This past May, I preached a sermon series called ‘Just Walk Across the Room,’ taken from Bill Hybels’ book of the same name. Hybels has an evangelism gift and this book is all about personal/relational evangelism and is a worthwhile read for all Christ-followers. Hybels exudes a passion for pointing people to Jesus…
Paul’s zeal for gospel advancement exudes in verses 2-6: Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 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.
My sense from this exhortation is that we are to be praying for kingdom advancement and personal opportunities to be involved in it. Clearly Paul requests prayer for himself . As I read his request, I connect it to praying for missionaries I know… that God would open the door for their clear and effective proclamation of the Gospel. But the Spirit also prompts me to hear Paul’s request to be open myself (ourselves) to sharing Christ clearly and effectively. Listen to Paul exhort to his readers:
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. … 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.
Given what Paul has previously written, part of their prayerful watching is for people who would steal the freedom they have in Christ with rules and bondage. But given the immediate context, I hear Paul exhorting them to be watching for opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others…
The Holy Spirit’s nudge to me is, “Be more intentional about this, Bill. Be more intentional about praying for opportunities to share the Gospel regularly, intentionally seasoning your conversations with God so that the curiosity of others might be peeked and questions might be asked…
O, God, may I live this exhortation… for the kingdom sake, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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