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Colossians 4.6

In the clip below from the weekend services, guest speaker John Dickson repeats something he says in his book: “Often the manner of our reply says as much about the kind of God we believe in as the content.” John Dickson, The Best Kept Secret of Christian Mission, pg 185.

Paul instructs the Jesus community in Colossae to “let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4.6). Paul assumes the Jesus community will live and speak in such a winsome manner that those around them will want to ask them questions. They are to respond graciously with what they know.

If we wait until we feel like we know the answer to every question, we may never be able to respond to questions. Instead, we should start with what we do know—our story. We can share what God has done for us and what we know to be true about God.

We have probably all seen people “evangelizing” through loudspeakers or holding signs. Too often these people are combative, ridiculing, and scary. Guest speaker John Dickson showed us how we’re to be the opposite of that. The grace in our speech, tone, and body language should draw people in. We all know it’s not just about what you say, but how you say it.

Today, consider the approach of Jesus toward those around him. Read Luke 7.36-50, seeing how differently Jesus acts than the Pharisees.