Welcome to Day 2499 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Day 2499 – The Big Deal About 'Little' Things – Daily Wisdom – Colossians 4:2-6

Putnam Church Message – 11/03/2024

Jesus Christ, Our Leader – The Big Deal About “Little” Things- Colossians 4:2-6

Last week, our focus was having Christ as the center and source of our lives.

Today, we move on to the third and final section of the letter to the Colossians. If you remember when we started this series, the theme is: Jesus Christ is sufficient as our Lord, our Life, and our Leader. For baby Christians under attack from false teachers who were rejecting Christ’s person and reducing His power, this message was the perfect defense. In the first section of Colossians, Paul underscored the sufficiency of Christ as our Lord (1:1–2:23). In the second section, he highlighted the sufficiency of Christ as our Life (3:1–4:1). Now, in the remainder of the final chapter of this short but formidable book, Paul emphasizes the sufficiency of Christ as our Leader (4:2–18).

Paul ended the previous section by pointing out that we all have a “Master in heaven” (4:1). Now, he wraps up this letter by outlining several practical and personal ways that Christ’s leadership is to manifest itself in our lives.| Christ directs our paths, navigating us through ministry opportunities and obstacles (4:2–6).| Next week, we will learn that when we serve Him as bond-servants, we must depend on our fellow laborers, acknowledging that we all serve one Leader and have one goal: the widespread proclamation of His message, which is to build God’s Kingdom on earth (4:7–18). Only when we depend on Christ as our sufficient Leader will we be able to fulfill this goal.

Today’s passage is Colossians 4:2-6 on page 1835 of your Pew Bibles. We will explore The Big Deal About “Little” Things. I am reading from the NLT.

 2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. 3 Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. 4 Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.

5 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive[a] so that you will have the right response for everyone.

In our world of information overload, where tweets, posts, pins, and texts are thrown around like empty disposable wrappers, it’s easy to believe that words are unimportant, weak, meaningless, vaporous, and hollow. This notion is completely false! Contrary to the familiar expression, ‘talk is cheap,’| talk is not cheap. Words do matter —especially spiritual words.

As we’ll see in these five insightful verses from Paul’s letter to the Colossians, our speech has two dimensions: the vertical and the horizontal. Both dimensions represent powerful lines of communication—not worthless chatter or squandered syllables, but living, active, productive articulations. Our vertical speech is directed to God. Believers are to be committed to prayer. Rather than using prayer as a casual and relaxed type of communication, we are challenged to be devoted to practicing it. And our horizontal speech (our interpersonal communication) is equally significant because it occurs amid those who don’t have a relationship with God.

We’ll discover in examining this passage that the words we speak and the actions we take—even the seemingly little things—mean a lot and can accomplish far more than we imagine. Our words and actions may not seem all that significant in the moment, but we often later realize that lives have been changed by them. The apostle Paul certainly finds these things necessary. He underscores the importance of prayer for “insiders” (4:2–4) and the significance of our actions and words toward “outsiders” (4:5–6).

—4:2–4—

In these three verses, Paul addresses the vertical dimension by writing about words directed to God in prayer. He offers three pieces of sound advice that we can apply to our prayer lives. (Bulletin Insert)

First, be devoted in prayer (4:2). Prayer is to be active, not passive;| bold, not weak; |specific, not general; |attentive, not lazy;| continuous, not sporadic.| Hebrews 4:16 says, So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. We don’t come groveling, pleading, begging, or bargaining. Entering God’s presence boldly| but with proper humility, we acknowledge that He has the power to give us what we ask but the right to answer however He pleases. We can know that, however, He answers—“Yes,” “No,” “Wait,” or “Here’s something better”—He’s going to work everything out for our good, not for our harm (Rom. 8:28). And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. So with an attitude of thanksgiving—even for prayers God has not yet answered—we’re to exercise diligence and vigilance. We’re to pray with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

Second, be visionary in prayer (Col. 4:3–4). Paul doesn’t hesitate to ask the Colossians to pray for him and his fellow workers, giving some specifics unique to his particular circumstances and directly related to his eager desire to fulfill his calling to preach Christ with clarity. I find it interesting that Paul doesn’t ask them to pray for his physical release from prison. He doesn’t ask that they conduct an hour-by-hour prayer vigil until he’s released from his house arrest. Instead, he asks that doors of opportunity might be opened right where he has found himself. Though he was experiencing very limiting circumstances, Paul had a massive ministry vision. As I read the closing lines of the book of Acts, I have every reason to believe the Colossians did pray for this and that God granted it. Acts 28:30–31 says of Paul: For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense.[a] He welcomed all who visited him, 31 boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him. It seems that their prayers were answered!

Third, be specific in prayer (Col. 4:3–4). Note how specific Paul was in his request for the Colossians’ prayers. |He didn’t ask them to pray for missionaries in general,| but for himself and his co-workers specifically. |He didn’t ask them to pray for God to make Himself known across the globe |but to grant Paul open doors to proclaim the gospel in his particular circumstance.| He didn’t ask them to pray that God would open the hearts and minds of unbelievers worldwide to respond to His revelation| but to give Paul clarity of expression when he preached the word to those around him.

These few statements concerning the vertical words that can be expressed on behalf of insiders provide a pattern for us to follow when we pray for others who are engaged in the frontline battle for souls. Name the people for whom you’re praying. Ask for open doors. Pray for their specific situations, challenges, and opportunities. Ask that God would help them make the most of their limited resources and overcome setbacks. We need to pray continually, pray passionately, and pray specifically.

—4:5–6—

In Colossians 4:2–4, Paul reminded us that our words matter in our vertical orientation in prayer toward God on behalf of insiders. Now, in 4:5–6, he turns to how our words and actions make a difference on behalf of outsiders. In discussing our walk (4:5) and our talk (4:6), Paul addresses the two most observed aspects of our witness>to the lost.

Never forget that although those on the outside—that is, unbelievers who are without Christ—are lost, they don’t lack a keen sense of seeing and hearing. They’re very perceptive, discerning, and observant when it comes to how we who claim to know Christ behave and speak. Sometimes, the scrutiny with which they examine our lives is a little unfair. Christians typically don’t claim to be completely free from sin, just completely forgiven of it. Nevertheless, our works and our words can either draw a watching world closer to God or drive them farther away.

We need to pay attention to our walk and conduct ourselves with wisdom toward those on the outside. The words translated as “make the most of every opportunity” in (4:5) is the Greek word peripateō, which refers to all the actions of a person’s daily life. Only God can see our hearts,| so people will size us up and evaluate the quality of our faith through how we conduct ourselves.

This is why Paul calls us to “live wisely,” which is one of the great words of Scripture. The Greek term sophia, which we translate as “wisdom,” means “the capacity to understand and function accordingly.” In Colossians alone, it’s used six times. In one instance, Paul refers to worldly human “wisdom” stemming from false religion and asceticism (2:23)—the antithesis of the “spiritual wisdom” found only in Christ (1:9, 28; 2:3; 3:16; 4:5).

When we live our lives under the leadership of Christ alone, who is our source of true spiritual wisdom, we will experience numerous positive effects: (Bulletin)

Wisdom will help us know when to speak and when to be silent.

Wisdom will give us insight into how to relate to others with tactfulness.

Wisdom will equip us to discern the best course of action with skeptics and critics.

Wisdom will grant us opportunities to give advice and counsel amid people’s struggles.

In short, conducting ourselves with wisdom will help us make the most of every opportunity. We won’t squander our encounters with those who desperately need Christ. It will make our lives winsome, persuasive, and convincing—>even before we open our mouths to share the saving truths of the person and work of Jesus Christ. But when we live foolishly and hypocritically, we can turn outsiders away.

This story has often been told about Dr. Will H. Houghton, who pastored the Calvary Baptist Church in New York City and later served as president of Chicago’s Moody Bible Institute till his death in 1946. |When Dr. Houghton became pastor of the Baptist Tabernacle in Atlanta, a man in that city hired a private detective to follow Dr. Houghton and report on his conduct. After a few weeks, the detective was able to report to the man that Dr. Houghton’s life matched his preaching. As a result, that man became a Christian.

Still addressing the issue of how we conduct ourselves in the horizontal dimension to those on the outside, Paul next discusses our talk (4:6). We can’t win people to Christ merely by being kind, smiling pleasantly, and living as we should. We need to have winning words coupled with our wise walks. Paul puts it this way: Let your conversation be gracious and attractive[a] so that you will have the right response for everyone. We understand the “gracious” part. Our words should be thoughtful, charming, and winsome—not rude, arrogant, or caustic. This has to do with the manner of our speech, not the content. Of course, some people will be offended by the gospel message no matter how lovingly we present it. People often do not like being told they are lost sinners in need of a Savior and that they are helpless to save themselves. Yet, in our words and actions, we should strive to present the truths of the gospel “with grace.” As Paul says elsewhere, 32 Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles[a] or the church of God. 33 I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved. (1 Cor. 10:32–33).

In Colossians 4:6, Paul illustrates his point, saying that our speech should be attractive, which means “seasoned with salt.” In the ancient world, as today, salt was used as a preservative to keep food from spoiling. But this doesn’t seem to be Paul’s primary focus. Though a positive response to the gospel does preserve the eternal lives of believers, Paul’s main emphasis in the metaphor here is that we respond to each person appropriately.| It is the quality of our speech that’s in view. Paul probably has in mind another everyday use of salt—as a seasoning to add zest to food. Skilled cooks will tell you that salt isn’t supposed to be used to add flavor to tasteless, bland food but to enhance the natural flavor of food. Thus, Paul likely means our words should be lively, zestful, attractive, thought-provoking, winsome, and humorous. I like how William Barclay puts it:

It is all too true that Christianity, in the minds of many, is connected with a kind of sanctimonious dullness and an outlook in which laughter is almost a heresy.… Christians must commend their message with the charm and wit in Jesus himself. There is too much of Christianity, which stodgily depresses people, and too little of Christianity, which sparkles with life.

Does your life sparkle in front of others? Are you salty, causing them to thirst for the Kingdom of God?

Application: COLOSSIANS 4:2–6 (Bulletin)

Our Talk and Our Walk Are Important

We’ve considered the power of seemingly “little” things—our talk and our walk. Paul has prompted us in COLOSSIANS 4:2–6 to give more thought to the words we speak and the things we do. These may, at times, seem insignificant to us, but our daily words and actions expressed under the leadership of Christ are a big deal in our vertical and horizontal relationships. As we wrap up this section, let me share four specific principles we can all apply in our lives.

First, strengthen your commitment to pray. Be devoted. Be visionary. And be specific. Honestly, I don’t know of any work harder than prayer—devoted, passionate, focused prayer. Passive, purposeless prayer is easy. It’s simple to lip-sync prayers, mumbling mere words while our minds are in neutral. It is challenging to shift our hearts and minds into four-wheel drive and plow through specific prayer requests with power and compassion! It’s easy to occasionally belt out prayers when people around us expect us to pray. But how difficult it is to be committed to prayer behind the scenes when nobody is looking, offering up requests to Someone we can’t see and hear. It takes faith. It takes perseverance. And it takes commitment. Commit to praying more tomorrow than you did yesterday and more next week than you do this week. Then, build from there.

Second, ask God for greater wisdom in your walk. James says, If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. (Jas. 1:5). And Paul reminds us that Jesus Christ Himself is the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24). We are given wisdom by means of the Holy Spirit who indwells us. We can pray something like this: “Lord, by your Holy Spirit and according to the character of Jesus Christ, help me to be wise in my walk. Enable me to be sensible in my interactions with people, to cultivate tact, and to think before I respond.”

Third, pay closer attention to “outsiders.” I don’t mean we nitpick their words and actions that don’t conform to our Christian standards. We’re wrong to expect unbelievers to live like Christians, but they are right to expect Christians to live like Christ. Remember that they’re watching you. They’re listening to you. They’re curious about your faith and whether it’s real to you. If your commitment to Christ isn’t real to you, it won’t be worth considering for them. It won’t be challenging to them if it isn’t changing you.

Fourth, work on becoming more winsome and friendly. Your words do matter. Think before you speak. Banish cynicism and sarcasm. Don’t be a grump or a prude. Listen to yourself and try to imagine how your manner of speech is coming across to others. Is it bland and boring or zesty and interesting? Are you salty? Is it all about you and your life, or is it all about Christ and the new life? Answer the questions they’re asking, not the issues you’re personally interested in. Be gracious in your words and actions. Learn how to meet and accept people where they are and speak a language they can understand.

Our vertical and horizontal communications are important. “It is a Big Deal About ‘Little’ Things.”

Next week will be our final message will be our series in the letter to the Colossians. The third section is Jesus Christ, Our Leader, and the message is titled A Friendly Farwell. Invest time reading Colossians 4:7-18 for next week’s message.