Slide 1 OPEN OUR DOORS AND OUR MOUTHS Colossians 4:2-6Slide 2On South Eleventh Street in Springfield there used to be little business named Claus and Son. It had been in business for many years. I passed buy it many hundreds of times. It was a plain yellow wood frame building, probably built around the turn of the century. There was a sign on the window that identified the business. I wouldn’t have known it existed had it not been for Don Mayberry and Marcia mentioning it to me. Claus and Son sold saddles, harnesses and all kinds of items for the care of horses and livestock. Their advertisement was limited to the Yellow Pages and word of mouth. They were a long established business and those who needed their products knew where to find them. Their goal was to meet the needs of their regular customers and pick up a few more as time went by. Their product line stayed pretty much the same. If people wanted their services, the people could come to them. They closed about twenty years ago.Slide 3On Dirksen Parkway you will find Big R. They have been in business for years. They have a big, highly visible building and a large lighted sign. They carry most of the products that Claus and Son carries. But they carry much, much more. They are in the Yellow Pages and have many longtime customers. But they also advertise via newspaper, radio and television. They have three other stores in three other communities. Their goal is to reach the needs of blue collar rural Illinois...farmer, gardener, livestock breeder, mechanic, trucker, pet-owner, whatever. They want everyone to know they are there and they want you to be their customer. Their business continues to grow.Slide 4Because the church had a commission from Christ, Paul saw the spreading of the gospel more from the Big R perspective than the Claus and Son perspective. You see, Paul believed in an eminent return of Jesus. He believed time as short and the message of the gospel was urgent. So he hustled. He had an open door and open mouth policy. He believed in sticking his head in every door and opening his mouth in every situation to let people know about Jesus Christ. Yet he believed that the doors should be opened by God and the mouths should reflect Jesus.ClickColossians 4:2-6 (NKJV) 2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;

3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, 4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.Slide 5On September 10 CBC will launching our Re-Envisioning Plan that will give us direction for the next several years. At the very heart of that plan is evangelism, intentionally reaching people in our region with the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we implement that vision and its goals, we need to follow the instructions of Paul in this passage. Too many churches have taken the Claus and Son approach. Slide 6

“Here we are and here we’ll stay. If you should see us on your way, come on in and sit a spell. We’ll chew the fat, some stories tell. And if you like us, come on back. You may provide some things we lack. We’re not the kind to fret and worry. We don’t get stirred or in a hurry. The world can spin and fret and fear. Just let it spin, we’ll still be here.”

Slide 7Sadly, such churches reflect a sense of satisfaction. They don’t reflect a sense of urgency about their message nor their mission. If they believe in an eminent return of Jesus, they don’t get too excited that so many people are lost and headed to hell. Que sera, sera...Whatever will be, will be. Slide 8Of the 6 billion people in the world, it is estimated that over thirty million people worldwide will die without Christ this year. And of the over 300 million people in this country, it is estimated that 41 percent of the people are radically unchurched. That means they don't go to church at all. Not at Easter or at Christmas or to weddings or funerals. They do not darken the doors of a church at any time in the year. And if they were to die they would go to eternal punishment without knowing the love of Christ.Slide 9There is always a sense of urgency to bringing in the harvest.

ClickThe old preacher Vance Havner used to say, "The tragedy of our time is that the situation is desperate but the saints are not."Slide 10I don’t believe this is the church God wants US to be. I hope that you don’t either. I would rather we be more like a Big R church, but not for the sake of economics. Instead, we are motivated and ‘out there’ because we have a sense of urgency about our mission and a deep conviction about our message.Slide 11Andrew Murray, “The man who mobilizes the Christian church to pray will make the greatest contribution to world evangelization in history.”Slide 12I. WE NEED TO PRAY FOR GOD TO OPEN DOORS.Slide 13 A. Pray for the church leaders to utilize opportunities for ministry. Our church leadership needs to have a sense of vision. Not only do our

leaders need to be able to see doors when they open, they need to be able to discern the doors God is opening. Not every opportunity for ministry is from God. Some are doors to busy-ness and busy-ness is not our goal. If God opens the door, then we are certain to be on his path.

Slide 14 B. Pray for the church body to have watchful and thankful eyes.Click Being watchful...making the most of every opportunity

The members of this church are ‘out there’ in the world every day. Look for needs, look for prospects, look for opportunities. You have more access to these things than I can ever have. There are more of you and you are covering more territory. What you find may not always be in line with our vision, but stroking your ego or mine is not what we are about. Be the eyes of the church.

Click Being thankful.

Encourage and acknowledge the existing ministries. Typically the church has limited that to Sunday School, worship services, youth groups, missions groups and such. We at CBC are much more than many churches are able to be. We have so much going on. When

you know someone or a group of someone’s is serving the Lord, pray for them, encourage them, express interest in their ministries. They are a part of you. You are a part of them. We are the body of Christ at Chatham Baptist Church.

Slide 15II. WE NEED TO PRAY THAT GOD WOULD OPEN MOUTHS.Click A. Pray for the church leaders to clearly preach and teach.

Effective preaching and teaching come more from the overflow of hearts than from following a preaching plan or lesson plan. The best preachers and teachers are those whose hearts are overflowing with the love of Christ and who are humble, maturing, and gracious in their leadership. Leaders cannot lead people any deeper or farther than they themselves have gone.

ClickB. Pray that the church body will become mature in their ways of

speaking and relating to non-believers. Slide 16

We cannot diminish the importance of how we PRESENT the gospel. Any good chef knows that presentation is as important as taste. Any wise business person knows that presentation is an important as quality. To present the gospel effectively to people, we must go where they are. Going where they means more than location...it also means sensitivity. Jesus’ Golden Rule applies in all circumstances: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. How do you present yourself in well-doing?

Click Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders.Slide 17

Excitement and conviction are great qualities for a believer. However, such qualities do not always reflect genuineness and sensitivity. To which would you respond more positively: A Christian whose clear goal is to get you to become a Christian and/or join their church or a person who happens to be a Christian who takes sincere interest in you as a person? Both are sincere Christians, but one is expressing a seemingly insensitive motive, while the other is interested in You.

Slide 18To which would you respond best? A Christian who focuses on your lostness and your sinfulness and your need to get saved or a person who happens to be a Christian who listens to your troubles and needs and shows you how Jesus Christ can make a difference. Both are sincere Christians, but one is accusing while the other is encouraging.

Slide 19 - Our purpose is not to shame others.Click Our purpose is not to prove others wrong.Click Our purpose is not to degrade those who disagree with us.Slide 20

God has no need for us to defend Him. Much too often Christians in the defensive mode are in the flesh. We are not defending the faith. Instead, we are merely attempting to defend our own self esteem.

Slide 21Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

ClickWhen we open our mouths, our tone and words should be in Jesus’ control. Every person and every situation is different. We need to be become sensitive to these variances. Jesus would first be sensitive to the person and their situation. Yet his agenda would always be to point them to the good news.

Slide 22 A good doctor knows how to listen and make his patient comfortable. So it is with one who ministers in Christ’s name. There are times people don’t want you ministering to them. That’s OK too. Maybe there will be a time later. This is not about your acceptance. It is about their need. You are already accepted.

However, a good doctor will get right to the point when there is an urgency about a diagnosis and a treatment. He primary goal is the treatment of his patient…to do all he can to make his patient healthy.Slide 23As followers of Christ, we are ambassadors for Christ. We are to be His witnesses of His saving grace. As those who have been redeemed, we have the best motivation for opening our mouths and telling the unredeemed

about the good news of Jesus Christ. We were once condemned, but now we are redeemed. We once were lost, but now we are saved. Slide 24But as we, in our redeemed state, look out across this vast sea of humanity, we ought to be able to grasp the urgency of speaking out, of doing something to reach them so that more might be saved.Slide 25In the movie, Schindler's List, one of the most moving scenes is near the end of the three-hour drama. Oscar Schindler had invested his energy and his fortune in saving the lives of hundreds of Jews who would have otherwise been killed in Hitler's holocaust. Because the war is at its end, the Jews he saved will become free men and women; while Schindler will become a fugitive. He walks to his car with his Jewish friend. The others are around them. Schindler begins to cry. He looks at his watch and knows if he had sold it he could have saved another life. He looks at his car and knows that he could have exchanged it for additional lives. He says to his friend, "I could have done more."Slide 26I could have done more.

Oscar Schindler knew he could have done more to save Jews from perishing in the death camps. You and I could do more to save people from perishing in hell's fire. We need to pray for open doors and open mouths. As we pray, we need to be listening to what God is saying personally to each of us. Christ came to this world and met us where we were. We must go into the world and meet it where it is. We must put aside selfish agendas, sensitive egos, and adolescent attitudes. We must put on Christ and meet the world as He would. We must be willing to step through the open doors God opens and let Him speak through our own open mouths.