The Acts of the Apostles (1911) — PDF Scan 477

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WRITTEN FROM ROME 471 In them practical godliness is outlined, principles are laid down that should be followed in every church, and the way that leads to life eternal is made plain. In his letter to ^'the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse,'' written while he was a prisoner in Rome, Paul makes mention of his joy over their steadfastness in the faith, tidings of which had been brought him by Epaphras, who, the apostle wrote, "declared unto us your love in the Spirit. For this cause,'' he continued, ''we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and long- suffering with joyfulness." Thus Paul put into words his desire for the Colossian believers. How high the ideal that these words hold before the follower of Christ! They show the wonderful possibilities of the Christian life, and make it plain that there is no limit to the blessings that the children of God may receive. Constantly increasing in a knowledge of God, they may go on from strength to strength, from height to height in Christian experience, until by ''His glorious power" they are made "meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.'' The apostle exalted Christ before his brethren as the one by whom God had created all things, and