Open a door. Colossians 4:3 Seven times in the book of Colossians, thanksgiving is specifically mentioned. Thankfulness in prayer gives wings to our supplications and intercessions because we are confident that God has answered our prayers in the past. Intercession for those engaged in Gospel work is of great value. We pray they will clearly understand God's truth and be able to present it plainly to the hearers. We pray that the servant himself is kept holy and that he consistently presents the Gospel with clarity. Our hope is that opportunities will arise, and the servant will be ready to seize them. When presenting God's truth, we must be gracious, honest, and without hypocrisy.
The mystery of Christ is the Gospel's good news—salvation by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This was not widely known in many places when Paul was preaching the Gospel, and now he was in prison, where he had a captive audience even though he was a prisoner himself. The main focus of his life was to spread the wonderful message of salvation whenever he could. While in prison, he was an effective preacher of the Gospel and saw opportunities to share this message widely. He longed for “a door,” an opportunity to reach as many people as possible right where he was.
I do love the Gospel, but sometimes I stay silent when I should speak. There have been times when an opportunity to testify of God’s grace toward me or His desire for others came, and I just walked past it. Currently, there are different doors open for us to share the unsearchable riches of Christ with unbelievers or fellow Christians. Some doors are wide open, waiting for me to step through. However, I haven't taken the time to learn the language of those people, and I might not have the ability to learn a new language well enough to be understood. I thank God for others who have made that effort, and I will pray that they present the Gospel effectively.
There are many doors around me that seem so closed that I find it difficult to speak aloud or shed any Gospel light. There are places where I need to let my own light shine, and I pray that God may open those doors for me in the future. I think of others whom God is using who are reaching out in faith and seeking open doors in some distant place or country. I pray that God will open doors so they can step in with the good news of salvation by grace and that they might be in the right place and position to enter them.
There are people I know in Spanish-speaking lands who are living and working where dangerous gangs operate. Lord, protect them from all violence, injury, and conflict. Grant them opportunities to share the wonderful words of life with those who are in despair. “I know quite a few, Lord, across the western sea, who are ministering in many Asian countries, especially India and China. May doors open where once they were tightly closed. Let all who work for You find the people You have chosen.”
When we abide in Christ, our prayers can be effective because we will make our requests according to His will and do things that please our Lord. The “mystery of Christ” would have been especially significant to the Gentile believers, who were brought into a covenant relationship with God in the same way Jewish believers were. This truth needed to be clearly stated so no mistake could be made and the message of salvation understood.
In our private lives, we need to be persistent in our prayers. Meaningful prayer involves sincere thankfulness and a close fellowship with the Lord when we make our supplications for the needs and intercessions of others. One of the most important ministries we can engage in is praying. Others mentioned in this part of chapter four publicly proclaim God's word. We need to witness to those around us with words of grace, corrective instruction, and the sharing of concerns for others, like Tychicus did when he told the Colossian believers about Paul's situation.
We are not wasting our time when what we speak about has a purposeful reason. By preaching the Gospel, we speak for God as Paul did in prison. People need to hear the message of salvation presented in ways that are easy to understand. It is a mystery to them, but to us, it has been given the responsibility to preach it as heralds and pass on truth through personal witnessing to those who are lost. Prayer, both private and public, and our personal lifestyle are ways we demonstrate our Lord Jesus Christ to those around us.
There are mutual and positive effects when we pray for the work others are doing. We are letting our heavenly Father know we care about what laborers are doing and for their well-being, and we are joining with them in their work. According to Deuteronomy 10:12-13, the Lord requires us to fear Him, walk in His ways, love Him, serve Him wholeheartedly, and keep His commandments for our own good. In Micah 6:8, the Lord shows us what is good: “What does the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”