WestCoast Challenge: Am I Ready?

In Colossians 4:3 – 4 the Apostle Paul asks for prayer. His prayer requests reveal what he values most and expose the longing of his heart. I think it is instructive to note first all that he does not ask for better treatment from his jailer, his freedom, good health, that the prisoner in the next cell would trust Jesus, or for a few more visitors to help him keep his spirits up. I suspect that in light of eternity these things, while not bad, were irrelevant to him. So for what does he ask? Just 2 things: an open door from God to share the gospel and the wisdom to share that message clearly.

Are you ready to clearly share your story with Jesus when God opens the door? If you are not ready, then get ready.

Paul’s requests help us not just with the content of our own prayers but in the orientation of our lives. How often do we ask for God to open doors for us to speak with others about Jesus? How often do we express the need to be clear in the way we speak to others about Jesus? The greatest need people have today is to encounter Jesus and experience the love, grace, and goodness of God that is found in trusting Him.  And yet, I fear that as the days and weeks pass too few of us possess a heart that is asking God for open doors and clarity in sharing the story of Jesus. Consequently, people fail to hear the gospel and have only the false promises of the world in which to hope and in the end this situation leaves them empty, broken, and in despair.

Paul’s prayer challenges us to live our lives eagerly looking for God to open doors where we as his children can share with others our own story with Jesus.  And when God opens that door we want to see it and be ready with a message that is clear and understandable. The clear expectation of the Scriptures is that followers of Jesus would be intentionally active in engaging others in spiritual conversations. Paul follows up his 2 requests by encouraging his readers to make sure that their own conversations were full of grace so that they might know how to answer everyone. Peter too, encourages us to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 

Are you ready to clearly share your story with Jesus when God opens the door? If you are not ready, then get ready. 

You can get ready by participating in the I Am Ready >> One Day Evangelism Conference being held Saturday, May 7^th at Richmond Chinese / Towers Baptist Church. It is from 9 am until 3 pm. There will be 2 group sessions and you can choose 3 workshops where you can be inspired and equipped to better tell your own Jesus story. Visit the I Am Ready links to view the workshops and register.

Let’s ready ourselves to share Jesus with others like never before. Let’s pray like Paul that God would open the door for us to share clearly the good news about Jesus. Let’s get ready and trust that God will, through the power of the gospel that we share, do a great redemptive work in the lives of people who hear our witness.