Romans 15:14-22
Getting on the same Page as God about How to Be an Effective Witness
Introduction
A. Most of us work at a job were we receive at least a yearly performance review
B. In the performance review our boss looks at how we have done
C. He looks at the task that we have accomplished
D. The tasks that we were suppose to accomplish
E. And the task that we did not accomplish
F. Evaluates all of that and fills out our performance review
G. If God were doing a performance review on being an effective witness how would you do?
H. Sadly, a lot of us would not do so good
I. But we want to improve that. So that makes us ask the question
J. How can I be an more effective witness
K. Today we are going to look at how to be an effective witness specifically
a. What to say
b. How to say it
c. And who to say it to
I. (14-16) What to say
A. Explanation
1. Keep something in mind here, quick review of Romans will reveal that Paul hits the readers of this letter over the head with a big bat
a) A lot of what Paul said to the Romans was stuff that was hard to take
2. Paul knows that he has been hard on the people, but the only reason that he has been hard on people is because he cares for them and cares about the subjects that he has covered
3. He does something here that we should all take notice of, he takes the opportunity to say some good things about them in order to build them up
4. Now you might read that and say “hey that is not the big of a deal” but taking those couple of words probably meant more to the reader then you will ever realize
5. In these three verses (14-16) what is the key word? GRACE!
6. Right there in verse 15, GRACE.
7. Because of the grace that God showed Paul, Paul has in turn become a minister of Christ Jesus
8. Because of that Grace, Paul desire is to see the gentiles, know God, to be able to offer their bodies as living sacrifices
9. To be Sanctified – Set apart – Different from the World
10. Now I want to point something out here
11. In Verse 16 we have a strong support for the whole Trinitarian concept
a) Paul mentions he is a Minister of Jesus Christ
b) Who Job is to preach the Gospel of God
c) And he did this threw the Holy Spirit
12. I know that the term trinity was not mentioned until around 400 years later, however, it was clearly evident here, the trinity is true
B. Application
1. How can we apply all of this to our lives?
2. Guess what, you are a sinner.
3. You were saved by grace.
4. That should motivate you to be a minister
5. To tell others of the Grace that God showed you and is willing to show them
6. What to say to the other person?
7. Tell them about what God has done for you
8. Tell them about How God has change your live
9. Tell them about what God wants to do for them
10. Tell them about how God can change them
11. Tell them despite everything that people have told them, despite everything they have done, despite all the trouble they have caused, God loves them
12. Take an opportunity to remind them of whom they are.
C. Illustration
1. When we took the group to Edinboro a couple of weeks ago, I got to speak to them. Guess what I got to tell them? I got to tell them that they are special
2. That they do matter, that despite what the world has told
3. Despite the number of people that told them they were useless
4. That is it is not true, God loves you. God Cares for you. God sent His Son to die for you
5. What a privilege it was to say that, it was amazing the look on some of the kid’s faces. It was one of amazement and some of them seem really puzzled
6. Take the opportunity to tell people what God did for you and wants to do for them
7. Really is there anything better you could tell someone then about the Grace of God?
II. (17-19a) How to say it
A. Explanation
1. Take a look at verse 17. In fact let just go ahead and make it our verse of the Week. Romans 15:17 (Read it)
2. Now lets explain it here, The word “glory” here means “boast, take pride in”
3. Understand in no way is Paul boasting about what he has done
4. He is boasting about what the Lord has done, for Paul it is all about God
5. When we read on further we see Paul’s philosophy and Paul’s heart
6. We find out that Paul credits Christ for everything that he has accomplished
7. Now we see this sings and miracles let me explain a few things about signs and miracles
8. First of all signs and wonder, signs and miracles have never and will never produced faith
9. Signs and wonders will open the door for people to listen, but will not produce faith
10. Miracles by themselves can never saved the Lost
B. Illustration
1. Do you remember what happened to Paul in Acts 14? Paul was ministering in Lystra, and he say a man who was crippled from birth, so he healed him
2. Well every body say what happen and the crowd began to worship Paul and Barnabas
3. Paul and Barnabas were like whoa, wait a minute, we did not heal this person, God did, give him the glory, don’t praise us any bit.
4. Well when they got done telling them it was not about them, the people rather then turning to God, decided to stone him, dragged him out of the city thinking he was dead.
5. Obviously did not produce faith
6. Another thing that I want to mention about signs and wonders
7. These are gifts of the Spirit. And yes they are still available today, and yes God still uses them, and yes they still do not produce faith
C. Application
1. So what can we apply to our lives?
2. I once asked the question to my counselors at Edinboro, how many of them ever led anyone to Christ, I saw about half their hands up,
3. Then I told those of you who raised your hands are wrong!
4. No one has ever led anyone to Christ, God is the only one that can
5. Do not think of yourself more highly then you ought (Romans 12:3)
6. Remember that everything you do, you are only able to do because of Christ
7. Take Christ out of the equation, and everything becomes useless
8. Now on the other hand, glory in Christ Jesus
9. There is nothing wrong with boasting about what God has done
10. There is nothing wrong with me standing up here in one week telling you of the great things that God did at Edinboro this week (Don’t worry, I will tell you )
11. The phrase that you need to remember: It’s not about me, it all about God!
III. (19b-22) Who to say it to
A. Explanation
1. So we know what to say and how to say it, but whom do we say it to?
2. Paul has always wanted to go to Rome
3. Being that he was a Roman citizen, he probably long to go to the capital city of the Roman empire just to see it
a) I have always wanted to go to Africa, then I lived with Barnabas for a year and now I want to go to Nigeria. So I understand Paul’s Passion to go to a place he has not been yet
4. But Paul had not yet been able to get there, why?
5. Because Paul had word to do, it was his job, his task, his, as the Bible says, ambition, to preach the Gospel where the Gospel had not been preached
6. So he concentrated his efforts on just such a task, he went all around from Jerusalem to Illyricum. That covers about 1400 miles
7. Now this is not saying that he was able to reach everyone personally, that is a task that I don’t thing one person could do by themselves
8. What he was able to do however, was to disciple those who he did reach and train them to reach those who he could not reach
9. Paul did not just preach and leave
10. He stuck around, trained up leaders, trained up people to continue the work.
11. As soon as he felt comfortable with the group he left and went to the next city
B. Application
1. What can we apply to our lives?
2. Paul gives us a strategy for us to follow even today
3. We are to reach people who have not heard the Gospel, Gospel means Good news
4. Reach those people, and then train them up to reach more people who have not heard the Good news
5. Our focus, our energy, our resources, should be focused on reaching those who have not heard the good news
6. Who is our target audience to reach?
7. Those who are not involved in a Bible believing Church
8. Now by doing this, sometimes this might make people upset, this might make some feel uncomfortable, might cause some people to leave the church
9. After all someone might act different, someone might not act the way most “good” church people are suppose to act
10. TOUGH!
11. Our job is to reach, preach, and teach
12. Reach the person
13. Preach to them Good news
14. Teach tem to do the same
C. Illustration
1. One day, a church was having its normal 11 service. It was a good attendance day; there was not an empty seat in the whole church. Around 11:05 a young guy barefoot with a tie die shirt came in, looked around did not find a seat, so he wondered up about ¾ of the way and sat down in the isle. Now understand this was a prestigious church were everyone dressed properly and say up straight in their pew
2. The head elder of the Church was always clean cut, well groomed, well dressed, and was a man of great dignity. He saw the kid sitting in the Isle, he got out of his seat and started heading down the isle, by this time the whole congregation was watching and wondering what was going to happen
3. As he slowly made his way down the isle, he got to the kid, everybody was watching, he lowered his body and sat down right beside the young kid
4. We need to be that Elder, we need to be reaching people who need to here the good news
Conclusion
A. How can I be an effective witness?
a. #1: Tell people about the Grace of God
b. #2: Make sure it is all about God and not about you
c. #3: Tell those who have not heard the Good news
B. Easy as one two three
C. I have given what I am about to say a lot of thought lately, and I want you to think about it
D. You know what should never happen? A church full of Mature Christians
E. Why? Because if we are doing what we are suppose to we will always have people we are training up
F. I love to dream about the future, I love to think about Bakerstown Reaching people, Preaching the Good news, and teach them to do the same
G. Can you picture that? That is what God called us to do.
H. The concept is simple, we reach preach and teach. Now what will happen is some people will get called to another ministry, if we are doing are job at teaching we will have someone to take their spot, and keep going
I. Being an effective witness is not a once in a while thing
J. It is an constant process that should keep going and going and going
K. The question is our you on the same page as God about being an effective witness
