‘Pray for us’
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.” (Col 4:2-3)
It is time to build. Kakumba Chapel has started a vertical extension of the Chapel Hall to create more working space and a multi-purpose Hall which will majorly be used as a Teens’ Chapel, and also for fellowships, meetings, small parties, short courses and University lectures and exams. The motivation of these physical development actions is the Gospel; we want the good news of Jesus Christ to reach more and deeper, and to equip more people to go and proclaim the same. The gospel liberates and gives life and light. Our teens need deliberate focus; they are in transition from being children to becoming adults, and are many times lost in between; yet they face many potentially confusing circumstances both from internal changes happening in their bodies and from external influence by peers real in virtual. ‘Your Gospel O Lord is the hope for our nation – You are the Lord!’
One characteristic of Apostle Paul is the consistent burden for the Gospel. It was the reason for his conversion; it was the reason for his rejoicing and the reason for his suffering; it was the reason for his preaching and the reason for his writing; it was the reason for his sweet words and the reason for his harsh tones; it was the reason for his living and the reason for his death. The Gospel was a burden never to be lifted from the heart of Paul. In today’s key Scripture, Paul admonishes the Colossians to be devoted in prayer as part of the rules for Christian life; but when it comes to personal prayer requests, he immediately manifests that burden – ‘that God may open a door for our message’ – even after his first, second and third missionary journeys through which he preached in all Turkey and Greece, planting numerous Churches and encouraging believers to the faith, Paul still calls for prayers ‘that God may open a door for our message’!
In his letter to the Colossians, Paul’s main objective is to attack heresy (false teaching) that was creeping into the Church; it taught more ceremonialism and dependence on secret knowledge and reliance on human wisdom and traditions, which are empty! Paul attacks this heresy by exalting Jesus Christ and showing Him as supreme and completely adequate. He then follows up with pastoral teachings calling the believers to holy living, and ends with personal greetings, writing about his friends and partners in ministry in such cordial language. In all this, his burden for the Gospel is the driver.
I call upon you to act in two ways today: support financially the building project at hand – the Musiime Hall Project to cost us Ugx. 300 million; give what you have and let the Lord use it for the cause of the Gospel. Secondly, pray for leaders who are ambassadors of the Gospel – if Paul could ask for prayers, how much more your Bishop and your Chaplain and your fellowship leader? Pray for us.
God bless you all!