Pastor Florin Ianovici – Bucuresti, Biserica Betel

Florin Ianovici la Speranta TV 15 Ian 2013

Ce este ‘Binecuvantarea lui Dumnezeu’ 

Despre voia lui Dumnezeu in viata  (2 ore)

Predici noi 

~ 2013 ~

• Florin Ianovici — O predica mai veche de Rusalii – Lucrarea Duhului Sfint – O chemare pentru Bisericile Penticostale
• Florin Ianovici – Pastele

Conferinta la Biserica Agape Atena din Grecia 14-17 Martie:

1. Florin Ianovici – O gradina mai frumoasa ca a Edenului 14 Martie 2013
2. Florin Ianovici – Casatoria si ce Invatam la Cruce 15 Martie 2013
3. Florin Ianovici – Cand s-a departat Duhul Domnului 16 Martie 2013

La Biserica Agape Atena Grecia Martie 2013 (sursa F. Ianovici FB)

Conferinta la Biserica Poarta Cerului  Suedia 29-31 Martie:

1. Florin Ianovici – Ce spune Ghetimani?
2. Florin Ianovici – Toiagul nostru (povesteste de momentul cand a devenit pastor)
3. Florin Ianovici – Locul nostru in slujire
4. Florin Ianovici – Luptele din umbra
5. Florin Ianovici – Iubirea Sfintilor e diferita 
6. Florin Ianovici – Cum sa murim bine 

• Florin Ianovici – Indiferent ce se intampla in viata, continua sa slujesti, sa te rogi si sa Il lauzi pe Domnul la Biserica Maranata Vulcan 24 Martie 2013 
• Florin Ianovici – Amiciţia și Prietenia – Relaţia dintre un băiat și o fată – Seara de Tineret Betel București Marţi 26 Martie 2013

• Florin Ianovici – Noi Trebuie Sa Fim Aparatorii Dragostei Sfinte la Biserica Speranta Cluj 24 Februarie 2013 
• Florin Ianovici – (1) Ce sa facem cand suntem incercati? (2) Ceea ce framanta pe om: Viitorul la Biserica “Izvorul Vieţii” Aradul Nou 19-20 Martie 2013 (2 seri/2 predici)
• Florin Ianovici – Cand vine necazul ca un leu… (TEXT)
• Florin Ianovici – Atac la Iubire – Video de la Conferinţa Tinerilor Kapfenberg, Austria 9 Martie 2013 
• Florin Ianovici – Credinta, Nadejdea si Dragostea – la Biserica Evanghelica Oastea Domnului Marginea 23 Februarie 2013 
• Florin Ianovici - Potolirea Furtunii – Biserica Tabor, Oradea 28 Februarie 2013 
• Florin Ianovici - VIDEO Florin Ianovici Conferinta Tinerilor Crestini din Bucovina la Radauti – Nu Doar Un Simplu Lut – 22 Februarie 2013 
• Florin Ianovici in Barcelona Spania Conferinta Tinerilor 16-17 Februarie 2013 (Toate 3 mesajele sunt pe aceiasi pagina)
  1. Iubirea care nu îmbătrîneşte (Sambata 16 feb)
  2. Perechile nesfinte la Barcelona (Duminica Dimineata 17 feb)
  3. Mesajul de Duminica seara – 17 februarie

• Nou ADAUGATA (dar veche) Conferinta Tinerilor Florin Ianovici – Nu este bine sa fie omul singur Cluj-Napoca 2008 
• Florin Ianovici – Alegerile din Viata – Saptamana de Evanghelizare la Biserica Sfanta Treime Bistrita 24 Ianuarie 2013
  

PREDICI AUDIO (de ascultat) de la CIRESARII

Intrebarile fundamentale ale vietii 
Cine ti-a spus ca esti gol? 
Unde este fratele tau? 
Ce mi-ai facut? 

Ganduri de rugaciune
Apa proaspata pentru cel obosit I 
Apa proaspata pentru cel obosit II 

photo – Daniel Hutuleac Facebook Tineret Biserica Betel

~ 2012 ~

• Florin Ianovici – Ganduri de anul nou 
• Florin Ianovici – Ce invatam din lucrarea ingerilor cu Iosif si Maria? 21 Decembrie 2012
• Florin Ianovici – Steaua lui Iacov si alegerile noastre 28 Decembrie 2012
• Florin Ianovici – Botez Nou Testamental 18 Decembrie 2012 
• Florin Ianovici – Ce mi-ai facut? 20 Noiembrie 2012

~~~~~~~~~~~

In Austria-Conferinta Tineretului 24-25 Noiembrie

1. Florin Ianovici – (1) Nihil Sine Deo, Nimic fara Dumnezeu (24 Noi) AUSTRIA
2. Florin Ianovici – (2) Setea de fericire (24 Noi) AUSTRIA
3. Florin Ianovici – (3) Ce ne invata gradina Ghetsimani- Ai voie sa fi trist, singur si sa spui: Nu mai pot AUSTRIA
4. Florin Ianovici – (4) Hristos, asa cum este El (25 Noi) AUSTRIA

~~~~~~~~~~~

Radio Interviu cu Florin Ianovici (90 min)

• Florin Ianovici – Câte puţin despre bunătate!
• Florin Ianovici – Semenii (mesaj scris)
• Florin Ianovici – Viata crestina este o ingenunchere intre lighean si stergar (mesaj scris)
• Florin Ianovici – Ce faci cu painea ta? (mesaj scris)
• Florin Ianovici – Vrem o viata mai buna
• Florin Ianovici – Tu ce fel de om esti? (mesaj scris)
• Florin Ianovici – la Biserica Betel din Cluj Napoca 21 Octombrie 2012
• Florin Ianovici – Viaţa noastră stă între dragoste şi frică. Uneori cele două se împletesc.
• Florin Ianovici – Ce foc te mistuie?
• Florin Ianovici – Dumnezeul lui Iacov este Dumnezeul tuturor izvoarelor!
• Florin Ianovici – Onisim, un tanar suparat! (Epistola catre Filimon)
• Florin Ianovici - Cum se construieste viitorul (Iulie 2012)
• Florin Ianovici - Raspunsul lui Dumnezeu la intrebarile noastre (Siria)
• Florin Ianovici - Predica de la Rusalii 2012 cu Vasile Oprea
• Florin Ianovici - Pledoarie pentru demnitate 24 Iunie 2012 Bistrita Biserica Sfanta Treime
• Florin Ianovici - Predica scrisa – Onisim, un tanar suparat
• Florin Ianovici — Prietenia -13 Mai 2012 Inaugurare la Biserica Crestina Baptistă Șega, Arad
• Florin Ianovici — Aniversare 43 de ani (poezie Alin Jivan) 8 Mai, 2012
• Florin Ianovici — E important sa stii care este directia vietii tale 
• Florin Ianovici – Biserica Poarta Cerului, Timisoara - Doi oameni, Doua destine, tu ce alegi?
• Florin Ianovici — Ce inseamna aminarea 29 Februarie, 2012 Biserica Gloria, Arad-Bujac
• Florin Ianovici — Un mesaj specific ingrijorarilor timpului nostru 24 Ianuarie, 2012   Biserica Sfinta Treime, Bistrita - Acelasi mesaj la Timisoara – Lectii de la Marea Tiberiadei
• Florin Ianovici — La Biserica Betania Arad Gradiste cu Pavel Rivis Tipei,25 Ianuarie 2012

~ 2011 ~

• Florin Ianovici si Vladimir Pustan - Deschiderea salii Ciresarii 1 Decembrie 2011 (Programul din prima zi)
• Florin Ianovici — Care este rolul tau in vestirea Evangheliei? June 2011 Biserica Betel Crangasi
• Florin Ianovici — Biserica Betel Crangasi, Bucuresti  Mai 2011 – Pierderi
• Florin Ianovici – Rancaciov, Dambovita - Cum Stiu Eu Ca Ma Aflu In Credinta Adevarata?
• # Venim Duminica dimineata si spunem, “Iarta-ma Doamne de 70,000 de ori ca am pacatuit, si am zis una si am facut alta.” Ipocriziile noastre ne ucid stima noastra de noi insine. Ne ucide oglinda aceasta sufleteasca. Noi nu mai credem in noi insine. De ce? Pentru ca ar trebui sa inveti sa traiesti vertical. Cu fiecare fapta dincolo de care n-ai cedat, creste in tine ta…ria si puterea si curajul. (Matei 16:25)
  # Satana va minte. Cu fiecare fapta a credintei, nu veti muri ci veti trai. Cu fiecare fapta a credintei veti urca, nu veti cobori si va creste in voi vigoarea si veti fi mai tari si in omul dinlauntru si in omul din afara. Oameni buni, sa iesim din aceasta ilogica a noastra. Dezertam casatoriile, slujbile noastre. Adevaratul curaj nu este sa mergi pe drumul pe care il merit uneori in viata. Pentru ca daca esti un om care ti-ai facut datoria bine si ai trait cinstit in viata aceasta, ar trebui sa inaintezi. Dar Dumnezeul nostru nu este un Dumnezeu care a zis, “Va las la jumatatea de drum,” pentru ca Biblia spune ca Isus i-a iubit pe ai Sai si i-a iubit pina la capat. Dumnezeu nu te abandoneaza pe drum. Dar uneori viata iti ofera surprize. Dar, adevaratul curaj nu este sa mergi inainte fara sa-ti pese nimic. Uneori curajul adevarat e sa ramii intr-o casnicie falimentara si sa lupti de dragul lui Dumnezeu. Sa ramii intr-un loc in care nu doresti. Un loc pe care nu-l meriti, un loc in care n-ar trebui sa fi dupa cum traiesti. Dar este un curaj deosebit sa ramii si sa lupti in continuare.
• Florin Ianovici — O comoara de pret care nu poate fi luata niciodata
• Florin Ianovici – Despre lucrarea Duhului Sfint-O chemare Bisericilor Penticostale
• Florin Ianovici — Ce face amaraciunea cu tine
• Florin Ianovici – SLUJIREA (1) Biserica Philadelphia Mansuè,Italia
• Florin Ianovici – SLUJIREA (2 & 3) Biserica Philadelphia Mansuè,Italia
• Florin Ianovici – SLUJIREA (4) Adresat Surorilor (dar a fost o predica excelenta pentru toti!)
• Florin Ianovici — La seara de tineret: Relevanta pentru noua generatie – Maria, Marta si Lazar

~ PREDICI  Video 2010 si mai vechi~

• Florin Ianovici — Desertaciunea Placerilor- Partea 1 –   Partea 2   - Partea 3  - Partea 4
• Florin Ianovici – Unde este puterea?  (vezi mai jos predica in doua parti)
• Florin Ianovici – Nu prezumati ca sunteti mintuiti
• Florin Ianovici — Predica pentru tineri (Petrosani 2009)
  
• Relevanta Pentru Tanara Generatie – cu Florin Ianovici, Decembrie, 2011
• Florin Ianovici la Biserica Sfanta Treime, Bistrita- Pas cu pas pe urmele lui Isus
• Florin Ianovici - Dragostea pe care o recunoaste Dumnezeu la Biserica Happy-Valley, 20 Noiembrie 2011, impreuna cu Grupul Speranta
• Florin Ianovici – Totul este desertaciune…fi daruit lui Dumnezeu la Biserica Agape, WIEN
• Florin Ianovici – Fiti oameni de caracter
• Florin Ianovici – Insetat dupa fericire 
• Mesaj Florin Ianovici la Biserica Betel Crangasi, Bucuresti
• Florin Ianovici – Ce trebuie sa faci ca sa mergi in iad? 
• Emima & Alin Timofte la Biserica Penticostală Betel Crângaşi Bucureşti
•  Conferinta Tinerilor Florin Ianovici – Nu este bine sa fie omul singur Cluj-Napoca 2008 

Interviu realizat de Luiza Ghica. via http://credo.tv

O Prezentare de Tudor Petan de la AlfaOmegaTV – Florin Ianovici pentru prima data la studioul AlfaOmegaTV (filmarea la Biserica Betel, Bucuresti).

• Virsta de 42 ani, nascut in Onesti, Judetul Bacau si este stabilit la Bucuresti.
• Sotul lui Mina si tata la doua fetite
• De profesie e jurist. A fost avocat la Bucuresti dar s-a suspendat ca sa fie Pastor
• Pastor al Bisericii Betel Crangasi de 8 ani de zile
• Conduce o organizatie caritabila “Viata si Lumina” care se ocupa de copii orfani si in care adaposteste , hraneste si poarta de grija la 230 de copii.
• Profesor la Scoala de Predica Ciresarii
• Cu lucrare misionara, prin turnee, prin Romania cu predicari Romani.
• Mai are inca citeva preocupari academice si in Martie 2012 va sustine teza de doctorat.

 Repere ale credintei crestine

Interviul lui Tudor Petan (de la studioul AlfaOmegaTV) cu Pastorul Florin Ianovici incepe la minutul 10.  In primele 10 minute – formatia Eklesia din Bistrita – lauda si inchinare cu cintarea “Toate le-ai creat”.

Subiectul Partea 2-a a interviului este cu Pastorul si liderul Bisericii Betel din Bucuresti, initiatorul si liderul pe care la folosit Dumnezeu ca sa porneasca o lucrare atipica, oarecum in afara cutiutei activitatilor religioase din Bucuresti si din Romania in general- Lucrarea tineretului la Biserica Betel, unde participa tineri din diferite denominatii (Crestini dupa Evanghelie, Ortodocsi,Baptisti) impreuna in fiecare Marti seara si unde se investeste in tineri prin pregatirea lor pentru a predica.

De notat – Pastorul Ianovici se adreseaza liderilor/predicatorilor la minutul 35 despre

1. Chemare     2.  Viziune si   3.  Zdrobire

La minutul 40 urmeaza secventa dintr-o predica de la Seara de Tineret din 6 Decembrie, 2011 care se poate viziona integral aici.

Din predica – “Nu mai cautati metode rafinate; vestiti Cuvintul lui Dumnezeu. Voi sunteti chivotele lui Dumnezeu. Daca vrem sa avem impact noi trebuie sa facem un singur lucru- sa fim plini de Cuvintul lui Dumnezeu, Eu nu trebuie sa produc inteligenta sau cuvinte extraordinare cind Cuvintul lui Dumnezeu este plin de viata. La Cuvintul Lui, El insusi implineste ce a promis. De aceia Biserica are putere pentru ca Cuvintul lui Dumnezeu este in noi.

Foarte putini oameni cunosc Cuvintul lui Dumnzeu. Suntem naivi sa credem ca Il cunoastem pe Dumnezeu fara sa citim ceia ce a scris El in Cuvintul Lui. Relatia in Cuvintul lui Dumnezeu este relatia Cu Dumnezeu. Cuvintul are si mare putere impotriva celui rau. In momentul in care spui Cuvintul lui Dumnezeu el pleaca. Cuvintul Lui sa fie scris la noi in inima.” Predica este la Biserica Penticostala din Uricani.

 Unde este puterea?

 

Alex Tascu anunta 1/8/2012:
In cadrul matinalului “Neata Rh” Pastorul Florin Ianovici v-a intra in direct cu noi prin intermediul liniei telefonice , puteti asculta ganduri si meditaii spirituale in fiecare Marti si Joi de la ora 11 fix , pe www.radiohope.ro (ora 4 p.m. Eastern Time Zone USA)

Do looks matter (via) The Gospel Coalition

We may say that beauty or looks don’t matter, but here is a startling look at how media shapes the way we think and act from a very early age. These are the attitudes (listed on the Washington University website) that we have to battle in our own kids’ lives:

Media’s Effect on Body Image

The popular media (television, movies, magazines, etc.) have, since World War II, increasingly held up a thinner and thinner body image as the ideal for women.

• In a survey of girls 9 and 10 years old, 40% have tried to lose weight, according to an ongoing study funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
• In a study on fifth graders, 10 year old girls and boys told researchers they were dissatisfied with their own bodies after watching a music video by Britney Spears or a clip from the TV show “Friends”.
• A 1996 study found that the amount of time an adolescent watches soaps, movies and music videos is associated with their degree of body dissatisfaction and desire to be thin.
• One study reports that at age thirteen, 53% of American girls are “unhappy with their bodies.” This grows to 78% by the time girls reach seventeen.

A Kaiser Foundation study by Nancy Signorielli found that:

• In movies, particularly, but also in television shows and the accompanying commercials, women’s and girls’ appearance is frequently commented on: 58 percent of female characters in movies had comments made about their looks, as did 28 percent in television shows and 26 percent of the female models in the accompanying commercials. Mens’ and boys’ appearance is talked about significantly less often in all three media: a quarter (24%) of male characters in the movies, and 10 percent and 7 percent, respectively, in television shows and commercials.
• One in every three (37%) articles in leading teen girl magazines also included a focus on appearance, and most of the advertisements (50%) used an appeal to beauty to sell their products.
• The commercials aimed at female viewers that ran during the television shows most often watched by teen girls also frequently used beauty as a product appeal (56% of commercials). By comparison, this is true of just 3 percent of television commercials aimed at men.

Source: National Institute on Media and the Family   HT source

Read the article below from the Gospel Coalition for a christian perspective:

click photo for source www.123rf.com

this article is posted from here - www.thegospelcoalition.org

“I don’t care what she’ll look like,” the young man declared about his yet-unknown future bride. “I’ll love her for who she is inside.” Everyone in the small gathering of young people looked at him with distinctly unconvinced expressions. But this was a church gathering, and we all knew he was saying the spiritual thing. Such piety simply couldn’t be challenged. That is, until one guy ventured what was to him a sincere question: “Yeah, but don’t you want her to be hot?”

As if something appalling had been said, we collectively turned to the youth minister, who had been quietly backing away from the conversation. With an uneasy smile, he said, “Well, you can make a pretty girl spiritual, but you can’t make a spiritual girl pretty.”

Everyone sensed the sarcasm in his maxim, but it didn’t bring much resolution to the dilemma. Do looks matter? This question comes up a lot in my current ministry, too, usually in the form of a single friend feeling guilty for not being attracted to an otherwise worthy romantic candidate. I usually tell friends they shouldn’t feel guilty for not being attracted to someone—but they shouldn’t think the matter is necessarily settled, either.

Importance of the Body

The importance of physical attraction is related to the importance of the body itself. The Bible presents us as a psychosomatic unity. That’s a fancy way of saying that we are embodied souls. This is, in fact, God’s ideal for us even in eternity. We’re not souls longing to be freed from bodies but rather to have resurrected ones (1 Cor 15:35-57). The body is a necessary and good part of God’s design of every person you meet. So loving the inside of a person while disregarding the outside is not the biblical ideal of love. Just read Song of Solomon if you don’t believe me. Looks do matter. No woman wants a Valentine’s Day card that says, “You’re so sweet on the inside, it doesn’t matter what you look like on the outside.” No man does either, though admittedly we are the visually inferior half of our race.

But before we settle into holding out for that girl with the right curves or the guy with the square jaw, let me point out that the importance of the body does not necessarily validate our personal preferences regarding what it should look like.

Basis of Attraction

Marital love involves valuing your spouse’s body. But this isn’t exactly the same thing as finding it attractive, at least not in the way we typically think of finding something attractive. We may inadvertently assume that being attracted to something is primarily about its level of attractiveness. Attraction seems like it just happens without our conscious participation, and we therefore conclude it is beyond our control. You’re attracted to someone, or you’re not, and that’s that. But attraction seems so automatic because we are culturally influenced even at the level of desire. Our preferences unwittingly imitate the narrow criteria for beauty reflected in fitness magazines or clothing advertisements, in the fashion of the day or the remarks of family members.

Without dismissing entirely the mysterious nature of attraction, I wish to point out that we are more capable than we often recognize of directing our preferences. We should not presume that our initial aesthetic sensibilities are an unchallengeable law within us. We have some level of direction over them.

The basis for attraction is valuing an actual person, body and soul. Husbands and wives should be attracted to one another because they value the whole person, not because they happen to like olive skin or a firm body. Those things change, but physical attraction need not. Attraction is more a matter of my commitment to value the full breadth of who my spouse is.

Isn’t this more like Jesus’ love for his people than simply following initial attractions? I’m not casting doubt on couples who fell in love at first sight—but even love at first sight will eventually require the self-emptying love that only Jesus makes us capable of giving (Phil 2:1-11). In marriage we hold hold our preferences loosely, valuing the person concretely rather than seeking a certain body shape or hair color. This is a far more stable basis for physical attraction in marriage. And it makes for better Valentine’s Day cards.

Preparation for Marriage

This principle can inform the way we seek a spouse. Perhaps this means that singles should be willing to direct their affections toward potential spouses they may not initially find attractive. My reasoning is not that looks are unimportant—remember, our bodies are a vital aspect of who we are. Rather, my reasoning is that our opinion of what constitutes good looks must not be an idol carved in stone. We need to be willing to challenge our own preferences regarding physical attraction in light of the greater principle that attraction stems from valuing a person.

How do you do this? Honestly, I don’t know. There is a level of mystery to the whole thing that we can’t escape. But maybe it could start with simply acknowledging that weak physical attraction is not necessarily a permanent situation. If you know a potential mate who is godly, relates well to you, and would otherwise be a worthy spouse, you should not feel guilty for feeling unattracted. Instead, holding your preferences with an open hand before the Lord, ask him what he would have you do. You may decide to pursue this person—then, you determine to appreciate God’s design, body and soul. You may be surprised at just how strong such properly grounded attraction can become.

Get Wisdom (2) Walk in Wisdom: Seize the Moment

 

by John Piper. You can listen to the audio for this sermon here at www.desiringGod.org

This is the second in a series of messages under the theme “I am God Almighty: Be Fruitful and Multiply.” Those are the words of God to Jacob in GENESIS 35:11. I suggested last week that the logic of those words is just like the logic of the words of Jesus in MATTHEW 28:18–19, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me; go therefore and make disciples.”

“All authority has been given to me” corresponds to “I am God Almighty.” And “Go therefore and make disciples” corresponds to “Be fruitful and multiply.” In other words, the people of God are an evangelizing, persuading, recruiting, missionary people because God is God Almighty and Jesus is the absolute authority in the universe.

Christianity Is an Evangelistic Way of Life

There is a necessary place for religious pluralism in this fallen age because true Christianity can only spread without coercion. “My kingdom is not of this world . . . if it were my disciples would fight with the sword.” We must make room for other faiths to have free expression because faith in Christ cannot be forced. But there is no ultimate pluralism. No eternal pluralism—because God is God Almighty, and Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth. There are no parallel gods and therefore no parallel faiths. There is one true God and one Lord, Jesus Christ. In the age to come all that have rejected the true God and his Son Jesus Christ will be judged by God and cast out of the kingdom (MATTHEW 8:12). “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life” (1 JOHN 5:12).

Therefore Christianity has from the very beginning been an aggressively evangelistic way of life—for the sake of life, and love. Jesus commanded it as his parting passion for the church: “Go and make disciples.” He said just before he ascended into heaven, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses” (ACTS 1:8). The early disciples of the Lord had this word burning in their hearts, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (JOHN 20:21). So they took up their cross and laid down their lives to be fruitful and multiply.

The result recorded in the book of Acts is amazing.

• ACTS 2:41: “There were added that day about three thousand souls.”
• ACTS 4:4: “The number of the men came to be about five thousand.
• ACTS 5:14: “All the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number.”
• ACTS 6:1: “At this time . . . the disciples were increasing in number.”
• ACTS 6:7: “The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly.”
• ACTS 9:31: “The church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace . . . [and] continued to increase.”
• ACTS 12:24: “The word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.”
• ACTS 16:5: “So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.”

This is what Jesus had meant when he said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (MATTHEW 4:19). As the Father sent me to seek and to save those who are lost, so I send you.

 

 www.inkwellgreetings.com

The Need for a Wake Up Call

From time to time in the life of the church there needs to be a wake up call to some simple and central and basic things. One of these is: Christianity is a converting religion. It is evangelistic. It is persuasive and expansive and missionary. It is not coercive. It does not use the sword, manipulation, or brainwashing. But it does proclaim, and persuade and plead and pray. And where this is not believed and practiced, Christianity ceases to be Christianity and starts to become another religion with another king who no longer says, “I am God Almighty; be fruitful and multiply.” When we lose a passion to see people won over to Jesus, we lose Jesus.

Christianity is a soul-winning, out-reaching, mind-persuading, heart-entreating, rescuing, missionary faith, or it is not true Christianity. We need to be reminded of this, because it is almost incredible how listless we can become while calling ourselves Christians. Little by little our whole orientation can become inward. We can go for months and years and not think about those who perish. We become so dull and spiritually callous that we don’t even ask if we believe in hell or lostness or the preciousness of Christ and the power of the cross and the freeness of the gospel and the command of Jesus. We just go about our in-house religious business like a medical clinic that sees fewer and fewer patients and has more and more staff meetings, until there is nothing left but a smooth running program for the doctors and nurses and their families. That is what happens to many churches.

So this series is a wake up call for us. “I am God Almighty, says the Lord, be fruitful and multiply.” The first word in our Mission Statement is “Spreading“—”Spreading a passion for the supremacy of God in all things.” And the last word in our Mission statement is “peoples“—” . . . for the joy of all peoples.” So the word from the Lord in these days is, “I am God Almighty; do that!“

Today’s word from the Lord comes from COLOSSIANS 4:2–6.

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude ofthanksgiving; 3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; 4 in order that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. 5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person.

In verses 3–4 Paul has his own evangelistic ministry in mind, and in verses 5–6 he has the outreach of the ordinary Christians in Colossae in mind. This morning and this evening we will focus on verses 5 and 6 and our calling to evangelize outsiders.

The Necessity of Prayer in Gospel Spreading

But let me say a word about verses 3 and 4. Don’t miss the utter necessity of prayerin the spread of the gospel. Paul pleads for prayer from ordinary Christians. A fruitful and multiplying band of disciples will be a praying band. Do you pray for the gospel to advance and triumph?

Paul asks for two things, one external in the situation outside himself, the otherinternal to his own soul.

Pray for an Open Door for the Word

In verse 3 he asks them to pray “for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ.” In other words God will create opportunities for the gospel to be heard in response to prayer. He will open doors for speaking. He will take down iron curtains. He will cause earthquakes in prisons. Barnabas asked at the breakfast table this week, “When Paul was arrested and beat up in Philippi, why didn’t he tell them he was a Roman citizen instead of waiting until he was in jail for a night?” I said, I don’t know, but it may be that God had a jailer he wanted to reach with the gospel, and so he simply blocked Paul’s mind for a few hours, until the door for the gospel was literally thrown open by an earthquake. Pray for doors to open. That’s Paul’s plea for external help through prayer.

Pray for Courage and Clarity

But there is a plea for something internal in verse 4. He says, “[Pray] that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.” This is not a prayer about the external situation of doors opening. This is a prayer about the courage and clarity of Paul’s heart and mind. Pray that something happen in me so that my speaking will be courageous and clear and open and powerful.

Both are needed. What good is an open door if no one has the courage or the clarity to go through it and speak? And what good is courage and clarity if all the doors are slammed shut on the people who need the Word? Therefore pray, pray, pray. O may we be a praying people! Would some of you please join me at 6:00 PM in the prayer room Wednesdays? (And others Monday morning 7:00 AM, and Tuesday morning 6:30 AM, and Friday morning 6:30 AM, and Sunday morning 8:15 AM.)

Five Questions About Verses 4 and 5

But for the rest of this morning, and then again this evening, I want to focus our attention on verses 4 and 5.

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person.

There are five things here that call for explanation and application and—I hope—exultation.

1. What does it mean (literally) to “walk in wisdom toward those outside”? What is this wisdom? What is it’s aim and origin?
2. What does it mean to “make the most of [literally: purchase] the opportunity”? What is the opportunity and how do you purchase it?
3. How do you “let your speech always be with [or in] grace”?
4. What does it mean to be “seasoned with salt”?
5. How do you “know how to respond to each person”? Why does he assume that people will say things that need to be responded to?

That’s what I want us to think about from this text, and it will take us both this morning and this evening to do it. In fact we will only cover the first this morning and the other four tonight.

1.”Walk in Wisdom Toward Outsiders”

Let’s start with 4:5a, “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders.” What does it mean (literally) to “walk in wisdom toward those outside,” that is, toward those outside the fellowship of believers, outside the church? Let’s ask three questions: What is the goal of this wisdom—what does it aim to accomplish? What is the origin of this wisdom—where does it come from; how do you get it? And what is the path of this wisdom—what does it look like?

1.1. The Goal of Walking in Wisdom

Wisdom is the use of knowledge to reach worthy goals. You can know lots of things—be a Ph.D.—and be very unwise. Having knowledge and using knowledge are very different. Wisdom is being able to take what you know and make use it to reach worthy goals. So wisdom has worthy goals in view. Now what is the goal of walking in wisdom toward outsiders?

Wisdom aims at winning outsiders to Christ. There are two remarkable texts in the Old Testament that connect wisdom with this goal. PROVERBS 11:30 says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise wins souls.” “He who is WISE wins souls.” The aim of wisdom is to win over (literally: “take” as in spiritual conflict) the souls of those who reject God and his Word and his Son. One writer said, “A soul is a kingdom. As many as we can bring back to God are so many kingdoms reconquered” (Quesnel, quoted in Charles Bridges, Proverbs, p. 130).

So the goal of wisdom in PROVERBS 11:30 is to win souls. Here’s the way Daniel puts it in DANIEL 12:3: “Those who have insight [= are wise] will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” The goal of the wise—the goal of true wisdom—is to lead people to righteousness. And we know now that Christ is our righteousness (1 CORINTHIANS 1:30). So the goal of wisdom is to lead people to Christ.

1.2. The Path of Walking in Wisdom

What does this wisdom look like when it is happening? There is a good example of what this wisdom looks like in part in 1 THESSALONIANS 4:11–12 where Paul is again teaching about how to act toward outsiders: “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you; 12 so that you may behave properly toward outsiders [= walk in wisdom] and not be in any need.” Notice the key phrases: “attend to your own business,” “work with your hands,” “not be in any need.”

In other words walking in wisdom towards outsiders here means, Work hard, be competent, don’t meddle, and don’t be lazy and dependent on others for your livelihood. In other words, don’t give people the argument that Christianity makes people lazy or nosy or incompetent or unproductive. Walking in wisdom means living so as not to bring reproach on the faith. Wisdom takes note of the manners and social customs of the community and avoids offensive and rude behavior. It “adorns” the gospel, as Paul says in TITUS 2:10. It reinforces it. Or, as he says in 1 CORINTHIANS 13:5, “Love does not act unbecomingly.” Instead it acts wisely and does not offend customs and mores and cultural expectations that are not sinful.

We will see more tonight how wisdom actually looks when we take up the phrases, “make the most of the opportunity,” and “let your speech always be with grace,” and “be seasoned with salt,” and “know how to respond to each person.” All those spell out more fully what it is to walk in wisdom. But we turn now finally to the question of the origin of our wisdom toward outsiders.

1.3. The origin of Walking in Wisdom

If you say, Yes, that is what I want; I want to know how to walk in wisdom toward outsiders and win people to Christ, then you need to know where to turn for the wisdom.

Paul gives one essential answer earlier in this letter, COLOSSIANS 3:16, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another.” Wisdom comes from letting the Word of Christ dwell richly within you. None of us is spiritually wise by nature. We are foolish until we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. And Paul says that happens by the Word of Christ richly dwelling in us. “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom.“

When I stop and ponder what we’ve seen it amazes me again that the way to live the Christian life boils down again and again to earnest prayer and extended meditation on the Word of God. In verses 3 and 4 Paul pleads for prayer and shows us that external doors open and internal resources rise in answer to prayer. Then in verse 4 he says that we are to walk in wisdom toward outsiders. The goal is to win their souls; one of the means is to live exemplary lives before them, and the origin this wisdom is from letting the Word of Christ dwell richly in us. In other words prayer for the power of God and meditation on the Word of God are the key.

This is not all. There is more—some very important things yet to be said in verses 4 and 5. But this is key. Are you asking the Lord to open doors? Political doors. Family doors. Heart doors. Are you asking him for courage and clarity? Are you letting the Word of Christ dwell in you richly? Richly! Lots of it. Lingering over it. Meditating on it. Feeding your soul, until you are rich with the wisdom of Jesus. You start to think the way he thinks. You catch onto how he would respond in a situation because you have pondered his reactions so often and so richly. You find words for outsiders because you have listened to Jesus’ words so much.

I close with a pastoral plea and prayer: pray for the goal of wisdom in your life and go to the origin of wisdom in your life. The goal of wisdom is to win souls and lead people to the righteousness that is in Jesus. The origin of this wisdom is to let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. Pray and meditate. Pray and meditate. Pray and meditate.

© Desiring God