Introduction:
Somewhere, sometime, somebody shared the “good news” of what Jesus did for you at the cross and the tomb! Who was that person or persons? How did that process occur for you? How grateful we are that someone helped us to come to the gospel!
Obviously, in that process that good news was flowing from one person to another person. “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”” John 7:38, NIV. Question: Is the gospel still flowing today? Is it flowing out of our lives? Or is there a clog in the system? The key is to keep the flow...flowing. Talking about outreach and evangelism. We have been rescued- saved. We have been forgiven and declared “no penalty for you” before God! The message has flowed freely into our lives and we are not the same. And now, we must find ways to release that life changing message and allow it to impact the lives of others. We must not withhold it! But how do we keep it flowing?
Thesis: Some thoughts on keeping the gospel flowing from Colossians 4:2-6
For instances:
Open our eyes when we pray (Vs. 2)
What the church needs is a true revival. Revival starts with prayer.
Luke 18:1 Jesus said, we should always pray and not give up- Luke 18:1. In 1 Thessalonians we are told to “....pray continually, without ceasing;” These verses teach us that we should always be ready to pray.
This word devoted implies unrelenting persistence and is the opposite of “hit and miss.” This brings back to mind how steadfast the early church was in Acts 2:42: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Being devoted in prayer is similar to cheering on our favorite sports team, regardless of whether they are winning or losing. Paul is saying something quite simple: Keep praying. Don’t bail. Don’t give up. Be faithful. You may have dry times and days when you don’t know what to say, but keep praying anyway.
S. D. Gordon wrote, “The greatest thing anyone can do for God and man is pray. It is not the only thing, but it is the chief things. The great people of earth are the people who pray. I do not mean those who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer; nor yet those who can explain about prayer; but I mean those people who take time to pray”.
The verb translated “being watchful” comes from a root verb that has to do with being awoken or what we could say in modern day terms, revived. This verb translated “being watchful” is a present active participle, meaning that those who devote themselves to prayer must at the same time be ever alert. Prayer is as much about keeping ones eyes open to the things around you as it is about keeping your eyes directed heavenward at the throne of grace. Persistent prayer is necessary when preparing for revival.
These verses come after a section on responsibilities of parents, children and employees. Also we are to Watch out for our neighbor – as we look at people, observe their lives, not so that you can find something to be critical about, but so that you can find something to pray about. You’ve got to pay attention to the spiritual needs of people around you. How much of our prayer time is devoted to praying for people who are unsaved? Jesus said something like this: “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” John 4:35, NIV. By keeping our eyes open in prayer we will see the people around us who need to hear the message.
Pray for opportunities (Vs. 3)
Paul of course wrote these words while under house arrest in Rome, chained to a Roman soldier. His incarceration gave him ample opportunity to share the Gospel with people who visited and with the soldiers who were assigned to guard him. Amazing to me that while Paul is under house arrest he doesn’t ask for prayers for his release, or for better food, or anything else like that. He simply wants an open door for the gospel message. Even though he was locked up he was able to minister effectively but he needed the prayers of God’s people for the doors to open.
An open door means looking for opportunities. We must look for opportunities and see the people around us who are without hope. We must be bold and take a risk: we must speak up and allow the message to flow. Paul craved the prayers of people because he knew it would lead to increased opportunities to proclaim the gospel message. I can open a door for you and you can open a door for me if we pray for one another.
Pray for others who have opportunities (Vs. 4)
Paul asked the Colossians to pray for him as he attempted to proclaim the message.
Pray for Kerry Allen, pray for the singers, pray for those who have opportunities.
Let’s be fellow workers. I will pray for you and you pray for me. We need each other! There was once a preacher who had a little five-year-old daughter. Now the little girl noticed that every time her dad stood behind the pulpit, and was getting ready to preach he would bow his head for moment before he began to preach. The little girl noticed that he did this every time. So one day after the service the little girl went to her dad and asked him, “Why do you bow your head right before you preach your sermon?” “Well Honey” the preacher answered, “ I’m asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon.” The little girl looked up at her father and asked, “Then how come he doesn’t do it?” Folks, in order for me to effectively minister the message to you with boldness and in a clear, interesting way, I need your prayers.
Reach out to those on the outside (Vs. 5)
When people come to church that is a great opportunity to reach out to them. They are here and must be interested at least a little. WE must take advantage of every open door, building relationships and establishing trust in order for people to receive our message. Don’t know of a greater opportunity than when they actually come.
In the movie called the Dead Poet’s Society, Robin Williams plays the role of a teacher in an exclusive eastern prep school. On the first day of school, he takes the class of boys out into the hallway to look at the pictures of the past, now dead, graduates of the school. He motives them to learn and excel in life with the following words: “We are food for worms, lads! Believe it or not each and every one of us in this room one day will stop breathing, turn cold, and die. Step forward and see these faces from the past. They were just like you are now. They believed they were destined for great things. Their eyes are full of hope. But, you see, gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. If you listen real close, you will hear them whisper their legacy to you. Lean in. What do you hear?” They lean in and then Robin says in an eerie grave like voice, “Carpe Diem! (Latin for seize the day) Seize the day boys! Make your lives extraordinary!” Need to seize the opportunity especially while they are here
Know how to answer (Vs. 6)
The verb for “seasoned” and the noun translated “salt” are found in Mark 9:50 ““Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness (seasoned), how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”” Mark 9:50, NIV.
Think about what happens when you eat seasoned or salted food, 3 things:
1. Salt and seasonings makes one thirsty – thus as Christians, our concern for a strong testimony before God ought to be that others around us get “thirsty” for God.
2. Salt and seasoning in the scripture is sometimes used to describe the purity of a sacrifice. Leviticus 2:13 speaks of acceptable sacrifices before God in the Jewish sacrificial system: “Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.” Leviticus 2:13, NIV. In the New Testament we as Christians are described as presenting ourselves as living sacrifices, Holy and acceptable unto God, which is our spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1-2) Testimonies before a watching world ought to communicate a thirst for God and a consistent pattern of “walk” matching with “talk”.
3. But notice a third thing associated with salt in the scriptures – preservation. This speaks of the preserving quality the presence of believers have in slowing the tide of evil
A solid testimony aims for cultivating thirst for God, purity before God and preserving the integrity of God in an otherwise godless world.
Not enough to be good old boys in the neighborhood. We must share the message. The power is in the gospel. If our walk does not match our talk it is a hindrance to the Gospel. Charles Chu tells the following story: A few years ago I had a chance to become a hero, but it turned out to be an embarrassing moment. I was in China on a tour group. Our tour bus was on the way to a scenic spot with another tour bus in front of us. It was snowing, and the road was muddy. Suddenly the bus ahead of us skidded off the road and tipped over on its side in a rice field. I quickly jumped off my tour bus, ran to the overturned bus, and jumped on top. Windows were shattered, and people inside were obviously hurt. The emergency door was facing upward, so I grabbed the handle of the emergency door and pulled. The door did not open. I kept pulling hard, but it wouldn’t budge. By this time, others had come and were pulling people out through the windows, so I gave up on the door and joined them. After I moved away from the door, another man went over to the door. He turned the door handle, and the door opened easily. I suddenly realized why the door did not open for me: I had been standing on the door as I tried to open it. With good intentions to save lives, I had become the biggest obstacle blocking the door of rescue. Sometimes those who want to lead others to Christ become the biggest obstacle to their salvation. Need to let it flow!
