Colossians 4:2-6
Thank you for joining us as we study God’s Word together. No matter who you are or what you have experienced, we are confident the Bible has something for you right where you are. It is our prayer that as we look into God’s Word together, each of us will become like Jesus, and he will be glorified.
Today, we are looking at the first section of Colossians 4. As you can see, we are nearing the end of this short, powerful book, which emphasizes the supremacy of Christ. We will examine verses 2-6, and our title is “Getting the Word Heard.” Pastor J Mark is here to share the first part of this teaching with us.
Words are essential in our human experience. God spoke words to create the world and to communicate with the humans He created. Because we are made in God’s image, we too can communicate with words. And God referred to His Son, Jesus, as the Word, the logos. This Word, Jesus, was sent to us to show us the person of God the Father. John says, “The Word became flesh and lived among us.” I conclude that words are essential to God.
We all use words to convey our thoughts, ideas, desires, intentions, and more. We lose so much when we can’t communicate with words. You can express simple desires and convey your emotions through facial expressions, tears, and body language, including posture and gestures. Sign language is beneficial for people who can’t hear, but it still isn’t the same because you can’t hear tone, inflection, and the other variables in speech.
Someone said, “Communication is an art.” That’s true. Words are just one part of communication, but they’re an essential part. Simple words can be like a child drawing a stick figure. We can determine whether the figure is a man, a woman, a child, or a pet, but there is very little detail. As one develops a larger vocabulary and begins to understand the importance of context, it’s like an artist adding details to the canvas on their easel. The painting presents a fuller, richer, and more detailed picture than the stick-figure drawing.
As we continue our journey through Paul’s letter to the Colossians, we’ve come to chapter four and verses 2 through 6. While this is a brief text, it is a rich one that reveals another facet of how the preeminence of Christ influences the way we, as Christ-followers, should live.
If we believe, as Paul so clearly teaches in this letter to the Colossians, that Jesus is preeminent, that He is first in power, rank, and position, and that He is supreme over everyone and everything, then we will understand the necessity of sharing this vital truth with others. To convey this message to others, we need words. And we need words they can understand. So, I’ve titled our study “Getting the Word Heard.”
As we begin our study, here are Paul’s words from Colossians 4:2-6.
2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains,
4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.
6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
This text contains several ELEMENTS we must consider if we want to be effective in “Getting the Word Heard.”
The First ELEMENT is,
Communion
Immediately, you may think I’m talking about the Lord’s Table and the commemoration of Jesus’ sacrifice. You may think of unleavened bread and grape juice or wine representing the body and blood of the Lord Jesus. But that’s not how I’m using this word in this context.
By using the word communion, I’m referring to having fellowship with God through prayer. We know God desires communion with us. He desired it so much that He went looking for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden after they had sinned. He looked for them “in the cool of the day.” That suggests this was a time when they previously enjoyed fellowship together.
Paul instructs the Colossian Believers to continue in prayer, communing with God. Some Bible translations add the words “steadfastly” or “earnestly” because that idea is implied in the original wording. So, this isn’t just a brief giving of thanks before a meal or a child’s memorized bedtime prayer. Those certainly have their place, but this is different. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul counsels Believers to “pray continually.” However, too many of us, including myself, only pray occasionally – when we feel like it, or when we need help.
What role does prayer, communion with God, have in making sure the Word gets heard? I can think of several ways that our communion with God affects getting the word heard. First, as Paul has taught throughout this epistle, it reminds us of our complete dependence on God. James tells his readers in his epistle that one reason they don’t have what they need is that they don’t ask (James 4:2)! Too often, we fail to ask God because we rely on our abilities.
Another reason our communion with God affects getting the Word heard is that it helps keep us focused on why we’re here. It keeps us alert to what is happening around us and to opportunities to witness. I read the testimony of a surgical assistant who prayed for a job with spiritual significance. He was shocked when God led him to a position in the field of plastic surgery. He wondered why God would want him in such a hotbed of vanity. But during his times of communion with God, the Lord assured him that he was in the right place and that he should wait upon his direction. He obeyed, continuing to pray that the Lord would use him in this job.
He felt led by God to begin a prayer meeting among his coworkers. So, he announced that each Monday, 15 minutes before the start of the day, he would be in Surgical Ward #2, and anyone who wanted could join in prayer for their workplace and employees. At first, the gathering was small, but it grew, and by the end of the first year of praying together, 10 of his friends had placed their faith in Jesus for salvation. Additional prayer groups were formed throughout the hospital. Why? Because one man listened to what God told him in his time of prayer.
Think of Paul and Silas in the jail at Philippi. They were in communion with God, praying and singing. And when the prison doors flew open, they didn’t say, “Now what do we do?” They didn’t see an opportunity to escape. Instead, they saw an opportunity to share Christ with the whole prison population, including the jailer and his family! This led to the establishment of a local fellowship in Philippi.
When I was a child, my parents taught me to close my eyes when I prayed. I know why they did that: to eliminate distractions. But Paul seems to suggest that we pray with our eyes open! That can mean our physical eyes, such as when you pray while you’re walking. But more importantly, I think he’s referring to spiritual perception. In our praying, we are to watch, stay awake, and be vigilant as we pray. This command is stated numerous times in Scripture.
Another reason to be watchful in prayer is that we are easily distracted. Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, warned the disciples to watch and pray so they wouldn’t fall into temptation. What was the temptation Jesus was warning them about? First, the temptation to fall asleep when they should be awake. In addition, the temptation to respond incorrectly to the unfolding events of that night, like Peter, using man’s reasoning, and lashing out with his sword.
And why does Paul request their prayers? That God would open a door of opportunity for him to preach the Gospel. Paul’s request leads me to another critical aspect of how our communion with God helps in getting the Word heard. Let me introduce this idea with the following verse. “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them,” Second Corinthians 4:3 and 4.
In our praying, we can ask God to push back “the god of this age.” The god of this age may express himself in various ways, but ultimately, it’s Satan. He is the one who fills people’s lives with distractions; he is the one who blinds people’s minds to the truth. He is the one who tries to keep them in the darkness of superstition and fear. He is the one who stirs up family, friends, or the government to oppose them in their pursuit of the truth.
But through prayer, we can petition God to remove that blindness and open the hearts and minds of those who are hearing the Gospel. That way, when the Gospel seed falls, it falls on heart-soil that has been broken up and prepared to receive it. I don’t think we realize enough how crucial our prayers are in the salvation of the lost.
Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians while he was sitting in a Roman prison. We learn more about that in the closing verses of this chapter. But he isn’t moaning and groaning about his imprisonment. Instead, he’s asking his brothers and sisters to use their time of communion with the Lord to pray for him to have opportunities to share the Gospel, for the Word to be heard, and for personal boldness when the opportunities arise.
The testimony of that surgical assistant convicts me. So often I fail to see the opportunities that are right under my nose for getting the Word heard – because I forget to commune with God as I should! What he did wasn’t huge. Just a 15-minute prayer meeting every Monday. Yet God used that to bring people to faith in Jesus and to impact the entire hospital.
And notice, too, Paul’s emphasis on thanksgiving again. Our prayer and our watching should be bathed in thanksgiving. Thanksgiving for what? Thanksgiving for access to the throne of Almighty God. Thanksgiving for answers to prayers we’ve prayed in the past—thankfulness for God’s ability to give us what we need, rather than what we want. You can add to the list.
What is God saying to you in your communion with Him? Or have you neglected those times? Remember, James said, “We don’t have because we don’t ask.” I genuinely believe that our communion with God, or the lack thereof, has a profound impact on getting the Word heard.
Thanks, J Mark, this is so true. If we want to spread the Word, we, as God’s people, must have communion with Him. The challenge is real. We need to spend meaningful time with God. This responsibility is up to us. God is always available, but do we make time for Him? And when we are with him, are we fully present? Or are we distracted by all our other responsibilities? Communion with God is major. Hopefully, you can join us next time as we explore different ways to effectively get the Word heard.
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Thanks again for being with us today. This brings us to the end of our program. I leave you with this example from the life of Jesus. In Mark 1:35, we were told he got up very early in the morning, went to a solitary place, and prayed. Jesus made time for prayer; may you and I do the same.
