Questions To Help Stop The Fear Of Witnessing
Acts 1:4-11
How many have ever tried to witness to someone? But you feel that you failed, that you bombed it and you feel like you just didn’t get the point across. Or how about this, you are talking to someone and you about ready to witness to them, and all of a sudden this giant feeling of fear stops you before you even get started.
Well today we are going to take a look a "Witnessing" and some questions to help us, not be nervous about sharing our faith. In our churches today we do a lot of things and have a lot of programs and we need them. Some of these programs help us to learn more about God’s word, and others just give us the opportunity to fellowship.
But one thing that we are lacking in, in the modern day church is witnessing, and believe me church I’m not standing pointing the finger at any one, because one day I’m going to have to stand before God and answer for all the times that I did not share my faith when I felt led.
Very few churches now a days excel in witnessing! Why? One of the reasons is because some of the people feel that, that is the Pastors job. That he is the only one who is called to be a disciple and to go out and share the gospel of Jesus Christ. But we also are called to share the gospel.
Now the other reason I believe that people don’t witness to the lost is "Fear". Fear holds many back from sharing their faith.
1).We fear the response of people.
2).We are afraid of what people might say to us,
3).We are afraid that someone might ask us a question that we may not be able to answer.
Well guess what! If that happens to you, you have just joined
many others who don’t know the answers to everything. We are only human and we don’t have all the answers to all the questions. Just say I don’t know the answer to that question. Just be honest with them.
Just like the blind man said when questioned by the Pharisees in John 9:25, He said to them, all I know is that once I was blind and now I see. A lot of people out in the world are just like the Pharisees. They want an explanation to what happens to individuals when they are saved.
You may not have the scripture at that time to help you explain your experience, Just be like the blind man, and explain to them what Christ has done in your life.
Or maybe you have the fear of "Lack of Education". You feel you don’t know enough scripture to witness. It doesn’t take a great theologian to share your faith, and what you know God has done for you and for others. "Look at the woman at the well" (Explain) "Many came to know Christ because of her testimony (John 4:39)"
And there are those people that say I can’t do this all alone. Well right there you just got smart. Because your right, you can’t do it with out the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. For example of uneducated men take a look at Peter and John in Acts 4:13. (Read)
In this verse we can see what God can do with uneducated ordinary men. Peter and John were definitely extraordinary men. These men were definitely different, they were no longer ordinary men. These men had no problem with letting the Holy Spirit work through them. This is the key, to let the Holy Spirit work through us. (Read Acts 4:31)
The difference between Ordinary men and Extraordinary men is the "EXTRA". You people here today are not just ordinary people, you are Children of the King and you have the extra and that extra is the Holy Spirit in you. Now it’s up to you how much extra you let the Holy Spirit work through you. "SHOW FLASH LIGHT ILLUSTRATION"
Real quickly today we are going to take a look at three Questions to fight our fears of witnessing (Read Acts 1:4-11)
Here we can see in these verses Jesus’ last moments with his disciples before he ascends to heaven. But as we look at these verses today we have to ask ourselves some questions.
The first question we have to ask ourselves is "What time is it"? (vv.4-7)
As we look at this, remember what had happened to Jesus before this. Jesus walked on the earth with His disciples and performed many miracles, until the day he went to the cross and payed the price for all man kind.
But now Christ has reason from the dead and defeated death. We can see in v.6 the disciples asking Jesus a question. " Lord will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" And Jesus replied by saying "It’s not for you to know the time or seasons".
So many people have tried to predict the return of the Lord. Even now a days you can see them predicting that the year 2000 is the end of the world. Magazines and books all over are trying to tell us something the Bible has told us all along. The End is Near!!!
Listen to what Jesus says in Matt.24:6, And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
This morning I can tell you what time it is. It’s time to go out and witness and win souls for Christ. Because I myself don’t know what day Christ will return, but I do know one thing is that each day brings us closer to His return.
Not knowing the day in witch Jesus will return and not knowing if we will have tomorrow to share Jesus with our love ones could be enough to help us get over our fear of witnessing. That they may spend eternity in hell if we don’t tell them about Jesus.
Does it mean that they will except Christ right then, maybe, maybe not. Remember all we are called to do is be obedient.
The next two questions we can ask ourselves are found in v.8 (Read)
Who is it that Empowers us? In the first part of verse 8 it says "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you". So we can clearly see that it is the Holy Spirit who gives us power. The word power in this verse in the Greek means "to have the ability to do mighty works".
This is a promise given by Jesus Christ Himself. And this was a promise that was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost and thousands were saved. This same Holy Spirit is still with us today.
Think about it. This same Holy Spirit that came upon them at Pentecost is the same Holy Spirit that lives within each believer today.
(1 Cor. 6:19) And even though some people would like to believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is not here today, His power is still the same today.
People simply amaze me, these same people that don’t believe in the power of the Holy spirit go around paying fortune tellers too tell them there future. I got news for them, you don’t need some palm reading flussy to tell you your future. The Bible is all you
need and the price is already paid.
People have no problem believing that satan has power to seek and destroy, but it kills them to think that God is still in the healing business. (Spiritual, Emotional, and Physical). Expand on each healing
You want to talk about power! This Holy Spirit that lives in us is the same Holy Spirit that was:
1) The one who gave Peter and John Boldness when they went around preaching and healing.
Church listen to me, “An undeniable SIGN of the Holy Spirit is BOLDNESS! What is boldness? “It is the inner delight of a liberated person in daring.”
There is a great need for boldness. But not a boldness to be arrogant and hateful, but boldness in loving ... forgiving...speaking the truth in love and to take a stand for the Gospel.
How many of us would have the boldness that the young female at Columbine High School had last year when she stood at gun point and asked if she believed in Christ, then she died for it.
The word boldness means “telling all” - “to pour forth, like pouring water out of a cup.” It’s the conviction, communication, and character that is based on undeniable truth and experience.
Boldness is something that captures attention...causing people to listen. True boldness from being with Jesus is attractive and clear, confident because we know that He has won the battle with death, Satan and the world.
2) Also this is the same Holy Spirit who was with Paul and Silas while in prison and Gave them joy to sing while imprisoned:
a) Shock the foundations
b) That opened the prison doors
c) That freed them from chains
When you feel that you are to witness to someone, remember a few things pray and ask for guidance from the Holy Spirit, because it is Him that gives us the words to say and it is Him who prepares the hearts of those who are to be witnessed to.
Who has called us to witness? Jesus says in the second half of verse 8, "And you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth".
Jesus himself has called us to be a witness. The one who come to earth in the form of a man and humbled himself even to death on the cross and the one who arose from the grave.
Also the one who was a man of compassion and tears, and the one who is coming back again some day and every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
Believe me church it is more fearful to me to disobey the King of Kings then it is to witness. Lets not be like the disciples in verse eleven, just starring into the sky waiting for His return and doing nothing. Lets exchange our fears this morning for faith.
Closing:
In closing today I’m going to share a verse with you in Prov. 11:30 "The fruit of righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise". The time has come for us to witness to the lost and hurting, because we may not have tomorrow to do what the Lord has called us to do. If there is ever a time that people need the Lord it’s NOW!!! Let us be instruments for Christ.
Remember these three things today:
1) What time is it?
2) Who empowers us?
3) Who has called us to witness?
