Mirror Muscle vs Mission Muscle
From Mirror Muscles to Mission Muscles
If you spend much time in a gym, you quickly discover there are different reasons people exercise.
Some exercises build what we might call mirror muscles—the muscles we notice when we look at ourselves.
Others build movement muscles—the muscles that help us actually do something.
There is a spiritual version of this too.
Throughout Colossians, Paul has taught us what it looks like to grow in Christ. We have learned about our identity in Jesus, putting off the old life, putting on the new, living differently in our families, and allowing Christ to transform the way we work and relate to others.
Those spiritual reps are important.
But spiritual maturity was never intended to stop with us.
As Paul moves into Colossians 4, his attention begins turning outward. It's time to move from mirror muscle to mission muscle.
And that begins in two places:
Talk to God about people.
Then...
Talk to people about God.
Talk to God About People
Paul writes:
“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2)
Notice the intensity of those words.
Continue.
Earnestly.
Vigilant.
Prayer isn't meant to be casual or occasional. Paul calls believers to be persistent and alert.
But there can be a danger in the way we pray.
We can become so focused on thanking God for what He has given us that our gratitude slowly becomes individualism.
Thank You for my family.
Thank You for my home.
Thank You for my health.
Thank You for my blessings.
Those are good things to thank God for. But if our prayers rarely move beyond ourselves, we're missing part of the mission.
Even vigilance can become unhealthy if it causes us to withdraw from the world around us.
Jesus prayed something very different for His followers in John 17. He acknowledged that His followers were not of the world, but He specifically did not ask the Father to remove them from it.
Instead, Jesus said:
“As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” (John 17:18)
Christians aren't called to hide from the world.
We've been sent into it.
Pray for Open Doors
Paul immediately gives us an example of what mission-focused prayer looks like:
“Meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ…” (Colossians 4:3)
Think about Paul's circumstances.
He was in chains.
Yet his prayer request wasn't primarily:
Pray that God gets me out of here.
Instead:
Pray that God opens a door for the Gospel.
Paul was more concerned about opportunities to share Christ than opportunities to become comfortable.
That's a challenging way to pray.
What if we began asking God:
Who have You placed around me who needs Jesus?
Would You open a door for a conversation?
Would You help me recognize the opportunity when it comes?
Would You give me the courage and wisdom to speak when You open it?
Mission begins before the conversation ever happens.
It begins in prayer.
Talk to People About God
Paul then moves from prayer to action:
“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.” (Colossians 4:5)
Our lives are communicating something about Jesus long before we ever start a spiritual conversation.
That means we should occasionally evaluate what people are seeing.
Throughout Colossians, Paul has given us some great questions to ask ourselves.
Does my life show that I've been forgiven?
Colossians 1 reminds us that we were once alienated from God but have now been reconciled through Christ.
Can people see evidence of that transformation?
Am I steady when life gets difficult?
Does our hope disappear when circumstances become painful, or does our faith demonstrate that we're grounded in something greater than the moment?
Am I compassionate and forgiving?
Colossians 3 tells us to bear with one another and forgive as Christ forgave us.
If we proclaim forgiveness while refusing to extend it, people notice.
Do I have biblical convictions?
Do we actually know what we believe and why we believe it?
These aren't questions about perfection.
They're questions about direction.
If we're going to talk to people about Jesus, our lives should increasingly demonstrate why following Him matters.
Do My Words Give People Hope?
Paul continues:
“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt…” (Colossians 4:6)
The way Christians speak matters.
Not occasionally.
Always.
That includes conversations at home.
Conversations at work.
Social media comments.
Political discussions.
Interactions with people who disagree with us.
Paul says our words should be characterized by grace.
That gives us another important question:
Do my words give people hope?
Grace doesn't mean avoiding truth.
But it does mean we communicate truth in a way that reflects the Savior we're talking about.
If the Gospel is genuinely good news, our conversations about it shouldn't consistently sound like bad news.
Can I Explain Why Jesus Is Worth Following?
Paul finishes the thought:
“…that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” (Colossians 4:6)
Notice he doesn't say we need to have every answer.
But we should be prepared to give an answer.
Why do you follow Jesus?
What has He done in your life?
Why do you believe the Gospel is true?
How has knowing Christ changed you?
You don't need a theology degree to share your story.
You simply need to know what Jesus has done for you and be willing to tell someone else.
Building Mission Muscle
Spiritual maturity isn't meant to end with us looking more spiritual in the mirror.
God is preparing us to move.
To pray.
To notice people.
To speak.
To love.
To share.
And there are practical ways we can begin exercising those mission muscles right now:
Pray for someone. Choose a specific person who needs Christ and begin consistently bringing them before God.
Review, like, comment, and share. Use the opportunities you already have online to help others encounter the Gospel and your church community.
Start a spiritual conversation. Don't force it. Simply be willing to move a conversation toward something that matters eternally.
Share your story. Tell someone what Jesus has done in your life.
Invite someone to church. Sometimes one simple invitation becomes the open door God uses.
None of these steps requires us to know everything.
They simply require us to be available.
Final Takeaway
Paul's challenge in Colossians 4 is remarkably practical.
Talk to God about people.
Then...
Talk to people about God.
Pray earnestly.
Watch for opportunities.
Live wisely.
Use your time intentionally.
Speak with grace.
Be ready to explain the hope you have found in Jesus.
The spiritual work God has been doing in us throughout Colossians was never intended to remain only in us.
He is transforming us so He can work through us.
So keep building those spiritual muscles.
Just make sure they're not only mirror muscles.
It's time to build some mission muscle.
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