Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. - Colossians 4:2-6 NLT
http://bible.com/116/col.4.2-6.NLT
Jun. 4, 2017
"How the Gospel Impacts our Praying and Speaking" - Colossians 4:2-6 - Troy Dobbs
Watch • Outline (126.63 KB) • Study Guide (458 KB)
Pray consistently, expressing our faith.
- God answers prayer.
- Prayer is our hope of connection to God
- Self control and alertness, same word as watchful.
- pray with thankful heart: close to God
How do we solicit prayers from others? Ask them to pray for your ministry. "Open a door to advance the Gospel" - not personal advancement
Phil 1:12-13, 4:22
- God used imprisonment to bring people to Christ
- not a punishment but assignment Acts 28:30-31
- Pain, hardship - seen from perspective as apostolic assignment.
- Walk in wisdom, best use of time, speech gracious. Who we are matters in evangelism. Jesus was referred to as friend of sinners. Time and sinners enjoyed being in His presents. This tells us about godliness, winsomeness. Wisdom, our lives adorn the message. Authentic lives, not hypocritical or pharisical.
Most of every opportunity
- redeeem the time
- consumed with gospel advancement
4:6
Speech, Gracious, seasoned with salt
Salt and light, taste and see
- interesting, witty and relevant
https://www.openbible.info/topics/being_salt_and_light
Evangelism: sharing the application to others the life, death, resurrection and soon return of Jesus Christ
Prayer is a weapon in Spiritual warfare
- we have an enemy Ephesians 5
- he lies, isolates, devours those not devoted to steadfast prayer
See every situation through Gospel lens, not our pain
- don't waste it. Don't despise it, ask God to use me in this imprisonment
- be clear and accurate with the Gospel. John 3:16, 1 John whoever has the son has life.
- Jesus is God (first importance)
- perfect
- died sacrificially
- resurrected miraculously
- people need to respond to God with faith (attitude) and repentance (action)
Gotquestions.org
Carm.org
People want to know
- why is Jesus the only way?
- why is Christianity is true when other religions claim truth?
- aren't all religions basically the same?
- No: Christianity is God reaching down to man, Grace. Not man reaching up to God, works.
1 Peter 3:15, always be prepared... by honoring Christ as Lord
113 specific questions were answered by Jesus
Poor, homelessness can be recovered from, however dying apart from Christ is unrecoverable. As each man was appointed to live and die once then judgement.
Self assessment am I growing?
Growing in prayer?
- for others, gratitude, wisdom, gospel,
Use of time
- found by those who weren't looking
Speech
- gentle and respectful with words
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