A New Beginning in Witnessing
It’s quite clear that the Bible and prayer is an integral part of a Christian’s life, however there is an element that is overlooked that is of great importance also, which is witnessing. Witnessing can be quite daunting and as Christians is something that we might try to put off. We are reminded this Sunday about the necessity of being a witness of Christ and the call that God has put in our hearts as followers. The Holy Spirit is the one that gives us the power to be witnesses in this world. The passage of focus is Acts 1:8 and there are three things that we can learn about witnessing through this verse:
Empowered to Witness (v.8)
To be a witness means to bear the testimony of Jesus Christ and what he has done for everyone. When the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles during the Pentecost, they received power to be witnesses for Christ. The empowerment that they received from the Holy Spirit gave them the ability to preach and do miracles in Jesus’s name despite not being religious scholars or magicians. Throughout Acts, it is very clear that the early church did all the things that they did for the sake of being a witness for Christ. We need to be aware that the Holy Spirit also empowers us to be witnesses. Witnessing was important during the times of the early church and still continues to be important today. When we trust that Jesus is our Saviour and Lord, the Holy Spirit dwells in us. This means that the power that the apostles had is also in us. We can find comfort and hope in the Holy Spirit who will help us to share the Good News (1 Corinthians 2:13). The issue for being hesitant to share the word is on us as we need to realise we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to share about Jesus Christ and not by our own strength or words. Nothing should stop us from sharing the Good News because it is not about us but about what Jesus has done.
Witnessing being our primary task
The main task for apostles was to be witnesses and Jesus makes this clear through his last words before he left earth. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus tells his disciples to make disciples of all nations. Jesus is claiming that they will be witnesses for him to not only those that around them but to the ends of the earth. It is very clear that in the New Testament, the apostles did just that and went all around the world sharing the Good News. Their only focus was to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. In this day and age, we can be caught up in our own lives with callings that we think God has placed in our lives but the one calling that we should be doing first is being a witness for Jesus Christ. Everything else should come second. Just as Jesus called his first disciples to follow him and he will show them how to be fishers of men, Jesus calls us to do the same. God has given us everything that we need to be a witness and that’s the bottom line. We need to be obedient and understand that this is what God calls us to be above all else. We have to realise that reading the Bible and prayer is not enough as we need to also live out the call that God has placed in our lives and that’s understanding that witnessing is a natural part of being a follower of Christ.
Witness to Everyone
The apostles were called to be witnesses to those in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Till the ends of the earth makes it clear that the apostles had to witness to everyone. They were not called to just certain areas or certain people but they were to be witnesses to people that had no religion, socially hated and to those who worshiped pagan gods. We continue to live in a world where the gospel is still being shared and we need to understand that for Jesus’ work to continue, that we as witnesses bear the responsibility to tell people about Him. We are called to be witnesses to every type of person in this world because the grace that God has shown to us is for everyone. If we are only sharing to certain types of people due to comfort or not sharing at all we are putting a stop for God to continue his work. God is sovereign and has authority over everything. It’s clear that he doesn’t need us to carry out his work yet he involves us to fulfill his plan and purposes. That in itself shows how much God loves us and entrusts us with his plan for all to discover Jesus.
Father God,
Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to be with us as we live in this world and for continually wanting to dwell among us even though we don’t deserve it. Thank you for involving us to be a part of your plan and purpose to reach out to those around us and the world so that they can come to know you. Thank you for your grace and love to allow us to be your witnesses.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen