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Paul's Prevailing Prayer (Part 2)

August 16, 2026
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Have you ever tried to pray for other believers but struggled to know just how to pray for them? Join Dr. Harry Reeder next time on InPerspective as he shows us how the apostle Paul's prayer for the Colossians is an excellent model for how we can pray for our fellow Christians

Harry Reeder: God hears, right now, through Christ. Prevailing prayer. We have 17 prayers of the apostle Paul recorded in scripture. And there's something that stands out as I have looked through all of those prayers, particularly this one in verses 3 through 14 of Colossians 1.

What stood out for me is that when I look at the heart of a prayer, I can see the heart of a prayer. The heart of a prayer tells us the heart of the prayer.

Guest (Male): Putting life in biblical perspective with Dr. Harry L. Reeder. This is InPerspective, a radio and internet ministry of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. Have you ever wanted to pray for someone but did not know exactly what to pray for in their life, or specifically how best to pray for them?

The apostle Paul's prayer for the Colossians is an excellent model for how to pray for others and how we can ask others to pray for us. What makes Paul's prayer for the Colossians so rich and relevant for the life of every Christian?

Stay with us now as Dr. Reeder takes us to Colossians chapter 1 and verses 8 through 14 for today's message: Paul's Prevailing Prayer: Part 2.

Harry Reeder: Colossians 1:9, and we'll read through 14. This is the middle of the second part of Paul's prayer, beginning in verse 3. Now if you would join me in looking at Colossians chapter 1 again, the prayer begins in verse 3, but we've covered the first section, 3 through 8, and that deals with thanksgiving to God for His grace and mercy. Now look at the intercession of the prayer, beginning in verse 9.

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and He has transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Excuse me. Hello? Hello, are you there? Hello, can you hear me? Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now? I'll get near the window. Can you hear me now? I see that act in the restaurants every single day. Checking to see how many roaming minutes left, how much of the roaming charges.

Aren't you glad you can just call Jesus anytime, and He can hear you? In fact, He does hear you. He hears you because of what Jesus Christ has done for you; He now is ready to hear you. And there is much to talk to Him about. There is much to come before Him about.

There is much to plead before the Lord. There is much to intercede about in our own life, in our friends, our family, our neighbors, the lost, our loved ones, our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Last week I made a phone call. A young lady in our church whose father was terminally ill and we talked.

She said, "Pastor, I need some advice." And we counseled. Doctors, he has no hope. We need to take away everything that's keeping him living. He hasn't a chance. "But Pastor, what do I do?" Well, we talked, we worked through the issues theologically, philosophically, and then we said, "Well, let's just—let's first of all, let's pray about this." And we prayed.

We got a doctor in touch; he talked and he prayed. We prayed. Just a couple of days later, was headed to talk with someone, I picked up the phone, the call, and, "Pastor, we don't have to make the decision. He's doing well. He's coming home." I know there's tough decisions on this matter of not prolonging death.

Isn't it interesting how the culture of death, beginning in 1973, just very easily lets us make decisions on people that might be troublesome? But we prayed. Don't know how much longer the Lord's going to give the gentleman, but we prayed.

Last Sunday night, after the evening worship, a note was passed to me: "Pastor, please pray and get those to pray, it's my nephew. Through a glass door he has severed his arm. They say he has lost so much blood they don't think the organs will start back. He's in the hospital; we're headed there now." We prayed.

We found out the doctors did everything wrong, but we also found out that God heard us. The young man, just less than a week later, is now home, his arm reattached and on a full road to recovery. "Pastor," she said to me on Tuesday, "would you thank everyone for praying?"

I got a phone call: "Harry, I need you to pray for me." Why? He said, "Well, you know this each-one-reach-one. There's this guy I've been praying that I can reach. You can't believe it, he called me. Would you pray that I can share with him? We're going to eat lunch today." "Sure, let's pray right now."

Just a day or two later: "Pastor, can I tell you what happened? I've never seen anything like it. It's like it didn't matter what I said, he just wanted to be a Christian. And now, we're going to heaven together." I could take up the rest of my time telling you: God hears, right now, through Christ. Prevailing prayer.

We have 17 prayers of the apostle Paul recorded in scripture. And there's something that stands out as I have looked through all of those prayers, particularly this one in verses 3 through 14 of Colossians 1. What stood out for me is that when I look at the heart of a prayer, I can see the heart of a prayer. The heart of a prayer tells us the heart of the prayer.

Then I got to thinking about this: What if all of my prayers were recorded and you could read them, and you did a distillation of my prayer life? Now rightfully, I can and should pray about anything and everything; be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication make your request known to God.

But when you looked at all of my prayer life and you looked at the heart of my prayer life, what keeps coming back, what keeps manifesting itself as the value of my heart, the ideals of my mind? What would come through from the heart of my prayers about the heart of me, the prayer? What would come through if we could read your prayers?

Paul's are very consistent. In this particular text, he unfolds his thanksgiving to God, he unfolds his intercession. And when we look at the intercession, which is at the heart of his prayer, we see how his heart beats for God's glory, the salvation of the lost, and the testimony of Jesus Christ through those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. It just pulsates through his prayer life.

I want to remind you something that as you look at this heart of the prevailing prayer of Paul, I want to remind you that when we looked at verses 3 through 8, we noted that in this prayer, there are three triads that keep showing up in Paul's prayer life. Triad number one is the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Christian life, whether it's worship—we worship the Father through the Son in the Spirit—whether it's prayer—our Father, in the name of the Son, praying in the Spirit—that when we confess the truth, that God is Creator, the Father has authored it, the Son has accomplished it, the Spirit has superintended it.

Whether it's redemption: the Father has authored and predestined, the Son has accomplished and achieved, and the Holy Spirit has applied with great efficiency what the Father has authored. The glorious truth: one God in three persons, not three gods, one God, but not one God with three hats—one God who dwells in three persons.

A second triad that you saw in verses 3 through 8 was Paul's profile of the Christian life. It shows up in every one of his epistles except the book of Galatians, and that's this: faith, hope, and love. That the Christian lives by the work, by the dependence of faith, persuaded to commit all to Jesus Christ.

He lives by the work of love, a love for all the saints, and fueled by the hope that is reserved for us in heaven. There's a third triad in the text. It's in these verses. We see it because it is the prayer request of Paul's prevailing prayer. Look with me, if you would, in verse 8. And as you look at verse 8, you'll see a couple of things that's there that's interesting.

Notice what Paul prayed. He says, "From the day we heard," in other words, Epaphras showed up. He said to Paul two things. He said, "Paul, the people have been growing in grace. But Paul, I've got to tell you something. There's this heresy that's at work; it's undermining the gospel of grace.

Paul, it's this combination of ritualism, ceremonialism from the Jewish synagogue that's infiltrated the church, that you're saved by your ceremonies. And over here is this infiltration of paganism and Greek philosophy, and it's marrying to undermine everything that the gospel has done for the last 15 years at Colossae."

And as Paul gives this report of progress and the assault of Satan upon the teaching ministry of that church, Paul says, "The day we heard, we prayed. And we have not ceased to pray for you, Colossians." And what did we pray for? Notice his request: "Asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding."

Asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will with all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And that's the third triad. You will find this triad throughout the scriptures: knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. It appears first of all in your Bible in the prayer of David for his son, Solomon.

That's the first time you'll see it, is when he prayed for Solomon, David. He prayed that Solomon would have knowledge and his knowledge would be seen with wisdom and it would be experienced with understanding. If you've got that knowledge, wisdom, and understanding there, let me give you a word just to put under each one of them.

Knowledge: divine information. Wisdom: divine implementation. How is what I know, how is it to be implemented in life? Understanding is application. Knowledge: I want the knowledge of His will. Now folks, there's God's secret will I don't know about, but I do know God's revealed will.

When it says the knowledge of His will, it's talking about the Bible, the Word of God. I want to know God's Word. And if I know God's Word, I don't want to just know facts; I want to have wisdom. I want to see not just the information, I want to see the implications.

What would be the implication of this? Information, implication. Then I want to understand how to bring it to bear: application. Knowledge: information. Wisdom would be implication. And understanding would be application.

In other words, what Paul says, "When I heard how well you're doing, when I heard of this burgeoning heresy that will undermine and destroy everything if it's not removed, I went to prayer for you. And what I prayed was this: God, Father, make sure these people know Your will, the truth.

But make sure they know the truth with wisdom as they see the implications of it. And make sure they know how to live it: understanding. And make sure they know all wisdom, all understanding." In other words, Father, give them a proper theology—the knowledge of His will—that will lead to a practical theology—the way they should live.

In other words, Lord, I want them to have a lifestyle that's faithful and fruitful. That means that they must have a worldview that is true, that is all-encompassing—wisdom—and that lands—understanding. Lord, give that to them. They can't have a sound life without sound doctrine. They can't have a lifestyle that honors You without a worldview that is faithful to You.

After making that prayer request, we then see the desired results. What would that request, what results would it bring about? He says, "I want seven things to come out of this." Now actually, he says, "I want one thing: I want them to live differently." Today we might use a phrase like "a changed lifestyle."

What Paul used was the language of his day: they would walk differently. Their walk would be different. But now notice, he doesn't tell them to have a different walk and then they'll know the truth. He says, "You've got to know the truth to have a different walk."

And when he prays that they'll know the truth with wisdom and understanding, the purpose of knowing the truth with wisdom and understanding is to be manifested with a changed life, a changed walk. And he gives seven things to describe that walk. Number one: it's a worthy walk. It's a worthy walk.

Now folks, now listen carefully. He is not saying worthy walk for salvation. We can't have a worthy walk for salvation. We can't pay for our sins; we don't have a true, pure righteousness. He's not saying a walk that's worthy to merit salvation. Notice, not merit, but a walk that's worthy in manner.

Not our merits by our worthy walk; the merits of our salvation is in Christ. What he's saying is a walk worthy in manner of the Lord. In other words, not a walk worthy of salvation, but a walk that's worthy of the Savior who has saved you. When we say something, Jesus' name attached to what I just said, does that bring honor to Him?

When I think it, when I do it, that business deal, that ethical decision that I made, when I walk in my life, am I making decisions that honor my Savior? It's not meriting salvation worthy; it's a manner that honors my Savior. Amazing love, how can it be that You, my King, would die for me?

That's the truth. Amazing love, I know it's true. Wisdom, knowledge, understanding. For what reason? That it's my joy to honor You. A walk worthy of the King who has saved us. A walk worthy that would draw others to that King. And that means what's the second thing about that walk?

Notice he then says it's a pleasing walk. That God is pleased when He sees the way that we walk in this life. Now folks, this is not satisfaction for salvation. God is already satisfied His holiness with the death of Christ for our salvation. It's not pleasing God to save us; it's pleasing the God who has saved us in His Son.

That we bring pleasure to Him. I remember when I was a kid, I was playing ball and of course my dad was just bigger than life. And whenever I did something, I would just look: Did it bring him pleasure? Did it bring him pleasure?

If I feel that for my earthly father, should not I desire to give pleasure to the one who gave His Son that I might have life? John Owen says it this way: "Giving pleasure to God is to make His smile our greatest delight and His frown the last thing we wish to see."

That God would smile upon our baby step—our crawling for Him, our baby steps for Him, our giant leaps for Him, our growing for Him, our confessing to Him—that there would be pleasure given to the Father. And do you know you do give pleasure to Him as you love Him and follow Him?

Third thing he says is a fruitful life. A life that bears fruit. Now, Harry, what would we be talking about? Let me give you some ideas here. A life that's fruitful, bearing fruit in every good work. What are the good works that bear fruit? Worship: the fruit of the praise of our lips and the praise from our heart.

The fruit of our resources as we give faithfully as stewards. The fruit of our witness for Christ: "He who winneth souls is wise." As we reach people with the gospel, the fruit of people coming to Christ as we plant and water and God gives the increase. The fruit of encouraging a brother or sister in the Lord.

There's one of God's sons and daughters, there's one of our brothers and sisters; they're faltering, they're grieved, or they're entangled in a sin. What will we do? Here is fruit: we will reach and encourage them. We will reach around them and help them be freed from that sin that would entangle them by pointing them to Christ.

That we are bearing fruit in worship and evangelism and encouragement and in our resources. The fourth thing is that a walk that is intimate. Look what it says: increasing in the knowledge of God. Now the word knowledge there doesn't mean just facts about God; it means an intimate relationship with God.

Knowledge: it's the word that we use to describe the intimacy of a man and a woman in marriage. Abraham knew Sarah. That you grow in your intimacy, your discourse with the living God, the intimacy. Now God has loved you in His Son, and He has given His Son, and we're not talking about earning love; we're talking about growing in intimacy with the Lord.

A fifth one is a—hey, here's something that we thought was new in our generation. He wants you to have not only a worthy walk, a pleasing walk, a fruitful walk, an intimate walk that's growing in the knowledge of Him, but number five: He wants you to have a power walk.

You don't have to just go get a couple of ten-pound weights and take a power walk. He wants Christians to have a power walk: strengthened with the strength of His might, empowered by the strength of His might. Alright, you with me? What would be the strength of His might?

The Holy Spirit. That we are dependent upon the Holy Spirit as our strength, that we are surrendered to Him, and we're resting not in the confidence of the flesh but in the fullness of the Spirit of God, strengthened with the strength of His might.

And number six: we would have a faithful walk with perseverance and patience. And by the way, look at the word that's put there: joyously patient and enduring in serving. We're not going to be perfect in our walk, but we can be faithful and purposed in our walk and persevering in our walk with joy.

Lord, You're taking us from victory to victory. Yes, we falter and we fall short, but You are picking us up. In love You're disciplining us. With encouragement You come to us, with thunder You speak to us, and with the softness of a whisper You draw us. And then finally, a grateful walk, giving thanks to the Father.

Giving thanks to the Father. Now we're to worship. Look at the flow that's there. Just look at the flow. A worthy walk would lead to what? A pleasing walk. A worthy walk leads to a pleasing walk, which would be what? A fruitful walk.

And a fruitful walk would become an intimate walk. And an intimate walk is only by the power walk of the Holy Spirit. And the power walk, when the power of the Holy Spirit's in us, we see a faithful walk. And it's all put together for the praise and glory of God.

Gratefully we thank You and praise Your holy name. We have been saved and kept by grace and changed, and You're using us, and our life counts for forever. So we are so grateful unto You. And then when he says being grateful to the Father, notice three interesting things he says.

Why are we grateful to the Father? Because of what the Father has done for us in His Son. What has He done for us in His Son? Three things. He has qualified us for the inheritance of eternal life. Qualified. Qualified. The requirements have been met for us to have eternal life, and it wasn't we qualified ourselves; He qualified us for the inheritance.

My mom died, are with the Lord now, and never had much their whole life. But what they did have, they put it together, and I think my mother was so thankful that she could just pass something on—wasn't much, but she could pass it on. So I got a letter that her estate had been finished and it was divided four ways: me and my three sisters.

And I found out I made the list. Now my three sisters did not think I'd make the list. In fact, I believe they were working pretty hard that I wouldn't be on the list. But I was on the list. Made the list. I'm on another list. I'm going to heaven. I'm listed in the Book of Life.

And I didn't write my name there. My daddy, my mama put me on their list, but my Heavenly Father put me on His list. And He wrote it with the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. Are you qualified through the blood of Christ? And then when He qualifies you, you know what He does? He delivers you.

He delivers you from the power of sin. You're born again. He delivers you from the penalty of sin. You've been justified by grace in the blood of Jesus. He delivers you from the position of sin. No longer is Satan your father, now God is your father, and the people of God are brothers and sisters, and you've been adopted into the family of God.

And He is delivering us from the practice of our sin as we're growing in grace. And He will deliver us from the presence of sin when we go to be with Him. We are delivered. We are delivered. And then I'm transferred. My ticket's been punched for a different express.

I was born in this world on a one-way express to a place called hell. I know it's not polite to talk about it or even use the word, but it's the truth. It was a broad way that leads to destruction, and I was on a one-way express, and every one of us are born on that express train for that one-way destination.

And the Lord has transferred me. I got my ticket changed. No longer is it a one-way express to hell. Let me say it again: hell. C.S. Lewis one time was in a sermon similar to this one, where the pastor said, "You know, you need to come to Jesus, or there're going to be disastrous eschatological consequences if you don't."

C.S. Lewis went up to him afterwards and said, "Disastrous eschatological consequences? Are you saying that they will end up in hell?" And he looked at C.S. Lewis and said, "Well, yes sir." And he said, "Then tell them, man. Tell them. Clearly and plainly." I have no delight in it, but I must warn you.

My goodness, I'd warn you if a bridge was out and you'd plunge into a ditch. I must warn you. You are headed in one direction or the other. If you want heaven, then you come to Christ, who qualifies you, who delivers you from your sin and transfers you to eternal life.

How can God qualify me? How can God deliver me? How can the Father transfer me? Those last words: by redeeming you. Forgiving you of all your sins. And the way He redeemed you is His Son paid the ransom for you. And the ransom was His life, death, and praise God, His resurrection.

Just a couple of thoughts in closing. Take away just three of them practically for our lives. Number one is this: if I read this text rightly, it tells me something. It tells me that intercessory prayer is to be my first move, not my last resort. Intercessory prayer in the issues of life is to be my first move, not my last resort.

I am like you, and I hope like all of you, I am burdened by this culture of death that's around us and every place that it's leading us. But the fact is, my first move—my first move—is prayer. Not my last move, but it's my first move. Some of us will make prayer our last move.

In fact, somebody will come up to us and say, "I just have this great need, Pastor, let me tell you about it." And I might be tempted to say something like this: "Oh my goodness, let me see if I can help you. You know, I don't think I can help you, but the least I can do is pray for you." That's not the least; it's the best and it ought to be the first thing I do.

Now if there's a ministry opportunity, it doesn't have to be the last thing that I do, but it needs to be the first thing that I do. Sanctity of life, that won't be turned around by political ingenuity; it won't be turned around by some charismatic personal leader. God may use them, and we need to endeavor in the public debate, in the ministry of mercy.

But where we need to go first is to our knees in these matters. And then we call upon the Lord. Notice what Paul says: "I heard of your progress, I heard of the heresy, and what did I do? The day I heard of it, I began to pray unceasingly for you." It was his first move, not his last resort. It's not his last move, but it's his first move.

We have not because we ask not. Ray Stedman, missionary, Ecuador, in among the tribes, cannibals, literally crawled out of the jungle one day on the edge of his life about to go into eternity with the loss of blood and the wounds he had just been dumped out of the jungles.

On that very day, there was a Bible study of men in a place called Boston, Massachusetts. The man's name was Joe Evans; he was a friend of missionary Ray Stedman. And so that day they're in the middle of the study, and he says, "Men, stop. God has just laid on my heart that we need to pray for our brother Ray Stedman. Let's pray right now." And they did.

Ray Stedman did not die. Their intercessory prayers that day God owned. I can't explain it to you, I can only tell you a sovereign God who declares the end from the beginning has declared the means, and it's the intercessory prayers of His people. And when we pray, God moves and God moves through praying people.

They prayed, Ray Stedman lived. Wheaton College got Dr. Ray Stedman for the greatest 40 years of its life afterwards. We have not because we ask not. And let me finish that. When we do ask, we ask amiss. We ask wrongly. Well, what does it mean to ask rightly? That's the second takeaway.

If you want the answers to life, you've got to know the truth. Truth for life. Truth for life. When Paul wants to fortify the Colossians, he not only prays, he prays first and foremost that they will know the truth and the truth will set them free. That they will have the knowledge of His will with wisdom and understanding.

One guy put it this way: prayer's our first move, it's neology. And neology needs to lead us to theology. That we say, "God, open Your word, fill me with Your word." Sound doctrine brings us a sound life. I can know the heresy if I know the truth.

Ruth Graham sitting at a dinner table as they're preparing for the crusades, and she's sitting across from the Minister of Finance in England. This is back in the first crusade. She records this in her book: that she was talking with him trying to make conversation and they got to speaking about counterfeit money.

And she said, "Well, how in the world do you know every possible counterfeit to spot it?" And he said, "Miss Graham, we don't teach them the counterfeits. We let them know what real money looks like, and when they see the real thing, they'll always spot the false thing." That's what Paul is saying.

There's a heresy of paganism, there's a heresy of legalistic ritualistic salvation. I want you to know that you're saved by grace, and when you know the truth of the gospel and the gospel of grace, then you'll spot the emptiness of paganism and speculative philosophy and the dead end of legalism and ceremonial salvation. I want you to know the truth.

Ignorance is not bliss. I remember the first time I heard that. I started to tell my teachers my daddy must think I'm a happy man, as my report cards were being sent back. Ignorance is not bliss; it leads to destruction.

I wish I could tell you there's a shortcut: just put your Bible on your coffee table and the vibrations are going to come out and you're going to start thinking biblically. Nope, you've got to read it, got to study it, got to listen to it preached, and you've got to want it.

But the problem is we live in a what I call the McDonald's and Burger King culture. First of all, we don't want to know God's way, we want it our way. Have it your way. But our way leads to destruction. We need to say no to Burger King culture and I don't want it my way, I want it God's way.

And secondly, we need to say no to McDonald's culture. Folks, there's just no fast spiritual food. I wish I could tell you there's a drive-through window, plug it in, two minutes a day, and boom, you're off and running with a biblical world and life view.

You've got to marinate in the Word of God, you've got to study it, you've got to open your heart. God fill me, take every thought captive unto the obedience of Jesus Christ. Finally, the starting and finishing line for the truth is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Can I build on that what that preacher said: neology leads to theology. Neology, first resort prayer, leads to theology, truth for life. And that always leads you to Christology. The foundation of truth, the capstone of truth, is Jesus Christ.

The one who has qualified you, the one who has delivered you, the one who has transferred you from the express of destruction all the way to heaven. And on the way, He lets you walk in a manner that you can bring some more with you. On the way, He lets you walk in a manner that you can bring some more with you.

I know if this had been me, I know what I would have done. I know if I had heard that the Colossians were starting to falter and there was a false doctrine, I'd have come up and I'd have said, "Now listen folks, you better start doing right. If you don't do right, God's going to write you off."

What Paul does is not tell them to do right so God won't write them off; Paul tells them that God has written them in through the blood of His Son. Now do right for Him. You see, I would have resorted to human motivation and manipulation to get these people back in line.

He points them to the grace of God found in Jesus Christ. When it fills our soul, evangelism is no problem. Remember when you were first saved? It was no problem. You weren't fearful, you just told people. When your identity was Christ and you knew that Christ saved you, you just told people.

And when we are filled with the knowledge of Him who qualified and delivered and transferred us, then we are ready to walk worthy of His name. Not salvation, but of His name. Pleasing, bearing fruit, intimately, faithfully, gratefully, for Christ.

I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ that lives in me. Christ, neology, theology, Christology, Christ that lives in me. And the life that I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

He qualified me, putting me on the list, delivering me from my sins, and transferred me from the express of destruction to the New Jerusalem forever and ever. My mother told me—2120 Shenandoah Avenue—she said to me, she said, "Son, I'm going to have to work this Saturday. Why don't you just come down?" It was in the summer.

She said, "Why don't you come—" I was nine years old. I said, "Mama, how am I going to get there? You want me to get up and go?" She said, "No, you sleep a little later. Just go get on the bus, you know, the one that's right there at the corner of the plaza and Shenandoah Avenue."

I said, "Bus number two, I've seen it." "Yeah, that's the one. But mama, that says Green Street. Green Street's the opposite direction of Sears and Roebuck." She says, "Here son, bought you this token. This is a transfer token. You give it to the bus driver. You get on the bus, and when it stops, you get off; this token has paid for it. And you get on the next bus, and when it stops, I'll be waiting for you."

God the Father has paid for your token. It's fully paid. Stop the bus. By faith and repentance, get off. He's got another bus, and you're transferred to eternal life, and He's there waiting for you.

Guest (Male): You are listening to InPerspective, featuring the teaching of Dr. Harry L. Reeder, His sermon series, Christ is All and in All: Colossians in Biblical Perspective. There is much confusion concerning the issue of marriage, divorce, and remarriage. What are permissible biblical grounds for divorce?

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There is one place that Jesus should never have in your life: second place. Join us again next time as Dr. Reeder examines a hymn of praise about the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ. That's next time as we turn back to the scriptures to put life in biblical perspective.

This transcript is provided as a written companion to the original message and may contain inaccuracies or transcription errors. For complete context and clarity, please refer to the original audio recording. Time-sensitive references or promotional details may be outdated. This material is intended for personal use and informational purposes only.

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About InPerspective

Pastor Harry Reeder’s biblical instruction putting life in perspective.

About Harry Reeder

Harry Reeder devoted his life to “equipping Christians for God’s glory.” Renowned for his steadfast commitment to God’s Word, Harry preached with clarity, conviction, and a deep concern for applying Scripture to everyday life, calling listeners to put all of life in biblical perspective. In addition to his pastoral ministry, he was a gifted author, theologian, and teacher. His books, Embers to a Flame and 3D Leadership, are available at ReformedResources.org.

Contact InPerspective with Harry Reeder

Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals

600 Eden Rd

Lancaster, PA 17601


(215) 546-3696