The ministry of the church, Colossians 4:7-18

Last week I remarked about how Paul in his imprisonment is believed to have had a Roman guard chained to him at all times.  And I made note of the fact that the scripture says that as a result of being in close proximity to Paul for many hours every day, every day of the week, for two years, many of the Roman Praetorian guard became believers in Christ.  And I posed the question to you, that those who are in close proximity to you in work or in some endeavor that you are a part of, would they end up becoming a Christian on the basis of your life and testimony to them because of all those hours you spend together?

Well, in this passage, we see more people that were a part of the Apostle’s daily life while he was in prison.  Now this was a prison, yet not like what we might think of today.  It was Paul’s own rented quarters, a private house, but in which he was imprisoned and unable to leave.  But it’s evident that he was able to receive visitors there, and perhaps some of them were even able to stay in the house.

So Paul actually had a church in his prison.  And that should serve to be a reminder to us, that the church is not a building, it’s not an organization.  The church does not consist of a lot of programs or special events.  You know, we sometimes see people leave our church because they want more of what they think the church is supposed to be.  And a lot of times it’s something like a church that has a large youth group program, or children’s ministry.  Or they claim they are looking for a way to be involved in a church that has resources like financial or marriage counseling that are better suited to their talents. But at least on a subconscious level, they find a church in a building that supports their idea of what a church should look like.

But here in Paul’s prison church we see that the church is just people that are committed to Christ, that are committed to one another, that are committed to the ministry of the Word, and are committed to the spread of the gospel.  Now if you remember in this epistle back in chapter 3, Paul made an appeal to the Colossians to be the church, saying “since you have been raised up with Christ,” or since they had received new life in Christ, keep your focus on things above and not things on earth.  And then Paul gives a series of practical admonitions of how we are to live now as the church.  

The church is people, made up of Christians.  We are the church.  And so though this section might easily be dismissed as just a series of personal greetings and so forth, I think Paul might also be displaying a group of people from his church, who were living illustrations of what it means to be the church of Christ, whose focus are on things above, and not the things of this earth.  

So I want to try to take each person that Paul mentions here, and provide each a vignette of sorts which I hope will show their ministry to the church, which should serve as a model for the church today.

Paul’s first mention is a man named Tychicus. He was a man with a servant’s heart. Paul says in vs 7, “As to all my affairs, Tychicus, [our] beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information.”

The name Tychicus means fortunate.  And he was certainly fortunate because of the time that he spent with the  apostle Paul. He’s mentioned in five different places in scripture, and each time only very briefly.  But from these references we can determine that Tychicus was a faithful servant of Paul throughout his ministry.

We hear initially about Tychicus in Acts 20.  Paul is collecting offerings from the churches in Macedonia for the saints in Jerusalem.  And he is joined by Tychicus in his journey.  In those days trips such as this were often quite difficult and dangerous.  You couldn’t just book a ticket on an airline.  Such journeys often took months.  But Tychicus left his home and family to travel with Paul, perhaps to provide security for Paul.  I have the feeling that Tychicus was a very capable man, physically speaking as well as spiritually.  We see Tychicus making many such trips in which he safeguarded something valuable and important for the churches. He had to travel through all kinds of terrain, over the sea, in all kinds of weather, sleeping often out in the open at night, on guard against all kinds of robbers and thieves who preyed upon the traveler.

We see him again in Titus 3:12. Paul sends him to Titus, possibly to relieve Titus as a substitute pastor while Titus visits Paul in Nicopolis. That shows that not only was Tychicus very capable physically, but he was capable spiritually as well.  He was able to sub for the pastor, Titus. 

And in 2 Timothy 4:12, we see a similar situation with Timothy. Paul wants Timothy to come to him and bring his cloak and parchments, and he sends Tychicus to hold down the fort for Timothy.  This is probably near the end of Paul’s life, and we can see that Tychicus has obviously matured as a Christian, from just a capable man with a servant’s heart, to a man that could take over the pulpit so to speak from a pastor such as Timothy. 

The first time that Paul was in prison in Rome was when he wrote this letter to the Colossians.  And Tychicus had been with Paul at that point about 4 years.  And Paul indicates in this epistle that he is going to send this letter by Tychicus.  But it wasn’t just this letter, but it’s also believed that he carried the letter to the Ephesians as well as the epistle to Philemon.  Just imagine the importance of that trip.  Three of the New Testament epistles were under the care and guardianship of Tychicus.  Not only does that indicate a servant’s heart, but a faithful man.   A man that would not let anything stop him or deter him.  I can’t help but think of this guy as possibly a former soldier who had been converted and discipled by Paul.  I cannot prove that of course.  But I look forward to meeting him one day in heaven.  He was a tough, very capable, disciplined, determined and faithful soldier of Christ who Paul leaned on quite heavily.  Thank God for men like Tychicus. 

Paul calls him a beloved brother, a faithful servant and a fellow bond servant in the Lord.  That’s a pretty high commendation.  In 1Cor. 4:2  Paul speaks of a servant of Christ being a steward, one to whom is entrusted something, and he says in that passage, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”  There is no higher commendation that a man is found to be faithful. And a bond servant is someone who has committed to serve the Lord for the rest of their life.

The second man mentioned here is Onesimus.  Paul says he that accompanying Tychicus on this journey is Onesimus, vs. 9, “and with him Onesimus, [our] faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your [number.] They will inform you about the whole situation here.” Onesimus is a man with a sinful past. Now all of us have sinful pasts.  But if we have been raised up with Christ, then our old life should be in the past, and all things have become new.  Onesimus had a past, but he became  a new creation who God could use in His kingdom.

Now if we know who Onesimus is, then we can understand why Tychicus is bringing a letter to Philemon as well as to the church at Ephesus and Colossae.  If you have read the letter to Philemon, then you know the story.  Onesimus was the slave of Philemon who it would seem had stolen something and ran away from Philemon.  That was an offense that in those days was punishable by death.  But as providence would have it, Onesimus ended up in Rome, and somehow or another ended up being led to Christ by the apostle Paul.  

Now when Paul learned of Onesimus’s background, he realized the connection, because Paul had also led Philemon to the Lord.  And furthermore the church at Colossae met at Philemon’s house. That indicates that he was a wealthy man as he would have the biggest house suitable for holding church.  Somehow in his journey’s Paul had  led Philemon to the Lord because he says in the letter, “you owe to me even your own self as well.”  So in the letter, which Onesimus and Tychicus are delivering, are instructions for Philemon to forgive Onesimus, and whatever he owed Philemon from the theft, to charge it to Paul’s account.

What is also very interesting is that there is a letter that has been found which was written by Ignatius, one of the early church fathers who lived just after the death of the apostles, and Ignatius is writing to the church at Colossae, in which he mentions the pastor of their church, who is none other than Onesimus.  Imagine that.  A former runaway slave, who was also a criminal, who repents and is restored to his master, and eventually ends up becoming the pastor of the church there at Colossae.  What a wonderful testimony of the grace of God upon sinners, that He is able to make all things new, and use even the least of us as examples of His grace.

Next, Paul mentions a man named Aristarchus, who he describes as my fellow prisoner.  We might say about Aristarchus that he’s a man with a sympathetic heart.  Now Aristarchus’ name appears elsewhere in the New Testament in association with the town of Thessalonica. Aristarchus is mentioned about 5 times in scripture.  You might remember on one occasion he was with Paul in Ephesus, and he and Gaius were arrested.  It seems quite likely that Aristarchus continued with Paul in his ministry because the next time we see him he is boarding the ship with Paul on his way to Rome.  If so, that could be the reason Paul calls him his fellow prisoner.  It would seem that he continued with Paul throughout his imprisonment, and he did so because he was sympathetic towards Paul, and wanted to share his burden.  He was willing to forego his own liberty to help Paul spread the gospel.  

The fourth man Paul mentions is a man whom we might also say is given a second chance. Really that is true about all Christians, but we see it illustrated here particularly in the case of Mark. He describes him as “Barnabas’s cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him).” 

You may remember Mark who as a young man went with Paul and Barnabas on missionary journey and somewhere along the way he decided he wanted to go back home.  We don’t know the reason but it may have been loneliness or just missing home.  Later, when Barnabas wanted to take Mark along on another missionary trip, Paul wouldn’t hear of it, because he considered Mark a deserter.  Paul and Barnabus ended up getting in such a disagreement about him, that they split up, with Barnabas taking along Mark on a missions trip, and Paul taking Silas on another.

Well, by the time of this letter some time has passed, and it’s obvious that Mark has matured as a Christian and is now reconciled to Paul.  In fact, later on Paul will say in 2 Timothy 4:11, “Take Mark and bring him with you, for he is profitable to me for the ministry.”  That was near the end of Paul’s life.  But what is also very interesting is that somewhere along the way Mark became a prodigy of Peter.  And after years of spending time under Peter’s tutelage God used Mark through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to write the Gospel of Mark.   

So it should be very encouraging for us to see that God is the God of second chances.  Even when we are faithless, He remains faithful.  God is a God of reconciliation, and He has chosen to use us, the weak things, to do mighty things for Him.  

Another man is mentioned here in this closing passage by Paul.  One that I’m sure you have never heard of.  In vs 11, speaking of the coming of Mark Paul adds, “and [also] Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me.” 

I suppose that they called him Justus rather than Jesus because he did not consider himself fit to be called Jesus.  Even though in Hebrew Jesus was Joshua and it was a fairly common name.  But interestingly, the name Justus means righteous.  So we have some indication from his name that this was a man who was committed in his faith.  And that is what we might say concerning Justus, he was a man with a strong commitment. 

Now what gives us that idea is that Paul says Justus and Mark and Aristarchus are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision.  What that indicates is that they were the only Jewish men who were working with Paul. Whenever Paul went into a new area he always began by ministering first to the Jewish community.  And it took a lot  of commitment for a Jewish man to leave his people and all the heritage and traditions of the Jewish religion and follow someone like Paul. It would seem that only these three men were all that had come out from among the Jews.  And Paul says that they were a source of encouragement to him.

Let’s look at the next person, Epaphras. Vs. 12 “Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.  For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis.”  We might say that Epaphras was a man of single purpose. 

Epaphras was the pastor of the church at Colossae.  He had come to Rome to tell Paul the trouble that the  false teachers were teaching to the Colossians. And Paul is writing this letter to the Colossians in answer to what Epaphras has told him.  Epaphras is going to stay awhile longer and spend more time with Paul. So Paul says he sends his greeting.

Notice that Paul says this pastor is always laboring for them in his prayers.  A pastor should be a man of prayer and always be lifting up his people before the Lord.  Furthermore, this pastor is concerned that they become mature in their faith.  He is not just interested in filling an auditorium or even with just making converts.  But he is concerned that they know the will of God and are completed in their faith.  Not remaining infants, but mature. That’s the hallmark of a godly pastor. To disciple and shepherd his church.

He says in vs 13, “For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis.”  That word translated as a deep concern is more literally translated as much toil or great pain.  His concern over his church is such that it causes him pain, he suffers because of his deep concern for the church.  And that’s why he labors so intensely in prayer. He contends with God in prayer for his church.  That’s the kind of leadership we see in a man like Moses who regularly went to bat for his people before the Lord, even to the point of wishing that he might be accursed in their place.  Paul said the same thing about his countrymen.  That’s the purpose of a pastor, to see His people come to maturity in Christ.

The next one Paul mentions is Luke.  Now he should be a familiar person to most of you.  Paul says in vs 14, “Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings.”  Luke was a physician.  He attended to Paul.  Paul, we believe, had problems with his eyes.  Some say that it was the result of the Damascus road experience. Some say that the situation with his eyes might have been the thorn in the flesh that he asked God to take from him three times, and yet God did not heal him.  But God did give Dr. Luke to be a companion of Paul, to minister to him.  God gave Paul his own personal physician. 

Luke is a great illustration of a man who had a talent to offer to God.  And he gave his talent to God, and God took his talent and gave him back a gift that was much greater.  He gave up his practice in medicine, but he gained the privilege of being used by the Holy Spirit to write two of the books of the New Testament; the gospel of Luke, and the book of Acts.  The gift that this man gave to the church, not just of that period, but for over 2000 years is something that cannot be compared to whatever earthly fortune that he might have given up for the sake of following Christ. 

The last guy that Paul mentions is Demas.  Demas was a man that seemed to be in good standing at that time, but in fact he had a sad future.  In 2 Timothy 4:9, Paul says to Timothy, “Make every effort to come to me soon; for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.”  Demas abandoned Paul because he fell in love with the world.  Demas is like a lot of people in the church today.  They hang in for a while, they are around for a while, but they end up loving this present world more than they love God.  It’s a life in contrast to chapter 3 vs 1, “since you have been raised up with Christ, then keep seeking the things above.  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”  But for so many people like Demas, the things of this earth have a greater allure and they end up turning back to this present world and forsake the things of God. Perhaps Demas never was saved, we don’t know.  But he certainly made a bad trade, giving up the eternal rewards of heaven for the temporary pleasures of this world.

Paul closes the letter in vs 15 saying, “Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her/her house.  When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter [that is coming] from Laodicea.  Say to Archippus, ‘Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.’  I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with you.

Notice that the church at Laodicea met at the house of Nympha. Laodicea was a neighboring town, sort of like Bethany is to Rehoboth.  So there was a house church in Laodicea that met int he house of Nympha.  We saw earlier that same situation in  Colossae, where they met at the house of Philemon.  Now neither Nympha nor Philemon are pastors, but they probably were wealthy enough to have a large house which served as the meeting place for the church.  But even with a large house, it’s doubtful that these churches had more than 50 people or so in their congregation.  Probably a lot less than that.  

I think that Christianity today has gotten the wrong idea of what a church should look like.  It’s evident from biblical history that those churches were small, intimate groups of people meeting together and serving one another in house churches.  Today the church in America for the most part is the polar opposite.  Pastors don’t even know the majority of their congregations names.  Paul indicates an intimate knowledge of the people in his church and those churches that he had visited.  And I think that kind of relationship is important if you are going to make diisciples, and fulfill the completion of their spiritual maturity as  Epaphras was praying for his church.

The last person we should mention is Archippus  in vs17.  Paul says to him, “Take heed of the ministry which you have received in the Lord that you may fulfill it.”   In Philemon we read, “To the beloved Apphia, Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house.”  Commentators believe that Apphia was Philemon’s wife and Archippus was Philemon’s son.  Now Paul calls him a fellow soldier, but that may not be a reference to the military, but to a calling of God on his life to go into the ministry.  And that seems to agree with the context of Colossians where Paul says take heed of the ministry which you have received in the Lord that you may fulfill it.  Paul is encouraging him to continue to follow the Lord’s leading in his life. To continue to fulfill the ministry which God has given him to do.  And in a prophetic sense, he is encouraging you and I to fulfill our ministry which we have been given in the Lord.

All of the people here mentioned at the close of this letter have a ministry.  Most of them seem to be fulfilling it.  Demas did not.  He deserted.  Mark deserted for a while as well, but he came back and accomplished great things for God.  Archippus is just starting out it would seem.  And Paul is encouraging him to complete his ministry, to fulfill it.  

We are the church.  We are the people God has chosen for ministry in this community. I can’t help but imagine if scripture was being written today about our church, what Paul might say about me, and about you. How would he characterize us?  I hope you know what ministry you have been called to fulfill. We have all been called to be ministers of the kingdom of God, ambassadors of Christ. I urge you by the Spirit of God to be found faithful in completing your ministry.  And if you are found faithful in the little things, then God will entrust you with greater things.  I pray for each of you today, take heed of the ministry which you have received in the Lord that you may fulfill it. 

The new speech of the new man, Colossians 4:2-6

Our speech reveals what we believe. Jesus said in Matt. 15:18 "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.” Your heart is revealed by your speech.  That’s why Paul said in Romans 10:9 that salvation is through our speech.  He said if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead you shall be saved. 

And what Paul is indicating here in this passage before us is that which is in the heart comes out of the mouth.  And if we have a new heart, since we are a new creation in Christ, we should be characterized by a new type of speech.

James speaking of our speech says in James 3:11 “Can a fountain send out from the same opening [both] fresh and bitter [water?]” Our new lives ought to reflect a new way of speaking, a new pattern of speech.  And so this brief section of scripture here at the end of this little epistle is about this new speech that we should have in this new life we have in Christ.

Now there are four patterns of speech, or four areas of speech that Paul talks about here which should be emblematic of our new life in Christ.  And the first is what we might call the speech of prayer. That’s found in vs 2, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.”  Prayer should be a primary element of our speech as we live out this new life in the Spirit.  Prayer is spiritual communication with God.  And if we are “in Christ” and we are to walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh, then it stands to reason that we are in constant communication with God.  He is the Master and Commander of our lives, and if we are to live as He would have us live, in His power, then we must be in constant communication with Him.  

I cannot imagine deliberately sinning, or preparing to sin, and praying beforehand, can you?  Prayer precludes sin.  If you are tempted to sin, and someone asks you to pray, you would have to be so convicted that it would prevent you from continuing in that sin.  Prayer is a preventive. Jesus said in Matt.26:41  "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." 

And prayer is a restorative.  When you sin, you have the immediate recourse to prayer and cleansing and restoration.  1John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  And furthermore, you might say that prayer is a preparative. It prepares you to walk by the Spirit, so that you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. It prepares you to receive the power to do the will of God.

Now Paul speaks here of a devotion to prayer.  Devote can be translated to mean to continue, to persevere, to constantly engage in.  It’s to have a constant attitude of prayer.  1Thess. 5:17 says, “pray without ceasing.”  And Eph 6:18 says, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.” We should constantly be in communication with the Lord who is the source of our life.  It’s the primary speech pattern of the new life. 

I think prayer is the most under appreciated and under utilized aspect of the Christian life. And it’s also probably the most misunderstood. Prayer is speaking directly to the Almighty God.  So prayer should be reverent.  Prayer must be articulate, it must be intelligent. Prayer must be meaningful.  Prayer is not meaningless repetition.  Jesus said in Matt. 6:7  "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.”  So avoid meaningless repetition that means nothing to you and consequently accomplishes nothing with God.  

Paul says continue or devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it.  In the KJV it says keeping watch in prayer.  Some commentators have said that word “watch” refers to looking for the second advent of the Lord, or the second coming of Christ.  The idea of watching is sometimes associated in scripture with Jesus Christ coming back.  That expectation should certainly color our lives.  It should be something we expect to happen at any time.  We should live in the constant expectancy and hope that today might be the day that the Lord returns.  

But I don’t think that is what Paul means when he says keep alert or keep watch. I think it goes back to what Jesus said which I quoted before from Matthew 26:41  "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." I think keep watching in prayer or keep alert in prayer is reminiscent of Peter’s admonition in 1Peter 5:8 “Be of sober [spirit,] be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”  Be on the alert in prayer, because it is the Lord who will deliver you from the jaws of the lion.  We can’t see the devil, but we can be on the alert for his schemes through prayer.

And our prayers to that effect should be coupled with thanksgiving, Paul says.  Now that does not mean that we dutifully check off a list of things we thank God for so we can then move on to our petitions.  But what it does indicate is that real gratitude is a safeguard against envy and dissatisfaction.  If we remind ourselves of what we have to be thankful for, then we are less likely to find ourselves dissatisfied and grumpy about what lot we have been given.  

Even in the midst of troubles and trials and tribulations, Paul found plenty to be thankful for.  Remember he is writing this epistle from prison, while in chains. And yet he starts the epistle in chapter one vs three saying, “We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you.”  We need to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness, regardless of our immediate circumstances.  So the new life should be characterized by new speech which continues in prayer.

The second attribute of speech in this new life is the speech, not of prayer, but verse 3 and 4, the speech of proclamation.  “praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;  that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.”   Twice you see the word “speak.”  Once you see the phrase,  “the word.”  Once you see the word “clear.”  And all of those words have to do with of the speech of proclamation.  

Notice that Paul says pray that God will open to us a door for the word, that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ. The mystery of Christ is simply the gospel.  Our new speech in this new life should be that which speaks forth the gospel as revealed by the word.  We are ministers of the word.  You are ministers, not in the sense of a pastor, but in the sense of an official, an ambassador of the kingdom of God.  It’s important that you know the word. It’s important that you are able to proclaim the word.  To share the word.

Paul wrote something very similar in Ephesians 6:19, “Pray for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”  He says pray for me that I might be bold; pray for me that a door for the Word might be opened up.  This man was aware that he had been given a mission, a ministry.  He didn't ask them to pray for his personal needs.  He didn't say, “Pray for me that I'll hold up under the stress.”  He didn't say, “Pray for me that I get released from prison.”  He just said, “Pray for me, that I'll open my mouth, and find an open door to proclaim the Word.”

The priority of this new speech of the new man is the proclamation of the gospel.  That was Paul’s priority, and it should be our priority. I’m afraid that far too often though its not  something we think too much about.  We’re too concerned about whether or not we might offend someone.  We are too concerned that it might seem awkward to talk about the gospel.  But the gospel really is the most important thing in the world, that people might know how they can be made right with God and receive eternal life.

We need to pray, like Paul, that God would open a door for us to speak to our friends and loved ones concerning the gospel.  To have an open door means to have an opportunity.  You know, when I seek the Lord’s will concerning things I often ask Him to either open or shut the door.  And I can tell you that the majority of the time it seems that God shuts the door.  So the way that I think God leads me is that there is only one door left that seems to be open. But then we have to walk through that door.  God is not going to carry us across the threshold.  But He will open a door for us to proclaim the gospel if we ask Him to.

In Revelation, chapter 3, verse 7, it says this: “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These things says He that is holy, He that is true, He that has the key of David, He that opens and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opens.”  He says, “I know your works: I have set before you an open door.”  God can and will open a door for us to proclaim His gospel.

Paul goes on to say in vs 4, “that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.”  I'm afraid sometimes that a good message proclaimed in a bad way will do just about as much harm as a bad message.  Paul asks for prayer that he would speak the way he should, and that he would speak it correctly, to speak the way God would have him speak about the gospel.

You know, there are a number of ways that you can speak the gospel incorrectly.  I will give you four ways in which it is commonly presented incorrectly.  One, is the crisis experience centered proclamation.  That’s where someone gets up and tells a story of how they went through some terrible ordeal and their life was changed.  They never really present the gospel, or the word of God, just the experience that happened to them, whatever that might be.  And so the hearer may be drawn to have a similar experience, but he doesn’t understand what’s involved in salvation according to the word.

The second way to falsely proclaim, is what might be called an ego-centric proclamation.  You appeal to their ego.  To their desires.  Christ can solve all your problems.  Christ can heal you, restore your marriage, help you financially.  And so the person responds on that basis, expecting God to solve all their problems.  And so often they end up disillusioned and end up falling away because Christ didn’t deliver in the way they thought He should.

The third way can be called expedience proclamation, where all you want is some sort of commitment, regardless of what they know or don’t know.  Those kinds of presentations often rely on another method, which is emotional proclamation, where the emotions are manipulated to get people to respond.  The music is playing softly,  the appeal is couched in some heartbreaking story, and the person starts crying, and they respond with an emotional commitment to something that they think has to do with God, but they don’t really know what happened other than they felt something or had some sort of emotional experience. 

Paul says, let me speak in a way that is clear, that makes clear the truth of the gospel, and let me proclaim it as God would have me to do it.  That should be our goal as well.

The third way our speech is different now that we are Christians is the new man is going to have the speech of what we might call performance. Verse 5: “Walk in wisdom toward them that are outside, redeeming the time.” Here he's talking about the speech of performance, or how you act. 

Have you ever heard the saying, “Your actions speak so loudly I can’t hear what you are saying?”  What Paul is indicating here is a lifestyle that speaks louder than your words.  Walk, he says.  That’s talking about lifestyle.  That’s behavior.  What you do comes before what you say.  People aren’t going to really listen to you prattle on about the Lord if your actions are contrary to His teaching.  

Paul is talking about our testimony before outsiders; meaning those outside the church. These are the unsaved.  He says walk or act with wisdom towards those who are unsaved.  What does he mean by wisdom?  A wisdom of this world?  Are we to make sure we talk in a way that is hip, that is relevant, so that the people of the world think we’re cool and they will listen to us? Are we to model the look and dress and behavior and sounds of the world so that they will accept us and then listen to us? Is that what he is saying?

It certainly seems to be the way a lot of churches today interpret this.  One well known church in Chicago a number of years ago,  which became a model for most of the large modern churches today,  in the beginning of their ministry they sent out a survey to the community, and they asked them what features that turned them off about church, and what kind of things that they would like to see in a church.  And after all the responses were evaluated, they designed their church to be like what the unsaved people in the community wanted to see.  They called it the seeker friendly church.  And they were very popular for a while and built a mega church that became a template for hundreds of other churches across the country to emulate.  But is that walking in wisdom towards outsiders? I don’t think that is what Paul is talking about.

Paul simply means walking in the wisdom of the word.  Colossians 1:9,“For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.”  You have been saved, you have been given wisdom to understand the mystery of the gospel.  And you need to be filled with the wisdom of godly living that you might walk in it. Wisdom is the application of knowledge.  Especially in our testimony to the unsaved, we need to live lives that are a reflection of Christ. We need to apply the truth of the gospel to our daily lives.  We need to live godly.  We need to avoid the temptations of the world.  We need to put on the behaviors which Paul enumerated in the previous chapter. 

Here’s what he said about walking in wisdom in ch. 3:12-17 “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;  bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.  Beyond all these things [put on] love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.  Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms [and] hymns [and] spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”  That’s walking in wisdom, and we should make sure that our lives exemplify that lifestyle to the eyes of a watching world.

Then he says, “Redeeming the time,” that’s the literal translation of the end of vs 5.  What does that mean?  Time there is not kronos, from which we get chronology or chronograph, which means time in terms of clock time.  It is kairos, which means time  in terms of  opportunity.  A better translation might be “making the most of every opportunity.”  Psalm 90 says “So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.”  It's a matter of making the most of  opportunity.  You know, opportunity is momentary.  Life is short.  People are dying.  You don’t know how much time you have.  Jesus is coming soon. So make the most of the opportunity that you have to speak the truth to someone. 

The Bible talks about the door being shut.  The Bible talks about the night that’s coming, when no man can work.  The Bible talks about Jesus removing the candlestick which is the light of the church.  It’s important that we recognize that time is fleeting, and opportunity doesn’t always give us a second chance. You have today.  You have the opportunity today to make sure you have said everything that can be said to your loved one or to your friend or co worker. The night is coming when no man can work. 

That leads us to the fourth type of speech characteristic of the new life - the speech of perfection. Vs 6 “Let your speech always be with grace, [as though] seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”  Now this phrase,  “Let your speech be always with grace.”  He's talking about our general conversation.  The mouth of a Christian should utter the speech of perfection.  Never out of the mouth of a Christian should come that stuff that Paul listed in chapter 3: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech and lying. 

But rather Paul says let your mouth speak graciousness.  What is courteous, what is kind, what is tasteful.  What is purposeful, what is complimenting, what is gentle, what is truthful, what is loving, what is thoughtful.  Not bitter, abrasive, vindictive, sarcastic, angry, cutting, boastful, none of those things should characterize your speech.  Your speech should be gracious.  

Then Paul adds, “Seasoned with salt.” My doctor has told me that I should avoid a lot of salt.  But salt makes food taste good. So I can’t see how it can be that bad for you. Maybe Paul is saying that our speech should be tasteful.  And not just gracious, but your speech ought to be worth something. Salt was used for money in those days. Salt was also used as a preservative to stop corruption. Salt was used to cleanse as well. So your speech should be a purifier that prevents corruption.  Your speech should act as a purifying, wholesome, cleansing influence, rescuing the sinner from the corruption that is in the world.

The Greeks had another thought here.  They said the idea of salt was the idea of wit.  And wit is the ability to say just the right thing at just the right time.  There is a saying which was penned by Shakespeare which is; “brevity is the soul of wit.”  It means the essence of an effective statement lies in its concise wording and delivery.

And isn't that what Paul is saying?  “That you may know how you ought to answer every man.”  You've got the appropriate answer for just the right time, and just the right person.   The right word at the right time to the right person, the speech of perfection. And that perfect speech is gained through prayer, through the study of God’s word, and through practice in proclamation.  

I can tell you from experience that you get better at articulating the gospel the more that you do it.  The more you practice it the more comfortable you become, and the better you become at finding the right words.  A lot of people are afraid of speaking to someone about the gospel because they have never done it.  They’re afraid that they won’t know what to say.  But the fact is that God will help you know what to say.  And as you step out in faith, and are obedient to His command to be a witness, He not only will provide the help you need, but you will develop more confidence and competence as you commit yourself to doing it.

Well, thank God we have a new life in Christ.  An as a result we are to have a new type of speech. Devote yourselves to prayer. Pray that a door would be opened for proclamation of the gospel. Then act in wisdom towards those who are outsiders, making the most of every opportunity. And finally, practice the speech of perfection; Let your speech always be gracious,  seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” 
May God grant us the desire to obey His will in our speech.