Good Mornin Friends... Colossians 4:5-6 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. I recently read a quote that said Christians often jokingly say that the three least appealing responsibilities they face are fasting, praying, and sharing their faith with non-believers.......sadly, I am afraid it’s not just said jokingly, but its a reality that has severely crippled the ministry of the body of Christ. Very few seem to incorporate regular fasting into their spiritual diet (pun intended). Perhaps a few more actually pray on a regular basis.....but evangelism.....that seems to be another story altogether. If we were totally honest, I suspect most Christians would say they’d happily skip a meal and spend it praying rather than have to talk to a non-Christian about Jesus. But we are all called and admonished by scripture to be witnesses to others. Here in todays passage of scripture, I believe Paul offers some helpful and motivational insight that can help us more willingly approach our task of evangelism. Paul tells the Colossians to “walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time” and to “let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” It appears to me that the pertinent direction here in verse 5 is WALK. The term “walk” is used all over scripture to describe consistent and steady daily living. In Genesis 5 we are told about Enoch who “walked with God.” In other words, his life was filled with days of consistent and unwavering devotion to God. That idea is also in mind when we are told in Deuteronomy 5:33 to “walk in all the way the Lord your God has commanded you.” The same goes for Micah 6:8 as we are told what the Lord requires of his people; “to do justice, to love kindness and walk humbly with the Lord.” Paul himself uses the word many times, such as in Romans 8:4 when he describes Christians as those who “walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” So when Paul says in Colossians to “walk in wisdom toward outsiders” he is calling us to wisely live out our daily lives..... both individually and as a community of believers .....among outsiders. This is powerful advice to help us get over some of the fears we have when trying to share our faith. Too often we feel like we need to “get it all out there” in a single conversation because we don’t expect to converse regularly with the non-Christians we’re talking to. But if our daily life is being lived among outsiders then we know that each conversation, paired with how we live and work, is simply one aspect of our interaction with them. As a result, we will be able to talk about the Gospel.....the good news of what God has done through Jesus and how that has changed our life.....in ways that are relevant to their own felt needs and fears instead of just confronting them with a presentation. Pay close attention to how at the end of this passage Paul also hopes that we will know how to answer each person. The Gospel should have such an effect on us that our daily life incites questions from those watching us, as to why our lives are so different from their own. Certainly there is a need to proclaim the Gospel to others even when not provoked......the Gospel is good news.......and news is only spread as people tell others about it. A poor beggar who finds a plentiful supply of food can’t expect other poor beggars to find out about that source without him telling them about it. At the same time, it would be ridiculous to think that the increase of joy and nutrition in that beggar’s life wouldn’t incite questions from other poor beggars. That is us as Christians....... we have a wonderful message to tell to others. Therefore we look for every opportunity we can to share it. This message makes such a difference in our own lives that even when we don’t see opportunity to share it, those who don’t know it will inevitably be asking us about it.......when they see its effects in our life as we WALK it out. 1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Have a blessed day !!
Posted on: Tue, 26 Aug 2014 14:06:24 +0000
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