Walking and Talking With Outsiders

Transcript

GR 995
2/15/1998
Walking and Talking with Outsiders
Colossians 4:5-6
Gil Rugh

We continue our study of the book of Colossians today, we are in Chapter 4, Colossians and the 4th Chapter. Colossae, you remember, is a city in what we would call Asia Minor, one of the cities in the area where the letters to the seven churches in Revelation, Chapter 2 and 3 were sent. So, it was an area where there was much activity in ministry and many people had been reached with the message of Jesus Christ. Paul is concluding his letter and really the verses we will look at in Chapter 4, verses 5 and 5 draw to a conclusion what we would call the body of the letter. Picking up with verse 7 and through the rest of the letter will be comments and greetings, relating to different individuals and people that Paul knows and that the believers at Colossae are familiar with. In verses 2-4 Paul has talked about the matter of prayer. We considered in our previous study the privilege that God’s people have to come to Him in prayer. Prayer is very simply coming into the very presence of God and expressing to Him the desires and concerns of our heart. There is nothing complicated about the concept, but it is a privilege that is offered to all people, but can only be enjoyed by a certain group. God invites all people everywhere to come to Him, but He invites them to come to Him only through His Son, Jesus Christ. He requires that we come to recognize our sinful condition, recognize that Christ paid the penalty for our sin and turning from our sin we place our faith in Christ as our Savior. When that happens we are born again, we are born into God’s family, we become God’s children, and now we can come into His presence and call Him Father, and bring to Him the desires and request of our heart.

Paul has said that there are certain characteristics of our prayer life and we noted these in our study. We should pray first of all diligently, Paul said. We should devote ourselves to prayer in verse 2. It should be an earnest vibrant part of our lives regularly. We not only pray diligently, we pray alertly, keeping alert in it, watchful, aware. We are carrying on a conversation with the living God. We’re to be alert and watchful in our prayer life. We pray gratefully with thanksgiving, appreciative to God and thankful to Him for the privilege of calling Him Father, for all that he has done for us and provided for us and continues to do. We pray specifically. We pray specifically for other believers. Paul said, pray for us. He not only said pray for us but he said pray for us that we would have open doors. Not only pray for open doors but pray that we would be bold and clear in the presentation of Christ. So praying diligently and alertly and gratefully and specifically, and Paul is asking that they will pray for him, and that God will give him opportunities to present Jesus Christ and when those opportunities are given, pray that he would be clear and bold in presenting Christ.


Now that makes a natural transition to what he wants to talk about in verses 5 and 6. He has just asked them to pray for himself and his ministry to those who do not yet know Christ. So in verses 5 and 6 he wants to talk now to the Colossians about their responsibility in relationship to those who do not yet know Jesus Christ as their Savior.

So, Colossians Chapter 4, verses 5 and 6 talk about the Christian’s responsibility to the unbeliever and really he breaks it down into two areas. Verse 5, how we should walk and verse 6, how we should talk. The walk and the talk of the believer, and particularly the walk and the talk of the believer in the context of the unbeliever. How do we conduct ourselves in our relationships with those who don’t know Christ? What about our speech and what we talk about and how we talk in the context of those who don’t know Christ, family members, friends, those you work with, neighbors, casual contacts? These are short verses and yet what they have to say is of utmost importance. We desire, all of us have a burden and a desire for loved ones and family and friends and others to come to know Jesus Christ, to experience the wonderful gift of life and salvation in Him. So here are some important guidelines, so that we might be as effective as possible in those contacts.

First, in verse 5, he talks about how we should walk, begins with the instruction conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders. Now the word translated, conduct yourselves, is the Greek word to walk. That’s why I have titled this how we should walk, simply the Greek word for walk. Walk with wisdom, but walk is being used as a metaphor to refer to our behavior, our conduct. So we have it translated conduct yourselves. It is given as a command in the present tense, so here is what ought to constantly characterize our behavior, our conduct, particularly in relationship to those who do not know Christ. We are to conduct ourselves with wisdom. Now this means you walk according to God’s will, according to God’s character, according to the truth that God has revealed. We are to walk in light of that. These two ideas, wisdom and walk, are key concepts that appear repeatedly through the letter to the Colossians, sometimes together, sometimes separately. The emphasis on wisdom, the emphasis on walk or conduct.


Back up to Chapter l, and here the context is in praying for the Colossians, similar kind of context of prayer as we have in Chapter 4. Note verse 9 of Colossians, Chapter l. For this reason, also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. He wants them to know God’s will, to be filled with spiritual wisdom and understanding. Verse l0, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects. So here you see the connection again. He wants them to have fullness of wisdom, so that they know how to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the Lord, in a way that will be pleasing to Him. That’s what it means to walk in wisdom, to walk in such a way that your life is pleasing to God.

Down in verse 28 of Colossians l, and we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.
Teaching again in the context of all wisdom, the truth of God and the will of God as He has revealed it. Chapter 2, verse 3, Christ is the one in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. True wisdom, true knowledge, true understanding focuses in Christ, and God’s purposes and plans as centered in Him. Down in verse 6 of Chapter 2, As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him. So you see in Christ are found all the treasures of wisdom and we have received Christ, so we should walk in Him. Our behavior must be shaped and molded by our relationship to Him and the truth that comes to us through Him. Down in verse 23, he speaks about a false wisdom. These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence. False teachers, false religion, false concepts can have the picture of, boy, don’t you admire their discipline, don’t you admire this about them, that about them, but the problem is it’s not true wisdom, it’s not the wisdom that focuses in Christ. So there is a false wisdom, a worldly wisdom.

Chapter 3, verse 7 talking about the characteristics of our life before Christ totally changed us. Verse 7, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.
So you see the connection. When sin was the environment in which you lived, then you walked a life that was characterized by sin. Now we have received Christ and live in Him and so now we walk and conduct ourselves according to His will, according to His character. Verse l6, Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another. And then down to Chapter 4, verse 5 where we walk with wisdom toward outsiders. Listen as I read to you two verses from Psalm 90, you can jot them down, but we won’t turn there. Psalm 90, verse l0, as for the days of our life, they contain seventy years or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow for soon it is gone and we fly away. If you read Psalm 90, which was a Psalm written by Moses, it contrasts the eternal God with man whose life is so brief, and even if we have an extended life it’s gone quickly and soon we fly away. So in verse l2 of Psalm 90 Moses said, so teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom. Help us to number our days, make each day count, thus living wisely, walking with wisdom so that we may present to God at the end of life a heart characterized by His wisdom.

Back up to Romans, Chapter l3, going toward the front of your bible to the book of Romans, Chapter l3. In Romans Chapter l3 Paul has been talking about the responsibility of God’s people to manifest God’s character in their behavior and then in verse 11 of Romans l3 he says, And this do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now is salvation near to us than when we believed. What he is talking about there is not the salvation where we have received forgiveness of sin, but there is yet a future dimension to our salvation, when we will be brought into the glory of God’s presence, when these physical bodies will be transformed, called glorified, to make them suitable for eternity in God’s presence. Paul lived on the edge, counting every day as important because every day moved him one day closer to the time when he would experience the fullness of God’s very presence in glory. The night is almost gone and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly. That word behave is the same word we have translated conduct yourselves in Colossians 4:5, it’s the Greek word to walk. Let us walk properly, behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. That’s what we’re talking about in Colossians, walk with wisdom, conduct yourselves properly, live in light of the fact you are moving ever more close to the time when you will be brought into the presence of the living God.

Come back to Colossians, Chapter 4, verse 5. We are to behave or conduct ourselves with wisdom, but Paul’s focus in Colossians 4:5 is to conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders. He is referring to those who are outside of Christ, outside of the body of Christ, the family of God. Doesn’t mean they don’t attend church; does not mean they are not religious. It means they have never personally experienced the heart and mind transformation, cleansing from sin and being made new that comes when you place your faith in Christ. They are outside a relationship with God and with His Son, Jesus Christ. Back up to I Corinthians, Chapter 5. Note this is an awesome concept and when we talk this way often people misunderstand and think it’s a matter of arrogance, that you should say some very religious people are outside the family of God. They are outside of Christ and have no relationship with Him. But it’s of utmost importance we understand this issue from God’s perspective and from what God says, not what we think, and it is an awful and a frightening concept to be outside of Christ, yet it is clearly set forth in the scripture. In I Corinthians, Chapter 5 Paul is talking about what we call church discipline or we might call family discipline, within the family of God. How we are to exercise discipline on one another when we ‘misbehave’ as God’s people. It’s part of the disciplining process just like we have in our physical families. The Corinthians weren’t clear on this because they weren’t drawing a line between those who were in the family and out of the family. Paul’s point is you only discipline those in the family. So, he says in verse l2 of I Corinthians 5, For what have I to do with judging outsiders, those who are outside the family of God. Do you not judge those who are within the church, that’s the reference there, within the family of God. But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves. The one who was guilty of serious sexual sin was professing to be a believer in Jesus Christ, professing thus to belong to the church at Corinth. He had to experience the discipline of that church. But to those who are outside the family, there is no discipline exercise of them by the church. Ultimately they will come under the judgment of God. But they don’t come under the family discipline of the people of God, they are outsiders.

One other passage on this. Go back to the book of Colossians and then go to the book just after Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, turn the page or so over and you’ll be in 1 Thessalonians and go to Chapter 4. In verse l2 Paul says that we should behave or walk properly toward outsiders, those who are outside the family, same kind of expression.

So, come back to Colossians 4. When we walk with wisdom toward outsiders, two things will be involved. No. l, we will do nothing to dishonor the Lord. Our walk will be consistent with the will of God as revealed in His word. And secondly, we will be discerning in our dealing with the outsiders, with the lost. There will be a proper conduct toward unbelievers. It’s not arrogance, it’s not an attitude of superiority, but it reflects the character of God in His dealing with the lost, His love, His kindness, His graciousness and so on. Note what he says in verse 5, conduct yourself with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Conduct yourself with wisdom toward outsiders, not only is walking according to the will of God and avoiding sin and improper behavior, but is also being sensitive to them, understanding of them and where they are, not being abrasive or abrupt, rude, hard in our dealing with them. One commentator said Christians may antagonize unbelievers through inconsiderateness or inconsistency and do little to attract them to the gospel.

Turn back to 1 Corinthians. We were just in Romans and 1 Corinthians is just after the book of Romans, I Corinthians, Chapter l0 and look at verse 3l. Paul says, whether than, you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. That’s to be foundational to all of our activity as God’s people. We desire to do it to the glory of God, to honor to God, to be pleasing to God in what we do. Now note what he says in verse 32, Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God. So he brings three groups here, Jews, Greeks and the church of God. So the Jews and Greeks he would be talking about are unbelieving Jews and unbelieving Greeks, because the church of God would be made up of believing Jews and believing Greeks. So he says, give no offense to unbelievers or to believers. Now keep in mind Paul, in the first Chapter of this letter to the Corinthians, said the preaching of the cross is offensive to those who are perishing. Now obviously he’s not saying, in verse 32, give no offense so don’t preach the gospel, because it will offend them. The context he is talking about is eating and drinking and that kind of behavior. I need to be sensitive. If eating certain things would be offensive to these believers that I’m with, I won’t eat it. If I was going out to dinner with some Roman Catholic friends on Friday and they were of the old fashion variety, I don’t mean that negatively, but they believe that, you know, they shouldn’t eat meat on Friday, I don’t have to say, oh I can eat meat on Friday, don’t you wish you were having steak! I say, no I think I’ll have fish like they’re having. You know, I don’t have to make an issue out of that. Whether I have fish or meat or pasta is irrelevant. So I look for ways not to be offensive. Another group that don’t think you ought to have caffeine, fine, I’ll have water, I’ll have lemonade. Those are things that I don’t have to be offensive about. Paul says his concern was to please all men in all things, verse 33, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

In other words, Paul is looking for open doors, he’s looking for opportunity to bring them the gospel for their salvation, and he wants to be sensitive and understanding. He cannot alter the gospel, but he can be sensitive and alert and aware in his presentation of the gospel, to conduct himself wisely with wisdom. I may be sitting at a meal with a mixture of believers and unbelievers and, you know, sometimes when we’re together with believers and there are unbelievers present we sometimes feel under pressure, we better present the gospel, so these fellow Christians won’t think we’re cowards and we’re really presenting the gospel, not because we believe it is the right opportunity but because we want these other Christians to think, wow, he’s a bold Christian. Or we don’t want them to think, wow, he’s a coward, he didn’t even present the gospel. Well you know, I want to be looking at the unbeliever and be wise in dealing with him, perhaps this kind of setting would be very embarrassing for me to bring up this issue and put him on the spot. I want to be sensitive and alert to that, this may not be the best time. It might be inappropriate for them in this setting. I want to be alert and sensitive and aware. Now, if that’s always my excuse something is wrong. Then I’m not functioning, not seeking their salvation because faith comes by hearing, they do have to hear it. But I want to be sensitive, is this the best time, is this the right time. With our family members this becomes very crucial, because they can be ultrasensitive to hearing it from us. Sometimes in a family gathering we know everybody is on edge. Why? Because they know when I walk in and sit down we’re going to talk about one thing, one issue on the table here and that’s the fact that you’re going to hell and I want you to hear how you don’t have to. Well, maybe this isn’t the best time for that to happen. Maybe I need to be alert and sensitive and look for an opportunity when I can sit down and talk to various members of my family in a less threatening situation and a less tense environment.

So these things would be walking with wisdom toward those who are without. Giving no offense, trying to be understanding. They don’t have to be afraid to invite me to the family gathering. I won’t embarrass them. I will look for the right opportunity on the right occasion to talk with them, I desire their salvation.

Turn over to Philippians, Chapter 2. Now just before the book of Colossians is the book of Philippians. Some of you have remarked to me several times, different ones, that we run around the scripture and you’re just getting familiar with where you’re going, by the time you find Romans, we’re in Philippians and when you finally get to Philippians, we’re in someplace else, well don’t lose heart, we all were that way, take your time, you’ll find it. There is an index in the front. The way I did it when I sat out in the bench I always watched the person sitting next to me which way they were going. At least that got me going in the right direction. Sometime I was sitting with someone who was in the same boat as me, so we just went back and forth while everybody else turned.

At any rate, Philippians, chapter 2, verse l4. Note what he says in verse l4, do all things without grumbling or disputing. Now note verse l5, that you may prove or demonstrate yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world. Paul says, as a believer, you are like a light in the midst of darkness. Now you have to be careful that your light is shining clear, don’t be grumbling and complaining. You want to demonstrate, prove that you are blameless and innocent, children of God. I want to conduct myself with wisdom toward those who don’t know Christ. Am I a grumbler, am I a complainer, how do I do my job. In my home how do I function with unbelieving family members around, in my neighborhood. Am I a good neighbor or am I a complaining neighbor. I must conduct myself with wisdom toward those who are outside, no grumbling or complaining. I mean, if you are grumbling and complaining, why should that unbeliever want to come to the Savior that you have. Your life is just as unpleasant as theirs. The burdens of life on you are just as great as on them. The remarkable thing about our salvation, He gives a grace and a peace and a strength that enables us to enjoy life in the midst of unspeakable pressure and difficulty.

Turn over after Colossians to I Thessalonians 4, a passage we were just at a moment ago. I Thessalonians 4 and verse 11, let me give you the broader context here and then we will lead into the verse we just read. Verse 11, Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, attend to your own business, work with your hands just as we commanded you, so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need. One of the worst testimonies a person who professes to be a Christian can have is he’s not a good worker, he’s lazy, he’s hard to work with, he doesn’t take care of his own family. Paul wrote the pastoral epistle and said if you don’t take care of your own family, you’re worse than an unbeliever. I mean I need to be working, the end of verse l0, to excel still more. I want to lead a quiet life, mind my own business, I’m not a neb nose, I’m not always sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong, I’m busy getting my job done, so that I might walk properly toward outsiders and not be in any need. They see that I work hard, not just so I can be rich, so I can take care of my responsibilities in my home, meet my needs.

People profess to be believers and it seems they’re always dragging around. This is a matter of practical conduct before the world. After Thessalonians keep going back through Timothy to Titus, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus Chapter 2, verse 8. Believers are to be sound in speech. We’re going to come to this subject in a moment. Which is beyond reproach in order that the opponent may be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. Now they oughtn’t be able to say you’re a gossip, you undermine other people’s reputation or integrity, you talk about things that are inappropriate. You know, my conduct again, and we’ll get into that particular area of speech in a moment. But you see that unbelievers should have nothing bad to say about us. They may say, I don’t like the fact that he is a goody, goody, he never tells dirty jokes or they never go out and get drunk with their friends, just gets on my nerves, they are such goody goodies. Well, I can’t do anything about that, except I don’t have to be goody, goody in the wrong sense. But they oughtn’t be able to say, well you know, you can’t trust them, you never know what they are going to say behind your back, you never can depend on them. I hired them to do a job and they never showed up, they promised me they’d come and help, but I never did hear from them. That becomes a matter of reliability and integrity.

There are a number of other passages but we won’t go to them. Come back to Colossians. Peter writes about our behavior as citizens, wives with their husbands and on and on, specific areas. I have to be alert in my behavior, I have to conduct myself with wisdom toward outsiders and the closer you are in contact, you know, if it’s in your family, husband and wife, one is a believer, one is not, boy, the pressure is on all the time, before children that are unbelievers, children in contacts with parents, the job you have, working with unbelievers and neighbors. The closer the unbeliever is to you, the more pressure you feel and should feel, to manifest the beauty of the character of God in your conduct.

Let me say something else here. In the New Testament, let me limit it to that, the harshest language is reserved for false teachers and false religious leaders and they are condemned in the harshest way. The book of Galatians, the apostle Paul pronounces a curse on anyone who preaches any other gospel than the one he preached. He’s concerned about the group that would be called the Judaizers, that were saying faith in Christ is not enough for a complete salvation. He is unsparing in his condemnation of those individuals.

Turn back to the gospel of Matthew, Chapter 23. Here’s an example of Jesus, unsparing, harsh condemnation of false teachers and false religious leaders. He’s dealing with the scribes and the Pharisees, verse 2 of Matthew 23. Then note, we’ll come down just for time, verse 13, But woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. They not only are not going into the Kingdom of God, they are keeping others from going in, he goes on to say in that verse. Verse 14, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows houses, even while for a pretense you make long prayers. Verse 15, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you travel all over the world to make converts and once you make a convert he’s twice the convert of hell, he’s more confirmed on his way to hell than he was before you got a hold of him. Verse l6, Woe to you blind guides. Verse 17, You fools and blind men. Verse 23, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. Verse 24, blind guides. Woe to you, verse 25, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. Verse 26, You blind Pharisee. Verse 27, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, you’re like open graves, like a grave, the outside looks so nice, a polished monument, inside it’s full of dead men’s bones, that’s what you’re like on the inside, verse 29. Verse 33, you serpents, you brood of vipers, how shall you escape the sentence of hell?

He’s unsparing, but keep in mind the context. He’s dealing with religious leaders and false teachers. When Jesus deals with the common people, they are lost sinners on their way to hell, but there is a compassion and a love and a mercy that He displays. Back up to Matthew, Chapter 9, verse 36, And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, The harvest is plentiful, the workers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest. All these people that need to hear the message of life, the message of salvation, pray for more people to go and tell them. He felt compassion on them. They are like sheep that have no one to lead them. Now, I want us to see the balance here because sometimes we take the passage, like Matthew 23, where Christ is dealing with false religious leaders, false teachers, we talk to our neighbor like that. We need to be careful. Sometimes when I’m talking to you from the pulpit I deal with pastors who are teaching false things, religious leaders who are leading people astray. There is a harshness in dealing with them. We need to be careful that we don’t carry that over in our dealing with all unbelievers. Sometimes I think that if I hadn’t been so brutal, that I have offended them, I haven’t clearly presented truth. Well, maybe I’ve just been brutal. I need to manifest this kind of compassion and love, like Paul said. You know, I’ve become all things to all men, I’m willing to give up what would be beneficial to me, so that they can come to the benefit of salvation.

Look over in Matthew, Chapter 11, the end of the chapter. In contrast to what he says in Chapter 23, Woe to you hypocrites, serpents, vipers. He says in Matthew 11:28, Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. I mean, you’re burdened down, you’re weary, I’ll give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, learn from Me, I am gentle and humble in heart; you’ll find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy; my load is light. I want to take the burdens, the cares, the pressures. I want to give you My peace.
I want you to be joined to Me. See that compassion, that care. That ought to be evidence in our dealing with unbelievers. There is a time we have to be firm, we have to be harsh. That’s not in all our dealing with all unbelievers. Our family members, we love them, we care for them, we’re burdened for them. When I do talk to them about the gospel, it ought to be in the context of my love for them, my desire for them to come to experience the forgiveness, He relieving of the burdens and cares that only Christ can do. I sometimes think that we go about with a harshness that creates barriers that don’t need to be there. The gospel is a barrier; godliness is a barrier. But it ought to be in the context of our love and concern and compassion.

Come back to Colossians. To me that is all involved when he says conduct yourself with wisdom toward outsiders, conduct ourselves according to the will of God, according to the way our Savior conducted himself. Making the most of the opportunity. If you have a King James bible, it probably says redeeming the time, because the word here is the word for redemption, to buy back something, to purchase it out of the slave market, those kind of pictures. And so it comes to be used as a picture in a time like this where you redeem the time, you buy up the time, you make the most of your opportunities. We use our time wisely. In the context of our relationship with those outside, which he is talking about, what, it involves behaving ourselves wisely, so that God might give us an open door to present the truth to them and might give them hearts that are open to hear. So making the most of the opportunity, using our time wisely in relationship to the unbeliever, seeking the opportunity to present to them the message of Christ, in a context and in a manner that will be fitting.

So he goes on in verse 6 to move from our walk to our talk, because this becomes a key aspect of our behavior, our talk, how we should talk in the context of the unbeliever. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt. Our speech ought to always be conditioned by God’s grace, the grace shown to us in Christ. Thus, His graciousness ought to characterize our speech. Luke records concerning Christ in Luke, Chapter 4, verse 22, And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were coming from His mouth, literally the words of grace. It includes the truth of God’s gracious, it includes the graciousness of God in dealing with us in Christ. Let your speech always be with grace, our speech ought to always be gracious and ought always to be in accord with God’s grace in dealing with us. Seasoned with salt, now some take this to mean it ought to be spiced up a little bit, ought to be a little more interesting, oughtn’t to be bland. Like some people, you know, with their food, say you know, this needs more salt. I realize that’s out of step today, but at least the picture is there. Some people say they ought to be able to carry on a conversation that is somewhat interesting, and there is an element of truth to that. You know, ought to be a person to say, oh, stay away from them, because as soon as you give them a chance to talk all they’ll do is shove their religion down your throat. Nothing wrong with being able to talk about what is of interest to an unbeliever, knowing some things that interest them and being able to talk with them about that.

I think what he’s talking about here though is something else. Salt is primarily that which retards corruption, the way it was used in the Old Testament, as a preservative. So I think what he’s talking about here is we are to have uncorrupted speech, speech that has no taint of the corrupting things of the world. Over in Chapter 3 of Colossians, verse 8, Paul wrote, put them all aside, anger, wrath, malice, slander, abusive speech from your mouth, do not lie to one another. Our speech is to be seasoned with salt. Those things which would be characteristic of unregenerate person, an unsaved person, an outsider, those kind of things oughtn’t characterize us. So, true, we wouldn’t want to be involved in telling perhaps what we call dirty jokes, off color speech, blasphemous speech, slanderous speech. But there are things that are neutral, we can talk about sports, we can talk about the weather, we can talk about the neighbor’s flower garden or produce garden, talk about their new car, the painting they are getting done on their house. We can be friendly and interesting people. We can have them over for dinner and have an enjoyable evening and don’t say, well, the evening was a failure because we didn’t get the gospel in. Perhaps it was just an opportunity to build a relationship and invite them then at a time to come and hear the gospel in a setting where they are not threatened, they don’t have to fear if I even pass them, I’m afraid they’re going to grab my collar, you know, and I’ll have to hear about I’m lost, I’m on my way to hell. You know, we want them to know what we believe and what the convictions are, but it can be done in a way that is not intimidating in that sense.

So, our speech is to be seasoned with salt. Let me read you Ephesians 4:29, a parallel passage, you don’t need to turn there. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification, according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear. And of course all of my speech and conduct is in light of God’s grace and a desire to communicate ultimately the grace of God in Christ. Paul wrote to Titus and said in the opening verses of Titus, Chapter3, let me summarize to you those first three verses. Remind them to malign no one, to be uncontentious, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. For we were once foolish ourselves. So our speech is to be seasoned with salt, with grace. We remember what we were, you know, in my dealing with the unbeliever. You know, everyone doesn’t have to sit down and say, we might as well begin at the beginning, you’re lost and on your way to hell, let’s get it right out on the table. Well, there may be a certain setting where that would be a fitting approach, were you would say, let’s put things out in the open. But, you know, there may be times when that’s just not the best way to start, so, that kind of alertness.

Come back to Colossians, that’s what Paul says next, the end of verse 6. So that you may know how you should respond to each person and that expression to each person, indicates that each one is dealt with as an individual. You know, we only have one message, it’s the message of Christ, the gospel of Christ, the good news concerning Him. But, you know, I want to convey that to each individual according to where they are, what this situation is, so I know how to respond to each person, indicates that we are to be sensitive to the people we are talking to. I am sensitive to them, their situation. You know, if I’m talking to a person who has had a loved one, who has experienced death, you know, I don’t have to sit down and say, you know, a person who hadn’t trusted Christ is in hell, and even as I talk to you they’re suffering the flames of hell. That probably will not open many doors. But you know, it may be an opportunity to talk to them about life after death and that there is hope and quite frankly I can’t tell you much about this person who is gone, but I can tell you there is hope beyond this life and you can have that hope and it’s the only hope there is.

So, I want to be sensitive to the situation and to the person. You know, we have all been in situations where we have either done it or been with a Christian who did it, they’re just determined they’re going to dump the gospel on this person, come what come, and you sit there and you cringe because it just seems so inappropriate and out of place, it’s just not the right words and the right time. The person walks away proud, I presented the gospel. Well, you know, we need to know how we should respond to each person, so when God does provide an open door, we make it clear as we should. We do it appropriately to that person. You know, I don’t want to be dealt with like the people who call on the phone. It seems like there’s a lot of people doing that for a living today and I know it’s the same pitch because they’re reading me the same thing they read to everybody else they call that day. Well, you know, I only have one gospel, but it is personal and part of my dealing with this unbeliever in wisdom is to know how to make it personal to them and appropriate in their situation at the right time.

Peter wrote to this when he said, I Peter, Chapter 3, verse l5. But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence, a proper response. We have been in situations where we have been with believers and unbelievers and we have had a believer share the gospel and you just sit in amazement. It was just so appropriate. Some of you have shared these kind of occasions with me, you say, you know we were together and, you know, the Lord just opened the door and so and so. It was just so beautiful how they just knew what to say, and it was just the right thing at the right time. And when we experience that we say, Lord, help me to be able to do that. That’s what Paul is talking about, here’s some guidelines in doing it.

So, what has he said in these two simple verses? He says how we should relate to those who are outside of Christ. How should we walk, we are to walk wisely. Conduct yourself with wisdom, walk according to the will of God, walk according to His character. You walk with understanding and wisdom concerning the unbeliever, tactfully. We also should walk effectively or efficiently, redeeming the time, making the most of the opportunities. If I’m still after five years waiting for an open door to present the gospel to this friend or family member, I probably am not being effective, using the time wisely. So there is a balance here. I don’t have to present the gospel every time. I want to be like Paul and I am looking for the occasion, praying for the open door and the appropriate time and the wisdom to know. So, we walk wisely and effectively or efficiently.

And then concerning our talk, how should we talk. We should talk graciously, should be in accord with God’s grace and manifesting that grace in our speech. We ought to speak graciously, not deal with them harshly. We should talk incorruptly, our speech seasoned as it were with salt, nothing inappropriate. When getting close to them I told the joke, you know, it wasn’t off color but it wasn’t on color either. No, there’s nothing like that in my speech and my general conduct. They don’t hear me mumbling and grumbling and complaining. They don’t hear me slander someone else. My speech is seasoned with salt, there is no corruption in it. It’s appropriate and we should talk sensitively, being sensitive to the person we’re talking to, responding to each one as we should. The person here is an individual, a person, one who is important to Christ, one that I desire to reach with the gospel. They aren’t just a part of a mass, a group that I am walking around hating indiscriminately, no. I’m going to be sensitive to them as well.

So, our conduct and our conversation should be a testimony before the world and to the world, of the beauty of our God and our Savior, an expression of His love, His grace, which has provided salvation for all men. So, when we tell them, ‘for God so loved the world’, that has meaning. We express that love and that’s what 1 John says, ‘for God so loved us, we should love one another.’ We should become expressions of that love, ‘for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, in order that whosoever believes in Him, might not perish, but should have eternal life.’ May God use our walk and our talk to provide the opportunity to present to men, women and young people, the glorious message of a Savior who loved them and died for them. Let’s pray together.

Thank you, Lord, for your grace and your graciousness. Thank you, Lord, that you have not dealt with us according to our sins, but you have dealt with us in mercy and kindness.
Lord, we want that same mercy and kindness, grace and graciousness, to be manifest in our lives, to permeate us in our walk and in our talk, particularly in relationship to those who are outside of Christ. May something of your beauty, the beauty of your character, the greatness of your love be seen in us by those whom we have contact with. May it provide occasions for you to open doors of opportunity. By your grace may you give us wisdom and discernment to make the message of Christ clear, to speak with confidence and love, regarding that which can bring life and peace to those who are lost and without hope, outside of Christ. We thank you for such a Savior and pray in His name. Amen.