In his sermon on Colossians 4:2-6, Mike Davenport outlines the characteristics of a mission-minded church. He emphasizes the importance of earnest prayer, vigilant watchfulness, and thanksgiving as foundational attitudes for a church engaged in mission. Davenport stresses that the church should align with Christ's mission to seek and save the lost, and this involves active participation in both local and global outreach. He underscores the need for a church culture focused on evangelism rather than reliance on specific programs. The sermon highlights the 'mystery of Christ' as a central message that needs to be proclaimed, defined as 'Christ in you, the hope of glory.' Davenport also urges church members to walk wisely and speak graciously, ensuring their interactions with non-believers are characterized by grace and seasoned with salt. Finally, he calls for a deep love for God and neighbors, encouraging the church to redeem the time and make the most of every opportunity to share the gospel.

Colossians 4, 2 through 6. 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. Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Let us pray. Oh Father, we ask that you would now own your word, that you would write your word upon our hearts, that we would be a changed people. Lord, that we would not simply glance into your word this morning and then quickly go about our way forgetting what manner of men and women we saw ourselves to be. But oh Lord may we continue in this your perfect law of liberty And may we be doers of this word and not mere hearers only. Oh, Father, come.

Come by your Spirit. Glorify yourself through your Word that you may get all the glory today from everyone present. We pray in Jesus name, amen. You may be seated. I bless God for how he has over the course of the last few years specifically, how he's been shaping us into a mission-minded church.

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, said that he came to seek and to save that which was lost. That was his mission. And if that was the mission of him who is the head of the church, which is his bride, can we as the local representation of that bride be said to be functioning under that headship as we are called to do without being a true help-meet to Him in this His very mission. You see, I'm afraid that we too often, when we consider the relationship of Christ and His church, that we too often run quickly to what that means for us as married couples. And we're right to do so.

Paul makes that connection, but in the process sometimes we don't spend an adequate amount of time on what that really means for the relationship of Christ with his church. One thing that means for our relationship with him is that Christ wants his bride to join in on his mission that God has given him, to seek and to save that which is lost. So I bless God for this church's ministry involvement at the abortion mill, for the involvement at the nursing home, at various city and town events of local cities and towns, as well as simply street preaching. We have even had occasion to minister at an orphanage in a nearby town not too far from here. I'm thankful that we have a world map there in our foyer and that we have used that map as a catalyst for our prayers for the nations during our annual week of prayer.

And even throughout the year, We have been supporting God's work in Malawi, Africa, both financially as well as sending men to minister there every other year. We have supported a dear brother in his work over in Turkey, and here we anticipate shortly sending some from our own congregation with the intention of planting churches should God bless those endeavors. These are all good things. I bless God for these things, but These are mere beginnings, and these beginnings are not enough to sustain us. The work is not done yet.

It has actually just begun, and we must not fall into the trap of thinking of missions as always some designated group of people or designated person, some specially gifted person doing some well-defined thing in some specific place outside of their normal sphere of daily living. If we are to truly become and continue to be a mission-minded church, we will need to take seriously the exhortations Paul has for us in this passage of scripture. We will see that Paul, through requesting prayer for his specific mission and calling, yet saw these brethren there in the church of Colossae as engaged in mission work of their own." Well, I've entitled the message this morning, becoming a mission-minded church. Becoming a mission-minded church. And we will use the wording that Paul provides us in the passage as an outline.

So, to become a mission-minded church, we must first learn to pray earnestly. We must learn to pray earnestly. To become a mission-minded church, we must secondly learn to walk wisely. We must learn to walk wisely. And then third, to become a mission-minded church, we must learn to speak graciously.

We must learn to speak graciously. So first, to become a mission-minded church, we must learn to pray earnestly. Verse 2 here in our passage, Colossians 4-2, continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. Continue earnestly. Strongs says to persevere, to be constantly diligent in prayer.

Thayer's Greek lexicon says to give constant attention to prayer. That's what this passage is calling us to do. Linsky, in his commentary, defines the verb used here as holding to something with strength and hence not neglecting it or letting it drop. So Paul is exhorting the church that with all of the strength they have, they are to hold to prayer and not let it fall by the wayside or fall to the ground. Prayer was to be given constant attention.

In his first letter to the church at Thessalonica, chapter 5, verses 17 and 18, Paul tells the saints to pray without ceasing, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Pray without ceasing. In Romans 12 12, Paul tells the church there to continue steadfastly in prayer. Even Christ himself taught his disciples that men always ought to pray and not lose heart." Luke 18. 1.

Linsky comments, we are always to be fit and ready for an approach to God in worshipful praying. The heart which is ever attuned to God as being his child turns to God as well in its secret thoughts as in its many utterances." end quote. A heart attuned to God. So not just through our utterances of prayer, but even in our secret thoughts in communion with God. In communion with God.

Are we holding on to prayer in this manner? Not simply in public, but also in private. Can it be said of us that we give constant attention to prayer? This exhortation was not just for the disciples or for the churches of Paul's day. This is an exhortation for us where we sit today.

Continue earnestly in prayer. But we are not only called to a spirit of prayer, but also here to a spirit of watchfulness. Paul writes, continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it. Thayer's Greek lexicon says that to be vigilant is to employ the most strict and exact and careful observance. A strict an exact, and a careful observance.

Linsky again notes watching is to be added to prayer as an adjunct, ever praying and at the same time watching. The meaning is not, he says, watch so as not to neglect prayer, nor watch and be attentive during prayer, but pray and at the same time be watchful. And when we read these exhortations of Paul here to the church at Colossae, here set alongside each other, our minds should quickly run to the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to His disciples there in the garden. What did he say to them? Watch and pray.

Watch and pray. Paul's giving them no new thing to do. It's the very thing that Christ told his disciples to do. Again, we must direct a question to ourselves. How are we doing in this area of Watchfulness?

Are we employing the most strict, the most exact, and the most careful observance of the things that God, by His providence, has committed to us? Dear ones, we are not called to find our rest here and now in this world. Our rest is a promised rest. It is a rest that is yet to come. Here and now we are called to watch and to pray.

Listen to the words of the hymn writer. Christian, Seek not yet repose, cast thy dreams of ease away. Thou art in the midst of foes. Watch and pray. Principalities and powers mustering their unseen array their unseen array, wait for thine unguarded hours.

Watch and pray. Gird thy heavenly armor on, wear it ever, night and day. Ambushed lies the evil one. Watch and pray. Hear the victors who o'ercame.

Still they mark each warrior's way. All with one sweet voice exclaim, watch and pray. Here above all, hear thy Lord, Him thou lovest to obey, hide within thy heart His word. Watch and pray. Watch as if on that alone hung the issue of the day.

Pray that help may be sent down. Watch and pray." Well, we also see here in verse 2 that Thanksgiving for all that God has done should be the motive for our praying and watchfulness and the very sphere in which we commune with Him and guard that which he has entrusted to us. Paul had already exhorted this congregation to be thankful back in chapter 3 verse 15 where he says, "'Let the peace of God rule in your hearts to which also you were called in one body and be thankful." Does thanksgiving mark your times of prayer? In fact, does thanksgiving mark your times of watchfulness? Are we a thankful people?

Consider with me for a moment that a thankful heart first fuels a desire to pray to the God above from whom all blessings flow. If we're to continue earnestly in prayer, thanksgiving will fuel our prayer to give God thanks from whom all these blessings flow. Second of all, consider that a thankful heart fuels a desire to make that goodness of God we have experienced known to others. That thankful heart will want us to spell out, this is what my God has done for me. Third, a thankful heart fuels a desire to see others know this same goodness that we're thankful for.

When we're overflowing with thankfulness, our desire is that everyone that we come into contact with to experience that same goodness so that they in turn will be a thankful people, which leads to the fourth reason or outcome of a thankful heart. A thankful heart fuels a desire that God, who is deserving of all thanks, should receive that thanksgiving from each and every creature. He's worthy. He's worthy. And if our hearts are full of thankfulness, We want God to be thanked by every living creature here on earth.

This is what a thankful heart does. So we're to continue earnestly in prayer, giving earnestly in prayer, giving vigilance in it, and we're to do so with thanksgiving. Verses 3 to 4, Paul goes on, 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." A request for prayer is made, a special request. Pray for us. Pray for us.

Paul has exhorted these believers to be earnest in prayer, generally speaking. Now he throws in a personal request, pray also for us, for us. Dear ones, every Christian carrying the gospel of Christ covets the prayers of God's people. These two dear families that we are sending to Turkey, they have purposefully chosen as a name for this church-planting endeavor, the well-known phrase, hold the rope. Hold the rope.

They realize the necessity of someone to hold the rope as they endeavor to make God known in places where He is not known. And you can be assured the whole, they wholeheartedly join in with Paul's request, brethren, in your praying and in your watching, pray for us. Pray for us. Now note first that the open door is not so much for them, the messengers, as much as it is for the actual word they desire to speak. You see, they view themselves as merely instruments in God's hands.

They are nothing but seed planters, waterers. The open door they are praying for is an open door for the Word of God that they have preached and intend to preach. That's what they want to go through that open door. Yes, they're the messengers, but this is what they want to carry through that door. And note secondly that the open door for the Word is specifically tied to speaking the mystery of Christ.

Speaking the mystery of Christ. Now, what is this mystery of Christ? We need to understand that because this prayer is to be such that this open door would lead to this result, making known this mystery of Christ. So we need to understand what is this mystery of Christ. Well, time does not permit us to unpack it fully, but if you would like to do so later, I would encourage you to look back at Colossians 1 verses 24 to 29, Colossians 1, 24 to 29, where Paul introduces this mystery which he there defines as, Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Christ in you, the hope of glory. He then goes on in chapter 2 of this letter to declare his purpose in making that mystery known, and he also includes his desire to make sure that they would not be drawn away from the primacy and centrality of the mystery as it's revealed in Christ. He doesn't want them to be taken away by vain philosophy. There's this mystery of God, Christ in you, the hope of glory. And that's what I want to preach to you.

That's what I want to make known to you. But my fear is that you're being drawn away from vain philosophy, from this, the root, this mystery of Christ in you, the hope of glory. And then in chapter 2 verse 9, Paul goes on to define that mystery again. For in Christ dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in Him who is the head of all principality and power." So here he's defining it again. It's Christ in you and therefore you complete in Him.

And then in verses 11 through 15 of chapter 2, he declares what it means experientially for the believer to be complete in Christ. And then Paul finishes that chapter, chapter 2, with another warning to the church to not seek for any sort of completeness outside of Christ and Christ alone. And then if we were to go in the chapter 3, we would see the outworkings of this mystery of Christ. And really, as we see all of life defined, we'll see what he's calling them to hear in our text in the next verses, verses 5 and 6. All this mystery of Christ, what does it lead to?

It leads to walking wisely and speaking graciously. It's in chapter three. He's wrapping it all up neatly in this package saying, this is what you as a church must be about. And so the first two chapters of this letter especially have laid out this mystery that Paul refers to here. And this is what Paul is asking the church at Colossae to pray about that the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ might shine forth, this mystery of Christ in you, and therefore You are complete in Him.

And this is the message that must make it through this open door. This is the message the world needs to hear. Paul goes on to say it was this message that led to his being bound in chains. He's writing this letter while in prison, being chained because of this message of the mystery of Christ. But listen, though his hands and his feet may have been bound, his conscience was free.

His conscience was free. He had been faithful in the proclaiming the message of Christ and Christ alone. And so free was his conscience. He was able to gladly and earnestly request prayer again for the very thing that had placed him in the chains wherein he now found himself. He's praying, pray for me that I might be free again to do the very thing that put me where I am right now.

However, Paul knew the weakness of his own flesh, and we see here that he feared that the creature comfort experiences of being a free man once again and the remembrance of this cold, dark, and lonely prison, It might cause him to pull back from manifesting this truth as it is to be manifested, that he might fail to speak such a mystery as it was deserving to be spoken. So he prays, asks prayer for them or from them that he might speak as he ought to speak, to make manifest as He ought to make manifest. And dear ones, we must pray for our dear brethren as they enter into this new and hostile environment that they may speak the mystery of Christ to make it manifest by speaking as they should. And our prayers must be directed to the only one that can open the door for the proclamation of this mystery. Continue earnestly in prayer, dear ones.

Be watchful and pray for these two families. But not only must we learn to pray earnestly, but secondly, in order to become a mission-minded church we must learn to walk wisely, to walk wisely. Verse 5, walk in wisdom toward those who are outside redeeming the time. A few weeks ago I had the privilege to attend a pastors conference along with some 97 other pastors. In one of our sessions, Pastor Jeff Smith made the following assertion, the best and most effective program for evangelism is...

And if I stopped there, how would you fill in that blank? The most, the best and most effective program for evangelism is...let me tell you what he said. It's a healthy church. It's a healthy church. That's the best and most effective program.

We then walked together through the book of Acts and noted what was happening in all of the contexts where we read that the church was growing, the church was expanding, that souls were being saved and souls were being added. Over and over and over again, you will find that the church was simply doing the things God had called them to do. They were being the thing that God had called them to be. They were simply being faithful in the ordinary things. That is why they are called the ordinary means of grace.

We tend to think that there must be this great thing and that great thing, that there must be all sorts of programs, that there must be all of this preparation and this polishing before we will ever see God work in the lives of others. Well, the following important distinction was also noted in that conference message, this, evangelism is a culture, not a program. Evangelism is a culture, not a program. That is a critical mindset to develop, dear brothers and sisters. We will not be a mission-minded church Simply because we can point to the fact that we've sent missionaries, or because we can point to specific places that we go with the gospel, or because we gather from time to time to discuss our duty to evangelize, or even to equip one another to evangelize.

A mission-minded church may and will indeed do these types of things, but the doing of them does not in and of itself make us a mission-minded church. Paul here in verses 5 and 6 exhorts us to a specific way of walking and a specific way of speaking. And in the midst of those two exhortation, he focuses on a duty, a duty that we have to those who are outside. Those who are outside. What does it mean, to those who are outside?

Well, this was a letter written to the saints at Colossi, those who were the gathered church, to the church that God had called to Himself out of the world. That's what church is in the Greek, ecclesia, called out. So called out, therefore called in to the church. Those who are outside are those who have not yet been called in to this church. And Paul says that the Church of Jesus Christ has a duty to those who are outside, to the world around us, to walk in a certain way.

Linsky commenting on this verse says, quote, Christian wisdom in our daily contact with non-Christians will avoid everything that may prejudice them against the gospel and will do everything that may win them for the gospel. It will make the most of every opportunity that offers itself." End quote. So it removes everything that would prejudice men and women against the gospel and at the same time bring in everything that may win them to that gospel. You know the verse, 1 Corinthians 10, 31, whether you eat, whether you drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. How often have we quoted that verse?

How often have we heard it? How often have we emphasized that verse, that whatever we're doing, we should be doing it to the glory of God. And I hope We've been doing it many times. And I also hope to our own encouragement to glorify God in whatever we are doing. But are we just as interested in quoting as well as following what is next in that passage, verses 32 and 33, give no offense either to the Jews or to the Greek or to the church of God, just as I, Paul, also please men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many that they may be saved." Do you see what Paul is describing as his own personal goals?

Glorifying God in whatever He does. And we as Reformed folks say, amen. Amen. That's the chief end of man, to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Him forever.

But Paul has another goal as well, to please all men in whatever he does. Sounds a bit like the two greatest commandments, does it not? Well this text forces us to ask and to answer some tough questions, Questions that we must be asking ourselves. Question number one, am I seeking the glory of God in everything I do? Am I seeking the glory of God in everything I do?

Second, am I seeking to live a life void of offense toward God? Am I seeking to live a life void of offense toward God? Am I seeking to live a life void of offense toward God? Third, Am I seeking to live a life void of offense to those in the church? Am I seeking to live a life void of any offense toward those in the church?

But also, fourthly, am I seeking to live a life void of offense toward those outside the church? Fifth, am I seeking to sacrifice in order that others may truly profit? Am I seeking to sacrifice simply that others may profit? And then, sixthly, am I seeking to live a life that brings others to Christ that men might be saved? Do we have a culture, not programs, Do we have a culture like that in our families?

That is what a mission-minded church is like. Deep down inside, behind all of the activities behind all the programs. Do we love our God and do we love the souls of men and women and boys and girls like that. At the heart of it all should be a culture of walking in wisdom towards those who are outside. Now, this duty is ratcheted up to another level by what Paul adds to the last part of this verse, redeeming the time, redeeming the time.

Dear ones, just as it was in the days of Noah, life goes on. People are eating and drinking, being given in marriage, marrying, going about their business, tending to their needs and the needs of their families, pursuing the things in this world that their hearts are set upon. But one day, one day, those now open doors of the Ark of Salvation will swing on their hinges as God brings those doors to a close, And those doors will be shut forever. Those on the inside, secure, safe. All those on the outside of those doors, damned forever to an eternity of punishment, of fire in hell.

There is an urgency to our walking, an urgency to our living. We must redeem the time. And this forces a question as we think about pleasing all men in the context of glorifying our God. We don't please men by going against what brings God glory, okay? It's in that context of pleasing men that whatever I do, I glorify God.

But let me ask you a question. Are you more concerned with your so-called Christian liberty than you are about the eternal souls of men, women, boys, and girls all around you. May the words of Paul direct our way of living. I do all to the glory of God, and I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many that they may be saved." But our duty to those outside the church does not stop with our walk. We have another duty to them.

And that brings us to the third and final point. To become a mission-minded church, we must learn to speak graciously. We must learn to speak graciously. We must learn to speak graciously. Verse 6, let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." Now Paul assumes in this verse that we are conversing with those outside the church.

He just assumes that. There are conversations going on with those outside of this church. A healthy mission-mindedness does not retreat mission-mindedness does not retreat into comfortable and safe homes failing to engage the culture around us. He ends this exhortation with both the need as well as the expectation for each of us to know how to answer, and that knowing how to answer, we will fulfill our duty to answer each and every one. We should be endeavoring to learn how we ought to answer each and every one.

I am afraid that we often focus all of our attention on what we will answer, on what it is we will answer. And we give very little attention, if any, on how we should answer. Yes, what we answer is important. I'm not denying that. The church is to be the pillar and the ground of the truth, we must know what to answer.

But to be a truly mission-minded church, Paul is telling us that we must learn how to speak, How to speak. Our speech is always, always to be with grace. Not sometimes, not in our best moments. Always. Grace should define everything we say.

Grace should be the way we say what we say. Grace should be the reason that We say what we say. Grace should be the reason that we say what we say. Grace should be the goal of what we say. It should be the end result.

Matthew Henry wrote this, though our speech be not always of grace, meaning that we have to say hard things sometimes. And though our speech be not always of grace, let it always be with grace. Let it be with grace. And not only are we exhorted to speak graciously, but this gracious speech is also to be seasoned with salt. Seasoned with salt.

In other words, our speech is to be winsome. It's to be wholesome. Quoting Linsky once again, quote, by using wisdom and clothing this wisdom in graciousness and giving it a wholesome taste, we shall soon get to know just how to answer every person with whom we get into a discussion so that we may make the most of all such opportunities. Paul says in Ephesians 4.29 that our speech should be only what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearer. Is that the grid through which your speech is filtered?

Is that the grid? Only what is good? Only what edifies? Only what imparts grace? Brothers and sisters, let me dive down a little deeper.

As we consider these two exhortations of walking wisely and speaking graciously. The reality of the world we live in means that we need to apply this to other means of communication, including blogs, including our use of social media. Among some of the best reformed minds of our day, There are far too many who fail to follow these exhortations when it comes to their use of technology and social media. They might have all the answers and the right answers to the question. But it's not always done graciously.

It's not done seasoned with salt. And to tell you frankly, sometimes it makes me sick. How is it with your social media use? Are your posts always with grace, seasoned with salt? Are you answering others as you ought to answer?

Dear ones, to become a mission-minded church, We must first love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And that love should draw out our hearts ever in prayer and communion with Him. And to become a mission-minded church, we must secondly love our neighbor in all our interactions with Him or her, walking in wisdom and speaking with grace. Redeem the time, dear ones. Redeem the time.

There's a call going out across the land in every nation, a call to those who swear allegiance to the cross of Christ, a call to true humility, to live our lives responsibly, to deepen our devotion to the cross at any price. As a candle is consumed by the passion of the flame, spilling light unsparingly throughout a darkened room. Let us burn to know Him deeper. Then our service, flaming bright, will radiate His passions and blaze with holy light, to love the Lord our God is the heartbeat of our mission. To love the Lord our God is the heartbeat of our mission, the spring from which our service overflows across the street or around the world, the mission's still the same.

Proclaim and live the truth in Jesus' name. As we stated in the beginning, the mission of Christ was to seek and to save that which is lost. And the reality is that in a gathering this size, we don't even have to cross the street, let alone go around the world. It may be crossing the aisle. It may be looking to the seat to our right or to our left.

We have no doubt unconverted souls here in our midst. And my dear friend, my dear young person, we don't want to bypass you on our way across the street, on our way around the world. Our mission is still the same within the four walls of this church. It's the same. To proclaim to you and to seek to live out in our lives the truth of the mystery revealed in the pages of Scripture, and that's the glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, that through repentance of your sins and faith in Him, that you can come to know Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Christ in you, the hope of glory, and you complete in Him. His sacrificial death for all who will believe on Him is your only hope of glory. By casting your soul upon Christ in simple faith, the testimony of the saints there in Colossae can be your very own testimony. For in Christ Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in Him who is the head of all principality and power. In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ buried with him in baptism in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God who raised Him from the dead, and you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us.

And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. That's the mystery revealed to us, Christ coming in the flesh and dying to make us complete in Him. My dear friend, you can be made complete in Christ today. Today. Repent of your sins and come to Him and find Him a willing and ready Savior.

Well may God have mercy upon us and truly make us to be a mission-minded church, not only within these four walls, but across the street and around the world, that Christ may have all the glory. Amen. Father, we thank you for your goodness to us. We thank you for this word. Oh God, make us to be a mission-minded church.

Make us a ready and willing help meet to our bridegroom whose mission was to seek and to save that which was lost. Oh, Lord, may we be busy about that work and going about it the way that you have prescribed in your word that Christ may receive all the glory. In his great name we pray. Amen.