"A Blueprint for Prayerful Discipleship"

Scripture Reading: Colossians 4:2-6

Colossians 4:2–6 ESV

2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 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— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Continue Steadfastly in prayer. (v. 2a)

To be streadfast in prayer means making it a consistent, intentional part of our daily lives.

It's not just about frequency, but also about the heart attitude we bring to prayer.

This is the idea of being fully devoted to Prayer. Meaning that it becomes a central part of our daily lives,

it really carries with it the idea that we dont want to make any decision without first talking it through with God.

This conscious devotion to seeking God first, will transform our relationship with God and it will fuel our discipleship relationships with others.

Small Group Question: What practical steps can we take to deepen your devotion to prayer this week?

Take a moment right now to bow your head and Pray that God will help you prioritize prayer in your life this week

Watchfulness and Thankfulness (v. 2b)

Watchfulness in prayer involves staying alert to God's movements in our lives and the world around us.

It's about having spiritual discernment.

Thankfulness reminds us of God's faithfulness and keeps our hearts soft and receptive to His guidance.

simply put thankfulness keeps the praise and glory for what is accomplished on the one who accomplished it. it keeps us from trying to steal the glory from God,

Thinking about what God has done through Prayer Does Someone have a recent experience where you saw God at work in your life through Answered prayer?.

How did that impact your gratitude?

Moving on in verse 3- Paul is going to give us 5 things to pray for when it comes to building discipleship relationships with other people,

Colossians 4:3 (ESV)

3 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—

1. Praying for Open Doors (v. 3a)

The first step in making disciples is to pray for Open doors,

Why should we pray for God to open doors?

Because he is the one who opens eyes, he is the pone who draws sinners to the gospel,

Open doors represent opportunities for sharing the gospel and making disciples.

So what do open doors look like in our community?

These could be chance encounters, formal ministry opportunities, or even challenging situations that allow us to demonstrate Christ's love.

So the question I have for each of you right now is this “What "closed doors" in your life or community would you like to see God open for the gospel?

Take a minute to pray with someone next to you for God to open doors for us to share His Gosple message this week in our community, And ask Him to Guide us to those who are seeking Him .

Paul goes on and says

Colossians 4:3–4 (ESV)

3 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— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

2. Pray for Clarity in Proclamation (v. 3b-4)

Pray that I may proclaim the gospel as clearly, as I should"

Clear proclamation involves not just articulating the facts of the gospel, but communicating its truths in a way that resonates with listeners.

It requires both spiritual insight and the ability to connect with others.

Question: What aspects of the gospel do you find most challenging to explain clearly to others?

Pray with someone else for God to grant each of us clarity of thought and speech as we share the gospel and disciple others. Pray that God through the Holy Spirit will help each of us articulate His truth in ways that resonate with those around us, so that they may hear the pure clean gospel of Jesus

Lets look at the first half of verse 5

Colossians 4:5 (ESV)

5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.

3. Pray for Wisdom in Interactions (v. 5a)

Paul is saying in order to be a disciple maker you need to Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders.

Why do you think it matters how we act in front of unbeleivers?

Wisdom in interactions goes beyond just being polite or kind. It involves discernment in knowing how to relate to different people, understanding their perspectives, their hurts, their blinded world views, and this means that it includes knowing when to speak and when to listen.

Friends let me be lovingly pastoral here.

The lost worlds greatest need is not to stop sinning and look more like a Christian, their greatest need is the gospel of Jesus ?

Wisdom in our interactions with the world matters because they are watching to see what makes us different then themselves.

PRAYER: Ask Someone to pray for the group that God would gran teach of us wisdom with others, especially those who don't yet know Jesus. And also pray that our lives reflect God’s love and truth in ways that draw lost sinners to Christ rather than push them away.

verse 5 goes on to say

Colossians 4:5 (ESV)

5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.

Pray that we will Seize the Opportunities (v. 5b)

What does it take to seize an opportunity?

Seizing opportunities requires both awareness and readiness.

It means being prepared to engage in spiritual conversations or acts of service at any moment, recognizing that God can use even small interactions for His purposes.

What opportunities for discipleship or witnessing have you noticed but hesitated to act on recently?

Why?

Pastoral prayer: God we ask you today to open our eyes to see the discipleship opportunities You place before us each day.

God we ask that you Give us courage to make the most of these moments, whether big or small, and God we ask that you give us the discernment to recognize Your timing in these moments. Amen.

Verse 6 Col. 4:6

Colossians 4:6 (ESV)

6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

I believe that this is so essential to effective discipleship making.

We need to continually pray that we will have

Grace-Filled Communication (v. 6)

`”Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt"

Grace-filled communication balances truth and love. It's about speaking in a way that is both kind and compelling, respectful yet thought-provoking.

Listen to how the Bible consitantly talks about our speach

Ephesians 4:15 (NIV): "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ."

Proverbs 15:1 (NIV): "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

Proverbs 16:24 (NIV): "Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."

Ephesians 4:29 (NIV): "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

These verses emphasize the importance of speaking truth, but doing so with love, grace, and kindness. The Bible encourages believers to be considerate in their speech, even when delivering difficult truths.

And friends this is even more true when it comes to sharing the gospel with the lost.

church family ,Let me be lovingly and graciously honest with you tonight. the way that you speak to others in this community matters because the world, whether you like it or not, sees you as a representative of This Church and of Christ!.

Your words paint a picutre to the world of what it looks like to love and follow jesus,

Why do people put salt on a steak?

it enhances the flavor right. it makes the steak taste so much better!

But salt doesn't just enhance the flavor It makes people really thirsty. right?

Thats what Paul means when He says let your speech be gracious seasoned with Salt,

Friends our words should enhance the flavor of Jesus in this world. They should make others thirsty for more of what we have to offer. We have the gospel that Brings hope to lost sinners!

So the question I want us to consider is this<<

How can we ensure our conversations are both grace-filled and impactful, especially when discussing challenging topics?

Ask someone to pray Prayer: That our words would be full of grace. That we would peak in ways that are both loving and transformative, always pointing others to Jesus and not ourselves.

As a church We want to make Disciples and that begins with reaching the lost.

I want us to move on into a time of Prayer for our church,

Pray that God will give us wisdom in pursuing a new building

Pray that God will provide all the finances we need

Pray that we will be willing to let God change us where we need to change for His purpose

Pray that we will use this facility and the next for His glory.