We need to understand that, when we’re working for God, we must not try to serve him on our own authority or through our own strength. We were created in the image of God, and that means we need to reflect God back into his creation, as we interact with it. In other words, in as much as is possible for man to do, he is to act like he perceives God would act, and in so doing, man will find fulfillment in what he is able to accomplish. The problem is, however, man has rebelled against God (Genesis 3:1-6) and no longer, naturally, senses God’s Presence (Genesis 3:22-24). Nevertheless, when we come to pray before God (Colossians 4:2), it is understood that we are coming into his Presence, even when we don’t sense it to be so.
Therefore, Paul asks the Colossian believers that, while they are at prayer (Colossians 4:2), ask God, on Paul’s behalf, to open a door of utterance, vis-à-vis give an opportunity to preach the Gospel message to folks who don’t know Christ (Colossians 4:3). It was for this very reason, vis-à-vis preaching the Gospel, that Paul was in prison at Rome. In other words, Paul knew and confessed to the Colossian believers that he was unable to preach the Gospel of Christ, without God opening a door or giving him an opportunity to do so. How could he preach Christ, while he was under house arrest at Rome? He was certainly called to preach Christ (Colossians 1:27-28), but he was powerless to do so on his own (Colossians 1:29), as his chains so vividly proved.
Moreover, Paul also asked the Colossians to pray that God would give him the ability to preach the Gospel with clarity of speech (Colossians 4:4), because the natural state of an unbeliever is to consider the Gospel foolish (1Corinthians 2:6-14). Therefore, not only was Paul dependent upon God to give him an opportunity to preach the Gospel to someone who didn’t know Christ, but he was also dependent upon God to put into Paul’s mind words that the unbeliever would understand, so he could be drawn to Christ, rather than brush Paul off as a foolish babbler (Acts 17:18).
Finally, Paul turned the Colossian believers’ attention to themselves, in the context of their being at prayer. He told them to “walk in wisdom” (Colossians 4:5), but how could they do that, unless God made their walk manifest before them, just as he would make Paul’s words clear to the unbeliever (verse-4)? The Colossians believers were just as dependent upon God for their walk, vis-à-vis how they should behave before unbelievers, as Paul was dependent upon God for clarity of speech, as he preached the Gospel. If they would do so, the opportunities they would be given or their times spent with unbeliever would tend to be profitable for the sake of the Gospel, rather than wasted.
Finally, as for their part, the Colossian believers needed to present themselves courteous and agreeable, when in the company of unbelievers. Thus, in the same manner that they would use salt on their food to make it palatable, they needed to salt the lives of unbelievers (cp. Mark 9:50). Just as the Spirit of Christ is salt to our lives, we need to learn how to flavor the lives of unbelievers in a manner that guides them away from what is corrupt behavior (cp. Ephesians 4:29). Inevitably, the unbeliever will sense the believer’s change in behavior and will inquire what has happened to him. When this occurs, the “door” is opened to give a good response that points to Christ, and just as Paul needed to have God cause his speech to be clear to the unbeliever, so would the Colossian church need to Lord to make their speech clear (Colossians 4:6).
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