Chico Alliance Church
Pastor David Welch
“Winning Witness” Supplementary Notes to previous message Winning Witness Pt 1
An estimated 95% of all church members have never led anyone to Christ.
I. God gives us a Powerful Commission
A. The Great commission
1. The basis of the commission – the authority of Jesus
2. The Scope of the commission – make disciples of all peoples
3. The process of the commission
a) Baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
b) Teaching them to obey all Jesus commanded
4. The power of the commission – I am with you always
5. The duration of the commission – to the end of the age
B. God assigns a essential role
1. Powerful witness
There are two promises made in Matthew 28
• “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you”
• “you will be my witnesses”
We don’t “do witnessing” as an activity. We BE witnesses as a lifestyle.
Always witness – sometimes use words!
a) The power for witness– the Holy Spirit
b) The parameters of our witness– Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, ends of the earth
People won’t ask unless the see. Sharing Christ is a natural outgrowth of who we are.
• Be transformed
• Be ready to give and account.
2. Fruitful fisherman Matt 4:18-19
• Follow Jesus
• Go to the fish.
• Draw in the nets.
3. Diligent farmer 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 John 4:34-38 Luke 10:1-2
Cultivate soil -- Plant seed -- Reap harvest
Three points!
• Work hard.
• Be persistent and patient.
• The harvest is ready
4. Appointed Ambassador 2 Corinthians 5:17-20
• Speak the word of reconciliation clearly
• Speak passionately.
5. Compassionate Fireman Jude 1:20-23
• Keep pure.
• Show mercy.
• Be courageous.
6. Graceful preacher Romans 10:14-17 Colossians 4:2-6
• God uses people
• Know your message.
• Deliver your message with grace.
7. Salt
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. Matthew 5:13
Jesus clearly reveals that Christ ARE the salt of the earth. This is a statement not a command.
He does not say become the salt. He says by nature Christians ARE the salt of the earth.
In the ancient world salt was highly valued. The Greeks called salt divine. In a phrase, which in Latin is a kind of jingle, the Romans said, "There is nothing more useful than sun and salt." In the time of Jesus salt was connected in people's minds with three special qualities.
Purity -- Preservation -- Flavor
Jesus intended his followers to be as he was on the earth. A purifying agent; a preserver, a flavor enhancer.
But beyond these things salt actually possesses and even greater capability.
It is an essential ingredient for healthy life functions.
It is recorded that thousands of Napoleon's troops died during his retreat from Moscow because their wounds would not heal as a result of a lack of salt. In 1777, the British Lord Howe was jubilant when he succeeded in capturing General Washington's salt supply. And, in the aftermath of war, restoring a war-ravaged nation's salt production is a priority in reconstruction as illustrated in post-W.W. II Japan
All animals, humans included, require both sodium and chloride for life and health. Since the body cannot manufacture either, they are "essential" nutrients. While developed countries dedicate most of their salt to chemical production, developing countries often use most of their salt for human and animal nutrition.
Salt is essential not only to life, but to good health. Human blood contains 0.9% salt (sodium chloride) -- the same concentration commonly used to cleanse wounds. Salt maintains the electrolyte balance inside- and outside of cells. Routine physical examinations measure blood sodium for clues to personal health. Most of our salt comes from foods, some from water. Inadequate salt can be problematic. Doctors often recommend replacing water and salt lost in exercise and when working outside. Wilderness hikers know the importance of salt tablets to combat hyperthermia. Oral rehydration involves replacing both water and salt. Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) has been termed, by the British Medical Journal "the most important medical advance this (20th) century." Expectant mothers are advised to get enough salt. Increased salt intakes have been used successfully to combat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The unique microclimate of salt mines is a popular way to treat asthma, particularly in Eastern Europe. Dramatic deficiencies (e.g. "salt starvation" in India) or "excessive" sodium intakes have been associated with other conditions and diseases, such as hypertension and stomach cancer. Testing the salinity of perspiration is a good test for cystic fibrosis; scientists suspect that cystic fibrosis is caused by a deformed protein that prevents chloride outside cells from attracting needed moisture. (And, of course, we cannot forget that iodized salt is the choice of public health professionals to combat iodine deficiency, has been fortified to battle other diseases like lymphatic filarisis and is considered "the first antibiotic").
Salt is used in greater quantities and for more applications than any other mineral. It has more than 14,000 known uses. Everyone uses salt, directly and indirectly. Americans each consume more than 16 tons of salt during their lifetimes, 402 pounds a year for each living American. Only a small percentage of that massive amount is ingested as food. The concentration of sodium ions in the blood is directly related to the regulation of safe body-fluid levels. Propagation of nerve impulses by signal transduction is regulated by sodium ions.
"Illustrated throughout history are tales of entire populations warring over salt. Salt was fundamental to the development of civilization; it was used for bartering as well as for food preservation"
Salt also served as an antiseptic and healing agent. Because we are the body of Christ, Christians are essential to the quality of life on earth in a multitude of different ways. We bring flavor to life by revealing and living God’s truth.
We purify society.
We preserve society.
We bring healing.
We are an antiseptic to sins infection.
We promote life function as God intended.
Only when the church is removed will Satan have full capability to carry out his horrific end-time activity and corruption of mankind. When Jesus returns in glory we too will be revealed with Him in glory. The whole earth longs for the glorious revealing of God’s chosen ones.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. Romans 8:18-19
There is a warning in the passage however. There is a possibility of loosing your effectiveness.
Salt will always be salty by nature. The only way that salt looses its saltiness is by dilution with something else. When Christians abandon their distinctiveness (saltiness) and become diluted with other things, they become as useless as dirt or pavement. Interestingly enough, the next section of this same passage speaks of another inherent characteristic of Christians.
• Keep pure
8. Light Matthew 5:14-16 John 8:12
Salt and sun? Again, Jesus didn’t say BE the light of the world. Jesus said “we ARE the light of the world”. Be visible to the world around you. Let that light shine. What is the light? The way we live. The context is the beatitudes. Matthew 5:3-12 God intends us to live in such a way that the world notices our good works and attributes them to our connection to the Father. We want people to see the family resemblance. Just as salt can lose its saltiness by dilution, light can be covered up and hidden. Jesus warned us not to allow our light to be hidden. He urged us to allow essential nature of EVERY Christian to radiate to those around them. Don’t allow your divine radiance to get shaded by sin.
• Shine!
God gives a commission.
Make disciples all over the world.
God assigns a role.
Powerful witnesses concerning a glorious Kingdom
Faithful fisherman who follows Jesus and goes where the fish are
Farmer who diligently and patiently cultivates, plants and harvests
Appointed ambassador who clearly and passionately speaks the word of reconciliation. Compassionate Fireman who courageously snatches victims from the fire
Graceful preacher who proclaims the whole truth of God with love and grace
Salt whose distinctiveness provides the essentials for life
Light that illuminates the nature of God through godly living.
C. God gives us a clear message 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
II. Personal Motivation
What helps us get beyond the fear or apathy of sharing Christ?
A. Understand the danger
Without Christ, people cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Without Christ, people will spend eternity in hell.
If w say a house on fire, the urgency of the matter would overcome all the fear of talking to strangers.
B. Feel the Passion
The Lost sheep demonstrates the priority of seeking the lost.
The Lost coin demonstrates the intensity of seeking the lost.
The lost sons demonstrates the patience of seeking the lost.
All of them demonstrate the joy in earth and heaven when the lost are found.
C. Take the responsibility
God gives us the privilege of carrying the message of reconciliation to a lost world.
Failure to carry out this responsibility is disobedience.
It begins with who we are as undiluted shining examples of a child of God.
It includes taking the initiative to pray for opportunities to share Christ.
III. Practical Matters
A. Eternal CPR
Cultivate the soil -- Plant the seed - Reap the harvest
B. Hourglass of Influence
Intercession-Invovlement-Interaction-Invitation-Introduction-Integration-Instruction
C. World-wide impact through involvement in cross-cultural missions
Grasp – Gird – Give - Go
