Intro: Making connections is a part of life. God formed His human creation for relationships. We pray to make great spiritual connections with people, but we need wisdom from God in how we influence those relationships. We pray to connect to righteous mindsets and actions, but we need discernment and power from God to live them out in our relationships. We pray for God to bring us opportunities to be connectors—connecting unbelievers to Christ—but we need the mercy of God to view people the way He sees them as we evangelize. Prayer empowers us to connect in righteous ways as we walk out Christ’s call for fruitful evangelistic living.
The Book of Colossians is about making a connection to Christ—as Lord—so we can make righteous connections with others for the purpose of sharing the true gospel in words and actions. In our passage today, the Apostle Paul is a prisoner in Rome. He writes to the church in Colosse to encourage them to pray for him; Paul wants to be effective in evangelism while he is incarcerated. As well, he encourages the Colosse believers to pray and ask Christ to give them all the resources they need for sharing the gospel in their city. False teaching had been luring people away from evangelistic living and Paul was determined to call them back to the Truth.
There are many ways God may use us to proclaim Christ. We can evangelize as we connect through conversations that leave people focused on Christ. We can evangelize through our life-styles that reveal Christ’s character. We can evangelize while we share meals with others as we thank Christ for his provision. The key will always be to share truth in a way that keep people thirsty for more of Christ; to share conversations and moments that are tasty or “seasoned with salt.”
Colossians 4:2-6: An Encouragement for Prayer
2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. 3 Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. 4 Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.
5 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive [seasoned with salt] so that you will have the right response for everyone.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the power of prayer for salvation. Help all of your children to pray for opportunities to share the gospel in gracious words and actions. In Jesus’ name. Amen.