“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:2-6
I was reading through Colossians recently and came to one of my favorite sections, and since we’ve been involved with the Revive Texas outreach effort for the last 7 weeks it totally reminded me of what they are all about.
Prayer – Note that the first three verses in the text refer to prayer. The Colossians were to be devoted to prayer. They were to pray for an open door for the gospel and pray that it would be proclaimed clearly. One thing I’ve seen about the Revive Texas people and their strategy is this, prayer is at the center of revival. If you are around them any time at all you know they like to pray: early morning prayers, prayers before they go out to share, offering prayer to every person they meet, and the immediate sending of daily contact prayer requests to a 24 hour prayer hub. But not only the number of prayers and time spent in prayer, there is the faith behind them. When they pray they expect something to happen, and again if you’ve been in their meetings or out doing evangelism with them you see that something is happening! It has caused me to re-evaluate and make changes in my prayers for others.
Wisdom – I have always loved verse 5. I want to be wise! I desire to say the right words and do the right thing to influence someone for Jesus. From what I have experienced with the Revive folks, they seek wisdom, maybe what would be called Holy Spirit wisdom. They are heavy on the guidance of the Spirit in where they go, who they meet and what they say. They really really trust the Spirit’s lead in being wise toward outsiders.
Opportunity – Some translations say, redeeming the time or making the most of the time. On this point Revive Texas excels. They consider as opportunities people and situations that I would have never considered. There are amazing stories. They are bold with the gospel but at the same time tender, loving and discerning. We have learned much from them.
Thankful – Paul also urged the Colossians to be thankful as he did on many other occasions in his writings. I am thankful for Revive Texas and the work they have done over the past 7 weeks in this metroplex-wide outreach. I am also thankful for Singing Oaks members who have served in numerous ways in our region. Thanks to the entire meal team and different home groups that helped cook, serve, set-up and clean-up every Monday. Thanks to the worship team that led worship every Monday. Thanks to the childcare team that served faithfully every Thursday night. Thanks to everyone who signed up to disciple someone over the coming year and thanks to all who went out into the community to share the gospel. Ultimately and finally all praise and glory to God for all that has been and will be accomplished through this effort.
