Church Planters Make Disciples That Care About Holiness

 

Hello my brother, hello my sister, my name is Dean Davis and this is Multiply, a podcast that provides a word of encouragement for village church planters.

It is not easy to be a good parent.  Being a good parent means hard work starting before the baby is born.  Yes, we must have clothes for the baby and a place for the baby to sleep.  But there is so much more that must be done to raise a child.  Good parents, both fathers and mothers, must constantly teach their children. Good parents teach their children to be helpful and respectful. They teach their kids to work and study and learn and be healthy.  Good parents teach their children to make wise choices.

But there comes a time when children grow up and they go away.  Maybe they go away to take care of the cattle in another place.  Maybe they go away to go to school.  Maybe they go away to work in another place. Maybe they go away when they get married. When our children are not with us, it is up to them to make good choices and wise decisions.  We cannot make the decision for them.

When my children were going away from me for the first time, I found that I prayed for them even more than when they were with me.  Why did I pray so much? Because I wanted them to apply well the lessons I had taught them when they were with me.

The apostle Paul wrote to the people in the church in Colossae.  He did not plant that church, Epaphras did.  But when Paul wrote a letter to the Colossians, Epaphras was with him.  Epaphras was not in Colossae with his disciples.  Here is what Paul said In Colossians 4:12,13 to the believers there about their church planter Epahras:

“Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.

Epaphras was like a parent who had children who were not with him.  And so, like a parent whose children are far away, Epaphras prayed.  And his prayers were not just simple words like, “God please bless my spiritual children in Colossae. Amen”

 No!  Epaphras wrestled in prayer for his disciples.  To wrestle is to struggle with all your might in order to get the victory.  When Epaphras prayed, he struggled and wrestled and persevered in prayer.  What did he want from God? Epaphras was praying that his disciples would live according to God’s will.  He wanted them to obey Christ and do what is right. He wanted them to make wise decisions every day, every week, every year. He wanted them to be mature in their faith and in their obedience to Christ.  He longed for them to live a holy life, filled with the Holy Spirit without doubting and without turning back.  When Epaphras was in Colossae spreading the Gospel and planting the church surely he, as a good spiritual parent, had taught his disciples to love and honor God, to love their neighbor, and to walk in righteousness. But that was not enough.  Now he wrestled in prayer for them so that they would do the will of God no matter what.

It is not easy to be a parent.  When you chose to become a village church planter, you chose to have spiritual children.  It’s not easy.  Praise the Lord, he longs for your spiritual children to be strong and to live holy lives even more than you do.  When you pray for their maturity, you are praying according to the will of God. So pray for them with faith.  God is with you and he will hear your prayers.

This is Multiply.

If you have found this message to be helpful, please forward it to fellow church planters and disciple-makers who may need encouragement.  Feel free to share it on What’s App, Facebook, and other platforms you use to connect with others.

Be encouraged, God is with us!  EC-25

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters #Colossians #WrestleInPrayer

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