The Marks Of Evangelism: God-Directed

Because of all the Lord accomplished through Paul, it's always surprising to read a prayer request from Paul. Yet, Paul is not a self-sufficient being, and so prayer is a regular part of Paul's letters. Because we don't anticipate Paul needing to request prayer, these portions of his writings become some of the most intimate revelations of Paul's heart. They reveal his confidence in the Lord, his expectations of the Lord's work, and his reliance upon the Lord's Spirit. Each prayer request is an expression of Paul's theology, born from who he knows God to be.

This consideration makes the study of Paul's prayers fascinating because rich, practical applications emerge out of them. One of those notable prayer requests is found in Paul's letters to the Colossians, where he writes the following: "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 – that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak" (Colossians 4:3-4).

With these words, Paul reveals his commitment to his calling, desiring to be a faithful witness for God. As a revelation of theology, this particular request teaches us four things about a ministry of evangelism. First, evangelism is prayer-initiated (you can read the previous article on that point by clicking here. The second mark of a ministry of evangelism is that it is God-directed.

Paul exhorts the Colossians to petition the Lord, urging Him to intervene by opening up doors of opportunity to share. This request is a statement of his reliance upon the Lord’s sovereignty, not his own ability. Without denying his responsibility, Paul does recognize that the commission of the Lord (making disciples) is dependent upon the work of the Lord.

The use of the phrase ‘open door’ is used in the text in much the same way we use it today to refer to unhindered opportunities. Thus, the meaning here is clear. It’s interesting that Paul is content in his circumstances (which is in prison) and doesn’t prevail upon the Lord to release him from those circumstances so that he may have more opportunities. Rather, he expects that through the Lord's work, he will have opportunities in his present setting.

This petition for the Lord to open doors expresses Paul’s confidence in the Lord. Already he has seen the Lord work. Even in the most difficult of circumstances, Paul commends the Lord’s faithfulness to fulfill His work. Together with Barnabas, Paul ministered in the cities of Iconium, Lystra, and Antioch (Acts 14). They faced terrible opposition and aggression, having to flee for their lives. At one point, Paul is stoned and left for dead (v. 19). Yet, the Word recounts that many have turned from their ways and towards the Lord (v. 1, 9, & 21). Therefore, despite the turbulence they faced, when it came time to report, verse 27 says, "And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God has done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles."

In likeness to Paul’s writing to the Colossians, this verse reiterates the idea that a ministry of evangelism is God-directed. As sovereign Lord, he is the one who is said to have opened the door. Having ministered for so long, Paul has a multitude of testimonies of seeing the Lord work, and so the prayer offered here is him trusting the Lord to at again what he has already done.

A ministry of evangelism is always God-directed. As evidenced by Acts 14, the Lord's involvement isn't a guarantee of a lack of rejection or a lack of opposition. However, the one who is doubtful or the one who is timid about evangelism may advance with confidence in the Lord’s faithfulness to work. He/she does so because of the many testimonies that affirm God’s commitment to spreading His truth.

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