by Derek Murphy

Yesterday a few of our leaders met to pray into our vision as a church, in that time Frank Murray brought up a verse that really stood out to me. It’s from the Apostle Paul in the book of Colossians. For some context, Paul is one of the primary reasons the message of Jesus spread far and wide. He was incredibly bold in sharing his faith. Sometimes he’s so bold its discouraging to me, when I read Paul I sometimes think of him like a super hero of the faith with nearly no weakness, but listen to what he asks for in prayer from the church.

“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.” —‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Paul is asking for the church to pray for him and his companions to have the courage and opportunity to share the good news of Jesus. This is something that I often think came second nature to Paul, but he doesn’t believe that. His success comes through Gods power at work and he can only succeed in this endeavor with prayer, asking the church to partner with him.

Opportunity
First Paul asks for the church to pray for “open doors”. He wants gospel opportunities, and it is hard to share when there is no one to share with. This is something God honors. I asked for opportunity last Wednesday. I was at McDonalds and a group of High School students from Brighton High sat next to me. They started talking about rock climbing, something I did competitively when I was in high school. I jumped into their conversation and God opened a door.

Boldness
Now all the opportunity in the world is meaningless if we never proclaim. This is just a fancy word for speaking up, specifically speaking up about Jesus. This is where I failed on Wednesday. I did not transition the conversation quick enough to Jesus and the students got up to leave to head back to school. I was headed there, but it takes courage to share and I lagged and lost.

Clarity
We can have open doors and courage and say absolutely the wrong thing. I see this with people who are passionate about the gospel, but do not pick up social cues. Clarity is one of the primary reasons many of us do not share. I’d assume more of us are timid than bold and awkward. I miss the opportunity far too often, because I want to make sure I have the right words. Paul doesn’t waste time worrying about the right words. He prays for God to give him clarity of speech when he gets into situations like this. Preparation is good, but nothing will fully prepare us for a conversation, conversations are dynamic and unique. We need to pray for God to give us clarity to speak the good news in a way that will meet the person where they are at. Usually that means speaking from the heart and from what God is speaking to us right now, than through a prepared gospel presentation (although those are not bad).

Will you pray for these each day this week? Set an alarm on your phone to pray for Opportunity, Testimony and Clarity and watch to see God’s faithfulness in the conversations you have.

Who are you praying for today?

When are you praying for Opportunity, Boldness to Speak up and Clarity each day this week?

I find if opportunities to share haven’t been great, putting myself in a new environment is a good way to see them open. Going on a walk, sitting on the front porch, going to a new place for a drink. Pray and ask if there is a place you should be this week to open doors of opportunity.