First Presbyterian Church
647 East Market Street
Akron, Ohio 44304-1684
330-434-5183

Food for Thought: The Power to Witness

From the "Acts 3:15 " series...

Dr. Mark Ruppert

Acts 1:1-11  

It has been said that a Defining Vision is that vision that defines what we do by establishing the aim of our ministry. Here at First Presbyterian Church we have done this and more. If you turn to page __ you will see that we have created a Mission Statement, we have named our Core Purpose, we have listed our Core Values, and we have stated our Defining Vision which reads: First Presbyterian Church is called to be an agent of transformation and reconciliation, advancing the Kingdom of God in our community, our nation, and our world.” And then we actually spell this out with 3 bullet points. But there is something else I want to begin sharing with you today and that is this. You have to have a Defining Practice that tells us how to do it.

If we are going to make any difference for Jesus Christ is this world in which we live, if we are going to make any difference for Jesus Christ in our families, in our neighborhoods, in our work place, in our schools, in the community around this church, in Akron and in this world, we have to know how to do it. And then do exactly what the old Nike commercial used to say, JUST DO IT. Don’t sit around and dissect it, don’t sit around and analyze it to death which only leads to paralysis, just buckle up and DO IT. And so today I begin a series that will address exactly this. Over the next 6 weeks I will be sharing 6 Defining Practices of Ministry. Today we begin with WITNESS.

Have you ever had information that has saddened you to the point that you want to crawl into a hole and stay for a long time? I have some information that I want to share with you that saddens me. Info on our denomination…

Part of the things that saddens me about our denomination is that we continue to let the secular world influence our theology and us. But I also believe we have not done a very good job witnessing to our faith. Let me ask you an important question: When was the last time you witnessed to someone else your faith in Jesus Christ? Now don’t get embarrassed if it has been a long time. Let me ask you an even harder question that needs to be addressed- have you ever witnessed to someone else your faith in Jesus Christ? Now let’s be honest and get in touch with WHY. Why we haven’t. Is it because we are embarrassed about our faith, or because we are afraid we might turn someone off, or because we might not be able to answer his or her questions? All of these are real responses but are they in the end, really valid? We don’t have to bang the person over the head with a Bible or our faith we just need to sensitively and gently look for opportunities to share some “God talk” and see where the conversation takes you. If they don’t want to go there just move on. But when was the last time you witnessed to your faith? Bill Bright, who was President of Campus Crusade for Christ once said, “Millions of surveys which we have helped to take around the world indicate that approximately 98% of the Christians do not regularly introduce others to the Savior.” Howard Hendricks has said, “In the midst of a generation screaming for answers, Christians are stuttering.”

Let me share with you how I slipped in some “God talk” into a conversation two Friday’s ago. Margaret and I were over at Firestone High School and we were talking with Rebecca’s chemistry teacher. She mentioned she was so glad that Rebecca and another student have become friends because they have similar values and morals. This was my opportunity- so I said something like, “And they pray for each other and with each other on a regular basis.” That is all I said.

Later on, at the end of our conversation, her teacher mentioned a family in her church where the 39-year-old mother died and left a husband and 11 children, all of whom she home schooled. Rebecca’s teacher asked if we would pray for this family and her church that is trying to minister to them, not only in the present but in the future. We connected and then because she was open to discussing spiritual things she asked us to pray for the situation.

Let me share some thoughts with you about Witnessing.

First, bearing witness is Christ’s command for every disciple and church. Following Jesus’ resurrection and just before Jesus was going to ascend to His heavenly Father, He was gathered with His disciples and said to them in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Now did Jesus say, “If you decided and want to you will…” or did he say, “create a committee to discuss and debate and decided if you will might be my witnesses…?” No, Jesus said, “You will be…”

If we are believers in Jesus Christ we have the Holy Spirit within us who will lead and guide and direct us. And the Holy Spirit is given for effectiveness in being a witness. We have a special calling to be communicators of the grace and love of God, to introduce people to Christ, to help them come to understand the wonderment of His indwelling power to live a new life, and to walk with them as they grow and mature in the faith. Do you know what the word “Witness” means? In the Greek WITNESS means “one who avows what he/she has seen, heard, or knows.” Do you know Jesus? If you do then you are a witness. I once heard the analogy used that Christians are to be conduits or channels, not reservoirs or holding tanks. A flowing river purifies itself; a swamp has inlets but no outflow. Take for instance the Dead Sea. Fish can live only around the closest reaches of the inflow from the Jordan. But since there is no outflow to the sea, the fish would die a few yards away. In a similar way our lives can become very dull and stagnant as Christians if all we do is take in wonderful truths from studying God’s Word, worship and preaching, and take in pearls of wisdom from a host of classes taught by stirring teachers but where there is no application to what has been learned. The Holy Spirit’s power is given to us to be witnesses so that we can share by our very lives and by our actions what Christ means to us and what He can mean to others.

Second, bearing witness speaks of God’s reality and invites others to faith. Did you catch the word, “invites?” How do you do this? Us “God-talk.” Speak about what God has been doing in your life. I love it in the black church; even the simplest thing like “I thank God I got up this morning” is shared as to the reality of God in that person’s life. When Rebecca and Ashley were in a car accident on Friday, December 2 last year, I could have said, “Gee, I’m glad that no one was hurt.” I could have also put it a different way using God-talk but saying, “God was really watching out for Rebecca, Ashley and the other people. His hand was on them and no one got hurt.” See the difference? “We bear witness to fellow disciples of Jesus Christ by affirming the reality and work of God… both as it is expressed in Scripture and the Confessions of the church and equally significant as it is displayed in [our] own life.” (Stan Ott, Acts 16:5 Initiative, Vol. 1)

And as you speak to that person can you tell them about Jesus in such a way as to lead a person to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ?

I John 1:3 says, “We declare to you what we have seen and heard [there it is telling others about Jesus, so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

And third, bearing witness is in the way you live and what you say. Jesus says very plain and simply in Matthew 5:16, “Let you light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” How is your light shining, are others seeing your good works and as a result, others are being draw to Him all because of you? And we read these words to the believer in I Peter 3:15, “Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” You don’t have to spit back great theological words, just tell the heart of the Christian message in a simple, straightforward way to anyone who is open to hearing.

A couple of questions: Who has God put on our agenda to love and introduce to Him? Who is alive forevermore all because we cared enough to tell them about Jesus? Are we willing to be made willing for the undeniable calling for every Christian?

Stewart Briscoe in “Getting Into God” shares these 4 easy ways we can do it. 1) Care: show concern for the person. 2) Dare: it takes courage to witness, courage if the person is a stranger to you, and even more if the person is a close friend or relative. 3) Share: If you want to make a lasting impression, share yourself with the person. Get involved in his or her interests, get your shoulder under their burden, and be genuinely glad when they have a success. And 4) Prayer: Don’t discount the effectiveness of prayer in the preparation of people’s hearts for the Good News.

George Sweeting in his book The No-Guilt Guide for Witnessing tells of a man by the name of John Currier who, in 1949 was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Later he was transferred and paroled to work on a farm near Nashville, Tennessee. In 1968, Currie’s sentence was terminated, and a letter bearing the good news was sent to him.

But John never saw the letter, nor was he told anything about it. Life on that farm was hard and without promise for the future. Yet John kept doing what he was told even after the farmer for whom he worked had died. Ten years went by. Then a state parole officer learned about Currier’s plight, found him, and told him that his sentence had been already terminated. He was a free man. Sweeting concluded the story by asking, “Would it matter to you if someone sent you an important message—the most important in your life—and year after year that urgent message was never delivered?” We who have heard the good news of Jesus Christ and experience the freedom through Christ are responsible to get the message out to others. Are we doing all we can to make sure that people get the message? Amen.

Key Points

Introduction: It has been said that a Defining Vision is that vision that defines _________ we do by establishing the aim of our ministry

You have to have a Defining Practice that tells you how to do it

Today we begin with the first Defining Practice of Ministry- WITNESS

When was the last time you witnessed to someone else your faith in Jesus Christ? Have you ever witnessed to someone else…?

“In the midst of a generation screaming for answers, Christians are stuttering.” Howard Hendricks

Slipping in some “God-talk”

Some thoughts about Witnessing

First, bearing witness is Christ’s command for _____ disciple and church Acts 1:8

WITNESS means “one who avows what he/she has _______, ________ or _________”

Second, bearing witness speaks of God’s _______ and _________ others to faith I John 1:3

Third, bearing witness is the way you _____ and what you ______ Matt. 5:16; I Peter 3:15

Stewart Briscoe’s 4 ways to do it: 1) Care; 2) Dare; 3) Share; 4) Prayer

Conclusion: Are we doing all we can to make sure that people get the message?

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)