As Paul moves towards the conclusion of his letter, he asks the Colossians to partner with him in his life’s calling: proclaiming the mystery of Christ. He invites them to play their role in God’s mission by praying for and supporting him in his mission field (now prison), but also by engaging in their own mission field. He writes in Colossians 4:2-6,

“² Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; ³ praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; ⁴ that I may make it clear in the way that I ought to proclaim it.

⁵Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. ⁶ Your speech must always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” (NASB)

There are two primary commands in this section. The first is to pray for opportunities to witness and the second is to take advantage of those opportunities. I use “witness” here as the term to define any opportunity we have to share Christ with those who do not know him. Let’s consider each of these commands in turn and consider how they apply to our lives.

We Must Pray for Witnessing Opportunities

It is important to note that Paul begins this section by encouraging prayer. And not just any kind of prayer. Paul encourages the Colossians to missions minded kingdom expanding prayer.  He doesn’t give them a list of his physical needs, but asks them to pray that he (and they) will be effective in reaching the lost. Effective evangelism always begins with prayer.

Paul asks the Colossians to pray for God to open up a door for the word. In Acts 14:27 and 1 Corinthians 16:9, God is the one who opens the door for the gospel. He does this through providing opportunities to share Christ and opening the hearts of those who hear. Paul, now in prison, asks for the Colossians to pray that God will continue opening doors for him to preach Christ.

He also asks for them to pray that he will be clear in the way that he presents the gospel. Paul has spent much of his letter contending with false teaching. He wants his own teaching to be clear enough to distinguish it from the errors spreading within the church. Perhaps this is why Paul refers to his own preaching as resolving not to know anything among those whom he preaches except “Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2).

In this request for clarity, there’s also an understood request for boldness as well. Bold preaching is what has landed Paul in prison, and if God grants him a door for the word, Paul needs clarity and continued boldness, which is how he ought to proclaim it (v. 4)

Like Paul, we must pray for witnessing opportunities. We must pray for those we support- churches, missionaries, and organizations, but we must pray for our own efforts in sharing Christ as well (notice how Paul transitions from “we” to “I” in v. 4). Even though we are not apostles like Paul, we are all called to take part in the Great Commission- sharing Christ, baptizing those who repent, and teaching them to obey Jesus’ commands. It is a privilege and an honor to play a role in building Christ’s kingdom in the world by extending it to others. We too must pray for open doors with our friends, neighbors, and family members, and ask God for clarity and boldness.

We Must Take Advantage of Witnessing Opportunities

When we pray for witnessing opportunities, we must look for witnessing opportunities and take advantage of them. We ask God to provide them, and then we look expectantly. It may look like a family member sharing their heart with you, a neighbor who asks about your life, a stranger who needs help, a friend who opens up about a struggle in their life, and so on. When you pray and look, you’ll see opportunities all over the place.

We’re also called to conduct ourselves with wisdom towards outsiders (v. 5). “Outsiders” here means those who have not trusted Christ (and are thus, outside the faith). We are called to walk with wisdom towards them- remembering that we are to walk in a manner worthy of Christ, avoiding language and behavior that dishonors him and damages our reputation.

We need the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to do this well in our families, workplaces, and friend groups. But one area in particular that many of us need to take a look at is our social media persona. Is it one that is pleasing to Christ? Are you wise in your posts? How does it appear to outsiders? That your allegiance is to Christ? Or that you’re really no different than they are?

We must walk the walk, so to speak, but we must also talk the talk. We cannot share Christ without speaking about him. Thus, we too ought to make it our aim to speak the gospel clearly to each person. One of the best ways to do this is the God- Man- Christ- Response model.

The gospel begins with God, who is good and holy and creates man for a relationship with himself. But man, in his sinfulness, rebels against God, incurs judgment, and severs his relationship with God. But God the Father sent his Son in the person of Jesus Christ who lived a perfect life and died a sacrificial death on our behalf to pay the penalty of our sin and provide us with his righteousness. All people everywhere are called to respond in repentance and faith in him to have their sins forgiven, Christ’s righteousness given to them, and have their relationship with God restored.

Can you share the gospel with someone if God provided you with an opportunity? If not, learn to! Practice it! Pray for opportunities to share, and then share- boldly and clearly!

Furthermore, we should respond to each person with gracious words that are seasoned with salt (v. 6). Our words are not to be combative or argumentative, but gracious. Yet we cannot shrink from the truth. We must preserve the truth of the gospel by not watering it down or making it more acceptable. But we shouldn’t be bland or boring. We should take a genuine interest in the person and their history, personality, and current beliefs, and labor to present the message of the gospel in a way that is understandable to them!

Application

In conclusion, let me give a few application points. First, pray for and look for opportunities to share your faith. Ask God every day. And look every day. One of the ways I do this is by asking people (waiters and the like) if I can pray for them. Many times I can tell if God has opened a door by their response. I may say something like, “I am a follower of Jesus and love to pray with people, is there any way I can pray for you, specifically?” If they seem open, I will pray for them and possibly follow up with something like, “Could I share with you why I am confident that God hears my prayers?” And then I can share about how I have a relationship with him through Christ, and they can, too!

Another way to do this is look for opportunities to share your testimony. Think of two words that describe your life before Christ and two words that describe your life after Christ and put them in a single sentence like this, “There was a time in my life that I was depressed and without hope in the world. But then I heard the gospel and trusted Jesus and now my life is full of joy and hope.” You’ll be able to tell if God has given you an open door. If he has, be bold, and clear!

Second, pay attention to the way that you live. Many of the opportunities we have to share the gospel will be with coworkers and family members that see our lives closely. They ought to see the most gracious, patient, loving, and giving people on the planet. We must live in a way that shouts- we’re different! Even when we fail and say or do something we shouldn’t in front of or to someone else, we should repent, apologize, and ask for forgiveness. This too is counter-cultural, something that the world doesn’t often do. It demonstrates that we are not perfect, but we are secure in Christ’s forgiveness.

Finally, trust that God wants to work in and through you. Paul didn’t just ask the Colossians to pray for him as he did the work of ministry. He did ask for prayer, but then he encouraged the church at Colossae in their own ministry of the gospel. Each member of the church was responsible to obey these commands: to walk in wisdom, to speak gracious words, and to respond to each person.

It is the same today. Every believer is invited and commanded to be a part of God’s mission in the world of making his salvation known! Every believer should pray for opportunities and seek, by the power of the Spirit, to take advantage of those opportunities. God has you exactly where he has you for a reason, chief among them being to shine the light of his Son and to share the message of his salvation. Are you doing that?

How can you start obeying this text today?