Can I Get a Witness?
From Acts 1:8 we read…”But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me...”
CAN I GET A WITNESS? I read about a pastor who was sharing Christ with his Jewish friend named Aaron. One day he was talking to him about the Lord and how to have the assurance of heaven when Aaron asked him a sincere and honest question, "If your heaven is so great, why doesn't God take you there the moment you believe in Jesus?" That pastor answered him, "Aaron, the Lord has left me on earth to tell you about Him." What is a Christian's main purpose on this earth? It is to tell others about Jesus... to witness through one's life and one's lips of the goodness and grace of God. The #1 business of the church is reaching people for Christ. Therefore, the church should ask itself two questions continuously: What’s our business? And…How’s business? Jesus said that He came to earth "to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:20). That was His business. That is to be your business ... and my business ... and our business together. How are you doing with the business of winning souls to Christ?
THINKING LIKE A WITNESS. If you are like the majority of Christians in America, you have trouble with this thing called witnessing. Fear, uneasiness, and biblical ignorance often keep us from telling others about the good news of Jesus. One way to counteract those feelings is to see things just as they are...those people in your life that do not know Jesus Christ personally are one heartbeat from eternal hell. Now if you knew there was a bomb in your office building or school, would you not tell everyone in that place to get out before the bomb went off? Would you be worried about offending them or sounding like some crazy alarmist? NO! Compassion and love would compel you to warn the people to get out while they still had time. Jude puts it this way…“And of some have compassion, making a difference. And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire…” (Jude 23-23a).
HOW CAN I BE AN EFFECTIVE WITNESS? Jesus has left us on earth to be His witnesses. But how do I do that effectively?
LIVE IT OUT. If you live like hell and talk about heaven, your credibility is zero. Who is persuaded by a hypocrite? Our lives need to reflect a genuine relationship with Christ. While no one is perfect, people who come in contact with you should sense "the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him" in your life (See II Corinthians 2:15).
SPEAK IT OUT. Tell others what Jesus has done for you. In a court room the basic job of a witness is to tell what you have seen and heard and experienced. That’s exactly what a witness for Jesus is to do. Never underestimate the power of your own personal testimony. Tell people of the greatest event that ever took place in your life... the day you were born again.
INVITE SOMEONE TO COME OUT. This is often such an overlooked way of being a good witness for Christ... but it is such a powerful and effective way of witnessing. There are lost friends in your life right now who would come with you to church if you would only invite them. Getting them into the service gives them a chance to experience God and hear the gospel. Statistics tell us that most new people who eventually come to a particular church do not come to that church out of the blue. Instead, most new people you see in any church on a given Sunday are there because someone invited them. Barna Group (A Christian research institute) did a survey and asked unchurched people with they didn’t attend church. The #1 answer they gave was that no one had ever invited them. Can you believe that? I would venture to say if you never see anyone new in your church, it’s because NOBODY IS INVITING ANYONE. We’ve all used and heard the excuses:
Everyone I know goes to church.
I’ve already asked __________ so many times.
I’m afraid they’ll think I’m being pushy.
What if they say no?
The problem is most people don’t invite anyone. Ask yourself right now: WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME I INVITED SOMEONE TO MEET ME AT MY CHURCH ON SUNDAY? I talk to individuals and families often who visit our church because some of our members invited them. That thrills my heart! You can do it too! In our verse for today Jesus said, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me.” God has saved you, commissioned you and empowered you to be His witness. May that thought be on our minds each day as we rub shoulders with people who desperately need to find the forgiveness, love, joy & eternal life Jesus freely offers! Think it over…🙏