The abbot of a monastery called a novice into his office and instructed him to give the sermon at the next morning's chapel.
The novice was struck with fear. The next morning, chapel came. He stood in the pulpit. The brothers were there. His hands were trembling. His knees were knocking. His voice was quivering. There was a long pause before he first spoke, and then he asked a question. “Do you know what I'm going to say?”
They had no idea, so all of their heads went back and forth almost in unison, as if it were choreographed. He said, “Neither do I. Let's stand for the benediction.”
The next day was almost an exact repeat of the day before. All the brothers sat there before him. His hands shook. His knees knocked. His voice trembled. Long pause. “Do you know what I'm going to say?” he asked.
Well, after the previous day's experience, they had a pretty good idea. So all of their heads nodded yes.
“Then there's no need for me to tell you. Let's stand for the benediction.”
The abbot was angry beyond description. He brought the young man into his office and said, “If you do that again, you are going to be in solitary confinement, eat bread and water for thirty days, and receive any other punishment I can think of. Tomorrow morning give the sermon; do it right.”
The third day, chapel attendance hit an all-time high. Everyone was there to see what he would say, and it was almost an exact repeat. He stood, trembling, voice quivering, and after a long silence asked, “Do you know what I'm going to say?”
After three days of this, about half of them had a pretty good idea and they nodded their heads yes.
The other half noticed the switch from day to day, and they weren't sure what to expect, and so they shook their heads no.
The novice observed this and said, “Let those who know tell those who don't. Let us stand for the benediction.” (Leith Anderson, Preaching Today #165; www.PreachingToday.com)
We who know Jesus desire to tell these who don’t know Him, because He means so much to us; but like that novice, the thought of it scares some of us. We don’t want to offend, and we want to present Jesus in such a way that our friends and family members want to get to know Him too, but we’re not sure how they’ll respond, so we hesitate.
But the question is: How can we tell people about Jesus in such a way that they will listen and respond? How can we talk about our relationship with Christ in such a way that people want to get to know Him too?
Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Colossians 4, Colossians 4, where the Bible tells us how to talk so people will listen.
Colossians 4:2-4 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And 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. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. (NIV)
If you want to talk to others about God, then first of all…
TALK TO GOD ABOUT OTHERS.
Spend some time in prayer, and ask God for some opportunities to share, but talk to God faithfully. Pray constantly or with a persistent obstinacy.
Verse 2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer” – literally, be strong towards prayer.
In other words, NEVER GIVE UP! Never give up praying for your friends. Never give up praying for your family members who don’t know Jesus yet. Never give up praying that God would use you to bring others to Himself.
A Christian fisherman, who hadn’t talked to the Lord in quite a while was at sea with some of his friends when a storm came up and threatened to sink their ship. His friends begged him to pray; but he refused, saying, “It’s been a long time since I’ve done that or even entered a church.” At their insistence, however, he finally cried out, “O Lord, I haven’t asked anything of your in 15 years, and if You help us now and bring us safely to land, I promise I won’t bother You again for another 15! (The Prairie Overcomer; Bible Illustrator #1089, 6/2068.6)
Sad to say: that describes the prayer life of many Christians. They only talk to God in emergencies or only every once in a while. But prayer, to be effective, needs to be every day. Powerful prayer is persistent prayer. So when you talk to God about others, talk to God faithfully.
More than that, talk to God vigilantly. Pray with your eyes wide open. Ask God looking for His answer.
Verse 2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful” –
Malinda F. of Roanoke, North Carolina, talks about the day her 3-year-old daughter, Hannah, came home from Bible school and announced that her new teacher was unusual. “He makes everyone bow their heads and close their eyes when we pray, but then keeps his eyes open.”
Malinda asked Hannah how she would know that if her eyes were closed.
“I only close one eye at a time,” she replied. (Malinda F., Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, "Life in Our House," Christian Parenting Today, May/June 2000; www.PreachingToday.com)
Now, that’s not what the Bible is saying here – pray with one eye open; although, it wouldn’t be a bad idea. Literally, the original text says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, staying awake in it.” In other words, don’t fall asleep when you pray. Instead, pray with expectancy; pray watching for the answer.
Pray with a persistent obstinacy, to be sure. But then pray with an optimistic expectancy. Before you talk to others about God, talk to God about others. Talk to God faithfully. Talk to God vigilantly.
And third talk to God thankfully. Pray with gratitude. Ask God to give you opportunities to share with thanksgiving in your heart.
Verse 2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful AND THANKFUL.”
A businessman was late for an important meeting and couldn't find a parking space. As he frantically circled the block, the man got so desperate that he decided to pray.
Looking up toward heaven, he said, “Lord, take pity on me. If you find me a parking space, I'll go to church every Sunday for the rest of my life, and not only that, I'll give up drinking.”
Miraculously, a parking space appeared.
The guy looked up again and said, “Never mind. I found one.” (John Beukema, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania; www.PreachingToday.com)
Instead of thanking God, he took credit for himself; but he missed out on the blessing. To make a request without being grateful is like coming to God with holes in your bucket. When he fills it up, the joy just drains away. So when you pray, plug up the holes. When you talk to God, talk to Him thankfully. It will also help you talk to Him faithfully and vigilantly.
Then, #4, talk to God purposefully. Ask God for specific opportunities to share the Gospel.
Colossians 4:3-4 And 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. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. (NIV)
Paul wants God to give him opportunity and clarity – first opportunity to share the gospel, then clarity when he shares it.
When Paul and Silas were in Philippi, they got thrown into jail for preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. Acts 16 says the jailer “threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks” (Acts 16:24). I don’t think that’s the most effective way to win friends and influence people.
So what did Paul and Silas do when they were literally locked down in the hole? Gripe and complain? No. Acts 16 says, “They were praying and singing hymns of praise to God” (Acts 16:25).
Did you ever wonder what they were praying for? I think they were praying for the same thing that they asked the Colossian believers to pray for right here. They were praying for another opportunity to share the gospel.
So God answered their prayer by sending an earthquake. It scared the jailer so much that he came running to Paul and Silas, screaming, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30).
They simply said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). And before the day was over, that jailer, his family, and all his servants became believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. God answered Paul’s prayer for an opportunity to share. In fact, God gave him such a BIG opportunity that he couldn’t miss it!
And God will do that for you too if you just ask Him. If you ask God for opportunities to share the good news of Christ, you won’t have to force it, manipulate the conversation or talk like a used car salesman to get people to listen.
All you have to do is wait for God to shake up someone’s world. And just like that Philippian jailer, they just might come running to you for answers.
Brandon Bradley is a surgical assistant, who at one point in his career lost his passion for work. He wanted a job with spiritual significance, and he prayed for that. So God led him to a position in plastic surgery. It’s not what he expected. In fact, he wondered, “Why would God want me in a hotbed of vanity?”
But during his times of prayer, the Lord assured Bradley that this was part of His plan and told him to wait. So Bradley waited, continuing to pray that the Lord would use him in this job.
Then God impressed upon him the thought of gathering others to (quote) “gather and pray in My name.” There were only a few Christians who worked in the plastic surgery department, so Bradley started with them. He told them, “I'm going to start praying for our workplace each Monday, 15 minutes before we clock in. I'll be in Operating Room 2, and I hope you will join me.”
They met each week, praying for their work, their colleagues, and their patients. Soon they were praying boldly for opportunities to witness. By the end of that first year, God had answered many prayers, which included 10 friends who accepted Christ as their savior!
Later, Bradley was transferred to the main surgery department, where he began rotating through all four surgery departments on the hospital campus and as a result started several prayer groups.
Bradley says, “Since I realized that I could advance the kingdom of God through praying at work, I have found renewed passion for my job, as well as for the opportunities for ministry it provides.” (Brandon A. Bradley, “Prayer at Work: Surgical Assistant,” Pray! July/August 2006, p. 23; www.PreachingToday.com)
Why don’t you try doing that for the people you know? In fact, invite a few Christians friends to gather and pray with you for opportunities to share. Then watch God work to provide those opportunities and use YOU to lead some to faith in Jesus Christ. Just talk to God about others. Then…
TALK TO OTHERS ABOUT GOD.
Share the Gospel with family members and friends as God gives opportunity. Tell them what Jesus has done for you. Only be wise in your presentation, using every opportunity God gives you to share.
Colossians 4:5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders (i.e., towards those outside the faith); make the most of every opportunity (NIV) – literally, redeem the time.
Make every moment count for the Gospel! Jack London once said, “The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” Don’t just exist; live! Don’t waste your days; use your time wisely to bring as many people with you to heaven as possible before you go.
In his book, Did You Spot the Gorilla, psychologist Richard Wiseman describes an experiment where volunteers watched a 30-second video of two teams playing basketball. They were asked to count the number of times one of the teams passed the ball. What they weren't told was that halfway through the video, a man dressed in a gorilla's suit would run onto the court, stand in front of the camera, and beat his chest. Amazingly only a few of the volunteers spotted the man in the gorilla suit. Most of the volunteers were so intent on counting passes that they completely missed the gorilla. Wiseman concluded that most people go through life so focused on the immediate task at hand they completely miss gorilla opportunities. (Richard Wiseman, Did You Spot the Gorilla? How to Recognize Hidden Opportunities, Arrow Books; www.PreachingToday.com)
My dear friends, don’t get so focused on the immediate task that you miss the “gorilla opportunities” God gives you to say a word about Jesus.
Greg Huffer of Lebanon, Indiana, talks about going to a Promise Keepers’ convention at Soldier Field while he was a seminary student. A group of them took a commuter train downtown, then caught a cab to the stadium.
They were running late, but still hoped to get a good seat. Yet traffic was heavy and got worse near the stadium, so they slowed to a crawl. Eventually, they realized that were not going to get a good seat after all.
A couple of them started talking about hopping from the cab and running the rest of the way to the stadium. It sounded good to most of the rest, but Michael spoke against the plan. He was more concerned about the cabby. If they got out at that point, the driver would be stuck in traffic without being able to refill his taxi. He'd be losing money.
After Michael spoke with his friends, he turned his attention to their foreign cab driver. Michael talked about the conference they were going to, and then he shared the good news of Jesus Christ.
Greg says, “I don't know if the man was affected by the message, but I do know Michael's concern provided a base of credibility for sharing the gospel that the rest of us overlooked.” (Greg Huffer, Lebanon, Indiana; www.PreachingToday.com)
Don’t overlook those opportunities to be a credible witness for Jesus Christ, especially when life throws you a curve. After you talk to God about others, then talk to others about God, but 1st of all be wise.
2nd, be gracious in the way you present the Gospel.
Verse 6 says, “Let your conversation be always full of grace” – I.e., Let your conversation always be full of favor. Or as Ephesians 4 puts it, “Speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).
Ed Waltz and his wife, Barb, from Ann Arbor, Michigan, received the news some time ago that their daughter, Deb, has cerebral palsy. Even so, Barb had hoped that Deb would walk one day. One doctor performed a battery of tests then led Ed and Barb into a small conference room where he bluntly laid out for them what they could expect. In a tone that was cold and emotionally disconnected from his patient, the doctor said, “It is extremely unlikely that your daughter will ever walk.”
Still in a state of shock from the devastating news, Barb asked, “But what kind of shoes should I buy for my daughter?” She was thinking about some special corrective shoes, or perhaps shoes connected to a brace.
Without softening the blow, the doctor retorted, “Buy her whatever kind of shoes you want. She won't be using them to walk in.” And with that, he quickly left the room, where Barb burst into tears.
Several months later, the family met with another doctor, but this time the entire scene felt different. Ed said, “My wife asked this new doctor essentially the same question she had asked the first one. She was still wondering if there was anything we could do that might enable our daughter to take even a few steps.”
The doctor paused for a moment, thinking. Then, he looked compassionately and directly into Barb's eyes and said, “You know what I would do if I were you, Mrs. Waltz? I'd buy my daughter the prettiest little pink shoes I could find, with purple shoe laces.”
Barb knew what he meant.
Ed said, “We talked about our experience on the way home. Both doctors had told us the same thing – Deb would never walk. I'm ashamed to say what we felt like doing to the first doctor, but we felt like hugging the second doctor.”
Says Ed, “The tone of our truth-telling can build a wall or a bridge.” In other words, HOW we tell the truth makes a difference in how that truth is received. (Pastor Clark Cothern, Ypsilanti, Michigan; www.PreachingToday.com)
My dear friends, build bridges instead of walls in your conversation. Bill Thrall put it this way in his book True Faced. He said, “When grace introduces us to repentance, the two of us become best friends. When anything else introduces us to repentance, it feels like the warden has come to lock us up. But when grace gets involved, the truths of repentance reveal a fabulous world of life-freeing beauty.” (Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol, and John Lynch, True Faced, Navpress, 2003, p. 155; www.PreachingToday.com)
The truth is people must repent. They must turn from a selfish, self-centered dependence upon self to a genuine dependence upon Christ in order to find eternal life. That’s the truth! But when you present it, make sure you let grace introduce people to that truth.
Talk to God about others. Then talk to others about God; but 1st of all, be wise. 2nd, be gracious.
And 3rd, be tasteful in the way you communicate the good news of Jesus.
Look at verse 6 again.
Colossians 4:6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (NIV)
In others words, make your words taste good.
Years ago, a high school in Virginia offered a course called “Home Economics for Boys,” but nobody was interested. So the next year the school renamed the course “Bachelor Living.” The effect was overwhelming – 120 boys promptly signed up.
The curriculum never changed. It still offered traditional instruction in cooking, sewing, laundry and money management. It just needed the right image before students would give the class a second look. (Bible Illustrator #2086-2089, 4/1986.7)
That’s the way it is with the Gospel, the good news about Jesus. The message never changes, but sometimes our methods have to change if people are going to pay attention to what we have to say. Just put a little salt on your words so that people won’t have to choke them down.
If you want talk so people will listen, then first of all talk to God about others before you talk to others about God. And when you do talk to others about God, be wise, be gracious, and be tasteful.
I close with these words from John Hall:
Is anybody happier because you passed his way?
Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today?
Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said?
Does the man whose hopes were fading, now with courage look ahead?
The day is almost over, and its toiling time is through;
Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?
Did you waste the day or lose it? Was it well or sorely spent?
Did you leave a trail of kindness or a scar of discontent?
Lord, help us to redeem the time especially in our relationships with others in this world. Give us opportunities this week to share the good news about Jesus and use us to bring people to true and genuine faith in Him. In Jesus Name we ask it. Amen.
