Post by Les Brewer on Sept 8, 2014 16:52:23 GMT
Preface
How many hours in a week, 168 hours right? How many hours do you really serve Him and witness for Him?
Two thousand years ago someone was hung on a cross between two thieves. His name you know, but do you really know Him and serve the real person 168 hours a week? Even if we subtract the 8 hours of sleep, that still leaves just over 112 hours a week or 448 hours per month to serve. In Jesus words He said “if you deny me before men I will deny you.” "If you deny Jesus", is something all of us has done in our lives, but once we claim to know Him and follow Him, will we ever deny Him? How many hours do you really serve him again? Remember He didn’t call us to a part time ministry, this is full scale asymmetrical spiritual war! We are His witnesses 24/7!
To be a witness of Jesus we must have actually SEEN something. We must experience something and then tell someone about it. If we do not become a witness we are denying we saw Him TRANSFORM OR CHANGE something in our lives. We can claim to know Him, but we are liars if we do not witness to others what He has done in us and through us. This is a strong statement, but it is just common sense. When you receive Good News, you can’t keep it to yourself, you got to tell someone. Some may be afraid to share and those need deliverance from fear, but when Jesus saves you, you can’t keep it to yourself. Isaiah was given a prophetic word about this thousands of years ago, before the birth of Christ:
Isaiah Chapter 43:1-13 WEB
1 But now thus says Yahweh who created you, Jacob, and he who formed you, Israel: “Don’t be afraid, or I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, and flame will not scorch you. 3 For I am Yahweh your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I have given Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. 4 Since you have been precious and honored in my sight, and I have loved you; therefore I will give people in your place, and nations instead of your life. 5 Don’t be afraid; for I am with you. I will bring your seed from the east, and gather you from the west. 6 I will tell the north, ‘Give them up!’ and tell the south, ‘Don’t hold them back! Bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
7 everyone who is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed,
yes, whom I have made.’” 8 Bring out the blind people who have eyes, and the deaf who have ears.
9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the peoples be assembled. Who among them can declare this, and show us former things? Let them bring their witnesses, that they may be justified;
or let them hear, and say, “That is true.” 10 “You are my witnesses,” says Yahweh, “With my servant whom I have chosen; that you may know and believe me, and understand that I am he. Before me there was no God formed, neither will there be after me. 11 I myself am Yahweh; and besides me there is no savior. 12 I have declared, I have saved, and I have shown; and there was no strange god among you.
Therefore you are my witnesses”, says Yahweh, “and I am God. 13 Yes, since the day was I am he;
and there is no one who can deliver out of my hand. I will work, and who can hinder it?”
Introduction
We have a very serious mission. We are called to be witnesses in a dead and dark world. We are called to raise the dead, heal the sick and broken hearted and to set captive free. This is the authority or power we have.
Jesus gave two dimensions of witnessing, DELIVERED by the apostles Matthew and Luke:
Matthew 28:18 “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. ”WEB
Acts 1:7 “It isn’t for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within His own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.” WEB
All of this ministry we are to do by witnessing or sharing the Gospel. We must walk the talk, and love the unlovable in making disciples and witnessing. This is not easy. Developing relationship is never easy, but if we try to witness and not develop relationships we are bringing a false Gospel. If we are Christ servants Isaiah 43:10, then we will be an example of Christ and many will know Him as Yahweh their Savior or Yeshua (Jesus). They will see His power, love and forgiveness (grace.) Yet for two thousand years we have had a hot and cold relationship with making disciples and witnessing. In the new millennium we have lost our way in evangelism. Many Churches have been moving away from the true gospel (Preaching Jesus Christ as the Messiah and “The Witness” has no power to really reach the lost. The message is in jeopardy. Without the “True Object” of the message there is no message. The messengers become liars. They are speaking a message which has no power to bring salvation or change. Without Christ in Christianity it is just another powerless religion. Today we will make sure we understand the difference between a True Witness and the Lie.
Part One – The False Witness
Proverbs 6:16 NIV
There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, 19 a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.
Proverbs 12:17 NIV
A truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells lies.
Proverbs 14:5 NIV
A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.
Proverbs 14:25 NIV
A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful.
Proverbs 19:5 NIV
A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will not go free.
Proverbs 19:9 NIV
A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will perish.
Proverbs 21:28 NIV
A false witness will perish, and whoever listens to him will be destroyed forever.
Matthew 15:15-20 NAS
Peter said to Him, "Explain the parable to us." 16 Jesus said, "Are you still lacking in understanding also? 17 "Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated ? 18 "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. 19 "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. 20 "These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man."
We are the Church and each of us has a mission to the World. No one person is more important as a witness for Christ. We each have a key role to do. When we fail to do our part the “The Witness” suffers. How can we effectively reach this world if everyday another brother or sister fall into temptation or fail to share their faith. But then there are those who are doing the opposite, they are bringing a false Christ. Their actions show they are hypocrites and their message is not scriptural or half-truths. They bring a message of works, and of compromise. They come from two extremes, either so liberal that anything goes and we are the center of our life or a legalism that they have created a new list of commandments which places everyone in bondage, rather than freedom. They also bring attacks, like slander they stab others in the back. They bring a message of a False Christ. A Jesus who is merely a man or God, but not the true Messiah. They place people in bondage to this twisted lie. We expected this in the last days as Jesus said it would be this way. Even false christs would rise up. There is only one true God and Savior, Jesus Christ. We serve only Him. We seek Him and His face. Share only Him or we are a False Witness.
Part Two – The True Witness
Jeremiah 42:5 NAS
Then they said to Jeremiah, "May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the LORD your God will send you to us.
Revelation 3:14 NAS
"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write : The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God…”
God is the only true witness. We are mere vessels that the Holy Spirit uses to glorify the Father and the Son. The true witness for us is when we humble ourselves and the Holy Spirit speaks through us to our loved ones, our friends/workmates and to anyone who has ears to hear.
Acts Chapter 5 has a great view of this ministry:
Acts 5:42 WEB Every day, in the temple and at home, they never stopped teaching and preaching Jesus, the Christ.
The Lord uses us to advance His Kingdom everywhere. Just as the apostles and prophets before us, He uses everyday people and sends them. We are His witnesses (Jesus Christ the Son of God) as the Holy Spirit uses us:
Apostle Colin Dye
“The four Gospels offer distinctive portraits of the Son. Each Gospel contains special words, distinctive themes and unique insights, and each one begins and ends in a way which reflects its particular emphases.
There is, however, only one Jesus, only one Son, only one God, only one cross and only one ‘gospel’. The four different Gospels do not lead to four different Sons; rather, they reveal the unique Son in inspired, complementary, overlapping ways. If we are to know the Son in the fullness of the biblical revelation, we need to know him, to worship him and to proclaim him in all these complementary ways – without over emphasizing one aspect or ignoring another.”
Each of us shares our perspective of how He touched us. These messages come together as a powerful testimony of what Jesus is still doing to save the lost in 2014. The captives are set free as their faith rises up through the testimony of these witnesses. Coupled with the powerful testimony of the blood of Jesus by the Father, we see victory over death.
To witness we must open our mouth and talk. We must then live as we give. If our words are empty so will be our fruit of ministry. The fruit will have no spiritual nutrition to save anyone. We must feed them the true bread of life and the living water. We do this when we are genuine. When genuinely love people and develop relationships and share our hearts.
Conclusion
Today we studied the the theoretical (spiritual) and next week the practical. The most important part of witnessing is relationships. We are not to condemn, we are to love and share our heart with everyone.
John 3:14-18
14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. 18 He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. WEB
Here is a short story by Ray Comfort to illustrate:
“I was killing time in a department store when an elderly man struck up a conversation. It wasn't long before the conversation swung around to the things of God. When I asked this man if he had a Christian background, his answer was interesting. He said, "Oh, I am a churchgoer. I believe in God the Father; and the Son, He's around too…somewhere." His reply was both humorous and tragic. This man went to church, obviously had faith in God, believed in the deity and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, yet he was not saved.
If you love God, your heart will go out to the millions who are in such a state. They are in the “valley of decision.” Valleys are often without direct light, and direct light is what sinners need. They don't understand the issues. They are so close to salvation; it is as near as their heart and mouth. Yet without repentance, they will perish. Jesus said that (see Luke 13:1-3). Such thoughts are grievous. If you are born of God's Spirit, you will find that something compels you to run to the lost, to reach out to the unsaved, because God gave you a new heart that delights to do His will.
How many people around us have some knowledge of Christ, but not the saving knowledge of Christ and the truth. We are to witness to them so they can be saved. Will we? One person per week! Go while there is still time!
