“Then said Jesus to them (His disciples) ‘Peace be unto you: as my Father has sent me, even so send I you.’”
I have spent some time this morning thinking a lot about the title that is given above. I want to share my thoughts with you about how we can be better witnesses. Keep in mind that I was thinking about my own witness of, and for, Jesus as well as your witness. John 20:21 is a reminder to us that we have been saved and sent to be witnesses to the world. How can we be better witnesses? First, I think that we need to stop fussing with each other. I mean that we should get along better with our fellow Christians than we do. Before we fuss at each other, we should stop and ask if that is what Jesus wants us to do, or if that is what Jesus called us to do when He said “Even so send I you”? Of course there will be disagreements among Christians, the same as any other group of human beings. Surely people who have received the Holy Spirit can learn to disagree without being mean-spirited I know that I remind myself of this when I feel disagreeable about something. I remember that Jesus said, “PEACE be unto you, as my Father has sent me, even so send I you.” I think that this is worth consideration if we want to improve our witness to the world. This is true of churches and denominations! Second, we should be careful about how we talk to and treat other people in public. There are times when we encounter recalcitrant people, for example, when we are shopping. There is that urge to give them a “piece of our minds.” When we feel this coming on, we need to remind ourselves that we are representing Jesus even when we shop. There are just some people that are disagreeable, and we want to be disagreeable along with them. This is a good time for us to ask if this is what Jesus would have us do, or is this what Jesus called us to do when He “sent us”? I know that this is not always easy, but it is something that we should consider if we want to be better witnesses of, and for, Jesus. Third, with the challenges issued in the first two points of this article, we should spend a lot of time in prayer and Bible study. We need these devotional times to get us ready to deal with the world. I know that my own times of prayer and Bible study have helped me to watch what I say to people and how I treat people. There are just times when I have to watch my own “disagreeableness.” Time spent with God in prayer and in God’s word help me to remember that I am a Christian, and that I have been sent as a witness for Jesus in all of my dealings in life. These are certainly not the only things that we need to remember if we want to be better witnesses for Jesus, but it seems to me that they are a good start in the right direction. Bro. Joe
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By (Jesus) therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name. 16. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”
These verses are in the middle of a discussion about the difference between the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and the sacrifices offered in the temple in Jerusalem. The writer mentions some things that should result from our relationship with Jesus, that is, “sacrifice of praise,” doing good and “communicating,” or sharing with others, and sharing Jesus with others. I see these three things as qualities that should be in our lives because of our relationship with Jesus. Because Jesus is in our lives, we should “offer the sacrifice of praise.” Praise should be a natural reaction of people who are in a real relationship with Jesus. The Bible is full of stories and incidents about praising God. The feast days in the Old Testament were actually services of praise to God. The author of Hebrews refers to praise as “the fruit of our lips.” Jesus mentioned that our lives are to be bear fruit, and praise is one of the fruits that we are to bear. This means that we should not be ashamed to publically praise God. I don’t mean that we should go down the street shouting. People might think we are crazy, but we should not be ashamed of offering praise to God. Because Jesus is in our lives, we are “to do good.” Good works are a natural part of our relationship with Christ. We know from Paul that we are “saved by grace through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8) We are not saved by doing good, but James clarifies this by writing that “faith without works in dead, being alone.” (James 2:17) James’ emphasis on works does not nullify Paul’s emphasis on faith. We are, indeed, not saved by doing good works. For example, how many good works would it take to save us? When we put Paul and James together we get the idea that we are saved by a faith that works. Because Jesus is in our lives, we are to “communicate.” Another translation of this is to “share.” This has two meanings. One is that we share with other people, that is, that we should not be stingy. We should not be stingy with other people and we should not be stingy with God. One of the first things that the first church in Acts did was to share all that they had with each other. Being a person that shares with others and with God is certainly a quality that Jesus should bring into our lives. Along with continual praise and good works, we should share Jesus with other people. The first way we do this is by living a like that will make our witness real to others. Look over these three qualities and ask yourself if you are attempting to live them. Bro. Joe “Let your light so shine among men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Don’t you love the fancy title of this article? This was a thought that I had today and wanted to share it with you. These are some things that we need to do more of and that will make our light shine and glorify our Heavenly Father. We need to love people. I remember a song that Burt Bacharach wrote in the 70’s that reminded us of this: “What the world needs not is love, sweet love...” This is still true in the 2000’s. We need to love people whether they are lovable or not. If those of us who belong to Jesus cannot love people, who can? We need to remember that Jesus loves sinners…of which we all are. We cannot let the rampant hatred that is loose in the world keep us from shining for the glory of God. We Christians need to do a better job of loving each other as an example to the world. We need to hate sin. The sins that we need to hate the most are those that keep us from shining our lights to a dark, dark world. Loving people does not mean that we hate sin less. It is sin that has been destroying the world since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. We are not true friends to the world if we just accept sin that is ruining their lives. We do not need to be self-righteous, but there is certainly nothing wrong with us if we live righteously. Jesus did not save us to accept sin as the norm – even in our own lives. We need to be careful what we say to each other. One of the most hurtful things that can happen to us is for someone to use unkind words to us. We also need to remember that our own unkind words can really hurt people. I have received two kinds of criticism in my fifty-seven year ministry: One is criticism that has been given in love, because I needed correction. Second is criticism that has been given in a nasty, hurtful way. I’ve got to tell you that I really, really do not like the second criticism. I try to remember this if I have to be critical for some reason or other. In this matter, I always think of Job’s friends who sat with Job for seven days and kept their mouths shut, and then when they started to talk they made all kinds of false accusations. Think of them before you speak an unkind word. Of course, there are more than three things that we need to do more of, but these are uppermost in my mind today. I think that you will agree that we need to do more of these things. Bro. Joe "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world and that you protect them from the evil one.”
John 17 contains the prayer of Jesus for Himself, His disciples and for future believers.Our focus is on verse 15, where Jesus prayed, basically, for the Lord to keep His discples here and to protect them. There is a word here for us. Following is what I found: Jesus did not pray for His disciples to be taken out of the world because they were needed in the world. He had a purpose for them. We can accept this as a prayer for us as well, for He has us here for a purpose. His disciples were to be His witnesses to the world, which is why He has us here. When we received Jesus as our Savior, we became His witnesses. We must witness first by example by living a Christian lifestyle. Jesus saved us to live for Him and to live like Him. For example, we should love people whether or not they are lovable. We should forgive people even when they do not ask for our forgiveness. We should speak for Jesus, even if it would make us unpopular. When Jesus gets ready to take us out of here, He will. Until then we are to be His witnesses to the world. We are not judges of the world but witnesses to the world by the way we live, and when the opportunity arises, to share with others what He has done for us, and can do for them. Jesus prayed for His disciples to be protected from “the evil one.” The “evil one” is Satan. Jesus knew that Satan would attack His people and try to ruin their witness. He is still working to ruin our witness. 1 Peter 5:8 reminds us: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion walks about seeking whom he may devour.” We need to remember that we have protection from him, but that does not mean that we will always claim it and use it. The Holy Spirit warns us, and speaks to our hearts, but He does not coerce us. Like Simon Peter, when he denied Jesus at His trial, we can get too confident in ourselves and drop our guard. This does not mean that we should “run scared,” but that we should be vigilant, as Peter reminded us. In verse 16, Jesus said that His disciples were “not of the world, even as I am not of this world.” In verse 17, He asked the Father to “sanctify them (set them apart) through your truth; your word is truth.” We have the same word to help us in our lives. Thank God, He has given us His word to inspire and remind us of His presence in our lives. We also need to pray for God’s help and protection. Remember, Jesus has given us a purpose, or purposes, to be His witnesses in the world and to the world. . Bro. Joe Friday-Sunday “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12. Having your conversation (conduct) honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.” (Or “glorify God on the day He visits us.”) Does it matter what people think about us or say about us? The answer is “yes” and “no.” If we are always worried about what people think about us or say about us no matter whether what we are doing is good or bad, the answer is “no.” If we are concerned that our behavior reflects the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, then the answer is “yes.” Look at what Peter advised: Peter refers to us as “strangers and pilgrims.” Christians are citizens of two countries. We are citizens of our country, subject to the laws of our country, but we also have a heavenly citizenship, which means that we are citizens of the kingdom of God. In that sense, we are “strangers and pilgrims.” While it is important for us to be be good citizens in the earthly realm, and that we reflect the best of the values of this realm; it is even more important that our lives reflect the best of the values of the heavenly realm. Sometimes, we just have to be “strangers and pilgrims” in our behavior. This might bring us into conflict with earthly values. When that happens so be it. Our Christian witness is all-important to God, and should be for us as well. Peter demands that we “abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” There are things that we, obviously, should not do. When we give in to “fleshly lusts,” which we will if we aren’t careful, we give a bad example to the world. The world is super-critical of us when we do not “abstain from fleshly lusts.” We were admonished by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 to “abstain from all appearance of evil.” This is not a call for us to be self-righteous. It is not self-righteous, however, to live a clean Christian life and to help others do this as well. In verse 12, Peter wrote that our conduct should be “honest among the Gentiles (in this case, pagans): that, whereas they speak against you as evil doers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God on the day of visitation.” While people might not be impressed with our Christian lifestyles, they will be impressed when the demands of this lifestyle make us trustworthy in all of our dealings with people. If people are going to say bad things about us, it should be about our stand for Christ, with which they disagree, but not about our trustworthiness. I am not suggesting that we lay awake at night and worry about what other people think of us. I am suggesting that we should be aware that what we say and do reflects our commitment to Christ. Bro. Joe “Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”
If you will read Ephesians 2:10, you will see that James and Paul agreed on works. We are not saved by works, but we are saved to work. Are we really trying to do even the simplest works that would make us better witnesses for Jesus? The three things that I will mention are not things that you have never heard about. But are you really, really trying in these areas. Are you really taking the time to pray? Praying is not hard work, but it is great work. Jesus set aside time to pray, and that is an example for us. Even if it is only a few minutes, we should set aside time for private prayer. But we need to remember that the door to prayer is never closed, and we can pray anytime, anywhere. I remind myself to pray when I am reading the newspaper, watching television, etc. You will find plenty to pray for in these things. People need prayer and we need to pray, even for people with whom we disagree. Are you really taking time to pray? Are you really taking the time to read the Bible? This is a little more difficult than taking the time to pray, but for a Christian it is just as necessary. Make time!!! You might even decide which television program you will sacrifice to take the time to read your Bible. And when you read it, read it systematically. What I mean is that when you read the Bible start at the first chapter and read through the final chapter. In this technological age there are other ways to “read” the Bible. It is available on CD’s, or for “oldie goldies” like me who still have cassette players, you can find cassettes to listen to. (You might need to find them at Goodwill, but they are out there.) There are millions of people in the world who would love to have the freedom to own and read the word of God. We have the freedom, so let’s take advantage of it. Are you really taking the time stand up for Jesus? The name of Jesus has become toxic in today’s society. People will tolerate a generic “god,” or maybe even Allah, but “Jesus” is a no no. I am afraid that they are going to pass a law that it is against the law to say “Jesus” in a crowded theater. (There are some places that you could get your head severed for doing this.) The name “Jesus” is the new blasphemy in the unbelieving world. There are a couple of biblical verses that we need to read. The first is Mark 8:18: “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him shall the Son of man be ashamed….” The second is Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ….” Take the time to do these things in your life. Bro. Joe “My soul, wait you only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.” "8. Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.”
When you pray can you pray with David “my expectation is from Him”? What do you expect God to do in answer to your prayers? Give some thought to this question as you read this article. When you ask God to forgive you for your sins, do you really believe that He hears you and will actually forgive you? God’s forgiveness is a precious promise to us from the Bible and we need to receive it as gospel. Do you believe that He will forgive you for the worst sin that you have committed? If you come to Him in repentance for sin, God will hear and He will forgive you. If He forgave David, He will forgive you. 1 John 1:9 is still true: “If we confess our sins, He (Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” You can take that as gospel truth. Jesus died on the cross to make it possible. When you ask for Christ’s presence in your life, do you really believe that He is with you in every aspect of your life? Hebrews 13:5 gives us this promise: “Let your conversation/conduct we without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have: for He has said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” When you pray, you know that Jesus is with you, listening to, and answering, your prayer. Christ’s presence in our lives gives us full assurance, and helps us to watch how we live in His presence. When you ask Jesus to make you His witness to the world by the way you live, do you really believe it? He has empowered us to be His witnesses, and we can believe that He will use our lives to be His witness. People will hear our words, if they see them lived out in our lives. Do you believe that when you ask Him, the Lord will make your life a witness at the places where you work, play, shop, and etc.? Believe that the Lord will use your life as surely as He used the apostles in the New Testament. Pray, today, for your life to reflect Jesus to the world. What prayer request do you have on your heart today? Are you praying for a friend? Are you praying for a brother or sister? Are you praying for an illness that you are experiencing? There is no end to prayer requests. When you pray, expect God to answer you according to His will, and to bless your life with His answer! Bro. Joe “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me ; 27. And you shall bear witness (testify), because you have been with me from the beginning.”
In these verses, Jesus was preparing His disciples for His ascension. This is His promise of the sending of the Holy Spirit. The word “comforter” is the translation of the Greek word Paraclete. There are three applications of this word that can describe the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. First, it can be translated “Counselor.” The Holy Spirit is our counselor, which means He is our source of wisdom. When we serve the Lord, we do not serve in the wisdom of the flesh; rather we serve in the power of the Holy Spirit. We do not innately have the wisdom that we will need in our service, but He will furnish us with the wisdom of God. Also, as our counselor, He will give us our direction. This means directions of how we should serve Him, based on the gifts that the Spirit gives. He also gives us the direction of where we should serve. There are many different ways, and many different places to serve the Lord. Seek His counsel for your life so that you will do the right thing in the right place in your service for the Lord. Second, it can be translated “Intercessor.” This is our source of comfort in our service for the Lord. Here is what Paul told us this intercessory ministry in Romans 8:26-27: “Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: But the Spirit makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered. 27. And He searches the mind of the Spirit, because He makes intercession for the saints (all believers) according to the will of God.” Again, we are reminded that we are not in this service alone, for we have been given the wisdom, power and accompaniment of the Holy Spirit. Third, it can be translated “Helper.” This is our source of victory. Just before He ascended back to the Father, Jesus gave them this promise in Acts 1:8: “But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." He told them in John 15:27 that they would testify for Him under the power of the Holy Spirit. This did not end with Jesus’ original followers. It is also a promise to us. The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, is your counselor, your intercessor and your helper. Rejoice! And pause now and thank Jesus for the promise of the Holy Spirit. Bro. Joe "And when (Jesus) had come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed Him that he might be with Him. 19. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but said unto him, Go home to your friends and tell them how great things the Lord has done for you, and has had compassion on you.”
The incident referred to in the text is the encounter that Jesus had with the man who was demon possessed and ran naked and wild among the tombs. After Jesus had rid the man of the demons, it was natural that he would want to follow Jesus, but Jesus did not tell him to follow Him as He did His disciples. He told the man to go back to his home and share with others the miracle that he had experienced. Because of what happened to the man, he was given the responsibility of sharing it. This is a good lesson for us. We need to share with others what Jesus has done for us. Jesus told the man to go home to his friends. Can you imagine the surprise of the man’s friends when they saw him “clothed and in his right mind.” They would obviously be curious about what had happened to return him to sanity. The last time they saw the man he was out of control, now he had been changed. We have heard many stories about people who lived wild lives and were changed by the gospel, and about how surprised the people who knew them were. They noticed the change in him and wondered what had happened. It might be that you did not live a “wild” life before you were saved, but Jesus has done a work in your life, and He wants you to tell people about what He did, and is doing, for you. We are not told how the man’s friends reacted to his new life, but I imagine that, among other things, they wanted to know what happened to bring about this change. Whether the change is dramatic, as in the case of the demoniac, or undramatic, the reason for the change in our lives needs to be shared. Jesus told the man to tell his friends “what great things the Lord had done for (him).” Surely, Jesus has done something in your life that needs to be told. The “great things” that Jesus does for us might not be as dramatic as this story, or the experience of Paul, but He wants us to share them with others. You might not have a sensational story to tell, but you do have a story. We all have a story about what Jesus has done in our lives. We can share how Jesus replaced the depression and fear that we felt and gave us a new outlook on life. We can share how Jesus changed our relationships with people. Before Jesus touched our lives, we might have been afraid of people, felt inferior to them, or just did not like them. But when Jesus touched our lives, He changed our relationships. People will notice a difference in how we relate to them. We can share how Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, helped us begin to understand the scriptures. There is no limit to the things that we can share with others about the “great things” that Jesus has done in our lives. No matter how mundane our “great things” might seem to us as compared to those of the demoniac, the Lord can still use them to lead others to Himself. Jesus has done a work in your life that He wants you to share. Go to people and tell them about what Jesus has done for you, that He loves them and has compassion for them. Bro. Joe “And as (Jesus) walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17. Then Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fisher’s of men. 18. They immediately left their nets and followed Him.”
We know from the first chapter of John that these two men had already had an encounter with Jesus. In this text he gives them a call to do a different kind of fishing. They were now to fish for men. Three things occurred to me about this text that pertains to all who encounter Jesus and hear His call. First, Jesus saw them. You might be thinking, well, duh, of course He did. But hang on a minute; I have a point here for you: Jesus sees you too. We need to remember that we are never out of the sight of Jesus. He sees what we are doing in our daily tasks, just as He saw Simon and Andrew, and then a little farther on Jesus saw James and John. Jesus has his eye on you, and He wants you as He wanted these men. Second, Jesus gave them work to do. They would still be fishing, but now they would be fishing for people. Jesus called them from that profession to fish for people, but He does not call everyone to leave their profession. In fact, Jesus calls us to fish for people in our daily lives. The Christian life is not just about church, revival meetings, etc. It is about “casting our nets” for Him as we encounter people on a daily basis. The first thing that He calls us to do is to live Christian lives before people in order for them to see His light shining from us. When we speak to them about Jesus, they can see Him in our countenance. Third, it is important to note these men immediately followed Jesus. I think that after their encounter with Jesus in John, Jesus gave them time to think about what He wanted with them. Then, Jesus called them to be witnesses for Him, and they did not hesitate. We should not hesitate to be witnesses for Jesus. All of us can tell about what Jesus has done in our lives. But I can’t tell you how Jesus has called you to ‘’fish” for people. Just obey His command, and do as He leads you to “fish.” I want you to take this away from this article: Jesus is aware of you. He has work for you to do, and it is up to you to “immediately” follow Him. Bro. Joe . |
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