Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20070916.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Colossians: Maturing Over False Beliefs By Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency
Part IX: Applying Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency To Godly Living
H. Using Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency For Effective Contacts With Unbelievers
(Colossians 4:5-6)
  1. Introduction
    1. Many churches believe that to win the lost to Christ, we must develop "seeker friendly" services by focusing on making the lost comfortable in deleting teaching on doctrine and a full Gospel presentation.
    2. Yes, we are to lead the lost to Christ -- Matthew 28:19-20 is clear about that! Yet, the right method of doing this is briefly revealed in Colossians 4:5-6, and it contrasts with the "seeker friendly" view:
  2. Using Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency For Effective Contacts With Unbelievers, Colossians 4:5-6.
    1. Paul's directive to "walk in wisdom toward them that are without" in Colossians 4:5a opens the door by way of application for a critique on today's "seeker friendly" method of evangelism (as follows):
      1. The "seeker friendly" movement tries to make the local church appeal to the lost so that they might feel comfortable with worldly music, and to back away from teaching deep doctrinal truths and the full content of the Gospel to the lost until they are comfortable enough to receive it and be saved.
      2. Yet, in Colossians 4:5a, Paul called the lost "them that are without," literally, those "outside" [exo, U. B. S. Greek N. T., 1966 ed., p. 702; Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk-Engl. Lex. of the N. T., p. 278-279], and that means those who are not customarily within the local church meetings!
      3. Yes, 1 Corinthians 14:24-25 refers to the visit of an unbeliever to a church meeting, but the division between the Early Church Christian and the pagan was "sharp: the church was the community and all others were shut-out unbelievers," Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to Colossians 4:5.
      4. Thus, the local church is not to be a seeker friendly place for the lost, but a spiritual nest for believers where believers can be exposed to deep Biblical truths and find nurture for their edification where the outreach effort to the lost is to occur outside the church in the world where the lost exist!
    2. Hence, in reaching the UNSAVED OUTSIDE the CHURCH, the believer is to walk in wisdom, redeeming the time, buying up every opportunity to be and give a witness of the Gospel, Colossians 4:5b.
    3. Some think this activity involves talking all the time to the lost about the Gospel, but that can not be the case in view of how Paul qualified the way one is to be opportunistic in Colossians 4:6 (as follows):
      1. In interacting with the lost in the world, our speech must always be with grace, seasoned with salt, an admonition very familiar to pagan writers themselves, J. B. Lightfoot, Col. and Phil., 1974, p. 232-233.
      2. However, by "salt," the pagans meant a wit [eutrapelia, Ibid.] that could decline into coarse "jesting" of one's opponent, an action condemned by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:4 KJV, Ibid.
      3. Richard C. Trench suggests Paul used eutrapelia in a positive way in Acts 26:29 (Syns. of the N. T., 1973, p. 122): there he replied to king Agrippa's remark that Paul almost persuaded him to be a Christian by noting: "I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds." It was a witty, but tactful, effective remark!
      4. Thus, when we interact with the lost in the world, we must be ready to tell them the Gospel, but with kind, fitting, impressive remarks as the opportunity arises in our usual human conversations with them!
    4. Clearly, in the context of the Colossian epistle that highlights Christ's supreme all-sufficiency as He is head over all the lost (Colossians 1:16-17), we believers are to witness to the lost outside the local church as we see GOD opening doors to do so in answer to prayer, and we must do so with kindness but with fitting words that make an impact in our regular conversations with them! (Colossians 4:2-4, 5-6)
Lesson: The WAY to reach the lost is NOT (1) by turning the Church into a nest for the LOST as in "seeker friendly" churches; rather, (2) KEEPING the CHURCH set to edify the BELIEVER in providing strong Bible content from the pulpit and a worship format that edifies ALL BELIEVERS in the Word, (3) to reach the LOST in the WORLD through NORMAL interaction as we prayerfully seek opportunities to use kind, stirring words with them in reliance on our supreme, all-sufficient Savior!

Application: May we adjust to God's Biblical witnessing method to do His will rather than devising our own methods; then, we will be truly effective under Christ's supreme control of the whole process!