Colossians 4:5-6

Colossians 4:5-6

 

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone

 

Be wise in how you interact with unbelievers. Be wise in how you speak and act towards those that have yet to accept the Gospel. We have the incredible privilege of being able to share the Gospel message with other people. We share it directly in our words and actions, and indirectly in simply how we live our lives. Therefore we want to be careful in the words we choose and actions we take. If we charge into the situation, beating the Law against the persons head, highlighting all the ways they are wrong, we will be grossly ineffective. We will likely not even get to the part about God’s incredible grace, mercy, and love before the person does an about-face and checks out. But if we lead with the Gospel first…if we lead with Christ and all that he did to save miserable souls like us, then we will be making the most of the opportunity. And we will be planting the seed of the Spirit for God to grow into a true believer. Now we must be careful in getting ahead of ourselves here, thinking that without our words and actions, the Holy Spirit is doomed from reaching the unbelievers. God doesn’t need us to grow his kingdom…God doesn’t need us to plant the Holy Spirit in the life of another person. If he wants to create a believer out of an unbeliever, he can simply do it and it is so. Simple as that. Rather I believe that perhaps one reason God involves us in the sharing of the Gospel is because we actually benefit from it. When we share the Gospel with another, we feel the joy of the Spirit, we are reminded of the incredible gift of Christ, and we find that our faith is reaffirmed through the transforming life standing before us. So we hold a great privilege in our hands and we must treat it as such. When I think of sharing the Gospel with others, my mind quickly goes to 1 Peter 3:15, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”. May we never cease in sharing the Gospel…may we never stop spreading the life-saving message of Christ…but may we share it with genuine gentleness, kindness, and respect, being careful to make the most of every opportunity. To God alone be the glory!