A key reason Paul wrote Colossians was to encourage new followers of Jesus in the city of Collossae. His comments here provide a lot of insight into the meaning we can derive intentionally walking with God.

"We all have a picture of God, and when you get down to the core, what you believe about God (who He is) really matters" - Pat Barret

When Paul wrote to the Colossians, he addressed a culture that had a very limited view of who Jesus was. Some saw Him as one "god" among many. Others from a more Jewish background struggled to see Him as God at all. As a result, Paul penned a powerful portrait of Jesus that continues to challenge our (too small) ideas of Him today.

Colossians 1:12-1

We are currently in a series of sermons from the book of Colossians we're calling "The Immanuel Agenda: Life with God." Today we come to Paul's prayer for the people in the Colossian church. When we look closely at his prayer we see that it is based on what he knows to be true of walking with God and reflects his desire that the Collisions grow ever deeper in their experience of life with God.

After his initial greetings, Paul begins this letter with a prayer thanking God for how the Christians in Colossae were walking with Him (1:3-8). His description of of their Christian walk provides some helpful "footprints" to follow as we look for direction in our journey to experience life WITH God.

We kick off our new series, "WITH", by looking at Paul's description of those who will receive his letter.

Micah was a prophet in Judah during an especially turbulent time. God's people wavered between obedience and rebellion. Micah brought a message from God to His people during a time of rebellion that challenged whether God's children really knew their God or merely knew about Him. In response to God's questions, as to whether are rebelling against Him the children of Israel ask the question, "With what shall I come before the Lord?" Micah brings God's reply in Micah 6:8. This reply helps us see what is near and dear to the heart of God.

Today we conclude a series entitled "Summer Classes in the Kings' Court", in which we have explored the stories of Israel's lesser known kings, by looking at the reign of King Josiah.

Today we will look at the reign of King Hezekiah, whose good reign is summarized with the statement that he "trusted in the Lord" (2 Kings 18:5). There is a prayer of Hezekiah recorded in Isaiah 38 where he specifically praises God for His faithfulness (v. 19-20).