What keeps us from sharing the good news?
Nothing stops good conversation like the word Jesus. Why? There are several reasons. However, I believe one main reason is the fear of the unknown. What could/ would Jesus do? To those who are lost, there are several unknown characteristics about Jesus that appear to be frightening. However to us who know Him, know better. So, what keeps those of us who have experienced His presence from sharing Jesus? Fear of rejection, fear of not knowing answers to difficult questions, fear of offending the person, especially a family member or friend, fear of being persecuted/ridiculed, fear of not being able to communicate appropriately. Notice that all of these are fear motivated. “God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.” 2 Tim. 1:7
READ AND PRAY
1And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
I. Paul testified despite his circumstances. (3)
“Profiting from failure.” Illustrations Unlimited. P. 185. “A young man of 32 had been appointed president of the bank. He’d never dreamed he’d be president, much less at such a young age. So he approached the venerable chairman of the board and said, “You know, I’ve just been appointed president. I was wondering if you could give me some advice.” The old man came back with just two words: “Right decisions!” The young man had hoped for a bit more than this, so he said, “That’s helpful, and I appreciate it, but can you be more specific? How do I make right decisions?” The wise old mans simply responded, “Experience.” The young man said, “Well that’s just the point of my being here. I don’t have the kind of experience I need. How do I get it?” Came the terse reply, “Wrong decisions.”
Paul testified despite that he felt weak, and afraid. We don’t like feeling weak and afraid. It is not a good feeling. Even to the point that we avoid things that cause us to feel that way. This is one reason we don’t witness. However, God’s word tells us that "in our weakness, His power is made perfect". We need to choose to allow God’s perfect power be made manifest in our lives. We do this by choosing to do things that He has called us to do. Events that make us feel weak!
II. Paul testified despite his countenance. (3)
He not only felt weak and afraid, but he looked weak and afraid. Paul said he "trembled". But he still testified. All to often we allow our appearances prohibit us from testifying. We feel as if we don’t appear adequate. Or we allow the appearances of others to prohibit us from testifying. They don’t look like we do, for better, or worse.
Officer Tori Matthews of the Southern California Humane Society got an emergency call: a boy’s pet iguana had been scared up a tree by a neighbor’s dog. It then fell from the tree into a swimming pool to where it sank like a brick. Officer Matthews arrived on the seen with her net, she immediately dove into the pool, immerging seconds later with the pet’s limp body. She thought, well you can do CPR on a person, and on a dog, why not on an iguana. So she locked lips with the lizard. “Now that I look back on it,” she said, “it was a pretty ugly animal to be kissing, but the last thing I wanted to do was to tell that little boy that his iguana had died.” The lizard responded to her efforts and made a full recovery. Tori Matthews didn’t see a waterlogged iguana, she saw a little boy’s pet, and the love he had for the pet drove her to do what she did. We may never see the beauty in some people, but when we realize what they mean to God, we will do whatever we can to keep them from drowning! Humor for Preaching. P. 62
People are ugly. No matter what you look like, no matter what they look like, we ALL need God’s “breath of life”.
III. Paul testified despite his lack of communication. (1,4)
A man who was trying to b more diligent about witnessing saw an opportunity when he was standing in the “10 Items or Less” checkout at the grocery store. “All have sinned,” he began, sincerely looking at the clerk scanning his items. “Including you Mac,” she replied, without looking up. “I count twelve items here.” Humor for Preaching. P. 65.
At some point we all feel inadequate in this area. However, we find good company. According to these verses, Paul’s communication skills weren’t up to par. He didn’t use persuasive words of human wisdom. (verse 1, 4) So how were his words used “in demonstration of the Spirit and power”? Turn to Ex. 4:11-12, If you are familiar with this verse you will remember that this is where Moses is somewhat arguing with God. Moses declares, “I am slow of speech”. “11So the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? 12“Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” How do we experience what Paul experienced? The same way Moses experienced what Paul experienced! Trusting that God will speak through us despite our speaking ability!
IV. Paul testimony was dependant on God’s control. (4-5)
Paul knew that it was no accident that he was where he was, and that those people were listening. Paul had become very familiar with his dependance on the Holy Spirit. Paul had “Good News” and good news must be shared! Have you ever had good news? Could you retain it? Of course not. Peter and John give a great example for us to live by. Even with their lives on the line, they still express to their accusers, “For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:20. Paul had the power of God (vs 5), so do we! Look at Luke 10:19, “19“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” In dealing with this issue, it helps to remember Psalm 118:8, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put your confidence in man.” We need not to trust in our abilities, but we should have confidence that God will speak through us!
Before I close I would like to ask you a rhetorical question. “What was the final blow to Jesus?”
Was it the sin of the slap in the face? The spit? The thorns? The scorns? The beatings? Hanging on the cross? I don’t think it was any of these simply because they are man made.
My Senior year in high school I was in a basketball game. It was a district game that decided the seeding of the tournament. To say the least, it was very critical that we win the game. It was a closely played game. As a matter of fact, the opponent was up one point with seconds left to play. I had the ball and was fouled. I went to the line to shoot two free throws. The team only needed me to hit one to tie, if I hit both, we won! The Gymnasium was packed, standing room only. I believe probably around 2500 people. Man, could it get loud in there too. The crowd was our six man! However, when I stepped up to the line, all I heard was silence. The silence was deafening! It overwhelmed me! And you guessed it, I missed both free throws. And we lost the game.
I don’t think it was much different for Christ. After all, where were the people that He had healed? The blind? The lame? The leper? Where was the crowd that had thronged Him? And where were His disciples? They were no where to be HEARD! And ultimately, even His Father was silent!
So I ask, how many times has your sin of silence kept Christ from saving, or ministering to someone? How many times has He wanted to bless you by using you as His “mouth piece”? Today it is time for a change! Will you choose to break your vow of silence? Will you resolve in your hearts today to be like Peter and John, “For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard”?
The way we will start this is by following Jesus’ request to “pray for workers”. Workers testify! Would you come and pray for workers? Would you come and pray that Christ would send us workers? Pray for our leaders. Our youth. Our choir. Our Sunday school. Your pastor.
