Whenever we pray, we never fail to thank God, the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, about you,

because we have heard about your faith in the Messiah Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints,

based on the hope laid up for you in heaven. Some time ago you heard about this hope through the word of truth, the gospel

that has come to you, just as also in all the world it is bearing fruit and increasing, just as also among you from the day you heard about and understood the grace of God in truth,

You learned about this gospel from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of the Messiah on your behalf.

He has told us about your love in the Spirit.

For this reason, since the day we heard about this, we have not stopped praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the full knowledge of God's will with respect to all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have about you, and those at Laodicea, and as many as have not seen my face in flesh.

[I do this] so that their hearts will be encouraged [while] being united in [mutual] love, [and] so that they will have the wealth of a fully assured understanding, in order to fully know about God's hidden secret, [which is] Christ.

Therefore as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk about in him,

Let no man therefore trouble your consciences about meat and drink: or for a piece of a holy day, as the holy day of the new moon, or of the Sabbath day:

Which are a shadow of things about to be; and the body of Christ.

Let no one who delights in humility and the worship of angels cheat you out of the prize by rejoicing about what he has seen. Such a person is puffed up for no reason by his carnal mind.

Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth,

In which you indeed at one time did walk about, when you lived in them:

Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Be persistent in prayer and wide awake about it when you give thanks.

At the same time keep on praying for me too, that God may open the door of opportunity for the message, so that I may tell the open secret about Christ, for the sake of which I am held a prisoner,

Walk about in wisdom toward the aliens, buying in the opportunity.

let your talk always have a saving salt of grace about it, and learn how to answer any question put to you.

My dearly loved Tychicus, a faithful minister and my fellow-servant in the Lord's work, will tell you all about me.

I sent him to you for this very purpose, that he might know the things about you, and that he might comfort your hearts,

And with him I send my dear, faithful brother Onesimus, who is one of your own number. They will tell you all about matters here.

Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. You have received instructions about him. If he comes to you, welcome him.

For I testify about him, that he has worked hard for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for those in Hierapolis.