I Will Give My Testimony Series

Five Life Changing Resolutions

Part 4

I Will Give My Testimony

Acts 1:8

Scripture Reading

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.

BAPTIZING A DRUNK

A man was stumbling through the woods, totally drunk, when he came upon a preacher baptizing people in the river. He proceeded to walk into the water and bumped into the preacher. The preacher turned around and, though almost overcome by the smell of alcohol, asked the drunk,

"Are you ready to find Jesus?" The Drunk answered, "Yes, I am." So the preacher grabbed the drunk and dunked him in the water. Then he pulled him up and asked him, "Brother have you found Jesus?"

The drunk replied, "No, I haven’t found Jesus." The preacher, shocked at the answer, dunked him into the water again, for a little longer. Then again, he pulled him out and asked, "Have you found

Jesus my brother?" The drunk again answered, "No, I haven’t found Jesus." By this time the preacher was at his wits end so he submerged the

drunk once more, and held him down for about 30 seconds until he began kicking his arms and legs, whereupon he pulled him up.

The preacher again asked the drunk, "For the love of God have you found Jesus?"

The drunk wiped his eyes and caught his breath and finally said to the preacher,

"Are you sure this is where he fell in?"

There is a better way to help folks to find Jesus that I want to tell you about today. God has given us a job to do my Christian friend and that job is to tell the whole world that Jesus saves. The hymn writer William James Kirkpatrick said it best;

We have heard the joyful sound: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Spread the tidings all around: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Bear the news to every land, climb the mountains, cross the waves

Onward! 'tis our Lord's command; Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Waft it on the rolling tide: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Tell to sinners far and wide: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Sing, you islands of the sea; echo back, you ocean caves

Earth shall keep her jubilee: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Sing above the battle strife: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

By His death and endless life Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Shout it brightly through the gloom, when the heart for mercy craves

Sing in triumph o'er the tomb: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Give the winds a mighty voice: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Let the nations now rejoice: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Shout salvation full and free; highest hills and deepest caves

This our song of victory: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

This old gospel song illustrates this truth so well. What does our text say to us regarding this mandate from the Master?

I. The Utility that is Proposed

a. The calling

Jesus Disciples – What is a Disciple?

Jesus’ disciples were an important part of His early ministry. A disciple is someone who follows and learns. Often a disciple is being mentored by another. Thus, a disciple of Jesus is a follower and a learner, someone who both follows Jesus and continues learning about Him and from Him.

When we refer to the twelve disciples, we are referring to those whom Jesus chose at the beginning of His ministry. Jesus had twelve specific disciples when He was on earth as a man. These men were witnesses of His earthly ministry.

Think about the calling of the disciples. There were at least four fishermen, a tax collector, a politician (zealot) and the rest were tradesman of some sort.

In a sense, all who follow Jesus obediently are also His disciples. If you know Jesus as your personal savior you are a disciple and the Lord has called you to make his name known.

“Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on Earth.”

John Wesley

b. The communication

“Do all the good you can, By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can, At all the times you can. To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.”

John Wesley

I would say the same thing about being a witness for Jesus. “Witness for Jesus all you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”