You Shall Be My Witnesses
Pt 1 ¡V Developing a Desire
Acts 1:8
You shall be my witnesses. Those words mark the beginning of the Christian Church. They mark the heart of the church. They represent the calling, purpose, and potential of the church. They also mark the greatest shortcoming in the church today. Of all the things we are and things we do I¡¦m afraid that being witnesses is often not at the top of the list. Today¡¦s church is long on programs, entertainment, fellowship, and talk ¡V but too often short on results. The truth is that God has made us fishers of men ¡V but we aren¡¦t really interested in fishing. We are interested in watching people fish ¡V encouraged when we see people fish ¡V and excited when we see a fish caught ¡V but most Christians today have never even dropped a line in the water. According to the Barna Research Group only 35% of adult Christians believe they have a responsibility to share their faith with others. When we are sharing our faith we do it in comfortable ways ¡V offering to pray for someone who is in need or leaving a tract at the table with the tip. (By the way if you are a trac leaver behinder ¡V make sure you leave a really good tip)
What I want to share with you over the next few weeks is a 101 class in becoming a witness for Christ. These are the basics that I hope will help you gain the confidence to cast a line into the water.
The first step in the process is developing a desire. Until about 5 or 6 years ago I never thought much about deer hunting. I was raised hunting for birds and quite honestly never got a lot out of it. Hours spent walking behind dogs through fields and forests trying to keep up with my long legged father. But a few years back Rob Hess introduced me to deer hunting. Taught me some basics and set me on an adventure that now has me hooked. Now I get up before dawn ¡V sit in a freezing cold treestand ¡V and wait for hours for a chance to get a shot off at one of these elusive critters. My addiction has spread from the two weeks of rifle season now back into October and on into January as Archery has become my new sport of choice. The point is that for me to get up early or hunt late ¡V a desire had to form inside me. If you don¡¦t want to ¡V you won¡¦t. It¡¦s as true for witnessing as it is for hunting. So how does the desire to witness happen in us? I believe desire happens in several ways ¡V it¡¦s Implanted, Inspired, and Invited. Let¡¦s look at these together.
1) Desire is Implanted ¡V I think we need to be a people who pray that God will implant within us a desire to do His will. We are constantly doing battle with that part of us that is selfish, self-centered, and self-motivated. It¡¦s the part of us that likes the status quo and is content to know that we are OK. There are several ways that God implants a desire in us to witness.
„« Compulsion ¡V Look at Jeremiah as an example. In Jeremiah 20:8 he says ¡§But if I say, ¡§I will not remember Him or speak anymore in His name,¡¨ Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones;¡¨. For Jeremiah there was a compulsion to share with people the heart of God. That¡¦s true for me. Take me out of the pulpit for a couple of weeks and I can¡¦t stand it anymore. The truth is that there is nothing I could do in life other than this and be happy ¡V it¡¦s what God made me.
„« Heart Change ¡V Look at Acts 4:18. Peter and John have just spent the night in jail for the healing of a lame man. They are warned not to preach the name of Jesus anymore. Remember that these are the same men who ran from Gethsemane ¡V the same Peter who denied Jesus in the courtyard but now something has changed. Now these lambs are lions. Seeing the risen Christ has changed their hearts.
„« Gratitude ¡V Blind Bartamaeus, countless lame, blind, deaf, and lepers ¡V all healed by Jesus and all felt compelled to share their joy with others. Jesus would tell them to remain silent but something about being healed compelled them to share with others.
Through the broken heart, the transformed heart, and the grateful heart we are compelled by and inner need to witness about the one who has set us free.
2) Our Desire is Inspired ¡V The scriptures tell us that we are ¡§A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God¡¦s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.¡¨ There is something marvelous about being chosen. From the football teams of childhood, to the job applications of adult responsibility ¡V being chosen is a great honor. God has chosen to partner with us to reach the world. When we look at the early church we should be inspired by their example ¡V with nothing but feet, hands, and mouths a group of disciples in Jerusalem spread the gospel over their entire known world. They were compelled by a desire to spread the Gospel (the good news) to all of creation. Somehow familiarity has bred contempt for us. The Gospel is so readily available that we often simply overlook it. In many parts of the world ¡V to be a Christian means persecution, imprisonment, and pain ¡V yet they share their faith with others. Much of the world understands all too well what Jesus meant when He said ¡§Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters¡Xyes, even one¡¦s own self!¡Xcan¡¦t be my disciple. Anyone who won¡¦t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can¡¦t be my disciple.¡¨ The writer of Hebrews encourages ¡§since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.¡¨
3) Our Desire is motivated by Invitation ¡V We have been invited by God, He gives us the opportunity to join with Him in His mission and vision. Jesus said to us ¡§Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you;¡¨. Three active words ¡§Go, Teach, Make¡¨ invite us to be a part of the world and work of God. To Peter and Andrew He said ¡§Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.¡¨ After His resurrection He called His disciples to Him, laid hands on them and said to them ¡§Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.¡¨ At His departure from them He said to them ¡§you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.¡¨ We have been invited by God to be a part of His plan.
How motivated are we to share our faith with others? Do we really have a desire to be a part of God¡¦s plan ¡V or do we just want to see His plan fulfilled? It¡¦s the difference between playing the game and watching from the stands.
Pray that God will give you the want to when it comes to witnessing.
That your heart would be moved with gratitude, inspired by partnership, and charged by devotion and obedience to God. That God would increase our desire to be His witnesses in the world.
