Suggestions for leading a study:

• Familiarize yourself with the passage in context, including the book itself.  Who wrote it to whom, and why?
• Read through the study guide a couple times to get the “big idea” as well as the flow of the argument
• Have the group read through the passage in it’s entirety before beginning the study.  One of the goals is to try to get your members to learn how to study Scripture methodically, and this is an important step.
• Be prayed up
• Have fun!
  

Tasty Talk

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 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. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Discussion Questions

In verse 2, what 3 things are we exhorted to do? 

This passage is about having an effective witness.  How do these three things relate to that?

According to verse 3, who is it that opens doors for the proclamation of the gospel?  Do we have a tendency to try to push them open, rather than waiting for God’s timing?

In verse 4, what is Paul asking for prayers for in regards to his proclamation of the gospel?  Should we be asking for prayers for that?  What else might we need in order to accomplish that?

How does verse 5 describe the way we should treat people outside of the faith?  What would be “wise” and what would be “stupid”, or unwise in regards to how we act in regards to making opportunities for our message?

Verse 5 also tells us that once opportunities come up, we should take advantage of them.  What do you think the relationship is between God opening doors and our wise behavior toward people in regards to creating these opportunities?

Paul says that once God opens doors, and presuming that we didn’t shut them by acting stupid, we should take advantage of them with a conversation that has certain characteristics, described in verse 6.  What are they?

How can our conversations about God be both “gracious” and “tasty”? 

Leaders' Guide

This lesson explores the ways that we can allow God to open doors to sharing our faith and how we can take the best advantage of those opportunities.

In verse 2, what 3 things are we exhorted to do? 

            The NIV tells us to devote ourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 

This passage is about having an effective witness.  How do these three things relate to that?

            Prayer obviously has a role in our witness.  We should be praying for opportunities as well as preparedness.  That is what we do.  Watchfulness and Thankfulness is more about the attitude with which we do it.  Primarily, they speak of faith.  If we pray for opportunities to share the gospel, we should keep our eye out for the ways that God answers those prayers.  An attitude of thanksgiving expresses our faith that he will indeed do that.

According to verse 3, who is it that opens doors for the proclamation of the gospel?  Do we have a tendency to try to push them open, rather than waiting for God’s timing?

           It is God who is opening the doors for Paul according to this verse.  Praying and watching with faith, as discussed above, would seem to allow for him to do that work.  Sometimes we can get ahead of him and create awkward situations in attempting to force God into a conversation or situation that he hasn’t created by his Spirit.  This isn’t to say we should be complacent about it and just sit around, but we should also be willing to let him work and not do more harm than good by being too pushy and contrived rather than relational and relaxed.

In verse 4, what is Paul asking for prayers for in regards to his proclamation of the gospel?  Should we be asking for prayers for that?  What else might we need in order to accomplish that?

            He prays that he might proclaim the gospel clearly, or the way he ought to.  No doubt we need prayers like that, but many in the group might betray their lack of confidence in their ability to share their faith, or even knowing enough about it to do so.  Paul had the issues down pat, but some think he suffered from a kind of speech impediment.  Whatever the case, some discussion as to how we can best be prepared to share our faith could bear some fruit, and perhaps lead to a determination to learn to do so better as a group.

How does verse 5 describe the way we should treat people outside of the faith?  What would be “wise” and what would be “stupid”, or unwise in regards to how we act in regards to making opportunities for our message?

           We should treat them wisely.  Draw the group out as to the kinds of behaviors that could turn non-believers off to our message.  Our hypocrisy would certainly qualify, but sometimes also a tendency to be over-zealous might as well.  The point is to build relationships in such a way that talking about the things that are of first importance to you naturally come up.

Verse 5 also tells us that once opportunities come up, we should take advantage of them.  What do you think the relationship is between God opening doors and our wise behavior toward people in regards to creating these opportunities?

            We can pray for open doors and watch for them, but we can also slam them shut if we act in ways that turn people off.  Clearly there is a relationship there.  God will not fail to do his part, but we must at least not get in his way.

Paul says that once God opens doors, and presuming that we didn’t shut them by acting stupid, we should take advantage of them with a conversation that has certain characteristics, described in verse 6.  What are they?

           Full of grace and seasoned with salt, or some variation of those things depending on your translation.

How can our conversations about God be both “gracious” and “tasty”? 

            Condemnation and judgment will always shut evangelistic doors.  Our conversation should always be gracious.  What exactly the salt refers to is a little trickier.  It was a preservative as well as something to make the food more palatable.  I presume the latter explanation to apply here.  This could just be a re-iteration of what graciousness will do to our conversation—make it easier to swallow.  Obviously, a “hard sell” is not the easiest thing, and I think that the apostle Paul is definitely telling us to relax and enjoy a pleasant conversation and stop stressing about the results—those are his business.

What can you do to make sure you’re not getting in God’s way, and are ready to take advantage of the doors he opens?

            This is a review and application question.  Are there ways people in the group could help God open doors for the gospel?  Perhaps something as simple as making relationships with un-churched people in the first place.  Being prepared to share your testimony, having a clear presentation of the gospel in your head, all these are possible ways to be prepared to take advantage of the opportunities God gives us as we pray for them with attitude of expectation and faith.