Colossians 1:3-14

"Dear Father, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Thank you for the fruit your Word is bearing throughout the whole world. Thank you that this..."

"Dear Father, in whom there is no darkness at all, Strengthen me with all power, according to your great might, so that I can both endure and be..."

"Dear Father, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, We thank you for every brother and sister, young and old, who has faith in our Lord Jesus..."

How did God make you to stand out from the crowd? Phil Ware reminds us that the Gospel of Luke introduces us to common folks made special by God to remind us that we are not just another face in the crowd.

"Dear Child of Grace, You have been blessed with grace because of the Father's love (John 3:16-18; Colossians 1:12-14). That grace was embodied by My...."

"For [God] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

"You learned about the Good News from Epaphras, our beloved co-worker. He is Christ's faithful servant, and he is helping us on your behalf. He has..."

"Dear Father, Help me and all of your people everywhere to be filled with complete knowledge of what you want, in all wisdom and spiritual..."

"For [God, our Father,] has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and...."

"[A]nd by giving thanks with joy to the Father. He made it so you could take part in the inheritance, in light granted to God’s holy people. He rescued..."

"[I, Paul, and our brother Timothy] also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience..."

"So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual..."

"So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual..."

"So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual..."

We must learn to use prayer to face our challenges. One of our most important tools in our spiritual warfare is prayer.

When we see one of these risk-takers and God-seekers, they deserve a Pat on the Back! Max Lucado reminds us to give risk-takers, God-seekers, and hard-workers a pat on the back.

"Dear Disciple, I appointed My apostles as My emissaries to the world. I commissioned them to take My message everywhere to everyone. The original..."

Can you walk this walk from now on? It's not how many days we have, but how we use those days for God that matter -- or to say it differently, it is not how far we walk, but how we walk in the miles we cover that matter most.

Are you going to let that keep you away from Jesus? We lose sight of what is important and let many things get between us and Jesus.

Why can't we see the power of the Holy Spirit in less exciting ways? Even if our time in life means we have to slow down, that doesn't mean the Holy Spirit quits working in us; we can see his power in the small things he does in our lives.

"For [the Father] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves."

"For [the Father] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves... "

"Since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and..."

"Since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and..."

"Since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and..."

"Our hope in Christ for the future is the mainspring and the mainstay of our joy here. It will animate our hearts to think often of heaven, for all..."

"We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will..."

"[Epaphras is] the one who told us how thoroughly love had been worked into your lives by the Spirit."

Inspirational illustration of Colossians 1:13 -- For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.

Inspirational illustration of Colossians 1:9 -- Since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Weren't we re-made for more than we're settling for? Phil Ware shares with us ideas about growth and how God has re-created us to be like Jesus and be full of life and growth, spiritually and physically.

Are you playing religious games or are you really delivered? Phil Ware shares another insight from Colossians about deliverance from the dead-end alleys, the dark dungeons, and the pits that keep us trapped and reminds us how Jesus brings deliverance.

How do we prepare the hearts of those we influence to be ready to receive Jesus with joy? ToGather.church worship segment for April 5, 2020, focusing on Jesus' Triumphal Entry and how we prepare people to receive Jesus into their hearts and shout "Hosanna!" in praise and welcome to him.

How would you feel if it was you? Phil Ware shares about an embarrassing moment in church when he was in high school and compares it to Philemon being called out in church in Colossae.

When Jesus taught on prayer in the Sermon on the Mount, he shifted from individual prayer in private to prayer shared with others Phil Ware, with the help of Grady King, reminds us that prayer is a together experience in much of experience and God calls us to share this experience together, then Grady King gives us some added insight and an exercise to help us through the next week.

Do you have the strength to stand? The power of an anonymous motel room doesn't have to claim our purity or cause us to cave into sin.

Can you find that light that chases away the shadows? Phil Ware continues his series on When Spirit Becomes Flesh and talks about Jesus as heaven's light.

Where do you live your life of faith? Phil Ware talks about persecution of believers today and how we can make a difference.

Is there any hope, any light, for our darkness? Phil Ware talks about the triumphal entry of Jesus and the darkness that Jesus faced for all of us to defeat the darkness and bring us to light.

"We are writing to God’s holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. May God our Father give you grace..."

Advent is the celebration of Jesus' coming to earth and bringing God's heavenly Kingdom shown in his ministry, lived by his people, and ultimately experienced at his return! Phil Ware shares Scriptures and James Nored shares an inspirational video regarding the blessings and significance of Advent, Jesus' coming to earth as God in human flesh as our Savior and Lord.

The cycle of violence is heartbreaking — will it ever end? Phil Ware reminds us of the simple, yet powerful words found in the hard story of Jesus' birth and Herod's attempt to murder him at Bethlehem -- But Herod came to an end.

A genuine disciple, and especially an apostle, follows the path of Jesus who gave up his life to seek, serve, and save the lost. James Nored in video, and Phil Ware using the Scriptures, remind us of the beauty and the cost to God of saving us and forgiving us, and giving us a new life.

Caught to be released into life, community, and purpose by the grace of God! Phil Ware begins a series of articles on sharing Jesus in word and deed with others called Catch and Release and focusing on following Jesus.

What happens the other 51 weeks of the year? Phil Ware begins a 4 part November series on giving thanks just in time for the Thanksgiving season.