How to be a Faithful Witness

To be an effective witness for Christ, we must be consistent examples of living out Christlike virtues at home, at work, and in any other place in the world. That’s what Paul teaches in the verses leading up to Col 4:2-6. Being like Christ is the necessary backdrop for speaking about him.

In Colossians 4:2-6, Paul offers some biblical guidance for how to be a faithful witness for Christ. He does not say everything we need to know about being a witness for Christ, but he says enough to move us in the right direction.

We’ll call this the “polar approach” to evangelism, with polar representing the acronym PLR.

• Pray
• Look
• Respond

Let’s take a closer look at each of these principles!

Pray (Col 2:2-4)

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

Pray persistently.

When Paul says, “Continue earnestly in prayer,” he is urging persistence in prayer. He is teaching us to devote ourselves to prayer on a regular basis, in a recurring way. Behind the actions of your life and the words of your mouth should be a heart engaged in regular prayer to God. A prayerful heart is necessary to be an evangelistic person.

Pray persistently for open doors to speak about Christ.

Paul highlights a specific prayer request, namely “that God would open to us a door for the word.” This is a request for God to provide opportunities to speak the word of the gospel message to nonbelievers we know and encounter. Paul himself was in prison in Rome on false charges. Rather than request prayer for his release, he requested for opportunities to speak about Christ. Would you request the same thing?

This may seem like an unnecessary request because every person we meet is an opportunity to speak about Jesus. Yet, Paul understood that just because a person is standing in front of us does not mean we have an open door to speak about Christ.

As we interact with people, we often encounter closed doors rather than open ones. In fact, it’s normal and natural for a person to be too busy, distracted, antagonistic, or disinterested to hear the truth about Christ, no matter how winsome we may be and no matter how much we care.

For this reason, we must do more than live in a compelling, Christlike way. Before we speak, we must pray for good opportunities prepared by God. Pray that people will be available and eager to listen, and for timely moments, and for wisdom to notice when these occur.

Pray persistently for open doors to speak about Christ clearly.

As we pray for opportunities to speak about Jesus, we should also pray for wisdom to speak about Jesus in a clear and understandable way. After all, when we talk about Jesus, we want to do more than fulfill an outreach assignment. We want the person who hears us to understand what we are telling them. We need wisdom to explain the gospel in a clear and accurate way that understands a person’s needs and concerns. We also need wisdom to answer unexpected questions.

Though every person needs to hear the same good news about Jesus, not every person needs to hear it in the exact same way. When we study Acts, we see that Peter, Paul, and other believers shared the good news about Jesus on multiple occasions. Though they always presented the same message, they tailored their presentation to their audience as well. We need wisdom to do the same. Are we praying that way?

Look (Col 2:5)

Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.

If we are praying for opportunities to speak about Jesus, we should be looking for those opportunities which are God’s answer to our prayers. These opportunities won’t always be as obvious as someone asking us outright, “How can I be saved?”

Make wise choices.

Looking for opportunities to share Jesus requires a personal commitment to making wise choices. (Wise refers to thoughtful, skillful approach.) Paul encourages outreach-minded believers to “walk in wisdom” (Col 4:5).

He uses this word walk throughout the NT to describe our daily choices and behavior, especially before a watching, curious world of nonbelievers. By doing so, he refers to an “ethical walk that supports religious talk” (Richard Melick).

So then, a gospel-minded believer must go about his business in a way that reflects the wisdom of God. He should make choices with the skill that comes from Scripture, handling his daily agenda like a prayerful chess match rather than a pinball machine frenzy.  Wise choices have a way of providing good opportunities to point people to Jesus.

Make the most of every opportunity.

Looking for opportunities to share Jesus also requires a commitment to making the most of every opportunity. Paul describes this as “redeeming the time” (Col 4:5). This means that we should make moments count for eternity. As we navigate our daily agenda and make decisions about where to go, what to do, and how to do things, we should make them with the gospel in mind. If we are praying for opportunities, then we should be especially eager to do this.

Make choices that place us in the presence of nonbelievers. Be around them. Spend time with them. Do things with them. Don’t always make decisions based upon what is most convenient or comfortable for us. Make decisions that place us in meaningful contact with those who need Christ.

When we invest our money in a bank, stock, property, or business venture, we should ensure that we’re investing in the most profitable way. We shouldn’t throw our money at the first opportunity that comes our way, or even at the most convenient option before us. The same is true with living as witnesses for Christ. As we pray for opportunities to share Jesus, we should “spend” our time in ways that have potential for being a witness.

To be an effective witness for Christ, we should ask God on a regular basis to provide opportunities to speak about Jesus in a clear and productive way. As we pray do, we should go through daily life with a skillful approach, giving special attention to making the most of every opportunity to share Jesus. Value potential gospel impact over personal comfort and convenience. As we do this, we’ll find that opportunities to be a witness increase.

Don’t relegate opportunities for speaking about Jesus to special events and spontaneous moments. Though these may occur, we should learn to live, pray, and look for such opportunities in a deliberate, mindful way.

Respond (Col 2:6)

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

If we’re praying and looking for opportunities to be a witness for Christ, then we should be ready to respond when these opportunities occur! So, how should we respond?

Give a gracious answer.

When our Christian behavior prompts nonbelievers to ask questions, we should answer with grace and with salt.

Grace refers to speaking in a gracious manner. In another place, Paul describes this demeanor in more detail (2 Tim 2:24-25). Gracious speech features gentleness, thoughtful explanations, patience, and humility. As such, we should refrain from verbal arguments and heated debates. We have a wonderful opportunity and privilege not only to speak about Christ, but we have the responsibility to depend on Christ himself to enable us with genuine graciousness that comes from him.

Believers must also answer with salt. Just as salt enhances the flavor of food, making it more interesting and palatable to eat, so we should speak in an interesting, engaging way. Though the gospel is good news (indeed, the best news of all time!), it is also an offensive message. Paul describes the message of the cross as “foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Cor 1:18).

Yes, the gospel is offensive, but we don’t have to be! We don’t have to be dull, either. Bad manners. Boring language. Christian jargon. Avoid these things by speaking in an interesting and helpful way. Though we should never alter the content of the gospel or entertain people with the gospel, we should do what we can to speak about Christ in a winsome way.

Give a suitable answer.

When we answer questions about Christ, we should answer each one in a suitable way. Paul says, “that you may know how you ought to answer each one” emphasizing each one. By doing this, he teaches us to be sensitive to every situation. Not every person and or question requires the same response. The same gospel? Yes. But the same presentation? No.

To know how to respond to a situation, we need to pray for wisdom and observe the situation. Is the person asking the question a skeptic or a seeker? Is it the first time they have heard about Christ? Do they have extended time available to talk or are they in a rush to get somewhere? These factors and more will determine how we shape our answer. Not every situation will be the same.

A prison guard once asked Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). He answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 16:31). Another time, some philosophers asked, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak?” (Acts 17:19). He responded with a thoughtful comparison of the gospel to the popular religions and philosophies they preferred (Acts 17:22-31). From these two scenarios, we see what Paul meant when he said, “that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” No witnessing scenario in the NT is identical to another.

When opportunities arise to speak about Jesus because people ask you questions, answer them the way that Paul describes. Be gracious like Jesus and speak in an interesting way that understands the situation and responds accordingly. Don’t be a “gospel-breathing robot” that spits out a mechanical gospel presentation to every question that comes your way. Instead, answer in a thoughtful and engaging way that is observant and sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

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Thomas Overmiller is the pastor of Brookdale Baptist Church in Moorhead, MN and blogs at Shepherd Thoughts. This article first appeared at Shepherd Thoughts, used here with permission.

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Photo by Robert Koorenny on Unsplash