Influencing people through Holy living
Colossians 4:1-6
Introduction-
This morning we will be looking at Colossians 4:1-6.
The book sits between Philippians and 1 Thessalonians.
If I had to sum up the book in a few words, I would say the supremacy of Christ and believers living a holy life. The book was inspired by God, written down by Apostle Paul.
Chapter 3-4 deals with the holy living of believers.
Tells us to rid ourselves of unholy living.
How husband, wife should act.
How parents should treat children, and how children should treat their parents.
Chapter 4 begins about masters, slaves. Today’s language could be employers and employees.
How Christians can influence the people around them?
Like they say in Missouri, “show me” show me speaks louder than if you just tell me about being a Christian.
Colossians 4:1-6 Read
If you are going to influence people, we are going to have to live a life that is intentionally surrendered to God. (Repeat)
At the time Paul wrote this, there was a estimated 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire.
They thought of slaves as things, tools.
Sick one, get rid of him, don’t even waste the food on them.
Today we still live in an age that is getting to be have, have nots. The struggle between labor and management, between employer and employee.
In the defense of the employers, how good or secure would it be for you to work for a poor boss, one who had no money. That would not be job security.
Employees want smaller work loads, fewer hours, more vacation, more pay, and benefits.
Employers wants more productivity, more profits.
How does a Christian handle himself/herself?
Following Christ is not part time.
You don’t only have Christianity on Sunday at church.
We don’t have an option of choosing when we will please God.
Weather the employer is a task master, believer, or pagan.
We are to be obedient and give them our best.
If it gets to bad that you cannot work there, that is a different story, then you have to leave.
A Christian’s life must manifest itself at the job.
He/She should be able to trust you.
You should follow directions.
When their out of the room, you are giving your best as if they were still right there.
Paul says:
3:23-
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”
In everything we do, do it as unto the Lord.
Illustration-
With the MDA lock up, they told me they were going to get me in a revised patty wagon and take me in cuffs to the lock up. They pulled up in a black stretch limo. I thought they were joking. I want you to know, it could be very easy to get use to that
Suffering for Jesus That is what I was doing.
Paul tells us to be devoted, watchful, thankful. It is very easy to look at what others have and complain. It is dangerous to put your eyes on worldly positions and miss the open door for the message of Christ.
Your boss may under pay you, and over work you. But someday God will balance the scales. Part of it gets stored in heaven and payday is coming
Life does seem unfair at times. God calls us to be overcomers, to stay focused on His instructions. On the job that He has given us to do.
Like I said on Wednesday, if you are doing God’s will, it does not matter what the job is, you will be blessed and rewarded from the Lord for it.
Satan expects us to do little or nothing to accomplish much in life. If we are going to do anything we must hold high the banner of Christ and be overcomers and be a mighty witness where God has us.
How do we do that?
3 points:
I. Prayer
II. Proclaim and be a witness where He has you
III. Make the most of every opportunity
I. Prayer
Evangelism. That is almost a bad word today. The preachers are supposed to go out and witness for Christ. The word tells us that we are all suppose to go out and preach the gospel. I really don’t think we fully grasp the importance of what we are called to do.
People are dying without Jesus everyday. We can wish them into heaven, but the truth is without an active relationship with Jesus, they won’t make it.
There are people hurting and living without direction and purpose. Our job is to bring them the gospel.
Illustration
Three preachers sat discussing the best positions for prayer while a telephone repair man worked nearby. “Kneeling is definitely the best”, claimed one. No , another contested. “I get the best results standing with my hands outstretched to heaven”. Your both wrong, the third insisted, “the most effective prayer position is lying prostate, face down on the floor”. The repairman could contain himself no longer. “Hey fellas, he interrupted, the best praying I ever did was hanging upside down from telephone pole.”
V3- pray that God may open a door, the mystery of Christ may be proclaimed. To some, they do not know Jesus and the only way that they will know Him is if you tell them.
We cannot set around and do nothing, the Lord is looking for us to be prayed up and ministering to those around us.
People are not going to be inclined to listen to the testimony of a Christian who does shoddy work, careless work, one who is always complaining about the boss. But they will listen to a believer serving God that when they are ready and feel like talking, they know they can come to you.
The scripture is about our inner prayer life transforming into our outer life of being a witness.
William Barclay
Tells us of prayer to be vigilant. In the Greek it literally means to be “wakeful”. He is telling us not to go to sleep about prayer. Tireless of our bodies, struggling with life’s situations, praying for our lives and the lives of others, sometimes we pray like we are asleep.
A person with a effective prayer life will be sensitive to the needs of others and will allow the Spirit of God to work through them.
II. Proclaiming and being a witness where He has us
Walk in the wisdom towards those on the outside.(those outside of the church) redeeming our time. “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one”
I love fire and brimstone preaching, but we must also hear the love of Jesus. Seasoned with salt - salt enhances flavor, it if you have ever spilled too much salt on something, it becomes uneatable, because all you taste is the salt. Grace and salt makes a great and ideal combination.
Barclay translates:
“Let your speech always be with gracious charm, seasoned with the salt of wit, so that you will know the right answers to give in every case. God is concerned both about our personal prayer life, corporate prayer life, and our interaction with the world of the unchurched.
Illustration-
Rev. Paul Cho, pastor of the largest Korean church explained the difference what God is doing in Korea and what He is doing here. “ Americans stay after church to eat, we stay after church to pray”
III. Make the most of every opportunity
Rev Porter shared an illustration of a bride in a white dress on her wedding day. Writing a letter and spilling a little ink on the dress. Everyone said , no one will see it, it’s okay, but the bride saw it as a big obvious mark, and that it spoiled the whole dress. If we are going to take every opportunity to spread the gospel, the first thing is to get rid of the spots in our life that spoil the whole dress, makes our testimony weak to those that are watching our lives.
Song:
My life is in you Lord, My strength is in you Lord, My hope is in Lord, it’s in you, it’s in you.
You want to take every opportunity it will mean that you will be willing to share what God has done in your life.
Not only does it mean that people see you go to church on Sunday, but because you have asked them, they know they are welcome to come with you.
Some have never shared their faith. People are dying (pun intended) to be asked to go to church and nobody asks. The harder this economy gets, the more people will be looking for God in their lives.
Our opportunity has never been greater.
The economy is going south, society has turned it’s back on God and has become selfish and self destructive.
People are looking for some answers.
Like I said before, numbers are not every thing, but they are a indicator of what we are doing. We need to intentionally, each one of us, be intentional on sharing our faith.
We do not have to be scholars of the Bible.
We do not have to have this great transforming testimony.
We must just tell others what Jesus means to us. That’s not hard, least I hope it’s not.
What does Jesus mean to you? What has He done for you? What do you still believe He still wants to do for you?
Closing:
Ben Stiller on NBC
I am a Jew. Every one of my ancestors are Jewish, and it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lite up , bejeweled trees Christmas trees. It does not bother me a bit when people say Merry Christmas to me. It doesn’t bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at the intersection near my beach home in Malibu. I don’t like getting pushed around for being a Jew. I don’t think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christian. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of being pushed around.. Period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can’t find that in the constitution and I don’t like it being shoved down my throat.
where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren’t allowed to worship God as we understand Him. There are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went too. How can we expect God to give us a blessing and protection if we demand he leave us alone. We believe the newspaper, but question what the Bible says. We have taken prayer out of our schools, we don’t correct out kids and then wonder why they have no value on life.
We must take every opportunity to point people back to the Lord. Give them a hope and purpose. Direct them to the creator of the universe and tell them that He desires to have a personal relationship with each one of us.
Altar Call:
