A book about prayer instructs readers to pray using Bible
verses as our prompt. Yesterday’s verse was a command to go into the world and
share the Gospel. As I prayed about that, a few things came to mind about the
difficulty many believers have with telling others about Jesus. The main one is
the threat of persecution.
I checked world news this morning on that topic.
Christians are being persecuted in almost every country, some severely. In one,
persecutors cut off the ears of Christian women. In others, Christians are not
able to get jobs. In our culture, we fear rejection from peers and loss of
comfort. Persecution varies in severity, but the dangers are a reality.
This morning, these verses bring me again to the topic of
sharing my faith:
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:2–6)
I can do the first
one — pray consistently, watchful and thankful — easy because I can do that
without talking to anyone!
But this passage
does not stop there. The second part implies having a drive to tell others
about Jesus and having people praying for me that I will have opportunities to do
it and the ability to be clear in explaining it.
Almost as an aside,
it says that Paul was in prison for obeying God in this matter. Again, things
haven’t changed much. He was persecuted also. The Christian message can bring
people to Jesus for salvation and eternal life but also to produce in them
great offense and anger. No one wants to be told they are a sinner without any
ability to save themselves. No one wants to give up the control of their lives
to a God they cannot see.
The last part of the
above passage says to be wise — don’t bring anger and hatred on myself for any
other reason than the other person does not like the Gospel. I’m not to be
obnoxious, rude, pushy, or anything else that irritates others. If they get
upset with me, it should be because I’m telling them the truth and doing it in
a loving manner.
Sharing Christ is also
supposed to be “seasoned with salt” — a word picture. When the Gospel is told
to others, it should be done in such a way that people become thirsty. Salt
does this. If they get angry because they don’t like the message, that is one
thing. If they are angry at the messenger for the manner or attitude that the
message is given, then I need to pay more attention to the Holy Spirit and less
attention to whatever else is motivating me.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Jesus, obviously some people are better at this than
others. The prophets were black and white ‘declarers’ that often came across as
a pain in the neck. Those gifted in compassion or encouragement might be better
received. However, no matter what my gifts, I realize that all believers are
commissioned to share the good news of salvation by grace through faith in
Jesus Christ. In some places in the world, it does not matter how the message
is delivered; those who believe in Jesus are put on a death list for no other
reason. That means I can be bold or terrified, a good talker or not, an eager
and talkative Christian or more apt to show my faith by what I do not what I
say — not matter what I am like, Your command stands — and You want me to obey
it.
Today’s thankful list . . .
That I am taking this command more seriously than ever.
That I can rely on You to help me do it.
A quiet day while hubby golfed.
He had one of his “best games ever.”
A nice afternoon nap.
Steak for supper.
Our comfortable holiday apartment.
No comments:
Post a Comment