Introduction
Kick of the discussion with prayer followed by this week’s reading and discussion questions
You can use the kick off prayer below (or do your own), and give time for others to pray into the night together.
Example kick off prayer: Father we praise you for gathering us together. Despite whatever weighed on our hearts as we entered this house, we pray that your Spirit guides our time together and free us from anything that is not of you. We pray that by the strength of your might we may speak truth in love to one another. We pray that we are led by the gifts of your spirit, so that we may build up one another and your church as a whole. As we read your word, we pray that we may be filled with the knowledge of your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner pleasing to you.
Passage: 2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Discussion
This weeks passaged speaks into
See Habit of Grace sharing the Gospel and engaging with those that don't know Jesus. As we look at this passage and move into the next month we are introducing a new Habit of Grace: Witness.
This week see Habit of Grace section for this week's discussion.
Habit of Grace
Habit of Grace: Witness
Witness is the Spirit-empowered yet ordinary act of sharing Jesus and his Good news (Gospel) with others. It involves both our words and our works—how we live and what we say—so that others might see and hear the good news of Jesus.
Discussion
- What people or groups of people do you have in your day to day life that do not know Jesus?
- You are at work and I say to you, "Go lunch and witness to your coworkers". How does that make you feel?
- When you think of witnessing to others, what scenario is playing out in your imagination? ie What does witnessing look like?
- Please share a testimony of how you came to know the good news of Jesus or how you were able to witness to someone else and the impact of that experience.
Intro to Habit:
Witness is the Spirit-empowered yet ordinary act of sharing Jesus and his Good news (Gospel) with others. It involves both our words and our works—how we live and what we say—so that others might see and hear the good news of Jesus.
Why?
- In a world of noise and confusion, people are searching for truth, identity, and purpose. We have the joy and privilege of sharing the good news that leads to life and freedom.
- The Gospel story invites us to participate with God. Witness is one of the most tangible and rewarding ways in which we can partner with God.
- Sharing our testimony builds faith by simply reminding us of all we have received in Christ.
- There are few things that evoke a greater sense of joy, exuberance and praise in the goodness and power of God than participating in the journey of someone giving their life to Jesus.
Practice
- Pray regularly for a few people in your life who don’t yet know Jesus. Asking God to soften hearts, open doors, and give you boldness and clarity. (Colossians 4:2-4)
- Open your home or share a meal with someone far from faith. Hospitality makes the gospel visible and tangible.
- Invite your believing friends to where your non-believing friends are. Witness is best done within a community. Relational connections also make it easier to invite others to visit church. (Which is a powerful witness - John 13v35, Acts 2)
- Be curious. Ask questions. Listen well. Relationships are the foundation of trustworthy words. Don’t force Jesus into every sentence, but don’t hide Him either. Speak of your faith naturally.
- As you build relationships with others, remain prayerful seeking gifts of the Holy Spirit that can lead your questions and conversations.
Practice:
- Let us kick of this month by identifying 3 people in our lives that do not know Jesus and commit to praying for them everyday this month. Let us pray also for ourselves to be empowered to witness to them.
- Take 2 minutes of silent prayer, and note the 3 people that come to mind
Pray: Pray with one another that we may be so rooted in our identity in Christ that our lives continuously witness to the glories of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and the power of a Spirit filled life. If you are willing, share the people you will be praying for and pray together for salvations to come to those we know and love.
Example daily prayer based on Colossians:
Father, hallowed be you name! I thank You with all my heart for the inheritance You have given me in Christ. You have rescued me from the domain of darkness and brought me into the kingdom of Your beloved Son—in whom I have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. What a glorious gift!
Please will you open doors for the good news of Jesus to be shared through me. Allow me to be a witness to your goodness, and a eye witness to the power of your Spirit to bring others from darkness and into the light of your kingdom. Father I pray specifically for XXXX, XXXX and XXXX. That you may overwhelm them with the beauty and wonder of the Gospel, so that they too may receive redemption, the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Lord I love these people. I know you love these people. Jesus died for these people. For the sake of your Son Jesus have mercy on them and forgive them, as you have forgiven me. Increase the inheritance of Christ with these 3 people whom you love!
And Father fill me with your spirit that I may know the depths of the love of Christ and be transformed, so that I my speech may be gracious, seasoned with salt. And that I may speak clearly and know how to answer each person as though speaking your very words. As I go out open my eyes to the work you are doing, so that I do not miss out on the joys of partnering with you in bringing the glories of Jesus to the ends of the earth.