Seasoned with Salt

 Read Colossians 4

As Paul wraps up his letter, he wraps up his letter.

He has some more with which to teach and challenge this body of believers, but he spends most of the chapter updating people on who is where and helping whom and who needs to finish the work that they began.  He even told people where to send this letter when they were finished with it and with whom they should trade letters.

There are Hebrews and Gentiles in the mix of this conversation.  Paul even notes that he wrote this personal part in his own hand.  Scholars have debated whether Paul had arthritis or bad eyesight, but something afflicted him.  

There is always the possibility that like your pastor, he just had bad penmanship.  Paul thought it important to note that he actually penned part of this note.

But he still had some teaching to do.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

What did Paul tell us?

Prayer is not just something that we do.  We are devoted in our prayers.  I will pray for you is not a polite substitute for that stinks.  I wish you didn’t have that problem.

Prayer is part of our life.  It’s not a weekend getaway.  It’s the moment-to-moment breathing essential to our existence sort of devotion that we need to continue in this life. We are devoted to prayer as an essential part of our lives.

In military awards, the citation for the award often includes the words for his or her exceptional devotion to duty.  Those are some words coined to say that somebody poured everything they had into whatever it was they were being recognized for doing.

They gave it all that they had.  In the course of the Gettysburg Address, President Abraham Lincoln noted that those who were being honored in the graves around them gave the last full measure of devotion.  They gave their very lives.

We are to be devoted to prayer. We are to pour ourselves into prayer.

Paul then noted that he wants some of that church’s prayers for himself and his ministry.  He wanted doors to open for the good news and he wanted to make sure that he didn’t wimp out. 

Paul lived in a tough world, sometimes a mean world.  He had been stoned, imprisoned, run out of town more than once, shipwrecked, snakebit, and was in the custody of the Romans, the master of the crucifixion.

Times were tough and Paul wanted opportunities to preach the gospel and the strength not to give in when continuing on his mission might mean torture or death or both.

Paul directed these believers and he directs us to be wise.  This should sound familiar.  It’s almost the same thing that he told the Ephesians.

·       Be wise.

·       Make the most of every opportunity.

·       The days—this age—is full of evil.

Paul noted to this group to be especially attentive to outsiders.  They may be seeking the good news and just don’t know it yet.  They may be out to do you in.  Be wise. Use your sound mind.

Have you seen the meme that says:

Courage is knowing that it might hurt but doing it anyway.  Stupidity is the same.  And that’s why life is hard.

Here is one of my favorite phrases from the apostle Paul.

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt

Grace should govern all that we do and be a part of all that we say.  Our very lives are lived in response to God’s grace.  We talk a lot about how to respond to grace—love, obedience, encouragement, peace, hope, faith, and so many other threads of response weave themselves throughout our lives.

Some see their spiritual gifts manifest in our responses to grace.  For others, it’s just love, love, and more love.  For some, it’s obedience. Some respond as peacemakers.

In the body of Christ, we will find so many responses to God’s grace that bring fulness to our lives and glory to God.

But this is not Paul’s first rodeo.  He has lived and lived to the full.  He has been stoned and left for dead.  He knows that not everyone you talk with has your best interests in mind. Think about his words again.

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt

What does seasoned with salt mean?

In the Marine Corps, if you had a young man who had been in for a while, but didn’t have much rank to show for it, you might call him salty.

It’s not that he had not been promoted.  He had.  He was promoted and promoted again and then busted and then promoted then busted.

This was the guy that knew to go to sick call just in case there was real work to be done that day.  He never went to sick call on a Friday.  That could mess up his weekend, but when he saw three big trucks show up with empty sandbags, that might be a good day to see if he had a cold or the Swine flu or Rheumatoid arthritis or the plague.

Salty meant that you knew your way around the ways of the world. Salty meant that you were aware of what was going on around you.  You were always on the lookout.

Paul wasn’t telling believers to adopt those ways, but you might want to be aware of them. You needed to see how the world worked.

We are not to be naïve. We do not become skilled in the manipulative ways of the world, but we have eyes to see what’s going on around us.

We are just a little bit salty.

Wouldn’t you know it.  I rushed through the grocery store and didn’t check expiration dates like I usually do and ended up buying a container of salt that expires in December 2022.

Imagine, stuff that’s been around since the creation of the earth going bad at the end of this year.  Salt can’t really lose its saltiness. It would be worthless.

Jesus commanded us to be the salt of the earth.  We are the real seasoning of the planet.  Those who seek God and his kingdom and his righteousness are where life’s real flavor comes from.

Mercy and grace gave us life in right standing with God.  Our entire lives are to be lived in response to this grace, but we should be just a little salty.

We should see the ways of the world at work.  We don’t adopt them but we must know them when we see them. We must be aware of them as we converse and interact with others.

A long time ago, I attended the Karrass Negotiating seminar.  A few weeks later, I hired them to train 20 of my people who worked Marine Corps contracts.

They taught about 20 different negotiating techniques that were mostly manipulative.  They also taught win-win negotiating.

They only endorsed win-win, but cautioned that you had better be on the lookout for the others. Practice that which works best for both or all parties, but be on the lookout for those who would take advantage of you if you let them.

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt.

Let’s take the love of God to the world but let’s be on the lookout for those who might think us naïve because love is our currency.

Let’s take love to the world and let’s be seasoned with salt.

Amen.

Seasoned with Salt

Read Colossians 4

Paul  wrapped up his letter to this church about 100 miles east of Ephesus.  He wanted to maximize the impact of this letter and asked that the church in Colossae share the letter with those in Laodicea and Hierapolis and that they in turn share whatever correspondence they have. 

Did Paul write more letters than we have in our Bibles?  I would think so.  For someone who had so much to say about how to live and grow in God’s grace, it is hard to image that he only wrote a handful of letters while sitting in prison.  We are blessed to have those that we have, but I would think there were more.

We should also remember that Paul wrote letters, not textbooks.  Many parts of his letters make for excellent biblical text books, but there is also stuff that is just unique to letters.  Paul made sure that everyone was caught up on what everyone else was doing, at least for those that those in Asia Minor might have know.

Tychicus was heading to this group of believers, most likely to deliver this letter but also to share all of the other stuff that people want to know. 

It might be compared to when Rick and I went to Africa.  We were truly on a mission from God and we reported on that mission upon our return.  Of course, there was the other stuff that people generally wanted to know as well.

The observation that crops were fenced in while livestock roamed wherever made for good discussion.  Our border crossing coming from Uganda to Kenya was interesting, considering the vehicle that we were in had issues, namely, “its papers were not in order.”

I thought it was interesting that after we received another vehicle that came with its own driver and functional air conditioning we started making good time.  Apparently, we were making better time that we should have been as the vehicle was pulled over.  Unlike the United States where the officer issues a ticket and you are on your way; the Kenyan way was to hold court on the side of the road.  That took about an hour and a half.

I remember passing a herd of cattle being walked along the side of the road about half an hour or so before we were pulled over.  Then I remember being passed by that same herd of cattle as we sat waiting on our driver.

Those are sort of the “Mission Plus” stories that Tychicus could tell that wouldn’t make it into the letter.  Another servant in the faith will Paul, Oneimus, planned to accompany Tychicus.   These men could bring everyone up to speed on the day to day life and tell whatever tall tales needed telling.

Paul noted that some were still contending at Paul’s side.  Aristarchus was evidently imprisoned as well.  Others were working outside the prision walls.  Mark, Justus, Epaphras, Dr. Luke, and Demas were all mentioned as contending for the faith, praying for those in the churches in Asia Minor, and desiring that those who followed Jesus would stand firm in the faith.

Paul had specific messages for those in the area.  Nympha or Nymphas—depending upon whether this person was a man or woman—had started a home church and Paul wanted to make sure that he acknowledged and encouraged that this work continue.  Many of your translations make the decision for you and describe this as the church in her home.  In any case, Paul encouraged this home church as he did those that met as a larger body.

Archippus was also singled out.  Paul reminded him to complete the work that he had been given.  We see only a brief reference to Archippus in Paul’s letter to Philemon.    He and his sister had a home church as well.  Whether ministering to this home church was the work that he received in the Lord or it was something else we won’t find out this side of eternity.

Paul had some specific instructions for specific individuals and he was sending men to share all of the other stories.

But Paul had a request and a bit more instruction for this church and its sister churches.  His request was simple:  Keep praying for me!  Keep praying for those with Paul.

He didn’t ask that people pray that God arrange another release from prison.  Paul asked that he continue to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ with clarity and that his ministry be effective regardless of where he was.  To apply one of Paul’s own metaphors that he did not use here—pray that he will continue to run the good race, fight the good fight, and keep the faith.

Then comes this final pairing of counsel.  Paul said:

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

We find this same counsel in Paul’s letter to Ephesus.  God’s people have always desired his wisdom, but few actively seek it.

God’s wisdom tells us not to argue with a fool; yet, we are sent into a world that is foolish in the eyes of God.  We, however, must bediscerning.  We must understand how to use each situation to advance the gospel.

Sometimes this means that we are creative and find another way to reach the lost in the world.  Sometimes this gives us permissions to shake the dust off of our sandals and move on.

Making the most of every opportunity is to listen to God’s Spirit that lives within us and seize the moment when we are called to action.

Sometimes we offer a gentle word or a box of food or a Chewy Tuesdays lunch and sometimes we move on down the road so as not to argue with a fool.  If someone is spewing words of hate, they might be pleading for help.  Most likely, they are not.  They are not receptive to your overtures of love and hope.

Making the most of every opportunity means to move on in this case.  Getting into a spitting contest is not the wisest investment of your time and energy.  Use them elsewhere.

But what about those times where we might make some inroads?  Paul followed this counsel on wisdom and opportunity with another provocative statement.

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

We are not going to connect with everyone.  Even Paul who set his sights very high noted that he became all things to all people so that some might be saved.  We should expect some rejection from this world that does not know God, but sometimes a door is opened to us with those who are struggling with knowing God.

How do we speak to them?  Our words are full of grace, not judgment.  These people who are ready to listen know that something is not right in their lives.  We do not need to be the voice of condemnation.

Our words speak of God’s grace.  We should convey this message in the first person as people who have received, live in, and continue to grow in God’s grace.

This life in Jesus Christ is not just theory for us.  It is real.  It is who we are!

When we talk with those who are still lost or at least disconnected, spice it up a little.  We should be interesting people!  People should get a taste of God’s goodness when they talk with us.

The term Stuffy Christian should be an oxymoron!  The two terms should be like trying to connect the same poles on magnets.  They should repel each other.

We should not be stuffy.  We are salty.  The term Salty Christians should be redundant.

What is it to be salty?

Salt was part of covenants and offerings and sacrifices.

Salt preserves.

Salt stings a little if it gets in a wound.

Salt was plowed into the fields of a defeated enemy to keep them defeated long after the battles were won.

Salt adds a distinctive taste to food.

When you add salt to something, you seldom just put it in one spot.  You spread it out.

Salt can make us thirsty.

Our bodies are made up of just less than half a percent of salt, but if you lose too much of that very small amount of salt that makes up you,  then you become weak and fatigued, and even irritable. 

If we get too much salt, we retain water, our blood pressure can go up, our kidneys don’t work as well as they should, your arteries can stiffen, as well as other things that don’t go well with living to a ripe old age.

Jesus called us the salt of the earth.  Paul told us that our conversation should be full of grace and seasoned with salt.

While there are many interpretations to being the salt of the earth; Paul restricts his to those that might apply to seasoning.  So let’s think about being this God seasoning in our encounters with others, especially those who have yet to experience what it is to live in and grow in God’s grace.

Every time that we converse—that term has a very broad definition in this age of electronic connections—we are full of God’s grace and we season our communication with a taste of God’s goodness.

Sometimes we say all that we need to for the moment in delivering a GOD LOVES YOU – LOVE ONE ANOTHER wristband.

Sometimes we communicate how far we missed the mark and how much farther God’s grace went than our transgressions.

Sometimes we ask if someone is ready to turn away from an ungodly lifestyle—people don’t always understand the word repent—and receive God’s love that we know in Jesus.

Sometimes we challenge people to think on why in the world they are in the world—what is your purpose in life?

We converse in grace—without condemning others.  We have fallen short, been rescued, and now live in right standing with God.  We grow in his grace. 

Sometimes that growth calls us to challenge others, but to do it in love.

One of the ways that we can season our conversation is to communicate in the first person.  We are not people of doctrine and rigid rules but of love.  We need to convey that in the first person.

You have a story to tell not a religion to promote.  People will taste God’s goodness in your story and in your experiences.

You have love to convey not scripts to memorize.  That’s what it is to be seasoned with salt.

You have a faith to share not converts to accumulate.

Your witness to others that is seasoned with salt will sound a whole lot like an everyday conversation, except that seasoning will speak to the goodness of God.

People will know the goodness of God not because you say Amen or Praise the Lord every fourth word, but because of your willingness to share what God has done and is doing in your life.

How are people to understand grace if it is only something we talk about as an event from 2000 years ago. 

We are people who live in and grow in grace, and that alone makes us interesting people.  For those who are struggling to know God, they shouldn’t be thinking, “Oh no, here come those Christians” every time that they see us.

People should want to talk with us.  We are full of God’s Spirit.  We live in and grow in his grace.  We practice love as a way of life.  We are interesting people.

But if we want to connect with others, we need to share our story.  We need to share how we know God’s love in our life.  We share the story of God’s love poured out on the cross but we do it by sharing how God is working in our lives.

We talk about God’s grace as a first person experience and that will season our conversations with salt.  We will know exactly what we need to say.

Think about all of the things that we know for sure—

·      God loves us

·      We have been made right with God

·      We are brothers and sisters to Christ

·      God will never leave or forsake us

·      We are commissioned to take the good news to the world

·      We are disciples of our Lord Jesus

·      God is love and we are to love one another

·      God’s Spirit is with us and within us

·      We know life, life abundant, and life eternal

The list goes on.  This blessed assurance continues in so many other ways not enumerated here; however, we should add this to the list that we are interesting people.

Living and growing in God’s grace, we are interesting people and uniquely prepared to season our conversations with the goodness of God.

As we follow Jesus, if we will just live as the interesting people that we are, continue to seek God’s wisdom, and be faithful in our prayer, we will find many doors open to us to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

Doors will be opened.

Some will reject our message no matter how interesting we are, but some will be saved.

Some will be saved.

Some will be saved.

Amen.