feel strength where you had none before.

Actually, praying more is not the problem; the problem is lacking wisdom. If you pray but are not vigilant, it's useless. Only through vigilance can you avoid losing God's grace. Many people's prayers represent a flawed theological system. So, brothers and sisters, do you know that if you believe wrongly, prayers will not be effective.

These Colossians saw that Paul had been arrested and thought, Oh no, did Paul mess up? If he had done everything right, would he have been arrested? Many of our brothers and sisters also think this way. Then Paul gave them an idea: Pray for me too, that God may open a door for the word.

Many people treat this as intercessory prayer, but I don't think intercessory prayer is useful. Its only use is to let us pray for each other, so that we in Colossia and the Apostle Paul can share the same vision, the same Mingding Doctrine, and care about the same things.

Paul could clearly explain the mysteries of Christ and make them known according to what he should say. Pray earnestly, both for your own affairs and for your own comfort. More importantly, remember the Apostle Paul in your prayers, because you want to share the same vision and mission with Paul.

If you really want to worry about this and that, then start praying earnestly. Pray and you will begin to believe, believe that God will accomplish what you pray for. Won’t you be comforted? Won’t your pain go away? It's normal to have pain inside.

For example, if your child can't find a job, won't you be upset? Of course, you will be upset. So, what do you do? Pray, pray earnestly. God will remember your son for your sake, because you are a person in Mingding Doctrine. God will remember your son for your sake; God will provide everything for us. For example, I serve those who are worried and in pain. As soon as I say that God will provide, won't they feel less pain and be comforted?

You must be wise

The Colossians initially believed in a somewhat chaotic manner, involving observing feasts, new moons, circumcision, etc. Who was behind this? The Pharisees from the church in Jerusalem. They felt that circumcision was very important. This requires wisdom to be vigilant. Pray earnestly, be vigilant, and also be wise.

Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. (Colossians 4:5-6)

Life is vanity of vanities. Then what happens? You easily fall to the other extreme. Anyway, life is empty, so let’s just lie down and waste time. So Paul said, Make the most of your time, because in the future you will have to give an account before Jesus. If you spend all your time lying down and scrolling through TikTok, are you going to TikTok before Jesus? That would really be a shake-up, shaking like an electric shock. So, make the most of your time and do serious things.

Make the most of your time and interact with outsiders with wisdom. You say, Then I won't interact with non-believers. Do you want to be a monk? We don't have a temple here. This isn’t a monastery, we won’t shave the sides of your head and leave six little hairs at the top. You still have to work and do serious things, because people have to do serious things in this world.

Also, interact with outsiders with wisdom. If you just tell people you are an ordinary Xian believer who loves others, your family's worries about you aren't so severe, but if you shave your head and become a nun or monk, oh my goodness, that's a big deal. How will your family react? They will be up in arms.

Some people see through the illusions of the world and abandon their wives and children to become monks. Believing in God is not like that. We must interact with outsiders with wisdom, and when we talk to people, we must sound like humans. If what you say doesn't sound human, like has wings coming off of it, with hair growing on your face, and horn growing out of your head. Then, you've become a demon? We need to speak like people, we need to live out the lives of human or human beings, live out the way God created us.

We must always speak with graciousness, seasoned with salt, so that we may know how to answer everyone. Answer what? Answer those tricky questions. Especially from our own family members, for example: Is the God you believe in omnipotent? Can He create a stone that He cannot lift? How do you answer? He can create it, but after creating it, He cannot lift it. There are many such bizarre questions that are stumbling blocks.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we must not only do normal work in the workplace but also do it well. It's not about squeezing in time, but about squeezing in wisdom. If you are a wise person, how can your work not be done well? So I think in the days to come, I still need to teach everyone how to work, how to conduct oneself, how to do things, and how to handle interpersonal relationships.

We will also do some ideological work on human resource management for everyone, so that you will definitely do well in the workplace. This is interacting with outsiders. You must know how to speak; don't speak as if you've taken gunpowder, exploding outwards. People will think, have these believers gone crazy in their faith?

I have a little concern in my heart, that many brothers and sisters among us don't know how to speak. I want to figure out how to make them speak. I hope everyone can give me some comfort, learn to speak, be wise, and not speak like an enemy.

There was a sister whose husband had an affair with another woman. But when you say affair, you don't know if it's true love or fake love, but he still takes care of the family. As a result, this sister goes home looking like an enemy, her face more bitter than a bitter gourd. When I see a face more bitter than a bitter gourd, I have to teach her, as much as I can, and finally gradually handle the relationship well.

Everyone must know that if your husband does not believe in the Lord, I still have to encourage you to handle the relationship with your husband healthily. If your son doesn't believe in the Lord, you must also handle your relationship with your son healthily. Everyone I have ministered to knows that we must build a healthy relationship, not a relationship as bitter as a bitter gourd. Don't speak with thorns.

Even today, I haven't removed those thorns. I still speak with thorny words. Those words were not taught by me. I never taught those things; I learned them from the villagers. The people in the village know how to speak thorny words.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, start to develop good habits, be wise, and learn to speak. You must learn to speak, and then we will be comforted. The Colossians were going off-key, so Paul had to constantly remind them.

Sending Tychicus to Comfort You

Tychicus, a dear brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts. With him is Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything that is happening here. (Colossians 4:7-9)

Paul was very effective in his actions because he wanted to solve problems. The Colossians had strayed, and why did they stray? It was definitely related to worrying about Paul. Worrying led to thinking crookedly, and after thinking crookedly, they felt that if they had believed in the right gospel, things wouldn't be this way. So brothers and sisters, you must begin to know that Paul acted rigorously. He sent Tychicus and Onesimus to comfort them, to let these Colossians know Paul's situation, to know what was happening here, what exactly was going on?

I think the most important thing was that Paul, although in chains, was still fulfilling the mission God had given him. There was no weakness, no retreat, only forward progress. And because he was in prison there, many people who visited him were also edified. Mark went, Aristarchus went, and when they visited the prison, they asked Paul this question and that question. It was all very good.

Actually, where a person is is not important; the key is that the heart is free. So Paul not only wrote Colossians but also Philippians. In them, you cannot see that he was in prison, because he was free there. If a person's heart is free, what does it matter if the body is bound? So Paul cared very much whether the Colossians were comforted.

Those Who Work With Me For The Kingdom Of God Are A Comfort To My Heart

Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision; they have proved to be a comfort to me. (Colossians 4:10-11)

Actually, I tell you, Paul said in other epistles that even if I am accursed, I hope that my compatriots, the Jews, can be saved and receive the grace of Jesus Christ. Even if I am separated from God, I am willing for my compatriots to receive God's grace.

There are three here: Aristarchus, Mark, the Mark who wrote the Gospel of Mark. Later we learned that Mark and Barnabas were cousins. Barnabas' cousin Mark was originally with Peter, then he followed Paul. And there was another called Justus, who was of the circumcision.

Only a few of the circumcision followed Paul in serving God and comforted him. In the past, they were all in the circumcision faction, including Barnabas. The issue of circumcision caused a lot of confusion. I think these three people comforted Paul.

There was also Epaphras, who was actually a founder of the Colossian church. There were also Luke, Demas, and Nympha, all of whom comforted Paul. Among them was also Archippus. He specifically mentioned, say to Archippus, See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.

Archippus is mentioned in Philemon, along with Philemon and a sister. When Paul wrote Philemon, he sent greetings to these three people. The order was Philemon, a sister, and then Archippus. Who exactly was Archippus? Some say he was Philemon's son, and others say he was the pastor of the church in Philemon's house, managing the church.

Here it says to say to Archippus, See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord. This sentence is actually a bit heavy. Because Archippus may have received a wrong gospel in Colossae, deviating from the truth of the gospel. So he was told to be careful to fulfill the ministry he had received from the Lord, which should be managing the church.

Paul wrote the last chapter of Colossians so that we can comfort each other in Jesus Christ. How can we receive mutual comfort? It is to always strive in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured, so that you do not fall into the set of things based on works.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, you must begin to know how easily a person loses the grace of God. If their faith is not strong enough, they deviate from the way of God. And after deviating from the way of God, they add a bit of self-righteousness, and then they begin to add fuel to the fire and explain it. There is one thing that everyone must know: when something displeasing to God appears, if a person says that they themselves are wrong, that's still easy to handle. But if they feel ashamed and then bring in a lot of explanations for the matter, then it's troublesome.

For example, I came to you to pray for you, but after praying, it not only didn't get better, it got worse. What to do? Some people may say that this is God's will. Is that God's will? Definitely not. A few days ago, I prayed for a sister whose foot had a lump, and after praying, it got bigger and more serious. I asked her if it hurt, and she said, It hurts a lot. You can't explain it haphazardly; you must have faith in Jesus Christ and know that our God is a God of healing.

Continuing to pray, my heart is unwavering, and I don't want to defend myself. I continue to pray, and the result is that it gets better. She may come again, and it doesn't matter if she comes again. I'll pray once each time. So brothers and sisters, never use our own experiences as the standard; we must use the word of God as the standard, use the theological system of the Apostle Paul as the standard, use the theological system of Jesus Christ as the standard, and do not take things out of context.

Grace Be With You

Grace be with you is not an empty phrase. When I first started in the church, from beginning to end I would say, May the grace of the Holy Spirit be with you, Amen! It was a long time before I understood what this sentence meant. The meaning of this sentence is very deep. Grace be with you means that the grace of Jesus Christ is always with you.

If the grace of Jesus Christ is really among us, all our problems are not difficult. The problem is losing the grace of God; that's when it's troublesome. So the meaning in this sentence is very deep, that we must not deviate from the truth. Once we go to keep circumcision, keep the law, festivals, doing a whole bunch of things, then we do it wrong, deviating from the truth. Do not be afraid, we are in the grace of Jesus Christ.

So do not lose grace, and do not lose the grace of God, hold onto the truth of God, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured, that is the key. The fourth chapter of Colossians is finished. Next week we will do a summary, and then we will examine the books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, which we spoke about a long time ago. May the grace of God be with you. Amen!

May God bless everyone!