Boldly Sharing Jesus

Back to Basics: (Part XI)

BOLDLY SHARING JESUS

Acts 1:7-8 (NIV)
7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

            The late Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, had challenged millions of Christians around the world to boldly share the Lord Jesus Christ by asking two simple, but powerful questions:

  1. 1.      What is the most important experience of your life? The obvious answer would always be – “Knowing Christ as my Savior is absolutely the most important experience in my life.”
  2. 2.      What is the most important thing that you can do to help another person? Again, the answer is always the same – “Help him or her to know Christ.”

Perhaps, I need to ask all of us the same questions this morning.  There’s no doubt that if you are a Christian, you would give the same answers to these questions. However, the sad fact is that today, the majority of believers are not sharing the gospel of the Lord. According to statistics, in an average church, about 90 to 95 percent have never introduced anyone to Jesus Christ.  Why do you think this is happening?

Most definitely, the fault does not lie on Christ. Before He went back to heaven, the Lord has plainly expressed His will to all the disciples – “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." If you check the background of these words, the disciples were asking the Lord regarding the timing of His earthly kingdom.  Instead of engaging them about His return and reign, He directed them concerning their mission to the lost people of the world. In other words, Jesus was literally telling them that their concern should not be about the rapture or the enjoying of the future kingdom, their concern while they are still on earth is to make sure that through them many people will become part of the kingdom.

How many of us would like to know when Jesus Christ would return and establish His earthly kingdom? Jesus Christ has openly said – “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” We have to leave this to the Father; He is the only one who knows. Don’t believe anyone who tells you that they know; even if He is a popular preacher who is claiming that it is 2011. What we really know for sure is that Jesus will never return until God has allowed everyone to hear the Gospel.

Matthew 24:14 (NIV)
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Now, you might consider this as a great burden, but in reality, for you and I to be involved in God’s great plan of reaching the world is truly a humbling privilege. Go back to that occasion when Jesus was standing on Mount Olives getting ready to go back to heaven. Before leaving, He gathered all His followers, around 120 of them, and told them - “You will have to let all people know that salvation can be found in me. There is no other way for people to know what I have accomplished except through you.” Can you imagine how dynamic this privilege is? Despite all our deficiencies and imperfections, God has entrusted to us, to us alone, the work of helping people find eternal life in Jesus Christ. Don’t miss the eternal consequence of this privilege. The Bible is very clear how people can go to heaven:

Acts 4:12 (NIV)
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

Indeed, only through Jesus. Imagine, He could have used angels, or He could have brought back to life great prophets like Moses or Elijah, but He decided that the privilege be given to us.

Therefore, we should not take this for granted. We should always be prepared and bold to share Jesus. Many times we really desire to do it, but we don’t know how. So, allow me to highlight four areas that can help us become more confident in sharing Jesus:

I           SET YOUR TASK:

            Our main text explicitly sets our task – “you will be my witnesses.” What does the word witness mean? A “witness” is literally someone who can give a firsthand account of something seen, heard, or experienced.

            Just like the early believers, who watched Jesus die on the cross, was buried, and then rose again on the third day. When Jesus compelled them to be witnesses for Him, what it meant was, they simply testified about the truthfulness of His death, burial, and resurrection. That’s the gospel they have shared:

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (NIV)
1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.
2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

            Likewise, this is the gospel we need to share to others. We should never complicate our message or even think that we need to be able to know all the difficult doctrines of the Bible before we start sharing Jesus. We only need to testify about the finish work of Jesus. In fact, one verse is enough to summarize our complete message:

Romans 6:23 (NIV)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

            There are three significant truths that we need to emphasize from this verse:

a) The Punishment of Man’s Sin - For the wages of sin is death

b) The Provision of Eternal Life - but the gift of God is eternal life

c) The Passage into Eternal Life - in Christ Jesus our Lord.

            There is sure punishment in hell for everyone who dies without Jesus. But, God has already provided a gift of eternal life. Since this is a gift, you need not work for it. You simply have to open heart and receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

            All of us who have received this life from Christ are the ones who should testify and witness about it. There are a lot of people around us who need to hear about it. The Bible makes it clear that we are accountable to God for them:

Ezekiel 3:18 (NIV)
18 When I say to a wicked man, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.

II         SECURE YOUR TIE-UP:

            For this point, I am using the word tie-up to drive across our need for a partnership. Going back to Acts 1:8, Jesus has promised the early believers concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit to empower them. His presence and power must be experienced first before they can fulfill being witnesses for Him – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses. . .”

            Is this really necessary? Absolutely! Soul-winning as a spiritual activity can never be performed according to human energy. Only the Holy Spirit can deliver our salvation message straight into the heart and soul of a sinner. Prior to the filling of the Holy Spirit, the apostles of Jesus Christ were all hesitating and afraid to testify for Christ. But, after the Holy Spirit empowered them in Acts2, they boldly went out and saturated Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and later, the known world with the Gospel. Here is one occasion that demonstrates the incredible boldness of the apostles:

Acts 5:27-29 (NIV)
27 Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest.
28 "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood."
29 Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!

            In the midst of all the threats of the religious leader, the apostles were unstoppable. They already have filled Jerusalem with the Gospel, and they promise to continue obeying God regardless of the consequences. Wow! How many of us would do the same?

            The reality is: the same power can be experienced by all of us if we seek the filling of the Holy Spirit. Paul commanded us to be filled with the Holy Spirit:

Ephesians 5:18 (NIV)
18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

            Filling here speaks of control or domination. Notice, some people are choosing to be drunk with wine. Meaning, they are controlled or dominated by the spirit of wine. In contrast, Christians must choose to be controlled or dominated by the Holy Spirit. How does this happen? Examining Acts 2, the early believers experienced the filling of the Holy Spirit in the atmosphere of prayer. Evidently, prayer is our greatest expression of dependency on God. So, let me encourage you, pray that God fill you with the Holy Spirit every day. Throughout the day, maintain an atmosphere of prayer expressing your dependence on the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. If we do this, we will be amazed how God will guide us to be fruitful witnesses for Christ.

            In relation to this, I also would like to emphasize praying specifically for our lost friends and loved ones, or people to whom we want to share the Gospel. Paul taught this practice:

1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NIV)
1 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone--
2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior,
4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

            According to this text, we pray for people because God wants to see them come to the knowledge of truth. Who are the people you are praying to get saved? When we do this, we are inviting God to prepare their hearts to receive Jesus Christ. So pray specifically, and pray regularly.   

III        SHARE YOUR TESTIMONY:

            Thirdly, as a witness for Christ, we said earlier that you have to declare what you have experienced in Christ. Think about your life story – who you were prior to knowing Christ, and then, who you became after He came into your life. This is your testimony. Many times what Christ has done for you personally can reinforce your witnessing. The apostle Paul demonstrated this again and again in His letters. Here is one example:

1 Timothy 1:12-16 (NIV)
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service.
13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.
14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst.
16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.

            Notice, Paul referred to who he was prior to knowing Christ. - Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man. Then, He went on to mention what He experienced in Christ – he was shown mercy. As a result of God’s forgiveness, now Paul is faithful in His service. That’s a powerful testimony. How about you? How did Christ make a difference in our life?

            Now, if we are going to use our lives to back up our message, we need to see to it that we are living responsibly as believers. Peter reminded us about this truth:

1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV)
15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

            In verse 15, Peter is challenging us to always be prepared to share our hope in Christ. But at the same time, he reminds us in verse 16 to live with clear consciences. Meaning, we do our best by God’s grace to live consistently with the Gospel of Christ. Remember the saying, “Your actions speak so loudly that I can’t hear a word you’re saying.”

IV        SEEK YOUR TRAINING:

            Before I finally end, I would like to also encourage every one of us to seek the necessary training to be an effective soul-winner. I know we don’t have a complicated message, but we need to develop the skill to present the message with greater clarity and confidence.

            The good news for all of us is that we are providing the training in our church to help us become capable of sharing. Pastor Ed Ramos is spending 4 sessions for evangelism training. Now, 4 sessions should not be deemed as a tough requirement. Time and again, I hear the excuse of people being so busy that they don’t have time for training such as this. But let’s compute the hours we use for doing other things which are not worthwhile like watching TV, surfing the internet, walking around malls buying nothing, etc. If we can make time for such activities, we should be able to commit to four sessions that has the potential of helping us lead our closest friends and loved ones to the Lord. It has been said often that many Christians are not witnessing because they don’t know how. Well, you can stop giving that excuse by seeking your training. You can ask some of those people who have already undergone the training. Many of them have had the privilege of leading their parents and closest friends to Jesus.  I really pray that all of us can experience the same.