1. In Colossians 4, the apostle Paul mentions several people who were with him in Rome, and who were well-known to the church members in Colossae.
2. One of the men mentioned by Paul is Epaphras (4:12; cf. 1:7).
3. Epaphras is also mentioned in Paul's epistle to Philemon, where Paul wrote in verse 23, "There salute thee Epaphras, my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus." Though a prisoner in Rome, Epaphras prayed for his brethren in Colossae.
4. Epaphras was a great man of prayer -- always labouring fervently in prayer (4:12). "Labouring fervently" means "striving."
5. "Epaphras holds the unique distinction among all the friends and coworkers of Paul of being the only one whom Paul explicitly commended for his intensive prayer ministry" (D. Edmond Hiebert).
6. Leonard Ravenhill said, "The self-sufficient do not pray, the self-satisfied will not pray, the self-righteous cannot pray. No man is greater than his prayer life."
7. H.A. Ironside said, "We need to pray as much as we need to breathe. Our souls will languish without it, and our testimony will be utterly fruitless if we neglect it."
8. Epaphras was the man who had founded the church at Colossae; and Paul says in Colossians 4:13 that "he hath a great zeal for you."
9. It is a great blessing to know someone with zeal for the things of God!
10. Guy King said, "It is good to come across a man with real enthusiasm -- be it for art, for music, for sport, for bird-watching, or what not; but how rarely we find it amongst us Christians for the Master's cause."
11. But this morning I am not going to preach about the zeal of Epaphras.
12. Rather, I want to preach about the prayers of Epaphras (4:12). He prayed specifically that the Christians in the Colossian church would "stand perfect and complete in all the will of God" (4:12).
13. Are you standing perfect and complete in all the will of God?
14. According to the Word of God we can stand in the perfect and complete will of God. Epaphras prayed for it and we should too!
15. Romans 12:2 says we can "prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
16. Ephesians 5:17 says, "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."

I. THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING IN THE WILL OF GOD

1. The will of God is the sphere of steadfastness, perfection, and completeness (4:12).
2. The will of God is the place of blessing for the child of God.
3. A new believer asked a preacher to describe the will of God, and the preacher said, "The will of God is the fortuitous conjunction of circumstances and impulses."
4. The young believer scratched his head and said, "Never mind."
5. The will of God is revealed to us by the Word of God, by the Holy Spirit, and by Divine Providence, i.e., God guides us by circumstances.
6. F.B. Meyer was crossing the Irish Channel one dark and starless night, and he stood on the deck by the captain and asked him, "How do you know Holyhead Harbor on so dark a night as this?" He said, "You see those three lights? Those three must line up behind each other as one, and when we see them so united we know the exact position of the harbor's mouth."
7. F.B. Meyer later said, "When we want to know God's will there are three things which always concur—the inward impulse, the Word of God, and the trend of circumstances! God in the heart, impelling you forward. God in His Book, corroborating whatever He says in the heart; and God in circumstances, which are always indicative of His will. Never start until these three things agree."
8. To know the will of God we must obey the Word of God.

II. THE IMPORTANCE OF STANDING FOR GOD (4:12)

1. The idea behind "standing" (Col. 4:12) is steadfastness. This steadfastness is sadly lacking today. Many Christians have been described as "floaters." You cannot depend on them.
2. You cannot build a strong church with "floaters."
3. Some Christians are up and down like a yoyo on a string. The Bible says to "stand."
4. First Corinthians 16:13 says, "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong."
5. Ephesians 6:11 says, "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (cf. Eph. 6:11-14).
6. Philippians 4:1 says, "Stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved."
7. Steadfastness means to stand against error. Some people in the church at Colossae were being led astray by the false teaching of the Gnostics.
8. Today many people are being led astray by the cults and other false teachers, so we need to stand against error. It is very sad to see Christians get mixed up in false teaching. The other day Oprah Winfrey announced that she would be joining TD Jakes, Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar and other big-name preachers for something called "MegaFest 2013."
9. On one of her television programs, Oprah announced, "There are many paths to what you call God." A lady in her audience stood up and said, "There is one way and only one way and that is through Jesus."
10. Oprah disagreed with the woman and insisted, "There couldn't possibly be just one way!"
11. T.D. Jakes denies the Trinity.
12. Osteen is a smooth-talking phony who preaches a "self-esteem" message. He's not sure who is going to heaven.
13. By the way, recently one of our young men spoke to a Pentecostal pastor and a Baptist deacon, and neither one could tell him how (or if) they got saved.
14. Creflo Dollar's name says it all -- he's all about money. Creflo has two Rolls-Royce cars; he flies in a $5 million private jet; (the church also owns a Learjet value at $1 million). He lives in a $1 million home, etc.
15. Jesus said, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head" (Matt. 8:20). But these religious racketeers live like movie stars.
16. Steadfastness also means resisting temptations to sin. Joseph was a man of strong character. When Potiphar's wife tried to seduce him, Joseph refused, and said to her, "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (Genesis 39).
17. Steadfastness also means persistence, and perseverance, and "stick-to-itiveness."

III. THE IMPORTANCE OF CHRISTIAN CHARACTER

1. Character has been defined as "strength of moral fiber."
2. The word "character" is not found in our Bible, but similar words are used, such as "integrity." Job 2:3 says, "And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause."
3. Job had character.
4. Proverbs 11:3 says, "The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them."
5. Proverbs 20:7 says, "The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him."
6. Over one hundred years ago, a man published this in a newspaper: "There is a great difference between character and reputation. Character is what a people are; reputation is what they are thought to be. Character is a people’s actual beliefs; reputation is what they are said to believe. Character is life at home; reputation is life in society. Character is a people’s actual worth; reputation is their public value. Character is solid and enduring; reputation may be temporary and fleeting. Character is always true; reputation may be false. A people may have a bad reputation and a good character, or a good reputation and a bad character" — Reed Smoot, Deseret Evening News, Salt Lake City, Utah, June 11, 1910.
7. In the New Testament epistles, there is a great emphasis on Christian character. I have noticed that some churches and some pastors and some Bible colleges emphasize soulwinning (and I believe in the importance of soulwinning), but they neglect to teach the importance of Christian character.
8. W.H. Griffith Thomas said, "If the inner life is right, soulwinning will be the natural and necessary outcome. As water finds its level, so our service, in quality, vitality and blessing, is never higher than the reality of our fellowship with God."
9. Epaphras prayed -- "that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God" (4:12). These are the elements of Christian character.
10. The word "perfect" in Scripture means, ?"mature,? ?fully developed, full grown, brought to its end, finished, wanting nothing."
11. "Perfection" in Scripture never means "sinless perfection." It means, "to reach an intended end." The intended end for Christians is to be like the Lord Jesus. Romans 8:29 says, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son."
12. This is what Jesus meant when He said in Matthew 5:48, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." This is our goal as Christians.
13. Hebrews 6:1 says, "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection."
14. The expression "babe in Christ" is found in I Corinthians 3:12 and Hebrews 5:13.
15. Hebrews 5:13 and 14 says, "For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."
16. Notice, babes in Christ do not have an appetite for the Word of God, and they lack discernment. Therefore, Hebrews 6:1 says, "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection."
17. Paul says in Colossians 4:12, "that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God."

CONCLUSION:

1. There is one Greek word translated, "labouring fervently" in Colossians 4:12. It is transliterated "agonize."
2. Epaphras agonized in prayer for his brethren in Colossae, and in Laodicea, and in Hierapolis. (4:12, 13).
3. Like Jacob, who wrestled with the Lord all night, Epaphras struggled and agonized in prayer.
4. Some one has rightly said, "That's really what we need today, more agonizing rather than organizing" (S. Lewis Johnson).
5. Let us pray like that (4:12).