Colossians 1:1-10

New Testament for Everyone

Thanksgiving for the gospel’s work

1 Paul, an apostle of Messiah Jesus by God’s purpose, and Timothy my brother; ² to God’s holy people in Colossae, the Messiah’s faithful family; grace to you and peace, from God our father.

³ We always thank God, the father of our Lord, Messiah Jesus, when we pray for you, ⁴ because we’ve heard of your faith in Messiah Jesus and the love you have for all God’s holy people, ⁵ because of the hope which is kept safe for you in the heavenly places. You heard about this before in the word of truth, the gospel ⁶ which has arrived on your doorstep—just as, in fact, it’s producing fruit and growing in all the world, as it has been among you, from the day you heard it and came to know the grace of God in truth. ⁷ That’s how you learnt it from Epaphras our beloved fellow slave. He’s a loyal and faithful servant of the Messiah on your behalf. ⁸ He it was who gave us the news about your love in the spirit.

Prayer for wisdom and gratitude

⁹ For this reason, from the day we heard it, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We’re asking God to fill you with the knowledge of what he wants in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. ¹⁰ This will mean that you’ll be able to conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Lord, and so give him real delight, as you bear fruit in every good work and grow up in the knowledge of God.