witness effectively for the kingdom of god
Witness effectively for the kingdom of God as is instructed and commanded by the Lord through the Bible. Apply it wherever you go and in everything you do throughout your life as you serve Him.
This is the Great Commission, as was given to all believers who love and want to follow the Lord. His purpose should and must become your purpose as you look to see what it is He wills you to do in your life.
Observe here, how it has been commanded to us in Matthew 28:18-20, where it says, "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, 'All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.'" Wow! What a promise!
witness to others through your own testimony
You may have a bit of fear or shame in sharing the gospel of Christ with other people. We all do from time to time as we grow in our faith; but you need not let that hinder you. Of course, Satan would love it if it you allow fear to overtake you, or if you felt embarrassed or shameful in telling others how Jesus changed your life.
I too have felt that way and have felt a bit of shame and fear in sharing my Christian testimony with others; however, one day I heard a powerful sermon from a gospel preacher, who preached on the love of Christ and how to be a witness for Him, and in it, he quoted these verses:
- Luke 9:26 says, "For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the Holy angels."
- Deuteronomy 31:6 says, "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."
- 2 Timothy 1:8-10 exhorts us, "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the Gospel, according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:."
- Joshua 1:9 encourages us, "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."
- Romans 1:16 Paul boldly states, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."
- 2 Timothy 2:15 instructs us, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." And finally,
- 1 Peter 4:16 reminds us, "Yet if any man suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf."
Through the word of God, the Lord will reveal these truths to you as you contemplate what your testimony and witness to others really means. Jesus honors you when you honor Him as you share the Good News to those who don't know Him, in proclaiming His name.
witness to others boldly, in spirit and in truth
Telling others about Jesus requires you and me to speak out for Him boldly without any fear, shame, or trepidation. It includes those times when you see that His name is being blasphemed, or when He is being mocked by those who do not know Him, or just in standing up boldly for His sake where there is evil present, or worldly and sinful acts and behaviors going on; such as in the cases of abortion, homosexuality, murder, gossip, using profanities, and various other sins you may see within society or within your own workplace and neighborhood. You will have many opportunities to speak out and to contend for the faith.
There will always be a time when you can witness and speak up for Christ, but when you do, make sure you are speaking in biblical truth, and not in error. This is one of the reasons it is so important to know and understand your Bible. Memorizing scripture and text is always a great help when you want to share your faith with those who are living in sin. The Holy Spirit will come to your aid as you share and witness for the gospel of Christ. It says so in these passages of scripture:
- John 6:63, where it states, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life."
- Luke 21:15 says, "For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist."
- Ephesians 6:17,19,20 tells us, "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God...And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel. For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak."
- Exodus 4:12 says, "Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say."
- Acts 2:4 says, "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Also in,
- Luke 12:12 tells us, "For at that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say."
Basically, your Christian witness and testimony is where you reveal to others (1) what has already been witnessed (seen, heard, and experienced) by those people in Biblical times through Jesus' disciples, prophets, and others who saw, believed, and testified of Him to others, and (2) through the witness of your own life, benefiting from the change and transformation of which God has placed inside of you, thereby giving you an effective means of courage in reaching others for Christ.
witness to others in love
Telling others about Christ can be a bit scary or daunting in the beginning because you are not sure how people will accept you or your message. Just remember though, we are commanded by God to go, such as was told in:
- Jeremiah 1:7-8 which says, "But the Lord said unto me, 'Say not, I am a child: For thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee,' saith the Lord."
- Luke 8:39 tells us, "Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him."
- Isaiah 6:8 proclaims, "Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then said I, 'Here am I, send me.'"
We are also to reach out to others in love, just as Jesus did throughout all His time on earth before His descension into Heaven. Look at these verses to understand His perfect example:
- Matthew 9:36 says, "But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd."
- John 13:34 tells us, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another."
- Colossians 3:12-13 says, "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another; if any man have a quarrel against any: Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."
- 1 Peter 3:8 says, "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:..."
In essence, being a sole-winner for Christ brings joy to the believer's heart; furthermore, it pleases God so much in that you honor and obey Him through your life and your effectiveness as a Christian witness for Him.
You can see how it pleases the Lord as it says in Proverbs 11:30, stating that, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise." Here you know you are doing His will when you point others to Christ.
Matthew 9:37-38 demonstrates the sadness in the heart of Jesus after having such compassion on the multitudes of people all around Him. Here He laments, "Then He said unto His disciples, 'The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest."
I love how Paul gives us the needful hope and courage in this labor for Christ when he said in 2 Corinthians 2:14, "Now thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place." What encouragement!
Finally, I would like to encourage you as well; to go out today, and tell. Tell those who do not know; how the Savior Jesus Christ came to seek and to save those who are lost; how He saved you and changed and transformed your life; and how He can and will change their lives too.
May God bless you as you continue to point others to Christ, and in being a faithful witness for Him.
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