Tag Archives: witnessing

November 18

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Acts 13:1-14:28

I grew up in a church of a denomination that was formed with a wonderful emphasis on missions. We often had missionaries in our pulpit and the Missions Conference was something I looked forward to every year. A week of evening services, colorful flags from countries around the world decorating the sanctuary, slide shows from the mission fields, singing those great hymns about missions, and international dinners! I loved it all.

I know mission work has drawn criticism of late. How dare we impose our western religion on these innocent people? And if you tell them Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one goes to the Father except through him, well – that can really get the critics going!

When Paul talked to the people in Lystra who mistook him for one of their gods, he told them that in the past God let all nations go their own way. “Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” (Acts 14:16-17) He told them they needed to turn from their worthless gods and put their faith in the living God.

When the people heard this they stoned Paul and left him for dead. Paul pulled himself up and you know what he did? He went back into the city. Why? Because he knew those people were lost without Jesus.

That’s the bottom line. People need the Lord. They are going to hell without him. Is God calling you to serve him in a foreign land? Go! Is he asking you to take the Gospel to the homeless people in your city? Do it! What about the inmates at your local prison? They need Jesus, too. Has God laid on your heart their eternal souls? Be obedient to the call.

If you really believe that Jesus is the answer, then you need to ask yourself what you are willing to do about it, where are you willing to go to share the Truth of the Savior. Paul was faithful to his calling. I pray the same can be said for each of us.

Heavenly Father, what would you say to each of us today? Is there somewhere you want us to go to share the good news of Jesus Christ? Are there remote villages full of people who have never heard? Are there large cities full of busy people who don’t give Jesus a second thought? Would you want us to go into the prisons or into the streets of our own towns to introduce lost souls to the Savior? Forgive our excuses, Lord. May we set aside our hesitations and trust you. If you call, you will also lead. May you find us faithful.

November 17

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James 4:1-5:20; Acts 11:19-12:25

I hope you read the book of James. There is a wealth of information in each verse. It’s a practical guide book for living the Christian life. It truly is a light to our way.

What are you looking for? Is it health or wealth or success or is it answers to life, strength to meet hardships? Read 4:7-10 and find the answer to having the most extraordinary life. Let James talk to you about God’s will in 4:13-17, about priorities in 5:1-9, about hardships and prayer in 5:10-18. I hope you’ll read and re-read this book and let God speak to you about your walk with him.

In 5:20 James sums up why we live this Christian life in the first place. “remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”

Are you turning sinners from sin? Do you have the wisdom that comes from God and is your life an example of holiness? It’s why God doesn’t take us to heaven the moment we ask Jesus to come into our hearts. While you have life and breath you have a mission. 

May we be faithful to that mission and introduce someone to their Savior today.

Dear Savior, thank you for inspiring your servant to write the words we read the last couple of days. May your children take to heart the things you are saying to us. May we be the people described here. And may our lives represent your holiness. Then, Father, give us opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with a sinner who needs turned around.

 

November 14

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Acts 7:54-9:31

The early followers of Christ lived in danger. Many were beaten and others were killed because they loved Jesus and identified with him through baptism. Thousands of believers fled Jerusalem to save themselves and their families and settled in other towns. And you know what happened? They started talking about Jesus to their new neighbors and thousands more were saved. The Church actually grew through its persecution!

Isn’t it true we can kind of get comfortable where we are? We go to a job we like, we get along with our co-workers, we’re used to our boss. We sit in the same seat every Sunday and greet the same people. We mow our lawns and wave to our neighbors as they mow their lawns. And our opportunities to share Christ get fewer and fewer.

What happens when the company you work for down-sizes and you find yourself looking for work? What happens when you are transferred to another city or feel the need to move closer to an ailing parent? 

We in America don’t know as yet what it is like to have to run for our lives because of our faith. But God does nudge us at times to get out of our comfort zones. Why? There are people who need to hear your testimony, to see Christ living in you so that they come to know him, too. When you are a Christian, everything that happens in your life happens for one reason only. And that is so that you can be a witness to people who need the Savior. 

Is God asking you to get out of your comfort zone? Probably. Go where he wants you to go. Do or say what it is he is asking of you. The Church still has room to grow.

Father, forgive us when we are comfortable. Give your people the courage to step out, to reach out, to be uncomfortable for a time so that someone can meet you. You are going to give us opportunities today. May you find us willing to do that hard thing for Jesus’ sake.

November 13

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Acts 5:17-7:53

When God was on the fast track to establish his Church some pretty amazing things occurred. When the Holy Spirit came he came in flames! Ordinary people suddenly were able to speak languages they had never studied and preached the Gospel so that foreigners could understand. People were healed if they walked over Peter’s shadow. And many people found Christ because of it.

Peter and John found themselves in prison for preaching about Jesus. But God wasn’t about to let their voices be silenced. So he picked them up right out of that cell and transplanted them in the middle of town. What must that have been like for the apostles? Better than any Disney ride, I’m sure!

With all this going on, Satan was frantically trying to stop it. He influenced many people who wanted Peter and John dead. He even convinced them they were doing what God wanted by putting an end to this Jesus movement. So they thought they’d teach Peter and John a lesson, scare them into stopping their ministry. They bound the apostles and flogged them. They beat them, tearing into their flesh, causing painful cuts. And you know how the apostles responded? Read Acts 5:41-42. They rejoiced because God had found them worthy to suffer for Jesus’ sake. And they continued to preach the Gospel every day.

Nobody likes to suffer. We get angry if we are treated unfairly, pout if our feelings are hurt, and want to get even with those who wrong us. Just yesterday a young friend of mine was in a car accident. He was driving home from college when someone ran a stop sign and plowed into the side of my friend’s car. And to make matters worse, the person who hit him fled the scene. My friend was stunned. He was shaken and angry. Why me, he asked? He was following the rules and where did that get him? Bad things always happen to me, he cried.

His older sister said something that fits into what we read today here in Acts. She lovingly told him, “It happened because you are a CHOSEN ONE.” She went on to tell him that trials are a test of our faith and a chance to show Christ to others. And I think that’s what Peter and John would say to him, too. As followers of Christ we have a target on our backs. Satan wants to stop us at all costs. But God can turn any situation around and use it to glorify himself through us. 

Are you going through a storm? Are you being treated unfairly because you are a Christian? Rejoice! You are a chosen one to reveal Christ to someone who needs him. God trusts you with this trial. And he is able to see you through to the very end.

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray for my young friend. Continue to work in his life, strengthen his relationship with you, and help him to be a testimony of what a Godly man looks like when faced with hardship. Draw someone to the saving knowledge of Jesus through this situation. And I pray for all of us who are facing Satan’s attacks. May we represent you well. May we trust you with it all. And may we rejoice for the opportunity to suffer for the name of our dear Savior.

November 12

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Acts 3:1-5:16

I was a public school teacher for 37 years. And as can be expected, I saw a lot of changes in education and in parents and students during those years. Prayer was taken out of the schools long before I started teaching. But as the years went by administrations became more fearful of anything that represented religion. Some went as far as to tell teachers and students they couldn’t carry Bibles to class, they couldn’t give their testimonies during class. They went to unnecessary extremes that trample on the rights of Christians.

I was blessed to work in a district that didn’t go to those extremes. Our students stood every morning to recite the Pledge and have a moment of “silent prayer or meditation.” I prayed with students who came to me with concerns if I had their permission and often the permission of their parents. A group of us teachers stayed after school once a week to pray for our school. I used to say I’ll probably get fired before I retire. But I didn’t. And I am so thankful for having had worked in the school district I did.

When Peter and John were told to stop talking about Jesus and were threatened if they didn’t, Peter said, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Whether you work in a public school or in some other vocation that has rules about what you can and cannot say, I would encourage you to do some research. It might surprise you when you find out you have rights, too. Let’s exercise those rights while we still have them.

Dear God, I pray for Christians in the work-place today. May they not only be productive employees, but may they represent you in all they do and say. I pray that as followers of Jesus they would know their Constitutional rights, to stand up for truth, to be willing to put themselves out there if you lead. I pray for employers, for decision makers. May they know you, first of all. And may they see something in their Christian workers that they don’t see in those who don’t know you. And, Lord, may all of us have a holy boldness. May we share you with confidence and love as you give us opportunity. Because, dear Jesus, when we know you we just cannot help speaking about you!

October 20

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Luke 12:22-13:17, !3:22-14:24

Sometimes I think God gets a bad rap. I read a blog the other day questioning why God would stand by and watch people destroy the earth. God gets blamed when someone shoots up a mall or when a loved one gets cancer. Many of those same people who point an angry finger at God when bad things happen neglect to acknowledge him in good times.

So what is God’s reaction to the human race? Read what he said about Jerusalem in Luke 13:34. Hear in his voice the pain of a father who watches a son turn his back and walk away.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”

That’s what God thinks about us. He is not up there, angrily trying to get even with those who reject him. His heart is broken. He longs to take the worst of us and gather us into his arms. Jesus, in Luke 12:49-50 tells us that going to the cross is something he was anxious to do. He was eager to complete that work so that God could draw us to himself like a hen gathers her chicks.

But, Jesus tells us, we were not willing.

The state of the world is on us. And hear me when I say, dear Christian, rampant sin is on us, too. Unsaved people are going to act like unsaved people. If we continue to hide our heads in the sand, if we sit comfortably in our pews each Sunday but don’t share Christ with lost people during the week, we are the ones to blame for the moral decline of our world, the acceptance of sin as normal, the evil that would drive a person to kill another. 

It’s not God’s fault. It’s ours who know him and don’t do anything about it.

Father, I am convicted this morning. I am one who will shake my head at the sin on TV or complain about the ungodliness in our society, the corruption in our government. But you are asking me today to look at what I am doing about it. Am I just complaining? Or am I sharing the Gospel with the people in my world? Am I planting seed? Am I praying with someone to confess sin and accept you as Savior? I pray for your church today, Lord. May we do what you intended for us to do all along. May we be willing to be gathered under your wings and bring our neighbors and friends along, too. Save our world, Lord. One soul at a time.

October 19

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Luke 10:21-24, 38-11:13, 27-12:21; Matthew 11:25-30

Something Luke wrote made me laugh out loud this morning. He tells us Jesus was invited to dinner at the home of a Pharisee. It must have been quite a home because it seems there were many people attending this dinner. Jesus began eating without washing his hands first (a huge no-no according to the Law of Moses). Seeing that the Pharisee was appalled at his actions, Jesus began to point out the hypocrisy in the Pharisees. He called them foolish, and told them their good deeds were worthless because of their hearts’ condition. Not exactly the dinner conversation I am sure the Pharisee expected when he invited his friends to dine with Jesus that day.

While Jesus was saying, “Woe to you, Pharisees” for one thing and another, a teacher of the law leaned over and whispered to him. Probably with a wink he said something like, “Um, Jesus? When you say those things about the Pharisees, you’re kinda insulting us, too.”

So Jesus turned from the Pharisees and said to the faculty sitting there, “And you experts of the law, (now here’s where I laughed because the professor is no doubt expecting an apology and absolution) WOE TO YOU!!!” And Jesus goes on to list the grievances against the intellectuals at the dinner. Jesus is NOT making friends here!

Why do you serve God? Why do I? Is it so that people will pat us on the back? Are we active in the church, do we go the extra mile thinking it will cover up a sin we are holding on to? Do we pray those flowery prayers, sit on those boards or teach those Sunday School lessons while we harbor hate toward someone?

Jesus doesn’t want us to neglect the work of the church. He wants us to tithe, to teach those classes, to sit with a grieving friend or take soup to a struggling family. But he wants us doing those things for the right reasons.

It can’t be about us. It has to be about being God’s voice, his arms and feet. It has to be about allowing God to reveal himself through us to someone who needs him. If we do it hoping someone will notice and give us an atta-boy, we are just like the Pharisees and teachers of the law Jesus talked to that day.

And Jesus says, Woe to you! 

I’d much rather hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant” from the only one who really matters.

Father God, I pray that you will convict each of us when our motives begin to shift away from serving you to drawing attention to ourselves. May you find us willing to work hard quietly, unnoticeably, even anonymously so that you get all the glory. May we be your voice to encourage someone today, your arms to hold a hurting friend, your feet to go where someone needs you. And may we be obedient for Jesus sake.

October 14

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Mark 6:45-56; Matthew 14:22-36; John 6:16-24, 25-59

Do you remember the crazy man we read about a few days ago? He had been living for years in a cave, out of his mind. But when Jesus healed him the neighbors found him clothed and sane. If you remember, the man begged Jesus to take him with him. Jesus asked the man to stay and tell everyone what Jesus had done for him.

If I am right, I believe we are reading the rest of the story today.

I don’t know how long it was between visits, but when the people of Gennesaret saw Jesus get out of the boat, they recognized him. And they welcomed him. The last time Jesus was in the area they had asked him to leave.

What changed?

I believe it was the crazy man, living among them, talking to them about Jesus. Had Jesus allowed the man to leave with him instead of staying home to face the neighbors, I imagine we would be reading a different account here. 

Jesus asks us to be that kind of witness in the place he has brought us. He wants us to tell everyone what he has done for us. He wants us to be the vessel through which people can come to him.

May he find us as faithful as the man in this story.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the privilege we have of sharing you with our neighbors and friends. I pray that our lives, our testimonies, our demonstration of your love, will draw many to you. Thank you for the example of obedience we read today. May your children, may I, make the same kind of impact on our communities as we tell people what Jesus has done for each of us.

 

October 10

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Mark 4:30-34, 35-41, 5:1-20; Matthew 13:31-35, 24-30, 36-52, 8:23-27, 28-34; Luke 13:18-21, 8:22-25, 26-39

The man had lived for years in a cave like a rabid dog. He was out of his mind, wild and violent. No one could get near him. But when he met Jesus all that changed. Jesus healed the man and restored his sanity.

The townspeople saw the man clothed, sitting with Jesus and in his right mind. And they were afraid. This miracle was beyond anything they had ever seen. Their reaction? They asked Jesus to leave.

So Jesus left the area and the man begged to go with him. I certainly can understand that. He wanted to stay near to Jesus where he was safe and accepted. But Jesus told the man he wanted him to go back into his hometown and tell the people there how much God had done for him. The man obeyed.

I think the hardest people to witness to may be the people who know you the best. They know your secrets. They’ve seen you lose your temper. If you were saved as an adult, they know the lifestyle you led before Christ. This man knew the townspeople had seen him naked and violent and crazy. He was probably the butt of a lot of jokes and the stories about his antics were probably exaggerated. 

But Jesus told the man to go home, look those scoffers in the eye, and tell them how God changed his life. He wanted the man to live with those people and demonstrate the difference Jesus had made. 

He wants us to do that, too. A mission field isn’t always across the ocean. It’s in our living rooms, our neighborhoods, our work places. Every day there is someone we meet who needs to know how God has changed us. They need to see in us something better than what they have without Christ. Yes, we might have to accept the fact that they look at us with suspicion because they know we aren’t perfect. But that doesn’t release us from the responsibility, and the privilege we have to share the Savior with them.

I pray God will give you the opportunity to tell someone today how much he has done for you. Like the man we read about today, let’s be obedient. Is that too much to ask of us who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb? I don’t think so.

October 9

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Mark 3:31-35, 4:1-20, 21-29; Matthew 12:46-50, 13:1-23; Luke 8:19-21, 8:4-18

I’ve heard quite a few sermons on the parable of the seed. I’ve read these chapters many times myself. But I read something today that stood out as though for the first time.

You see, I’ve understood this parable to help us in our witnessing, to help us recognize that when we share the good news some people will reject it, some will accept it on the surface, and some will allow it to change them. It’s always challenged me to be a faithful sower regardless of how the message is received. And all that is true and a very integral part of what the parable is intended to convey.

But Jesus, when explaining the parable to his disciples said, “Therefore, consider carefully how you listen.” (Luke 8:18) He’s preaching to the choir and tells them they are to pay attention, too. It’s not just about people hearing the Gospel for the first time. The seeds in this parable referred to the disciples, too.

Today I’m asking myself, am I satisfied with the level of my knowledge and understanding of God’s Word? Or are there still some things God would want me to learn? As I read his Word each day, attend church or Bible study, do I do so with an open heart, ready to allow it to change me? Even after all these years I’ve walked with the Lord?

Every time I hear the Word I am a seed in Jesus’ parable. I want to be the seed that hears and retains it, and by persevering produces a crop. Jesus goes on to say in verse 8, “Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.” There’s a blessing and a curse.

If I, who have such a rich history of Bible believing pastors and teachers, who have had the privilege of reading the Word for myself for decades, listen with an open heart and mind, there is still so much for me to learn. What a blessing!

But if I take God’s Word for granted, if I close myself off because I think I have it all figured out or that I have just enough to get me into heaven, I run the chance of losing it. My heart can become as rocky and hard as the soil in the parable. And look what happened to the seed there.

Dear Jesus, Thank you for your Word. It is alive and active and able to change hearts today. Including mine who have walked with you for many years. I pray that you will find my heart fertile, that you would continue to teach me through your Word and through the faithfulness of your pastors and teachers. As I consider how I am listening, I pray you will find me eager and willing to hear from you. And may I use what you are teaching me to plant seed so that others can know you, too.