CAN I GET A WITNESS?
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; \and you shall be My witnesses…
Acts 1:8
When I was in college, I had a friend with whom I used to lift weights. He was a Jewish guy named Aaron. One day, I was talking to him about Jesus. He asked me this question in all honesty and sincerity, “Jeff, if heaven is so great, why doesn’t God take you there the moment you believe in Jesus?” I 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. Jesus said that He came to earth “to seek and to save that which was lost.” That was His mission. That is to be your mission… and my mission… and our mission together. How are we doing with the mission?
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 clearly and succinctly. 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. That is what Peter did on the day of Pentecost. He exhorted the people, “Be saved [escape] from this perverse generation” (Acts 2:40).
HOW TO 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.
SPEAK IT OUT. Tell others what Jesus has done for you. That is the basic job of a witness – to tell what you have seen and heard and experienced. Never underestimate the power of you own personal testimony. Tell people of the greatest event that ever took place in your life… the day you were born again.
INVITE FOLKS TO CHURCH. 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. One couple who recently joined our church told me that the reason they came is because a friend invited them.
You can do it!!! 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 and eternal life Jesus freely offers.
Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries
