Making a Difference By Witnessing
By Dr. Tom Walker
McDowell County
Acts 1:6-8 says, “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
In our text it appears the disciple were overly interested in when the Lord would restore the kingdom again to Israel. When the kingdom would be restored to Israel was not the priority in the mind of Christ, so the Lord gave them what their urgency ought to be. The two key words in our Lord’s response was “power” and “witnessing.” It should be clear to us that no one can be a truly effective witness for the Lord, without first having the power of God upon our witness.
The word “witness” suggests a person who has seen, heard, and experienced something. Anyone who has undergone a born-again experience has something to tell a lost world about Jesus. Our message should be, what He has done for me and for others, Christ will do for you.
It is obvious that there should be more people telling what the Lord has done for them to others. Many people are without a gospel witness because many have failed to witness to them about what the Lord can do for them. For people to be saved, they must hear the Gospel message from someone.
Witnessing is a way of warning the wicked of judgment to some. Ezekiel 3:18 and 19 says: “When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.” When we carefully consider those words, we should understand that it is a serious matter if a person who has been saved is not warning the wicked and giving out the good news of the Gospel of Christ. Considering the words “His blood will I require at thine hand”, we should understand how God holds us responsible for the souls of others. We should not shirk the duty of witnessing to others because there is too much at stake if we do not distribute the Gospel through our witness.
Motivations
What motivates us to witness to others? One of those motivations is Calvary. Christ came to shed his blood and die for our sins. Since Christ was willing to come to this word, be despised and rejected of men, and give his life a ransom, we should tell the story of Jesus and His love. If Jesus died for others, and He did, then lost sinners should know about the cross and what our Lord provided there, as He gave his sinless blood payment for man’s sins.
Another motivation is the condition of the sinner. At his very best, mankind has sinned and come short of the glory of God. That means he comes short of what God wants him to be. Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” The Bible says, “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all” (Isa.53:6). Jesus said, “Ye must be born again” (Jn.3:3). The lost person needs a Savior, thus it is our job to tell the saving story of redemption.
A third reason is the commission of the Savior. His commission is given in at least five different places. Following is a list of those five times:
Matt 28:18-20– “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Mark 16:15-16- “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
Luke 24:46-49– “And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”
John 20:21– “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”
Acts 1:8– “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
Method
What is the main method of evangelism? It is one person, witnessing or bearing testimony to another person, about the availability of soul salvation. One of the outstanding examples of this method in the Bible, is the account of Andrew, the brother of Jesus, telling Simon Peter about Christ. That instance is found in John 1:40-42: “One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ and he brought him to Jesus…”
Note the words “And he brought him to Jesus.” That is exactly what we ought to be doing. People need to come to Jesus to experience all the Lord does for those who approach Him by faith. Jesus said in John 5;40, “And ye will not come unto me that ye might have life.”
Make up your mind that you are going to obey the Great Commission, go to someone, and tell them what the Lord has provided and offers to that person. They need to know what the Bible says about salvation because, “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom.10:17).
Miracle
Not everyone we witness to will be saved but when we witness to them, we show our love for them and make it clear we care about them. A miracle takes place in a moment of time. My choir sings a song entitled “One Glorious Moment of Faith.” Here are the lyrics of the chorus about what happened in one moment of faith:
“In one glorious moment of faith,
though drowning in sorrows the redeemed can truly say
Boundlessly loving me, He brings sweet victory,
In one glorious moment of faith.”
The miracle of all miracles is when God takes a poor lost sinner, lifts him from the miry clay and sets him free. It all happens in a moment of time. Having your sins forgiven is not a process, it occurs in a moment of faith. While I was in the Navy, we had a Bible study on board ship. Our chaplain was a liberal minded fellow. One day in the Bible study we were talking about how the new birth is an instantaneous matter. To our disappointment the chaplain made this comment saying, “I believe it is a process.” No! It is not a process; it occurs instantaneously in one glorious moment of faith.
It is of vital importance that we be a Christian witness. The flesh will fight it, Satan will try to talk you out of doing it, and lost people have no hope, so we must share the Gospel message with others. That message consists in the fact Christ died, He was buried, He rose from the grave, and showed Himself alive with many infallible proofs that He had risen. We have a Savior that lives and can save all who come unto God by Him!
If Coca Cola has the goal of everyone in the world tasting their beverage, it should be the goal of the Christian to tell others they can be saved from the penalty of sin, the power of sin, and one day from the very presence of sin, all because of what Jesus has done to rescue the sinner. Let’s tell the story of Jesus and His love! It is our responsibility.
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Dr. Tom Walker is President of Foothills Bible College and Pastor of Zion Hill Baptist Church in Marion, NC. You can read more good Christian News from Dr. Walker HERE.
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