Paul’s words to the Colossians step on most of our toes. Most Christians are willing to share the gospel with someone who asks them. But, how often do we ask God to give us the opportunity to do that?

Paul told the Colossian church to pray “steadfastly” and to be “watchful” with a heart that would be grateful to God for his answers. Then Paul asked the church to pray that God would “open a door” so that he and the other disciples could “declare the mystery of Christ.” We could think that prayer was just for Paul except for verses like Acts 1:8, which declares that all Christians are empowered by the Holy Spirit and have become disciples.

Theologically, we are called to pray like Paul for the opportunities to “open doors so we can declare the mystery of Christ.” Honestly, as I often tell my friends, it’s easier to write about God’s wisdom than it is to faithfully obey it.

We pray for the people we know who need to be saved, but are we also praying to share God’s word with people we don’t know?

We pray steadfastly each day and want to live with thanksgiving for the many blessings in our lives. I don’t always feel grateful when God leads me into a conversation where I know I will need to do my best to “speak the truth in love.” Some of those conversations end with hurt feelings, a broken relationship, or simply scornful or disdainful looks. It’s hard to pray for those possibilities with gratitude.

Paul prayed for the opportunity to share “the mystery of Christ,” and God is still answering that prayer and opening doors for Paul’s words today. Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. Sometimes joy is our substitute for happiness. We can wisely share God’s truth and have joy in our obedience, even if it brings moments of temporary sadness to our lives. As the Greek proverb says, “Great people plant trees they will never sit under.” We need to pray for the opportunities to share seeds of truth about Christ. We may never see the results, but God will.

I’m old enough to remember the traveling evangelists who led tent revivals in the seventies. Some were like Billy Graham while others were a different kind of messenger. I’ve witnessed God’s word being shouted on street corners, worn on T-shirts, and posted on billboards and on the walls in people’s homes. I’ve used and been blessed by God’s word in many of those ways. 

God’s word is used today in a variety of ways. Sometimes it’s intended to teach but other times it will threaten or warn. God’s word should always make people think. I am not called to sit in judgment on anyone’s evangelism, but I would want to encourage them to be careful with God’s word. 

Paul had some perfect advice about evangelism for his protégé, Timothy, when he said, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

For all of us who want to share God’s truth with others, we should be careful to consider Paul’s counsel.

-We must present ourselves to God as one approved. We aren’t preaching or teaching a crowd, or even speaking to one person. God is our audience, and his approval should be the only approval we seek.

-We need to be a worker who is honest, compassionate, and humble about our own imperfections so that we can be unashamed of our testimony about God’s redemption in our lives. We are beggars helping other beggars find bread.

-Finally, we need to speak words of biblical truth, even if that truth isn’t what others want to hear or believe for themselves. Our job is to present Christ as Savior and Lord. Christ came to be a King, and his words must be obeyed and revered as truth. He loves us too much to want less for our lives.

We should want to be trained and ready to speak the truth of God’s word. We should want to live a life God can bless and use for his kingdom purposes. We should want to be evangelists who rightly handle the word of truth with the love of Christ. We should want our audience of One to approve of our evangelism.

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. Wisdom is to present ourselves to God as Paul taught Timothy. We want God to approve of us and view us as a worker who has no need to be ashamed because we are rightly handling the word of truth.

A large number of believers in God have likely never risen to the level of trusting God with their lives. How are those two things different? A favorite story answers that question.

A man stretched a tightrope over a huge waterfall that cascaded to the river in the canyon below. A crowd gathered to watch as he easily carried heavy objects from one side of the canyon to the other. He amazed and impressed those who watched because he was sure-footed and never faltered or wobbled as he crossed.

The man shouted to the crowd, “Who thinks I could carry a person across this tightrope?” 

Everyone in the crowd raised their hands, sure he would be able.

Then the man shouted, “Who will be my first volunteer?”

That is the difference between belief and trust.

God created the world. Every generation of history has had people who have worshiped our God and have continued to believe the words of truth revealed in Scripture. Most believe in an eternal life with God in heaven because of the miraculous gift of Jesus. A lot of people believe in their Savior, but it isn’t until we submit our lives to his authority and perfect abilities that we have stepped into the trust relationship that makes Jesus our Lord, our King.

We say we believe, but do we raise our hand to volunteer? The psalmist wrote about how good it was to be near God, to have a close personal relationship to him as his King. The psalmist made God his refuge. It’s been said that the safest place to be in this world is the center of God’s will. But the psalmist had a reason to rejoice over the trust relationship he had with God. That relationship made him able to “tell,” or testify, of all God’s “works.”

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. When we daily choose to walk with God in a full and trusting relationship, we will learn to testify to all of God’s works in our lives as well. When someone needs to know about our God, we will raise our hands, like Isaiah, saying, “Here I am! Send me” (Isaiah 6:8).

According to the online Cambridge Dictionary, an ambassador is “a person who represents, speaks for, or advertises a particular organization or group of people.” Paul used that word to define the role of a Christian who wants to represent Christ, speak for Christ, and advance the gospel message.

When we do the work of the evangelist, we are actually speaking for God. Paul wrote that this is “God making his appeal through us.” Evangelism is allowing God to use us to share his truth with the world.

According to Paul, the way to be used by God is to be “reconciled to God.” In other words, God will speak through the person who has a right relationship with him. There is no greater thrill in the Christian life than realizing that Jesus just continued his earthly ministry through our words or our work. We are “ambassadors” of Christ, speaking for him and for his good purpose.

We have been “elected by God” to a high position in this world. If we will honor God by allowing his words and character to flow through us, we will be able to teach his truth, preach his message, and love others with the love of Christ. Evangelism is walking through this world as “an ambassador” of Christ.

When was the last time you heard the sound of your voice yet realized the words were not your own? When last did you deeply care and realize the love you felt for a person wasn’t your love? When last did someone hear your words and tell you, “God just spoke through you”? That is evangelism, “God making his appeal” through you.

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. Are you an ambassador for Christ?

Proverbs 11:30 is a simple and profound measure of what it means to live a wise life. A wise person is a person who lives rightly with God and therefore produces his fruit in his or her life. That person will “capture souls” and be recognized as wise.

A person whose life causes others to know God is an evangelist. We share Jesus each time we share his love with another. We share Jesus when we give a testimony about the way our lives have been impacted and changed by his presence and power. We share Jesus when we share the truth of God’s words with others. The fruit of a wise relationship with Christ will feed others and “capture souls.”

Wisdom is from God. Wisdom is more valuable than silver and gold. Wisdom will produce fruit in our lives and lead others to know God and receive the salvation of God through Christ.

You might have been studying Wisdom Matters from the beginning. Have the words of wisdom from Scripture changed your walk with the Lord? Do you share the truth of Christ more often now than you did before?

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. The wisdom of the Lord will help you to capture souls if you will maintain your close, personal relationship with Jesus and allow his character to flow through your life. Evangelism is not so much an effort as it is the overflow of your faith to others, the fruit produced as you continually fill your life with the power, purpose, and Presence of Christ.

We live in a world of people who need to know there is one true God. Some need to know and obey God more fully than they realize. Our world would be safer and more joy-filled if people understood and obeyed God’s plans. Our Father loves us and wants us to know he has the plan for our best life, if we will just choose to live as he leads.

Jesus spoke about our lives as a light to the world. The light we shine is the light of Christ, who is the light of the world. When people see our good works, or our “God- works,” they can see his reality through our lives and actions. They can see our joy and understand God is the source. When our lives shine with the light of Christ, we acknowledge through our testimony that our works are for and through the Lord. Our goal is to make certain that people understand the good they see in us is the good God has poured into us through his Holy Spirit.

People need to love God and know that the power of his salvation will transform the lives of those who serve him. They need to “give glory to [our] Father who is in heaven.” Our evangelism is often just taking their words and their attention to a more truthful level.

If someone says, “I wish I could be as patient as you are,” we can turn their thoughts higher by saying, “My patience comes from the Lord.”

If someone says, “You always have a smile,” we can say, “My faith gives me a lot to feel joyful about.”

If someone says, “I wish I could have your faith,” we need to assure them that they can.

We can light the path for others to know God and his transforming power. When we glorify the Lord, they will know where our help comes from. When they glorify the Lord and know him for all that he is, they can trust his love, his word, and his plan for their salvation.

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. Are you prepared to turn the attention and praise you might receive from others in the direction of God? God deserves the glory.

We are the light of the world because we have within us the light of Christ. Evangelism is to let our light shine so others can know and love their heavenly Father and give him the glory he so much deserves. Will you let your light shine in a culture that increasingly enjoys the darkness?

We know that one day we will stand before God, with Jesus, and we will be accountable to God for our choices. The Day of Judgment is a reality in Scripture, but we don’t know much about that moment beyond the fact that it will occur. For those who have placed their faith in Christ, we can know with confidence that our sins will be known by God but forgiven because of our faith in the sacrificial gift of God’s Son on the cross.

Jesus was teaching his disciples that they would need to share the message of the new covenant, the message of salvation in Christ, with others. He spoke some amazing words to his disciples that still apply to his disciples today. Jesus said, “Everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God.” Jesus will stand with us on the Day of Judgment and tell God, and all those angels, “This one knows me, and this one has helped others know me as well.”

That moment in heaven is beyond our ability to comprehend, but it is one we will experience. We see through the glass “dimly” now, but, at that time, we will see our God face-to-face. We will stand with Jesus, so grateful for every time we acknowledged our faith in Christ and spoke of his redeeming work in our lives. We will meet those people who were impacted by our words and actions, seeds of faith that eventually took root. We will hear Jesus say, “We know you, and you belong with us.”

There are rewards on earth for sharing our faith with others. Joy is helping people pray to receive Jesus as their Lord. It is the greatest joy we can have to help people understand they have received the promise of eternal life in heaven and can live with that assurance all of their days on earth.

But nothing on earth will compare with the joy we will feel when we stand before God as the brother or sister of Christ and hear our Lord acknowledge us to the Father saying, “This one acknowledged me to others and did the work of a disciple.” Imagine hearing the God of the universe say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. Evangelism is our high calling now and one day will be our great reward.

God has promised to reward our evangelism with eternal treasure. We acknowledge Jesus and all that he has done for our lives when we share his love and his message of salvation with others. Sharing the gospel is a high and honored goal. But Jesus had sobering words for those who hinder the salvation of others.

Jesus said, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Jesus was telling his disciples that we need to be aligned with his purpose and his priorities or we can do harm in this world.

Many have stopped attending a church because someone failed to show them the acceptance and love of Christ. Many have refused to hear our message because they have seen us fail to practice all we preach. They are wrong to judge the perfection of Jesus because of the imperfection of his saints. Nevertheless, whenever we do not “gather” others to Christ, we run the risk of “scattering” them to the influence of this world.

Many in our culture have labeled our evangelism both socially and politically incorrect. Our words about Christ need to be filled with truth, delivered with wisdom, and filled with a true love and compassion for the person we are speaking to. Our attitude should be one of humble certainty. We need to live with Christ and walk with his purpose if we want to gather others to the family of God.

But, if we don’t “gather,” we will scatter. If we don’t speak up, how will people know? God told Hosea, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). The work of evangelism has been hindered by our desire not to offend or to cause someone to think of us as arrogant. We cannot be arrogant, but we ought to be confident. We shouldn’t be boastful, but we should be proud of our Lord and our salvation. We shouldn’t be pushy, but we need to stand firm in the truth.

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. Wisdom is knowing that sharing the salvation of Christ with others is sharing the same purpose Jesus had for his own life. We either gather or scatter. Don’t allow the influence of this world to rob you of the influence of Christ. People are still “destroyed for lack of knowledge.” People are still saved by hearing and receiving the gospel message of their eternal life in Christ.

God’s words to the prophet Isaiah would not be considered correct in our culture today. God told the prophet, “Turn to me and be saved,” and his message was truth for “all the ends of the earth.” God said, “I am God, and there is no other.”

The apostle Paul wrote a similar message to Timothy, saying that God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).

We aren’t wrong to share the knowledge of Christ as “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). The way Jesus spoke those words about himself does not allow any other possibility. Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only way for someone to have eternal life.

Many in our world consider that message unkind. Sharing God’s truth with a wise and compassionate delivery has become increasingly important. The gospel message can seem unkind so the messenger needs to be above reproach.

We don’t share the truth to argue that we are right and another person is wrong. We share the truth because God is always right and the rest of us are wrong whenever we think or act apart from his truth.

God has an “elect,” those who have been chosen as his children. But the fact we have been elected, or adopted into God’s family, doesn’t change the fact that he still wants others to know him as well.

It is difficult to rejoice over those in our family who walk with God without grieving for those who don’t. God’s will is that “all people be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.”

Anyone can turn to the Lord and be saved. There is only one God, and there is no other. God has never “rewritten” his first commandment, and the world has never ceased trying to make personal edits to God’s perfect truth. Every temptation is similar to the first. Satan began his temptation with Eve saying, “Did God really say . . . ?” When we doubt God’s word, we open a door to Satan’s suggestions.

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. Satan will try to steal our joy and our testimony unless we firmly believe what Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). We aren’t “imposing our faith” on anyone by sharing the gospel. There is only one way for people to live eternally in heaven, and people deserve to know that truth.

One Sunday my husband preached a sermon on the need for all of us to be ready for heaven today. He said none of us can know when our time here on earth is finished. It was a good sermon, and one of our church members picked up a pen and paper that Sunday afternoon to write him a note of gratitude for his words. She mailed that note on Monday morning and died on Monday afternoon. He read her note a couple of days later at her memorial service.

The Lord will return, or return for us, at a moment when we do not expect him. Most of the first-century believers were certain Jesus would return in their lifetime. Some of those early Christian believers began to die, and their deaths raised some questions in the early church that Peter addressed in his letter.

Peter assured them that their faith should remain strong. He also reminded them that Jesus wasn’t slow to fulfill his promise to return but was patient to return because he wanted all people to reach repentance. Jesus told his disciples the week before his death, “This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

Many have speculated about the second coming of Christ, but no one, not even Christ, knows when that time will occur. Jesus’ words to his disciples on the Mount of Olives are interesting in light of today’s technology. Jesus said that when his gospel had been preached to the whole world, the end would come. There has never been a time in human history when that was possible—until now.

The internet has opened up God’s word to anyone who owns a cell phone. The Bible has been translated into almost every language. The entire world might be a constant hot spot in ten or fifteen years because of satellites. Quite possibly, Jesus' words on the Mount of Olives could be fulfilled in our lifetime.

But Jesus didn’t promise that “as soon as” everyone heard he would return. He did say that everyone would hear. Sharing the gospel has always been important, but our urgency has never been greater. Jesus could return soon! Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. Is there any reason to wait?