Peter's Guide To Scriptual Witnessing

1 Peter 3:8-16

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

One of the first messages that the Lord provided me was entitled “What’s Your Doctrine?” The main thought of that message was this, how can we witness to the lost if we don’t know ourselves what it is that we are trusting to get us into heaven! Often it is a sad fact that most “Christians” live their entire lives without a clear understanding of God and His love towards man. In 1st Peter chapter 3 Peter is letting us know what is expected of those saved of God. Beginning in verse 8 and through verse 17 Peter, through the Holy Ghost, teaches us what we should “Be” for the Lord.

 Be Loving

 Be Pitiful

 Be courteous

 Be not vindictive

 Be confident in your calling.

 Be mindful of your tongue.

 Be aware that the Lord’s eyes and ears are open to His children.

 Be followers of that which is good.

 Be happy in your suffering

 Be not afraid

 Be not troubled.

Be A Witness:

Beginning in verse 15 we see what should be the focus of our Bible study: the believers part of the great commission. Be prepared (Be Ready) to "give an answer to every man who asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you."

Of all that the Holy Ghost asks us to be, maybe the most important is found in verse 15. If we could only take this verse to heart, apply it to our lives, we may just find ourselves in the will of God. Verse 15 teaches us the foundation for being a witness unto God, which is the very reason He leaves us on this earth after salvation. This is also our role in the “Great Commission” which Jesus gave to all those who are saved.

I have always been afraid of witnessing personally, for I know what I was, I know what I am, and I know that in myself I can do nothing. On the other hand, I am most miserable for I know that I am not in the will of God when I do not witness for Him. In verse 15 of chapter 3 I have found a verse that has inspired me to become a better witness for God that lost souls might come to know Him. With this thought in mind let us look at “Peter’s guide to scriptural witnessing.”

Sanctify the Lord God in you hearts:

Before we can ever be a witness of the blessings of God, and a witness for

God, we must set Him apart in our hearts, for whatever the desire of our heart is that purpose we pursue. The world demands much from each of us, work, bills, life, death, and every form of distraction and temptation but we must not allow the world to fill our hearts, we must keep our hearts sanctified unto the Lord.

 A sanctified Witness (How to please God)

Heb. 13:12,21

Through Christ, we can go without the camp bearing witness of Him and He shall be pleased.

 What goes in, must come out.

Acts 15:8

The Lord knows our hearts, and when right He will bare witness with us through the Holy Ghost.

Illustration:

One day a young minister was being escorted through a coal mine. At the entrance of one of the dim passageways, he spied a beautiful white flower growing out of the black earth. "How can it blossom in such purity and radiance in this dirty mine?" the preacher asked. "Throw some coal dust on it and see for yourself," his guide replied. When he did, he was surprised that the fine, sooty particles slid right off the snowy petals, leaving the plant just as lovely and unstained as before. Its surface was so smooth that the grit and grime could not adhere to it.

Our hearts should have the same characteristic. Just as that flower could not control its habitat, so we cannot help it that we have to live in a world filled with evil. But God’s grace can keep us so clean and unspotted that though we touch every side, it will not cling to us.

If we want the Lord’s full blessing and approval, we must heed the admonition, "...keep thyself pure" (1 Tim 5:22). By the cleansing power of His Word and the sanctifying influence of His Holy Spirit, it is possible for the Christian to remain "clean in a dirty place."

 How to remain Sanctified?

How can we stay white and pure in our hearts when the world is so nasty? How can we, like the flower of the illustration shed the soot of the world’s cares and trials? There is only one way and we must understand that the answer is beyond our ability and comprehension, the answer is found in God’s Word