Complete in Christ

Strengthen Your Heart

by

John MacArthur
All Rights Reserved (A copy of this message on cassette tape may be obtained by calling 1- !!-""-#RA$%&

$olossians '(1-' ,ntroduction

)ape #$ '1*+

A- )he .rimary /uality for an %ffective Minister( 0iscussed People might argue over the primary prerequisite for an effective minister of Jesus Christ. And they might debate about what one quality would make a pastor the true shepherd of the sheep. The following qualities have all been suggested as the one most important ingredient: intelligence knowledge of the !ord of "od theological education practical e#perience leadership ability boldness holiness purity preaching power sympathy or a combination of any or all of these. $ow % grant you that all of those qualities are important. They all fit into the overall makeup of an effective minister of "od. &ut none of them stands out as the most basic essential necessary ingredient in the life of any minister. 1- )he .rimary /uality for an %ffective Minister( 0etermined % think the most basic the most essential the most necessary ingredient in the life of any minister is his love for the church. That is the catalyst that will motivate him in every other dimension. '. (%)P*A+,( &+ J,)-) %n ,phesians .:/. it says: 01usbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave 1imself for it.0 %t was Christ2s love for the church that prompted 1im to give 1imself for it. All of those other ingredients % 3ust mentioned that come into play when a man gives himself for the church are predicated on the fact that he loves the church. Jesus loved the church and gave 1imself for it. 1e didn2t particularly love the institution or the organi4ation or the structure 1e loved the people that make up the church. 1e was willing and able to die for them. /. (%)P*A+,( &+ PA-* Paul loved the church55not an institution denomination or organi4ation. %t was the people that he loved and gave his life for. There are many scriptures that speak of this: a. .aul2s Manifestation of 3ove '6 / Corinthians 7:/55The Apostle Paul2s love for the church is manifested when he says to the Corinthians 0+e are our epistle written in our hearts....0 They were inscribed on Paul2s heart. 1e cared deeply for them.

/6 / Corinthians 8:''55Paul says 09 ye Corinthians our speech to you is candid our heart is wide open.0 1e loved them didn2t he: 76 / Corinthians '/:'.55Paul makes a very melancholy statement: 0And % will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly % love you the less % be loved.0 0%2ll die for you 0 he says 0even though the more % love you the less you love me.0 Paul loved the church so much that in the pursuit of its maturity he gave his life. %n fact he suffered pain throughout his ministry until finally he was e#ecuted. <6 Philippians ':=55Paul2s love for the church is seen in many of his ,pistles. >or e#ample when he wrote to the Philippians he told them 0...% have you in my heart....0 .6 Colossians ':/<5/.a55!hen Paul wrote to the Colossians he said 0...?%@ now re3oice in my sufferings for you and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for 1is body2s sake which is the church of which % am made a minister....0 Paul2s entire ministry was a love affair with the church55the people the believing community. b. .aul2s Motivation for 3ove The reason Paul loved the church with such intensity and devotion came from the deep love that he had for the *ord. And if you love the *ord you love whom the *ord loves. %t wasn2t Paul2s church it was Christ2s church. And because Paul loved Christ so much he loved what Christ loved and was willing to give his life for what Christ gave 1is life for. %t was that motivation that made him purify his life preach with power act with sympathy and apply his mind to the things of "od. All of those things were simply by5 products of his deep5down love for Christ and the church. And let me 3ust say to you Christian you will never serve "od on the behalf of "od2s people with any kind of motivation other than an outright and total love for the church. %t2s absolutely necessaryA %n ' Corinthians <:''5'7 Paul says 0,ven unto this present hour we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted ?lit. Bpunched in the mouth2@ and have no certain dwelling place; and labor working with our own hands. &eing reviled we bless; being persecuted we endure it; being defamed we entreat; we are made as the filth of the world and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.0 That2s what Paul went through for the church. +ou say 0!hy did he keep it up:0 Cerse '< tells us why: 0% write not these things to shame you but as my beloved sons % warn you.0 %n other words 0% do these things because you2re beloved to me.0 +ou see that2s the difference between the professional and the passionate. That2s the difference between the one who cranks out his duties and fulfills them on a professional level and the one who has a passion for the church. $ow % believe that more than any other quality the man of "od must have a love for the church. Above anything else in my own life % pray that "od would give me the kind of love for the church that would make me sacrifice my life for its sake. That is the quality that made Paul different. The thing that made him head and shoulders above any man that ever lived since the $ew Testament era apart from Jesus Christ was his tremendous quality of love for the church and the marvelous gifts that were given to him by the )pirit of "od. Revie4

As we come to chapter / of Colossians it2s important to remember that Paul saw the Colossian assembly Dand the assemblies located in the sister cities of 1ierapolis and *aodicea6 under attack by the false doctrine of false teachers. They were under attack from legali4ers philosophi4ers and ascetics55inundated with all kinds of heresy. Paul had a tremendous love for these people even though he had never met them. ,paphras who founded and pastored this church went to Eome where Paul was a prisoner for three years. !hen he told Paul about the heresy that was being taught it created such anguish in his heart that he sat down and wrote the ,pistle to the Colossians. %n Colossians /:' Paul says 0>or % would that ye knew what great conflict % have for you and for them at *aodicea and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.0 0% wish you knew 0 he says 0how much % ache for you.0 )o in the initial part of chapter / he pours out his love which winds up being the e#pression of the deepest desires that he has for the church. *ook at what he says in verses /5=: 1is desire is 0that their hearts might be comforted being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgement of the mystery of "od and of the >ather and of Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And this % say lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. >or though % am absent in the flesh yet am % with you in the spirit 3oying and beholding your order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the *ord so walk ye in 1im rooted and built up in 1im and established in the faith as ye have been taught abounding with thanksgiving0 Dvv. /5=6. $ow in those simple verses Dvv. /5=6 are five things that Paul desires for the church. They come pouring out of his love for people he2s never even seen. &ut that didn2t matter because his love for the church was not predicated on the people in it it was predicated on the Christ who died for it. +ou see: %t was not a discriminating love. %t was not a love that was isolated to the ones whose personalities he liked or even the ones he knew. 1e loved the whole church equally because he loved Christ. And as he pours out his love in verses /5= Paul reveals five desires that he has for the church. &efore we look at these five desires that Paul has for the church we need to back up to verse ' to get a running start and to look at... ,- .A532S A#67Y 86R )H% $H5R$H Dv. '6 0>or % would that ye knew what great conflict % have for you and for them at *aodicea and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh0 The word 0conflict0 comes from the same "reek word that is translated 0striving0 in ':/F. %t is the "reek word agon from which we get the word agony. %t2s a word that was especially related to the athletic endeavor of somebody who was agoni4ing straining and striving to win. Paul says 0+ou don2t know the anguish and the pain that % endure for you.0 This word has ultimate meaning for an athlete because no one but an athlete understands what it means to e#perience the pain that is necessary to achieve a goal. %2ve e#perienced that type of pain. % can remember playing in a football game for si#ty minutes with a separated shoulder. % had such a desire to win that % wouldn2t acknowledge my in3ury to anybody. %nstead % 3ust continued to bite the bullet and endure the pain. !ell that2s the kind of pain that Paul was e#periencing when he referred to the 0great conflict0 that he had for the Colossian church.

Paul wasn2t alone in the agony he e#perienced over the Colossian church. ,paphras the pastor of the church in Colosse who came and reported to Paul was going through the same thing. %n <:'/5'7 Paul says 0,paphras who is one of you a servant of Christ greeteth you always laboring fervently for you in prayers that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of "od. >or % bear him witness that he hath a great 4eal for you....0 1e had the same spirit the same attitude55another man with an aching heart for the spiritual life of the people of "od. $ow remember Paul2s emotion is not simple personal love or 3ust a concern about some people that he likes a lot. 1e has this agony over people that he2s never even metA !hy: &ecause he loves the church...the church anywhere. "od help us to have that kind of love. %nstead of bickering being proud and re3oicing in the failure of other believers we ought to have the same agony in our own hearts and souls over those believers who do not fare as well as "od would have them. 0% wish you could understand what % feel for you0 Paul says. 1e longed that they would grow and mature as any of the congregations he himself had ministered to. %n fact % think this idea of being able to love a church that you don2t even know sets a pattern for all those who minister. Paul2s passion for the people that were near him didn2t diminish he simply loved all equally. 9ut of Paul2s love for the Colossian church came five deep desires that he had for them. *et2s look at... ,,- .A532S 15R0%7 86R )H% $H5R$H Dvv. /5=6 The first desire that Paul had for the church was that they be... A- Strong ,n Heart Dv. /a6 0That their hearts might be comforted ?or Bstrengthened2@...0 Paul says 0,ven though you have not seen my face in the flesh % have a great agony for you. % don2t want you to fall into false doctrine. % don2t want you to get sucked into error. % want you to be strong in heart.0 '. 0T1AT T1,%E 1,AET)...0 a. )he Symbolism of Your Heart and 1o4els !hen the &ible refers to the heart what does it mean: %n the ,nglish language the heart is the symbol of emotion. !e use e#pressions like 0Gy heart cries for you 0 or 0% love you with all my heart.0 To the 1ebrew however this was not the case. %n )cripture the 1ebrews basically referred to two organs of the body: the bowels and the heart. *et2s look at their symbolism: '6 The &owels There are many references in the &ible to the bowels. They have been fairly well erased in the later translations but the pure translation of the 1ebrew indicates that that is the word. %t is used in the &ible to speak of the womb the stomach the intestines and of several other abdominal organs. %n other words it is a general term for the gut if you will. )o when a 1ebrew said 0% feel it in my bowels 0 he was really saying 0% feel it in my gut.0 +ou say 0!hat does that mean:0 !ell the 1ebrews did not know anything

about speculative thinking or of interpreting things in abstractions. ,verything to them was a concrete e#periential physical reality. *et me show you some e#amples of this: a6 Psalm //:'<551ere2s a prophetic description of Jesus on the cross. $otice how the psalmist e#presses what Jesus feels: 0% am poured out like water and all my bones are out of 3oint: my heart is like wa#; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.0 %n other words he2s saying 0Gy whole abdominal area is in upheaval. % feel it in Gy gut. Gy stomach is in knots.0 This is a very e#periential concept. %t2s not abstract at all. A 1ebrew would never say 0% sense a certain an#iety 0 because an#iety is an abstraction. %nstead they would say what they felt. b6 )ong of )olomon .:<55The bride is waiting for the bridegroom to come to her and consummate the marriage and she says 0Gy beloved put his hand to the latch of the door and my bowels were moved for him.0 The term bowels here refers to the arousal of se#ual desire in the human body. ,ven feeling in the genital area was e#pressed by the 1ebrews in that terminology. They didn2t say 0% began to sense great overwhelming passion.0 That2s an abstraction. The 1ebrew defined it in its lowest level of e#periential feeling. c6 *amentations /:''55The prophet Jeremiah was a patriot. &ut he wasn2t a blind patriot. 1e loved his country only when his country loved "od. Jeremiah saw his country falling apart. )o in response to what he saw happening around him he says in *amentations /:'' 0Gine eyes do fail with tears my bowels are troubled....0 %n other words 0% feel it in my gut. % have pain in my stomach. %t2s all in knots.0 $ow you2ve e#perienced that haven2t you: Jeremiah is having psychosomatic responses in his body to an#iety in his mind. )o the 1ebrews e#pressed their emotions in terms of the psychosomatic symptoms not in terms of the abstraction. ,motions particularly in the 9ld Testament are not communicated as abstractions they are communicated at the lowest level of e#perience. )o when the term bowels is used in )cripture it has reference to emotional responses. To the 1ebrew mind then the heart is not the seat of emotion the stomach is...the bowels. d6 ' John 7:'=55 0&ut whosoever hath this world2s good and seeth his brother have need and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him how dwelleth the love of "od in him:0 John is simply e#pressing what would be obvious to a 1ebrew. 1e is saying 0*ook when you see somebody with a need it ought to cause a gut feeling in you. %t ought to stir you up and cause you to feel real an#iety in your stomach.0 $ow notice that in every one of those passages the bowels are always responding. They responded to pain in Psalm //:'< se# in )ong of )olomon .:<. disaster in *amentations /:'' and human need in ' John 7:'=. )o in the 1ebrew mind the bowels always refer to that which responds55the emotion. +ou say 0!hat did the bowels respond to:0 %n the 1ebrew mind the bowels always responded to the second organ that they discussed: /6 The 1eart *et me show you what the heart is symbolic of in )cripture: a6 Eevelation /:/755%n the middle of the verse Jesus says 0...% am 1e who searcheth the minds and hearts....0 This verse is obviously referring to 3udgment because 3ust prior to this statement the *ord talks about the fact that 1e2s going to cast this sinful church into great tribulation and kill her children with death if they don2t repent. Then 1e says 0...%

am 1e who searcheth the minds and hearts....0 !hat is the heart then: >rom this passage we see that the heart is the place of responsibility. b6 Jeremiah '=:F550The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked....0 %n other words it is the seat of responsibility. %t is that which "od is going to 3udge. %t is that which is righteous or wicked. c6 ,4ekiel 78:/855!hen "od redeems %srael 1e will take away their stony heart and give them a new heart of flesh. The heart is the seat of responsibility55that which is 3udged. d6 Eevelation 'H:=551ere the Apostle John is talking about &abylon the great and the destruction of this final world system in the Tribulation: 01ow much she hath glorified herself and lived lu#uriously so much torment and sorrow give her; for she saith in her heart % sit a queen and am no widow and shall see no sorrow.0 $otice that the phrase 0she saith in her heart0 is a metaphor for thinking. %n other words she thought in her mind. !hat then does the heart picture: $ot the emotions55the mind. And the mind is made up of two things: the intellect and the will. That2s what the heart is in biblical terminology. e6 Psalm '<:'55%n ancient times you don2t find people referring to the brain. >or e#ample Psalm '<:' says 0The fool hath said in his heart There is no "od....0 %t doesn2t say 0The fool hath said in his brain 0 does it: !hy: &ecause the heart was the seat of thought. The heart then represents the pace5setting mind and the bowels represent the responding emotions. +ou say 01ow did they ever come up with this concept:0 !ell it2s easy to see why they connected the bowels to the emotions. !hen they got emotional they began to have upset stomachs colitis and all the other symptoms that we still get today. +ou say 0&ut why did they connect the heart and the brain:0 !ell they probably noticed their heart throbbing and pulsing when their brain was hard at work. 0Eeal serious thinking 0 said a 1ebrew 0can be felt in the beat of the heart.0 )o the heart thinks and the bowels respond with emotion. b. )he Secret of $ontrolling Your %motions $ow remember in the mind of a 1ebrew and in the revelation of "od emotions never initiate55they always respond. The heart thinks and the emotions respond. That is the divine pattern. !hen somebody comes to me and says 0% can2t control my emotions 0 % tell them that their problem is not an emotional one it2s a mental one. The emotions are only responders to the initiation of the mind. The key to controlling your emotions is to fill your mind with divine truth. That2s the key. +ou see the emotions respond to what the mind perceives as true55even if it isn2t trueA 1ave you ever awakened with a 3olt after dreaming that you were falling off a forty5story building: !ell you weren2t actually falling but your mind perceived it as true and your emotions responded to it. (o you know what that teaches me about emotions: (on2t ever trust themA The only way to control your emotions is to make sure that your mind is filled with divine truth. ,motions are like bad little children55they2ll run amuck if you don2t control them. +ou say 01ow can % control my emotions:0 +ou can control them indirectly by controlling your mind. *ook at / Corinthians 8:''. Paul says 09 ye Corinthians our

speech to you is candid our heart is wide open.0 %n other words 0$ow listen Corinthians. Gy speech to you is straightforward and candid. %2m not pulling any punches. And my mind is wide open. % have all kinds of truth to tell you.0 Then in verse '/ he says 09n our part there is no constraint but there is constraint in your affections.0 The literal "reek says 0+ou are tightened in your bowels.0 %n other words Paul says 0% would certainly like to impart truth from my mind to your mind but you are all tightened up emotionally.0 The Corinthians had put up an emotional barrier against Paul in such a way that they couldn2t receive truth from him. !hen emotions get ahead of the mind you2re going to have a lot of problems. The Corinthians couldn2t even receive the truth from Paul because their emotions were in the way. %f a person comes to "race church who has something personal against me he won2t learn anything will he: !hy: &ecause he2s put his emotions in front of the truth. 9nce the emotions stop being the responders they start running the show. !ell the Corinthians were putting their emotions first and wouldn2t accept the truths Paul had for them. They were so emotionally upset with him that they couldn2t perceive truth. !hen people start putting emotions first they really get into problems. ,motions should always respond to the truth. c. )he Success of #uarding Your )houghts The key to behavior and the key to the control of emotion is the heart...the mind. !e need to plant the truth of "od in our minds so that it will control our emotional responses. >or e#ample: '6 Proverbs <:/7550Ieep ?or Bguard2@ thy heart ?or Bmind2@ with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.0 %f you want to control life guard your mind and don2t let anybody short5circuit it. /6 Proverbs //:.550Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; he that doth keep ?or Bguard2@ his soul shall be far from them.0 The same basic 1ebrew terminology is used here as in the guarding of the mind. 76 Proverbs /7:'F5501ear thou my son and be wise and guide thine heart in the way.0 "uide your heart55guard it and guide it55that it might hear and perceive the truth. Then your emotions will be able to respond to the truth. <6 (euteronomy <:F5509nly take heed to thyself and keep thy soul diligently lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen and lest they depart from thy heart....0 (on2t forget the truth. "uard your heart. .6 Psalm '7F:/75/<550)earch me 9 "od and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.0 "uard and guide the heart55the mind. 86 Gatthew '/:7.55Jesus said 0A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things....0 All the goodness will come out of the mind because the mind guides the pattern of behavior. =6 Gatthew '.:'F550>or out of the heart proceed evil thoughts murders adulteries fornications thefts false witness blasphemies.0 )o not only do all good things come out of the thinking process all bad things come out of the thinking process as well. )o the &ible tells us to guard our thinking process.

$ow let2s go back to Colossians /. )tarting in verse ' Paul says 0>or % would that ye knew what great conflict % have for you and for them at *aodicea and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh that their hearts might be comforted ?or Bstrengthened2@...0 Dvv. '5/a6. *et2s look now at the phrase... /. 0...G%"1T &, C9G>9ET,( ?)TE,$"T1,$,(@...0 a. )he Significance of a Strong Mind Paul says 0The number one thing % want out of you is to be strong in heart.0 +ou say 0Gy &ible has the word comforted.0 !ell in the "reek the word is parakaleo. This word which is used repeatedly in the $ew Testament always contains the idea of strengthening. %n ,phesians 8:// it says 0...that 1e might comfort ?or Bstrengthen2@ your hearts.0 )econd Thessalonians /:'= says 0Comfort ?or Bstrengthen2@ your hearts....0 The word parakaleo always carries with it the idea of comfort courage and strength. %n fact if we look backwards into its etymology we can find places where parakaleo specifically means 0strength.0 To have a strong heart then is to have a firm mind55a mind that has courage conviction and principle. )o Paul is saying 0% don2t want you people to fall prey to the false teaching of the errorists. % don2t want you to fall to these people who are teaching you lies. % want you to be strong in your mind. % want you to hold the truth.0 +ou say 0&ut how do you get a strong mind:0 *et me show you: b. )he Source of a Strong Mind ,phesians 7:'8 tells us the source of a strong mind. Paul prays to the >ather and asks that 1e would grant us 0according to the riches of 1is glory to be strengthened with might by 1is )pirit in the inner man.0 !ho is the strengthener of the heart: The 1oly )pirit. !e live in a world filled with people who don2t have strong convictions. And not only do people not know the truth they don2t want to learn it pursue it or mine it. )o Paul says to the Colossians 0% want you to be strong courageous comforted encouraged and strengthened.0 All of that is contained in the word parakaleo. And the 1oly )pirit is the one who can do it. c. )he Steps to a Strong Mind +ou say 01ow does one get a strong mind John:0 !ell % believe as you yield to the power and control of the )pirit of "od on a day5to5day moment5by5moment basis the )pirit of "od will strengthen your inner man. The )pirit of "od by the revelation of "od will feed and strengthen your mind. '6 The %llustration Paul is a perfect illustration of someone who began to be strengthened immediately after he was converted. %n Acts F:// it says that 0)aul increased the more in strength.0 1e became stronger and stronger55not because he was lifting weights and eating a lot of food it was because he was being equipped by the )pirit of "od. %n fact he became so strong in his heart so solid in his confidence so unflinching in his ministry that in Acts /J://5/<a he said 0And now behold % go bound in the )pirit unto Jerusalem not knowing the things that shall befall me there e#cept that the 1oly )pirit witnesseth in every city saying that bonds and afflictions await me. &ut none of these things move me....0 Paul was strong in his heart wasn2t he: 1e had convictions about "od and 1is

will for his life. 1e had convictions about the acts of obedience "od was asking of him and he was strong enough to carry them out. Paul had tremendous strength and courage. %n / Corinthians <:H5'J Paul said 0!e are troubled on every side yet not distressed; we are perple#ed but not in despair; persecuted but not forsaken; cast down but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the *ord Jesus that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.0 1ow was Paul able to do this: &ecause he was strong. +ou say 01ow did he get strong:0 As Paul walked in the )pirit the )pirit poured 1is divine strength into him. /6 The %dentification The word parakaleo means 0to strengthen.0 %t is the very same word that is used in John '< '. and '8 as the name of the 1oly )pirit. %n these chapters the 1oly )pirit is called the Paraclete but those particular verses could also be translated the following way according to the meaning of the word parakletos Dthe noun form of parakaleo6: John '<:'8 could be translated 0And % will pray the >ather and 1e shall give you another ?)trengthener@ that 1e may abide with you forever.0 John '<:/8 could read 0&ut the ?)trengthener@ who is the 1oly )pirit whom the >ather will send in Gy name 1e will teach you all things....0 John '.:/8 could be translated 0&ut when the ?)trengthener@ is come whom % send unto you from the >ather even the )pirit of truth....0 And John '8:= could read 0...if % go not away the ?)trengthener@ will not come unto you....0 )o if you2re going to be strong in heart you have to be strengthened by the )trengthener55the 1oly )pirit. A weak Christian is one who walks in the flesh all the time but a strong Christian is one who walks in the )pirit. !alking in the )pirit is like spiritual weight lifting. %t will cause you to become stronger in your mind in your convictions and in the things you know and believe about "od. 76 The %nstruments % want to go a step further. Although the 1oly )pirit is the )trengthener 1e uses human instruments. 1e uses people like me to strengthen you and people like you to strengthen each other. Acts 'H:/7 says of Paul 0And after he had spent some time there he departed and went over all the country of "alatia and Phrygia in order strengthening all the disciples.0 Paul went to those places poured divine truth into their minds and strengthened them. "od uses human instruments empowered by 1is )pirit to strengthen. People don2t get strong by e#ercising their emotions. !hen Paul said that he wanted the Colossians2 hearts to be strengthened he wasn2t referring to their emotions. !hat he was saying was 0% want you to have the input of the )pirit of "od and the truth of "od in your mind.0 The 1oly )pirit is the )trengthener and 1e uses human instruments such as Paul you and me. &ut remember we ourselves must be strong to be able to pass along the truth of "od. Truth: The (riving >orce 1ave you ever seen one of those little toys powered by a flywheel: +ou know the ones % mean. +ou give it a little push and it 4ooms across the floor. !ell emotions are like a flywheel and truth is like the hand that gives the push. 9nce truth gives the initial impetus and drive then the emotions can take over. +ou can2t do it the other way around however. +ou can2t 3ust sit there and say 0"o little toy.0 +ou have to push it first. %n the same way your emotions can only respond. &ut when the truth of "od is

poured into your mind and you understand and act on it that truth will then spin the flywheel of your emotions. Paul2s prayer for all of us is that we have strong hearts. !hy: &ecause strong hearts will prevent us from being sucked into false doctrine emotionalism and disobedience. Paul gives us the results of a strong heart in ,phesians 7:'=5/'. This is what he prayed: 0That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that ye might be filled with all the fullness of "od. $ow unto 1im who is able to do e#ceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us unto 1im be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages world without end. Amen.0 Those are tremendous results from a strong heart aren2t they: )o Paul says to the Colossians 0&ecause % love you and care about you the first thing % want to see in your life is that you be strong in heart.0 %n our ne#t lesson we2ll see four more desires that he has for the church. 8ocusing on the 8acts '. !hat are some of the qualities that people feel are essential for a minister to be effective: !hat is the primary quality for an effective minister: !hy: /. According to ,phesians .:/. what motivated Christ to die for the church: (id Paul have this same perspective: )upport your answer. 7. !hy did Paul love the church with such intensity and devotion: <. Eead ' Corinthians <:''5'<. !hy did Paul endure such things for the sake of the church: .. !hat prompted Paul to write the ,pistle of Colossians: 8. 1ow would you define the 0great conflict0 DCol. /:'6 that Paul had for the Colossians: =. !hy would the concern that Paul had for the Colossians be considered unbiased: H. According to Colossians /:/ the first desire e#pressed by Paul for the Colossian church is that they be KKKKKK KK KKKKK. F. %n )cripture the 1ebrews basically referred symbolically to what two organs of the body: 'J. %n 1ebrew thought what does the use of the term bowels usually refer to: !hy: ''.The following verses use the term bowels: Psalm //:'<; )ong of )olomon .:<; *amentations /:''; ' John 7:'=. Gatch these verses with one of the following emotional responses: pain human need se# disaster. '/. !hat is the heart symbolic of in the ,nglish language: !hat is it symbolic of in )cripture: !hy: '7. %n biblical terms the KKKKK DheartLbowels6 respondDs6 to the KKKKK DheartLbowels6.

'<. !hy did the Jews make a connection between the bowels and emotion: &etween the heart and mind: '.. !hat is the key to controlling one2s emotions: !hy: '8. !hat is the ma3or problem that is caused when emotions control the mind: '=. !hat is meant by guarding one2s mind: !hy is this so important: 'H. The word 0comforted0 D"k. parakaleo6 in Colossians /:/ can also be translated KKKKKKKKKKKK. 'F. !hy would Paul be especially concerned about the strength of the Colossians2 minds: /J. According to ,phesians 7:'8 who is the source of a strong mind: /'. !hat are the practical steps to a strong mind: //. A toy powered by a flywheel is used to illustrate the relationship between truth and emotion. The flywheel represents KKKKKKK and the hand that gives the push represents KKKKK. /7. !hat are the results of having a strong mindLheart: .ondering the .rinciples '. Paul loved the church with an intensity and devotion that came out of the deep love he had for the *ord. Paul loved those whom the *ord was willing to lay down 1is life for. (o you have problems loving those in the body of Christ: Eead ' John <:=5.:7. !rite down all the truths relating to love that you can find. !hat does John conclude if you don2t love your brother: !hat is the greatest e#ample of love: 1ow should this e#ample of love affect us: !here does our love for "od originate: !here does our love for one another originate: According to ' John .:/ our obedience to "od is directly connected to our love for 1im which is directly connected to our love for one another. Therefore if you have a problem loving other Christians your real problem is your relationship with "od. )pend a moment evaluating your love for "od by evaluating your commitment to obedience and your commitment to love others. /. ,motions and behavior are controlled by what fills the mind. !hat fills your mind the principles of the !ord or of the world: !hat are some practical ways that you can guard your mind 0with all diligence0 DProv. <:/76: Eead and meditate on the following verses: 0!herewithal shall a young man cleanse his way: &y taking heed thereto according to Thy word....Thy word have % hidden in mine heart that % might not sin against Thee0 DPs. ''F:F ''6; 0>inally brethren whatever things are true whatever things are honest whatever things are 3ust whatever things are pure whatever things are lovely whatever things are of good report; if there be any virtue and if there be any praise think on these things0 DPhil. <:H6.