Witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ
Central thought: The life of a witness is an open book for all to read and find Christ.
Text: 1 John 1:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Acts 8:26-38
All through the ages many people have claimed to be witnesses for Christ. There are some whose claim is based on a true experience of the Lord and are propped by the love of God to live for Him. Some others only use religion as a disguise to advance their personal causes. So if being identified as a Christian proves popular for the moment, they do not hesitate to claim to belong. These are a front to achieve their ulterior motives.
Some others, like the Apostles have a true claim. They were with Christ all through His earthly ministry. They were with Him when He preached to the multitudes, healed the sick, fed thousands, showed compassion on the helpless and above all brought the light of God to men’s souls. His prayer life and public ministry was such as they had not seen before. Christ made an indelible impact upon their lives., writing about their walk with the Lord. In his later years Apostle John wrote ‘. . .that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled, declare we unto you’, 1 John 1:1-3. Peter writing in the same vein declared, ‘for we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but were eye witnesses of His majesty, 2 Peter 1:16.
A witness for Christ today is the man who has experienced His transforming power in the New birth, obeys the great commission and goes to share the wonderful message of the gospel with others. We become living epistles, which men read and testify to the reality of the redeeming power of Christ
1. Who is a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ? John 1:12; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; 1 John 1:1-3
By dictionary definition, a witness is a person who had the privilege of being present at the scene of an event or one who has had a personal experience to which he or she unequivocally can testify. Unlike the Apostles, none of us was around to witness the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. However when we were presented with the message of the gospel, God brought through it the miracle of the new birth in our spirits and we were born again. Like the man born blind in John 9, our eyes were suddenly opened to spiritual realities to which our hearts were, before now, blinded by sin. Most often we are unable to contain our joy and excitement. We feel we must tell someone else about our newfound life. We are filled with zeal that knows no bound and no obstacle or circumstance seems great enough to discourage us. This actually is the beginning of the life of a witness. Our message is simple, once I was a sinner but now I am saved. I am a new man transformed by the power of God. Our witness however does not end there. We must daily endeavor to share the gospel with those around us and back it up with a life and conduct which confirms our testimony. This is our witness to the waiting world.
2. What is the central message of the gospel? John 3:16, 10:10; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Colossians 1:20; Acts 16:31
The central message of the gospel is very simple; ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’, John 3:16. In due season, the Lord Jesus Christ came, died and rose from the dead to give life to man. Through His death and resurrection God has reconciled man back to Himself, Colossians 1:20; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21, Christ has restored the joy, peace and fellowship with God which man lost in the garden of Eden, Genesis 3:8, 23; John 14:27, and that through Him, man has access to God. This is the message of the Gospel which believers (witnesses of the Lord) have for the world. The danger of eternal doom must be mentioned. The Lord declared what the devil’s mission is all about, and that He came to give life more abundantly and life eternal.
Furthermore, anyone who hears the good news, accepts it and yields his or her life to the Lord Jesus Christ becomes saved, John 3:3; Acts 16:31.
3. What are the various avenues of being witnesses for Christ? John 4:6-29; Acts 8:26-38; Matthew 4:18-25; Acts 8:5-8
In the New Testament era, two methods of evangelism or witnessing were practiced by the Lord and His disciples; namely personal evangelism, John 4:6-29; Acts 8:26-38, and mass evangelism, Matthew 4:18-25; Acts 8-5-8. Personal evangelism is one on one and circumstances could warrant it, as in the encounter with the Samaritan woman by the Lord Jesus Christ.
After the age of the Early Church there was a decline in evangelism until it was revived by John Wesley. Personal evangelism as practiced by the church in the book of Acts only began to be rediscovered in this last century.
Today the church practices personal and mass evangelism with the aid of modern evangelism, hospital and prison mass evangelism. To make the act of witnessing for the Lord more attractive some denominations have gone to the extent of providing basic necessities for their target audience. Some others establish nurseries or primary schools, secondary schools, universities and hospitals as avenues for witnessing for the Lord. Some are even on the internet. This is a good development.
4. Discuss the hindrances to being effective witnesses for Christ?
One of the hindrances of effective witnessing is prayerlessness. The believer who does not pray may not be able to minister effectively to the sinner as to make him give his life to Christ. Therefore to be effective in witnessing the believer must pray before, during and after any witnessing outreach.
Another hindrance to effective witnessing is sin. When a believer is living in sin he has no Christian reputation or integrity to project. Hence he cannot affect a sinner positively for Christ. Rather he becomes a stumbling block to sinners believing in Christ.
Relying also on human wisdom and the flesh cannot take any believer far in the act or work of witnessing as they are capable of making witnessing or outreaches uninteresting and burdensome. This may also make the process too canal and mechanical.
Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a vital experience any believer should have for effective witnessing as commanded by the Lord Jesus, Acts 1:8. When the believer lacks the knowledge and proper understanding of God’s word he is limited in reaching out to the lost. Therefore the believer is encouraged to study the word and daily walk in God.
5. Discuss the benefits of being witnesses for Christ. John 15:2; Daniel 12:3; Luke 15:4-7
In John 15:2 the Lord spoke about the pruning process for those branches that bear fruits so that they will produce more. This is an encouragement from the Lord to help us grow and bear fruits.
The witness for Christ is filled with joy for the lost sinner that has come home, just the way heaven rejoices over the same soul, Luke 15:7; Matthew 18:13-14. Much more, the believer that has won somebody to the Lord has joy of fulfillment, of doing and living in the Lord’s will.
The soul winner will shine like the brightness of the heavens and like the stars forever, because they led many to righteousness, Daniel 12:3.
There are also benefits for the communities where believers make witnessing a priority and people are won the Lord. Sin and all forms of crime will be on the decrease and our society will be better for it.
Daily living application:
In these end times, the call to be witnesses for Christ is as urgent as when the Lord issued the command two thousand years ago. The Lord would want every believer to commit himself to this goal since there are immense prospects in heeding the call. When we witness effectively for the Lord, souls are won, the Church grows in numerical strength and this further shrinks the territory of the kingdom of darkness. The positive effect of these changed lives on society cannot be fully estimated. It is however sufficient to mention that our obedience to the this call produces regenerated souls that are heaven bound men and women that exert godly influence in our homes, churches, government and public institutions. The very thought that our effort is really making such impact, further drives us on to be witnesses for the Lord. For this labor, there are eternal rewards. Apart from the crown of life that awaits us in heaven, they that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars forever and ever in God’s kingdom, Daniel 12:3.
Memory verse
Acts 4:20 – “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard”.