Colossians 4:2-6 – Contagious Faith
And we are in the final lap of the race, the final stage of working our way through Colossians verse by verse. Next week, we will spend some time looking at qualities of Christian friendships. And the following week, we will be examining what it means to be in chains… Paul’s, and ours, and how they’ve been broken. As for today, we will gain some insight as to living lives that will attract others to the God we serve.
Let’s read Colossians 4:2-6.
Now, I need to tell you a couple of things. I read an article this summer asking the question to preachers, “Are we modern-day Pharisees?” Nobody wants to be a Pharisee because of all the negative connotations about them, but we often doing the same things as they did. We make lists of things to do and not to do. We read the Scriptures and say, “Now, here’s what God meant. So go out and follow this list of ways to do it.” And very often, the mystery and wonder of faith in Jesus becomes a to-do list of things to put into practice or things to avoid. And frankly, if following God is just a matter of obeying the right rules, Jesus didn’t really set us free from anything; He just exchanged one set of rules for another.
And I just finished an excellent but slightly controversial book called The Naked Gospel by Andrew Farley. It presents the argument that Jesus plus nothing saves us. Not obedience to the OT laws. Not obedience to the 10 Commandments. Not obedience to the Sermon on the Mount. Not even obedience to NT commands. Only Jesus’ blood saves us, and we enter into that by faith.
When we do, Jesus comes to live inside us, and He guides us and teaches us. And changes us. Obedience doesn’t us. Checklists don’t change us. Rules don’t change us. He changes us. Too often we try to change ourselves, and it doesn’t work, and we get frustrated and resentful that the Gospel isn’t really much better than the OT, except that we don’t have to kill animals anymore.
I want to present a better way, as I have come to see it. You may not “get it” or buy into it, but I pray that something would work in our hearts to stir us into a deeper trust in Jesus.
So Paul, as he wraps up his letter to the Colossians, begins to get a little personal. He shares that he’s in prison – in chains. He doesn’t ask them to pray that he would get out of prison, only that he would be a witness of Jesus where he is. I think too often we pray to get out of sticky situations, but God has better things in store for us, no matter how uncomfortable or unpleasant those situations may be.
In these few verses, Paul tries to give us a perspective of what really matters. From jail, Paul tells us the things that really have significance in our lives. He gives us 3 instructions for effective Christian living. And since they have to do with helping others reach out and find Jesus, to help others get what we have, I’ll use the term coined by Bill Hybels: contagious. Paul gives us 3 instructions for having a contagious faith.
The 1st direction for a contagious faith is to be devoted in prayer. To make prayer a priority. To commit to praying. People complain about the lack of prayer at school. Which is such a self-righteous joke, because it doesn’t take much insight to see a lack of prayer in churches.
Being alert and thankful in prayer. Praying not just about our own needs, but the needs of others. Praying for other pastors, that they would share the word of truth to their listeners. This is what Paul is telling us to do here.
Devoted to prayer. Maybe keeping a prayer list might be a good idea. Never ever telling someone you’ll pray for them if you don’t intend to. Joining us for prayer meeting and Bible study on Wednesday nights – we’re picking up where we left off in June in Ephesians 4.
While you drive… pray. While you work… pray. While you shower… pray. While you scrub the toilet or clean the dishes… pray. Slowly adding more prayer to your day.
The 2nd direction for a contagious faith is to be redeeming in actions. The NIV says “make the most of every opportunity”. The KJV calls it “redeeming the time”. I like that. To buy back, to find worth in something. To make something that had been used by the enemy to make it useful for God.
That’s why we’re showing a suspenseful movie at Halloween time. Not that everything that happens at Halloween is good, of course not. It means finding a way to bring good out of it. Redeeming it, in some small way.
It’s why at Christmastime, we do things that are meant to point us back to God. Sure, there are lots of things that distract at Christmas. Sure, likely Jesus wasn’t born on December 25. Sure, that date was chosen by Christians as a celebration because a pagan celebration was already going on that day. I’m not arguing any of that. I’m saying that I believe that God wants to redeem, to buy back, to add value to something kin of hollow. So we celebrate the birth of Jesus, using the goodwill and spiritual openness of the season, reminding people that God came in the flesh to understand us, to sympathize with us, to know what it means to be human.
God redeemed the earth, and we carry that on by redeeming the time. Making the most of every opportunity. Doing good for others. Sharing kindness and mercy. Loving and caring for others, as Jesus would.
The 3rd direction for a contagious faith is to gracious in speech. Full of grace, seasoned with salt, effective in knowing what to say. Salt is meant to preserve and to keep. Too often our words tear down and ruin. Salt is meant to add flavour and enhance. Too often our words are useless. Salt makes you thirsty. Our words are meant to help people thirsty for something – Someone – that can satisfy. And salt is meant to be used sparingly. Too often our words flow too much – we talk too much – and we don’t listen enough.
To have gracious speech – to talk in a way that leads others closer to God – to show forgiveness and kindness in our speech – this is what Paul is talking about. To be careful about what we say and how we say it. That’s so important. It’s part of a contagious faith, to be sure.
Now, I have a hunch you’re thinking something like, “This is all good stuff. But I am so not there. This is where I fall short. I can’t be a good enough Christian, no matter how hard I try. I have been walking with Jesus for so long, and I just can’t seem to get better at it.” And we beat ourselves up. Or we compare ourselves to others and gain comfort in the fact that hey… at least we’re better than them. And what we have done is become Pharisees – using a set of standards or rules or guidelines to tell us how good we are. There has got to be a better way. And there is.
Fall on Jesus. He is the only thing that makes us right. Not performance. Not rule-following. Not Bible knowledge. Jesus. Plus nothing.
You see, as we saw in Colossians 1:27, Christ is in us, and that is the hope of glory. Jesus living inside of believers is really the only way we will improve. I mean, real attitude change, not moral self-improvement, turning-over-a-new-life stuff. It’s what Jesus does in us and to us and through us, that matter way more than what we try to muster up ourselves.
Verses like these, telling us about all the things we have to do, are meant to accomplish the same purpose as the OT laws or the Sermon on the Mount. They’re meant to show us we can’t do it, in and of ourselves. They are designed to point us to Jesus, to draw strength from Him, to go to Him to become the people He wants us to be, and not to try to muster up enough goodness in our own performances. So we pray.
Look at Philippians 2:12-13 – “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” We talk about working out our salvation plenty, but it’s not about us, really. God works inside us. And He doesn’t just work, doing all the changing. He also wills. That is, He gives us the desire to let Him work. He gives us the desire to be changed.
This matters, and I’ll tell you why. It means that when we don’t have the motivation to change, or our performances are not up to par, God is willing to work with us. He’s not condemning us that we can’t get it right. It means that we can pray about it.
“Lord, I’m not who I should be. I’m not who I try to convince others I am. I am flawed, weak, unspiritual, sinful and proud. I should know better, I should behave better, but I don’t. But I know You love me, and I want to be more like You. Lord, help me want to want this. I only want to change just a little; give me the desire to want it more.”
And then, pray more specifically. Like about the 1st direction for a contagious faith: devotion to prayer.
“Lord, I don’t pray as I should. I’m not devoted. But I want to be more devoted. Give me the desire to pray more often than I do. Lord, I know it’s not about how much I pray – You just want to spend some time with me. Teach me to pray. Teach me to hear. Teach me to listen. Teach me to be guided in my prayers.”
And then, the 2nd direction was to be redeeming in actions.
“Lord, I want to make the most of opportunities. Show me where I can make a difference for You in this world. Show me how to be wise towards those who don’t know You yet. Teach me to be careful in my actions, not as legalism but as freedom to walk as You did. Remind me to reflect You, but help me not to be in bondage of others’ opinions.”
And then, the 3rd direction was to be gracious in speech.
“Lord, I fail so much in what I say. I’m too outspoken, or I’m too cowardly, or I’m too opinionated, or I’m too shallow.. Lord, I don’t show grace and compassion when I speak, as I know You did. My conversation isn’t seasoned with salt, improving and preserving and helping fight off mold in someone’s soul. Lord, teach me what to say, and how to say it. Lord, I want to be a reflection of You. Help me to want this more than I do. Help me to be like You in my speech.”
You see? This isn’t a checklist that good Christians follow. This isn’t about your performance or your perfection. This is about allowing Jesus inside you to change your desires and your behaviour. This is what it means in Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
This is what is meant in Titus 2:11-12 – “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” The grace that forgave us when we asked is the same grace that will change us and teach us how to follow Him. It’s not about changing ourselves; it’s about allowing Him to do it for us.
