Wanted: A Witness
I once heard a story about a prosecuting attorney
from a small Texas town who called his first witness to the stand in a trial.
She was a grandmotherly type, and he asked her, "Mrs. Jones, do you
know me?" She said, "I do know you, Mr.
Williams. I’ve known you since you were a young boy. And to be honest, you have
been a big disappointment. You lie; you cheat on your wife, and manipulate
people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you are some big shot
on the rise, BUT you don’t have the brains to realize you are nothing more than
a two-bit paper pusher. Yes sir, I know you!" The
lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and
asked, "Mrs. Williams, do you know the defense
attorney?" She replied, "Yes I do. I’ve known
Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, as well. In fact, I used to baby-sit him
for his parents. He, too, has been a real disappointment. He is lazy, bigoted
and has a drinking problem. The man can’t form or hold a decent relationship
with anyone, and his law practice is one of the shoddiest in the entire state.
Yes sir, I know him, too."
The crowd began to murmur and the noise level in the
courtroom rose to an unacceptable level with all the people responding to what
had just been said. The sound of the judge gavel rang
thru the courtroom, and the judge motioned for both attorneys to approach the
bench. When they were in front of the judge, he whispered to them in a very
quiet voice, "If either of you asks her if she knows me, I’ll
have you thrown in jail for contempt!"
2 Corinthians 5:20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as
though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's
behalf: Be reconciled to God.
Does the thought of witnessing to others about your faith excite
you or stress you out?
Many people think of sharing their faith as either a death sentence
or a commandment enforced by knocking on doors and hitting people over the head
with their Bible. Fortunately, this is
not what God commands!
We serve a loving God and
we are to spread God’s love and joy by approaching witnessing with the right
attitude and state of mind.
I.
Witness with the Purpose of Encouraging
Others
Romans 1:12 “that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith,
both yours and mine.”
I read another story about a Christian who prayed: "Lord,
if you want me to witness to someone today, please give me a sign to show me
who it is." That very day he found himself on a nearly empty bus
when a big, burly man sat next to him. The timid believer anxiously waited for
his stop so he could exit the bus. However, before he could get off, the big
burly guy next to him burst into tears and began to weep. This big but
contrite man then cried out with a loud voice, "I’m a lost sinner
and I need the Lord. Won’t somebody tell me how to be saved?" He
turned to this Christian gentleman and pleaded, "Can you show me
how to find the Lord?"
The believer immediately bowed his head and prayed,
"Lord, is this a sign?"
a.
God does command us to share our faith, but it is to encourage one
another.
b.
The key here is to be mutually encouraged.
c.
If you approach sharing your faith with others in passion fueled
by anger and division, you will only create more anger and division.
d.
Share from your heart and keep in mind you are called to serve
others, so find a way that will be meaningful to them.
e.
Consider sending a card, making a meal or taking the time to call
each week.
II.
Witnessing
Means Being There for One Another
Ecclesiastes 3:4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to
dance,
a.
Witnessing to others means being there for them and going through
life and being present for one another.
b.
Don’t shy away from someone who is weeping in a corner.
c.
It’s a God-appointed moment to comfort another person.
Hugh Hewitt in
his book “The Embarassed
Believer” contends that
most Christian are embarrassed believers. They do not
talk about their faith or church. They don’t have Bibles on the corner of their
desks. They never engage others in spiritual conversations. And the result has
been the dramatic increase of pornography and violence over the last five
decades. The values of
the world today pale in comparison to the values of mid last century. He
writes, Paul writes,
Romans
1:16 “For I
am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings
salvation to everyone who believes...”
And Jesus said,
Mark 8:38 “ If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous
and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in
his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Too many of us
are embarrassed, silent, secret agents for God. Yet we are called to be bold
witnesses of Jesus Christ.
Christians in
America trying to save the lost, comfort the suffering, cure the ill, clothe
the naked and bring joy to the despairing will not make a significant and
lasting impact unless they do so openly and without apology as Christians.
d.
Sharing moments of laughter, tears, heartbreak and joyous
occasions are what help join you together in Christ.
III.
Witnessing Should Include Setting a Godly
Example
2 Corinthians 5:20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors,
as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's
behalf: Be reconciled to God.
a.
Witnessing means more than
speaking.
b.
Be the example of Christ to others, including with strangers.
c.
You may be the only person who is welcoming and respectful.
d.
Don’t try to say the right thing – speak from your heart and
show empathy.
e.
Actions carried out through love will send a stronger message than
finding the right words.
Leighton Ford - I have talked to a lot of people, and the fear
issue comes up front again and again. What makes people hesitate to share their
faith? Here are some of the fears that have been mentioned to me:
·
"I am afraid I might do more harm than
good."
·
- "I don’t know what to say."
·
- "I may not be able to give snappy answers to
tricky questions."
·
- "I may seem bigoted."
·
- "I may invade someone’s privacy."
·
- "I am afraid I might fail."
·
- "I am afraid I might be a hypocrite."
Perhaps the most common fear, however, is that of being
rejected.
A survey was given to those attending training sessions
for the Billy Graham crusade in Detroit. One question asked, "What is your greatest hindrance to witnessing?"
·
Nine percent said they were too busy to remember to
do it.
·
Twenty-eight percent felt the lack of real
information to share. None said they didn’t really care.
·
Twelve percent said their own lives were not
speaking, as they should.
·
51 percent whose biggest problem was the fear of how
the other person would react!
None of us likes to be rejected, ridiculed, or regarded as an
oddball.
IV.
Witness to Others By Sharing Your Struggles
Doyal Rhea – Jal – show scar
2
Timothy 1:8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about
our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the
gospel, by the power of God.
a. Share your struggles.
This is one of the most powerful ways to witness because you allow
God to transform the struggle into something beautiful.
a.
Holding in your fear and pain from life’s struggles only makes
matters seem harder than they are.
b.
God will send you the help you need, but you have to realize you
can’t do life on your own.
c.
Share your struggles with people you can trust.
V.
First You Must Honor Christ in Your Heart
1
Peter 3:15 But in your hearts revere
Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you
to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and
respect,
a.
God will prepare your mind
and give you the words to speak, but you first have to give Him your heart.
Not witnessing to the lost is like telling a person
who is sick with appendicitis to just relax, think positive thoughts, listen to
some nice music and everything will be fine. No it won’t!
He needs to see a doctor, realize that he’s going to die
unless he has surgery and has that appendix removed. This is SERIOUS business –
life and death! Even more so is the case with eternal life in heaven or hell.
b.
Keep giving Christ your heart each day and He will continue
opening doors for you to share His love with others.
VI.
Let God Open The Ears Of People Around You
Acts 17:11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in
Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined
the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
a.
Be bold and know that God will bring eager listeners to you.
b.
People will try to confirm that what you are saying is true
– don’t be offended, but see it as how others are seeking Him.
c.
Walk with them and help them understand what each scripture means
as God begins peeling back the layers.
VII.
Treat Witnessing As A Responsibility
2 Corinthians 5:20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as
though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's
behalf: Be reconciled to God.
a.
Have you thought of yourself as an ambassador of Christ? It’s a
big deal!
b.
Take the responsibility seriously and keep seeking ways to fulfill
what God is calling you to do.
c.
It may seem big or small, but all opportunities to share your
faith are from God.
Remember to be gentle and
respectful as you witness. This could happen in the grocery store, at the park
or during a mission trip.
Sometimes God reveals an
upcoming opportunity to you such as a Bible study and other times it may seem
sudden and unexpected.
Honor each opportunity as
a moment created and planned by Christ.
We have seen that faith without works is useless. It
cannot be demonstrated, it cannot change a person, it is not perfected, and it
is dead! Our faith does not help us, or others, until it causes us to act.
Once a chaplain walked up to a wounded soldier who had
been lying on the ground some time without anyone treating his wounds.
The chaplain asked, "Would you like for me to read
to you from the Bible?" "No!" came the angry reply. "Is there
anything else I can do for you?" the chaplain asked.
"I'm thirsty!" the soldier said. The chaplain
gave him a drink from his own canteen.
"Anything else?" he asked. "I'm
cold!" came the reply. The chaplain took off his coat and spread it over
the soldier.
"Anything else?" he again asked. "My head
is uncomfortable!" was his reply. The chaplain took off his cap and
arranged it under the soldier's head.
The chaplin asked again, "Anything else?"
The soldier looked up at him and tears came to his
eyes as he said, "I think now I'd like for you to read to me from the
Bible."
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