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Wisdom To Live On (Colossians 4:2-6 July 22, 2012)

As we draw near the end of the book of Colossians we come this morning to a short passage that has wisdom for every person here this morning. At first glance – there is nothing particularly profound. Nothing too earth shaking. But what I want to suggest this morning is that in these five verses there is in fact some life changing advice. It is advice every Christian already knows – but too few of us practice. So what is this advice? If you have your Bibles, please turn with me to Colossians 4:2. Let me just put this morning in context for you. We have seen that in chapters 2, 3 and into chapter 4, Paul basically gave us two commands:

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1. Continually Reject Worldly Wisdom 2. Continually Practice God’s Wisdom

In chapter 3 and into chapter 4, the wisdom Paul urges us to practice is very hands on. In verses 2-17 of chapter 3 – Paul tells us.

To seek the things above:

Put your mind above vv. 2-4 Put the fruit of the world off vv. 5-11 Put the fruit of the Spirit on vv. 12-17

Then in verse 18 through to chapter 4 verse 1 – he gave us wisdom about living in various social situations – as husbands, wives, parents, children, masters and slaves. How do Christians live in the areas where the rubber of life hits the road of our faith. But what we saw woven throughout these admonitions is the truth that practicing this godly wisdom is a spiritual battle. It is a war trying to continually put to death what is earthly in us: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. It is a war to be a wife who submits to her husband or a slave who obeys their earthly masters. The world the flesh and the devil do their best to woo us away from godliness.

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Paul knows this is a war, so he ends this series of admonitions with this advice. Colossians 4:2:

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. Paul knows that this war cannot be won without prayer. Again and again in his epistles Paul urges us to pray. 1 Thessalonians 5:17:

Pray without ceasing. Ephesians 6:18:

Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance.

And it is not just Paul. Jesus speaks often of prayer. He commands us to pray. He told a parable so that we would always pray and not lose heart. Prayer is vital to our spiritual health. In fact it would be fair to say that a prayerless Christian is an oxymoron. Why is prayer so vital? The very moment you were conceived – a spiritual battle began. David put it this way in Psalm 51:5:

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. The battle that began while you were just a single cell is a battle for your soul. The world is oblivious to this battle – but the child of God knows it – we feel it every moment. It began when you were conceived – and it continues without one nano-second of respite until you take your last breath. And, make no mistake – the moment you make Christ Lord – the battle intensifies. You become a specific target. The world, the flesh and the devil want your soul. And they have powerful weapons at their disposal. Lust, greed, selfishness, anger, envy. Anything that can lure your heart away from Christ and the things of Christ. And our selfishness and pride make it incredibly hard to live in families or other relationships.

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Left to our own devices – we have no hope – we are dead in our sins and transgressions. Our minds go to the world – our actions follow – and our souls are lost. But – and this is crucial – we are not alone. God sent Jesus. Jesus left His Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 10:3–4:

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

God has granted us – those in Christ – weapons of incredible power to help us live holy and stop the indulgence of our flesh. However, while God in His wisdom has seen fit to supply us with these weapons –we have to claim them and use them. We have to put on the armour, pick up the sword and use them. He has made the power available to us – but we have to plug in to that power. Don Carson begins his book – A Call To Spiritual Reformation – with this question:

What is the most urgent need in the church of the Western world today? He runs through a series of possible answers – holiness, integrity, evangelism, faithful preaching. He then says:

There is a sense in which these urgent needs are merely symptomatic of a far more serious lack. The one thing we most urgently need in Western Christendom is a deeper knowledge of God. We need to know God better.1

He brings his thought together with this statement:

One of the foundational steps in knowing God, and one of the most basic demonstrations that we do know God, is prayer – spiritual, persistent, biblically minded prayer.2

This is what we need – spiritual, persistent, biblically minded prayer. Many Christians want to know – why did God make this the way to living holy? Why isn’t it like this: you come to Christ and God sets His Spirit and His angels as a shield around you. Lust starts to seep in – and the Spirit removes the temptation and the angel says – lust is the way of death.

1 Don Carson, A Call To Spiritual Reformation (Grand Rapids, Baker Books, 1992) p. 15. 2 Don Carson, A Call To Spiritual Reformation (Grand Rapids, Baker Books, 1992) p. 16.

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Your wife does something that starts anger rising – and the Spirit makes her seek forgiveness and the angel says – forgive her – that is the way of life. Why do we have to practice the hard yards of the spiritual disciplines to live holy? I don’t know all the answers to this. But here are some thoughts that came to mind:

Why does God provide His power through the spiritual disciplines?

It makes us acknowledge our dependence It makes us acknowledge His sufficiency It makes us long for eternity

In short prayer gives the glory to God. We pray to God and tell Him – we can’t live holy by ourselves. This acknowledges our dependence. We can’t do it in our strength. It acknowledges His sufficiency. Despite the power of the world, the flesh and the devil – we believe God is greater. It makes us walk by faith. And it makes us long for eternity – no sin, no struggles – the time when we are holy and enjoying Him forever. In this God is glorified and magnified and so God has ordained prayer as a conduit to spiritual power.

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Paul knows this. He knows that if we are to live holy, to stop the indulgence of the flesh, to live in God-honouring relationships – we have to continue steadfastly in prayer. Real prayer. Regular, robust, persistent prayer. Listen to Jesus in Luke 18 verses 1-8:

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

To encourage them to pray and not lose heart – until He returns – Jesus gave a parable. There is an unrighteous judge. In the time of Jesus, judges were an established institution for determining justice for the people. The people would appeal to a judge to have him adjudicate their case. The problem is that the judges were notoriously corrupt. Justice was dispensed to the highest bidder. The judges in the city of Jerusalem were notoriously bad. They people called them Robber-Judges. The other player in the parable is a widow keeps coming to the judge saying, “Give me justice against my adversary.” Widows occupy a special place in the heart of God. They are without the protection of a husband and are subject to oppression. Widows are powerless and have no hope of justice let alone a hearing. But this widow “kept coming.” The sense of this verb is that she kept coming over and over again. Her petitions just never stopped coming to the Judge’s ears. The repeated denials and refusals didn’t dent this woman’s determination. She kept coming. The judge put up with the woman for a while. He thought she would take the hint and disappear. But, she became a thorn in his side, a constant irritation. Finally, the woman’s persistence wore him down. So what is the point? Look again at verses 6 and 7:

And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night?”

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Not just one quick petition – but crying out day and night. Jesus uses contrast here to thrust his point home. In His parable, the widow was heard. She was poor and insignificant. The judge was unjust and motivated only by bribes. Yet, her persistence won her the right to justice. Contrast this scenario with God. His elect are His beloved children. He cared enough to send His Son to die for them. Furthermore, He is not an unjust judge. His justice is perfect. He cannot be bribed or coerced. If perseverance gained the widow the granting of her appeal, how much more will God delight in granting the appeal for justice of those who pray without losing heart? Our task is to continue steadfastly in prayer and God will answer such a prayer and send the power to live victoriously in this life. Some translate this verse as – devote yourself to prayer – and that indeed is the essence of this phrase. Regular prayer. Robust prayer. Devoted prayer. Not merely the throw away prayer:

God I’m late – so please bless my family, bless me, make me holy, and ... that is all I can think of right now ... but I hope to have more tomorrow.

If you really believe your holiness, your marriage, your children, your life depends on prayer – you devote yourself to prayer. Being watchful in prayer. The word literally means being awake in prayer. It reminds us of the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane who at the Lord’s hour of need could not devote themselves to prayer, could not stay awake in prayer. This word is used here to command us to watch our own lives – to be alert to our lives when we pray. Know the areas of our life that we need great spiritual help in – and to pray specifically, devotedly, passionately. Where do you struggle – anger, lust, greed, marriage, children, work? Then pray specifically for these areas. Listen to these promises Jesus gave us. Matthew 7:7–11:

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him

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a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

John 14:13–14:

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

God wants us to ask. He wants to help us. Watch your life and ask for those areas. Brothers and sisters – I have counselled saints for well over twenty years. I have yet to have someone come and tell me – Craig, I am struggling with anger, my marriage is a mess, lust has its hooks in me – but here is the positive – I continue steadfastly in prayer, I watch my life and pray without ceasing asking God for help in these areas. That just doesn’t happen. I ask – have you prayed? – and the heads drop and they say – very little – only in desperation. For too many of us prayer is the ripcord when all else fails. It should be the power cord that stops us failing. Look brothers and sisters, the last think I want this sermon to be is a guilt trip about prayer. Whenever prayer comes up in a sermon – the vast majority feel guilty. They don’t pray enough. They don’t pray with intensity. They don’t pray with perseverance. Don Carson gives a list of excuses for not praying. Here is his list:

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• I am too busy to pray

• I feel too spiritually dry to pray

• I feel no need to pray

• I am too bitter to pray

• I am too ashamed to pray

• I am content with mediocrity3 He shows why none of these holds any credence at all. But I am sure most of you are like me – you already know your excuses are pathetic. You know you need to pray more consistently and passionately. What we need is a bit more carrot than stick. We need to know that prayer is how God has ordained for us to have power and joy and holiness and satisfaction in this life. When we know prayer is the conduit to having life to the full – then we pray. The story is told of a man who read about the joys of taking a cruise around the South Pacific. He set his mind to save enough to go on one of these trips. He worked night and day until he had enough to go. The problem was that the cruise cost him every penny he had. He had no money for duty-free shopping or side trips. He had no money for restaurants on the ship.

3 Don Carson, A Call To Spiritual Reformation (Grand Rapids, Baker Books, 1992) pp. 111-122.

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So he packed one of his suitcases full of cheese and crackers to sustain him on the cruise. The first day the cheese and crackers didn’t taste too bad. But the problem was that his cabin was right next to the kitchen. The delicious aromas of the galaxy of entrees, main meals and desserts kept wafting into his cabin. By the third day, he had to look. He cracked opened his door and watched as the trays of incredible food left the kitchen bound for the dining room. It was almost more than he could bear. But he finally prised himself away and returned to his meal of cheese and crackers. By day five he was nearly crazy. The cheese was going mouldy. The crackers were stale. He couldn’t face them again. His dream cruise had become a nightmare. His composure cracked. He grabbed one of the waiters carrying a tray and cried, “I have to have some of that. I’ll clean dishes. I’ll scrub floors just give me some of that food.” The waiter looked at him and asked, “Did you pay for a ticket sir?” “Of course I did.” “Well sir, all meals are included in the ticket. You are welcome to eat any of the food in any dining room.” Too often we are like that passenger. God offers us everything. Power, holiness, joy. It comes with salvation. But we have to take it. Yesterday Heather came back from Canada. She bought each of us a gift. She bought me the dice expansion set to Ticket To Ride – it looks awesome – and yes I am a nerd. She handed it to me. But I had to take it – unwrap it – open it – and use it. Prayer is the way we plug in to the power of God for living in this life. We have to know this. In Ephesians 1:16–19 Paul writes:

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.

We have this power, this glorious inheritance – it comes from His great might – and we have to understand that it is ours – and we access it by prayer. We eat every day to maintain our physical health. Prayer needs to be like that.

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We need to become – PUSHers. When there is stubborn persistent sin... just P.U.S.H.! When your marriage is struggling... just P.U.S.H.! When the bills are piling up... just P.U.S.H.! When things are going wrong... just P.U.S.H.!

P.U.S.H. Pray Until Something Happens!!!!! And as Paul says at the end of verse 2 – pray with thanksgiving. Know He hears prayer – know He answers prayer – know the power is there. Thank Him for what He will do through you and in you. We need to be a people of prayer. In the words of Alfred Lord Tennyson:

More things are wrought by prayer Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice Rise like a fountain for me night and day For what are men better than sheep or goats That nourish a blind life within the brain, If knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer Both for themselves and those who call them friends?

In chapter 4 verse 3 – Paul is still talking about prayer. But he is transitioning. Verse 2 is his final admonition to help us continually practice godly wisdom in our lives.

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Verse 3 also talks about prayer – but he is transitioning from speaking about personal holiness to evangelism. Remember that some on the Colossian church were heading to some undignified extremes. Angel worship, special diets, dreams and yet they were unholy and a mess. This was a dreadful witness to those outside the church. So Paul tells them to pray and to walk godly in order to have an effective witness. He begins with prayer. Just as prayer is the power for personal holiness and godliness – so it is the power for evangelism. Once again – Paul repeatedly links prayer with power to evangelise. No prayer means our witness has no power. One example is Ephesians 6:18–20:

Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Similarly here in verses 3-4:

At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

Paul understands that spiritual truths are discerned spiritually. No one is argued into the kingdom. No one is within degrees of brilliance of being able to grasp the gospel through their own intellect. Understanding who God is, what grace is, what happened on the cross – this is requires a miracle of immense power. God has to open blinded eyes. God has to make the gospel live in spiritually dead hearts. Think about what is going on here as Paul writes these words. Paul was preaching the gospel. In Acts 24:5 this was the accusation:

We have found this man a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.

He was arrested and no one knew what to do with him.

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He languished in prison for several years till Festus came. Paul appeared before him and a few days later before Agrippa. Here is Festus’ summary to Agrippa of why Paul was in prison. Acts 25:19:

The Jews had certain points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive.

Paul was in prison because he asserted Jesus had been dead but was now alive. They had no idea what to do with him so they shipped him to Rome. And there Paul sat – imprisoned for saying Jesus was alive. The Jews wanted him kept there and no one knew what to do with him. Let me summarise this. Paul is an itinerant Jew – who believes a Palestinian carpenter who was executed as a criminal has risen from the dead. He had enraged his own leaders so much they had imprisoned him. Now he sat in a Roman prison awaiting judgment. Humanly speaking he was a laughing stock – a deluded fool. Who would listen to a prisoner, hated by his own people – who speaks of a Jewish carpenter who is King and can save men from their sins. I mean he can’t even save Paul from prison. Agrippa has power – Jesus seems to have none. Humanly speaking no one would ever listen – they would snigger at him and turn him into an object of ridicule. But Paul knows that:

More things are wrought by prayer Than this world dreams of.

So listen to Philippians. Paul is still in his Roman prison but Philippians 1:12–14:

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

And Philippians 4:22:

All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household. Prisoners, guards, officials in Caesar’s household had all come to Christ.

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You simply cannot explain this in human terms. Jesus died – His disciples were scattered and terrified. Yet the gospel went forth and turned the known world upside down. This is the power of God. And the power of God to open blinded eyes to the truth of the gospel is loosed by prayer. Salvation is a miracle. There is no one beyond the grasp of the gospel. No heart is too hard. But the power is accessed by prayer – and in this way God gets the glory. Paul knows this. That is why he begs the saints to pray – to open doors for the gospel – so he can declare the mystery of Christ clearly when he speaks. Charles Spurgeon put it this way:

What can we do without your prayers? They link us with the omnipotence of God. Like the lightning rod, they pierce the clouds and bring down the mighty and mysterious power from on high … The Lord give me a dozen importunate pleaders and lovers of souls, and by his grace we will shake all London from end-to-end.4

Brothers and sisters if we want to see our relatives, our friends, our city shaken – we need to pray. We plan on planting a church next year. We need to pray. Not a few brief prayers – we need to continue steadfastly in prayer. Prayer links us to the power of God to open hardened hearts to the truth. Almost every missionary book I own has many chapters of prayer. Those at the coalface of missions know the power of prayer. Here is one example from D. Edmond Hiebert’s book, Working With God Through Intercessory Prayer:

Isobel Kuhn relates that during their itinerant work in west China, the missionaries came to a place called Three Clans, where a Christian church was located. They soon discovered that the church was in danger of being split because of some trouble over some property disputes between the three clans which constituted the village. One side would refuse to meet the missionary while the other side was present, and each hoped that the missionary would decide the matter in its favour.

4 Cited in Arturo G. Azurdia III, Spirit Empowered Preaching (Ross-Shire: Mentor, 1998), pp. 166.

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Efforts to settle the dispute proved fruitless. The matter was taken before the heathen official for settlement, but with tragic results for all concerned. Realising the seriousness of the situation, the missionaries decided to stay on for three months to conduct a Bible school and also sent an urgent request to their supporters in America to pray for the work at Three Clans. At the end of three months of Bible school, there seemed to be an epidemic of quarrels and fleshly manifestations that seemed to betoken that the study had produced no results. But during the last two days of the missionaries’ stay there, without any explanation that the missionaries could detect, a sudden and astonishing change took place. The atmosphere of the village was softening. At the closing night service a remarkable change came over the group. Men who had not spoken to each other for a long time stood up, confessed their sins and shook hands. Long-time enemies were reconciled, and the church was reunited in the Spirit of Christ. That night, after the missionaries had returned to their shanty, Mrs Kuhn said to her husband, “John, I’m going to note this date down and see - I’m sure someone in the homeland has been specially praying for us." Two months passed. Then one day there arrived a letter from a prayer warrior in a small town in North America. This woman wrote that on that day she had been so burdened for the work at Three Clans that she could not do her housework. Finally, she decided to call another lady who said that she felt the same way. Together they decided to call a third lady and all went to prayer, each in her own kitchen. They spent the morning in intercession for those quarrelling tribes at Three Clans. The letter closed by saying, “We feel that God has answered. You will know.” When Mrs Kuhn consulted her diary for the date mentioned in the letter, she found that it was during the same twenty-four hours in which the remarkable change had come over the church in Three Clans.5

I have relatives I would dearly love to see in Christ. I have neighbours, workmates, friends I long to see know Christ. You do as well. To them the gospel is foolishness. This passage reminded me – I don’t pray enough. I don’t beg God to open their eyes – to make the truth of Christ live in their hearts.

5 D. Edmond Hiebert, Working With God Through Intercessory Prayer, (Greenville: Bob Jones University Press, 1991), pp. 15-16.

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Every person here has someone – a child, a relative, a friend, a neighbour – heading to a Christless eternity. Only one thing can save them – Christ. But they have to know who Christ is – know what His Cross is – trust His death paid for their sins. This requires a miracle. But praise the Lord – He is in the miracle business. And it is not just our prayers that God uses. It is our transformed lives. Colossians 4:5–6:

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders. While grasping the gospel is probably the biggest obstacle to the salvation of the lost – probably number two is us. We are not perfect – but often we are far less than we should be. Often we are hypocrites. We can be unloving, greedy, ungracious. You know I work with a Christian surgeon. We have shared the gospel with some of the operating theatre staff – they know we are Christians But from time to time we have a ‘Christian’ patient in theatre who acts anything but Christian. Complaining, treating the staff so poorly, ungracious speech – and I am silently praying – don’t say you are a Christian – don’t say it. And then out it comes – you know Doctor – I’m a Christian too. And I feel like crying. If you say you are a Christian – the world – outsiders are watching. Are you different? Does this gospel change you or are you just like them? I tell you – one burst of anger – one ungracious remark can undo a year of witness. Walk wisely before them. Live your faith. A holy life. A godly marriage and family. Eternal priorities. Show them Jesus. The next phrase – make the best use of the time – is probably best translated – make the most of every opportunity. We keep putting off sharing the gospel thinking we will have many opportunities. We don’t. People move away. Friendships change. Jobs change. People die. We die.

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We need to look for opportunities, we need to make opportunities – we just need to share Christ. When Paul was speaking to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:18–20 he said this:

You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, … how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house.

And in verses 26–27:

Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.

In Romans 1:16 he cried:

I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

In 1 Corinthians 9:16 he could say:

Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! That is making the most of every opportunity.

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

When you do share the gospel – do it graciously. I have heard some Christians speak as if the person they are talking to is clearly a fool or a filthy wretch. If they are ungracious – let us be gracious. Jesus treated prostitutes and lepers and sinners with incredible gentleness and grace. He was harsh only to the Pharisees and those who were proud of their own righteousness. Seasoned with salt. Winsome. Clear answers for each person. When you are asked – tell them – don’t be ashamed of the gospel – it is the power of God for salvation – speak the truth in love. Know the gospel. Come to Sunday School and learn how to share and what to say. If you don’t know – tell them you will get back to them – but keep pointing to Christ. This is the gospel in action.

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There is a description from antiquity of what the Apostle Paul looks like – we have no idea if it is genuine or not. But I tend to imagine him in prison – as being either bald or if he has any hair – grey. He is the Apostle to the Gentiles. He has planted churches and overseen the planting of churches. He has seen the power of the gospel. His heart is warmed. And then word comes. Yet another church in trouble. Colossae is heading into mysticism, asceticism and ungodliness. He is concerned for the church, the families in the church – but also for their witness in the community. Those who are meant to be salt and light have lost their saltiness and hidden their light under a bushel. Those who are meant to show the holiness of Christ look too much like the world. Those who are meant to tell the world about the grace of Christ speak with barbed words and often it fails to point to Christ. And I am sure Paul’s heart sank – a few more grey hairs. And then I am certain he went to his knees and prayed – persistently passionately. Because ultimately it takes the power of God to change lives – ours and outsiders. Brothers and sisters – God has provided the power for us to have it all – holiness, joy, a great marriage, the gospel changing lives around us. And even if there are trials – to live with joy and peace amid the trials. If you are struggling – Pray Until Something Happens. If you need power – Pray Until Something Happens. If the lost aren’t listening – Pray Until Something Happens. If you are struggling to see souls saved – pray – but also look at how you live, look at how you share, look at how you portray Christ in words and deed. We can live victoriously. We can be holy. We can have great lives in Christ. We can see souls saved. Not by us – but by the power of God in Christ. This indeed is wisdom to live on.