Colossians 4
Representing Jesus to a Watching World (Part 2)
by Gary DeLashmutt
Teaching t10571
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Introduction
Reiterate 3:17 thesis. If you know Jesus, he has made you his representative/ambassador to a watching world. It is important that you represent him well, because people decide how to relate to him largely by how we represent him. Notice that 3:17 says we are to represent Jesus in two ways—both by what we do and by what we say. Unfortunately, many Christians bifurcate these, but Jesus says the same thing about them that he does about husband and wife: “What God has joined together, let no man separate.” When we represent Jesus well through what we do and say, many people become attracted to Jesus and choose to follow him (DIAGRAM).
3:18-4:1 is a snapshot of what it looks like to represent Jesus well by what we do—expressing his love in the way we relate to our spouses, to our children and parents, to the people with whom we work, to our neighbors, etc. so that people are impressed with the One we follow and want to know more about him. But what happens when Christians tell people about Jesus—but live in ways that misrepresent him? This is what we called “ugly Christians” last week—people see our selfishness, self-righteousness, bland niceness, etc., and conclude that the Jesus we talk about is either non-existent or irrelevant or inadequate to meet the great needs they have.
Now in 4:3-6, Paul unpacks what it looks like to represent Jesus well by what we say (read NIV passage and bold “proclaim” and “conversation” and “answer”). Even though he is imprisoned and on trial for his life, Paul wants an opportunity to proclaim “the mystery of Christ”—the open secret that through Christ we can be completely forgiven and indwelt by his Spirit (EXPLAIN). And he wants every one of them (and us) to converse with others about Jesus, answer their questions about Jesus, and invite them to receive his forgiveness and Spirit for themselves. What happens when Christians live in ways that show Jesus’ love—but fail to speak effectively about him? This is what we might call “silent Christians”—and it misrepresents Jesus just as seriously as “ugly Christians.” If people see his love through your life, but you don’t tell them where this love comes from and how they can have it themselves—you are stealing the credit and hoarding his love!1
So let’s take a closer look at what Paul says about representing Jesus well through what we say. He makes two simple points—but they are powerful! (If you are a guest, we want to tell you about Jesus so you can experience the life-changing power of his love. Here’s how we’re supposed to do this—let us know how we’re doing!)
Ask God for opportunities to speak about Jesus
Bold and re-read 4:3,5. Paul asks them to pray that God will provide an opportunity (“open a door”) for him to tell people about Jesus during his imprisonment. And he tells them to wisely make the most of the opportunities God gives them to talk about Jesus to people where they live. The main point is that God is sovereign—he is in control. Specifically, he is able to orchestrate connections between us and others who are seeking him, and he is able to create situations in which we can share what we know with people who need to know it. So the point is: ask God for opportunities to speak about Jesus. When we ask for this, he will answer us. And when we make the most of these opportunities, he will use our words to draw people to himself.
We know one of the ways that God answered their prayers for Paul. Paul himself reports this in another letter wrote soon after this one (read Phil.1:12,13 NLT). The “soldiers in the palace guard” were special Roman soldiers who personally guarded imperial prisoners under house-arrest by handcuffing themselves to the prisoner. Paul could have viewed these soldiers as a problem preventing him from speaking about Jesus. But because he affirmed God’s sovereignty and prayed, he discovered that these soldiers were a “captive audience!” Perhaps one of them became curious as he saw Paul’s peace and joy in spite of his circumstances. Perhaps he became intrigued as he heard Paul counseled and directed the workers who visited him. Perhaps Paul asked him what he believed—or perhaps he asked Paul who Jesus was. We don’t know the details—we just know that God provided an opportunity for Paul to talk to them. And evidently several of them opened their hearts to Jesus because Paul says Phil.4:22 (read NLT).
And if God can create opportunities for Paul to speak about Jesus when he is under house-arrest, certainly he can create opportunities for us to speak about Jesus—no matter how confining our circumstances may be! The question is: Do you believe he can do this? Do you ask him to do this (and ask others to pray for you for this)? And do you make the most of the opportunities he provides by speaking up?
Over the past several months, I’ve been asking God pretty regularly for opportunities to share about Jesus—and recording the results in my journal. I have to say that the results have been amazing and humbling. I have simply been asking for opportunities—and God has been answering in such a variety of ways: ON AN AIRPLANE; STANDING IN LINE TO CHANGE MY AUTO TITLE; SHARING WITH MY DYING BROTHER-IN-LAW; SPEAKING AT MY BROTHER-IN-LAW’S FUNERAL; ANSWERING A QUESTION BY MY BANK-TELLER; TALKING TO SOMEONE AT A PARTY; EXPLAINING WHO JESUS IS TO A NEIGHBOR; ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT MY FAITH WHERE I VOLUNTEER; HELPING A FRIEND’S FRIEND UNDERSTAND WHY JESUS IS THE MESSIAH; etc.
I know many of you are doing the same thing, and experiencing the same kinds of amazing and humbling answers. Listen to Mary Lynne Musgrove as she relates this prayer has transformed the way she views her job (VIDEO). Nothing is more exciting than receiving assignments from God to help others come to Christ! This (more than anything else) will turn your spiritual life into an adventure. Ask him every day for a month—and record the results!
Of course, when you ask God for opportunities to speak about Jesus, he will give them to you! Then what? How can you make the most of these opportunities? How can you talk about your faith in ways that are appropriate and effective? What do you say? This is the second piece of instruction Paul gives us...
Speak about Jesus effectively
Bold and re-read 4:4,6. These two verses don’t provide us with a script to follow, because we are persons talking to persons about a Person, not regurgitating memorized lines for a sales presentation. But they do give us two important principles that will help us speak effectively to others about Jesus.
The first principle is that we should speak clearly (read 4:4). Paul is not referring to clear enunciation (though that certainly doesn’t hurt!)—he is talking about speaking in a way that reveals Jesus (phaneroo) and brings him into clear focus. Now this will look differently to different people—speaking clearly to a young child will be different than speaking clearly to your attorney neighbor or to your friend at work who speaks English as a second language. But here are two ways of speaking clearly about Jesus that are universally applicable:
Share how Jesus has changed your life. Nothing is more persuasive than your own story about how you found Christ and the positive difference he has made in your life. I think that many of us are missing this simple but profoundly powerful point. New Christians know this instinctively; older Christians forget it and think they we must know every biblical answer to every possible question, must be able to provide every historical and philosophical argument why Christianity is true, must be conversant with every other religion, etc. I’m not saying that these things are useless or unimportant, but I am saying that they are not nearly as compelling as what you are already an expert at—how Jesus’ love has changed/is changing your life.
When Dennis came to Christ, he started talking to me about Christianity. We had lots of philosophical debates about God’s existence and whether the Bible was inspired. I’m sure he did a good job of making the case for these issues, but I don’t remember any of this. What I do remember is that after our debates ended in a draw, he’d say: “One thing I know for sure is that Jesus has changed my life...” That stuck with me, because I saw the change—and because deep down (even though I didn’t admit it to him at the time) I wanted the change I saw in him. I’m so glad he told me this!
The New Testament is full of examples of this principle. The gospels are full of stories of how Jesus changed people’s lives for good. The book of Acts, which records the remarkable expansion of the early Christian movement through Paul, places special emphasis on how Paul met Jesus and how this changed Paul’s life. Luke not only describes how Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus (9); he also records Paul twice sharing his story—once to a hostile crowd (22) and once during his trial before a political ruler (26). Even though Paul was brilliant and well-educated, he knew where the power was—in his own story. 1 Thess.1:8,9 suggests that Christianity spread primarily via the testimony of how its followers came to Christ. Rev. 12:10 says that the main way Christians overcome Satan’s deception of others is by “the word of their testimony.”
Explain how easy it is to begin a relationship with Jesus. For a variety or reasons (church experience; universal aspect of human religion), people assume that becoming a Christian requires lots that they have to do: learn much of the Bible, break sinful habits, undergo baptism, commit to church attendance and/or membership, eradicate all doubts, etc. Now all of these things are good, but they are the eventual results of becoming a Christian—not requirements for becoming a Christian. But becoming a Christian is far simpler than this—it is simply opening the door of your heart to let Jesus come in (Rev.3:20). Speaking clearly, then, involves explaining (sometimes repeatedly) that this decision is the one and only requirement.
The second principle is that we should speak to others about Jesus graciously (read 4:6). This has to do more with the manner in which we speak to people than it does with the content of what we say. To speak “full of grace” means that we speak to people about Jesus in ways that communicate God’s grace—his undeserved and unconditional love for them (“The Message”; 1 Pet.3:15).
This involves having a genuine interest in people vs. viewing them as a means to your end; being a good listener vs. monologueing; being respectful of others’ opinions even if you disagree vs. being arrogant and dismissive; being patient in conversation vs. pushy. (For me, this requires a miracle because I am by nature self-centered, self-righteous; pushy, controlling, etc. I have to ask God to fill me with his Spirit in every situation or I revert to this.)
Unfortunately, American Christians are often horrible at this—we have a lot to overcome: “WHAT PART OF ‘THOU SHALT NOT’ DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?”; IMPERSONAL, MASS-MEDIA CAMPAIGNS; DISPATCH CHURCH AD; PUSHING PEOPLE THROUGH SCRIPTED PRESENTATIONS; RELIGIOUS RIGHT RHETORIC THAT COMMUNICATES DISGUST FOR GAYS & ABORTION MOTHERS, etc.
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” When you share about Jesus with gracious speech, it is like salt—seasoning and bringing out the flavor of your message and inviting people to learn more about a God whose followers speak so graciously. This is why Paul says that we should speak this way “so that we may know how to answer everyone.” When we speak with people graciously, they often feel safe enough to ask their real questions or share their real needs. And then we can talk about Jesus in ways that address their real questions and needs.
Conclusion
NEXT WEEK: Hebrews (best New Testament book for understanding how the Old Testament fits into Christianity)
1 “If we try to preach the gospel but do not demonstrate the Father’s love through our actions, then our words are empty and futile. If we take part in living the life of Jesus and demonstrate his compassion in various ways but neglect to share the reason ‘why’ we are doing it, then we might as well be like any other charity... The proclamation of the gospel without the overt demonstration of social responsibility... reduces our message to the level of words without deeds. Conversely, our involvement with physical or social need, minus the good news of saving faith in Jesus, can be interpreted as little more than secular humanism.” Clive Calver, Alive in the Spirit (Lake Mary, Florida: Charisma House, 2006), p.111
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