A Brief Checklist for Believers, Part 2

Most of us will never know what it's like to live behind bars in the final portion of his letter to the Colossians Paul gave his Christian friends, a brief prayer list is letter.

Remember, was written while in prison literally in James Paul added some surprising instruction to those who lived in freedom today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll helps us understand the context of this passage in the many ways we can apply Paul's insight to our lives today.

John titled his message a brief checklist for believers like your father for privileges like this that bring us to tears. Maybe get out of the way so that your spirit can lead without any ego or any work of the flesh interfering. May the good news of Jesus travel freely and widely into the mountains of the Valley's regions beyond. We think it was a church for the privilege of putting our arms around those who are taking the message where we will never go. Thank you for each one doing so, we pray that our church may continue to be a lighthouse of hope and assurance, and mercy and grace we give our gifts that message never ever stop in the name's praying everyone's by going to inside world.org/studies and now the message from Chuck called a brief checklist for believers when it comes to prayer.

Get with it. Prayer don't come halfheartedly become vigilant with a mission in mind a memorized prayer is not answered me in a blessed thing but going through the motions you begin to pray use original words when you do it spontaneously when you don't care what someone else may be thinking because you're all doing it alone. By the way you pray when you drive.

I never years ago when I first became acquainted with that I was involved with a little organization: navigators I was in Okinawa in civilian clothes and with the navigator represented Bob Newkirk is the one we praise we go back to basics at your I started pretty sick. Dear father today and I he's driving like can you do that with your eyes open, talking with his eyes open and he looks at me as pray and he looks ahead thankfully doesn't close his eyes driving and it never dawned on me in my life.

You could pray while you're driving your eyes open it still works it works like a former church. I decided we were no longer sing the doxology before every single worship service, we would do something different to try something different. We would maybe sing it at the end when the first time we moved it to the end. I had a fellow meet me after church service. He said you know Chuck you change things.

Yeah, I did. I didn't know what would work at the end were doxology for goodness sake, leave, and if you like.

Maybe your prayer is Lord that's enough for right now I'm on the way to a very difficult situation in and I pray that you will give me just the right words help me with my time. Never heard this, by the way, this is very spontaneous. Help me with my timing help me read the situation carefully, knowing you say too much guard me against wrong expressions, or things that are insulting want to do this well, and without your help.

I can't so help I ask this in Jesus name I remember coming home from the hospital after our first born had been brought into our home and family since he was still there. Having just borne our our little boy and I got home I was a student down seminary not knelt down by our bed.

I just poured out my heart Lord, what I'm doing now. You have given us this precious little boy when you're going to do with him to keep me from fouling it up help me be a good dad help me know how to do what I want to do is a daddy and and then couple years later liberal girl and I are member similar prayer Lord, I am never reasonable girl. I don't know how to be a daddy to girl, help me to know how to the father to my daughter, Michael P. Help me know when I'll talk to her about things that dad's on the seat don't know how to do and then went to New England pregnant again snows a lot up there so so we wait, wait, we hello have another little girl first prayer was Lord stop.

I thought we already had a full family of omega were living on a girl. Then we moved back to Texas boy and I'm still pretty close. Praying that in this case. If you proclaim the message clearly listen to me. He doesn't even pray that they'll take the chains off in a great Lord change is galling. I've been here for months not one prayer to pray about obstacles like that.

Pray Lord. May I make the most of the chain's the things that have hindered me to become a way through May, I learned that the obstacles are the way Saul party of 20 and God could have broken the chain anytime he wanted to suppose this will make it clear you do it with and he's the theologian sometime that could be your worst enemy when you're connecting with outsiders.

You could know too much. You realize you hear more and you learn more in one session in our assembly than most people will learn in a lifetime. You know that is easy when you're around them to dump the truck regularly revamps irregularly Asian provisionally Asian and on and on. You going out like when is this guy going to quit about propitiation around the redemption stop using those were use words that they can get this what is praying about. Pray that all make clear as I should now naturally turns to the lost person. In fact, look at verse five walk in wisdom those who are on the outside. My version reads live wisely among those who were not believers. He's not talking about our walk. And interestingly, the great uses the word those on the outside is not interested help me walk wisely among those on the outside. Think about outside don't hear anything were doing in here any of the hymns we sing in here. Those on the outside.

Maybe great people, good people, well-meaning people, but lost. They don't know our vocabulary have a hard stop me for service and assist me describe this particular career and he said those around me curse on purpose because they want to they will see if I'll break as it really gets to me sometime and he suffice more know how far is too far me to put up with it as it in your with the lost and he said yeah I said hey like my daddy used to say when a mule kick to consider the source is a real meal was kick lost people class try to clean up their talk why my yelling try to clean up that their loss for goodness sake not know it's irritating they will use words that you find very offensive and they were when they find that you see that there are offensive values of even more hey I went to the Marine Corps. I know what I'm talking about.

I never heard such filthy language in all my life but you know what I learned I learned to follow me on the filthy language I can reach a filthy heart because out of the heart the mouth speaks. And God's put us in these put us in a fishbowl and were not supposed to clean up the fishbowl were to finish so scrub up the fishbowl don't get on people because they cause the supposed because they got a cussing heart, their loss, for goodness sake there on the outside, so don't put them down because I don't know what you know, put your arms around them, they get cancer telling your sorry be there for them.

The wife walks out telling me care your heart breaks at the home is broken up.

I can't believe the home of any of the lost stay together, so I'm not shocked. We got our own broken homes in the family of God, lost or broken your book may be that avenue. The Lord will use now look at this as part of living wisely among those on the outside, the right word interestingly is Sophia.

We have the ladies name the girls name Sophia, you may have made your daughter, Sophia, you named her wisdom.

What a great name Greek word means and I quote the capacity to understand and function accordingly. So you have wisdom when you understand and you put that to use someone around you go through such as that you understand your wise to understand. You don't put them down, you'll preach your care. You understand I went to Webster's dictionary, you could do that. I look up the word wisdom. It says the ability to discern what is right. True or lasting anyone of us can understand.

When you do what is right and you're walking in wisdom when you do what is sweet you speak the truth. Your wise you don't lie to people so they learn to trust you. That's wisdom that gave synonyms are Webster did insight good judgment, and sent Eugene Peterson in his work. The message renders this verse and all of this. Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders good soon as you leave this church you are moving into the mission field. I've heard of churches that put signs up as you leave the parking lot says you're now entering the mission field.

A good thing to remember you're now leaving the insiders you're now moving among the outsiders. So, expect Road road rage expect somebody to curse you, or to yell out the window of a car expect people to speed, surprise is the world of the lost, the wellness, so when you walk in wisdom you don't forget that it includes saying what we ought to say I'm not saying anything more. It's akin to being tactful, insightful means we don't come across as opinionated or dogmatic or rude walk that way.

Conduct your life in such a way that people can't ignore you become contagious behavior to learn is my good friend Howie Stevenson how we used to say we need to remember that people are charmed into righteousness is that good people are charmed into righteousness.

You're in a situation wherever people are losing their patients and their temper and and you remain calm there going to look at you like to come you're not throwing a fit come you're different. You're not letting it get to you. You're walking in wisdom. People need to be charmed into righteousness. You see, wisdom wears well it's winsome.

It's convincing you know your wise walk can lead to someone's conversion, Warren wears the rights of Dr. will who Pastor Calvary Baptist Church in New York City for a number of years later served as president of the Moody Bible Institute until his death in 1946 years earlier when Dr. Houghton became the pastor of the Baptist Tabernacle in Atlanta, Georgia, a man in that city heard of is coming, and hired a detective to follow Dr. Houghton and to report later on. His conduct. He wanted to know if he was really the man. He appeared to be in the pulpit. The detective reported later that his life matched his preaching as a result, the man became a Christian.

That wonderful story will heart is the one who prayed when he was at Moody Bible Institute.

According to one of my mentors who told me the story. Lord keep me from becoming a cranky old man is that a great prayer. Try that one on some of you white-haired some of us white-haired keep us from becoming a cranky old person that has to rehearse all of our aches and pain. No one cares walk in wisdom among those who are not believers look at this make the most of every opportunity. He goes further we talk about your talk talk about little things reading a lot look at this. Let your words, let your conversation what this be marked by grace and salted salted let your manner of light let your words be gracious and full of salt. Salt has a preserving agent.

So let your words preserve salt also contain the idea of being thoughtful and kind salt conveys the idea being lively and zestful, even humorous and attractive. Those without Christ. Pay attention to people like that they expect us to be boring and offensive, and there they are amazed that they find us to be nice and kind good time for me to toss and something for no extra charge. When you eat out and it comes time for a tip. We you please be generous. Every body I know how many servers have told me they dread Sunday's.

Because Christians show up in there. The biggest tightwad's in the country. I just don't tip or the leave attract the riches of Christ. That's insulting. Leave a big fat nice and big, multiple dollar bill and Bill read you track otherwise keep attracting himself why because you did to the servers and I know they're not perfect, your waited tables haven't had as well. You tip little bit you think is nothing doing those dear people are working with folks like us. They deserve generosity. We are told you it was extra no extra charge for that. Okay.

Gracious and attractive, so you have the right response for everyone one man put it this way.

It is all too true. The Christianity in the minds of many is connected with the kind of sanctimonious dullness and an outlook in which laughter is almost a heresy. The Christian must command his or her message with the charm and the wit which were in Jesus himself. When you love to have known Christ when you love to have seen them laugh what you love to know an artist that would pay him laughing, most winsome, contagious, and attractive person who ever lived Jesus of Nazareth and that's why the Pharisees hated him is no laughing matter is a serious note, but can be serious. I mean, like the Norwegian was going to be a missionary suite told them no value going. It's 110° and J in the Norwegians and they'll be don't always have to stand in the shade, though I do think that's a funny line. I some of us would like you to send in the sun on your life, relying when you wrap it up before words of application for everybody works out okay. We don't want to three and four number one strength in your commitment to pray. That's the first application and I get it from verse two.

Strengthen your commitment to pray. Remember the words devoted visionary specific and keep you from mumbling room, rehearse prayers or memorize prayers, your commitment to pray number two asked for greater wisdom in your walk. Lord help me know how to be more charm in your case, you may say my mother wasn't door my dad wasn't dark Christian friends. I used to run around with word or the church.

I used to attend wasn't Lord help me to be wise in my walk, use common sense. Cultivate tax help me to think before respond to have wisdom in my walk number three pay closer attention to outsiders when you're with outsiders. Don't expect them to be living a good life.

So maybe, even if they're not say don't expect him to be living up your life will be surprised when they have affairs.

Lost people have affairs. Unfortunately, some Christians due to mess with the changes. But when most people live their lives as lost people don't give a list, follow it on the list they need to see by the way there watching you in there listening, so let's do the same. Let's watch a Melissa listen.

Let's win the number four settlement work on becoming more winsome and charming work on becoming more winsome and charming, wonderful place to begin. Very simple. Start with a smile. It works wonderful smile. You never known of anyone respond mess. The gospel really begin with, you would want to know Jesus. Would you, but rather you know something's happened this just change everything. You know what I love my kids. I want to be true to my wife or my husband know my life's been changed. And when that begins it's amazing how they'll be interested in speaking of simple, you know how simple it is to know Jesus will even that great. You have to push a peanut to Washington DC you have to hang from the rafters for three hours. You have to pay a lot of money so you'll be impressed if into a blessed thing just believe in Jesus distrusted call grace grace. I will separate any of us ever become Christian. Please bow your heads. Thank you father for the pleasure of your company today. Thank you for being the best listener we've ever known. Thank you for knowing all the ugly bad things about us and not telling elves.

Thank you for forgiving us even though we come time and again with the same sin.

Thank you for grace.

Thank you for instruction.

In Jesus name. Everybody said concluding his ninth message in a brand-new 10 part study in Colossians you're listening to the Bible teaching of pastor and author Chuck Swindoll and this is inside for living. To learn more about this nonprofit ministry.

Visit us online@insideworld.org in addition to these daily programs. We've developed a wide variety of resources designed to help you learn more. For example, Chuck is written a commentary on Colossians. This hardbound book includes his commentary on Philippians and Philemon as well. I should expect the commentary is theologically sound, but equally important is designed to help you integrate what you learn into every aspect of your life and that makes sense because Christ is our all in all to purchase a copy of Chuck's living insights commentary go to insight.org/offer or call us if you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888 well as the international news focuses on the intense conflicts in Eastern Europe will remind you that for many years insight for living has been speaking into this part we've done so through Chuck's Bible teaching translated the languages such as Polish and Romanian. These ministries are part of our long-range strategic plan to make disciples for Jesus Christ in all 195 countries of the world we call it vision 195. When you give again after helping us provide Chuck's teaching in euro and a portion is applied to going beyond our borders, where clear Bible teaching is desperately needed. So thank you for supporting the ministry of insight. One last thing. Did you know that Chuck has a daily email devotional. It sent to your inbox each morning to help you start your day with God. The email devotional is absolutely free to sign up, go to insight.org/devotional time when Chuck Swindoll concludes his brand-new study in Colossians on insight for living.

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A brief checklist for believers was copyrighted in 2014 and 2022 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2022 by Charles R.

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