Effective Christian Witness | Colossians 4:5-6

Effective Christian Witness

Colossians 4:5-6

Today, we conclude our sermon series on Colossians. Open your Bible to the fourth chapter of Colossians. Paul is concluding his letter to the Colossians and addressing them to be effective witnesses where God has placed them.

HF: This sermon focuses on how we can become an effective witness in the world.

Paul’s Address in Colossians:

• Christ is Supreme and Sufficient; 1:15-20.
• Continue in Christ; 2:6-7
• You are complete in Christ, 2:10
• You are now to walk a new life; 3:12-14
• Be effective in your Christian witness. Family, job, conduct are all opportunities to witness the new life in Christ.

How Can The Church Be Effective In Christian Witness?

Colossians 4:2-6

²Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. ³And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. ⁴Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.

5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

In Colossians 4:2-6, Paul guides the Colossians as to how to interact with the world outside our faith community.

How Can The Church Be Effective In Christian Witness?

• Persevering Prayer.
• Wise Living.
• Time Management.
• Graceful Speech.
• Healthy Relationships; 4;7-18

1. Persevering Prayer.

Effective Christian Witness Begins With Persevering Prayer.

Colossians 4:2

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

One has to continue in prayer being watchful and thankful. We had looked at it at our last sermon from Colossians. You may go back and have a look at it at our website.

2. Wise Living.

Believers Are Called To Exemplify Wisdom In Their Behaviour

Illustration:

Have you seen that when traveling to global metropolises, one observes diverse nationalities coexisting? For instance, in a city like Dubai, people from all corners of the world reside. In such urban settings, if a few individuals from a specific group exhibit certain behaviours, the entire community can be unfairly stereotyped. Larger communities are often judged by their dress, conduct, and interactions, particularly when they are abroad.

Similarly, in his teachings, the apostle Paul emphasizes that we, as the community of God, are entrusted with the task of proclaiming and living out the gospel’s good news. Hence, believers must exercise great care in how we conduct ourselves, not only within our faith community but also in the broader context. Failing to do so may diminish the impact of our witness.

Colossians 4:5a

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders……

Be Wise In The Way You Behave.

Paul appeals for wisdom in the way Christians behave towards outsiders.

The outsiders are those who are not believers in Christ. In Colossae, they were both pagans and Jews. Their religion was folk religion rather than classical Greek religion or Orthodox Judaism. God is their judge (1 Cor. 5:12-13). A blameless life lays the foundation for gracious witness.

Be Wise Is To Make Right Choices.

Being wise is not just an intellectual activity in ancient Greek understanding. Being wise is able to make wise choices in life. So the wise person is not only wise intellectually but applies wisdom in the way they conduct themselves. Wisdom manifest in the way people interact and deal with people in the decision they make private or public.

The choices we make are very important. We either progress or regress through our choices and that becomes a witness to the world.

Proverbs 28:26

Those who trust in themselves are fools,

but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.

Illustration 1:

Around 20 years ago, we encountered a young believer who had fallen in love with a non-believing girl. Over time, the girl began attending our church, took baptism, and displayed a genuine interest in studying the Bible, often posing insightful questions. Eventually, the boy’s parents consented to their marriage, and the matter was presented to us for solemnization.

We cautioned both the boy and the girl and their parents to exercise patience, emphasizing the need for a longer period of spiritual growth before proceeding with the wedding. However, as I opposed the idea of a hasty wedding due to her recent salvation experience, the family sought to go ahead with the wedding at their native church in Tamil Nadu. After their marriage, the girl stopped attending our church, and the once-devout young man became sporadic in his involvement, losing his fervour for the Lord. Consequently, their family life became marred by ongoing discord and faith-related disputes, straining relationships among the husband and wife as well as their extended families.

Illustration 2:

An American radio network did a prank on April Fool’s Day in 2000. The prank was to tattoo ‘KURD” in the forehead for a big sum of money. There was a disclaimer in the prank which a man failed to notice. David Jonathan Winkelman, a 48-year-old from Iowa was listening to the broadcast and without listening to the disclaimer got his forehead tattooed “KURD” and presented himself to the radio station to realize the foolishness he had done.

Paul asks the believers to be wise. Now, the context is, “Be wise in the way you conduct towards outsiders.” It matters that outsiders find Christ in the way Christians live.

Paul is very concerned that the world doesn’t see us as exemplary. Paul is suggesting that Christians set high moral standards for the rest of the world to follow. Be wise in the way you conduct yourself.

The way you conduct yourself is not only good for you, but for the believing community it is good for the way outsiders look at us so that we can be good proclaimers of the gospel. Many times, our gospel is ineffective because of our lifestyle.

How Can A Christian Walk Unwisely?

Context of Colossians: True Wisdom Comes From God. Spiritual wisdom is a gift from God. It comes from being filled with the knowledge of his will; 1:9-10

You have been saved, you have been given wisdom; you need to be filled with that wisdom that you might walk in it.

James 3:13-18

¹³Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. ¹⁵Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ¹⁶For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

¹⁷But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

4 ways to get wisdom:

Worship

Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

When you begin to really worship God, that’s wise. That’s where wisdom begins.

Prayer

Colossians 1:9-10

9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

James 1:5

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Knowledge of God Through the Word

Colossians 2:2-3

²My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,

³in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Instruction From Godly Teachers

Colossians 1:28

He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.

How Can The Church Be Effective In Christian Witness?

1. Persevering Prayer.
2. Wise Living.
3. Time Management.

Believers Are Called To Make The Most Of Every Opportunity.

Means: ‘buy up the time, seize the time, make good use of all the time, don’t play around with time.’

Psalm 90:10

Teach us to number our days,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

I Must Use My Time To Live In The Light.

Romans 13:11-14

¹¹And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹²The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. ¹⁴Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

I Must Use My Time To Do Good.

Galatians 6:10

Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

I Must Use My Time To Proclaim The Gospel; Mt. 28:

I Must Use My Time For My Family.

If God takes accountability of our life, the one question that God may ask will be related to time management. How did you live your life on earth?

Imagine you are with the Lord and you are 60 years old. You and the Lord are having a conversation and finally the Lord asks: Son/Daughter how did you live 60 years of your life? Can you give an account for the time I gave you?

60 years = 21,900 days =5,25,600 hours. What did you do with your rime?

Lord, let me give you an account of my time:

Sleep: 21,900 x 8 = 1,75,200 hrs = 7,300 days = 20 yes.

Studies/Work: 18,900 x 8= 1,51,200 hrs. = 6,300 days = 17.2 yrs.

Travel: 21,900 x 2 = 43,800 hrs. = 1,825 days = 5 yrs.

Gadgets: 21,900 x 2 = 43,800 hrs. = 1,825 days = 5 yrs.

What about time for me? Time to serve me?

• When are you going to begin to live the way God wants?
• How much opportunity are you going to squander?
• When are you going to begin to share Christ with that friend?
• When are you going to use those abilities and gifts God’s given you?

Your walk talks. Every time you have an opportunity, redeem or buy up that opportunity. Purchase it for eternity. Life is so short. It’s so foolish for the Christian to waste it.

Paul is asking the believers to make the most of every time that is available. They cannot make mistake about certain things.

How Can The Church Be Effective In Christian Witness?

4. Graceful Speech

Colossians 4:6

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Illustration: One of the seven ancient wise men of Greece was a man named Bias. And the reason he was considered to be one of the most wise men in all Greece was the fact that one person on one occasion had sent him an animal as a gift, with the instruction that he was to sacrifice the animal, but that before he had sacrificed the animal, he was to cut out the best and the worst part and send it back to the donor. He sent back the tongue. And as a result of that, he was considered to be one of the wisest of men.

The tongue is the best and the worst of you.

James 3:2

We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

Let your conversation be always full of grace.

It is important that we talk with grace. This will be the ultimate purpose of wise living: so that you may know how to answer everyone (including outsiders and insiders).

Colossians 4:6

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt..

Grace: In human relationships. ‘grace’ means being courteous and respectful, acknowledging the other as better than oneself. This is two-sided, God’s grace and our graciousness. This is a divine gift of unconditional love to us to which we respond with humble thanksgiving. God’s grace is his unconditional love for all. We must act in the same manner even to those who oppose us or misrepresent us.

Seasoned with salt: The metaphor seasoned with salts was a common one in the ancient world for a person who made a witty speech’. Christian oratory in witness is of a different type.

• Our conversation should always be pleasant and interesting.
• We must choose the the right words in conversation.

Christian speech is to be gracious. Our speech should lead us to witness Christ, speak God’s offer in Christ of the message of his love and wisdom in Christ’s cross.

Illustration: If you have a bottle full of milk and it emptied, it smells. After sometime, it stinks.  The odour remains. You want to know something? That’s not unlike a Christian. You are a new creature; the old contents are gone, you are new, but some of the old stink is there. Some of the old odour, old sent is there. You pour into that milk bottle from a fresh water supply, and then you pour it out.  And you pour more in, you pour – and you just keep filling it, keep filling it, keep filling it, keep filling it. And little by little by little by little, the smell will fade.

In this way, Paul says, you may know how you ought to answer everyone. The thought here is of sensitivity to individual persons and situations; Eph. 4:19; 1 Peter. 3: 15.

Christians ought to respect outsiders as people also created in the image of God and who have values that may accord with God’s will. In spiritual wisdom we will be sensitive to the values of their listeners even when they differ from their own. We do not debate with anyone regarding Christ. In debate with non-believers we may win the battle, but lose the war. We need to discern the heart-felt needs of our listeners and begin the conversation from the perspective of the questions that are important to their self-understanding. It is better first to find out their felt needs. Our goal must be to establish mutual respect of each other’s values without compromising our own convictions as to the truth. Dialogue is a way of pre-evangelism.

Silence towards nonbelievers may be a form of hypocrisy.

Jesus spoke with grace.

Luke 4:22

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.

Jesus is our supreme model in the way he communicated the good news of the kingdom to the people he met in his daily walk as in the cases of the Samaritan woman at the well in Sychar and of Nicodemus who came to him by night. Jesus responded to their individual concerns. They responded positively to his answers because they felt that they could trust him. The point here is that when it comes to influencing people for Christ, the manner of speaking is almost as important as the content. In Christian witness we need to be led by the Spirit to know when to initiate a conversation and when to wait for their enquiry. This may be important in witnessing to members of one’s family who are not believers. Hence the priority of praying without ceasing for those we know and love.

Conclusion:

It is important that Christians apply wisdom in the way we live our lives.

In conclusion, as believers, we are called to be effective witnesses of Christ in a world of diverse backgrounds and beliefs. Our witness begins with persevering prayer, wise living, responsible time management, and gracious speech. Let us remember that our actions and words impact how others perceive our faith.

Life Application Points:

• Dedicate Time To Fervent Prayer For Those In Your Life Who Need Christ. Initiate conversations and relationships with non-believers, guided by the spirit’s leading, to share the gospel effectively.
• Seek Wisdom In Daily Decisions To Reflect Christ’s Character.
• Manage Time Wisely To Invest In Eternal Matters.
• Speak With Grace And Understanding, Considering The Needs Of Others.