Be my witnesses.
I wonder what history will record as the outcome for the times we are going through right now? The book of Acts is a record of how the early Christian Church lived through the times of uncertainty that followed Jesus' resurrection. We are in a series on the book of Acts that allows us to see what it means to be Church. This first week’s message concentrated on “witnessing.”
[Jesus said,] “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” // Acts 1:8
What does it mean to be a witness? In a court of law, a witness is a person who has information about a specific matter. It is the role of the witness to share vital information that they have about a case. What is the vital information we have as believers in Jesus? What is it that is so necessary to share with other people, especially today?
First, it’s important to know that being a witness can happen with words or without. People will examine your life, your words, and your actions in order to see what you are really made of and find what it is that you believe in. Your whole life speaks.
When you do speak actual words, what should you share? How should you witness? Here are five pieces of advice I have learned from other witnesses of the good news of Jesus Christ: two “don’ts” and three “dos.”
Don’t assume that you have to witness by leading off your conversation with a religious thought, a spiritual phrase, or even a Bible name [like Jesus]. Some believers wrongly assume that if you don’t utter the phrase, “Jesus saves,” in the first five minutes of a conversation, that you are not witnessing. Know the appropriate time and place to share the gospel. It’s possible that now is not the time to say “Jesus loves you and Jesus died for your sins.” It may be immediately but it also may be in a later conversation. Jesus gave us permission in Matthew 7:6 to not throw the precious gospel to someone who is not ready to recognize it. There is a time and a place to share Jesus; be open to the timing.
Don’t debate, argue, or defend the Christian faith for the purpose of winning them into the kingdom of God. We are called to give a defense of the Christian faith by sharing the hope that we have. No one ever gets debated or argued into the kingdom. This happens by faith through the Holy Spirit and the words of Christ! Debates and arguments often take the conversation down a rabbit-hole that has no relation or connection to the good news about Jesus.
Do ask questions to help clarify the position of the person to whom you are speaking.
What is your view of God?
What do you mean when you say, “love is what matters?”
Why is tolerance a good thing? Is it ever a bad thing?
What do you mean by _________ (fill in the blank)?
What do you know about Jesus?
What have you read from the Bible?
Each question you ask will help you to understand them better and it will allow you to show your interest in them. Often you may find that common ground opens up between you and this person. I have discovered that my view of God [from Scriptures] often matches a portion of the view of God which others have (example: a God of love does not tolerate evil).
Do share your own weakness and your personal need for Jesus. Often, seeing your weakness is what ultimately opens outsiders up to the possibility of exploring the Christian faith. Can they see your weaknesses and can they see that you live and breathe and function by Christ’s strength in the midst of your weakness?
If a non-believer can see that you have real shortcomings and needs parallel to their own and that you have found strength outside of yourself, that message gives hope. It gives hope on two levels: first they realize that you do not live up (or down) to the haughty, arrogant, or self-righteous image they may have of Christians. Two, they now realize that your strength is not from your own fortitude but from another source, and that source is Christ.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. // 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
It is essential to be humble enough to share those areas where we are weak. Admit your addiction to alcohol or shopping. Admit that your affair cost you your marriage. Disclose to them your fixation with food or uncover that hidden sin of greed. When they see you are truly human and your secret for living now and living eternally is divine, your witness becomes credible. I have seen numerous Christians do the exact opposite and then wonder why their witness does no good. Paul encourages us to boast in weaknesses.
The final “do” is to develop relationships. Make a relationship the goal, not the means to an end. If they see you are in this relationship purely to witness to them, they can smell that a mile away. Be genuine in building a connection between them and you. It is in the context of a real relationship that you will eventually get to share the truth that Jesus does love them and has forgiven them.
That is the synopsis of our first week in the book of Acts. This next Sunday we will be centering in on how the New Testament Church organized itself around Jesus as the Head of the Church. For now I will leave you with this passage from the book of Colossians:
“...holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God” // Colossians 2:19
Blessings to you in Christ,
Pastor Al