Enjoy this Word on this Monday! “Be wise when you engage with those outside the faith community; make the most of every moment and every encounter.” –Colossians 4:5, The Voice “You’re Representing the Kingdom!” As a senior at Dudley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina, I was the captain of the school’s Science Bowl Team. This particular year, we had some true “brainiacs” and as we practiced, I knew that we would have a shot of doing very well at the Science Bowl, held at North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC. Once we made it to Durham, I reminded the team that we are representing the Dudley Science, Math, and Technology Academy and Dudley High School! Let’s make the most of this competition! As we went through that grueling double-elimination tournament against the top teams within the state, we did well as we finished second in the Science Bowl. I tell this story because through our diligence, hard work, studying, and team cohesion, we were able to represent Dudley High well. Brothers and sisters, each day, as we ride the train, drive our cars, catch the bus, or whatever means of transportation you use, you are representing the Kingdom of God! You are representing your family! You are representing your church family and the pastor that you serve! With this said, the Apostle Paul provided some advice to the church at Colossae about representing the Kingdom. Join me in this journey through The Voice version of the Bible. In this final chapter of Colossians, Colossians 4, Paul provides some closing wisdom and some final remarks. As we begin to look at verse 5, Paul begins by saying, “Be wise when you engage with those outside the faith community.” In other words, Paul is encouraging the church and us on today to be mindful of how we engage with people that are not of the body of Christ. You have to remember that once upon a time, you were like them! We all haven’t been in the church all of our lives! We didn’t come out of the womb saying, “Hallelujah, Thank You Jesus!” We were ALL shaped in iniquity, but I bless God that He gave us a chance to know Him, be saved by Him, loved by Him, that we would have a right to the tree of life! With these feelings inside, we must not have “our noses up in the air” when it comes to dealing with non-Christians! We must love them, minister to them, as Christ did in His day! When you think of the word “Christian,” it does mean Christ-like, right? Well, it is time for us to be Christ-like, wise in our approach, and let those know who don’t know Christ that He lives and we are available to minister to them and be their friends! Remember, you’re representing the Kingdom, so do that in the best way you can that would please God! The text ends with Paul saying, “Make the most of every moment and every encounter.” In representing the Kingdom, you must make every encounter with someone count! We must make every moment with someone count! One of the things I love that we do at church is that we have a Curbside Ministry that greets people outside, open the doors to go inside the church to say “Good Morning” to those entering. Just in case the Curbside Ministry did not provide a proper greeting, our Hospitality Ministry, usually uniformed, greet those with a hug and a “Good Morning.” I have heard many a person say that because of those two aspects, it has made coming to our church welcoming! What are you doing to make the most of your encounters with non-Christians? Are you extending invites to receive God’s Word at your church? Are you extending invites to go to lunch with them and hear what they are going through? What are you doing to make the most of every moment and encounter that would show that you’re representing the Kingdom? In closing, God wants us to represent Him and the Kingdom in an awesome way, inside the church and OUTSIDE the church! We do this by being wise when we engage people outside of the household of faith, along with making the most of every moment and every encounter. Do you want to be remembered as a man/woman of God who was inviting to those on the “outside” of the faith or one that’s cold? Only you know the answer!
Posted on: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 23:33:46 +0000
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