Teaching summary
Pastors Leonard and Lori Rola teach that believers have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ and now stand in His presence, holy, blameless, and without fault. Christians are encouraged to continue believing this truth, stand firmly in it, and refuse to drift away from the assurance it provides. Because believers can approach God confidently, they do not need to live in worry, anxiety, or fear. Instead, they can bring every detail of their lives to Him through faith-filled prayer, thanksgiving, and confidence in His peace.
Bible verses referenced
Colossians 1:22- “In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable in his sight.”
Colossians 1:23- “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;”
Philippians 4:6- “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Philippians 4:7- “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Teaching notes
Table of Contents
- A Grateful Welcome from Pastors Leonard and Lori Rola
- Remembering Who You Really Are Before the Father
- Reconciled to God Through Jesus Christ
- Holy, Blameless, and Without Fault
- Continue to Believe and Stand Firm
- Do Not Drift Away from This Assurance
- Worry About Nothing
- Bringing Faith-Filled Requests Before God
- God’s Peace Through Jesus Christ
- Returning to the Truth When Worry Appears
- Thanksgiving, Support, and Closing Encouragement
A Grateful Welcome from Pastors Leonard and Lori Rola
Pastor Leonard opens the teaching by warmly welcoming everyone alongside his wife, Pastor Lori. He affectionately describes her as wonderful, beautiful, and amazing, and says that he feels like the luckiest man on the planet because he gets to spend every day with her.
He expresses his deep gratitude to God for the people in his life. After thanking the Father for the Son and the Holy Spirit, the first person for whom he gives thanks during his earthly walk is his wife. He then thanks God for his children, their spouses, and his grandchildren before moving outward to the rest of their family, including all those named Rola and Leseawn.
Pastor Leonard says that he is tremendously blessed. He and Pastor Lori also consider themselves blessed by the people who listen to and support their ministry.
Pastor Lori welcomes the saints and says that they are excited to share more good news. Together, they remind believers of their true identity: they are saints who are blameless, holy, and righteous before God.
Remembering Who You Really Are Before the Father
Before Pastor Lori shares the passage she selected from Philippians, Pastor Leonard returns to a portion of Scripture he taught several Sundays earlier. He encourages the listeners to go back and hear those messages because they explain who believers truly are before the Father.
Pastor Leonard says that he has been living in this passage from Colossians. Although it is not the only Scripture he reads each day, he deliberately reads it every day because he wants its truth to become deeply etched into his mind and soul. He wants it to become a stronghold in his thinking and remain firmly established there. He explains why this is necessary: believers continually encounter teaching and conversation that may attempt to tell them something different about their relationship with God. Because opposing messages can challenge their assurance, they need to remain rooted in what God says about them through the apostle Paul.
Colossians 1:22- “In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable in his sight.”
Colossians 1:23- “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister.”
Pastor Leonard presents these verses as a beautiful message given to believers through the apostle Paul by the Holy Spirit of God. The passage is not merely information to read once. It is a truth in which believers are meant to live.
Reconciled to God Through Jesus Christ
Pastor Leonard emphasizes that the Father has reconciled believers to Himself through Jesus Christ. This reconciliation is God’s work. A person does not have to work, strive, or toil to produce it. God the Father accomplished it through His Son.
Colossians 1:22- “In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable in his sight.”
Through Jesus Christ, God has made believers righteous and holy. This standing is the result of what the Father has done, rather than something believers earn through their own effort. Because the Father has reconciled believers to Himself through Jesus Christ, He has brought them into His very own presence. Pastor Leonard pauses over the wonder of this truth. Believers have not been left at a distance from God. Through Christ, they have been brought into His presence.
Holy, Blameless, and Without Fault
Pastor Leonard explains that because of the Father and what He has accomplished, believers now stand before Him holy, blameless, and without a single fault. This is their position in God’s presence.
Colossians 1:22- “In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable in his sight.”
Pastor Leonard stresses that believers cannot hear this truth too often. Pastor Lori agrees. They want people to hear continually that through Christ they are holy, blameless, righteous, and without fault before the Father. This message is central to the ministry of Pastors Leonard and Lori Rola. They are committed to reminding believers of what God has done for them and who they now are in His sight. Their assurance does not rest upon their performance but upon the Father’s completed work through Jesus Christ.
Continue to Believe and Stand Firm
Pastor Leonard then focuses on the instruction in the following verse. Believers must continue in the faith, firmly established in the truth of the gospel.
Colossians 1:23- “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;”
He explains that many people do not know this truth. Some have never heard it, while others have never been properly taught it. For that reason, believers need to continue believing the truth and stand firmly in it. What are they to stand firmly in? They are to stand firmly in the truth that God has made them holy, blameless, and without fault before Him through Jesus Christ. They are not to treat this as a temporary emotional experience. It is a truth they must continue to believe.
Pastor Leonard encourages the listeners to establish themselves in this assurance. They are to remain grounded and settled rather than allowing other teachings, accusations, or anxious thoughts to move them away from what Christ has accomplished.
Do Not Drift Away from This Assurance
Pastor Leonard warns believers not to drift away from their assurance. They are to live with the confidence that God has reconciled them to Himself through Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:22- “In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless and unreproveable in his sight.”
Colossians 1:23- “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister.”
Because of what Jesus has done, believers can stand in God’s presence holy, blameless, and without a single fault. Pastor Leonard calls this an assurance in which Christians are meant to live. The instruction to stand firm is important because it is possible to hear voices that attempt to pull a believer away from this confidence. The answer is to keep returning to what God has declared through the gospel and to remain established in that truth.
Worry About Nothing
Pastor Lori connects Pastor Leonard’s teaching from Colossians with a passage from Philippians that has become a dependable part of her own life. She explains that it is very easy for people to worry or become anxious, so she regularly returns to this instruction.
Philippians 4:6- “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Pastor Lori emphasizes the command to worry about nothing. Believers are not to be pulled in different directions or controlled by anxiety. Pastor Leonard connects this directly to standing firm in the assurance of what God has done. To worry about nothing is to refuse to waver from the believer’s secure position before the Father. When Christians believe the assurance presented in Colossians, they can stand before God without worry, anxiety, or fear.
Pastor Leonard and Pastor Lori observe that these passages work together like marriage partners. The assurance of being reconciled to God makes it possible to obey the instruction not to worry. Believers know who they are, where they stand, and how completely Christ has provided access to the Father.
Bringing Faith-Filled Requests Before God
Pastor Lori continues by explaining that believers should be saturated in prayer throughout each day. They can offer their requests before God in faith and with overflowing gratitude.
Philippians 4:6- “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Prayer from this position is not desperate begging. The believer does not have to approach God as though trying to convince Him to allow access or provide help. Instead, the believer remembers the assurance already described: through Jesus Christ, God has brought His children into His presence.
Pastor Lori describes these prayers as faith-filled requests offered with overflowing gratitude. The believer comes before God remembering what He has already accomplished. Thanksgiving accompanies prayer because confidence is rooted in God’s grace and the believer’s secure position before Him. She encourages believers to tell God every detail of their lives. Nothing needs to be hidden or excluded. Every concern, request, and part of life can be brought before the Father.
God’s Peace Through Jesus Christ
After believers bring their requests to God, His wonderful peace guards them. This peace goes beyond what the human mind can naturally understand.
Philippians 4:7- “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Pastor Lori explains that God’s peace transcends human understanding and that, through Jesus Christ, God makes His answers known. Pastor Leonard returns to the connection between this peace and the believer’s standing before God.
Believers are able to approach the Father in prayer because He has made them able to stand in His presence. They can come with peace, confidence, and full assurance. Their confidence does not come from pretending that difficulties do not exist. It comes from knowing that they have been reconciled to God and welcomed into His presence through Christ. When believers become saturated in this truth, responding to worry becomes easier. They know where to turn and what truth to remember.
Returning to the Truth When Worry Appears
Pastor Leonard and Pastor Lori acknowledge that moments of worry and anxiety may still arise. When that happens, the believer can stop and say, in effect, “Wait a minute,” and return to the truth of who he or she really is.
Colossians 1:22- “In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless and unreproveable in his sight.”
Colossians 1:23- “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;”
Rather than allowing anxious thoughts to define the situation, believers can remember that they are holy, blameless, and without fault before the Father. They have been reconciled to Him and brought into His presence through Jesus Christ. They can then follow the direction given in Philippians:
Philippians 4:6- “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Philippians 4:7- “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Believers can bring the situation to God with thanksgiving and trust His peace to keep their hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Pastor Lori describes Pastor Leonard’s teaching as an awesome word because it gives believers a firm foundation to which they can return whenever worry attempts to take hold.
Thanksgiving, Support, and Closing Encouragement
As the teaching comes to a close, Pastor Lori thanks the listeners for being God’s extended hand and for joining them. She expresses gratitude to those who are being helped and ministered to through their work. She thanks everyone who blesses and supports the ministry and assures the listeners that they are loved.
Pastor Leonard explains that anyone who feels led by the Holy Spirit to bless and support the ministry can visit their website. The website menu includes a giving section that explains the available ways to contribute.
Pastors Leonard and Lori close by again expressing their love for the listeners and saying that they will see them again in a couple of days.
We hope this article blessed you and strengthened your assurance in what God has accomplished through Jesus Christ. Share this teaching with others so they can know that through Christ they have been reconciled to God and can stand firmly in His presence—holy, blameless, and without fault.