spiritual disciplines – JARRETT FLETCHER

What should I pray for consistently? Aside from our immediate needs (health, jobs, direction), we often do not know what we should pray about or who we should pray for. We don’t know how or what to pray for our own spiritual lives, much less the lives of our fellow church members or friends. Thankfully, God’s Word shows us the what and the how!

This week we continue our study of Colossians by studying 1:9-14, where Paul moves from his opening greeting and thanksgiving to encouraging the Colossians by giving them insight into how and what he prays for them. He does this to show them that God is answering their prayers and to model for them what they are to pray for, look for, and rejoice in.

I think Paul highlights two main prayer requests here, requests that all of us should regularly pray for ourselves and other believers in our lives:

1. To be filled with the knowledge of God’s will (1:9)

Paul’s first request is that the Colossians would be “filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual insight” (v. 9). The “will” and “insight” that he has in mind here is not the specifics regarding who to marry or which job to take, but God’s will for all his people- the will to know his Son and walk with Him.

How do I know that? Because Paul tells his readers why he prays this for them, “so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and please him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God (v. 10).” The kind of spiritual understanding he is praying for is understanding what God wants (to trust his Son) and what kind of life is pleasing and honoring to his Son.

Paul then describes the kind of life, or “walk,” that is pleasing to the Son. First, it is a walk that bears fruit. “Fruit” is the tangible evidence of God’s work in and through us. It includes spiritual growth, holiness, and having an eternal impact through our ministry (and yes, everyone is called to minister wherever God plants them!).

Bearing fruit is using the gifts God has given us, in dependence upon the Spirit who dwells inside us, to impact those around us. It is becoming more and more like Jesus, and because of that, introducing more and more people to Jesus.

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should last,” Jesus said in John 15:16. These words were spoken to his original disciples, but they apply to all his disciples. Our Lord is pleased when we bear fruit![1]

The second aspect of a walk that is pleasing to the Lord is a life marked by “increasing in the knowledge of God.” Jesus does not save us just so we can labor for his kingdom and see fruit in our ministries. We aren’t just servants, but friends and children of God (John 15:15). He wants us to see fruit in our relationship with God. He wants us to growin our knowledge of God. He wants to see our capacity for a relationship with God to deepen. And that happens as we grow in our knowledge of God.

We can spend so much of our time praying about and being consumed with the little details of our life. Its not that God doesn’t care about those, but what he is primarily concerned with, as was Paul, is that we understand his will and walk in a manner worthy of Christ. If we do that, all the little things will fall into place. For example, our youth pastor regularly tells high school students to not be primarily focused on where God wills for them to go to college but who God wills for them to be wherever they go. That last piece- the who he calls us to be- that’s the knowledge of his will, and that knowledge applies to not only college choices, but to every area of our lives.

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Bible-reading. Prayer. Worship. Evangelism. Serving. Giving. Fasting. All of these “spiritual disciplines” are explained and encouraged in most books on the subject. And rightly so! Each one of them is listed in the books that I am currently using to prepare a life group study on practicing the disciplines. But as I went through the lists, I noticed that something was missing: disciple making.

Disciple making is the intentional process of helping other people follow Jesus through relationships. It has not traditionally been regarded as a spiritual discipline, but I think it should. Spiritual disciplines act as scaffolding in the construction of a believer’s relationship with God. They are the habits and patterns of life that all believers should practice in obedience to God’s commands, including His command to make disciples (Matt 28:18-20).

I believe disciple making deserves formal recognition as an essential spiritual discipline right alongside prayer, Bible-intake, giving, fasting praying, etc. Here’s why:

1. Disciple making is obedience to Jesus.

At its core, disciple making is an act of obedience. Jesus’s command to make disciples is not a suggestion but a directive. In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commands.” Engaging in disciple making not only demonstrates our willingness to align our lives with Christ’s instructions but is a way of actually loving Him.

2. Disciple making cultivates spiritual growth.

Making disciples is not merely about teaching others; it’s a dynamic process that fosters mutual growth. As we help others follow Jesus, we deepen our relationship with Him as well. Part of this is because you must “walk the walk” before you can model that walk to others (more on accountability below).

In its simplest form, disciple making promotes biblical fellowship, which always edifies both parties. Proverbs 27:17 states, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Both mentor and mentee, group leader and members, are sharpened by each other. One of my favorite aspects of leading the discipleship ministry at our church is hearing from the leaders how much they are growing!

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