Supremacy in our Prayer and Opportunity

Last week we concluded our study with rules for Christian living as we looked at what it looks like to honor God in our marriages, families, and work.

We do not do things as eye service for man’s approval but, we do everything for the approval of God. Now today Paul is going to conclude his letter as he began with prayer.

Colossians 4:2–6 ESV

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

While we celebrate God’s grace to us in Christ, opportunity is knocking all around us, yet we often continue to dismiss the severity of others’ needs and disregard our responsibility to help.

The Colossians faced similar circumstances in their community, and Paul recognized the gravity of their situation and the importance of the gospel mission.

The majority of Paul’s instruction has been focused on inward issues related to living under the lordship of Christ within the community of faith. He has exhorted them regarding the false teaching (2:8–23), encouraged them in their daily walks and mutual service for Christ (3:1–17), and established the paradigm and practices for godly households (3:18–4:1).

The verses in this passage shift the focus from life within the body toward an outward perspective that considers believers’ cultural engagement with the gospel and begins with strategic intercession.

Structurally, this passage breaks down into two distinct segments that parallel each other in several ways: an initial command,

1. “Devote yourselves to prayer” (v. 2).

2. “Act wisely toward outsiders” (v. 5).

Evangelism; both in Paul’s mission (v. 3) and in the Colossians’ ministry (vv. 5–6); how the gospel “should” be shared in each context (vv. 4, 6); and the centrality of the gospel message through “the word” (v. 3) and in their words.

Illustration: “The Open Door”

Imagine a mail carrier who faithfully shows up to work every day, dressed in uniform, with a full bag of letters. He walks his route, rain or shine. But instead of knocking or checking mailboxes, he stands outside each house and waits, unsure if he should go forward. He has the message—but he’s not sure where to deliver it.

One day, a neighbor opens the door and says, “I’ve been waiting for that letter for days! Why didn’t you knock?”

The mail carrier replies, “I wasn’t sure if you wanted it.”

The Point:

We’re like that mail carrier. God has entrusted us with the good news—a message of eternal life. But unless we ask Him to open doors and give us boldness, we may hesitate, miss the opportunity, or wait for perfect conditions.

Paul, even while imprisoned, asked the church in Colossians 4:3 to “pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word…”

If Paul needed prayer to speak boldly and clearly, how much more should we ask God to prepare hearts, create opportunities, and give us courage?

Takeaway:

Praying for witnessing opportunities is like asking God to open the door—and make sure we’re ready to step through it when He does.

There are 2 Aspects of communication to our text.

(1) Speaking to God about People (vs. 2-4)

(2) Speaking to People about God (vs. 5-6)

1. Speaking to God About People

Paul’s prayer for the Colossians is that they would know and fulfill the missional call of all believers to the world.

Any effective evangelism begins with effective prayer of God’s people.

To continue Steadfastly is to persevere it is to busy oneself with the task at hand.

The specific call to prayer is then modified by two phrases:

(1) To be Watchful in our Prayers

(2) To Pray with Thanksgiving

What does it mean to stay alert and Watchful?

To stay alert or watchful and prayer is the same request that Jesus made of His disciples in the garden on the night He was betrayed and led away to be crucified.

In the past this would have been associated with being watchful for false-teachers, but in this context it is a call to be watchful for missional opportunities to share the life giving gospel of Christ.

Spiritual alertness also has the connotation of being a guard on duty. Much like in the military many of us have held fire watch.

1) Praying that we do not become careless or lazy in our praying.

The stakes are higher than we could imagine in our praying. It has to do with life and death, eternity with God and eternity separated from God.

2) Vigilance Against Spiritual Dangers in our prayers.

Praying with a watchful and alert spirit means that we are painfully aware that we are in a battle, the battle is for the souls and affections of humanity.We pray with eyes wide open to people and the world around us.

3) We Pray with readiness for God’s answers.

We do not just send prayers into the sky. We are praying expectantly, listening, and watching for God to move.

Why Does Paul tell us to Pray with Thankfulness?

(1) It shifts our focus to God’s character and faithfulness. (It reminds us who we are talking to, the good, faithful, and promise keeping God)

(2) It guards us against worry and complaining.

(3) It strengthens our faith. (This builds a confidence for us to pray with expectancy and hope).

*We Must Pray for Witnessing Opportunities

Prayer is Purposeful and Consistent

God has established prayer as his necessary means to work in and through our lives, and we must devote ourselves to interceding with an informed perspective that is grateful for the privilege to participate in his mission.

Through Paul’s request for their prayers, we also learn specific ways we should pray for witnessing opportunities.

(1) God will Open Doors

Paul’s focus is on the mission and not his current circumstances.

Paul does not ask that the door to his prison door be opened.

Paul only asks for open door for the gospel to be heard.

This shows a true servant to the mission and the message.

This reflects Paul’s great confidence that God will and can work through his physical limitations.

Being in Prison did not make Paul feel ineffective or forgotten.

Paul believed that God could use His confinement as a platform for the gospel to go further. (What platform has God given you to spread the gospel)

Key Truth: Our Limitations do not Limit God.

This models a kingdom minded truth behind prayer:

Paul is teaching believers not just to pray for comfort or escape but, for gospel effectiveness.

It challenges us to prioritize gospel impact over personal ease.

In all circumstances it is important to note that it is God who opens the door.

We see the metaphor for open doors used throughout the New Testament.

As we appeal to the Lord, we must trust him to prepare the way for the gospel to go forward and to open the hearts of the lost to receive it.

We do not have to force conversations, intimidate people, or try to coerce them to believe. Instead, we must simply be faithful to look for the open doors and to share the gospel when he provides the opportunity.

Illustration: The Locked Gate and the Gardener

Imagine a missionary hiking through a remote region, eager to share the gospel with a village nestled beyond a thick forest. After hours of travel, he finally reaches a tall, locked iron gate blocking the only path into the village. He has the message, the passion, and even the language—but no key. No matter how hard he pushes or how loudly he calls, the gate doesn’t budge.

Just when he feels like giving up, a gardener appears—calm, unhurried, holding a ring of keys. He smiles and says, “This is not your door to open. It’s mine.” With a gentle turn of the right key, the gate swings wide. The missionary steps through—not because he forced his way in, but because he waited for the one who had the authority to open it.

Point:

We often think success in sharing the gospel depends on our effort or eloquence. But just like that locked gate, people’s hearts and opportunities are not ours to force open. God is the Gardener with the keys. Our job is to be faithful, watchful, and ready—trusting Him to open the right doors at the right time.

(2) God Will Open Hearts

Praying for witnessing opportunities trusts the Lord to open the doors, but he also uses these prayers to open our hearts. The shift in pronouns from “us” to “I” (vv. 3–4) expresses a reflective awareness in Paul’s heart that viewed the circumstances of his imprisonment through the lens of opportunity.

We read in Philippians how Paul’s arrest has actually been used to advance the Gospel message.

Philippians 1:12–14 ESV

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Paul did not view his situation as a hinderance but a plus. Have you ever considered that your present difficult situation is not a hinderance to your effectiveness as a witness, but, may actually be one of your greatest assets?

The gospel was not only the cause of Paul’s imprisonment but it was also the cause of his present platform for sharing the gospel.

Principles of faithful consistent prayer:

(1) We must be consistent and persistent in our prayers.

This is a deep heartfelt burden for the gospel mission, this is a prayer both for workers to labor for the harvest and for receptive hearts in the harvest.

(2) We must realize that by opening doors God gives us both a chance and a choice to share the gospel.

Our prayer for opportunities must also be supplemented with a willingness and intentionality to share the gospel. Our prayers for opportunities should cultivate a missional mindset to have the discernment to recognize the open doors when they come our way.

It should also give us boldness to walk through the open doors believing that God will reward our faithfulness.

(3) Our prayers should generate a passion for the lost.

In light of the compassion and mercy that we have been given by God personally it should compel and propel our lives to have a burden for the nations.

No One Can Be Saved Apart from Faith in Jesus

What we deserve for our sin is death—eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23). Because all people know God and have rejected Him and all people have fallen short of God’s perfect standard, no one can be saved apart from faith in Jesus—that includes an unreached person who has never heard the gospel.

David Platt

“So when people ask what happens to the innocent guy in Africa who dies without ever hearing the gospel, I would say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, he goes to heaven.

However, before you begin to label me a heretic, consider: if there is an innocent guy in Africa who has never heard the gospel, then he doesn’t need a Savior. He hasn’t done anything wrong, so why would he be separated from God? But that’s precisely the problem: there is no innocent guy in Africa or Asia. Every one of us has rejected the knowledge of God, so we are not innocent.”

God’s Solution for Those Who Never Hear the Gospel

It would seem cruel for God to condemn someone who never had a chance to know Jesus without some sort of rescue plan. What kind of loving God would do that?

As it turns out, God does have a rescue plan. It’s you. He is the Key but you are the key keeper.

We are God’s key keepers in the sense that He has entrusted us with the message and ministry that opens the way for others to enter His Kingdom through Jesus Christ.

Not because we have power to save, but because we have been given the gospel, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and called to share the truth that unlocks hearts and reveals the way to life.

Jesus commissioned His followers to take the gospel to all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). The reason that there are unreached people—people who have never heard the gospel—is because someone has not gone to them to share the good news.

2. Speaking to People About God

Paul’s request for intercession on behalf of his evangelistic efforts invited the Colossians to be involved in the global mission of Christ.

But their participation was not intended to be limited to the vital role of prayerful support for his ministry. It also included their active cultural engagement through missional efforts of their own.

*We Must Pray for Wisdom in Opportunities

Paul makes it clear in our missional responsibility and how we should engage the outsiders.

Vs. 4-5 “this I make clear, in how I ought to speak, walk in wisdom towards outsiders.”

For the Colossians, and for all of us as believers, taking personal responsibility to share the gospel requires us to consider some important principles in order to navigate the contours of our culture.

(1) We Must be Wise in our Speech

Paul’s concern with making the message of Christ “clear” (Colossians 4:4) reflects both the weight of the gospel message and the urgency of his mission. He knew that the truth of Christ was life-changing, and he didn’t want confusion, distraction, or misunderstanding to get in the way.

The Gospel must be understandable: Paul calls it the mystery of Christ. His role was not just to proclaim it but to share it in a way that was recognizable and understandable.

He Was Speaking to a Diverse Audience: Jews, Gentiles, philosophers, common people—each had different assumptions and backgrounds.Clarity ensured that the message didn’t get lost in translation or cultural confusion. (Consider your audience)

The message of Christ is too important to be misunderstood: Remember that the battle we are waging has eternal consequences. Paul wanted nothing to cloud the truth that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone.

Paul’s prayer and instruction remind us of the need we have for wisdom in our speech. Sometimes our message is confusing because we struggle to find the right words.

But perhaps more often we muddy the waters of the gospel with social, political, or personal issues as we unintentionally or indiscriminately mingle these elements into a gospel conversation.

This can make it difficult for our message to be deciphered. Therefore, we must carefully disentangle the gospel from the cultural battles that would define it according to worldly philosophies, principles, and practices. Knowing what to say, how to say it, when to say it, and whom to say it to are all included in the Spirit-led guidance that witnessing opportunities require.

SPEECH MUST BE GRACIOUS

The goal of speaking with grace and attractiveness is “in order that” the Christians “should know how to respond to each person.”

The verb usually means “answer,” though here “respond” is best, since the context is that of witnessing in which there would be a back-and-forth dialogue

This is similar to what Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:15

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

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,

(2) We Must be Wise to Our Surroundings

Paul was painfully aware of his culture and it’s animosity towards the gospel message.

Therefore, he counseled the Colossians to “act wisely” and to live with wisdom in their interaction with “outsiders” (v. 5). These terms are not limited to a specific encounter as much as they refer to a lifestyle and pattern for how believers should “act” (lit. “walk”; cf. 2:6).

To redeem or buy back the time recognizes the fleeting nature of this life and the limited season of opportunity that is available for salvation (see 2 Pet 3:8–10). This understanding also magnifies the significance of every individual encounter and our urgency in leveraging every open door of opportunity for the gospel.

Why is wisdom and speech so important in our Evangelical efforts?

Because every person is different, what reaches one person may not reach another. (The same shoe does not fit everyone)

Careless words can damage our witness and close doors that were at one time open.

The Holy Spirit works through words that are seasoned with Grace and Truth.

The Importance of Contextualization

“That you may know how you should answer each person”

What does Paul mean when he uses the term “Know” ginosko (knowledge).

The fall affected the entirety of human nature. Human beings no longer, as at creation, thought God’s thoughts after Him, willed to do the known will of God, or loved their Maker with their whole being.

The fall, however, did not totally destroy the competence of human reason; although no universally shared system of truth and/or morality survived mankind’s rebellion in Eden, human beings were still responsibly related to their Maker and were continually in revolt against light.

The knowledge of God continually seeks to penetrate the human mind and heart. We read in Eccl. 3:11 that God placed eternity in humanities heart, yet he still cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Ginōskō (γινώσκω)

– to come to know, recognize, understand

Emphasizes experiential or relational knowledge, often a progressive or growing understanding.

John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

Oida (οἶδα)

– to know, be aware of, perceive

Emphasizes immediate or intuitive knowledge, sometimes synonymous with certainty.

Often translated “we know,” expressing confidence in truth.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

The Bible teaches that truth has its ontological ground in God Himself (Ps. 31:5 [MT 6]; Isa. 65:16; cf. Jn. 14:6). All human knowledge is dependent upon God, who is the source and stipulator of truth.

Divine revelation is identified as the truth of God, and the gospel especially is characterized as revealed truth. Apart from divine revelation all merely human affirmations about God and His purposes reduce to conjecture. Legitimate and authoritative pronouncements about God therefore presuppose God who makes Himself known.

In Colossians 4:6, the Greek phrase translated “so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” uses the verb εἰδῆτε (eidēte), which is a form of the verb οἶδα (oida).

Oida expresses settled, certain knowledge—what is already understood or grasped. In this context, Paul is saying:

“Let your speech always be gracious… so that you will have the insight or discernment to answer each person appropriately.”

It’s not about gaining new knowledge, but about having the wisdom and clarity to respond well—knowing what to say because you’re walking wisely (v.5) and speaking graciously (v.6).

CONCLUSION

How do you Respond well to the Outsider?

God provides us with several biblical and theological principles to help us navigate the cultural and relational dynamics of strategic engagement with wisdom.

God has given you the key to open the Kingdom of God up for those who are outside the door looking for the key.

In Scripture, we’re shown that God entrusts His people with the message and ministry that can help others respond to the gospel—unlocking the door to the kingdom through Christ.

WE HAVE THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM

“God has given us the Key’s to the Kingdom”

1) Jesus is the door and the key is the gospel.

John 10:9 “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”

For the gospel itself is the key and we are entrusted with it.

2) God Entrusts Believers with the gospel.

1 Thessalonians 2:4 “but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.”

We don’t generate the power—it’s not our key—but we are stewards of the key.

3) The Holy Spirit Helps us Use the Key.

In our own power, we can’t unlock hearts. But God gives us the Holy Spirit to guide our words and empower our witness.

John 15:26–27 ““But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.”

The Spirit prepares hearts, gives us wisdom in how to speak and enables understanding.

4) The Church Bears the Key’s to the Kingdom

Jesus told Peter

Matthew 16:19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.””

This wasn’t just for Peter—it represents the authority given to the church to proclaim the gospel and affirm the faith of those who repent and believe. Through the faithful preaching of the Word, the church helps others see the way to the kingdom.

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW WE USE OUR KEY

*We Cannot be Argumentative

As believers, the truth of the gospel is at the heart of our strongest convictions and deepest passions. Understandably, this often results in emotional conversations with those who disagree with or reject our foundational beliefs.

People who hold different views from our own will often be equally devoted to their own perspectives, which can result in combustible or contentious interaction.

“We must keep in mind that Ultimately we can Compel but we do not Convince” (convict).

We must share Christ with passionate and persuasive zeal, but our hope and confidence must remain in the power of the gospel to ultimately convince others of its truth.

*We Cannot Not be Ashamed

In our attempts to avoid being argumentative, we must not resort to the opposite extreme of avoiding gospel engagement altogether. Because of our confidence in the power of the gospel, we have assurance and do not have to be ashamed of the good news.

Romans 1:16 ESV

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

There is a visible aspect of sharing the gospel that should be actively present in every believers life. The testimony of the gospel must be present in every one of our lives.

Because we are God’s children, our lives are meant to be “blameless and pure” as we stand out as “faultless in a crooked and perverse generation” so that we might “shine like stars in the world

Philippians 2:15 ESV

that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

Parable of the Gatekeeper Lamp

Once there was a great King who ruled a vast and beautiful Kingdom. The only way into His Kingdom was through a narrow gate—strong and solid, sealed with a lock that no one could open on their own. Many wandered outside the gate, some searching for a way in, others content in the dark, unaware there even was a Kingdom beyond.

The King, in His mercy, gave a key to His trusted servants. But this key wasn’t made of metal. It was the message of His Son, the One who had died to make a way for outsiders to come in.

To each servant, the King gave not only the key, but a lamp. The lamp was fueled by the King’s Spirit—burning with grace, truth, and wisdom. Their task was simple: carry the lamp, speak of the key, and guide others to the gate.

Some servants buried their lamps in fear. Others shouted about the gate but never offered the key. But the faithful ones walked among the people, speaking with kindness, answering questions with patience, and showing the way to the gate with humility and courage.

And when the time came, many found their way to the gate. The key was offered. Hearts opened. The lock turned. And the gate swung wide.

The gate is Christ.

• The key is the gospel.

• The lamp is your life—shining with the Spirit, seasoned with grace and wisdom.

• Your role is not to force the lock, but to walk with others, shine the light, and offer the truth.