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Them that are Without

Them that are Without

Words of Faith 11-27-19

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2019

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

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Colossians 4

[5] Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  

 

      Paul called upon the believers to be wise in the way that they act toward outsiders.  The KJV translates “them that are without” referring to those who are outside of the household of faith, unbelievers who are without Christ.  This is always our immediate mission field all around us.  This was always the focus of the Apostle.

      When Paul was put into chains for Christ, he simply looked at the end of that chain for the guard, and there he saw an opportunity to witness for Christ.  Paul wrote from prison to the Philippians: “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.  As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.  Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly” (1:12-14).   

       We may not be in a prison, but we have all sorts of opportunities to share the witness of Christ with people, especially “them that are without.”  Paul calls us to remember “the time when you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. That is where we were without Christ. But now, in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:12-13).

       Paul calls us to watch for those who are walking through life without Christ and God. They are walking without hope beyond this life and without assurance of life hereafter with God.  They are without help in facing the trials and traumas of this life, without peace and without security.  They are without God's care and deliverance and have no fellowship with God and His family of believers.  They are without freedom from guilt and have no assurance of the forgiveness of sins.  They are without light and have no freedom from the darkness of death and the grave.

      If we will open our eyes, we will see a vast field of people who need the Lord all around us.  The opportunities will be apparent, and we can redeem the time.  We are to walk in wisdom—thoughtfully, figuring out how to live for Christ before the world.  We walk in a manner that is righteous and godly. We walk carefully, guarding every step.  We walk in the doing of good works.

     We redeem the time by taking hold of every moment to live for Christ before the lost of the world. We look for opportunities to do good and to let our light shine before men. We try to figure out how to make an opportunity to bear witness by the way we live.  This is the call of Christ.

      How are you doing in the way that you act toward outsiders—those who are without Christ?  Are you making the most of every opportunity?  Are you redeeming the time?

 

       Father God, give me Your eyes to see those around me who need the Gospel.  Give me Your heart for the lost.  Give me Your words to speak and Your hands to share.  In Jesus’ Name.

 

       Special note: Daily Devotions will start again on December 2. Have a blessed Thanksgiving weekend.

 

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, and our website, and our church app, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.  

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